I currently live out in Jackson, Missouri, got myself a well-to-do enough one-bedroom close enough to my fire station to walk to work on the days where the weather holds up. I wasn’t always a city guy, but the way of the world doesn’t hand out a lot of favors to rural types. And besides, I’ve wanted to help people all my life, and there’s nowhere with more people to help than a mega city like this. As for the apartment itself, there’s nothing to complain about. I’m not much of a decorator, so it’s a bit bland, especially since most of the decorations I had went down with my old place when that gate tore a hole through my living room and torched the building. Not to mention, nights spent sleeping at the station are starting to outpace nights spent in my own bed, so I haven’t really felt the urge to give the place the TLC it needs.
I work as a firefighter with the Jackson Fire Department, though we handle a lot more than just fires these days. Gates can fuck up buildings in ways that nobody’s ever been trained for, and nobody knows who else to call for rescue work when it happens. I do well enough for myself, recent upticks in job risk have led to a recent uptick in salary, so my paycheck’s never leaves me with a whole lot to bitch about. As for spending, I have a car to pay off and rent to keep up with, but I’ve got a few hobbies that each earn themselves a slice of whatever’s left of my paycheck. Good whiskey’s a vice of mine and, while I’m no alcoholic, I’m not keen on sparing expenses on the occasions I do decide to drink. On the topic of whiskey, nothing pairs better with it than jazz. I’ve got a decent record collection that’s always expanding. I know CDs and MP3 players are cheaper these days, but they can’t replace the feeling of dropping the needle down on some Miles Davis and letting the soft crackle ease you into “So What”.
I am a firefighter. For just short of a decade, I’ve risked life and limb to keep the people of Jackson safe. It’s not an easy job, every day bears risk, every call carries with it the chance to go catastrophically wrong. None of that mattered to me, though. Helping people is my purpose, and I can’t imagine doing anything else with my life. But everything changed when the Gates started opening. When that gate opened in my home, when that fire lashed out and hit my chest, I realized that the world had become a more dangerous place that anyone was prepared for. I’m going to change that. I will become strong enough to protect people from this new threat, by any means necessary. And I’m willing to bet that I’m not the only one. I’ll find people, people who are different. People who are strong. People like me who can’t just sit idly by as others suffer. I’m going to change this world for the better.
I had just walked into my apartment, I had barely sat down, when it happened. When the Gate opened and started spewing fire everywhere, it took out a chunk of load-bearing wall. I did the only thing I could think of: my job. It wasn’t enough. The fire wouldn’t die, the building wouldn’t hold. The fire lashed like whips, incinerating people faster than I could reach them. When it hit me square in the chest and jaw, I was sure I would join them. But I didn’t. I alone survived, but I’ve been “off” ever since. The burns healed and the wounds closed, but the heat, the heat remained. I feel like my heart is on fire, my breath tastes like soot, I can’t cool down no matter what I do.
Never again. The day I woke up, I swore never again. I would get strong. I would never let a disaster like that happen again.