The wind was in my face. It should have been at my back. He started up his torch, and the molten steel blew back into him. It incites an intense, inflammatory response, like when you hit your thumb with a hammer and it gets all red and swollen up. After a burn, the body weeps.
Blood vessels get leaky.
Fluid rushes into the spaces between cells, blood volume drops, blood pressure plummets. The heart and kidneys begin to fail. The brain is deprived of oxygen. Without its protective barrier, the body can't regulate temperature, retain necessary fluids or fend off infection. At the same time, dead tissue destroyed in the burn makes an ideal breeding ground for bacteria and other invaders.