PART XII: MAX

I wake before the sun goes down. From the inside of my mattress house I hear the sounds of the town. Birds fight over garbage in the dumpster. I hear conversations of people walking along the street. I lay awake, knowing that I need to get to Howe’s Books before they close. Through the spaces between the mattresses, I can see the sunlight on the alley’s cracked and stained pavement. I watch and wait until the day’s light has completely disappeared before I emerge.

As I’m walking down the street, I notice a sketch of a man taped to a lamppost. As I look at it, I touch my face and head and realize the man in the drawing is me. I haven’t seen my own reflection since being turned into a vampire, but there’s no doubt that what I’m looking at is an artistic representation of myself. In the rendering, I appear a shadow of the man I was before I was bitten. My eyes are sunken and dark. My cheekbones are more pronounced. It’s a wonder everyone who looks upon me doesn’t turn away in horror. This curse has robbed me of my youthful looks. Regardless, in order to stay alive, I will need to disguise myself.

I stop an old woman walking by and inquire as to where I might buy some new clothes and a hat. She tells me the best place to get that would be a department store. I ask her where I can find this place. She tells me that it’s too far to walk but that I can drive there. I tell her I don’t have a car. She tells me to take the bus that has the words “shopping district” on its sign in the front. She then directs me to a bus stop.

At the bus stop, I do my best to avoid eye contact with other people, fearing they may recognize me from the drawings posted around town. It doesn’t take long for a bus destined for the shopping district to arrive. I take a seat as far in the back as I can and keep my head low. After about a thirty-minute ride, the bus stops in front of a large two-story building.

I walk through the doors of the store. I’m amazed by the brilliantly lit racks of clothing that seem to go on forever. After walking around for a bit, I find the men’s department. I try on a wide brimmed hat. It fits my head comfortably. I pull it down low, so it sits just above my eyebrows, obscuring my face. I remove a gray toupee from the head of an adult male mannequin. I remove the hat and put the mannequin’s wig on my own head. I do the best I can to fit it, measuring with only my hands, then I place the hat back on my head over the wig.

I take a few pairs of pants and a couple shirts and a coat from the racks and bring everything into a changing room. I have no idea what size I am. After trying the clothes on, I settle on a white dress shirt and a pair of brown pants. I walk into the footwear area and take a few pairs of the same style shoe off the shelf. I sit on a small bench and patiently try on each pair until I find ones that fit comfortably.

I walk up to the clerk while still wearing the toupee and hat. I pay for the clothes and shoes, then walk into the larger shopping area with my two big bags. The first place I stop after leaving the department store is a restaurant. I walk directly to the back and into the men’s room. I remove the shoes, pants, black turtleneck, and coat that I’ve been wearing and put on all the new items I’ve purchased. I push all my old clothes and shoes into one of the now empty bags, then stuff the bag with my old clothes and shoes into a trash can. I exit the mall and wait for the bus to take me downtown. I need to get to Howe’s Books before they close.