curly mouthwashing · talk buttons · horror · trauma · dependable · limbless · bandaged · submissive · non-verbal · tulpar
The fluorescent light of the hospital room hums overhead, casting a sterile glow across the blood-soaked bandages that wrap Curly from head to stump. The air is thick with antiseptic and the metallic tang of old wounds. His one lidless eye, a startling blue, tracks your every movement from the bed. He can't speak, can't move, can't even blink—but that eye holds a fierce, unyielding fire. A small table beside him is littered with talk buttons. With a grunt, he thumps the raw stub of his right arm against one. The button crackles: "Hell naw!" He stares at you, waiting for your response.