Chapter 1: The Beginning

“Congratulations Ms. Andel, it’s a baby boy” said the Doctor inside the maternity ward of the local hospital in Berman, Germany. Lara Andel, Hendrich’s mother, watched as the baby boy was removed from her womb and placed into her arms.

“He is so cute! Look Karl, he has your eyes!” said Lara holding the baby boy up towards her husband and Hendrich’s father, Karl Andel.

“Yeah and he’s probably going to have your attitude to top it off” said Karl as he glared at the baby with an emotionless look on his face. Lara just shook her head at her husband’s stubbornness and brought the baby back into her arms.

“I’m going to name you after your Uncle Erich!” said Lara who was extremely excited of the name she thought for the baby boy. The excitement would soon die down as Karl shook his head in disapproval of the proposed name.

“You’re out of your damn mind if you think I’m going to allow you to name our son after your drunken ass brother!” Karl exclaimed placing his hands on his waist. Karl Andel was considered the voice of Andel family who made most of the decisions of the household. What Karl said, the family was expected to accept it no matter how they felt about it. “This kid’s going to be named after my father, Hendrich” Karl said with a nod after seeming absolutely sure he found the right name for his newborn son. After that moment, Hendrich Francis Andel was born.

A few years after Hendrich’s birth, the Andel family consisting of Karl, Lara, Hendrich’s two brothers Diederich and Paul, Hendrich’s sister Ana, and little Hendrich himself, left the hostile environment in Germany heading for the United States. From there, they began their new lives as American citizens in the slums of Chicago. Karl opened and operated his own bakery with all of Hendrich’s older siblings helping run the place. Lara attempted to get her own job but Karl decided otherwise since he was against women working outside the home. Therefore, Lara became a housewife remaining at home taking care of Hendrich and the rest of the household chores.

Chapter 2: Adolescence is a B***h!

“I don’t give a shit that you’re in school! You’re going to help run the fucking bakery with your brothers and sisters!” Karl shouted rolling the newspaper that he was reading earlier in his hand.

“Why don’t you come over here and make me?!” Hendrich said removing one of the hardcover books from the nearby bookshelf using it as a shield in case his father would attempt hit him from the newspaper. It was clear to the rest of the family who were watching the display of defiance by the youngest son that he had enough of Karl’s constant verbal and sometimes physical abuse of him and the other family.

“I should have strangled you with your own umbilical cord, you little ungrateful asshole!” shouted Karl walking towards Hendrich with the rolled up newspaper in hand.

“Bring it cocksucker!” Hendrich said holding the hardcover in front of him in the direction of his father. Karl brought his arm down swinging the newspaper at his son as hard as he could. Hendrich’s mother, sister and two brothers watched in shock at what Hendrich did next. The youngest son of the Andel family took his right while still holding the book with his left, made it into a fist and sent it in the direction of his father’s face. Hendrich’s fist slammed into the bridge of Karl’s nose, making a loud crunching sound as the punch connected. Karl fell onto the couch holding his nose letting out a loud scream of pain as Lara rushed to the side of her husband.

“What the fuck is wrong with you god damn maniac!?!” Karl shouted pinching down on his nose which was all bruised and bloody from Hendrich’s punch. Lara rushed into the kitchen after being shoved to the side by her husband’s free arm. “You are no longer my son, get the fuck out of my house!” Karl shouted standing up from the couch pointing at Hendrich in an aggressive manner. Hendrich just raises his hand in front of him and gave his father the middle finger before walking out of the door despite the desperate sobbing pleas from his mother.

After that night, Hendrich stayed with some friends he met in school until he learned that one of his relatives was living just a few miles outside of Chicago. This relative being his Uncle Erich, who was considered to be the black sheep of the family and disowned by Karl and the rest of the Andel family. Having little to no choice, Hendrich decided to locate his uncle and live with him for the time being. A few days later, Hendrich’s uncle, Erich Bartul who changed his name to Eric Becker when he first came to the United States, took Hendrich despite having mixed feelings about him since he was the son of the man who disowned him.

Hendrich continued to live with his uncle throughout his remaining teen years. He went to school and even to college with the help of his uncle who was butcher and a heavy gambler. When he turned twenty one years old, Hendrich began to question his uncle’s gambling problem and constant drinking.

Chapter 3: It was the best of times; it was the worst of times

“Go on! Leave and go back home to sucking your father’s cock! You fucking faggot” Eric shouted throwing his half empty bottle of whisky out the door towards his nephew. Hendrich continued to walk down the street away from his uncle’s house not even phased by the bottle of whiskey that was thrown at him which broke just a few feet near his feet.

“Have fun fucking those crack whores you drunk prick!” Hendrich shouted over his shoulder still walking down the street. He could still hear his uncle shouting but couldn’t really make out what he was saying.

While living with his uncle, Hendrich was trying to finish up his college but would be forced to stop because of his uncle’s problems which he would be dragged into. On his way home from hanging with his college friends, Hendrich would get approached by his uncle who was carrying a large brown paper bag. Even before Hendrich could get a word in, his uncle threw the bag into his nephew’s hands and ran off. Suddenly, Hendrich would become surrounded by three police vehicles with their sirens and lights on. He watched fanatically as the officers got out of their vehicles and drew their pistols on him.

Later that night, Hendrich was held at the local police station being interrogated by the detectives. He was informed that the bag his uncle gave him contained a few ounces of cocaine, five hundred dollars in cash, and a loaded 9mm pistol. The next day, Hendrich was released after explaining to the police after they were convinced at his story that the bag didn’t belong to him. While in jail, he met a man who was in the cell he was held in named Arden Miller, a discharged U.S Marine who was arrested for a bar brawl the same night Hendrich was arrested. A few weeks after being arrested, Hendrich went to visit Miller who lived a small apartment outside of Springfield. Hendrich and Miller became close friends over the next few months as they both hang out together. Miller told Hendrich of his times in the Marines, even teaching him how to fight.

It was some time since Hendrich’s uncle never showed up at his own home after the night Hendrich was arrested. Until one night when Hendrich was asleep at his uncle’s house, he was awakened by a sound of someone breaking into the house. Hendrich rushed downstairs only to see that it was his uncle along with a woman he never seen before. When Hendrich asked him where he was the entire time, Eric, who was in an extremely drunken state began to shout at his nephew even attempt to assault him physically. Hendrich decided to fight back using the moves that Miller taught him during the times they hung out together. Not realizing the potential he had, Hendrich grabbed his uncle’s wrist when he tried to punch him and threw him to the ground. At this point, Hendrich knew that it was time for him to leave before his uncle created more problems for him.

Chapter 4: Welcome to Hathian

About three years after he left his uncle to live with his friend Arden Miller, Hendrich was grown up and realized it was time to pursue his dream. But the only problem was is that he had no dream and no money to do so. On top of that, Miller, his closet friend decided to move to Hawaii leaving Hendrich all by himself. Hendrich Andel was now poor and alone in the slums of Chicago.

At this point, it was time for Hendrich to move on and find himself a place to stay along with a job for money to maintain it. For weeks, Hendrich walked and even hitchhiked his way south figuring he would reach Mexico to start a new lifestyle. However, he would make an error in travel which brought him to a declining city full of decay and poverty called Hathian. Hendrich was full of doubt and disappointment but he had little choice since he had no place to live or any money.

Hendrich decided to explore this whole new city in an attempt to find him a job and possibly a place to live. However, Hendrich would end up finding more than he bargained for. What he really found was a city full of crime and decay which worried him a lot. Later that day, Hendrich visited the local bar called the Titty Twister where he met some of the people that made Hathian what it was. It was also where he met a white haired Russian gunslinger who called himself Mikhail Cale.

Mikhail Cale would soon replace the void that Arden Miller once had in Hendrich’s life by developing a mentor type bond with the young Andel. Cale helped Hendrich improve his fighting skills and even how to use a firearm which would help Hendrich later in the future. A few weeks later, Mikhail met with Hendrich to discuss the young man’s future in the crime filled city of Hathian.

“I have something for you Hendrich” Mikhail said sliding a piece of paper across the wooden table inside the Titty Twister. Hendrich picked up the paper and began to read it over with his eyes.

“This is an application to the police department” Hendrich said as his eyes widened when he was finished reading it. Mikhail just leaned back in the bar stool and give Hendrich a smirk. “But… but I’m not police material Mikhail! I...I...I can’t become a police officer!” Hendrich said giving his Russian mentor a scared look.

“Yes you are and you will join or I'll just have to kick your ass” Mikhail said taking out a cigar from his coat pocket. Hendrich just stared blankly at the application thinking about joining the police department. Both pros and cons went through his mind before Mikhail slid a pen across the table in front of Hendrich. “Think about it Hendrich, you could make a difference and an honest paycheck as well” Mikhail said lighting up his cigar giving Hendrich a reassuring nod.

Later that day, Hendrich decided to fill out the application and brought it to the Hathian Police Department. Hendrich would then be greeted by his Russian friend and mentor, Mikhail who would say the following that would shape Hendrich's entire future.

"Welcome to Hathian"

From that moment forward, Hendrich Andel became and is currently a proud member of the Hathian Police Department. Mikhail and Hendrich still maintain their close friendship to the point that Hendrich considers the Russian gunslinger a brother.

Hendrich Andel has been another addition to the people of the crime ruined city of Hathian and this was his story…