CHAPTER 01

Matthew and Andrew have a happy family with loving parents. Their mother is a plain housewife because she wanted to personally take care of their children. She doesn't want their children to grow up in a nanny's care that's why as soon as she got pregnant with Andrew she stops working as a teacher, while their father is a Military General which Andrew and Matthew always boasted that their father is a hero because he's catching those bad guys.

General Mateo Lee is a respected General, he received many recognitions and awards for his accomplishment.

Good father and husband to his family.

One night, everything changed when he encountered the brother of the number of drug lords of Korea, Dylan Park, Park Teodor's Younger brother.

Mateo caught his group doing a drug deal, but Dylan and his men fought, which ended his life.

Since that day, General Lee always received death threats, but he ignored them. He was already used to it because of his job until one night.

He and his wife were in the living room watching the news on the television while their two sons were inside their room when their house was showered by bullets.

Mr. Lee quickly docked on the floor, bringing his wife with him. He crawled on one of the drawers, where he kept his handgun and pulled it out."Our son." Mrs. Lee murmured, crying, holding his husband's arm.

"Go to our son's room and hide." Gen. Lee told his wife while they were crawling on the floor looking for their hiding place. Mrs. Lee hugged his husband tightly before she crawled toward their son's room, but before she could reach the room, a bullet pierced straight into her head that ended her life immediately.

"Andrea!! Mr. Lee cried, seeing his wife's body fall to the floor. His tears rolled down from his eyes, and he quickly crawled to his wife, but it was too late. His wife is already dead. He wrapped his wife in his embrace and cried silently.

"I'm so sorry, Honey." He whispered and planted a kiss on her forehead. His heart felt heavy leaving the lifeless body of his wife, but he needed to save their sons.

He laid her on the floor and kissed her forehead again. "I'll come back." He whispered and crawled towards their sons' room. More bullets came, and a bullet pierced his back. He ignored it and continued moving toward his sons' room, enduring the pain. He knows that his wound will surely end his life. He can feel it because of lots of blood coming out of it, but he needed to save his sons.

"Andrew, Matthew ." He called weakly. He is now bathing with his blood and his vision, getting blurry, and those people outside will be able to get inside the house soon. He forced his body up to grab the knob of the door and pushed it open, and his body fell to the floor, gasping for breath.

***

"Brother, can you help me get my book on the table please, I can't reach it." The four years old Matthew asked his brother, who was doing his homework on their bed. Andrew patted his head and got his book, then gave it to him.

"Thank you, brother," Matthew said, smiling. "You're welcome." His brother answered and continued to do his homework while Matthew lay beside him with his head leaning on his brother's back reading his book. Andrew just smiled while listening to his brother.

Andrew is seven years old and in primary two while Matthew was in kindergarten.

"Umm!!! brother, how do you read this?" He asked, placing his book in front of his brother. Andrew looks at his book.

"Beautiful." Andrew read the word.

Matthew nodded and picked up his book again. "Beautiful." He murmured. Andrew just shook his head and continued doing his homework.

"Ummm!!!! brother..."Yes!!!! Andrew asked, eyes still on his notes. Matthew laid on his tummy, both elbows propped up, palm supporting his chin, smiling at him.

"What??? Andrew asked, chuckling while looking at his grinning brother and poking his nose.

"Can I have this?" He asked, raising the small key chain on his hand battling his lashes in front of him. Andrew smiled and took the key chain from his hand, then sat up. Matthew also sat beside him.

"Look," Andrew said, and he twisted the chain, and it broke into two. "Here, this one's for you and one for me," Andrew said, handing Matthew the other half and the other half with him. It was a round shape, gold colour with a skull engraved in the middle.

Matthew smiled and hugged his brother. "Thank you, brother. I'll keep this properly. I promise I won't lose this." He said and pecked his brother's cheek. Andrew smiled and hugged his brother, too. "Okay! continue to read your book, because I'm still not finished with my homework." Andrew said and tucked the keychain inside his pocket, while Matthew also did the same.

Matthew resumed reading his book while Andrew continued to do his homework with Matthew still leaning behind him.

Suddenly, gunshots were heard around their house. Matthew quickly stood up and hugged his brother, scared. Andrew also stood up and carried his brother behind the concrete wall to cover them.

"Brother," Matthew cried, hugging his brother tightly. Andrew hugged him as well with tears in his eyes, scared. "Brother!!!! Matthew cried again and buried his face in his brother's chest when the sound of guns echoed around them.

"SHHHH!!!! don't cry. Mommy and Daddy will come." Andrew said, trying to be strong for the sake of his brother, but deep inside, he was very scared. His tears were racing down his face while hugging his trembling brother.

They both screamed in fright when their door burst open, and their eyes widened when they saw their father's body fall to the floor bathing in his blood. "Daddy!!!! They both screamed and ran to their father crying.

"Daddy! They cried, hugging their father.

"Andrew." Their father whispered, using his remaining strength to hold his hand. "Leave with your brother, run, and don't look back." His father whispered.

"But Dad, where is Mom." Andrew cried. Mr. Lee's tears streamed down his face. "Please, son, go, save your brother." He replied, ignoring his question.

"Daddy." Matthew sobbed hugging his father. 'Leave now Andrew, they're coming." His father said again. Andrew bites his trembling lips, with tears streaming down his face. He hugged his father for the last time and quickly carried Matthew on his back. "Stay alive, Andrew, Matthew. Always remember your mother, and I love you so much." Mr. Lee said, using his last breath.

"Brother, we need to go back, Daddy and Mommy." Matthew sobbed behind him. Andrew also sobbed but shook his head. "They will kill us if they see us, Matt," Andrew said, running toward the kitchen, but he abruptly stopped when they saw their mother's lifeless body on the floor.

"Mommy!!! They cried, kneeling beside their mother.

"Mommy is dead. They kill Mommy, brother, and Daddy is bleeding. We need to go back. Daddy needs us." Matthew cried. Andrew took a deep breath.

"Climb on my back, Daddy wanted us to leave. If we stay here, we're going to die like Mommy. Daddy wanted us to live. Come on, Matt. Do this for Mommy and Daddy. We need to stay alive to find these people when we grow up. We need to avenge Mommy and Daddy."

Matthew sobbed but thought that his brother was right. They need to stay alive. They planted a kiss on their mother's cheek, and Matthew climbed on his brother's back and held on to him tightly.

Matthew runs towards the kitchen, heading to the exit door to the back of their house, but he abruptly stops when he sees five men outside. He quickly runs back to find a hiding place. He runs to their parent's room and quickly puts Matthew down.

"Quick hide inside the closet," he whispered. "Brother, I'm scared." Matthew cried, hugging his brother. "Matthew, hurry up, hide now, promised I'll always be here for you no matter what happened, I'll just make a call. We need help." He said, hugging his brother. Matthew sobbed but nodded. Andrew opened the closet and put him inside.

"Don't go anywhere, just stay here and wait for me, I'll come back promised." He whispered. Matthew sobbed but nodded again. "Come back quickly, brother." He sobbed. Andrew nodded and hugged him, planting a kiss on his forehead. "Don't come out until I come back." Matthew nodded once more with tears streaming down his eyes.

Andrew wiped it using the pad of his thumb. "Stop crying, I won't leave you." He whispered. Matthew nodded one more time and dried his tears. "I'll wait for you, brother."

"Okay, I love you, Matt." He whispered.

"I love you too, brother. Come back soon." Andrew nodded, and slowly, he closed the closet. He bites his trembling lips while looking at his brother crying inside,

"Dad, Mom, please help us." He murmured before he left his brother behind. He crawled toward the living room where the telephone was located. The bullets were flying in over his head, but he tried to ignore them. He quickly dialled 911 and pressed the telephone on his ear, but he cried in pain when a bullet pierced his back.

The telephone fell on his hand, and his small body slowly fell to the floor with tears streaming down his face. His blood quickly pooled around him, and his sight became blurry. He looks at the man that shoots him, but he can't see his face clearly, his sight is slowly fading away from him, and even his breath, but something catches his eyes, a scorpion tattoo on the man's arm. The man came near him and pulled him up before he threw his small body back on the floor. Andrew gasped for his breath.

"Matthew ... Matthew ...." He tried to call his brother to warn him but no words came out of his lips and after a few seconds everything went black.

***

While Matthew is trembling inside the closet, crying, waiting for his brother to come back while sobbing quietly. He was afraid that someone would hear him if he cried louder. When he heard the door of the room, click open. Without thinking, he quickly burst out of the closet, hoping that it was his brother.

"Brother!" He cried but abruptly stopped when he saw a man he didn't know standing there smiling at him. Matthew takes a step backward, scared.

"Who are you? " He asked. His voice is trembling in fear. The man came closer to him and bent down on his level. "Don't be scared, I came here to save you because your brother left you behind," the man said, patting Matthew's head. Matthew took a step backwards again.

"You're lying, brother won't leave me." He screamed, crying.

"But I saw him running out of the house." The man said, with a smile on his lips.

Matthew vigorously shook his head. "You're lying. My brother won't leave me. He promised that he would come back for me." He sobbed.

"C'mon kid, if you want to live, you need to leave this house because any minute from now, it will turn into ashes." The man said, grinning at him.

"I'll wait for my brother." He cried.

"C'mon, your brother won't come back anymore." The man said and scooped Matthew up from the floor and carried him in his arms. Matthew cried and tried to free himself, but the man was stronger than him.

He sobbed calling his brother Mother and Father, but no one comes to help him. He cried and cried until the man put him inside the car.

"Brother!!!! llll where are you? You said you'll come back..." He thought, crying.