Hope On The Rocks/Issue 52

This is Issue 52 of Hope On The Rocks, entitled "Branded".

This issue is Lia-centric.

504, Branded
I open my eyes, though everything is black. I try to swallow, though I feel cloth stuffed in my mouth. I try to move my arms, though they are tied to, what feels like a dentist chair. I try to move my legs, though they are tied as well. I begin to panick; I’m scared. I can still hear though, and now I hear a door opening. “Start it, Johnson.” I hear someone saying. I can’t remember anything from after being taken by the man called Junior. “You got it, boss.” The man called Johnson says. I hear someone coming closer, and I begin to let silent, panicking, air coming through my nose. My blindfold is removed. I blink a few times before looking around the room. I see a black man standing by some kind of stove or oven. The bald man called Bobby Lunar is standing in front of me. In the small room with concrete walls, Junior is standing by the steel door, seemingly acting as guard. “Hi.” Bobby Lunar says, smiling at me. I look away. “I don’t know your name, so how about I just call you Sasha?” I’m gagged, so I can’t answer. I probably wouldn’t have if I could. “So, Sasha, this is going to hurt a little.” Bobby Lunar says, looking at the man he called Johnson, who shakes his head. “I’m not crazy about doing it, but it has to be done.” “One minute, boss.” The man called Johnson says. His voice is very dark, and scares me even more. I can’t see what Johnson is doing, but it defentialy isn’t nice. “You are going to work for me now, Sasha. I’ll give you food, water, shelter.” Bobby Lunar continues. “But we need insurance, you know. Just routine.” I wonder what he is talking about. He is probably going to rape me and kill me afterwards. I close my eyes, thinking about Miles, how I didn’t get to say goodbye. I think about my parents, how I probably will end up with them soon. “Ready, boss.” I hear Johnson saying. I open my eyes, seeing Johnson walking towards me with a red-hot brand stamp. I now know what they are going to do, and I begin to panick even more, trying to move, though I can’t. “See, Sasha,” Bobby Lunar says, making room for Johnson. “you need to take the chance, when opportunities show. That’s just what I have done.” I begin to cry, as Bobby Lunar cuts off my t-shirt, exposing my skin. He then slowly removes my bra, using a scissor to cut it off. “Left, Johnson.” Bobby Lunar says. I close my eyes. I am crying, knowing what will happen. I try to think of something else; Miles, my parents, my friends. Then I feel it; the brand stamp going into my left breast. He is holding it down for around ten seconds, though it feels like forever. I try to scream, but the cloth prevents me from doing so. I am crying more than I have ever done before. I then pass out.

I find myself laying on a cold conrete floor. My arms are tied on my back, a cold chain preventing me from escaping. I sit up, looking behind me. The chain is fastened to the wall. “And what’s your name?” A long haired man, with a worried look, asks. He walks towards me, a bowl in his hands. I don’t answer. Instead I look around in the room. This seems like to be an old storage room in a bomb shelter or something. Kerri and Esther are also sitting on the floor, chained. Five other women as well. “It’s okay, I’m not like them.” The man says, kneeling down next to me. I still don’t answer. The place where they branded me still hurts like hell. “I’m Alan Locker. I will be the one taking care of you.” The man says. “Just tell me your name.” I don’t know what to do. Without Miles and the others, I feel like I am alone. Even though Kerri and Esther are just a few meters away. “Lia...” I say, looking down.

Deaths

 * None

Credits

 * Lia Camper
 * Kerri Mavis
 * Esther Tricker
 * Bobby Lunar
 * Graham Junior
 * Alan Locker
 * Rick Johnson