Night Perch

Slipped out through the cracked window onto the fire escape. Cold rusted iron beneath my boots. Below, the alley hummed with steam and flickering neon, but up here, shadow covered everything. An unspooled length of thick steel wire was tangled around the railing strut. I crouched, untangling the cold coil with one gloved hand, bending the stubborn metal until it hooked firmly around a loose rivet, securing the footing. Stronger now. I braced against the dark railing, cape spilling over the iron slats, watching the streetlamps flicker to life below.