Against Order and Chaos

Chapter 10

            Up the road about half a mile I finally find a clothing store and step inside. I quickly look around and take in my surroundings. I see the standard fare for a clothing shop, a woman's section, men's section, child's, and even a section for baby clothes, all of which carry the latest trends.

            Despite the normal appearance of the place, I still can't shake the feeling that I'm being watched, a feeling that has persisted since it started up earlier. Continuing to look around, I can't see anything watching me, and so I start wandering the store, getting an eyeful of the latest merchandise the place offers. The clothing for men was nice, but not overpriced, and take my time picking through them. Taking my time and enjoying the shirts I am gazing at, just being a normal, non-smoke-imbued person. While I look, I hear footsteps behind me, and I turn to see an employee of the store approaching.

            "Can I help you find anything today, sir?" The man asks. He looks to be in his mid-20s, with short spiked hair and a thick pair of glasses resting on his nose. He has light facial hair, just a thin mustache sitting on top of his lip, partnered with a soul patch. His name badge reads "Bradley."

            "Nah, I'm just finding something I like." I point to the shirt I'm wearing. "I recently lost a lot of weight, and I need something smaller than this."

            Bradley gives me a strange look when he learns that this the shirt I've "chosen" to wear despite it being two sizes too big.

            "Sometimes I like to wear this shirt because it reminds me of the hard work I've put in to get rid of that weight. It helps to avoid cravings when I have them, and let me tell you, today has been chock full of them. Hell, I was at the beach earlier and I thought about going through some people's stuff just to get a damn Star Crunch..." I force a genuine sounding laugh, and Bradley lets out a light chuckle before turning to walk away.

            "Okay, sir, well if you need anything, my name is Bradley, and I would be happy to assist you."

            "Thank you, Bradley."

            I continue my examination of the clothing rack but I unfortunately can't find anything that I like, and so I move on to the next one, hoping to find something. I again hear footsteps behind me, and when I turn, Bradley is once again standing there, his face smiling that creepy fake smile that all customer service employees are forced to wear. In this moment I realize just how creepy that damn smile is., and I find myself wondering if my own fake smile looked that weird or if it was just a talent he has.

            "Would you like any help, sir? Maybe an extra set of eyes will help you to find what you're looking for?"

            "I'm good, Bradley, but again thanks. I will let you know if I need you for anything."

            "Okay, I'll be around here for a while yet. Take care, Erik."

            A look of shock crosses my face. "What did you say?" I asked, wanting to be sure I heard right.

            "I said that I would be around here for a while, then I said take care, sir." Bradley replies; clearly confused at my inquiry combined with the face I was currently making toward him.

            "Yeah, but you called me by my name, you called me Erik! How did you know my name?"

            "Sir, I'm sorry, but I didn't say any name." Bradley's fake smile is now gone, and it appears as though he is starting to get annoyed by insistence that he said what I thought I heard.