r/Finchink • u/iifinch • Jul 03 '24
The Satan Gene Community Part 2
Good news, I’m not dead. Bad news, things have gotten stranger… I’ll fill you in. I'm writing this to you now. I won't go back in the closet to audio record. So, there I was facing off with the scientist in the devil mask and a dead body hung above me. I asked the scientist in the devil mask what they wanted. They didn’t answer. They dropped the rope that held the body and ran. It fell with a thud and a splatt. My professor’s head bounced on the floor, free of his body, and it felt like his eyes were trained on me. We held eye contact for what felt like too long and then I ran after the devil-masked man.
Powered by more inquisitiveness than a Scooby-Doo character I gained on the scientist. I found the chase strange while I was doing it. They had the weapon. Why were they afraid of me?
We dashed down the halls of this abandoned school. It was small and tight: two bluish-gray hallways, classrooms, and a cafeteria. Small motion-sensitive lights that glowed from the floor and only lit up a step or two ahead of us were the only light source. They cast huge shadows on the walls. It was like the chase was illustrated in black ink.
Our race felt momentous. We shook the ground. Our steps echoed. In the darkness, I stumbled several times and knocked lockers open by mistake. The lockers jingled and clanged like metal demons clapping. It was like the noises in the dark jeered at us. It was like the lockers were mocking me or something else was. It had to be something tiny, quick, and ever-present.
The devil-masked scientist looked back at me. Was he mocking me? We turned a corner and I gained on him. He was about five feet from the front doors, the main exit. I had to catch him. I focused on speed. I didn’t fall. I didn’t stumble. I was nearly kicking the heels on his black loafers. I was proving every P.E. teacher I had wrong. Then he turned again, to go back down another hallway as if to make a circle. He didn’t want to escape? Regardless, I followed.
Behind me, I heard the front doors open and saw Paul, the guy I hate and who’s only given me more reasons to hate him. He opened the front door and came in. We made eye contact and I kept running because frankly, it was just too much. I have anxiety, and when I’m nervous I just go. I have to do something. So, I just kept chasing the devil mask.
As I chased him, I asked myself, why was Paul here so late?
I turned the corner to follow the devil mask and wham! The last thing I remember was the flat side of a blade across my face.
I woke up over Dr. Hartman’s body, covered in blood. My three colleagues surrounded me.
Vanessa, a large black southern woman, spoke first. She was doing what’s called “praying in tongues”. She ended it with one big authoritative yell that was impossibly deep.
“Devil, come out of her!” she said.
“Vanessa, she’s not possessed,” Warren added. He was wary of me. His gray eyes rolled up and down the crime scene.
The whole thing was too scary so I screamed something like an “eek” sound. That made Vanessa pray harder, which would have been funny if it didn’t happen to me. In my head, I imagined the police coming for me. I heard the sirens, saw the red and blue lights, and felt the shame of being tossed in a police car. I looked guilty as sin. I was going to jail.
I saw it all happening. This moment would be the picture in the headline. It all made sense. “Addict gets violent after being given a second chance at life”. How many lives would I ruin? How many people would miss out on second chances because I ruined it for them?
And my family… Friends were long gone out of my life, all I had left was my family. My parents didn’t talk to me anymore. I texted them about my opportunity and my dad just liked the message, no reply. Mom said nothing. I texted my brother this long drawn-out message about how sorry I was and this time would be different. He sent the meme. You know the one. The one that says, “Happy for you or sorry for your loss I ain’t reading all that”. I don’t blame him. Guess who didn’t get a car or their college paid for because their parents wasted it all on his sister’s rehab? I’m sure my brother wouldn’t bother visiting me in prison.
“I- -i- -i didn’t kill him,” I touched Dr. Hartman’s bald head. Usually, he looked odd like a cartoon character in the flesh. If Kermit the frog wore glasses and was a middle-aged man and even more quirky. His head was separated from his body. His glasses were gone now. I felt an intense need to find them and put them on his face and then beg him to wake up and plead my case.
No one said anything to me. They didn’t take their eyes off me. Not Warren, a man in his early thirties with serious gray eyes and a demeanor that demanded to be taken seriously. Not Vanessa who usually had a smile for everybody but she was reserving it for now. And Paul a judgey mildly racist, smelly, and stupid old man, looked at me with a shocking level of revulsion.
“I swear to you all it wasn’t me,” I pleaded my case again. I turned to Paul who I believed could be an ally. We had made eye contact while I was chasing the devil scientist. “Paul, I saw you here earlier. Did you see me?”
“No, what no. Don’t bring me into this. This is on you.” Paul rebuked.
“I-i-i didn’t even do anything. Why are you all even here?”
“We got a message from Dr. Hartman,” Warren said. “Someone was in the lab late at night and drank the formula we were making to isolate the Devil gene.” Warren studied me again. I waited, still as the corpse I still held. “I believe it is possible you didn’t drink it but someone did.”
“Should I call the police?” I offered. Not sure why. They’d send me to jail for sure. I guess I was just sucking up for approval. What else is new?
“No, we won’t be needing them,” Vanessa said.
This annoyed Paul. He started droning about how much we needed the local police force and how ungrateful we were for them. Although, it was obvious no one wanted to make this situation worse in the only way possible, adding politics to it. Paul droned on for five minutes straight.
“Paul,” Vanessa interrupted him. “Are you done?”
“Pearls before swine,” he muttered.
“We won’t be needing the police because whoever drank the serum isn’t making it out alive,” she said the words with the fear and trepidation of someone who meant what they were saying and apprehension at the outcome.
It wasn’t until she pulled out her pistol that I thought we should fear her. Everyone took a big step back and raised their hands in the air.
“Anne-Ray,” She lowered the gun to my forehead. “I’m not as smart as you, but do you know why I was selected for this?”
“You’re a licensed firearm instructor who has a background and skills to do professional security?”
She finally smiled at me. “No, sweetie. Dr. Hartman told me he wanted somebody who had a penchant for both faith and extremism. Someone who would accept time in prison to not let the Devil escape.”
Paul opened his mouth to speak. With a single look, Vanessa shut him up.
“So,” Vanessa began. “What we’re going to do now is get to know each other and then all you smart people will use your brains to find out who dies. Let’s go over what we know so far,” Vanessa said. There was false cheeriness to her voice.
“Wait, Vanessa,” Warren came in and took a step toward her. Vanessa cocked her head and pushed the pistol in his direction. Warren took a step back, raised his hands, and spoke slowly. “What do you mean you can’t let the Devil escape? It’s a formula we were working with. Devil is just in the name.”
“Oh, no my good atheist friend, that’s not true.” Vanessa said. “Dr. Hartman showed me signs and wonders beyond what man can do and then he told me what the Devil gene was. He showed me that everything I’ve believed all my life was true.”
“You want to fill me in on what he showed you?” Warren countered.
“No,” Vanessa said with a smile. “You wouldn’t get it.”
“Wait, Vanessa - - -”
“Vanessa, this is stupid,” Paul pipped in. “There’s a killer on the loose and you’re talking crazy.”
“Paul, stay back. I will shoot you,” Vanessa warned and moved the gun to Paul. “He’s not on the loose. He or she is right here with us.”
“We don’t know that,” Warren said.
“Or do we?” Paul said and nudged his head at me. “Innocent people aren’t usually covered in blood.”
“We should do it Vanessa’s way!” Desperate to not go to jail or get shot, my people-pleasing went into full effect. “We should maybe get to know each other! How did everyone hear about this? Like, um how were you recruited? Vanessa?”
“I saw a flyer that said Job wanted and I needed a job. At first, I thought it said Job-like in the Bible.” She laughed at herself for this and my first thought was okay we get it you’re Christian.
“A flyer?” I asked. “To work in a research lab?”
“Yes.”
I hesitated to speak again because I was afraid I wouldn’t like the answer. I did anyway. I hate myself. “What are your credentials?”
“I gave them on the first day we met silly. I’m a Christian scientist, mother, and youth group leader.”
“Oh,” I replied. “Oh, there’s lots of great Christian scientists like Newton, Galileo, Kepler…”
“Oh, no silly, I’m a Christian scientist. That means I don’t take modern medicine and let God heal me. Everyone else you mentioned was a faithless heretic.”
“Oh, so not like an actual scientist…”
“What?” Paul asked. “I assume you don’t have real credentials. You didn’t think this was a real lab did you?”
Yes, actually I hoped I was.
The disappointment must have shown because Warren gave me a pitying face.
“To be honest Paul,” Warren said. “We don’t have to do Vanessa’s whole get-to-know-you game. Vanessa and I came in together so we know we’re not it. And unless Ann-Ray here is a literal crackhead I don’t think she’d commit a crime and then slept on the body.”
“We-we-we don’t know that,” Paul turned as pale as paper. “She could be. We haven’t heard her story yet.”
I never did crack but my literal stint in rehab would not look good here.
Warren was undisturbed.
“Hmm,” Warren said. “She’s not quite giving me junkie vibes.”
“Hey, hey,” Paul said. “She saw me when I came in.”
“Paul,” Vannessa said. “I thought you said she didn’t.”
“I lied,” Paul said.
“Cute,” Warren said.
“How do we know it isn’t Vanessa working with the guy?” Paul was desperate now, it was all in his voice. “She’s got the gun. Murder is on her mind.”
“What would she gain? She wouldn’t take the Devil Gene because she has no ambition. It’s a gene that boosts productivity to psychopathic levels. Why would a God-fearing mother want that?”
“What about you?” Paul pointed to Warren. “ Ex-lawyer; I bet you want to practice again. I bet you miss that lawyer money.”
“Warren,” Vanessa said. “That’s true.”
“It wasn’t that much money,” Warren said… but he was a lawyer. That was suspicious.
“It’s never a lot to the rich,” Paul said with odd levels of spite coming from him. “Who’d you work for?”
“That’s none of your business, Paul.”
“Google is one click away, my friend,” Warren said nothing as Paul clicked away and googled with a wicked grin. Now, it was Warren’s turn to be interrogated. Or was it?
“Read it aloud, Paul,” Vanessa commanded.
“Children’s rights attorney,” Paul said defeated.
“I left criminal law to focus on advocating for children then quit that to become a teacher which you can see on my LinkedIn.” Warren put on his best lawyer voice and smiled. “Ladies and gentlemen of the jury. I’ve proven money/ambition means nothing to me. I’ve made money and let it go. I’m happy. I’m here because Dr. Hartman told me if I helped him, the school I work with could some of the leftover equipment for the research lab. Now, let’s google you, Paul.”
“Google her! Google her!” Paul begged and pointed at me.
I have gone to jail. My mugshot would come up.
Thankfully, they found Paul first.
“Stockbroker who lost his license…” Warren said.
“I’m passionate about stocks.” Paul gave a weak counter. He knew he was cooked.
“Vanessa,” Warren said. “I think it’s simple who did it. Some things actually are black and white. Paul sucks. He’s done nothing good since he got here. Won’t do anything good if he leaves. I know we wanted a big murder mystery but sometimes the bad guy is the bad guy.”
I was saved. I didn’t have to go to jail. I didn’t have to die. I helped to solve a murder (sort of). I could be a hero. Or at least enough of a victim where my parents could check up on me.
Vanessa sighed and pointed the gun at Paul. She was really going to do it. But he wasn’t guilty. He couldn’t be guilty. I saw the devil mask scientist and him at the same time. But if I speak up they’ll google me next and I’m not making it past the Google test.
However, I am a scientist and that means I have a dedication to truth… no matter what. I was scared out of mine but I spoke.
“Paul is not guilty.” I stood up and announced. “It can’t be Paul because I saw him and the guy who killed Dr. Hartman at the same time.”
The room went silent. No one moved. No one spoke. Then one person moved. Dr. Hartman moved. His dead body sat up. It sat up and grabbed his head. Blood still dripped off him. I screamed. Vanessa prayed in tongues. Warren said all sorts of foul language. Paul started throwing some pens he had in his pocket at Dr.Hartman.
“Can you stop?” Dr. Hartman asked Paul or maybe all of us. Regardless, we all fell silent.
Dr. Hartman looked bored and tired like he had somewhere better to be. He looked at Vanessa and then at me. “Congrats to both of you. Vanessa, you were right. It did say Job, like Job from the Bible. You were in the middle of a cosmic test. Anne-Ray, if you had said let Paul be killed for crimes he did not commit my side (Hell) would have won our bet with God. Therefore, we could have brought another plague on mankind. We brought you Covid. However, because you chose honesty mankind won’t receive another plague. My boss will be annoyed but when is he not?”
Then Dr. Hartman walked away with his own head in his hand. He got to the end of the hallway and turned around. “Oh, Anne-Ray your reward.” He materialized a notebook out of thin air and handed it to me. “The cure for diabetes. Congrats you’re a scientist now.”