Prologue

Francis Shepherd was, for all intents and purposes, a good man. He had a good childhood with loving parents and was the eldest of four siblings.

He was born physically and mentally gifted, with straight blond hair and dark brown eyes. he had a short rounded nose, a gene passed down by all the men in his family, and was visibly muscled even at birth. He was able to hold his small head up by himself the very day he was born. Walking, talking and able to hold conversations all before his first birthday. Most things came easy to him, appearing almost effortless.

He breezed through school. all the while incredibly bored, only doing the bare minimum to appear average. He didnt struggle to make friends but he struggled to keep them. Always being far more mentally mature than his "peers" made him lose interest when they would do things he considered stupid or immature. This is also the time he learned he hated the name Francis.

After highschool he naturally assumed that college was the way to go. He soon discovered that unless his university offered a major in drinking and women, he was going to fail miserably due to his lack of interest. He dropped out and decided to start looking for a career.

He moved from job to job trying to find where he belonged. He tried everything from managing a well known electronics store to installing automotive glass. He never really felt he belonged, nor could he focus on the work. He knew he could master any profession he chose to pursue and that was the problem. Why should he try if he knew he would succeed?

After years of job hopping and a sense of being lost, he made the first good decision in a long time. He enlisted in the Army.

He had achieved very high marks on the entrance exam (the ASVAB), allowing him to pursue any career path the military offered. Having been bored and unchallenged for so long he decided in an instant to enlist in the US Army's Special Forces, just to see if he had what it took.

After years of training and specialized instruction he achieved the rank of Sergeant. He had shown an affinity for weapons of all kinds as well as a gift for hand to hand combat. He had become a member of of a highly classified and esteemed group within the military's special forces called only "The Unit."

Sergeant Shepherd was also, for the most part, a good man. He had changed much from his youth and was now more disciplined and focused. His physical appearance had changed also. Standing at a height of 5'10" he still considered himself short but his body was pure muscle, stacked on top of more muscle. His hair color had darkened over the years to a dark brown color and his eyes had lightened to an almost green shade. Both of these traits were also inherited and common in his family. There was also an air of confidence and strength that was instantly noticeable to those he met.

His whole team, whom he considered family, and all his friends now called him Shep. He hated it but let it slide because it was easier than dealing with Francis. He hated that name far more.

He was kind and respectful to those he interacted with and no one in his unit, or groups of friends, could find anything specific about him to dislike. However, there was a sense of danger, darkness and unpredictability that hovered around him like a dim aura.

The aura made some people uncomfortable in his presence. He always assumed he was just somewhat intimidating due to his training, confidence and physique.

What he didnt know was that this aura had been with him since he was a child. Barely noticeable then, but growing stronger as he did. He didn't give it much thought and if he had, it wouldn't have made much difference to him.

Then, he went to war.

The majority of his time spent in conflict zones went by without much of note occurring. He had been in numerous fire fights and skirmishes during his deployment, always showing a willingness to stand and deliver. He did so with a calm and collected demeanor, the picture of a brave and honorable soldier.

His eyes however, gave away a part of him he denied existed. They shown with a spark of joy bordering on mania anytime he was put in a life and death situation. He soon came to realize that he never felt more at home than when bullets were flying, blood was spraying the air, explosions and screams filled his ears and debris rained down like a hail storm.

The other members of his team noticed this too and soon began to look to him in times of uncertainty in battle. They could always find him calmly returning fire, sometimes an unsettling smile on his face. The darkness building little by little with each violent encounter.

Soon he and his team were chosen for, what they were told was, a mission of upmost importance.

The mission should have been like any other, a routine escort mission for some high ranking VIP. His team's presence was as much for show as it was for anything else.

They were in a five vehicle column with a heavily armoured vehicle in first and last positions. Sheps team rode in two separate vehicles in what could be called the second and fourth positions. Leaving the third and center position for the VIP.

It was a pleasant day, all things considered, the temperature was bearable for once and the sand storms that plagued that desert wasteland seemed to be content with ruining someone else's day. They were traveling down a long secured road in an area that had seen little to no conflict in his entire time in country.

Though buildings lined both sides of the street they were almost all residential buildings with just a few shops and restaurants sparsely mixed in.

For any other team it would've been easy to become complacent and distracted on such a mundane mission. Not Shepherds team. They were all battle hardened veterans who knew that any lapse in awareness could mean disaster. However being aware didn't prevent disasters. Sometimes it gave you the few life saving seconds to react to them, but sometimes ...it didn't.

Without warning the lead vehicle in his convoy exploded in a violent ball of flame, flipping the armored vehicle on its side and filling the air with smoke, sand, rock and various detritus from the impact. Before he and his team could react the rear vehicle became the next victim in an almost identical explosion. This effectively trapped both of his team's vehicles with the VIP. Bullets poured out of the surrounding building creating a wall of lead and fire that descended on the three remaining vehicles.

Sheps team immediately took casualties. Though their vehicles were armored they could not withstand the barrage of fire they were exposed too. The team immediately dismounted from their vehicles and took cover behind them. Moving their wounded with them to assess their conditions. Amid the onslaught they were able to determine that though all members of the team were still alive some were already barely clinging to life, suffering from multiple wounds. They were taking fire from two sides in what was a well planned and executed ambush. On instinct they retrieved the VIP and crashed through the front door of a building on their right side.

The building was old, three stories and appeared to be an apartment building of some kind. The complex had a dirty tan color that seemed to be made out of mud or clay that the desert heat had baked into a solid, almost concrete facade.

The room they entered was a small lobby area that was separated into two rooms by an archway in the dividing wall. To the left of the archway a stair case led up to the next floor. The rest of the room contained some tattered couches and chairs, a few end tables with lamps and a desk with papers and other various office supplies scattered everywhere.

Immediately upon entering they took fire from the top of the stairway. Shep took a firing position and returned fire immediately, taking down both attackers while covering the others who were wounded or helping move them. He moved fluidly scanning the rest of the first floor and finding no other resistance. Feeling a bit of brief satisfaction with his actions he turned back to his squad, his trademark spark in his eye.

After taking a brief moment to assess their situation, Shep and the remaining uninjured members of his team knew they needed to fortify their position and move to a higher floor. That would be the only way they would be able to fight off the inevitable attack on their location. They knew in their haste that they hadn't avoided being spotted entering that building and now every enemy in the area knew their location. Without a doubt they would be readying an assault.

The only thing standing in their way would be the remaining enemies inside the building and the fact that out of his twelve man team, only five, including himself, were in any condition to fight. Out of those five, one was the team's medic. He and the other less severely injured members were trying to triage and stabilize the more severely wounded. That left Shep and three others. Two of which would need to set security for the wounded and keep radioing their current position and condition to their chain of command. He made a split second decision that would change not only his life, but everyone involved forever.

Shep decided to clear the building himself leaving his longtime friend Sergeant Rick Pierce to guard the top of the stairs where the two dead attackers still lay. Under normal circumstances this would never happen but the situation being what it was there didnt seem to be any other option.

He began his assault immediately, letting training and instinct guide him through the corridors and rooms on the second floor. The hallways were narrow and dirty. Filled with all manner of trash and debris, the type of which better left unknown. He moved from room to room as quickly and silently as possible. He was halfway through the second floor without meeting any resistance. He could hear movement and voices above him on the third floor but had yet to make contact with anyone where he was.

As soon as that thought crossed his mind bullets ripped through the door he was approaching, spraying into the opposing wall and sending chunks of wall and splinters of wood flying into the air. Shep quickly moved to the side of the door and waited for the fire to subside. As soon as it did he spun out from the wall standing square with the door and emptying an entire magazine through it killing one of several fighters inside. He dropped the empty mag and speed reloaded while he kicked the door in one movement. The door sprung open revealing a corpse and several fighters briefly stunned by the assault.

Without hesitation he opened fire on the remaining fighters taking down another before the brief shock wore off. The other 3 rushed for defensive positions before returning fire. Shep dodged back out of the room through the still open doorway ducking for cover as the bullets whipped past him, some coming close enough to feel the pressure of the rounds pass him.

He ripped a grenade from his plate carrier and removed the pin, he let the spoon flip off and counted to three before hurling it through the door and taking cover. The explosion was deafening. Between the small size of the room and the narrow corridor, the concussion from the blast would have knocked him off his feet if he wasnt already on his knees behind the wall.

After the ringing in his ear subsided he could hear painful screaming and hushed moaning coming from inside. Before he could investigate two more men burst out of a room 10 or so meters down the hall. They instantly opened fire.

The rounds impacted all around Shep and he scrambled to take cover anywhere he could. two rounds impacted the armored plate in his plate carrier sending him crashing down to the floor just as he broke the threshold of a room he had already secured.

He was in pain, the rounds impacted the plate on his chest transferring the force into it and his chest. The pressure sent the air out of his lungs and made it difficult to breathe. As he was struggling with his condition and trying to get back to his feet one of his attackers appeared in the doorway. Just as he was raising his gun toward Shep, two rounds slammed into the mans head sending him falling to the ground like a puppet with the strings cut. A second later more shots rang out from what he assumed was the position Sergeant Pierce had taken near the stairs.

His assumption was confirmed after Pierce called all clear signaling Shep to continue advancing. With a nod of thanks given to his friend he resumed his bloody march toward the next floor. He stopped at the room he had tossed the grenade into, stepping inside to confirm the fighters had been neutralized. There were still sounds of pain coming from the room as he entered. He entered cautiously scanning the room for any signs of a remaining threat.

One of the men was clinging to life out of sheer will. His body was basically severed at the waist leaving all of his internal organs exposed. He was moaning his last efforts for help, not realizing that he was already dead. The grenade must have landed in his lap to receive that kind of damage. He heard motion from his right and saw a man trying to stand on legs that had taken an enormous amount of shrapnel and were obviously broken. The man was screaming in pain as he reached for his rifle. Shep shot him before he could become a threat again. It was as much a mercy killing as anything else.

Suddenly Shep heard another sound, something so peculiar and out of place that he froze for an instant. He heard a laugh, it seemed to come from nowhere and everywhere at the same time. It started soft, almost a chuckle, then became louder and more maniacal. Shep was dumbfounded, searching everywhere for the source of the strange laughter. He burst back through the door and into the narrow hallway outside, the laughter still echoing in his head. He searched all the rooms he had already been in as well as the the ones ahead. When he searched the room the final two attackers had exited he found nothing other than a few weapons leaned against the wall in the corner. He quickly unloaded the rifles and tossed the magazines away.

The strange laughter seemed to subside as he continued down the hall toward the staircase at the far end. He searched and cleared every room finding no other attackers and began to ascend the stairs to the third floor.

Here he knew he would meet resistance. He had heard the sounds of movement and hushed voices before he was attacked on the floor below. He was an experienced warrior but he wasnt dumb enough to think he could take out an entire floor full of enemies by himself. After all he had almost died moments earlier only dealing with a handful of opposition fighters.

He quickly and quietly radioed Pierce making him aware of the situation he assumed was above and asking for his help to clear the top floor.

The duo topped the steps carefully, peaking out around the corner quickly to asses what lay ahead. The situation was worse than they thought. At the far end of the hallway in front of the final stair case leading to the roof there was a mounted heavy machine gun. Two men sat behind the hastily made barricade, one to fire the weapon and the other to reload.

Their careful peek had gone unnoticed leaving them still with a modicum of the element of surprise. Both Shep and Pierce seemed to have the same idea, they both removed a grenade from their pouches, however Shep removed another, this one a concussion grenade used to disorient an enemy. He removed the pin from the concussion grenade and gave a silent count down, as he reached three he stepped out and heaved the 9-bang down the hall. He dropped down the steps out of sight of the machine gun just before they opened fire.

As the last bang echoed from the concussion grenade both Shep and Pierce stepped up and tossed the fragmentation grenades they had readied toward their stunned enemies.

The blast decimated the machine gun nest and both enemies manning it, as well as the entire end of the hallway. Their actions stopped the immediate threat but alerted every other enemy on the floor. As if on queue, enemies appeared from doorways firing at them while they sought shelter by diving back down the stairs.

Amidst all the chaos and gunfire Shep heard the maniacal laughter again. Louder this time than before. He looked at Pierce and from the expression on his face he knew he heard it too. Neither of them addressed it although it was starting to anger Shep, the thought that someone could be laughing at them in this situation was starting to bring on a rage inside him.

They were in an impossible position, they were trapped in the stairwell, the only path forward was through enemies with fortified positions. Yet they had to move forward for there to be any chance of survival for himself and the remaining members of his team. Not to mention the VIP.

Another split second decision was made, the duo sprang from their positions and charged toward the first doorway on the left side of the hallway. Shep hit the door at a dead run, shoulder charging through the door which gave way with ease. Pierce was right on his heels and came through the door gun raised as Shep hit the ground with the door sliding to a stop at the far wall of the room. Shots rang out as Pierce and several enemy fighters exchanged fire.

Shep quickly regained his footing and dove for cover behind a wall. The two soon realized that the enemy fighters had knocked parts of the walls down, effectively joining all the rooms with a sort of zig zag hallway. None of the openings were directly in front of each other. This was to allow for cover while firing at an angle toward the next entrance. However, this method worked both ways allowing Shep and Pierce to effectively engage the enemy and push forward.

They were making steady progress but it was too slow, their ammunition was limited so they couldn't afford drawn out firefights. They also had to keep watch behind them just in case an enemy from the other side of the hall moved to flank them from behind. To say they were stretched thin would be an understatement.

Just as they reached the final room on their side of the hallway the wall to their right disentigrated. A wave of heat and shrapnel enveloped both men flinging them against the left hand wall and injuring both.

An enemy fighter had launched an rpg(rocket propelled grenade) directly into the wall. They were both dazed and bleeding. Shep had many superficial wounds covering his arms and neck, and upper chest. Pierce hadn't faired any better and both men were momentarily helpless to stop the incoming enemy.

The laugh, it came from nowhere again. This time it was booming. Louder than it had ever been. Shep was instantly filled with rage....his mind went black... nothing but darkness and building hatred as his enemies descended.

Shep woke up on the roof of the building. He was standing over the bodies of over a dozen enemy combatants. He took inventory and realized both his rifle and service pistol were dry on ammo. He has holding his bayonet in one hand and his "tacticool" tomahawk in the other. Both weapons were dripping with blood and viscera.

He never intended to use the tomahawk, he only got it because it looked cool and several of his other team members had one. He stood in shock not understanding what had happened. He looked at his uniform and realized not only were his weapons covered blood but so was he. Not just covered absolutely dripping. He could feel it on his face, in his hair, he even had it in his mouth. He began to spit a gag as a piece of unknown meat became dislodged from his teeth. He instantly lost the contents of his stomach.

After he regained his composure the first thing he thought of was Pierce. The last thing he remembered was the explosion. Then seeing himself and Pierce injured and then...the laugh.

He ran down the stairway without a thought. The only thing on his mind his injured friend. He stepped over body after body, some with bullet wounds but most with gaping cuts all over their bodies. The scene that played out as he reached the bottom of the stairs was out of a horror movie.

Blood, blood everywhere. On the walls, the floor, the ceiling. Dismembered limbs and decapitated bodies. He heaved again but everything in his stomach laid on the roof amidst the bodies of enemy fighter in a similar state to what he found here.

He got back to the the last place he had seen Pierce and started looking for his friend. He was expecting the worst but what he found surprised him even more. Pierce wasnt there.

He searched the third floor a little more cautiously now. He cleared all the rooms he and Pierce had earlier finding nothing. He cleared the rooms on the side side of the hallway finding several more groups of bodies slashed and hacked. The initial shock had worn off a little quicker than he expected but there was still no sign of Pierce.

After completing his search he moved to the second floor hoping that Pierce had somehow got away and made it to safety. All he found were the remnants of the battle he had fought earlier. He still wasnt sure how much time had passed. All that he had was a blank spot then waking up on the roof.

He heard voices coming from the direction of the lobby area and headed that way. When he arrived he found an injured Pierce telling a story that he couldn't quite understand. As soon as Pierce noticed his presence he stopped speaking and all capable heads turned to him. Silently staring in shock.

The man before them looked like a creature from myth, he still clung to the weapons he had awoke with and stood covered in blood that was starting dry. Almost every inch of the man had blood splattered or smeared. His face was a mask of red offset but the white of his wild eyes and his impossibly white teeth.

Shep let out a huge sigh of relief seeing that Pierce was ok and the rest of the team was still there. He was disheartened the see that they had lost two members of his team. Sergeant Kline and Sergeant Alonzo. They were the most severely wounded during the initial attack but he had hoped they could hold on. He was about the ask for a status update and to tell everyone to move to roof and radio for an extraction when the pain hit him.

He hadn't felt it yet due to either the shock or maybe the blackout he had experienced but he was hurt. He couldn't tell how bad he had so much blood on him he couldn't tell what was his and what wasn't. Shep collapsed, dropping right in front of his team.

When he awoke this time he was in a field hospital. He had suffered a multitude of wounds. Many shrapnel wounds as well as cuts and gashes, a sprained wrist and finally 4 bullet wounds. Two had struck his left arm luckily missing the bone. One had struck him in the right leg about 6 inches above his knee fracturing the bone but missing his all important femoral artery. His worst wound was the last one. The bullet had entered his lower abdomen and exited between his first and second rib.

He was informed that he had almost bled out during the extraction but was saved by Pierce once again. His friend had given him a transfusion in flight that saved his life. He wanted to find him and thank him on the spot but soon realized he was unable to move.

He saw that he was strapped down to his bed at both wrists and one ankle. The other casted leg was held in traction. He was instantly confused. Was he a prisoner? Had he been having seizures while he was unconscious? He asked the Doc what the hell was going .

He was informed that when he came in, not only was he conscious, he was in a state of rage and confusion. He had tried to attack the staff and was sedated before he could do anymore damage to himself or someone else.

Through further conversation he was told that they believed it was a result of the fight he had been in and the shock from his injuries.

Now that his mental state was stable again he would be unstrapped. However, it would take months before he was somewhat back to normal. With the wounds he had suffered, both physical and mental, it would inevitably be a long process to heal.

During his stay at the hospital Shep learned that all his teammates had stopped in to check on him while he was unconscious. Once they found out he was going to pull through they hadn't returned. It was common knowledge that these types of men didn't do hospitals. As much out of respect for their teammates as themselves. They knew an injured soldier would never want to be seen in that condition. Being there also reminded them of their own mortality. That was a distraction they couldn't afford in their profession. Thus Shep didn't even begin to hold it against them.

Shep was determined to exceed all expectations and rejoin his team as fast as possible. He set out to regain his strength as soon as he could stand.

Though his assortment of wounds seemed to heal at an abnormal rate it was still a slow process. As the days turned to weeks he made steady progress and was finally able to start his advanced physical therapy.

This is where he met Lieutenant Grace Steiner. She was a petite woman with close cropped brown hair. She had a small nose and ocean blue eyes. Both of which sat above full pink lips that had an innately sensual appearance. The hospital scrubs she wore did little to hide her figure, which Shep studied often while they worked on his rehab.

Grace wasn't so much beautiful as she was extremely attractive. Something about her presence and character seemed to mesh well with Shep and his progress improved by leaps and bounds.

Being the workaholic he was, Shep and Grace spent a lot of time together. More than any of her other patients as he worked to get back to his team.

Grace seemed to realize their complementing personalities as well and started to enjoy and even look forward to seeing Shep come through the door. Both of them still seemed almost oblivious to what everyone around them saw in an instant. They were the closest thing to soulmates anyone had ever seen.

As the weeks turned into months Shep gained back all he had lost. Even somewhat improving his already impressive physique. During this time the budding romance between himself and Grace blossomed. Although it was frowned upon since NCO's and CO's were technically forbidden from fraternizing, the two had started a heated relationship.

Time went by this way while Shep went on several more deployments and Grace did the same. They stayed in contact as often as possible and continued a somewhat difficult, but still growing, long distance relationship.

Though Shep still saw combat and retained his signature attitude towards it, he never again experienced anything similar to what almost killed him. Thinking about Grace seemed to ground him in some way.

The time came for them both to make a decision about their futures. Both of them decided it was time to leave the military and start building a life together as civilians.

With Grace's experience as a physical therapist she was easily able to find a job in the civilian world. With Shep, it was a little different. The skills he had acquired in the military didn't quite translate to anything in the civilized public.

He was left with few options and struggled to find his way again.

He had no desire to be a police officer and taking work as a paramilitary would defeat the purpose of leaving the military in the first place. He did however have a multitude of past work experiences.

Shep settled for work in construction. The pay was good and it allowed him to spend a lot of time with Grace. They had decided it was time to marry long ago and the date was fast approaching.

They had been living together ever since they decided to leave the military and now planned to move out of their small apartment and into a home with the intentions of starting a family.

The wedding went off without any issues, of course Sergeant Pierce was Sheps best man. He wouldnt have felt right having anyone else after what they had been through. The rest of Sheps former team was present as well. However, things had been a little different on the team after Sheps recovery. He could sense any uneasy feeling among the rest of the team. Anyone could assume why. It didn't bother Shep much and everything moved forward at light speed.

Things seemed to be too good to be true and both Shep and Grace were happier than either had ever been. They moved into their new home and were eager to start the process of making a new member of the Shepherd family.

Then the nightmares started. Brief flashes of memory from that fateful day so long ago. Shep would experience glimpses of himself cutting through his enemies like a blood soaked force of nature. Blades and teeth and fists landing upon the enemies he had butchered. All the while the distant maniacal laughter built into a roar.

He would awake startled in a cold sweat. Adrenaline still pumping through his veins. During these dreams/nightmares/memories, whatever they may be, he had begun to realize that the laughter that had stoked his rage back then, had actually been coming from him...