Cold…

   That was the first thing the little boy thought of as he lay on the snow-covered ground. He looked up at the dark gray clouds hovering over him, snowflakes falling on his face, and all of his senses dulled except for the frigid cold that overwhelmed his body.

   Barely turning his head, he took a look at his surroundings, seeing nothing but endless trees. It appeared that they were in a forest.

   The boy then turned to witness what appeared to be a fight…no, not a fight but an ambush. A lone man holding a blade as he fought back against three individuals.

   Their skin was as pale as the winter snow with long black nails slashed at the lone man with a sword. They didn’t look human at all. They looked like…monsters.

   The lone man roared in anger while fighting the monsters, but his voice was muffled...

   No, it wasn’t just the lone man that was muffled even though he was shouting. Everything was muffled. From the clashing of the nails and blade to the faint breathing of the young boy, anything he heard was dialed down several decibels.

   The young boy tried to get up but was unable to. Although his senses were dulled at the moment, he could tell that something was wrong with his body. Something that was preventing him from moving.

   It felt like something was…broken. That was the word that he first thought of. Every time he moved; he felt a dull yet visible pain course his body. There was something in his body that was broken, keeping him immobilized.

   But it felt like his entire body was unable to move, not just the place where it was broken. That’s when the boy realized a horrible discovery.

   It could be that…his entire body was broken. From his legs to his arms, he couldn’t move a single inch. The boy could feel his body engulfed in the dull pain as he moved it.

   Not knowing what to do, the little boy simply looked on at the battle happening before him. The lone man was holding his own against the three monsters attacking him.

   He slashed at one pale monster, but the other two took that opportunity to close the distance and slashed at him with their sharp black claws. The man howled, though still muffled, in pain, but kept fighting them.

   The man showed no sign of backing down and kept fighting until he couldn’t anymore. The monsters simply snarled at the man before continuing their assault.

   Before the boy could see any more of the scene, he heard a muffled cry from someone. He looked over at where the voice came from and saw a woman in a heavy fur coat rushing over at the boy.

   She looked well over her thirties with bright emerald eyes. Her long black hair was blanketed in snow, making her hair look more white than black. She got close to the young boy and started shouting at him with a worried expression.

   “Ja…us…” Her voice was muffled, just like everything else the boy could hear.

   Despite being so close, he could barely make out a word of what the woman was saying.

   “Jan…s…Janus!” Suddenly, the woman’s voice could be heard more clearly and soon after, the young boy could hear other things too.

   The distinct roar from the lone man going against the monsters as they sinisterly snarled at him while attacking. The sound of metal clashing against the claws of the monsters. The heavy breathing of the young boy and the crunching of the snow.

   The boy could hear it all now. It’s like whatever filter was preventing the boy from hearing things clearly was removed in an instant.

   “Janus, sweetheart!” The woman called out the young boy, Janus.

   Janus looks over at the woman and said one word in a hoarse voice. “M-mother…”

   “I-it’s okay, Janus! Mother’s here, okay?”

   Janus’s mother did her best to soothe the boy, who continued to lie on the snow-covered ground, unable to move. Or so he first thought.

   For some reason, the dull pain from before was gone. Even when he slightly moved his body, there wasn’t any discomfort engulfing him.

   Knowing this, the boy slowly got up from the ground, his mother worried that he’ll hurt himself more.

   “J-Janus, please be careful…!” The mother pleaded, she gently held on to the boy as he stood up.

   The boy then looked over at where and how the battle was proceeding…but was shocked to see what was happening.

   “F-father…!”

   The lone man, Janus’s father, was no longer fighting against the monsters but was now on his knees. Blood spewed from his mouth as one of the monsters had their nails and hands sunk deep into his chest.   

   “R-Richard…no…” The mother could barely speak as she witnessed her husband getting killed by the monsters before them.

 

   The monster ripped its hand out, causing Janus’s father to fall to the ground, snow getting kicked up from his fall. The three monsters then turned to look at the boy and his mother.

   “J-Janus…we need to run!” Knowing that they were next, Janus’s mother quickly grabbed the boy and ran away.

   Janus could do nothing as he was held by his mother and dragged away from where his father fell. They ran deeper into the forest, trying to lose the monsters chasing after them.

   However, from the corner of his eye, Janus could see the monsters gaining up on them. They were jumping from tree branch to tree branch above them. They were slowly but surely catching up to them.

   “M-mother…” Janus grew scared, knowing that the monsters were gaining on them.

   “It’s okay, my child…” The mother patted Janus’s head. “Mommy’s here, okay?”

   Although that was meant to reassure him, the boy knew better. Those monsters were faster than them. There was no way that they could escape them.

   Just then, the mother stopped in her tracks. But why? They needed to keep running to find a way to escape the monsters.

   The boy then turned to where his mother was facing and his face turned as pale as the monster before them. Janus was right…they were too fast to escape from.

   The monster sneered at the mother and Janus, showing his sharp fangs at them.

   “End of the line, cattle…” The monster jeered slowly approaching them.

   Before the mother could run in the other direction, the remaining two monsters dropped down and blocked their only exit. Not knowing what to do, Janus’s mother held on to him, keeping him close to her as much as possible.

   “Y-you can have my life…but spare my child!” Having no other option, the mother decides to offer up her life, in exchange for sparing her son. 

   However…

   “Sorry, but the both of you will be dying tonight,” The monster chuckled, his cruel and wicked personality evident.

   The mother, not knowing what to do, then pulled out a knife and pointed it at the monsters. They simply laughed at her as they continued to approach them.

   Just then…

   “M-mother-augh!”

   “Janus!”

   The last thing that Janus heard was her mother calling out his name before everything went black. One of the monsters must’ve knocked him out while he wasn’t paying attention.

   As soon as Janus regained consciousness, the first thing he saw when he woke up was the sight of his body, dead and bloodied while lying in the snow. Her blood staining the crisp white snow in crimson red as her dead, vacant eyes stared into space.

   “M-Mother…A-agh?!”

   “Looks like the boy’s still alive…” One of the monsters said while pressing his foot on the boy’s back, pinning him on the ground.

   “That’s what you get for holding back, you fool.” Another monster scoffed.

   “I didn’t hold back, bastard! I used enough force to bash his skull in and snap his neck from the force.”

   “And yet he somehow survived…” The monster pondered before he looked surprised. “Look…”

   “The scratch on his cheek…it’s healing…”

   Not knowing what was going on, the boy kept feeling a slight sting on his cheek before the pain started to fade away. He didn’t know what was happening.

   “What the hell…” The monster was perplexed by what just happened, looking more confused by the minute.

   “This isn’t what we were told…”

   “You’re right…this boy…he-agh?!” Before the monster could finish his sentence, an arrow appeared out of nowhere and pierced right through his chest.

   Falling to his knees, the pale monster soon started to burn up and charr, like he was spontaneously combusting.

   “Tch! Hunters!” The other monster growled before grabbing the boy by the neck. “Let’s take the boy and esca-aaaaggh!”

   Just then, the grip on Janus loosened as the monster’s entire arm was cut off and fell to the ground. The monster held his stump with his other hand as he glared at the person before him.

   He stood tall and wore a heavy black coat with a black wide-brim fedora hat. In his right hand was a long bastard sword, coated in the blood of the monster whose arm he just cut off. In his left hand was a cross-bow, the same weapon that was clearly used to take down the first monster with the arrow in the chest.

   There was one other feature that caught the boy’s eye. It was the symbol on the back of his coat. It showed VH on it.

   Upon seeing this man, the one-armed monster turned pale than before, his crimson eyes wide with shock.

   “V-Van Helsing…!” the monster said with fear in his voice.

   The man with the fedora hat stared down at the monster, not making a single move. Just then, the other monster remaining lunged at the man known as Van Helsing.

   Before the monster got close, the Van Helsing lifted up his left hand and shot another arrow at it. Its body was blown backward as it got impaled into a tree. The monster’s body started to charr up like the last one before turning to ash.

   The Van Helsing then glared down at the last monster before him. The pale monster didn’t know what to do as he looked around in panic, trying to find a way to escape while clutching onto his stump arm.

   Not knowing what else to do, he simply turned tail and ran as fast as he could, but before he could even take ten steps, another figure appeared and sliced the monster’s head in a swift motion.

   As the last monster crashed to the ground and turned to ash, the two figures then turned to look at the boy. Both of them were concealed with gaiter masks covering the lower parts of their face.

   Janus didn’t know what to do, as he slowly crawled away in fear. However, he heard a gentle voice call out to him.

   “It’s okay…the monsters are gone now.” It appeared to have come from the second figure, the one that sliced the monster’s head off.

   Taking a closer look, Janus could tell that this person was a woman with how she was framed. As she walked closer to Janus, she took off her mask and revealed herself.

   She had long dark brown hair and looked about as old as his mother. He was also equally as attractive as her.

   “Oh, dear,” The woman looked concerned. “It looks like you got cut.”

   Janus didn’t know what she meant until he felt his neck where he could feel some kind of liquid on it. Looking at his fingers where he felt the liquid, he realized that it was blood.

   It must’ve been from the monster before when he grabbed Janus’s neck. He must’ve dug his claws into his neck to ensure that the boy wouldn’t escape.

   “Here, let me clean you up a bit, okay?” The woman slowly reached for the boy, a handkerchief in hand.

   Janus was hesitant at first but allowed the woman to help him. Just then, the woman gasped in surprise.

   “Y-you’re healing…?”

   Once again, Janus didn’t know what she was talking about until he felt the pain in his neck disappear. Reaching his hand to his neck, he couldn’t feel the claw marks. It was like they were never there.

   But the blood was. He could still feel the crimson fluid around his neck, slowly drying up.

   “My word…” The woman murmured. She then turned to the other person, who simply watched the scene in silence. “Viktor, what do you make of this?”

   The Van Helsing known as Viktor then approached Janus and the woman. He took off his mask and hat, revealing a handsome face with short black hair with a couple of gray lines along with a ducktail beard that also had a few grey lines well.

   He looked at the boy, his gray eyes piercing right through him. Janus couldn’t help but feel intimidated by the man.

   After looking at the boy for a few moments, the man known as Viktor closed his eyes before standing up. He then glanced over at Janus’s mother, causing the boy to look fearful.

   “Was she…” He spoke in a gruff and stern tone. “Your mother?”

   Viktor looked back at Janus, waiting for his answer. Tears filled his eyes, making it hard to see. All Janus did was nod his head, answering the question.

   “…And your father?” It looked like Viktor was asking if Janus’s father was around…or alive.

   To which Janus violently shakes his head, his hands shaking in grief. The woman noticed this and gently held on to Janus, trying to comfort him.

   Both Janus’s mother and father were gone, leaving him alone. The feeling of loneliness started to creep up on the boy, making it hard for him to think straight without feeling afraid.

   Then, Viktor then walked over back to Janus and the woman. He stared at Janus once again, his eyes filled with determination…and calmness.

   “My name is Viktor Van Helsing,” He told Janus. “Would you like to come with us, child?”

   Janus was surprised to hear this. He simply believed that the people were going to either leave him here or drop him off at some orphanage. He didn’t expect to be offered to come with them.

   Although this was his first time meeting them, Janus could tell that they could be trusted. They did save his life, after all.

   Janus then looked over at the woman, who simply smiled kindly, not trying to pressure him into making his decision. After a few moments, Janus wiped away his tears and nodded his head at Viktor.

   This caused Viktor to smile slightly as he patted Janus’s head.

   “Well then, as of right now; you, my child, are now a Van Helsing.”

   “Welcome to the family,” The woman smiled as she continued to gently comfort him.

   The moment Janus lost his family, a new one was presented right before him. The sense of loneliness from before slowly went away, knowing that he had these people to look after him.

   …But that sense of comfort would not last long.

   The image of the man known as Viktor faded away like a film being burned as several other images started appearing in rapid succession.

   Janus was now lying on the ground, completely tired. He then looked up and saw the same man that took him into his family, look down on him with a disappointed expression.

   “Not good enough.” He said with a cold tone. “Again!”

   The scene then changed once more, this time a little more familiar…but not in a good way. Janus was back in the middle of the forest, and looked over at the woman who took him in, his adoptive mother, looking beat up and bloodied.

   She held on to Janus as she was now fighting against wild beasts. They looked like massive wolves that can walk on two legs. They kept snapping their razor maws at Janus and the woman.

   “Janus,” his adoptive mother, Helena, called out to him. “No matter what, you must survive.”

   Just then, one of the giant wolves lunged at Janus and Helena and the scene changed once more. Janus was now in a very old and decorative mansion. He was then slammed against the wall and punched in the stomach.

   Falling to his knees, he looked up and saw three children slightly older than him, glaring at him with malicious intent.

   “It’s your fault!” One of them said.

   “She died because of you! You’re nothing but a curse!”

   “A curse, you hear me?!”

   Janus kept lying on the ground, not sure of what to do. More and more images kept overwhelming Janus.

   Everything was getting difficult to understand. Different images, voices, people, places, everything.

   Then, one last voice called to him…

   “Janus…this all your fault!”

   “Agh?!” Just then, Janus wakes up and falls to the ground with a loud thud.

   He looked much older than his small and child appearance. His black hair was long enough to be close to his shoulders, and his age looked well over twenty years old.

   While groaning, Janus opened his eyes and found himself in a new location. No, it wasn’t new. It was a familiar place.

   Dark oak wood planks as floors, light brown walls with several pictures on them, and an old-looking table and couch that he was in between. This was the living room of his apartment.

   “Ah, that dream again…” Janus groans as he pulled himself up.

   Everything that just transpired was nothing more than a dream…or at least a memory acting as a dream.

   “Still, I stopped having those dreams for a while now,” He mumbled to himself. “That means the reason why I’m having those dreams again is…”

   Janus looked over near a wall and saw a calendar. There were a lot of X marks on previous dates, leaving the latest to be shown. It was circled and had the words “Back to Work” with a sad face on it.

   Janus soon realizes what that dream was meant to be. It was a reminder for today…for today he goes back to work.

   “Ah, man…” Janus then flopped on the couch and groaned even more. “I’m not ready to go back. Give me another month of suspension, goddammit!”

   Although Janus begged, no one answered his call. Knowing that complaining was useless, the young man got up from his couch and bore a stern and complacent expression.

   “Alright…back to work, I guess.”

   Thus starts the day of Janus Van Helsing, going back to work after his one-month suspension.