The chalky goop clumped on the spongy wand as he pulled it out of the stained tube. He marveled at its color, a shade that perceivably could have been found in nature but was somehow so synthetic it defied placement; This tint defied stratification in any geological sense. He cautiously leaned in close to the bathroom mirror speckled with toothpaste dots, his skin sallow under the vanity lights that had been replaced with at least two different wattages of bulbs. He stared himself down as he slowly brought the wand closer to his face. He hesitated a moment without knowing why, taking only a split second to address the discomfort of having stolen the concealer, before jabbing it onto the gnarly zit on his forehead. The zit oozed a bit of yellowish pus mixed with clear sebum as he worked the beige spackle into the facial eruption.

 

He stood back on his heels, admiring his artistry. He turned his head to the left and the right, making kissy faces and smoldering looks in the mirror as he observed that the zit had all but disappeared from view. The pulsating redness would no longer draw attention now that the ulcer blended into the rest of his youthful face, still unlined and a little plump with baby fat. He smirked at his reflection.

 

Hey there, Rizzler, he thought to himself as he threw himself a wink and used his finger guns to shoot at his reflection. He was one sexy beast, if he did say so himself. His cheeks warmed as he noticed a flush rise in his cheeks. Was it hot in here?

           

Chris’s breath shallowed as his face began to tingle, pins and needles breaking out on his forehead, spreading down to both cheeks, painfully poking the sides of his nose and the crease between his lower lip and his chin. The prickling intensified into a warming sensation that made him feel as if his entire face were on fire. Panicking, Chris turned the cold-water spigot and spastically splashed cold water with both hands onto his face, which only intensified the burn. He screamed then into the empty house, his hands fluttering wildly about the sides of his face.

           

In a full panic now, Chris turned irrationally toward the mirror, as if his reflection would have an answer to his cursed predicament. Water dripped from his chin as he found with horror that blisters were actively belching forward from his skin, spewing hot, bloody pus onto the mirror, inhibiting his view as the skin began to melt from his face, exposing his bare skull.

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