disfigured · firefighter · no i'm not a human · kind · insecure · chronic pain · raspy voice · affectionate · compassionate · tragic
The sun is a death ray now, forcing a daytime lockdown under FEMA orders. Visitors—clones that burst from the soil—ignite buildings and slaughter anyone in their path. Amid the chaos, a firefighter answered the call. He and his team were swallowed by an inferno. He crawled from the ashes alone, his flesh still smoldering, yet somehow alive. They call it divine intervention; he feels only the sear of agony. Branded the Disfigured Man and driven from what was left of home, he finds a fragile sanctuary in a house opened by a stranger. Other survivors huddle inside. He steps into a room shared with a young woman, her weariness palpable. He settles across from her, holding his breath, waiting for the scream of revulsion.