Hope On The Rocks/Issue 157

This is Issue 157 of Hope On The Rocks, entitled "Breakdown".

This issue is Miles-centric.

1207, Breakdown
Fuck, my head hurts. I take my hand to it and feel the blood running down my hand. Opening my eyes, everything is blurred. I blink a couple of times, and I see more clear. A thick, black smoke is coming up from the helicopter. A part of the roof is totally gone. I try to get up, but find it difficult as a pain is pounding in my leg. “Papi, you’re okay?” I hear Timmy saying. I look, seeing him running over to me. He helps me up. “Yeah, I’m fine.” I moan. “What about the others?” I spot Tex and Holly next to the helicopter. Can’t see Kevin. “They’re all fine.” Timmy says. “We gotta hurry while the store is clear.” I nod.

The store is clear now, limbs from the zombies shattered everywhere. “I think we’re good.” Kevin says, looking through the hole in the wall. He’s looking through it, blood running down from his neck. “Let’s go then.” Timmy says, patting Kevin on the back. Kevin nods, and run, Timmy following. Holly follows them, then me and Texas at last. As I run, I see zombies coming closer again. No way we’ll make this alive. Not all of us anyway. “Miles, watch out!” I hear Tex yelling. I see what he means: a zombie is less than a meter away from me. I push it away with my albow, and keep running. I simply can’t die right now. Not after all I’ve been through. I keep running, the zombies around us coming closer, while the IT store is still 100 meters or so away. “Fuck!” Tex yells, and I turn around. A zombie has grabbed his shoulder, and is snapping it’s jaws. I take up my pistol, cock it and fires, almost hitting Tex. Tex pushes the now dead zombie away, nodding to me as a ‘thanks’. Running again, Kevin is now at the store, holding the door for us.

The store has everything still in place. Seems like there hasn’t been anyone in here, not even once, since the outbreak. I looks so nice, calm. So ordinary. It makes me miss the old days. “What the fuck...” Timmy pants. “What do we do, papi?” “Relax.” Kevin says. “Nothing’s gonna happen.” “Yeah?” Timmy says sarcastic. “Alright, let’s go out on that zombie-filled street. Nothing’s gonna happen, right?” “Stop it.” Kevin says. “Maybe we should make some noise to make the zombies know we’re here, before leaving.” “Stop!” “It wont matter, we’ll be good, right, Kevin? We’ll be good.” Now Kevin grabs Timmy by the throat, breathing hard. “Shut up!” Kevin snaps. Timmy raises his hands, muttering “Sorry, sorry.” “Hey.” Holly says. “We can’t break down now.” “Yeah, she’s right.” Tex says. “We can’t break down now.”

Deaths

 * None

Credits

 * Miles Vance
 * Kevin Gardner
 * Timmy Ember
 * Texas Starr
 * Holly Boehicki