The Switch Read Online Free

4
     
    The lightening had been
continuous for nearly four hours. Both Steve and John were in agreement that it
looked more like static electricity than lightening, It was well past what
should have been dark, but because of the lightening or static electricity, the
sky was providing plenty of light for walking.
     
    Steve had just asked John for
an estimate on about how far he thought they had walked. But before John could
give his guess of about ten to twelve miles, Steve pointed to the east and
said, “There’s a mall.”    
     
    Down the hill and beyond the
fence of an access road they could barely make out the shape of a mall. They
wasted no time wading through the tall grass to reach the chain link fence.
They threw their luggage over the top and climbed the fence by wedging the tips
of their shoes into the gaps in the chain.  As Steve went over the top of the
fence his thigh caught on one of the twisted wire points which dug into his leg
as he fell to the ground.   When he hit the ground on the side of his head and
neck, John heard a loud pop.
     
    He rushed to Steve’s side and
looked into his face. Steve was smiling, but also gritting his teeth in pain. 
     
    “Are you ok?”
     
    “I think so, I cut my leg and
hurt my shoulder. I think it is dislocated. I did it in high school.”
     
    “You are about the most
awkward person I have ever met. How in the hell can you fall over a fence?”
     
    “Help me up and I will show
you how awkward I am you son-of-a-bitch.” He was trying to laugh but even in
the low light John could see he was in pain. John could also see that Steve’s
thigh was bleeding badly.
     
    John said “Let’s get up there
to the parking lot and see if there is a Sears store here.”
     
    As they walked across the lot
they had to weave their way through dozens of parked cars. There were people
milling about and talking. They saw some asleep on the hoods and some inside
cars. To some extent, there seemed to be a party atmosphere.
     
    As they walked near a group
of about four teenage boys and six girls, one of the girls observed that Steve
was limping and then saw the blood on his leg. She asked him what happened.
     
    Steve said “I was jumped by
an alien a mile or so down the road, and the little bastard bit me on the leg
before I broke his neck.” 
     
    “What?” She screamed!
     
    Steve did his best not to
smile. “It’s ok, they aren’t very big. They are really fast and quick though.”  Steve
considered himself an artist at telling lies to young girls. He was not going
to let this opportunity escape.
     
    “Have you kids seen any of
them? They are little purple critters, they have short skinny legs and heads as
big as beach balls.” Steve quickly turned his head back over his shoulder and
shouted, “Look out, here they come now!”
     
    The kids turned to run and
one of the girls tripped and fell to the ground. The others ran past her
without slowing to help her.
     
    “Jesus Steve, someone is
going to get hurt if you keep up your crap, knock it off.” John helped the girl
from the ground and explained to her that Steve cut his leg climbing a fence,
not fighting aliens. The girl was crying but she turned to Steve and spit into
his face before walking towards her fleeing friends.
     
    As she walked away Steve
shouted, “Can we exchange some more body fluids later?”
     
    She ignored his remark and
ran to catch up with her friends.
     
    “Come on Steve, I think I can
see a Sears sign there on the corner of the mall.”
     
    As they neared the corner of
the mall it became clear that there was in fact a Sears store there. They walked
up to one of the glass doors, put their heads to the glass and tried to see
inside. They could see nothing, everything was dark inside the store.
     
    “Steve, let’s go around the
corner to the Merchandise Pick-up door. Sometimes they have a buzzer or doorbell
there for employees coming to work early in the mornings.”
     
    As they