Haunted Organic (2014 Watty Award Winner)

Thirteen: Prey (Part 1)

THIRTEEN - Prey (Part 1)

Grotty Greg was pretty sure that he would find Josie Brown if he just sat in the alley between the Baby Killer's house and the Organic Food Store.

It was true, as his friends had told him, that Baby Killer, or now just BK to keep it simple, might be long gone, but Grotty knew he had no chance of finding him if the coward slipped out into the beach crowds at Bondi. But if he didn't, if BK stayed nearby, he might try to get back into his room. Grotty Greg was willing to bet BK would try to come back.

Grotty's friends - Moey, Seb and his twin sister who they all called, Poo - thought Grotty was on a fool's run, and they all went home to have warm dinners and watch TV in their cozy living rooms.

For Grotty, he had nothing to lose, and everything to gain. He had been a big boy since the moment he came out of his mum at better than seven kilos, or the size of a small turkey. Since that time, he felt like he had to be the guy who ate a small frog during science class, the guy who forced other guys to eat worms on a dare, the guy who cut Bean Kelly's braid off while she bent over to pick up a pencil in homeroom.

Grotty was the guy who threw a stink bomb into the girl's locker room, planted tissues and a bra in Desta Orange's locker so everyone thought she stuffed, and he routinely dropped little Bertie Hood head first into whatever rubbish cans were nearby.

No one was immune from his special brand of cruel humor.

Grotty perfected the art of being revolting to everyone, and he was feared, and people laughed at his terrible jokes. But no one ever made fun of him or his considerable thickness, which was the thing that scared him the most, the thing he would do anything to prevent.

"Get them before they get you," was the force that drove his life.

But that was changing. The folks of Tamarama looked at him in a new way because of the video he took of Josie breaking out of school. He could be the good guy, he saw that now, and he wanted to be the good guy more than anything.

That's why he was hunkered down in the dark just under Josie Brown's bedroom window, his feet planted up against the side of the Organic Food Store. He was going to do what the police and the neighborhood couldn't do - catch BK. Then, after he caught Josie Brown, he would save the kids.

Grotty Greg was not going to be grotty anymore. For once in his life, he was going to be the hero.

Grotty was thinking of that - being the hero - hoisted on people's shoulders, being cheered, maybe making a few morning news shows, when he heard the first sounds. At first it was footsteps, which he figured were just reporters coming out of their news vans, but then he heard the voices. Low, hushed whispers, male and female, a grunt of some kind.

Grotty got up moved out from under the bedroom window, over to a garbage can. He folded himself up as small as his large frame would fold.

He fumbled in his pocket to find his phone. It was night now, but there would be just enough light from the lamp post if he needed to shoot video. He poised his phone, camera ready.

And he waited, for the chance of his life.

&&&&

Grotty saw the whole thing.

He watched Josie, Emerald and Manhattan, and her mangy mutt, climb in through the window. They were in the Organic Food Store. They never saw him. Which was good because he got them all on his phone, their faces, their words, everything. There was no doubt about what they were doing. Obviously they were keeping the kids there. They probably were going into feed them.