The Way Station >>>
Roland Deschain wakes up in Brown's hut once again, with a great sense
The Way Station #1 Comic Cover
of de ja vu. Roland says that he was here already, and it feels like he left the hut ages ago. Brown says Roland may have dreamt it, and once again tells Roland he is neither magician or demon. The conversation reaches a point where Brown explains, "Oh, but you never look back, do ya. Just forward, in your endless, hopeless attempt to catch the man in black." Roland replies, "Not hopeless. I did catch him."
The view then flashes back to Roland in the Mohaine Desert, seemingly after he left Brown's hut, which may imply he's telling this next story to Brown as well. Roalnd comes across a corpse that he thinks may be the man in black, but when he rolls it over, it isn't. He takes the corpse's water and moves on to an empty building in the distance that exclaims "This Checkpoint is Closed For-Ever".
Roland enters, and finds a skeleton, which collapses to dust as he touches it. He finds a sink, but it doesn't work, but moves to the building's shed and finds a water pump. Roland is able to drink from the pump, fill his canteens and take a bath. He moves on.
Roland comes across one of the man in black's campfire, circles by skeletons, and is then attacked by a pack of mutant dogs. Roland moves quick and mows all eight of the dogs down with his guns. However, the last one, still alive, ambushes him and bites him in the arm before Roland shoots it in the gut, ripping the dog in half. Roland hopes the dog wasn't infected with an ailment, so to be sure he pours some of his canteen water on it. At night he makes another campfie, and sees another staring back in the distance.
He travels on for eight days, and begins singing a lullaby his mom sung him, he then has a flashback to his childhood. He is sitting on his bed singing with his mother, but as she leans in closer, she becomes hideously deformed. Roland sees through the illusion to find a Dust Devil, he shoots it and moves on again. Roland reaches a Way Station and sees a figure in the distance. He thinks it to be the man in black.
As he moves in to shoot the man in black, his figure becomes contorted and he wonders why the man in black looks so different. Due to his exhaustion, he passes out. There stands a boy with a pitchfork to Roland's back.