Transcript

1: In Kas’s lap, his blood-smeared phone shows a video about cauterizing wounds. In the foreground is a flick knife being held out, a lighter in Kas’s bloody fingers heating the blade bright red.

Trucker (off-panel): Holy shit, kid, what the fuck was it?

Kas: Schut uph!

Trucker (off-panel): That fuckin’ monster, what was–

Kas: Schut uph and drivfe!

From the video: …should be one of the most last-case-scenario options in a medical emergency. Medically, the infection risks associated with second and third degree burns are often far beyond the practical effect of sealing the wound.

2: Kas holds the knife in his grit teeth as he heats it.

Kas grunts: Nng…

3: In a point-of-view shot, Kas’s shaking hand grabs the knife by the handle, holding it near his wound, torn flesh and bone bright. The video in his lap continues, showing two survivalists casually heating a blade on a stick over a fire.

The video continues: Cauterization is an effective tool against blood loss as it causes a loss of solubility by denaturing the proteins in and around the blood that allow it to flow.

Of course, this process is far down the list of recommended practices, but if a wound is too large to stop with a tourniquet and no safe solvents are able to cap off the bleeding

4: Kas screams in primal pain, holding the hot metal to the wound of his severed upper arm, the flesh hisses

5: The edges of Kas’s vision darken and Kas drops the knife and phone down by his feet, passing out.

Trucker’s voice fades out: Hey, hey kid, stay wi-

The video continues: In a survival situation, cauterization can…

6: Blackness.

7: Kas looks up to the trucker, who is shoving at him, he seems to have fallen from his chair.

Trucker: <fading in> -awake. That’s it, c’mon.

The video continues: … though the shock from applying painful heat to a large wound, coupled with dropping blood pressure…