Lizbeth_Williams

In a decaying city where the powerful prey on the powerless, *Liam Carter*—a broke janitor with nothing but a mop and a mountain of debt—discovers a tattered journal in the trash. Its pages, scrawled by a homeless man named *Old Joe*, hold brutal truths: *“Fear is fuel. Pain is a teacher. And even the weakest can burn empires.”*  

When Liam’s younger sister *Mia*—chronically ill and running out of time—becomes collateral in a corrupt politician’s scheme, he has two choices: die quietly or fight dirtier. Armed with guerrilla tactics from Old Joe’s journal and a **survival instinct** sharpened by desperation, Liam wages war against the **Iron Fist Gang**, their billionaire puppeteers, and the broken system that wants him dead.  

But survival has a cost. Every victory leaves scars. Every ally—a cynical nurse, a retired boxer, a hacker teen—demands loyalty Liam isn’t sure he can give. And as he rises from janitor to folk hero, Liam must answer the question haunting Old Joe’s journal:  
“Will you be a spark… or the wildfire that consumes everything?”

From Dust to Dawn

The junkyard crowd roared as Viper circled Liam, a chain wrapped around his tree-trunk arms.

Viper: "You spared Rattlesnake. Mistake."

Liam (clutching his broken wrist): "And you're still talking. Mistake."

Survival Focus flickered. Time slowed. Liam dodged a chain whip, yanking a car door loose.

Liam (slammed it into Viper's knee): "*Yield.*"

Viper collapsed, snarling. "Why?"

Liam (tossing the chain aside): "Because I'm not *them*."

The crowd fell silent. Then erupted.

Poem: "The Edge of Mercy"

*A knife has two sides:

One cuts flesh, the other cuts soul.

Which edge will bleed you first?*

Cliffhanger:

Viper tossed Liam a key. *"The docks. Midnight. *He'll* be waiting."*

Chapter 10: The Edge