Chapter One

About six months ago, life for me became very, very complicated. My name is Junior Banner and I was a fool to believe all around me was as good as it seemed. I found out that not everyone I interacted with was normal, or even human for that matter. This world of mine, as it turns out, is home to the living, dead, undead and almost everything that goes bump in the night. Never again will I believe that it is a dog howling annoyingly when the moon is full or that a storm I didn't hear is the only force that can cause a perfectly healthy and well-rooted tree to be lying dead on the ground when I wake up in the morning.

I grew up in a regular sized cosmopolitan town; Golden Heights, or as I call it one town. Our town had about 260 residents, one school, a national park, one supermarket and a hospital. Boring was the perfect word to describe this town.

I lived with my mother Anne, my stepfather Edward and by brothers Carey and Nicholas. My biological father was no good and no one seems to know where he is now, as a matter of fact, I don't even know who he really is. My brothers are all Edward's sons and carry his surname; Logan. My mother is a housewife while I’m just a guy trying to pick a career. On the other hand, Edward was a retired Special Forces officer and now ran a gym in an old factory that he and a few other men refurbished. He insisted on teaching us all how to fight and personally trained us for an hour each day on weekdays and up to four hours on weekends. I personally hated these training sessions, being a chubby twenty-year-old I preferred to engage in very little physical activity. Carey, on the other hand, hated training for a different reason; he was a lazy 15-year-old who places females first and foremost on his list. Teasing him is a favourite pastime of mine, though I knew when to stop, he had a terrible temper and though I could easily manhandle him, I chose to avoid those encounters.

The youngest member of the household was Nicholas, a typical 13-year-old. He was as loquacious as he was naive and gentle and had a seemingly supernatural ability to make me want to hurt him. He was the only one who embraced our training regiment, and as a result of this, he became a good fighter. Despite his large for his age physique and strength, he chose to let bullies do as they liked with him, this angered me. The only person he really ever fights is Carey, and he only does this if food is somehow on the line. Ours was a quiet and peaceful family; at least it was until that night.

This particular Saturday night was the kind you read of in books, with a perfect crescent moon that bathed the entire atmosphere in a warm light, not dark but not too bright, just bright enough to see. Since it was the weekend, the twerps were allowed to stay out a bit late with friends, and the parents were out on a date. This means I was home alone. I readied myself to begin what I called my 'home alone routine' but for some reason I wasn't in the mood. After about an hour of mixed genres of music I became bored, turned the stereo off and proceeded to the shower. After 30 minutes and an unusually long shower, I was lying in bed about to doze off.

I must have dozed off for about 5 minutes or so when I heard a noise downstairs. My first thought was that the others were home, but I soon dismissed it. There was no way those two goofballs would be home without me hearing their voices. Also, it was clear that whoever it was, was looking for something. I could distinctly hear every door they passed being opened then closed, starting from the storage cabinet and ending with the closet at the bottom of the stairs. While I lay frozen on my bed, the intruder began to climb the stairs. I heard the person open my parents’ room, and sprang up; only two rooms lay between the intruder and my room. Careful not to make a sound, I decided to arm myself and chose a cricket bat that lay under my bed. I positioned myself behind my door, prepared to swing full force should the person enter my room. I heard Nick's room open and close, then Carey's. Just as I prepared to have my door opened, I heard a cell phone ring and the gruff voice that answered confirmed that the intruder was a male.

"Hello... no not yet, I'm at the last room, he has to be in here... no I was quiet no one could hear. He's probably asleep, and the others should still be at the school... calm down man, if your sources were accurate I would know exactly what room is his and he would be pushing up daisies by now... when I return I expect you to tell me what was so special about him anyway." I heard him inhale deeply as he hung up the phone then my room door swung open.

He seemed to hesitate before entering but eventually he did. I wasted no time and clocked him in the head with a speed I never knew I had. To my surprise, the bat burst into splinters and the man simply growled. When he turned, I saw him properly for the first time. He was wearing a mask that showed only his eyes; two glowing red orbs, a narrow nose and his mouth with abnormally large canines. He wore long black pants and a camouflage vest. His skin was the palest I've ever seen, he was almost white. In the same gruff voice from earlier, he said, "come on kid, you already wasted enough of my time just let me kill you and be on my way."

I just stood there; I still couldn't believe he was unfazed by that hit, a hit so strong I am sure it would crack any human skull. He wasted no time and reached out to grab me, I ducked under his hand and punched him in the stomach. Another direct and force filled hit that yielded no effect. I had no choice I had to run, but I felt he would have a problem with that. I had to distract him, I attacked with a flurry of punches and kicks, but he easily blocked most and didn't even blink when the others connected. Though I felt insulted, I felt I was winning, he was backing away and in a few seconds I would be able to go through the door. I was finally free to bolt for the door but he must have gotten tired of playing defense because just as I was about to connect with a roundhouse kick, he ducked and punched me so hard I was sure a rib was broken. That was it, I couldn't afford to play any longer, I bolted for the door and down the stairs. As I was about three steps from the bottom, I thought my mind was playing tricks on me, but unfortunately it wasn't. He stood there waiting for me to finish my descent. I had no choice, in a second of pure desperation, I launched my 250 pound frame at him, hoping beyond hope to knock him down long enough to give me an opportunity to make it to the front door.

He had other plans and gave me something else to add to my list of surprises. He easily caught me and flung me into the wall, just beside the door. Before I could even blink, he was holding me up against the wall.

"Wait!" I said weakly, "how are you able to move that fast, and how are you so strong?"

He sneered sadistically, “its science kid, too bad you'll never enjoy it. You know, seeing how you'll be dead in a minute and all."

"You mean steroids?"

He laughed this time, "something like that. Now just shut up and die."

"But what have I done, why should I die?" I asked while grimacing, easily feeling the most pain I've ever felt.

"It’s not what you've done, but what you can do. And even I don't know why you must die; all I was told is that you are an abomination. What I do know, is that killing you will make me very, very rich."

After that his canines seemed to lengthen more, and he sunk them into my neck. I was just about to pass out when the door burst open and I heard my mother shout 'avecni dum infurnus'. I have no idea what those words meant or did, all I know is that he screamed, flung me into her and was gone in an instant. The last thing I remember was Edward running in the door and exchanging serious glances with my mother.