Time frame: Keith is 21, almost 3 years before the outbreak
POV: Ellis
Main event: Skateboarding fail
This one time, Keith decided that he could skateboard over top of a camp fire for "100% certain". We were all out, me and him and the other guys, fishin and havin a good time on Dave's property. It was a huge place, lots of area around the lake.
The fire in question wasn't a huge bonfire but it was still definitely too big to jump over, I thought. So did everyone else, but we just encouraged him to do it anyway. He'd already been burned real bad once before. It was just before his second burning incident and I reminded him, "Hey, buddy. You already know what it feels like to be on fire." And he says, "Psh, yeah. Like I'm gonna catch on fire twice. What are the odds?"
Dave started to figure out the odds, cause he was good at math, but Keith didn't stick around for an answer. He went down the makeshift ramp and sailed into the air, right over top of the fire just like he said he would. I was surprised cause I was sure that he was gonna fall right in the pit, but he landed it.
It was only after he landed and didn't move to step away from his board that we realized somethin was up. He managed to land wrong, snap his skateboard in half and a huge chunk of wood went right up through his foot because he was barefoot. The thing was as thick as a sharpie marker and it was stuck all the way through.
Dave (who looked like a huskier version of Dave Navarro...thought I should mention that for no reason) was all mad that we had to take him to the hospital and opted to call the doc at home and we paid a home visit since it was way closer than the hospital.
Keep in mind, this guy was not really a doctor. He was a PA, which was close enough. But when we visited, he was real drunk. So he says, "Okay, Keith, take off your pants."
Keith looks confused and says, "I'm here for the stick in my foot." And the doc says, "Oh yeah…of course."
So he pulls the stick out and it takes a whole lotta yankin and Keith tryin not to scream. But finally it comes out and blood gushes all over the place. The doc then passed out and while our friends were tryin to wake him up, I'm tryin to block all that bleedin.
He wakes back up flushes out the wound and closes it up, telling Keith to stay off the foot and keep it covered. It got infected pretty bad later, but he managed to eventually take some antibiotics. Now the scar is pretty big but it's also on the foot that he already has no sensation to anymore, so it worked out.