Hope On The Rocks/Issue 26

This is Issue 26 of Hope On The Rocks, entitled "Sacrifice".

This issue is Al-centric.

306, Sacrifice
It appears that Harrison Wilde, another resident from Rogersville, had worked at Lillian’s Groceries before the apocalypse. That’s not weird, the weird part is, that he is still working for her now, after the outbreak. Just before, I were standing looking for anohter bottle of lamp oil. Harrison showed me where it was, and we just began talking. “How about your parents? They’re still around?” I ask the teen. My guess is 18 years old, but I have no idea. “They’re dead... Lillian is all I have now.” Harrison says with a weak smile. Something I am wondering about; how can they stay so well stocked after over a month? I don’t ask him this questions, as I probably don’t want to know the answer. “You’re not wondering how we stay so well-stocked? Everyone else is.” Harrison says, and I smile. Funny coincidence. “I am.” I say. Through one of the empthy shelves, I suddenley see some asian dude taking a can with something, sneaking it into his bag. As the heroic person I am, I walk over to him, Harrison follows, probably wondering why I left the conversation. “Hi.” I just say with a smile, to the asian dude. Startled, he looks at me. “Hey...” “What are you gonna trade those cans for?” I say, nodding towards his bag. Harrison now realizes what’s going on, and takes the bag from the asian dude. “I’m sorry. It’s just that I haven’t had any food for a few days... I’m sorry.” The asian dude says, obviusly scared of what we are going to do to him. “Hey, John, relax.” Harrison says, Lillian approaching now. “What’s going on here?” Lillian asks, looking from Harrison to the asian dude, apparently named John. “John tried to steal from us.” Harrison says, looking at Lillian. Without hesitation, Lillian says: “Take him to Sylvest. He will deal with it.”

So we do. Harrison and I take John to Sylvest. “What’s this?” Sylvest just asks as we enter with John, who is obviusly scared. “He tried to steal from Lillian.” Harrison says. Sylvest nods. Right now, he is sitting behind his desk, looking over a map or something. “Thank you. You can go.” Sylvest says to Harrison and me. He gets up from his table and approaches John. Harrison leaves the room, but I don’t. I stay for some reason. I’ve never been a heroic person. As a matter of fact, I’ve always been a coward. But for some reason, I am staying right now. “What are you gonna do to him?” I ask Sylvest. Sylvest looks at me with some very evil eyes. “I said ‘you can go.’” Sylvest says to me, in a more insisting tone now. “And I asked ‘what are you gonna do to him?’” I say, same tone as him. Why am I doing this? I should just leave now, but I feel like I can’t. I need to stay. Sylvest now approaches me. He takes his head very close to mine. I can smeel tobacco. I’d never had taken Sylvest for a smoker. “I am going to make sure he’ll never steal again.” Sylvest says. He then turns around and take a pair of handcuffs from his desk. He then approachs John once again. “What? You’re going to kill him?” I ask. That man is crazy. I knew it from the first time I saw him. That man is crazy. But what can I do? I’m just one person. One arabic person. “I am going to make this town a safer place to live.” Sylvest just says, and puts the handcuffs on John, who now is sobbing. “I am not gonna let you do that.” I say. Man, I’m stupid. I should leave. Right now. I hate myself right now. Sylvest turns around. He then takes another pair of handcuffs from his desk and says: “Seems like we have two criminals in this room, huh, Al?” Sylvest says and approaches me.