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Return to Sender
All that Garrett could do was stare from where he stood in the open doorway, unsure of whether he should enter the room fully or turn and run. Running wasn't going to help. This was already the last place he could think of to run away to. The old garage was mostly abandoned, but his uncle still owned it and no one outside of the family even knew where it was. Except the package already waiting for him in the middle of the room when he arrived.
By John Dodge4 years ago in Horror
What is Vocal to You?. Top Story - July 2021.
For as long as I can reasonably remember, I have wanted to be a writer. I fell in love with comic books at an early age, and as early as four years old I wanted to be the guy who told those stories. Clearly, Vocal is not a platform for that specifically, but it is a place to tell stories in general. It's also a place to make money, potentially.
By John Dodge4 years ago in Journal
Orders Given Under Unfortunate Circumstances
This series begins with Lockets Full of Instructions. This story takes place after the events of Summer on the Horizon. We've had a nice run in this place, I think. At the very least I have. Everyone else seems to have been happy here, too. We all did the best we could. We're going to keep doing the best we can. Maybe when the others get back we can get back to just that. I pray that the others get back.
By John Dodge5 years ago in Fiction
Salsa Sin Compromiso
Growing up just outside of Houston made it easy for my parents to take me on day trips to Mexico when I was a child. We would leave in the morning and come back across the border just before sundown. Of course, all of this was well before 9/11 made traveling like that on a whim much more time consuming. Those miniature getaways still left a deep impression on me, as well as an appreciation for everything we tasted along the way. It isn't that Mexican food was ever hard to find back home, but Tex-Mex and taco trucks are far different from the deeply charred and smoky flavors that reigned supreme on the other side of the border.
By John Dodge5 years ago in Feast
Summer on the Horizon
This series begins with Lockets Full of Instructions. This story takes place shortly after the events of Hunting Upstream. It's nice being the one on a bike. Sure, the others are going to see more action, and they aren't going as far, but they have to walk with all their gear. Me? I get to ride a bike through the rolling hills of Texas while a cool evening breeze lifts the hair from my shoulders and caresses my neck like a delicate lover. It would be perfect if I weren't heading straight into enemy territory.
By John Dodge5 years ago in Fiction
Tangerine Dream & Chocolope
Seeing as how this is the first of these review articles I've written, it would be a safe bet to say that this might be your first to read. If you'd like to know more about me or why my opinion should be taken as having any sort of authority, you can check out this article here. If you would rather just take what I'm saying at face value, that's fine as well.
By John Dodge5 years ago in Potent
Gelato Mint and the Tin It's In
It has been far too long since the last time I actually wrote one of these reviews. Like, way too long. If you aren't familiar with who I am or why this article series deserves to exist, you can get the jist of that over here. Or you can just assume I'm worth listening to and we can talk about some really good weed with some really strange packaging.
By John Dodge5 years ago in Potent
Hunting Upstream
This story immediately follows Lockets Full of Instructions. Robin keeps fiddling with that heart shaped locket that Doc gave her. She hasn't said much since we left town. I'm never gonna get used to calling it that. Towns seem like such a foreign concept now. I remember towns, and what's left out there ain't them. But we have one. Doc made that place a home, and we made it a town, and now we have to go to war for it. This better be the shortest war in the history of the God damn planet. I'm sick of this Mad Max bullshit.
By John Dodge5 years ago in Fiction
Writing About Writing
When I think of what I do that I want people to support, there are just so many things that I'm not really sure where to even begin with. When I was streaming regularly I could point people towards my various channels and hope they would click the "subscribe" or "follow" buttons. I'd like to think that in the future I can point someone in the direction of the page for whatever my next project that manifests in reality is. As for the present, I can only ask people to read what I'm writing, and doing that might be the most important thing in the world.
By John Dodge5 years ago in Journal
Socially Isolated
This is something that I have wanted to write for a long time now. I suppose it is something that even once this article is concluded I will still want to write about. A part of me wants to preface everything to come with some sort of warning or preemptive apology, but in all honesty I can't come up with one that feels sufficient. Let's just say that I love where I live now and the people that I am surrounded by, and that none of this is indicative of any shortcomings on their part.
By John Dodge5 years ago in Humans
The First Time for the Second Time
It had been so long since Jonah had seen this side of the forest. The snow that just barely blanketed the road when he drove through town was thick and lush on the forest floor. Since leaving for work on the other side of the country he had only ever returned during the summer months, but now that he finally had a chance to come back for the winter he was reminded just how much he missed wandering the spaces between the trees with the snow under his boots. He had been waiting for months to bring Claudia out here and show her his favorite place tucked away between the trees, a small clearing that had always felt like it was there just for him. Jonah stopped walking just for a moment to bask in winter's inviting chill. He could feel the bit of sweat on the top of his mustache beginning to turn to ice as he inhaled deeply through his nose. It was glorious.
By John Dodge5 years ago in Horror
