Prologue: Initiation
They say I was born to set fires.
Though I denied it, I could feel the fire inside of me cause catastrophic damage to my morals. All that I was taught about forgiveness was destroyed in the wildfire within. The crackling and burning of my inner blaze was physically painful, and my good intentions deteriorated and curled at the edges. The screams and cries of the tenants were slowly lost with every sentence they spoke. They would have no idea that my inferno was feeding on their words.
I watched the building collapse from the inside by the arson that I started. The firefighters were trying to quench the thirst of the beast. They were entering the apartment complex to retrieve as many people as they could. Fortunately, or unfortunately, they were too late.
My brother and I watched from the roof of the building across the street. My brother, codename Blaze, smirked as the smoke billowed into the sky. He was a malicious adolescent of sorts, and a pledged arsonist.
Blaze got up from his spot on the roof and he lit up a cigarette, the same light that would bring hundreds to their deaths. The beast that licked the heavens reflected in my brother’s eyes.
He whispered in my ear, his breath warm and smelling of alcohol.
“You’re ready.”
