Johnny: Catching Fire

By Aaron Allen

Johnny - Catching Fire centers around a young man who is the subject of constant bullying at school. One day he prays that God will give him the strength of Samson, a character in the bible who is given supernatural strength by God. To his surprise God answers his prayers and he must decide whether he will use his power for good or to get even with those who bullied him. At the same time his life long friend, who is also the victim of bullying, also finds he has gained new power after visiting a site online about spells and enchantments. The book centers around good and evil and how good ultimately always triumphs.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Nov 13, 2019
• ISBN: 9781796069181

Aaron Allen

Aaron Allen is a resident of Plano, Texas. He earned his Bachelors Degree in Physics from Wofford College in Spartanburg, South Carolina and his Masters Degree in Civil Engineering from LSU. He later earned a Master of Biblical Studies from Charis Bible College in San Antonio, Texas. He is active in his local church and is involved in various ministry in his hometown and surrounding areas.

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Copyright © 2019 by Aaron Allen.

ISBN:                    Hardcover                            978-1-7960-6920-4

                             Softcover                              978-1-7960-6919-8

                             eBook                                     978-1-7960-6918-1

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, names, incidents, organizations, and dialogue in this novel are either the products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.

Scripture quotations marked KJV are from the Holy Bible, King James Version (Authorized Version). First published in 1611. Quoted from the KJV Classic Reference Bible, Copyright © 1983 by The Zondervan Corporation.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Getty Images are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Getty Images.

Rev. date: 11/12/2019

Xlibris

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CONTENTS

I A Hope and A Prayer

II When Paths Diverge

III Remember Your Friends

IV Enchanted by Power

V Catching Fire

VI Little Samson

VII You Reaper What You Sow

VIII Pathway Into Darkness

IX Stealing Is Not the Key

X New Allies/Severed Alliances

XI A Mother’s Love

XII We Wrestle Not Against Flesh and Blood

XIII Be Careful How You Hear

XIV Battle of Wills

XV Fire Overcomes the Dark

XVI Darkness’ True Reward

XVII A Friend’s Love

XVIII New Beginnings

I

J OHNNY WAS WALKING home from school when he was met by his nemesis. Brock was the student everyone wanted to be like. Athletic and good looking—at least that’s what all the girls were saying—Brock had made it his life’s ambition to make Johnny’s miserable. This day was no different.

Hey, Johnny, he called. Where’d you get that shirt? From a 1950s Salvation Army store?

Actually, Brock was not that far-off. Since his father died, Johnny’s mother had turned to purchasing his and his sister’s clothes from garage sales and the local Salvation Army to make ends meet.

Johnny stopped to face his adversary. None of your business, Brock! Leave me alone. You know what Principal Jim told you about staying away from me.

Principal Jim was tough but fair and had taken a liking to Johnny. Consciously or subconsciously, Johnny gravitated toward Principal Jim as a type of surrogate father and looked for every opportunity to visit his office. In fact, on one occasion, Johnny decided to visit with him on his lunch break. When Principal Jim asked Johnny what he could do for him, he responded, Oh, nothing in particular. I just thought you might like some company. This only increased Principal Jim’s affinity toward him.

Brock paid no attention to what Johnny said and, in a single motion, pushed him to the ground. The rage in Johnny bristled. If he were able, he would get up and pummel Brock. But he knew this would be a huge mistake. Brock was twice his size and, no doubt, twice as strong. So he just lay there, hoping Brock would see him as a waste of time and go his merry way. Fortunately, this is what happened, and a few minutes later, Johnny found his way home.

This night Johnny’s mom prepared leftover meatloaf from Sunday dinner. Johnny’s mom only cooked on the weekends. The rest of the week was filled with leftovers. Johnny finished eating and went upstairs to complete his homework. School was one of the few things he excelled at and was the one thing he could hold over Brock’s head. In fact, Johnny knew it was the main reason Brock targeted him. Johnny completed his homework, took a shower, and said his prayers before going to sleep. However, this night Johnny said a special prayer unlike the others. He remembered the story of Samson in the Bible, so