Hope On The Rocks/Issue 76

This is Issue 76 of Hope On The Rocks, entitled "Back Then".

This issue is Doug-centric.

614, Back Then
“Dad!” Jamie yells, standing at the road with someone I can’t see who is. I am sitting in an old tractor, trying to get this corn finished today. “Yes?” I yell back, stopping the old machine. ''“Ellen and me are gonna go see that move I talked about. Can I borrow your car?” Jamie yells. Ellen is his girlfriend. They have been together for three years now. I must say that I’m impressed.'' 'Don’t get me wrong, Ellen is a sweet girl, and I wouldn’t mind if Jamie and Ellen got married some day. It’s just that my car is new. I’d rather prefer if he could take the bus. But he is my son, and family is family. Nothing as important as that.'' “Sure.” I yell back, starting the tractor again.

I am an old man and I have experienced a lot. One thing I’ve learned is that we have to watch out for each other as human beings. That’s what I did before the outbreak, and that’s what I will do now. As I drag Ridley down the road, just hoping that nobody is following us, I slowly approach the spot where the pickup truck is supposed to be. However, as I get over there I only see three bodies. I recognize Bobby Lunar... He is staring at nothing, his dead eyes just gazing. Bobby Lunar took my wife, and was going to take Kristen. Luckily, Jamie managed to get Kristen away, but my wife... she ended her days in that place. By the side of Graham Junior. I sigh, then look around. There’s a red-haired man I don’t recognize and then there’s William. The man who was supposed to wait by the car. I don’t know what happened to him, but I guess I’ll find out when I return to the farm, because it sure seems like the others have been here. I continue to walk towards the farm, thinking about the good times before I lost my wife, my son, my friends.

''I stand in the kitchen, Kristen having one of her friends, Janne, over for dinner. They are sitting by the dinner table talking, and I listen to them as they talk.'' ''“Where is he taking you?” Kristen asks, making a birthday card or something like that.  “The red house, y’know.” Janne says with a shy smile.  “Really?” Kristen giggles.'' ''While I have no idea what the ‘red house’ is, I do have an idea. I make a weak smile as I bring a bowl of potato chips over to the girls.'' “Thanks, dad.” Kristen says, giving me a pat on the arm. I then return to make dinner.

As I drag Ridley along, I begin to see the farm in the distance. However, around ten zombies are blocking the way for me. They have seen me and are all headed this way. I can’t let go of Ridley, so I need to get around them. I try. Walking onto the corn fields, once owned by me, now owned by the zombies, I always keep my eyes on the ten death things following me. I manage to get back on the road, the zombies dangerously close to us now. Ridley is still unconscious, so I set up the speed, headed to the farm.

Deaths

 * None

Credits

 * Ridley Johnson
 * Douglas Tallie
 * Kristen Tallie (flashback)
 * Jamie Tallie (flashback)
 * Ellen Tyson (flashback)
 * Janne Frink (flashback)