Urban Climber

by Hunter, S. V.

  Urban Climber

  by

  S.V. Hunter

  Copyright © 2015 S.V. Hunter

  All rights reserved.

  This book is a work of fiction. All characters, names, places, events, brands and incidents are the product of the author's imagination or used fictitiously. Any similarities to persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental and not intended by the author.

  Warning: This novella ends with a cliffhanger…

  ONE

  I must look so stupid. Like, I’m so not from here. I wouldn’t be surprised if a fly buzzed into my mouth any second now and I swallowed the damn thing with one giant gulp. The way I’m gawking up at the sky, I wouldn’t even see it coming, and it would totally be my fault. But hey, if it’s gonna happen, it’s gonna happen. ‘Cause I’m sorry, but right now I can’t help myself. This place is insane. It’s so … different from everything I’ve ever known. So I’m looking up and pointing, loud and proud. And I don’t give a hoot what any of the rushing city slickers think of this small town, wandering girl. They can push and bustle past me all they like. Sometimes, a girl just has to wander and stare, and right now, that’s all I’ve got planned.

  Of course, I’m freaking out about everything. I still don’t know if I’ve done the right thing, transferring to SLU. Especially when it’s located in the Big, Shiny Apple—yeah, that’s right—New York, New York. I mean, what was I thinking? I’m miles away from home. I’m so far out of my comfort zone I’ve forgotten what the word “comfort” means. I guess it’s different for all of us, but for me, it’s the little things—things that money and status can’t buy: Mom’s home-baked chocolate chip cookies; Hugo and I walking across campus, arm in arm; Dad working on his collection of cars in the garage whenever he’s got a spare moment to tinker.

  But it’s all different now.

  “Hey, watch it!” a guy yells at me as I doddle across the street. But I can’t look anywhere else but up at this building, ‘cause it’s frickin’ huge. So much glass and twisted, shiny steel—it’s seriously like something from the future. I mean, wow! I don’t even know how it’s possible to make something that massive stand so effortlessly tall, like it’s floating amongst the clouds.

  I’m rising up on my tippy toes now and spinning around like a ballerina on opening night. A huge smile is plastered across my face even though I’m fully blinded by the sun’s glaring rays. It can’t be good for my eyes, but I just can’t help it. The way the beams of light are bouncing off the steel and concrete creation above me, I swear, it’s almost like a million diamonds showering down upon me.

  I can feel my mind start to drift away from this moment. I try to stop it, but in all honesty, my thoughts are pretty much like a red-faced monkey. And how can I control that? I can’t. My monkey is too determined. Too red-faced. So I give in and let it play in the broken pieces of my heart. But just because I do doesn’t mean I’m going to watch it. I’ve done way too much moping as it is, and I’m tired of it. Everything is going to be fine. More than fine. In fact, maybe this was how it was all meant to be—me, coming to a new city for a new beginning and a fresh start.

  Way up in the distance, I see something move out of the corner of my eye. Hold on a second, what’s that? It can’t be. Shit. My stomach drops to my toes, and I blink my eyes once and then again. Okay, so I’ve got an insane imagination, but this is just crazy. I can’t possibly be dreaming this up. I stop in the middle of the sidewalk, frozen like a china doll. I can’t blink. I can’t breathe. There’s someone up there. And he’s not washing windows.

  I’m gasping now, the suddenly cool air smacking into my lungs like a brick wall. My neck is killing me; it’s cricked up at such an impossible angle, and even though I want to, I can’t look away. The person takes one step and then another. And here I am, thousands of meters below, locked in position like a helpless statue. I can hardly believe this is happening. But whoever it is, and for whatever reason, I feel like I’m about to witness their final moments on earth. Sadness fills my heart with a rush so strong you’d think it was me up there. How could their pain be so much that the only way to silence it would be by jumping?

  “Don’t,” I rasp, pushing my hair off my face, tears filling my eyes. “Please, don’t jump.”

  My hands are clammy, and I’m shaking like a wet poodle. Where is my phone? How deep is this stupid purse? I’m pressing the digits, and I’m panicking. My pulse feels like it’s in a marathon with the devil, and I’m losing the race against time. Pick up, pick up.

  “He’s gonna jump!” I squeal. “There’s someone up on the building, and you need to hurry before it’s too late.”

  The voice is calm at the other end of the line. Too calm. I guess nothing is a big deal when you grow up in New York. You’ve seen it all before. Same issues, different day. The woman asks me where I am, what building it is, but I don’t have a clue. How could I know? I’m just a speck of dust lost in this concrete metropolis.

  I become aware of a murmur of voices behind me, and turning to look over my shoulder, I end the call with one press of a button. I can’t even remember if I said goodbye. Now I’m running to the uniformed people, my arms outstretched like my life depends on it. They don’t even notice me; they’re too busy staring up and into the clouds.

  “Please,” I gasp, my lungs heaving to suck in the air as I stand in front of the most official looking one. “You have to save him!”

  The uniformed man looks at me like I’m the one who needs to be saved. Geez, city people are so rude—it’s not like a smile would kill him. But instead, his brow furrows into creases. His wispy, grey hair lifts as the breeze picks up around us. “Do you know him?” he asks.

  I shake my head like I’m at a rock concert. But there’s no music. Just me, screaming like a banshee. “No,” I’m gasping, hoping my urgency will push him along. My heart is thrashing in my chest faster and faster as the seconds tick by. What does it matter if I know him or not? What’s that got to do with anything?

  “You’ve got to do something, please.” I’m frantic, pointing up at the sky like the whole building is about to collapse.

  I’m watching this figure, this tiny figure up in the clouds, walk along a ledge. A miniscule slab of concrete that looks about as thick as one of the strings on my cello. And the police aren’t doing anything. Nothing. Like it doesn’t even matter what happens. I can’t just stand here and wait for the outcome. I rush past them. I’m running now to get to the entrance of the futuristic building. I don’t know how I’m going to get to him in time. But I’m gonna try. When—if—I get to the person, then I’ll figure it out. Right now, there’s no time for thinking.

  I’m pressing the elevator button like a mad woman, like it’s the buzzer to God. How can it take so long for the doors to open? I can’t wait a second longer. Seconds are so precious. Seconds could be the difference between life and death. I’m rushing around the parquet foyer, trying to find the stairs.

  “Where are the stairs?” I’m screaming. “Please, someone, tell me how do I get to the stairs?” But now I’m getting pulled back and frog-marched out of the building.

  “Please,” I groan, struggling to break free from their clutches. “You have to help him. What if that was your sister, or your brother, or your dad?” I scream, tears streaming down my face. All the police officers laugh at me. Laugh like whoever’s life is in jeopardy isn’t a big deal.

  “Calm down. You’re gonna have to calm yourself down.”

  “I’m sorry, but I just can’t stand by and watch this. I feel so helpless.”

  “Lady, it’s not your job or your concern. Let us deal with the situation.”

  “Situation?” I frown, flapping my one free arm. “Can you hear yourself? It’s not a situati
on. It’s someone’s life up there. For the love of God, do something!”

  He sniggers at me, and I get a sudden urge to slap him, but in all honesty, I know that would be such a bad idea. Plus, I’ve never slapped anyone in my life, and if I’m gonna start slapping, I probably shouldn’t start with someone who can arrest me. Not today, anyway.

  “Can you please just let me go?”

  “Are you going to calm down? We don’t need two people up there.”

  I exhale. Yeah, he’s probably right. That ledge does look narrow, and I’m petrified of heights. “Sure, I’ll calm down, I’m really sorry,” I mumble, “but why aren’t you doing more? I’m sure you could reach him in time. You know, talk him down. Aren’t you trained for that?”

  The officer lets go of my other arm and gives me a knowing look. “Yes, yes, of course we’re trained for that. But we know him, and that sort of thing is not needed for this.”

  “Not needed?” I whimper, glancing back up to see the figure walk a little further along the edge of the building. “How far does he have to go before you do something?”

  The officer’s face is deadpan, like he’s seen it all before. “Sometimes they die.” He exhales, glancing up at the building. “Sometimes they don’t.”

  My mouth drops open. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

  “If we spook them, they can slip, and then there’s little chance of survival. And so instead … we wait.”

  “Spook?” I whisper. What’s he going on about? How is it possible to spook a person? It’s not like he’s a horse. At least he doesn’t look like one from way up there. I can feel the blood draining from my face, but there’s nothing I can do. I tried and failed epically.

  “If you think this is bad,” the old guy says, watching as I cradle my face in my hands, “I promise you, you’ve seen nothing yet.” He pauses pointing up at the sky. “In fact, he’s just about to get started … this is the crucial bit!”

  I look up, and the figure is leaning over the edge of the building. Leaning towards a steel rail that’s sticking straight out from the structure a gazillion miles up in the air. “He’s going to jump, he’s going to jump!” I scream, grasping onto the officer. “I can’t watch. I can’t bear to see him fall.” I bury my nose into the man’s shoulder. Totally not appropriate, but I’m not thinking straight, and surely, I can’t get arrested for being emotional.

  “Wait for it,” the officer grumbles.

  I take a deep breath, finding the courage to face the impending doom above me. My eyes are as wide as saucers, and I’m desperate for them to shut. But they refuse to listen to scaredy-cat me.

  “Gently … easy does it,” he sniggers. My throat is so dry, it’s like I haven’t had a drink in days. This is the crucial bit? I’d say the moment he decided to end it all was when it got “crucial.”

  And then, without warning to my poor racing heart, the figure leans out and over the building. He grabs onto the steel rail in both hands and lets his body swing out from the concrete ledge below him. And now he’s hanging in the air! A gazillion miles from the ground, free-falling but without the fall. Clinging to life just from one tiny piece of metal. That’s it. That’s all that he’s got between life and death.

  “No!” I rasp, my voice catching in my throat as tears well in my eyes. “He’s going to die.”

  The officer puts his hands in his pockets and exhales slowly. “No use crying. Now, it’s just a waiting game.”

  “I’m sorry, sir, but this is fucked up.”

  The officer smiles at me for the first time and laughs. “You’re telling me. We try to stop them before they do it, but it’s hard to know where they will go. And if we can’t stop them before they go up, we can’t stop them at all.”

  “What? So they have a place where they like to kill themselves, like a cult or something?”

  He shakes his head. “No, nothing like that. As long as it’s high and dangerous, they’ll be there.”

  TWO

  And there he is. Hanging, like a leaf from a branch. Only his tree is so far up in the clouds that if it were real, it would have been planted a million years ago. And just when I think it can’t get any worse, Climber does something so dangerous I just about have a stroke.

  “Oh shit! Oh, no!” I’m squealing ‘cause now Climber’s hanging from one hand. Not two. One. Four fingers, a thumb, and a palm. That’s it. That’s all he’s got between life and death. “Have you got a bucket?” I groan, clenching my stomach. “I think I’m going to throw up.”

  “You’re not from here, are you, miss?” the officer sniggers as I pull a face at him. “Don’t worry, you’ll get used to it in time.”

  He doesn’t know me at all; I highly doubt that. Stupidly, I can’t help but look back up at the building. I don’t know if it’s my eyes or my mind, but he appears to be swaying. “He’s slipping!” I squawk. “Do something, please, I’m begging you.”

  “You need to calm down. Freaking out is not going to help him—or you, for that matter.”

  “Calm down?” I drag my nails down my cheeks. “How can you say that?”

  “If he was slipping, he would have hit the ground by now. He hasn’t, so he most probably won’t. Well, at least, not today anyway.” The cop sniggers at me again. “You really haven’t seen anything like this before have you?”

  “No!” I hiss. “Not even at the circus. I can’t believe you’re not going to do anything about it. He’s going to die, you know. DIE. And it’ll be all your fault.”

  “Yes, yes. You’ve already mentioned that. Look ma’am, you don’t have to tell me. Tell him.”

  “Where?” I snort “At his funeral?”

  The officer shakes his head. “When he’s finished his skylarking, we’ll go up and get him.”

  I fold my arms over my chest and glare daggers through the officer—not that he notices. My harshest evils are not very harsh.

  “What are you saying? That he’s doing this for fun?”

  He shrugs. “I guess you could call it that. But honestly, you’re asking the wrong man. You kids these days are all out of your mind. High on everything, including life; there’s just no stopping you. Oh no, you know it all.”

  I purse my lips together before I say something I’ll regret. “I don’t know it all. And I’m certainly not high on life.”

  “Well,” he laughs, “if what you’re telling me is true, you’re certainly in the minority. All the kids these days are invincible. Think they can do as they please. And yet, we’re the ones left to scrape up the remains. It’s no joke when people say it’s a tough job, that’s for sure. Worst part about it all—some of them never grow up.”

  “Huh?”

  “Some die young; others think they’re Peter Pan and just refuse to grow up. For instance, that kid up there is in his late twenties, yet he’s acting like he’s fifteen. If he was my son, I’d be giving him a good clip over the ear if he tried pulling a stunt like that.”

  I nod like I’m listening to the officer burble on, but I’m not. I can’t relax until Climber’s safe. I don’t know why I care about his fate, but for some silly reason, I do. Yup, I was the kid who picked up the half-squashed cat on the road and the bird with a broken wing. I care too much, and I’ve got to snap out of it ‘cause I don’t think it’s good for my well-being.

  I’ve got no idea how long Climber was up there. Honestly, it felt like an eternity. But after what seemed like forever, he finally came to his senses and somehow pulled himself back onto the ledge. His strength must be super human, and his nerves must be made of steel ‘cause I’ve got no idea why else he would do such a thing.

  “Thank God.” I exhale, watching him walk back along the ledge, “I really thought I was going to see someone die today.”

  The officer lifts his brow. “It wasn’t your concern in the first place.”

  I cross my arms. “Not my concern? That’s a human being up there! The exact species of us both! I never want to see anyone die, whether I know th
em or not. Of course it was my concern, and it should be yours too.”

  The old man turns his back on me without even taking a moment to acknowledge my words. Jerk.

  “Okay boys,” he tells the others, “you can go up and get him now.”

  ***

  The moment the police escort Climber out of the building, strangely, all my fears turn to anger. I see red. No, not red—crimson. Deep, dark, bloody crimson, and it’s almost dripping all over my body.

  “Are you fucking insane?” I yell, rushing towards Climber. “You could have killed yourself! What the fuck were you thinking?”

  Climber is way bigger up close than he looked amongst the clouds. He’s easily over six feet and muscular. A thick, grey hoody covers his broad shoulders, and although he’s wearing jeans, he hasn’t bothered to put on shoes. His head is bowed, and I can’t see his face.