Chapter One

Atlantic City 1991

"and then just as everything got quiet the lights went out and a clawing sound was heard" the small brown haired boy said as he held the flashlight to his face, creating a scary impression for his younger brother Mikey..

"I dont want to hear anymore Johnny" Mikey said as he pulled the blankets up more, covering his quivering chin..

"Oh come on im getting to the best part" Johnny huffed as the sound of footsteps were heard in the hallway and both boys looked at one another as their eyes got wide and then quickly they both laid down as Johnny turned off the flashlight and they pretended to be sleeping..

The door opened as their mother Eve looked inside and smiled softly and then closed the door again..

"Im going to bed Johnny, I dont want to hear anymore" Mikey said as he quickly rolled on his side and Johnny sighed as he pulled out a comic book from under his pillow and began to read under his blanket with only the light of his flashlight..

Hours later...

The sound of the wind whipping through the window woke Johnny up as he laid in bed..he sighed heavily as the draft went over his body..He groaned as he laid there.."Mikey I told you not to open the window, its cold outside" he pulled the blankets on himself more as he laid there.. The sound of heavy breathing filled the room as Johnny huffed again.."Mikey cut it out before mom and dad hear you" he said as he threw the blankets off of himself and sat up as he looked over at his brother..

Mikey was sitting straight up, tears in his eyes as he stared forward.."Mikey what are you doing" Johnny huffed as a strangled cry came out of Mikeys mouth.."Seriously Mikey what the" Johnny began as a clawing sound was heard and his eyes followed Mikeys now and he let out a scream as a man covered in black and as tall as their ceiling stood in the corner..He had claws for hands and eyes as red as blood that shined in the darknesss.. "MIKEY!" he yelled at his petrified brother as he jumped up out of the bed and the thing growled loud..

Within seconds their mother was running in the room, a look of pure shock on her face as she came face to face with that thing..Then as if in some horror movie the boys watched as their mother was literally dragged by some invisible force and pushed against the wall as she screamed.. Their father Thomas was running in just seconds later as his face turned a pale white..

"Johnny, Mikey get out of here, NOW!" he yelled as Johnny ran over to his brother who was now crying hysterically..

"come on Mikey, come on!" Johnny pulled at his brothers shaking hand..The sound of a gargled cry made them both look as the large thing now grabbed their father by the throat.."MIKEY!" Johnny yelled as his brother now ran with him and they took off out of the room and out of the house. They had barely made it out of the front door when the upstairs windows blew out with force and flames engulfed the place..

"NO! Mommy, daddy!" Mikey yelled out as John pulled his brother against him and held him..His eyes staring up in pure shock at the destruction before them..

Present Time...

Mikey laid in the bed as he looked over at the nearly perfect naked form before him, his fingers trailed down her silkened back and then up again as she wiggled some and moaned.. She was beautiful and he was still a bit shocked that she wanted him. Even after six months of dating her, he still would have to pinch himself sometimes to make sure this was real..

It wasnt a secret that he had come from a fucked up childhood, he had spent most of his time in and out of foster care with his brother John. They both were quite the piece of work but Mikey was trying to raise above all the bullshit, he was an adult now at twenty two years old and his life was finally seeming normal. He was going to college like all other kids his age and he was just one year away from entering medical school with a 4.0 gpa to boot. He had worked hard for that, he had worked hard for everything really and soon he would have everything. He already had the girl and soon he would have a full scholarship to John Hopkins University, he couldnt help the grin on his face. He brushed the long blonde locks aside and pressed a soft kiss on her shoulder as she groaned some..

His body was already hard and waiting as he moved closer to her but the sound of knocking on the downstairs door made him stop, he glanced at the clock it was nearly midnight. It got quiet again and he shook it off, apparently someone had the wrong door, it wouldnt be too shocking living just a block from the college campus. He went to move closer to her again but the knocking began once more, this time more urgently and more obnoxious as he jumped from the bed, clad only in boxers..

"Mike what is it" Clare said in a half asleep state, the knocking continued..

"Nothing babe, go back to sleep" Mikey said as he quickly threw on a pair of shorts.."just some drunk guy im sure" he said as he left the room, fully annoyed now that his plans were crushed.. He ran down the stairs as the knocking grew louder..."alright alright, im coming, do you have any idea what time it is!" he yelled with frustation as he swung open the door, expecting to see some drunk fool standing there but a gasp left his mouth cause he didnt see a drunk fool, he saw his brother John..

"its about damn time Mikey, shit ive been out here for five minutes" John huffed as he pushed his way inside..

"John, what the hell are you doing here" Mikey said in shock, he hadnt seen or heard from his brother for the last two years and sadly to say he was hoping it would be longer..

"Nice to see you too Mikey" John said sarcastically as he walked around and then headed in the kitchen as Mikey followed..

"what are you doing here, I thought you were in New York" he said as John opened the fridge and then pulled out a gallon of milk as he smelt it quick and then literally drank from the container..

"i was" John finished as he looked around the kitchen.."Nice place"

"John whats going on, its nearly midnight not to mention I havent heard from you in two years" Mikey said with annoyance..

"cant a brother stop by to see how his younger brother is doing" John said nonchalantly with a smirk..

Before Mikey could answer Clare was coming into the kitchen, clad in only one of Mikey's tshirts that barely covered her ass, John immediately looked at her.."Is everything ok Mike?" she said as she looked back and forth inbetween the John and Mikey..

John stared at her appreciatively.."No way, your with my brother" John said in shock..

"dont mind him, John never did have manners" Mikey said quickly as he walked over to Clare.."this is my brother John"

"i didnt know you had a brother" she said quickly..

"Ouch now that hurts" John said sarcastically as he looked at his brother then at the blonde girl..

"Ive been busy with school and work" Mikey said as an explanation..

"and apparently busy with hiding your family" John smiled at the girl who flushed some and backed up..

"I should get changed" she said with embarassment..

"dont do it on my account" John grinned as Mikey rolled his eyes..

"Let me just take care of this and then I will be right up" Mikey said to her as she just looked at him..

"You could of told me you had a brother" she said with a shake of her head..

"Its complicated" Mikey began..

"so I guess you didnt tell her about the two kids you have either" John said with a smile..

"what?" Clare said in shock as Mikey spun and looked at his brother..

"sorry just a joke, probably not the best time" John grinned..

Mikey rolled his eyes as he looked at Clare.."he has a bad sense of humor" he said nervously..

"I'll be upstairs" she huffed as she walked away and John checked out her ass until Mikey stood in his way..

"Hey, I was enjoying that view" John said with a shake of his head..

"what are you really doing here John" Mikey said with frustation..

John ran his hand through his long dark hair as he looked at his brother.."do you even know how to handle that"

"I do just fine, what do you want" Mikey snapped..

"Ok ok, no need to get all snippy with me" John said as he opened up a cabinet and looked inside.."what do you have to eat in here"

"its midnight, I have work in the morning" Mikey huffed..

"still doing that nine to five bullshit" John said sarcastically as he pulled out a bag of chips and ate one..

"You know you should try it sometime" Mikey said dryly as he stood there, his arms folded over his chest..

"You know thats not how I roll" John said equally dry to his brother.."But since your being a baby" John rolled his eyes as his brother huffed.."I need your help"

Mikey knew as much, John never came around unless he needed help but the kind of help he always needed was not what Mikey was capable of giving nor did he want to.."Im sure you will do fine on your own, you always do"

John put another chip in his mouth.."so thats it, you havent even heard what I " John began..

Mikey cut him off.."i have a life now John, a job, a girl and im going into med school next year" he said quickly..

John raised an eyebrow.."you can pretend all you want Mikey it doesnt change a thing"

"You know what pretending isnt so bad, you should try it sometime, now if you dont mind" Mikey huffed as he turned from his brother..

"Mikey wait" John called out and Mikey stopped even though he didnt want to.."i really need you"

Mikey took a deep breath as he stood there and then he slowly turned and faced his brother.."dont you ever want just to have normal things, a life, like a real life"

"I do" John said quickly as Mikey rolled his eyes.."Hey just because you dont give a shit anymore" John snapped..

"Im not like you ok, im not into that life, I tried it remember, im over it" Mikey snapped back at him..He lowered his voice now to just above a whisper.."Listen John nothing we do will bring them back, nothing"

"yeah I should of known that coming here would be a big waste of my time" John spun from him as he tossed the chip bag onto the counter..He stopped at the doorway and spoke.."out of everyone in this world I always thought I could count on you but you know what, I was wrong" John said with a low voice.."have fun with your make believe family" John snapped and then he was leaving as Mikey stood there for a minute and then exhaled deep as he went to the front door, John was already outside and by his car as Mikey walked up to him..

"Maybe its time to just stop, you dont have to live your life like this" Mikey said quietly as John turned to look at him..

"that thing is still out there and im not going to rest until I kill it, I wont let their deaths be in vein" John said as he opened his car door and Mikey huffed..

"I lost them too John, your not the only one" Mikey said quickly as John looked at him..

"Just go back to your pretend life Mikey" he said sarcastically and then he was shutting the car door, he put the window down as he looked at his brother.."does barbie even know the truth" he said as Mikey just stood there.."atleast I can say that im honest in everything I do, have a nice life Mikey" he said as he revved the engine and then took off as Mikey stood there, he inhaled deep as he stood there and then he headed back inside..

Mikey could barely sleep as his past came back to haunt him in the form of dreams.. it was hard being so young and seeing your parents killed by something you couldnt even understand, something that shouldnt of been real. They boys had learned quick that no one would understand, and after a stint in the local psychiatric hospital they both knew that they could never speak of it again, atleast not to the officials. They were said to be poor crazy boys who had had a break down after the death of their parents. It was deemed a fire by the local officials but the boys knew better, they knew what they had seen..

By the time Mikey was fifteen and after numerous foster homes in which they were once again deemed too unfit to be around others, well they had made a pact amongst each other, to find the thing that killed their parents but it was easier said then done cause the world was no longer a safe place, definitely not for them or anyone they were around.. Evil was everywhere, walking the streets, working random jobs, evil was your next door neighbor.

John had become obsessed with it, with finding evil, with killing it all off for good and by the time the MIkey was sixteen they had single handedly killed about twenty demons. John had them training almost every day, they had mastered karate, martial arts and jiu jitsu. They had trained themselves in numerous weapons including AK47's, shot guns and just about every knife possible and they were good, almost too good but at the end of the day their parents murderer was still out there, seemingly mocking them.

But Mikey was growing tired of this life and by the time he was 18, he just knew he couldnt do it anymore. He wanted something normal, something that he saw other guys his age have. He just wanted more for himself.. John on the other hand had seemed even more dead set on killing as many of those demons as he could, it had become his life, his drive..So when Mikey went off to college at 18 his brother continued the fight. Mikey had helped him on and off but his focus was on his studies, it had to be..And then just about two years ago John stopped coming around and as much as Mikey was worried for his brother he just knew that he had his own life to worry about, his dreams were quickly becoming a reality, he would be a doctor one day and even though he knew of the evil that lurked at night, well he had to close himself off to it..

But now laying in bed staring up at the ceiling, it was as if everything was flooding him all at once.. His brother was alive and ok, he was grateful for that not that he didnt think John couldnt handle himself but he was worried about him. Worried about his mind. John had aged a lot over the last two years, he was only twenty five but his eyes said so much more and he was even more obsessed then ever..

Mikey rolled onto his side as Clare moaned softly next to him.. She didnt have a clue about anything of his past. He had made sure to keep it that way, he had even gone as far as to lie about his parents, his upbringing, he lied about everything, he just wanted to be normal, so much so that he honestly felt that if he acted normal then everything would be ok..But who was he kidding, he wasnt even close to being normal..Maybe he should just tell Clare, she would understand, right? I mean she already knew he had a brother now, he sighed as he laid there..

John laid in the motel room as he stared up at the ceiling, shadows danced across it as he looked up.. His brother would come around, right? He had been alone for so long now, he had fought evil on a daily basis and he was damn good at it, so much so that he could sense when it was around..But Mikey just went around as if everything was ok and it was far from that. The government didnt even know what was out there, threatening the very exsistance of man kind.. In a way John was jealous of his brothers care free living, how could he just act as if everything was ok, their parents had been murdered and right before their eyes. He tried to tell himself it was because Mikey was so young, a few years younger then John..

John didnt get to have a childhood, he had spent every waking moment trying to keep his brother safe and making sure he had everything he needed. By the time they had left the foster homes for good, John had gotten them into an apartment with stolen credit cards and he made sure that Mikey always had food to eat, albeit it was stolen food but it was still food. John spent his time training himself and researching as much as he could, the internet was a valuable tool and he used it for just about everything..John was street smart while Mikey was book smart, they always needed each other, always..

But when Mikey begged to go to college, John couldnt say no. Mikey just wasnt like him, he didnt have the drive that John had and he certainly didnt have the nightmares..The sound of the people next door fighting stirred him from his thoughts as he sat up.. One would think that he would be use to living like this, from motel room to motel room.. The sound of a slap made him get up now as he got to his door and swung it open just in time for the other door to open as a girl ran out crying as she held her face.. A drunken man looked at John..

"what the fuck are you looking at" the man yelled at John as he sucked in a deep breath and then walked right for the guy.."Hey buddy what the fuck" the man began to say as Johns fist hit him square in the nose as blood immediately came out and the guy stumbled back.."you son of a bitch, you broke my " the guy began to yell as John hit him again and again and again..Once the guy was on the ground cowering like the asshole he was John finally stopped as he looked down at his own swollen hand.."keep your hands to yourself mother fucker" John snapped and then he left to go back to his own room..

Mikey woke up to the sound of the shower water running and he sat up, it was nearly nine and he had less then a half hour to get to work, he jumped out of bed and quickly began getting dressed.. The bathroom door opened as Clare stood there with just a towel wrapped around herself, the steam from the shower pouring out of the room as she looked at him..

"Im late" Mikey said quickly as he looked at her..

"why didnt you tell me you had a brother" she said quickly as he zipped up his jeans and then walked over to her, she put her hand up to stop him and he stopped.."why?"

Mikey sighed heavily and ran his hand through his short cropped hair.."its complicated clare" he began as she put a hand on one of her hips..

"complicated or not I want to know" she stated firmly as he looked at the clock then back at her..

"I really have to go, cant we talk about this tonight" he said quickly..

"do you really think im that stupid, why Michael" she snapped..

He sighed again.."we dont talk ok, I didnt think it would be a big deal" he said as an explanation..

"what else did you lie about" she said angrily..

"what? Nothing" he began as she rolled her eyes.."Babe, please... it was just one lie" he began..

"You said you were an only child" she snapped at him.."You said your parents died in a car accident, was that a lie too"

Before Mikey could answer a loud crash was heard downstairs and they both looked toward the door..Mikey quickly looked at Clare and then he ran to his closet and pulled out a duffle bag and she let out a gasp as he pulled out a huge knife.."what the hell is that!" she said in shock..

"Just stay here ok, dont move" Mikey said as he quickly began heading downstairs, the knife in his hand, the sound of stuff falling down was heard again and then a very familiar voice was heard cursing as Mikey got to the kitchen and there was John, standing there with a bag of frozen peas in his hand and the other contents of the freezer on the floor.."John what the hell" he said in shock..

"you know that freezer is ridiculously packed" John said as he winced and put it onto his swollen hand.."and is that vegan burgers, really Mikey?" he said sarcastically..

"what the hell are you doing here John" Mikey snapped as he put the knife down and John eyed it..

"I didnt know you kept that" John eyed the knife as Mikey rolled his eyes..

"i thought I made myself clear yesterday" Mikey huffed and then he took in the sight of Johns hand.."Jesus John, is it broke"

"I dunno your the doc in training" John said sarcastically as he looked at it and Mikey came over closer and grabbed his hand as John winced.."shit man, be easy"

"how did you do this" Mikey said as he inspected his brothers hand.."You know what I dont want to know" he huffed as he pushed on the hand..

"fuck man, be easy" John snatched his hand back..

"Yeah well your lucky it isnt broken" Mikey huffed..

"hurts like a bitch, you have anything for it" John said as he put ice back on his hand..

"no" Mikey snapped.."why are you here"

"well I thought coming here would be cheaper then going to an ER" John said sarcastically as he took a seat at the table..

"How did you get in" Mikey said as he quickly walked out of the room and then huffed angrily.."You broke my door?" he snapped..

"Hey its not my fault that you have that shitty door and by the way you should really think about getting a triple lock" John shook his head..

"what the hell is going on in here" Clare said as she came down the stairs in only a towel..

"well hot damn blondy if I knew it was that kind of party" John grinned at her as she shot him a nasty look..

"Clare let me explain" Mikey said quickly as he walked over to her..

"why is he here again" she snapped angrily..

"You dont mind if I just lay down a bit" John said as he walked past them and Clare huffed..

"Let me just take care of this ok" Mikey said to his very annoyed girlfriend..

"this is unbelievable Mike" she snapped as she spun from him..

"hey sweetheart dont get your panties in a bunch, oh wait, my bad you aint wearing any" John laughed..

"Shut up John!" Mikey snapped as John laughed as he laid on the couch..."clare wait" he chased her up the stairs as John put his legs up on the coffee table, he kept the ice on his hand as he closed his eyes..

"come on babe your overeacting" Mikey began as Clare began tossing clothes into a bag..

"Im over reacting! Who the hell else is gonna stop by !" she snapped..

"Listen he is harmless ok" Mikey began..

"harmless? Did you see his hand, what the hell did he do, rob someone!" she yelled and Mikey sighed, honestly she could be right but he couldnt worry about that now.."what else havent you told me" she snapped at him..

"listen, clare... I didnt...its not like" Mikey began to ramble..

"wow you really are just a big fat liar" she snapped as she began to get dressed quickly..

"i only lied to protect you" he finally snapped as she looked at him..

"No you lied cause you dont trust me and if you cant trust me" she snapped angrily...

"Babe its not like that" Mikey said quickly..

"so tell me exactly what it is that your brother wants your help with, huh? I heard you two last night" she yelled as Mikey swallowed hard.."so?"

"its...complicated" he finished with a deep breath as she shook her head..

"of course it is" she shook her head.."have a nice life" she snapped as she grabbed her bag but he got in front of her..

"but we love each other" Mikey said softly..

"yeah well maybe that was just a lie too" she said bitterly..

"I wasnt lying when I said it" Mikey said as he went to touch her and she moved back..

"Dont touch me" she snapped at him..

"babe, please" he said quickly...

"dont babe me, you obviously have other pressing matters at hand" she snapped..

"I will make him leave ok, I will, right now" he said quickly but she just shook her head.."Please just dont go"

"I dont even know who you are" she said low as he stood there..He honestly didnt know what to say, he couldn't tell her the truth, he just couldn't, it would seem insane.."Just leave me the hell alone" she snapped as she hurried out of the room and he stood there for a moment and then he chased after her..

"clare, wait" Mikey called out as she slammed the door..

"it aint worth it Mikey" John called from the couch as Mikey stormed in there..

"are you happy, huh!" he yelled at his brother.."Just because your a miserable sack of shit" he yelled..

"Hey im not the one who lied to blondy" John said quickly..

"You know what, get the hell out" Mikey snapped..

"i dont have to take this shit from you Mikey" John snapped as he went to get up and he swayed a bit and grabbed onto the couch to steady himself..Mikey finally looked at him and thats when he saw the sweat pouring off of him.."get out of my way" John snapped as he went to push his brother out of the way and he almost fell..

"what the hell John, your burning up" Mikey said with worry..

"im fine, now get out of my way" John snapped as he went to push Mikey again but he fell instead as Mikey quickly jumped to action..

"Jesus John" Mikey said as he felt for Johns pulse and it was rapidly racing.."did you take something" he said to his almost none responsive brother.."John!" he yelled again but he didnt answer, he quickly called 911..