The year was 1991…

In a desolate and empty town, people were gathering in the fields for food. Most of the people returned with bushels of fruits and vegetables, homegrown in the gardens, while a couple people were bringing in canned food from rundown stores.

A girl with long brown hair said, "Did you see him, Makoto?"

The boy in short black hair said, "He's still up there."

A girl with brown done, neck-length, in a pink outfit, was viewing the huge hills. She whispered, "This man… Why did he go up to the cave like that?"

Makoto said, "He's getting a message from the Old Man, as he calls it… He'll be here, shortly."

A man in a suit said, "Can you ask about this food, Ito? This is pre-bomb food."

Sekai said, "All of it, Makoto. Please, tell me if he is right… Why can't we just take our chances? He said that the food was safe, many times, and even had to grow crops, after they were demolished."

Makoto stated, "Well, I believe him, and all of you should, too."

The townspeople clamored, as he explained, "NO! No, no, no! Listen to me! There's a reason why this peaceful city fell victim to disaster! We already took chances! The Old Man said NOT to plant a garden on the North Acreage, because it's poisonous! You believe me, and him!"

Sekai replied, "He's right… THIS is what came up."

She held up a huge chunk of dirt, with a batch of pre-grown lima beans, all brown, purplish, and rotted. He asked her, "Did they grow, Sekai? Or did someone leave them to his own will?"

Kotonoha said, "She and I grew it, along with my sister. Unfortunately, we planted on the South Acreage, as the Old Man insisted. They were the best."

Makoto joked, "Heh! Hate to see the worst."

He sighed and said, "Well, we can't eat those. We'll just bury them with honors."

He threw the poisonous beans down and walked off. He was stopped by the man in the suit. "You should ask the guy that told us to plant. Next time, make sure he knows where to plant next time."

Makoto said, "I will, Irie. I will, next time. But how he learned of the Old Man's omniscient knowledge, I'll never know. But Sekai's right. Remember those tomatoes that grow up? Well… they turned green and prepared to be ripen, only… Only because the guy that was informed by the Old Man to NOT plant them!"

Irie smiled, "Yeah… They were monstrous! They were our best tomatoes grown, ever!"

Makoto sighed, "But that's only because they grew… like rotten watermelons…"

Kotonoha said, "But Makoto, all of this stuff if pre-bombed! I just know it!"

Irie insisted, "No. I believe that we're going to wait for the guy. That's all. He'll be back, in around a couple minutes."

Sekai moaned, "If I cannot wait… I'm going to go mad from hunger!"

Just then, a man in a tall black coat, a black cap, and a gray shirt was walking to the town, in an emotionless look. He was huge and with a serious look on his face.

A man shouted, "We're eating now! Screw the bastard!"

Irie shouted back, "What part of wait, do you NOT understand? We wait for the guy, and that's final! I'm surprised by all of you! Man doesn't live by mutant carrots, demonic tomatoes, or rotting fruits! But do me a favor: DON'T ask me why he does live by! It's been ten years, since this place was bombed, and we survived, to scavenge, to hunt, to refuge, and to-."

Sekai shrieked, "HE'S BACK!"

The tall boy arrived, as the townspeople murmured in fear, "It's Jotaro… Jotaro… He's back… It's him… Jotaro… It's Jotaro…"

Jotaro stopped, as he adjusted his hat, and said in a deep voice, "Everyone, I have an announcement. I went to see the old man… piece of shit that he was…"

They gathered, as Jotaro said, "The good news is that rain is happening tomorrow, and it's an 80% chance of thunderstorms, with winds from the northeast. Bad news is that the rain will be acidic… and a high radioactivity view of humidity. So, be advised that you cover all water troughs and turn water barrels upside down, to avoid having your own drinking water. Acidic as it seems, it's not that tasty, like snow…"

Kotonoha cried, "But we have canned food! Pre-bomb food, and it's all delicious!"

Jotaro barked, "They are delicious, and one magical bite will lead you to heaven or hell… In short, they're contaminated; all of it."

They all gasped, as Jotaro nodded, "Yep. Pre-bombed food may be tasty, but those tasty tidbits as you call it are also expired. Who knows how long they would last, even after the sell by date?"

They placed the food and cans down, as they were completely speechless and stunned by Jotaro's remarks, which came from The Old Man. But just who is this old man Jotaro is referring to?

(A black crow hovers over the darkened sky, with a Chibi-Ritsu riding on it, wearing a vampire outfit)

(The crow vanished into the dark clouds, and a pair of demonic blue eyes appears in the sky)

Tales of the Bizarre presents:
Stories from the Dead
*-Bizarre Fanfic Tales, starring and featuring characters that are canonically deceased

Miz-K Note: Yes, for 2019, I've decided to introduce a brand-new Tales of the Bizarre series that include characters that are already dead. Not the victims of my previous bizarre stories that died, but rather characters that have already died in the past, such as characters from School Days, Blood C, JoJo's Bizarre Adventure, and others. Poor men and women, may they all rest in peace and/or burn in hell. It doesn't matter which of the characters I choose, as long as they are already dead…
…and a part of a storyline.

Tales of the Bizarre #56:
Old Man in the Cave

What you are looking at is a legacy that man has left to himself. Ten years ago, he pushed buttons and a nightmarish moment later woke up the populace, only to find that he set back time to a thousand of years ago. His medicines, his engines, his science… all buried in a tomb, covered by the biggest gravedigger of them all – a bomb.
This is the year 1991, and this is the Earth, ten years later, a fragment of what was once a home, a remnant of what was once a race. This is also… a "Story from the Dead"…

As the townspeople gathered the tainted and poisonous food into the boxes, a huge jeep drove by and was manned by four men in dark green uniforms and hats, armed with rifles. A man in blonde hair, with a scar on his face, called out, "HALT!"

Everyone stopped, as Sekai whispered, "Oh, no…"

His uniform was different, with the letters "D-I-O" on his chest, and gold medals on his arms. He saluted, as he called, "Who's in charge?"

Jotaro said, "I am."

The major said, "You have a name?"

"Jotaro Kujo."

"Well, Mr. Kujo, we don't fancy seeing survivors here, do we? And this place… Does it have a name?"

"So, what if it does, Major? Now, I'd like to ask you a question… Who the hell are you?"

He saluted and said, "Major Diego Brando, central states commander. We're being sent here to organize."

Jotaro asked, "Organize?"

Diego boomed, "That's exactly what I said. Now, how many in your populace?"

Jotaro turned and then said, "About 30 to 40. We haven't counted lately. But the number is exact."

"And food?"

"There's sufficient. But I wouldn't go near it, if you are that hungry. Go on, Major. Help yourself to some contraband."

Diego smirked, but then asked, "Homegrown in gardens?"

Jotaro said, "Some of them are. A few of them are store-bought. And I believe we have expired goods, too. But most importantly, we have pre-war canned goods left over…"

Diego nodded, as he instructed to the soldiers, "We'll need some quarters. Harper, have a look around. Douglas, you stay with the jeep."

He turned to Jotaro, and grinned, "Berman… Stay with me."

He and Berman went to Jotaro, as he smugly said, "Since we came here, we'll need some quarters, a place to bunk in, some rations to keep us provided… and no trouble. Painless things is all we want."

Berman stated, "The last part is his #1 rule: NO trouble."

Jotaro explained, "I don't think we can trouble you here… and since when are you the authority around here? We've had transients pass by here, on occasions… but they never leave. They're like you, but they carried their headquarters with them. They represent the self-righteous."

Diego stated, "Well, this is the new breed, Mr. Kujo. This area will all be organized now. We'll be setting up military areas, each controlled by a local constabulary… … …and that constabulary is I, Diego!"

Jotaro said, "I don't give a shit. You can remain here overnight, and we'll bed you down, have you share our fresh food rations for you… but tomorrow, you better haul ass and organize, somewhere else."

Diego smirked, "Well, you are hospitable, but… the following is unofficial, Mr. Kujo. We'd like to make your transition here as easy as possible. And under the right circumstances, we'd like for you to remain in nominal control. But that's assuming that you won't give us any trouble."

He went to Jotaro and said, "Now, that is unofficial. Here's the official part."

WHAM!
He chopped Jotaro in the face, and he fell to the ground. Berman aimed his rifle at him, as Diego laughed, landing his black boot onto Jotaro's chest, "Useless! You act as you wanted to get rid of us? Now, the following is official, as it's stamped by my iron fist. Now, let me tell you something about the situation, Mr. Kujo, between Buffalo, New York and Miami, Florida, there are about 500 people alive! You know why? Because there's no authority! No discipline! And we're only here to give you a little of both! And I mean it, that there is NO trouble. But if you give me any trouble whatsoever, I'm going to hang you in the rafters, on that balcony over there, and shoot you on sight. Now, what's it going to be?"

Jotaro got up and barked, "You already got an authority, one that you can be judged by! And you've had it for ten years!"

Diego approached the canned foods and asked, "What's all this?"

Jotaro said, "Pre-bomb canned foods. But it's inedible. It's poison! Contaminated foods!"

Diego asked, "Who says so?"

Jotaro said, "The Old Man."

Diego asked in confusion, "Eh, Old man?"

"The old man in the caves, nearby."

"You take orders from a geriatric nascent man?"

Diego gathered the townspeople and said, "Lemme make it clear to all of you! You can believe this guy, all you want, but this guy takes orders from a geriatric old man!"

"You don't believe me?"

"Why should I? Have you looked yourselves in the mirror? You're all skeletons, under malnutrition! When does the Old Man come out to aide you? Where is this Old Man in the Cave? I want him to come out and show himself to ME, DIEGO!"

"He never comes out." Jotaro said, "He stays in the cave, unfortunately."

Diego chuckled and said, "Amusing, yet futile. We have a pack of weirdoes in Lake Erie, baying at the moon, while a swinging cult goes on in what was used to be Chicago, Illinois. They made a statue out of fissionable lead. THAT is their deity; their divinity… their idol… What you have is just an old man, living in a cave, giving you diets until you perish to just flapping skin and dried out bones. But come on, if you take it out a couple of times, do you think it's nutty?"

Jotaro explained, "We survived! After the rest of the world suffered radioactivity, strontium 90, the plague, we survived. And that's because of the old man."

Diego smirked, "So, he gives you advice on how to live?"

Jotaro stated, "We are all alive, as long as he is alive."

Diego stated to the people, "Now… I believe a word he says, but… You're not going to die from this food. You are going to die, by either malnutrition, or being conned to death!"

Jotaro added, "If that's the case, it'll be a painless death."

Diego smiled, "Then I'll give you a chance to differ. A 500-to-1 odds that your old man in the cave is softshell hermit, pushing 80, who doesn't even know what year this is!"

"That's not for you to say."

"But for you to ask!" Diego stated, and remedied a solution, "But I have the solution to this! Why don't we meet this Old Man, shall we?"

He called to the people, "What do you say, people? We are going to head over to this cave, meet this Old Man, and bring him to his first ray of sunshine! Only then, we'll see his recluse, and we'll decide if we'll keep him alive!"

The townspeople agreed, as Diego smirked to Jotaro, "Lead the way, Mr. Kujo."

He went into the jeep, as Diego was at the wheel, as Jotaro said, "It's over there, that way. Just ride over the hills."

Diego called, "Alright, everyone! Get in!"

Diego, Jotaro, and everyone else drove off to the hills, where the old man is located.

XXXXX

The jeep arrived at the cave in the hills. Diego asked, "Is this it?"

Jotaro said, "Stop here."

The car stopped, as they arrived at a huge cave, with a huge stone door. Diego asked, "Alright… This appears to be a stone entrance. How do you open it?"

Jotaro huffed, "Like I'd tell you? When I first saw this Old Man, it was out of pure luck. But to my knowledge, it's never been open."

Diego stated, "But the old man lives in there, like a shut-in. He lives on his own, all the time. How does he live?"

He yelled, "HOW DO YOU EVEN KNOW HE'S IN THERE? Does he have a delivery system inside, like a mail slot? Because there's no air inside, or do you know of what you care to try, just to gain access?"

Jotaro growled, "Look, if you're going to piss me off, do it now. But I have no idea how it opens. One minute the door just opens, and the next minute, there he was. He does send out notes and messages."

Diego nodded and said, "Ah, I see… and he opens the door lightly, just to give it to you, like a hermit."

He called to the soldiers, "We have a huge grand prize one million dollar winner! An idiot leading idiots!"

He called to Douglas, "Douglas, give me a hand grenade."

He was given a grenade, and pulled the pin. He dropped it to the door, and everyone ran off. The grenade exploded, but the door didn't budge. Diego smirked, "Nothing."

He held his rifle and shouted, "OLD MAN! YOU ELDERLY FASCIST! COME ON OUT! I'M THROUGH PLAYING GAMES! THIS IS JUST THE BEGINNING!"

A couple of people chuckled, but Diego glared at them. He then said, as he was furious, "Car. Now!"

He and the rest drive away, back to town.

Afterwards, the townspeople were handed out cans, as they were curious. Jotaro shouted, as Diego was opening his own food, "DON'T TAKE THE FOOD OUT! IT'S CONTAMINATED!"

Diego laughed, "Sure it is…"

Jotaro shouted, "LISTEN TO ME! The old man was right about the food! There's every possibility that the cans are edible and fresh, but there's a million-to-one chance that they contain poison! No, no poison in these foods; just enough strontium 90 to kill every man, woman, and child in town!"

Diego ate himself some of the food, as he mocked at Jotaro, "Really? Then have a bite?"

Jotaro said, "No, thanks… I'd rather fast."

Suddenly, Diego started to choke and gag, as he was eating the canned foods. He dropped to his knees and held his own neck. Jotaro sighed, "Good grief…"

SLAP!
Jotaro sighed, as he slapped Diego's neck, "If you're going to eat, at least chew your food…"

Diego panted, on all-fours, "Thanks… I needed that…"

He got up and smiled, "See? That was a minor setback. The battle has just begun."

The townspeople were relieved, as Diego laughed evilly. "Please, Mr. Kujo, you could tell how disappointed you are? You got enough food to feed this town for a long time."

Jotaro stated, "Enough poison in these cans to produce death… within ten days. It's bad enough that it's proven you'd die after one taste, but we'll see how you digest it. If anyone cares to eat this and risk it, don't come crying to me."

Diego huffed, "For the life of me, I could never guess why you'd go and still act like a prophet."

Jotaro stated, "MOST OF IT was canned, after the bomb! We had no idea where it came from!"

Kotonoha sobbed, "Well, what about the soil? The Old Man said that we could not plant crops in certain spots!"

Makoto added, "And even water. He even says that it is contaminated! You think that's the crops' fate?"

Diego laughed, "Alright… Let's lay it on the line, Mr. Kujo…" and then grabbed two cans of food, adding in an arrogant manner, "Here, now! Who are you going to believe? HIM? Or ME, DIEGO? DIG IN!"

He gave two cans to Sekai, and concluded, "Or… are you going to continue playing Kindergarten games with Uncle Jotaro here? This guy won't eat any! He can chew on an old bone, like a common dog!"

Makoto nodded, "I'm not going to be a dog."

Kotonoha cried, "Me, too!"

They all rushed to the canned foods, as Jotaro grumbled, walking away from the canned food. He huffed, "I'm warning you! You eat the food, you die! If it goes into your digestive system, DON'T SAY I DIDN'T WARN YOU!"

He shouted, "DON'T SAY I DIDN'T WARN YOU! THESE PACK RATS ARE GOING TO END YOU!"

BANG!
A gunshot was sounded, as a soldier was carrying bottles of liquor, calling out, "HEY EVERYONE! WE JUST BEAT PROHIBITION, AND WE'RE LEGALIZING BOOZE FOR EVERYONE!"

Everyone cheered, as they gathered. Jotaro sighed, as he walked into a house, "Gimme a break…"

That night, the townspeople were celebrating, having food and booze, relaxing in town, as they were listening to Diego Brando, who ordered them to eat the food. And as for Jotaro, he was busy walking around town, feeling annoyed. He saw Diego sitting with Irie, as they are having a drink. Jotaro glared at him, as Diego replied, "Well, well, look who it is… Jotaro Kujo – the savior of the town. You're too little too late, are you?"

Jotaro growled at him, "You fool… Hope you're satisfied. Everyone will die, including you."

Diego hummed, "You want a drink?"

He offered a bottle of whiskey, but he swatted it away, breaking the bottle, and spilling its contents. He glared, "You have any idea what you've done? You brought famine and pestilence to this land."

Diego laughed, "ME? No… I gave back enjoyment and life to these townspeople! They had the first decent meal in ten years, and six hours of fulfilled enjoyment that they once had! I gave it all back, giving happiness and joy, ever since you hounded this town! Now why don't you unbend?"

Jotaro said, "You came as intruders, wanting more for greed and order… You and your army are no longer intruders. You're murderers."

Irie said to Jotaro, "Jotaro, no. Don't you see? Diego believes in us, and we can trust him. I mean, for the past ten years, we have forged and hunt for food, after the bomb went off, and the Old Man, as you called it, told us NOT to eat."

"The old man warned us about this food, dozens of times. And what happens today will be an act of suicide. HE WARNED US!"

Diego barked, "Old man in a cave… CUT THE BS ON YOUR OLD MAN IN THE CAVE!"

Jotaro barked out, "SHUT IT, YOU DIME STORE GENERAL! YOU REALIZED THAT YOU DOOMED YOURSELF, TOO?"

The people gathered, as Diego yelled, "THERE IS NO! OLD MAN! IN A CAVE! HE'S A LIE! Nobody's seen him, heard of him, and nobody knows who he is or was! YOU MADE HIM UP, OUT OF YOUR OWN CLOTH, DID YOU?"

Jotaro yelled, "He's real! THERE IS AN OLD MAN IN THE CAVE! And I know it!"

Diego cried, "HE IS? HAH! Then why isn't he coming out? NO VISIBLE MEANS OF SUPPORT? WHO IS HE? I don't know what you're smoking, Mr. Kujo, but I think that all these people deserve to know just who this Old Man inside that barren cave is, once and for all! Do you want it to be a repeat of Al Capone's Vault?"

Irie cried, "FOR GOD'S SAKE, JOTARO! OPEN THE CAVE!"

Jotaro huffed, as he turned away, "You'd have to kill me, first."

Diego hopped out, and glared at him, "Kujo, you listen to me… Kill you? I have killed a thousand times, and I still lived. YOU, Irie, was it? Gather your people!"

He left to gather the people, as Diego said to Jotaro, "One way or another, you know what goes on in the cave, do you? Now tell us!"

They shouted, as they demanded to see the Old Man in the Cave. Jotaro seethed, and hollered out, "SHUT UP! YOU'RE GOING TO DIE, ANYWAY, YOU MIGHT AS WELL! JUST STOP YOUR FUCKING BITCHING!"

A huge silence fell, as Jotaro huffed to Diego, "Fine. You win. The cave does open, just not often I visit it. If you want to get in, you'd follow my lead."

He called out, "AND ALL OF YOU! You want to see the Old Man? Maybe then you will realize that you made a grave mistake! For there's no reason, no reason under the sun, why this cave mustn't be opened! When you see the Old Man, when we get there, all you have to do is know that he kept you alive!"

Diego called, "HARPER! BURMAN! GATHER EVERYONE!"

They all scrambled, as everyone in the town decided to gather to a second trip to the cave.

XXXXX

They all arrived, as Jotaro approached the front of the cave. He then said, "We all survived because of the Old Man. And we lived through it, together, trying to stay alive, as god intended."

Makoto protested, "Jotaro… We have survived for TEN! LONG! YEARS! And we have survived! But we never had the chance to LIVE!"

Jotaro said, "Ito… The bomb didn't do it to you! You did it to yourselves! The Old Man didn't drop the bomb!"

Makoto shouted, "NO? But he let us suffer!"

Jotaro shouted, "He let us survive this mistake! All he does is plant the seeds and let it grow! I know are drunk and not listening to a word that I say, but this is truth! The bomb didn't caused your decade-long suffer, YOU did! And we would write off this mistake!"

He walked off and approached the rocks, "But if you must know the truth… You will understand it. All the compassion left is inside the cave."

Diego shouted, "WELL, MAKE IT OPEN THE CAVE!"

Jotaro roared, "SHUT YOUR FUCKING MOUTH! AND LEMME FINISH!"

The townspeople protested and shouted for him to open up. He then hollered again, "I MEAN IT! IF YOU KEEP DEMANDING FOR THE OLD MAN, YOU GET NOTHING OUT OF IT! SO SHUT YOUR MOUTHS, ALL OF YOU, BEFORE I GET REALLY ANGRY!"

They went into silence, as Jotaro reached for the rocks. He said, "This is where the entrance is…"

He reached his hand in there and turned a small switch. The cavern doors opened, as Diego smirked, "Well…"

Jotaro said, "Alright… Lemme show you the Old Man. Follow me."

He went into the cave, as Diego followed, leading the townspeople to the inside of the cave. As they walked through the cavern tunnels, they arrived at a huge room, and their eyes widened in shock.

Irie whispered, "Oh my god…"

Kotonoha whispered, "NO way… This is…?"

Jotaro said, "This… is the Old Man."

Jotaro Kujo introduced the Old Man… a huge electronic supercomputer, built inside the caves, producing many of the predictions and facts about the weather and conditions of the land.

Makoto gasped, "That's it? That's the Old Man?"

Diego wasn't amused, as everyone was completely stunned. He then said, "So… THIS is the Old Man?"

Jotaro said, "That's it."

Diego looked at it and said, "Pathetic… Well, I guess our work here is done. There's your old man! A heartless machine! THERE'S your tyrant!"

He called out, "KILL IT!"

Kotonoha threw a rock at it, as everyone started to grab rocks and smash the computer into pieces. As they continued, Diego called, "ALRIGHT, THAT'S ENOUGH!"

The machine was already demolished, as Diego said, "There. You're free now! No more Old Man!"

Jotaro grumbled, "Good grief…"

Diego glared at him, "…and as for you… You're not going to go unpunished by this false prophet."

Jotaro asked, "Punished? I know all about this computer. And it's 100 percent accurate. OR was, for that matter."

Diego smirked, "Well, by tomorrow morning, you shall be on trial for your crimes of holding your people hostage for ten years!"

He went to the computer and stood on top of it, calling out, "EVERYONE! YOU ARE ALL FREE! FREE!"

The townspeople cheered, as they cheered for Diego, who saved them from trouble. Jotaro was escorted away back to town, as Diego sentenced him to stand in trial, to be received a proper punishment for his actions. He is to stay in his room, and will be presented in dawn. Peace had been restored to the town, as no longer they would obey the computer… and would do whatever they want, from now on.

The next morning, Jotaro was in bed, lying down. He woke up, as he groaned, rubbing his eyes. He looked at the clock as it was only 8am. He then thought, "Major Diego Brando said that I am to be set on trial. Why didn't he show up?"

He got dressed, as he was annoyed, "I said I was right, but… normally this is the part that Kotonoha or Sekai would wake me and treat me to breakfast… and…"

He gasped, as he cried, "NO WAY! DAMN IT, THE OLD MAN!"

He rushed out of the building he was ordered to stay in, and was in complete shock. Everyone was lying on the ground, lifeless and limp. The entire townspeople in the small village were not moving an inch, with each person with their eyes closed and wide open. Some we're even leaking drool from their mouths. Jotaro looked at Kotonoha's body and said, "Good fucking grief… I tried to warn them… But he didn't listen. None of them did. They all listened to him, and this is their punishment."

He walked off, passing every dead body, coming across the dead corpse of Diego Brando. He turned to him and kicked him in the chest. He then said to him, "When we talked about the ways that men could die, we forgot the chief method of execution. Diego, you forgot about faithlessness, like we all did. Maybe you were not to blame, but if it weren't you, it could be someone else. Maybe this has to be the destiny of man. But is it true? Best not to think about it. I guess I will never know."

He walked out of the town, in a quite sigh, as everyone in the village remained on the ground, dead. Jotaro Kujo disappeared from the village, never to be seen again… which is a given, since all the village is now… is a desolate graveyard.

Jotaro Kujo – Survivor.
An eyewitness to man's imperfection, a server to the very human trait of greed, and a chronicler of the final chapter of the book of "Suicide"; not a prediction of what to be, but just a projection of what could be.
This has been a "Story of the Dead"… from the "Tales of the Bizarre".

Miz-K Note: This story is a retelling of an episode of The Twilight Zone's "Old Man in a Cave", which stars Part 3's Jotaro Kujo and Steel Ball Run's Diego Brando (BOTH deceased). And yes, another moment in which the Joestars bested DIO… AGAIN!
This is a series I've decided to do, since most of the characters in the anime are all dead, and decided to leave them out. But for those who never get to see, for example, Jonathan Joestar, in one of my fanfics, well, you are in luck. Expect another Story of the Dead, real soon.

Good night out there, wherever you are…