Scars

By CJ Knight

Photo by Jon Moore on Unsplash

Created for Maryellen Brady 💗📚’s Millcreek Prompts for July 2026 and consideration for discussion on Mina Howell’s Penny Dreadfuls Podcast.

Scars

Silence. No blur or shimmer. The suit ceased to exist, and inside it, so did Zofia Widmo. She stood on a weathered branch overlooking the signpost of the crossroad to the various destinations surrounding Millcreek. Her boots gentle on the bark as afternoon sunlight filtered through the canopy. Any eyes looking in her direction would see nothing but the branches and the trees beyond. The adaptive fibres and weave of her suit bent every light and shadow around her body with perfection. The suit was one of the Millcreek Corporations proudest achievements. Thomas Creek himself designed it. Called it the ability to become omission rather than illusion. Zofia preferred a simpler explanation. The suit provided the ability to become invisible.

Eight days passed since she activated the suit. The same amount of time since another living soul acknowledged her existence. It was the way she liked things. People stare too much. Her gloved fingers drifted toward the scar tissue covering the left side of her face, and the scalp that once grew beautiful blonde hair. Beneath the suit she felt the ridges. Burns that covered half her body. A canvass of permanent reminders.

***

Japan three years earlier. Anyone observing from outside would see a derelict textile mill. Inside, a state of the art laboratory for Millcreek Corp.’s greatest professional rival. As always, Finn O’Sullivan was in charge of demolition. “You’ll ave five minutes to get out.”

Her mistake was trusting a word he said. Finn only knows one friend. The flames. It wasn’t the first explosion that got Zofia. The third caught her. An explosion no one other than Finn expected. The first two achieved the objective. The third was for Finn. The explosion that burned the laboratory workers alive. His own private show of pain and suffering. The blast wave knocked her through a concrete wall, then ignited the leaking chemical tanks Zofia landed beside. She remembered the flames and the way she clawed at her own skin as every nerve ending in the left side of her body convinced her brain she was still burning. Then nothing.

Zofia woke days later in the Millcreek Corp. Private Health Facility. Finn visited once, that shit eating grin covering his face when he saw the extent of her burns, and the destruction his fire caused. He carried flowers. Zofia threw them at his head. Finn laughed at her. “That fire’s still roaring in your belly, love.”

One day. Zofia promised herself. I’ll return the favour. See how much you love your precious fire when it bites you.

***

People passed below her perch in the tree, unaware of her presence. She smiled. Since arriving, only one person came close to finding her. Jay Tufore. He was a handsome devil. He’d passed her on his way to Cathedral Valley. Her commander wasn’t too far behind. Elle Forwan. When Jay passed by, most operators would have taken that shot. Zofia didn’t. In fact, she’d had many chances to take that shot. Watching him traverse Millcreek from rooftops, and trees. There was something special about Jay. Everyone followed the orders of Veronica Mill and Thomas Creek out of fear. Jay seemed to follow orders when it suited him to do so. He always seemed to have another move. She admired that more than she’d openly admit to anyone. That’s why she hadn’t reported seeing him alive after their entry to Millcreek. They’d left him for dead in the laboratory. Zofia was surprised the first time he passed by her in Millcreek. Now that surprise made way for curiosity. How will the impossible man get his way? Impossible. She smiled at the word. For her it held two meanings. Impossibly alive and impossibly handsome.

***

A flutter of large, confident wings. Zofia frowned. Not possible. Nothing could see her. The raven landed on the branch beside her. Zofia sat on the branch. The raven didn’t search or look around in confusion. It stared directly into her eyes and held the gaze. It opened its beak not to caw, but release. The invitation landed neatly on her lap. “Caw.” With a tilt of the head the raven launched itself into the sky. Zofia stared down at the purple invitation. Her name written across the top. It wasn’t her company designation ‘ZO310’ her name ‘Zofia Widmo’. She read the words.

Zofia Widmo

Bring your favourite snack and your party spirit – we’re going to party until the sun tells us to stop.

Please RVSP with Rune – option to participate in the whimsical dress code.

Zofia read the final line twice. As if on cue, the Raven landed on the branch beside her. “Caw.”

“Rune, huh?” Zofia smiled.

Her phone vibrated in her pocket. A message from Thomas Creek. “Status update.” She looked from the screen, to the invitation, then to Rune perched patiently beside her. Her thumbs hovered over the keyboard. Thomas Creek didn’t like to be kept waiting. Ignoring him was dangerous and lying was deadly.

Zofia typed. “Nothing to report. Position secure.” She pressed send.

The reply came instantly. “Continue observation.”

Zofia slipped the phone back into her pocket. It was the first time she’d ever kept a secret from Thomas. There was no guilt in her decision. She’d been watching the people of Millcreek. Grown fond of them even. She looked to Rune. The suit pulled against her scarred skin as she smiled. Doctors warned her it would happen. The day would come when she’d lose the ability to smile at all. Every one of them now precious. The only difference between a monster and friendly monster. Her suit protected her from people recoiling. From those who pitied the way she looked. This was a way to exist in freedom without judgement or whispers.

“Caw.” Rune grew impatient.

“I accept the invitation.” Zofia looked away. “But catering won’t be required for me.”

The Raven nodded in approval and took flight with the answer.

Zofia climbed out of the tree. “No one needs to see me.” She wouldn’t join them. Couldn’t join them. But she would watch and listen, invisible. Not for the Millcreek Corp.. For herself. An evening where she could borrow the happiness and joy of others, and return it when she left.