One Lucky Subscriber (The Busybodies collection) by Kellye Garrett

Author:Kellye Garrett [Garrett, Kellye]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Amazon Original Stories
Published: 2024-10-15T00:00:00+00:00

Two sets of footsteps took off like they’d heard a starter pistol. I would’ve been right behind them except I was stuck behind a bajillion roses. I pushed the wall with so much force I was surprised it didn’t topple over, then I was off myself—leaving the GoPro and briefcase behind. They didn’t matter anymore. Not if someone was hurt.

They’d left the store door open, but it was still dark inside, the sliver of light from the hall jutting through like a beam. The only thing I could see was a taupe-colored sneaker laid out on the ground. A leg was attached.

“Everything okay?” My voice was tentative. Maybe too soft because no one answered, definitely not Kidd’s foot. I spoke again, louder this time. Trying to project like my grandmother told me before my first—and last—school play. “Hello?”

The lights came on—harsher than an anonymous troll commenting on a Taylor Swift Instagram post.

The room was organized chaos. Metal framing stacked neatly in a corner. One of those orange scissor lifts a few feet away. A ladder by the front door. Kidd was sprawled out on his side a few feet from some framing that jutted out like a weapon. Tripp was bent down nervously next to him—the camera finally forgotten. Kidd didn’t budge.

Georgia made her way from the back. And that’s when I noticed there was a partially open door, though I couldn’t make out where it led. She spoke into a cell phone. It was Kidd’s, judging from the case—the illustrated crying baby that started every single one of his uploads.

“He’s breathing but barely. Unconscious so we don’t know how he fell. None of us were there. Just found him on the ground.”

911.

For the first time, Georgia’s voice was void of confidence. She sounded scared. Nervous. Unsure. Still, seeing her was reassuring. Everything would be okay.

We met a few feet from Kidd, with me stopping way later than I should’ve, so only an inch or two separated us. I wanted to cling to her legs like I used to do with my grandmother. It took everything to remember I was grown.

“American Dream Mall.” Georgia looked at me. “What parking lot are we closest to?”

I shrugged, glancing at Tripp to see if maybe he knew. But he was too busy moving Kidd.

“Don’t touch him,” Georgia called out, like Kidd was the Mona Lisa and she was some security guard. Tripp immediately stopped. Georgia waited as if to make sure he wouldn’t sneak a grab, then went back to her phone call. “I’ll just meet you all at A. Bring you to where he is.”

After a moment, she hung up and headed toward the door, leaving us with one final rebuke. “Whatever you do, keep him where he is.”

I didn’t move him. Didn’t move myself either. Just stayed a statue at a safe distance away. Kidd’s eyes were closed. If it weren’t for the surroundings, he could’ve been sleeping. But people don’t scream like that. Not even if they’re having a bad dream.

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