"...Stupid fuckin'... useless pieces of shit..." I grumbled to myself as I walked through my house's front door. Carrying a few plastic bags full of groceries & other amenities, I hobbled my way down the entrance hallway, through the living room, and into the kitchen. I then heaved the bags upward and set them on the counter with a sigh. "There we go..." I placed my hands on my knees and took a few seconds to breathe. Suddenly, a dull pain shot through my left leg, causing me to groan. "Agh... damn it..."

The pain subsided, and I took a look at the bags on the counter. I stared for a few seconds before letting out another sigh and hobbling into the living room to sit on the couch. Another pain passed through my leg again, but it was lighter since I expected it this time. I grabbed the TV remote and pressed the power button. After a few seconds, the television screen lit up with a news broadcast about something I didn't care about. It didn't matter, I just needed some background noise.

My name is Henri Gentry (Pronounced "han-ree jen-tree" for those who don't know). My first name is French, courtesy of my mother. I am 38 years old, I live alone in suburban Louisiana, and I am a firefighter. Or, well... I'm technically a firefighter. However, I haven't worked in a while, the reason being my left leg.

A few months ago, we were called out to the nearby city to help deal with a particularly nasty fire within a 10-story office building. Normally, these fires are solved by sprinklers, but they were strangely not working that day. Anyway, once we arrived on scene the fire had spread to the 4th floor. The 1st and 2nd floors were already cleared, but they had yet to go further without assistance. I was with the crew that went inside. These kinds of fires are difficult to deal with, as you are on a constant time limit since there are people above you that are being affected by the smoke. However, that also motivated us to get this thing done as quickly as possible.

Once my team joined the others, we began to push further into the building. It wasn't an easy task, with the cramped staircases & office corridors. We had to split a few men away from our group to deal with the 3rd floor as we pushed on to the 4th, attempting to cut the fire off before it reaches the upper floors.

That's when it happened.

I was in the back of our group. When we climbed the stairs, we had to do so in a single-file line due to the width. I was the last to reach the top. When I did, we heard a series of loud cracks before the ceiling above us collapsed. Luckily, nobody was standing directly under it. However, shortly after it collapsed, a piece of the structural support swung down and nailed me directly in my face/chest. I fell backward, directly back down the stairs we had just climbed. I'm lucky that I didn't somehow puncture a lung with the ribs that broke. After a few seconds, one of my buddies from up above climbed over the rubble & carried my sorry ass back outside. I was put into an ambulance and dragged off to the hospital shortly thereafter.

I had to undergo surgery to heal it. The break in my left calf was clean, so it didn't take very long. Unfortunately, the ribs weren't so lucky. My job provided insurance, so the majority of the pay was covered. I was in the hospital for a few more days before they let me out with a cast, informing me it'd be around 6-12 months before it fully healed & lost the pain. My bosses gave me around a month of PTO out of pity, but it was clear I'd need to find a new job before returning. Nowadays I just work a few smaller jobs on different days during the week. I have quite a bit of money saved up, so I just needed enough for essentials.

Anyways, back to the present.

I was laying on the couch, listening to the sounds of the news anchor talking about whatever tragedy had struck a foreign nation today. I rubbed my face and slowly got to my feet, since I needed to use the bathroom.

I began hobbling down the hallway containing said bathroom when I noticed something on the small table to my right. Taking a closer look, I recognized it as a silver necklace holding a small cross. I picked it up in my hands and examined the metal. This was a gift my mother gave me when I turned 18, saying that "Even in your darkest times, the lord will have your back." My mom was a devout Catholic, much to the chagrin of my father and I. She never seemed bothered by our lack of religious beliefs, which I've always been thankful for.

I slid the necklace around my neck, letting the cross hang in the center of my chest. I know I said I wasn't religious, but I always felt a bit... safer, when I wore it. Even if God wasn't watching over me, I knew my mother was.

I sighed and continued to the bathroom.

Stepping inside, I made for the toilet and did my business. Once finished, I limped over to the sink and began washing my hands. While doing so, I examined my face in the mirror.

My hair was short, around only 2-3 inches. It was a light gray, which was an unfortunate curse I inherited from my father. It used to be a light brown, but by 30 years old I already began looking like an old man. I didn't look bad, mind you, but I still would've liked it to be brown for a little longer. I also had a short beard going, covering the lower half of my face. On the top right of my forehead, there was a small but noticeable burn scar that I acquired early in my career. I don't want to tell the story right now, but just know that I made a series of unfortunate bad decisions that nearly lead to my death.

I finished washing my hands and turned off the sink. Backing away from the mirror, I turned my gaze downwards at the clothes I was wearing. I had a white T-shirt, mostly covered by a blue flannel that I left open. Below that, I had a pair of jeans, black socks, and black & white sneakers. It was a simple casual outfit that I wore on most days. I looked at the cross on my chest one more time before dragging myself out of the bathroom.

Moving back down the hallway, a pain shot through my leg, and I was forced to place my left hand on the wall to steady myself. Pushing onward, I noticed something strange.

On the table where I previously picked up my necklace, there was now a piece of paper. I pulled myself over and picked it up in my right hand. I squinted my eyes to read it, since the lights were off.

"Sorry if this hurts!" Next to the writing was a simple heart followed by a winking face.

"...What kinda dumbass draws emoji-" I cut myself off, as I could no longer feel the wall I was leaning on. Unfortunately, I was also beginning to fall in that direction.

In the half-second I had left to look at where I was falling, there was...

Nothing.