Still and unmoving, the man called Snake stood in the near-deserted park that he had taken to haunting these days.

The disfigured man was dressed in a long overcoat, his misshapen skull hidden by a large hoodie and his face obscured behind large dark frames, even though the sun had set.

To avoid running into curious people who stared at him in bafflement because of his strange appearance, Snake kept to the bushes, avoiding the dog walkers and odd joggers who chose to come out at sight. As the shadows lengthened, Snake stepped out of the gathering darkness to wait at his favourite spot. The man with the scarred face,...