Twelve
Ashley and Vickie jumped off the bus that deposited them at the mall. They walked along the sidewalk that led to the main entrance of the complex, laughing and making plans for their day.
They entered the mall and stopped occasionally at the small stores that sold edgy, trendy clothes. They pulled a few things off of hangers and shelves, tried on one or two items, but left each store without any purchases. They ignored the existence of the big anchor stores that dominated the ends of each massive retail corridor. It was the stores at the margins that interested them.
Ashley pulled Vickie into Silverheat, a store that specialized in funky costume jewelry. Ashley absorbed herself in a display of dangly earrings while Vickie wandered through the store. As she picked through a plastic box of items listed at half-price, she glanced up through the store window.
A man passed by, locking his eyes onto hers. To Vickie he seemed to be old—no, he was young. He wore a heavy coat with the collar turned up, even though the mall temperature was an even 72 degrees. He had dark hair—or was it silver-gray? His face was hard and fierce—or was it determined, and icily handsome? As these thoughts raced through Vickie’s mind, she realized she had stepped back and collided with a shelf full of belts and purses. She had a difficult time catching her breath.
Ashley noticed Vickie’s movements. “Hey, Vick—what’s wrong?”
Vickie reached back and steadied herself against the shelf. “I . . . nothing. Some guy just looked at me and made me jump.”
“Was he cute?” said Ashley.
“No . . . I mean, yes . . . I don’t know, Ash. He was just some guy. He surprised me, that’s all. He’s gone.”
“Let’s go find him,” said Ashley, grabbing Vickie’s arm and pulling her toward the door. Vickie followed.
Outside the store, the girls looked up and down the corridor. “Do you see him, Vick?” said Ashley.
Vickie looked around. “No, he’s not around anymore. Come on, Ash. It wasn’t anything. It was just some stupid guy. Let’s get going.”
The girls moved against the oncoming traffic of shoppers, trying to avoid collisions. Vickie bumped into a man carrying a bag from the mall’s large bookstore. She glanced at his clerical collar.
“Sorry,” she said.
“Pardon me.” The priest smiled and moved on.
They resumed their trek through the mall. When they reached the Halloween store, Vickie stopped abruptly at the front display window, grabbing Ashley’s arm in a fierce grip.
“Ow! What’s the matter, Vick? Let go!” said Ashley.
Vickie loosened her grip but still held on to her friend’s arm. “I . . . I’m sorry, Ash. That mannequin scared the hell out of me!”
“Come on, Vick. Don’t be such a baby,” said Ashley. “Let’s go in. This is the coolest store!”
The girls walked through the entrance. The figure in the window continued to stare woodenly into space, the sharp, bloody, plastic teeth contrasting with the white spray-painted skin. The black cape engulfing the figure carried a price tag of $39.99, on sale.
Ashley led Vickie past the displays of masks, ballerina skirts and fake appendages. In the farthest corner she found her treasures: rusty-looking crosses, polyethylene stakes, paper mache garlic and plastic swords. Ashley lifted a sword and held it up over her head.
“Cheesy. Totally fake-looking.”
“What do you expect, Ash?” said Vickie. “We’re not going to find the real stuff here. Hey, check this out!” Vickie picked up a clear plastic bag containing The Vampire Hunter’s Kit. Inside were two plastic stakes, a medieval-era hammer, a bottle supposedly containing holy water, and a small cross on a string. “This is sort of cool. Only $19.99.”
“Let me see that,” said Ashley. “Oooo. Let’s get this. This would be great for the part of the role-play when we kill Sean. I so want to do that.”
“Maybe we should get you a real hammer and stake, Ash,” said Vickie. “I’m sure Sean would appreciate the realism.”
“Yeah,” said Ashley. “On the other hand, maybe some chocolate laxative brownies would be better.”
Vickie laughed. “You wouldn’t really . . .” Vickie looked past Ashley toward the front of the store. Standing behind a rack of superhero costumes was the same man she saw earlier. He looked young now, even handsome. He was staring at Vickie, but not in a way that seemed malevolent. She felt her knees weaken.
“Ash, there’s that guy!” Vickie turned back to Ashley and pulled her around.
“Who? Where? Who do you mean?” Ashley shot glances all around the store.
Vickie looked back at the rack of costumes. Two young boys were picking through them. No tall figure was in sight.
“He was there, Ash. I’m telling you,” said Vickie. “He was looking right at me . . . at us. I don’t know where he went.”
“You’re giving me the creeps, Vick,” said Ashley. “Let’s get this stuff and go. I stole my Mom’s credit card. She won’t even know that she bought this.”
Ashley headed for the cashier and Vickie followed behind. She stopped at the superhero costumes. She sensed a lingering odor that smelled vaguely like a musky cologne. She moved away from the rack and joined Ashley.
The girls left the store and continued to wander through the mall.
