Prologue: Nemesis
Faces…they don't have faces. They're creatures from God-knows-where, soulless and always on the move. Jerky motions, bodies thrashing at awful angles, resembling robotic puppets with an amateur at their controls. Dangerous devils. Hell cast them out long ago. It would be a joke if heaven took them in. Then again, God was rumored to have a sense of humor. But was it sicker and darker than anyone dreamed?
It was a question for others to answer, those who had more time than him to think. His private sanctuary was being shattered; security and happy arrogance slipping from him faster than a person could be skinned. They were perched around his bed like human ravens, featherless arms twitching, about to disconnect themselves from their sockets. How could so much death and decay exist? And why, in the entire world, did these hideous beasts decide to haunt him today?
His hands reacted quicker than his head. Tapered fingers wrapped around a lamp base, securing their grip with fear and the instinct to survive. They would not have them. He would not allow them to have him.
One by one, the creatures snapped their arms up, as if they were going to tear him away from his sheets. Various weapons shot through their arms-razors, knives, even chain saw parts-all hacking away simultaneously. All coming for him.
His control quickly faded when blades whirred against his ear, machinery about to eat him alive with no on-ff switch. He could feel it, impending doom whispering to him, calling his name, beckoning his blood. They were closing in on him, ready to slice and maim and turn him into a voodoo doll-
"No!" he cried, eyes like stab wounds in his face. "Get away! GET AWAY FROM ME!"
Ripping the lamp out of the wall, he swung blindly, hoping to kill his attackers before they killed him. One wild thrash, then two, then three…swatting air each time, threatening nothing but his stamina. How long could he keep this up? What damage could he do to these demons, the living dead in his home?
Although he missed his mark, the creatures didn't. Freezing steel found his frame, using him as target practice. Muscle tension, a gasp, and, at long last, a cry of agony resounded, racing his blood to see who would flash flood the room first. It was too much, too much to bear-the sounds of his skin tearing, his mind tearing, his very soul tearing-
"AAAAAAAGH!"
With the last of his strength, he yanked the lamp up, thrusting it in front of him with mighty resolve. Silver smashed into flesh, cutting tissue, crunching bones. He got one. He finally got one. As fast as a smile appeared, he banished it, knowing full well that that would be a mistake. Even so much as a grin would provoke laughter, high-strung, yodeling chuckles that would keep going no matter what. Instead, he coughed back his excitement, dropping the lamp by his side.
"I won…" he said aloud, relieved. "I can't believe I won."
Despite his efforts, a grin broke through his tough façade. Even though he'd been a shit lately, it was good to know that God still helped the assholes of the world. That Lord…he could be such a character sometimes. Why'd he have to be a comedian on his account, though?
Blue eyes opened lazily, as if they'd been locked in a bad dream for ages. Stupid globes. Those angel eyes thought, at the very least, that their vision would be tainted by the gore of demons. Little did they know what they truly were, or the terrible appetite for blood they had. Tranquility dissipated from his ocean orbs, evaporating in dark waters, getting lost in tides of remorse and despair.
"No, oh my God, no…"
The nasty abominations were gone, but his brother was, too. Only the nightmare survived…