Hope On The Rocks/Issue 106

This is Issue 106 of Hope On The Rocks, entitled "I'll Stay".

This issue is Kerri-centric.

806, I'll Stay
''“Good morning, Kerri.” Mortimer says, leaving his tent. The past week, I’ve been living with Mortimer and his family. They’re nice, I guess, but I’m not sure if I feel comfortable around them.  Yesterday, a stranager passed by and Mortimer just killed him in order to get all his supplies.'' “‘Morning.” I reply, looking uneasy at the man. ''“Slept well?” Mortimer asks, walking towards the bench, on which I’m sitting.  “Fine.” I simply say. ''“Look about what happened yesterday...” Mortimer says, putting a hand on my lap.  I stiffen. I know where this is going. It’s like that gang last week. But I promised myself not to do anything like that again.'' But maybe I should... No, Kerri, no.  I try to get up to leave, but Mortimer’s hand keep me down. ''“What’s wrong?” Mortimer asks, a faint grin appearing on his face.  “Can you just let me leave?” I ask, swallowing hard.'' ''“Oh...” Mortimer says, laying his other hand on my shoulder. “Why’d I do that?”'' ''I think. Right now I have two options. I can either let Mortimer do whatever he want to do, or I can kill him.'' ''I want to say that I don’t get any pleasure of killing, but that’s not true. It gives me a kick. I feel good whenever I take someone’s life. I know it’s wrong, but... that’s just how I am. I like killing people.'' ''I feel Mortimer’s breath on my neck now. It makes me uncormfortable, and I now know what to do. I take the second option. I am going to kill this man.'' ''And so I do. I take my arms around his neck, pressing it against my body, causing Mortimer to panic. He tries to get free from my grip, but within two minutes, he is dead.''

“Who wants to stay behind?” Chad says, this time louder. I think about if I even deserve a spot. Maybe I should stay behind. I mean, these people deserve to be safe more than me. I’ve killed so many people. Take someone like Ridley. He’s a good person, and compared to me... Yeah, he deserves that spot more than I do. Nobody says anything, and neither do I. Even though I have decided. “What if nobody volunteers?” Miles asks. I look at Miles. Even though I’ve known him for around 8 months, I don’t think I’ve ever had a conversation with him. I don’t think I’ve had a conversation with any of these people actually. “Then we won’t leave.” Chad says. I keep waiting for someone else to volunteer. I don’t want to be the only one to volunteer, and then have to be with useless people like Axel. No offense to him, he’s good with guns, but that’s pretty much it. And he has no legs. I’d hate to be alone with him. But someone has to be first. Might as well be me. “I’ll stay.” I say, and everyone looks at me. Chad nods. “Okay. Thank you, Kerri.” He says. “Your welcome.” I say, leaving the yard.

Deaths

 * Mortimer Daniels (flashback)

Credits

 * Miles Vance
 * Chad Bottom
 * Kerri Mavis
 * Mortimer Daniels (flashback)