The PyroManiac

By Jahkel Madison and Aiden Branss

"The PyroManiac" is a thrilling novel that follows the story of Ethan Creed, a teenage orphan who witnesses the death of his best friend in a traumatic event. This event unlocks a newfound power within Ethan - the ability to resist fire. Driven by a desire to avenge his friend's death, Ethan sets out on a dangerous mission to find the man responsible. As Ethan's powers grow stronger, he finds himself facing increasingly difficult challenges, including criminals and his own inner demons. Will Ethan be able to overcome these obstacles and bring justice to his friend's memory?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Lulu.com
• Release date: Jul 7, 2023
• ISBN: 9781312363434

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The PyroManiac

By Jahkel Madison

2023 All Rights Reserved

Copyright © 2023 by Aiden Branss Books

All rights reserved

No portion of this book may be reproduced in any form without written permission from the publisher or author, except as permitted by U.S. copyright law

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Table of Contents

Chapter 1: Ethan

Chapter 2: How One Problem Started It All

Chapter 3: Butch

Chapter 4: Becoming Fear

Chapter 5: The Morbid Souls 

Chapter 6: Consequences

Chapter 7: The Man with No Expression 

Chapter 8: More Terror

Chapter 9: Out & Looking

Chapter 1: Ethan

It's September 13th 2021, 7:36AM in the city of Chicago. Busy streets, busy sidewalks, not the usual Chicago we know. This Chicago is very similar to ours, but it's also different. The city is how it always is when it comes to the population, and people working, but there is so much crime going on in the morning, and night. If anyone new comes to this city they'll be surprised at how many people still walk out on the streets when there's lots of crime going around. People are just getting robbed, raped, murdered, car jacked all around. Some grown men even sell drugs to children. All of this happens every day, crime just grows, and grows in Chicago. It's very depressing, especially since the city is so beautiful, and with its tall towers. It has so many buildings. More than the Chicago that we usually know. The buildings are very close to the streets but not all the parts of Chicago are like that, there are a lot of regular neighborhoods. Lots of stores, restaurants, houses, and apartments. Speaking of apartments, a lonely teen lives in one, his name is Ethan Creed, a baby-faced 17-year-old, brown skin, he's only 5'8, not too skinny, but he has a decent amount of muscle tone. His hair is a decent size afro, with a unique subtle messiness to it, and his eyebrows are not too bushy. His eyebrows make his face have a bit of a natural frown to it. He lives in his own apartment, not very fancy, but it has a small chill-spot vibe to it. Simple one bedroom, one bathroom, & a small kitchen. He got the place because he stayed at an orphanage for almost all his life until an incident happened with him, and another teen orphan on July 27th 2021. After that happened the people who worked at the orphanage kicked Ethan out. They threw him, and all his belongings out that were in a few boxes with him.  He gathered his money that he received from drug dealing, and got the apartment he stays in now. He also uses the drug money to pay off rent sometimes but Ethan wants to stop the dealing because he knows it can get him into a lot of trouble in the long run, and that is why he has a job now. Ethan's Landlord was hesitant about letting Ethan stay at the complex because of how young he is but Ethan managed to bribe him. He started selling drugs when he was only 15 years old. He never did drugs himself or sold some to any kids. Ethan would only do weed though. He wakes up as his phone blasts his alarm to wake him for work. It is 11AM. His job is working at a factory. He applied and started working there a month and 3 days after he got kicked out of the orphanage. He gets up from bed, has a tank top on with boxers, then starts heading to the kitchen and starts eating his cereal. When he is done eating, he takes a shower, brushes his teeth, and puts on lotion. After that he dresses up in his work uniform, a black cap that he usually wears backwards. Black Boots, and a dark gray boiler suit. It looks just like how Michael Myers's boiler suit looks but dark gray. He starts to unlock his phone and sets up an Uber to pick him up and drop him off to work. Before he leaves out, he puts on some cologne. He finally walks down stairs and goes outside. It's sunny out but not as hot as you think. Pretty warm weather today. Some people are walking their dogs, children running around, and shouting. There's a playground down towards the very far front right of the apartment complex. Not many people live in the apartment Ethan lives in though since a lot of crime happens there as well. Very close but across the street, there are identical apartment buildings. Next to Ethan’s apartment building there are identical ones as well. When the Uber finally arrives for Ethan, it stops in the middle of the small street. Ethan jogs to the car. The Uber driver was a chubby man that had to be in his mid 40s.

Come on, come on. Says the uber driver. It's crazy as hell in this neighborhood kid.

When is it not? I mean look at Chicago in general. Ethan said.

The uber driver chuckles, and says, You got that right, hey! Speaking of that, you know some pieces of shit tried to car-jack my nephew a few days ago downtown?

Ethan has a slightly surprised expression, & starts to say Damn man, you serious?

As a heart attack. Thank God he managed to get away though. Wait, the factory at 47th street is where you're headed right? 

Ethan says yup.

The Uber driver starts to head towards Ethan's job. Ethan puts on his Airpods, opens his phone, and opens SoundCloud. He goes to the song Hope by Alex G as the Uber takes him to work. He loves to play his music at full blast at times. He feels that the song that plays is like if he's in a movie scene. Ethan is a music person and can listen to any kind of music: today's rap, oldies rap, R&B, Chill Rock, Pop, and some heavy metal as well but he cannot stand country. He doesn't enjoy most mainstream rap though. Some mainstream rap artists maybe but he's mostly an underground rap person. He is in the back seat, chilled out with his head close to the window, and head bobbing to the song that is playing he feels like he is in his own little world right now. The Uber driver drives through most of the downtown side of Chicago. Ethan gets a little saddened over all the negative things he is seeing. Such as people getting arrested, prostitutes, people selling drugs, body bags, and crime scenes. He knows it sucks that such a beautiful city that he was born and raised in is filled with all of this. Ethan knows that it is not supposed to be like this, he wouldn't wish his worst enemy to live in such a place like this. At the same time, he sadly knows he can't do much about it at all right now except to live through it all. 13 minutes later, the Uber driver stops in front of the factory that Ethan works in. Ethan opens the car door but before he leaves, he says,

Did the money go through?

Sure did. the Uber driver continues to say, thanks, and have a good day.

You too. Ethan said.

Ethan shuts the door, then the Uber driver drives off, and Ethan continues to walk to his job. The song ends, and an ad starts.

You ain't got food at home!? Nun for yo kids either?! Well, bring yo big broke ass down t-.

Motherfucker! Ethan is pissed off by the ad, and shuts down the whole SoundCloud app on his phone. Ads usually pisses him off. As Ethan is almost inside his job, he puts his Airpods in the case, and puts them in his pocket.

Chapter 2: How one problem started it all

Ethan finally walks inside his job. It is a pretty full place with all the employees. It's a simple factory, making metal, burning things, welding things etc. The factory is huge with its 3 floors. The first floor was burning, the second floor was welding, and the third floor was making metal, and other stuff. The third floor is also where the manager's office is located up in a corner. Ethan does the burning in the factory but sometimes when he feels like it, he goes to welding but burning was always his favorite. The factory smells like burning metal. Music is playing and a lot of the employees are chatting. Ethan walks upstairs to the third floor heading to the manager's office so he can clock in. As he is heading there his fellow employees are saying hi and fist bumping him. Ethan was never much of a social person that much but people know him as a good guy with a positive heart but because of his anger problems Ethan had gotten into at least 4 fights with employees to the point where the last one almost gotten him fired because he broke an employee's nose and slammed his head into a wall about 2 times causing the employee to have a small amount of brain damage. He had to take 5 weeks off of work. It was Ethan's most violent fight in his job. Ethan did that to him because the guy would try to insult him and push