Hope On The Rocks: Before The Outbreak/Issue 6

This is an issue of Hope On The Rocks: Before The Outbreak, focusing on Esther Tricker.

Esther Tricker
Mr. Brown opens the door carefully. I am laying under the bed, holding my breath. I don’t want anymore of this. I don’t like it. “Foster freak!” Mr. Brown says loudly. I can see him drop his pants and close the door. I don’t say anything, but close my eyes. The next thing I hear is loud pants as Mr. Brown grabs my leg and pulls him out from beneath the bed. The he grabs my arm and pushes me onto the bed. “Please...” I mutter, on the edge of crying. “Shut up.” Mr. Brown says, preparing.

Back then, I was only 10. Now I’m 18, ready to move out. Mr. Brown has been a nightmare ever since they adopted me as a 7-year old. I’ve never known my parents, only Mr. and Mrs. Brown. Today, I turn 18 and can move out. I don’t care if I have to live on the street, but I move out. I stand in the kitchen, all my thing packed in my bag. Mrs. Brown is making breakfast for herself, probably thinking I’m about to go to school. I’m not. I’m leaving her and her psycho-husband. “Aren’t you supposed to be in school by now?” Mrs. Brown barks. “Yeah, sorry.” I just say, then head for the door. “Bye.” I don’t look back as I walk out the door.

After a few years, living by myself, working at a restaurant as waiter, I get fired. I don’t know why, the manager never told me. So now, I’m living on the street, begging for money. I currently have the flu, but no money to buy medication. I am just sitting with Gerard Hansen on the street, begging for money. Gerard and I have been sticking together for a while now, and I just hope we one day can get back up. He’s a nice guy, and if this had been other conditions, we would probably have dated. But we’re just two homeless people. Nobody seems to care about us. Well, not until today. “Why are the two of you sitting there on the ground?” An old man asks us, giving us a friendly smile. Gerard looks up. He smiles at the man and says “neither of us have any money.” “And you can’t get a job?” The man asks, still smiling. “We’re homeless.” Gerard explains. “Nobody wants to hire a homeless.” The old man smiles, and sits down across Gerard and me. Some people walking by, looks weird at us. “I own a small company. We rent planes for rich people, and I am currently in need of stewardesses, waiters, you name it, to serve the people on board.” The man says. I see Gerard’s eyes brigthen, like he is about to cry. “What...” Gerard says, a mix between confusion and hope. “You want to hire us?” “I have been where you are.” The man says. “Nobody should have to live like that.” Gerard gets up, so does the man. I don’t say anything. I don’t feel very good, so I just keep sitting with my blanket. “What are your names?” The man asks, taking out a notepad. “Eh...” Gerard smiles. “Gerad Hansen, that’s Esther Tricker.” The man writes something down, then rips off a piece of the note and hands it to Gerard. “Go there,” The man says. “tell them your names and that Johnathan Nye has set rooms up for you.” Gerard reads the note, smiling. “It will only be temporary.” The man, named Johnathan, says. “As soon as you have enough money, rent a flat. I’ll make sure to give you some money so that poor girl can visit a hospital.” “Thank you.” Gerard says. “Thank you so much.” Johnathan smiles. “Meet in on monday.” He then gives Gerard a handshake, then proceeds to give one to me. “Get better.” He says, and I smile as thanks.

Johnathan Nye changed everything for Gerard and I. But now, Gerard has changed so much. He’s still Gerard, but... he’s not the same. “I’ll see you tomorrow, Esther.” Johnathan says. We have been cleaning a plane the entire day, and isn’t all finished yet. “Yeah, have a good night.” I say, smiling. I then walk out of the small airport, go for my car and head home. On my way, however, I decide to go for a cup of coffee. I usually don’t do that, but for some reason, I just feel like coffee today.

That’s when I met Ridley. We’re sitting in a café in America now, on vacation. It’s evening, chilly. Reality is, I only got together with Ridley to get Gerard’s attention. But I actually have come to like Ridley. He asked me to marry him a while back, which I turned down. I stated I wasn’t ready, and he said he’d wait. I hope he will, I really like him. “So what do you want to do tomorrow?” Ridley asks, leaning back in his chair. And that’s when I saw my first zombie, attacking Ridley from behind. He made it, and we’re now hiding in an office building. Everybody is escaping the zombies, running around in the street. Maybe I should have married Ridley while I had the chance.

Deaths

 * None

Credits

 * Ridley Johnson
 * Esther Tricker
 * Gerard Hansen
 * Johnathan Nye
 * Joe Brown
 * Eiline Brown