The Genesis Child

Possible Part One of several story shorts...

            The New York Subway system can be a daunting experience even in the best of conditions. Police Lieutenant Trevor Flint knew when he transferred into the down town precinct, it was going to be challenging. During the day, his eyes never stopped moving from one person to the next as they passed his location, where ever that might be for the day’s duty assignment. Trevor would be the first to admit that there is always a level of fear that runs through him, each time he takes to his beat. The warm and muggy evening of July 21^st was no different as he descended the steps leading to the subway turnstiles of the Main Street station.

            Lieutenant Flint considered himself, lucky.  Today there were several large events going on elsewhere in the city, causing traffic to be light. Trevor was grateful as well that the transient population tended to shift above ground when the humidity got to high. Sighing and sliding a finger down the collar of his uniform, he felt perhaps they had the right idea.

            As the afternoon slipped by into evening, Trevor was happy that it had turned out to be a calm day, so far that is, he hoped. It seemed that luck had been with him. The last train for the night came and departed. He watched the last few passengers make their way towards the stairs leading topside. Pushing himself off of the wall that he had been leaning against, he began his end of shift sweep of the platform. Casting his gaze around him, he acknowledged that a subway platform after hours, as the over head lighting dimmed into its power saving mode, could be rather spooky. Shivering once then pushing his new found anxiety out of his mind, he continued down the back wall then swung out towards the opening to the tracks.

            Trevor stopped after a few steps and grumbled. Seeing a lone figure sitting on the center bench, he called out. “Hey! Excuse me, but ya gotta get moving. They’re about to lock up for the night.” Trevor waited for a response, but none was given.

            Shaking his head, he chuckled. “It’s always something the screws up a good night.”

            Trevor made his way closer to the figure. They were clothed in a simple sweatshirt and sweatpants, their hood pulled over their head. At first he had thought it might have been an elderly lady, but changed his mind as he saw the trendy pair of pink sneakers. A young girl, perhaps, “Miss, you need to get moving along.” Trevor spoke more firmly.

            It was a young girl’s voice that replied, confirming the lieutenant’s suspicions. “Did you know that this part of the subways is the most structurally sound?”

            Trevor let out a small chuckle, “Yah, I did know that, but what ya doing still hanging around? I’ve asked ya to get a move on twice now.”

            The girl spoke succinctly, in a quiet voice. “I can’t. You should though.”

             Shaking his head in a good humored way, “Miss, let’s go. Its closing time and I can’t let ya stay here. It might be dangerous.” As Trevor finished his last word he took a step closer.

            “Please! Don’t come any closer!” The girl spoke urgently, her voice slightly shaken.

            Trevor stopped mid stride and settled back on the flats of his feet, his face taking on the look of concern. Taking a pause and a couple of calming breaths he spoke, “Miss, is everything alright?”

            The young girl, not more than thirteen looked up for the first time, her red and puffy eyes a clear indication of recent tears. “Yes!” She replied, her lip quivering. “Now, you need to go. I don’t want to hurt anyone else. I just…” the girl paused searching the policeman’s eyes. “Just go. You should just leave me alone. I’m not well. I’m a monster.”

            Trevor crouched down on his haunches and spread his hands outward, palms up. “I’m not a threat Miss. If you need help, or are in some kinda trouble, I can help you.”

            The girl shook her head vehemently, “No! You can’t! No one can!” The girl’s words coming out in frustrated sobs. “I have no cure. I’ve been to doctors and they all say I’m perfectly health and okay.”

            “That a good thing. Isn’t it?” Trevor asked inquiringly.

            “No! I can’t be healthy! Not with what I can do. There is something wrong with me.” The girl’s voice spoke becoming calmer, “Officer, you need to leave me to finish what I came here to do.”

            “And what exactly is…” Trevor’s voice trailed off as the girl lifted up her sweatshirt to reveal six sticks of dynamite strapped to her self. “Look, what ever it is, it can be worked out.” His voice unable to hide the level of unease and fear that had exploded into his mind and making his pulse quicken. He knew that he should call this in, but he also knew that any action like that might force the young girl to do something drastic. Trevor made a choice and remained motionless, knowing he needed to solve this, or try to.

            Taking a different approach Trevor stood up and asked directly, “Sooo… You want to blow yourself up. Great! Fine idea… Why? What does that fix?”

            “It fixes everything.” The girl replied, her tone somewhat more subdued. “It’s not the way I had wanted to end my life, Officer. I’ve tried to kill myself…” the girl’s voice began to break up in sniffles and sobs, “many times. But it just didn’t work!”

            Trevor shook his head thinking this girl was a real nut job, “Look, if your previous attempts at suicide haven’t succeeded, I would think to take that as a sign from God that you’re meant to continue living.”

            The girl shook her head, looking down at her hands, where Trevor saw her holding a small device with a button on it, “No Officer, if God is real then such a monster as I wouldn’t exist.”

            “I see a young female, who’s been crying. I don’t see a monster.” Trevor spoke calmly, mustering as much compassion in his voice that his anxiety of the situation would allow, “Please, can you explain why you’re convinced that you are a monster?”

            Trevor waited, his nerves almost at wits end, when at last the girl spoke.

            “It started to years ago.” The young girl’s eyes stared into the shadows, seeing only her memories. “My parents, older siblings, grandmother and I were all headed into downtown to see a Broadway show. We had just come out of the tunnel when a semi jumped the median and ran into the mini-van head on. It exploded into flames on impact.”

            “My God…” Trevor whispered, remembering reading about the accident the girl was speaking of.

            “I don’t remember what happened after the impact. I just know that I was found, unharmed, fifty feet away.” The girl’s eyes were filled with tears as she paused for a moment and took a breath, whipping her nose with the sleeve of her sweatshirt. She looked directly over at the Officer, “They all died. I should have died with them.”

            Trevor was looking at the floor as he spoke, “I remember reading about it. They said you were ejected from the vehicle and survived by some miracle or grace of God.”

            The girl shook her head, anger and sorrow filling her face, “No! I couldn’t have been! I was in the middle seat, between everyone else! I was actually being good and wearing my seatbelt. My sister and brother in the back seat weren’t.” The girls sobbing now echoing off the concrete walls, “Why didn’t the too get ejected? It makes no sense.”

            Trevor stepped forward towards the girl, “May I sit?”

            The girl, whipping her nose again, nodded. “Don’t try anything stupid. I don’t want to hurt anyone else, Okay?”

            The officer nodded and slowly sank down on the far side of the bench. He straightened out his uniform and glanced over at the girl, who was looking up at him. “Do you have name? I’m Trevor.”

            The girl nodded, “Leslie.”

            “Well Leslie, I know you may not believe in what I do, but I believe that God saved you that day. Who knows why or what his plan is for you, but I’m sure he had a good reason.” Trevor understood some of the girl’s pain, as he had lost his father in a car accident long ago.

            Leslie shook her head slowly then looked back up. “I wish I could say, that God had kept me alive, but that was only the first time. Six months after the accident I had climbed up in a tree, with the intent to hang myself because I couldn’t deal with the grief. I jumped. I could feel my life slipping away from me as I swayed. I thought it was the end, and I was relieved.”

            “So what happened?” Trevor asked.

            “I came to in the ER. A neighborhood boy had found me while he was walking his dog and called 911.”

            Trevor thought for a moment, “So the paramedics go to you before it was to late.”

            “No.” Leslie replied shaking her head and sniffing. “I had jumped at 2pm. The boy found me at 8pm. I came to at 9pm.” Her words were distant. “There’s no way I should have survived.”

            Trevor let his gaze shift to the ceiling as he thought about what this young teenager was telling him. It was too impossible to be true he thought, but if it was… His thoughts carried off as Leslie began to talk again.

            “I didn’t give up trying to kill myself Trevor.” Leslie had stopped crying and had pulled her knees up, her head resting on them. I’ve tried drowning myself in the bath tub, I’ve slit my wrists with a kitchen knife and passed out as the floor was covered in my own blood. I’ve tried poison, jumping off a four story building onto a concrete sidewalk. Each time, I come back. No blood, no injuries and no reason why. So you see, I have to be a monster.”

            Trevor stared at the young girl for a minute and then decided to simply toss out what was on his mind. “Leslie? You’re story is to incredible to be real.”

            Leslie slipped her legs to the floor and slide over to the officer. “No, it’s not. Watch,” She proceeded to pull out a pocket knife and press it against her wrist.

            “WAIT! Stop!” Trevor shouted reaching for the blade, but the girl had been quick, slipping the knife cleanly and deeply through her left wrist.

            “See!” Leslie spoke, holding out her blood dripping wrist.

            “What I see is blood and a lot of it…” Trevor fell silent as the wound stopped bleeding, closed up and any trace of it vanished before his eyes. The blood that had fallen upon the floor vanished soon after. “Oh my God,” The only words he could think to utter could not compare to what his eyes and had just witnessed.

            As Trevor sat in silence, still gazing at Leslie’s wrist, the girl spoke. “This is why, I’m a monster and why I have to blow myself up. It’s the only thing I haven’t tried.” Fresh tears had begun dripping down the young girls cheeks. “I can’t handle the pain of loosing my family and I can’t stand being this monster, or what ever I am.”

            “Leslie, I…” Trevor was at a loss for words.

            “It’s okay Trevor. You should go. The concrete here will contain the blast. No one else will be hurt.” With a shrug, looking around, “And who knows, when they re-decorate, they might make it a tad bit prettier.”

            Gingerly reaching out and placing his hand on Leslies shoulder, “As much as I understand the pain and frustration of what you must be dealing with. It goes against everything I’ve ever known to just walk away and let you die.”

            Leslie nodded, “I understand you have to try and do your duty, but nothing you say is going to change my mind.”

            “I’m not just talking about my obligation as a police officer. I myself, Trevor the human being has a major problem with this.”

            Leslie offered a small smile, “If you hadn’t been on shift, if no one had noticed me sitting here, I would have done it anyways. At least now, someone will remember me.”

            Trevor sat silent, his emotions and thoughts numb.

            “Thank you for talking to me Trevor. Now…you should go.” Leslie finished pulling back and sitting upright on the bench, her eyes calmly staring out towards the tracks with determination.

           

            Lieutenant Trevor Flint of the NYPD leaned up against a light post a few feet away from the opening to the subway stairs. He glanced down at his radio and then looked over towards the steps he had just slowly climbed as if in a daze.

            The ground shook beneath his feet. A loud boom came from the subway platform below, followed shortly after by a cloud of black and grey smoke and dust.

            Trevor closed his eyes and keyed up his radio. “This is Flint at the opening of Main street station. There has been an explosion below. Send fire and paramedics.”

            The radio squawked back urgent replies and then fell silent. Minutes later as Trevor continued to stand against the light poll, silence filling his mind, the fire crews and a paramedic unit showed up.

            The lead fireman ran up to him, “Hey Flint? What the hell happened?”

            Trevor shook his head, “Not sure Ryan. Had just finished my sweep, locked everything up and was about to head back to the precinct when I hear the explosion.”

            “Alright, me and the boys will check it out.”

 

            It was 2am in the morning. Trevor was sitting in his recliner at his apartment, mindlessly flipping channels, when the door bell rang.

            “Who in the hell could that be?” He mumbled, pushing himself up out of the chair and walking towards the door.

            Unlatching the locks, he cracked the door open, “Can I…” His voice left him mid thought as his eyes locked onto Leslie. Her face was covered in soot and she held a large wool blanket around her.

            “Leslie?” Trevor stammered, opening the door all the way.

            The girl nodded and then began to cry, letting herself fall into the man’s arms. “It didn’t work!”

            Trevor glanced up and down the hall and then pulled the distraught girl inside. Something deep down inside told him that everything that had happened was for a reason. He now, just needed to figure out what that reason was. As Leslie plopped herself down in his chair, Trevor let a smile come to his face.

            “I know you don’t want to hear it, but I’m really glad you’re okay.”

            Leslie glanced up giving him a baleful look, “Why?”

            The off duty police officer simply grinned, “Why indeed? I guess that’s what we’ll be finding out, together.”

Reviews

[Shy Girl]

Honestly I'm thinking that Trevor already had a suspicion Leslie would be alright. Don't think he would have left her if he didn't. His character being a police officer and a man with his beliefs. I would be interested in seeing where they go from here. And if the little girl doesn't die or can't be hurt..She seems to think God forgot her..is punishing her and he feels that God saves her over and over for a reason that's bigger than even she knows. Though to not have any family is a tragedy ... only to find a friend in the most unlikely place. The subway... It's a very believable story quite frankly..you made the characters personalities very relate-able for me to follow. You can feel the connection she made with him even though she does it anyway...and his sorrow at not being able to help her...but now he can. :)

[Wolfwind Words]

Thank you! It looks like I was able to bring through what I had intended. I left Trevor's thoughts on if Leslie would live or die kinda in the open. I figured that for him, he knew he couldn't alter what she was going to do, so best to let it happen and see what happens after that. You're probably right that he had a hunch, especially after seeing her heal. I'm also happy to see you picked up on the sense of conflict that the girl has going on within her and how that conflicts with what Trevor's beliefs are. Thanks for taking the time to read it! =)

[Shy Girl]

You are most welcome kind Sir. I enjoy reading all of your stories..pieces at a time. They were both very real as I read along...real as in I could see a little girl sitting alone, crying, lost and confused. But I do think that Trevor brought out something in her that she hadn't said anyone else had ... her trust. She trusted him enough to explain to him..show him..and connect to him... :)

[Hugo]

Ooh! This is very interesting! You write very well, I can feel the character's emotions and personalities dripping from each beautifully arranged sentence... Your characters seem pretty well-developed, and it would be very interesting to see where this goes... I like the whole idea, a girl that can't get hurt... Something weird's going on here. :P I noticed some mistakes regarding to too and two, but I suppose I'm a bit of a Grammar Nazi, lol... Anyway, fantastic story and I hope to see what happens next! :D