Frank Castle, the murdering vigilante known as the Punisher, has dedicated his life to wiping out crime and corruption after the deaths of his beloved wife and children. Years of killing criminals has taken its toll on Frank, pushing him over the edge of darkness as he finds new and fascinating ways of murdering those that have done wrong.

Some time ago, Frank had discovered he had an illegitimate son named Benji, believing him to have left him in the care of a family that could give the boy all the things that Frank could not, such as a loving home and stability.

Unfortunately, thanks to both Howard Saint and Barracuda, Benji’s life had been shattered when the boy’s foster family was slaughtered and the boy taken hostage. He is now in the hands of the monstrous Barracuda, who has gathered together twelve of the most sadistic, brutal and deadly sociopaths in the country as part of his plan to lure the Punisher to him and finish his enemy once and for all…

NEVERLAND

By Tobias Christopher

Sweetwater, Wyoming

Having just escaped the bedroom that the mercenary Barracuda had kept him locked up in, Benji found himself running through the town as fast as his young legs would take him. He had to find help, or a phone, or anything he could use to get out of his current situation. A bike, a skateboard, hell, even a pair of roller skates would help.

His stomach was rumbling as he ran, as Barracuda had been underfeeding him, possibly as a means to keep him weak so he couldn’t fight back. And as far as Benji knew, if he didn’t fight to stay alive right now, no one else was going to do it for him. Right now he just needed to get some energy, having spotted a general store. He’d get something to eat, even if it was something as simple as a box of Cheerios and a Gatorade. The lights were on, but he was still going to have to be careful.

Quietly sneaking in, the boy made sure no one had spotted him as he made his way down the first aisle before realizing there was no one in the store. In fact, on his way to the store, Benji had realized that he hadn’t seen anyone. There were no people out, no cars on the street, or lights on in any of the houses. It’s like the whole town had shut down.

Grabbing a twelve pack of Red Bull to keep him alert, a loaf of bread and a pack of bologna from the cold case, Benji got ready to leave and find a safe place to eat when someone reached out and grabbed his leg–

Frank had pulled off into a rest stop along the way to Sweetwater, after having received a text from Griffen to meet him there. Maybe Frank’s old friend had something useful about Barracuda to tell him. It was late, and Chip was sleeping soundly in the passenger’s side seat, clutching his laptop tightly. Little did Chip know, Frank had already made plans to cut his partner loose after this mission. The young man had give up everything for Frank’s war, including giving up the chance to live happily ever after with someone he’d fallen in love with, and that was the last straw for Frank.

Frank didn’t want to care this much for Chip, but the younger man had proven his loyalty time and again, only to be rewarded with pain and loss, such as having his pinkie bitten off by a cannibal. Frank wasn’t about to watch this kid turn into a bitter, revenge driven vigilante like he’d become. Maybe he’d sleep better at night, knowing that someone was out there who still had some measure of innocence in him.

Chip was standing in the backyard of the house he’d grown up in, squinting his eyes due to the brightness of the sun. His little brother, Morgan, sat on the swing set in front of him, his bloody head wound still gushing.

“You’re a fucking idiot,” Morgan told him. “You should have gone with Tommy. He’s a good guy, he really cares about you.”

“I really care about him, but there’s a kid who needs me more,” Chip told him as he sat down on the swing set next to the boy. “A little boy, just like you. This time, I’m going to save him. He’s not going to get shot, or mutilated. He’s going to come home safe, just like you should have.”

“I’m still alive in that hospital,” Morgan told him as he stared down at the ground. “Why don’t you ever come see me?”

“Because… it’s too painful,” Chip said. “You grew up without me, little brother. You don’t even know who I am.”

“You’re a dork who knows how to hack computers,” Morgan said as he stared up at the man. “But… we’re still family. Hell, Tommy could be family too, someday. I’m just saying, twelve years of seeing a ghost, then the real deal finally shows up, then… nothing. It’s like you don’t even fucking care.”

“I care,” Chip said with tears in his eyes. “Ever since I woke up, I just wanted one thing. And that’s for you to have grown up safe and happy. You can’t do that if I’m around. Working with Frank… it’s not a place for children. You know firsthand what trouble this life brings. Besides, you’ve got a big brother with John Saint.”

“Do I?” Morgan asked. “Do your research, moron. The answer flew right by you when you were reading headlines this morning.”

“What does that mean?” Chip asked as he woke up, still holding his laptop.

Frank got out of the car and headed toward a playground, having his guns ready to fire the second he saw something he didn’t like. After a few minutes he saw someone approaching. It was Griffen’s young partner, Michael Barrie.

“You’re Griffen’s partner,” Frank said. “Where’s Griffen?”

“Washington, still filling out paperwork from the Saint case,” Barrie told him. “I wanted to do this there, but you disappeared before I could get you alone.”

“If you’re trying to arrest me, this isn’t a good time,” Frank told him. “Plus you’re really kind of scrawny. Have you ever thrown a punch?”

“I’m twenty-four, and I’ve taken down guys twice my size,” Barrie said.

“And you want to make a name by being the guy who takes down the Punisher?”

“I’m not that stupid,” Barrie said. “I came… to thank you.”

“For what?”

Twelve Years Ago

Michael Barrie had his arm around the shoulder of his six-year-old sister, Wendy as he comforted her. On the other end of the couch was Michael’s nine-year-old brother Jon. The three of them were in bathrobes, their clothes having been shed downstairs on the set of their parents ‘movie studio’ where home videos were produced, then sold online.

The older Barries were about to start filming their latest movie when a knock had come at the door. The Punisher had come calling, having learned what was happening in the Barrie home after  coming across a crackhouse where he’d discovered the tapes of the Barrie children. The video covers made even the Punisher’s stomach weak enough to vomit.

Having told the children to go upstairs and wait, Frank locked the basement door and looked at the parents, wondering how someone could do something so cold and disgusting to their own children. Sure, the parents pleaded, begged, and bargained for their lives, but it was futile to do so. They had committed the ultimate sin in Frank Castle’s eyes. To harm a child in any manner was unforgivable to the Punisher.

Luckily the basement was sound proof as the vigilante took his time to extract vengeance on the couple. He didn’t want the children upstairs to hear their parents painful screams as bones were broken and important organs removed, and in one case, slowly cut off with a rusty blade.

An hour later, Frank came back upstairs and closed the basement door, staring at the three children on the couch. They all shared similar features, and the girl, while seemingly traumatized at the moment, could still come out of this okay given enough time and therapy. The boys, however, he could tell were completely shattered. The look in the oldest boy’s eyes told Frank that the odds of them meeting again years down the road, when Frank would have to put him down,  were very high. The younger boy’s eyes told Frank that he was so broken that he might never live a normal life.

“The police are coming, tell them that it’s over and you’re free from what your parents did,” Frank told them as he walked out of the house and into the night.

It wasn’t long before the three Barrie children ended up in the foster care system. Wendy ended up in a loving home, but still could never shake the memories of what her parents made her brothers do to her in that basement, ultimately turning to prostitution in her teen years after running away from home.

Fortunately she fell into the employ of one Pimpin’ Longstocking, who respected his girls enough to want to protect them while still making money. He trained his girls to be able to protect themselves, made sure they got their fair share of the money they earned and remained drug  and STD free. Wendy had found a loving family that she felt at home with.

Jon’s life, however, gradually got worse after that night. He’d been placed in a foster family within a deeply religious community where his abuse had gone from sexual to physical, mental and verbal. And then to top it all off, Jon had started to realize more and more that he was gay as he got older, something that his foster parents, psychiatrists and (especially) people at the church had pinned on Michael and what he’d been forced to do to Jon in that basement.

But Jon knew different. He’d been having strange feelings toward the same sex even before the home movies, culminating in him being found making out with another boy under the bleachers during a school dance, resulting in Jon being expelled due to the school’s strict religious code.

After an especially brutal beating by his stepfather that very night, Jon had decided he’d had enough and ran away. The then fifteen-year-old middle Barrie child eventually ended up taking to the streets, traveling the back roads of America. And where he ended up is a fascinating tale, but that’s another story in itself, to be told another day…

Michael’s situation was somewhat better than that of his siblings. at least later on. Unlike Jon and Wendy, Michael ended up in a group boy’s home after being deemed ‘too old to adopt’. At twelve years old, Michael’s voice had already started to change and while still could be considered becoming a handsome young man, now lacked the cuteness that a younger child had to be placed in a real home. Even though his body was changing, Michael was still one of the smallest kids in the group home, was routinely picked on.

At least until the boy had decided he’d had enough and fought back, brutally beating down a seventeen-year-old who had a good hundred pounds on him. After that, Michael stopped feeling sorry for himself and made a vow to find his siblings to make sure they were okay. On his fourteenth birthday, Michael had found another goal he needed to accomplish. Watching the news one night, Michael had seen the news reports of the Punisher wiping out a crime family in Texas. The very same man who had rescued him and his siblings from a fate worse than death.

And that’s when young Michael knew what he wanted to do with his life: Track down the Punisher, and just maybe, perhaps return the favor some day. But to do that, he’d have to be in a position of power to do so, which would mean working his way up through the ranks. He’d be the best of the best, and get himself noticed by the right people.

For the next four years, Michael worked on every aspect of himself: he read every book on law enforcement and the legal system that he could get his hands on; he started working on his body to build some muscle; and he put his justice seeking skills to the test by protecting all of his brothers in the group home from bullies and anyone who threatened them.

By the time Michael was eighteen, he was ready to join the Police Academy and claw his way up. He worked late hours, he pushed his body to the limit, and strived every second of every day to be the most honest officer working the beat, despite all the corruption around him. He didn’t realize it, but four years later, it was these attributes that got him noticed by the FBI, who took note of the young man who was living up to the ‘Protect & Serve’ motto that the police stood for. At 22 years old, Michael Barrie had been selected to join the FBI, where after rigorous testing and training, he’d be paired up with James Griffen, an older veteran who was just a few years away from retirement, with a very beautiful daughter as well.

“I think we should tell your dad that we’re dating,” Michael said as he sat in the car with Jasmine late one night. “I know that we’ve only been seeing each other for a few weeks, but–“

“I’m pregnant,” Jasmine said. Michael started choking as Jasmine patted his back. “Are you okay?”

“Pr- pregnant?” Michael asked in a raspy voice. “How? Why?”

“I’m pretty sure it was that night we met when you pulled me out of the college party before the raid,” Jasmine said.

“Your dad’s rep would have been ruined if his daughter was caught up in a drug bust,” Michael said. “I just met the guy but I really respect him. I want him to really see me as his partner.”

“So, what about the baby?” Jasmine asked.

Michael took her hand, kissing it softly. “I’m going to be a daddy? I mean, if you want this baby, that is. I know you have plans and–“

“I don’t want to abort it,” Jasmine said.  “But I also don’t want to raise it alone.”

“You won’t,” Michael promised her. “I am in this 100%. This baby is… it’s you and me. And I am going to make sure this baby has everything it needs, especially love. I finally found someone who I want to spend my life with, Jasmine. Do you… feel the same way?”

“Well, there was one guy named Chip, but I don’t think he was ever serious about us a couple,” Jasmine said with a sigh. “I kind of suspected that he’d met someone else on the road.”

Michael smiled as he kissed her. “Then marry me. Let’s start this baby’s life off right.”

“You got Griffen’s daughter pregnant?” Frank asked, for the first time in a very long time, wanting to laugh. Part of him wanted to be there when the news was broken to the grandfather-to-be.

“I got my future wife pregnant, and I fully intend to be there for both her and our baby,” Michael said. “But that’s getting off the point. You saved me and my siblings that night. I owe you my  life.”

“You don’t owe me anything, kid,” Frank told him. “Just knowing that you grew up to be a good man is more than enough. For a while there, I was worried that you’d go down the wrong path and that I’d have to put a bullet in you someday when we crossed paths again. What ever happened to your brother and sister?”

“I know where Wendy’s at, she’s in California living as a prostitute under some guy named Pimpin’ Longstocking,”

“Then she’s in good hands, Pimpin’ treats his girls with respect. I beat that lesson into him long ago,”

“But Jon? I haven’t seen him since I was sent to that group home,” Michael said. “But I’m not giving up finding him and making sure he’s okay. I’ve said everything I came to say, I better get back to tell Griffen that his daughter is in the family way. Oh, and this,” Michael tossed Frank a copied file. “Those twelve escaped convicts? This is the full file from Ryker’s on who they are and what they did. I figured that’s where you were headed. I hope you find your boy.”

Michael turned to walk away as Frank looked down at the file. Seeing the young man had turned his tragedy into a life of hope and happiness for a brief moment gave Frank a small amount of relief that perhaps he was making a positive difference for some people.

Frank returned to the car to find Chip on his laptop. “You should be resting, kid. We’ve still got a long drive.”

“He’s dead, Frank,”  Chip whispered.

“Who?”

“John Saint, Morgan’s big brother,” Chip said. “He– he hung himself two weeks ago. He didn’t want to live alone without his family, so he took his own life. Morgan’s got no one to look after him if he wakes up.”

“Do you want to–?”

“Sit around a hospital room and do nothing for years on end?” Chip asked. “Your son needs us more right now, Morgan’s in a safe place, but I would like to be with him after this. Maybe… take a short break?”

“We’ll discuss it when we find Benji,” Frank said as he started the car. “There’s no vacation package, by the way, you’d be taking time off with no pay.”

“I can deal with that,” Chip told him.

A Few Weeks Later

Having taken some time off from the FBI while Jasmine was still attending college, and her father was taking anger management classes, Michael had returned to California to finally reunite with his sister, crying upon seeing how beautiful she had grown up to be.

“What happened to your eye?” Wendy asked as she saw the shiner that Griffen had given to him the night he told him about the baby.

“It’s an engagement gift from my father-in-law,” Michael told her. “Luckily the window he threw me through didn’t leave any real cuts on me. I have missed you so much. I’m not wild about the career choice, though.”

“I’m being taken good care of,” Wendy said. “I get full benefits, good pay, and I’ve been trained in all kinds of fighting techniques and firearms. So, do I get to meet your baby mama?”

“Absolutely, we’re together again and I never want to lose you,” Michael said as he hugged her.

“What about Jon? Have you seen him?”

“That’s what I wanted to talk to you about,” Michael told her. “The old man needs some… cooling off time, and Jasmine’s still early into her pregnancy, so I figured you and me could go hit the open road, track down Jon and make sure he’s okay. Are you up for it?”

“I do have some vacation time coming,” Wendy told him. “Let’s go find our brother and bring him home.”

Sweetwater, Wyoming

Now

Benji fell backward onto his back as the hand reaching out had grabbed his sneaker to pull him back. Benji pulled his foot out of the shoe as he reared his stocking foot back and kicked the attacker in the face before scrambling to his feet.

“Help me,” a voice whispered as Benji turned back around to see that it was a severely bleeding man. He was crawling on the ground, still holding Benji’s shoe as he looked up at the boy. “Please.”

Benji noticed the man’s organs were trailing on the floor as he crawled, so he probably didn’t have long before he completely bled out. Now he had to make a decision: run away or stay with the man until he passed. Putting the food on the counter, Benji kneeled down and took the man’s hand. Benji just couldn’t bring himself to run out on a man who had asked for help.

“It’s okay,” Benji whispered. “I’ll stay with you, mister.”

“They killed everyone,” the man said. “Men, women, children, they’re all dead. I tried to get help, but–“

“Shh,” Benji said. “It’s okay, someone’s coming to take care of those guys, I hope. My dad is coming, he’ll kill all of them and get revenge for everyone. My dad’s the Punisher.”

The man tried to smile to indulge the boy’s fantasy, that is until his head exploded into pieces, showering Benji in blood and brain matter. The boy fell back in horror as he looked up to see a large muscled man with tattoos all over his body. He was bald and was holding a rifle in his hand.

“Barracuda’s little bunny rabbit got out of its cage,” the man said. “I love skinning rabbits for their meat. And I haven’t had rabbit in a very long time. It’s dinner time.”

To be continued…