Haunted Organic (2014 Watty Award Winner)

Thirteen: Prey (Part 3)

THIRTEEN - Prey (Part 3)

Josie woke up to two black squid eyes looking him over.

He had never been this close to Bangkok. Not even in his dreams. He had washed up on one of the check out counters in the front of the store. How many times had he been right here? And now this is where the monster would eat him.

Two antenna dropped down and touched him, prodded him like a science experiment.

He pushed himself up, stumbled into a standing position.

His head felt like a cannonball, large and heavy. He tried to push the shadows out. He had to figure out a plan. To save himself. But mostly, to get the kids out alive. He wondered where they were. And the girls, were they with them?

He had to find out.

But before he could do anything, Bangkok made his move. The eels slapped the water, and spit and snarled, Bangkok raised himself up and lifted the eels to the ceiling, like streaming paper ribbons fly on air. Then, Bangkok lunged, and brought his body down hard on the water, slamming the store with a hurricane like wave.

Josie watched two eels drop down and picked up something just to his right. Something he had never seen before. Something huddling behind the check out counter next to him.

It was Grotty. With a yelping Bacon in his arms.

The eels grabbed Grotty by the pants and pulled him into the air until he was up in front of Bangkok's head. The squid eyes looked him over.

Grotty cried and wiggled in the air. He begged for his life. He tried to negotiate with a monster that couldn't even comprehend him or anything he said.

Josie came off the counter and waded through the water, which was mad and swirling at his chest. Lettuce heads bobbed in the water, flats of eggs bounced and were flung about, and soaked-through boxes floated around him. Dead roaches floated by, their bodies flat and black.

He pushed closer.

His brain went dark again, he could feel Bangkok asking him to join him, they could separate The Thick Boy's bones, one at a time, quell their hunger, so much meat, so thick with muscle and sinew, and didn't he deserve it for treating Josie so badly all those years, for just being a never-ending jerk?

Josie watched as the scenes played out in his minds eye, all the times Grotty made fun of him, called him a freak, made him look stupid in front of other people. Made him feel small and invisible.

And the worst, that he had embarrassed Josie in front of Manhattan. Manhattan, who he cared about in a way that was a complete mystery to him, even though he barely knew her or understood her.

Josie tried to stop the feelings of hunger from flooding in, but in a way he wanted to bask in them. Grotty Greg did not deserve his empathy.

"You want a snack, you mangy, ugly, stupid monster?" Grotty yelled at Bangkok.

"No...No" Josie thought.

"He wouldn't do it. He's not that mean," Josie comforted himself.

But then, Grotty did the unthinkable.

He pulled back, as if he were a quarterback on a foot ball team, and pitched Bacon through the air like he was a football, straight into Bangkok's open, wanting mouth.

"Here's a snack!" Grotty yelled.

Bacon flew through the air, and caught himself right on the edge of the monster's great mouth. He hung there, yelped, his eyes huge with surprise, and terror, trying to grip the sides of the great maw with his paws.