Tom indeed followed the doctors instructions, however took it upon himself to use a sharp knife, he’d never get anywhere if there was no real risk involved. When he was finished, he inspected himself thoroughly, there were a few scratches, but he was happy with the result. Slinging on an overcoat he made headway towards the door, before he was abruptly stopped.

It had been months since he last went outside, he wasn’t even sure if he could face the town again. Leper, filthy, unclean. Thoughts raced through his head. No, he shouted, he wasn’t going to let others get the better of him; he was going to post this letter himself, screw everyone else.
He stepped outside, his icy breath forming small clouds of smoke. He was glad for his warm coat, of course, he couldn’t feel the cold, and it didn’t make much difference to him either way. However, the last thing he wanted was to catch a fever.