Flipping Through The Rack Of T-shirts, I Felt A Prickle On The Back Of My Neck. I Glanced Over My Shoulder,

Flipping through the rack of t-shirts, I felt a prickle on the back of my neck. I glanced over my shoulder, frowning slightly as I gazed across the rows of racks and bustling customers. Then I saw him: a young guy, my age or a couple years older than me. Lean, his bare arms tatted up, sunglasses pushed up to rest atop his buzzed head. And he was looking directly at me, expressionless.

A chill ran down my spine. Feeling uncomfortable, I looked away. I could still feel his gaze boring a hole in the back of my head. I quickly grabbed up a couple of shirts and walked down another aisle, making my way to the changing rooms. When I reached the curtailed row of alcoves, I glanced back nervously, breathing a sigh of relief when I didn’t see the strange guy anywhere.

I smiled at the changing room attendant before ducking past one of the curtains. I peeled off my shirt, and reached out to grab one of my selections to try on.

Then paused, as I saw a pair of shoes poking beneath the curtain, facing me. I blinked. “H-hello?” I said uncertainly.

The curtain pulled back and my heart leapt to my throat as a familiar face greeted me. Buzzcut braced his arms against the sides of the entryway, boxing me in. He smiled lazily, licking his lips as he looked me up and down.

“Oh sh-“ I started to say, as Buzzcut’s open mouth descended upon me.

******

The changing room attendant stood shock still, staring wide eyed at the half open curtain as he listened to the sounds of a desperate scuffle, noisy swallowing, and then at last:

*BWAAAAAAUUUUUUUUURRRRRRRRRP!*

The young man who’d pushed his way in emerged, his belly much larger and rounder than before. He burped again into his fist, then made eye contact with the attendant. He patted his stomach, his face blank but message clear: *you saw nothing, or else.*