Extreme Malice

  Chapter 17

  Saturday, October 15th 9:11 am

  Jack was out of the house early Saturday morning to run errands around town. He stopped at the dry cleaner, got gas, and was at the grocery store when he noticed that it was quite busy.

  Was it busier than usual? Probably not, but Jack seemed more alert to all the people. He felt like he was being followed by a shopper with a cart down one of the aisles. He turned quickly down another aisle. A few moments later it happened again, so he stopped and went up the same aisle he had just come down.

  He looked at everyone, trying to see if anyone was pretending to be someone they weren’t. He eyed people's coats to see if they matched their shoes. He stared at people's glasses and wondered if they even needed them. He saw people with limps, big people that waddled, and short people he had known for years who suddenly seemed shorter today than yesterday. He stared at women's purses, wondering if the bulge he spotted might be a camera. His heart raced when he saw a man walking the aisle with one hand fidgeting away with something in his pocket.

  He knew he was making too much of it, but it was too late. The suspicion already rooted itself deep inside him.

  He took his few groceries to the checkout and paid for them with cash. As he walked through the automatic doors back outside, he heard the unmistakable click from a cell phone camera and snapped his head to the left.

  It was only a young girl with fine black hair and a ring through her nose, underdressed for the weather, taking a photo of her friend, who was also underdressed. Jack stared hard at the girl to discern if her mannerisms and laughter were real or just a put on for show. She looked right through him and continued to cackle giddily with her mate.

  He moved away and continued toward his vehicle. He spotted no less than three others in the parking lot fiddling away on their cell phones. They were all potential paparazzi.

  Jack had enough. He pulled his collar high to shield his face as much as possible and jumped in his car. He needed to get back home right away before he went snaky and did something foolish.