Cold Steel Link

Night came... cold in the gravel alley. I kept walking... straight ahead. A heavy damp cardboard crate blocked the way beneath the brick wall. I did not turn. Leaned my chest in... slow... relentless. The wet paper crumpled flat beneath my weight, scraping along the asphalt until it broke apart. Beyond it... hung the low rung of an iron fire escape. A loose counterweight chain dangled down, swaying in the night draft. Clink... tap. I reached up with stiff fingers. Caught the cold link. Pushed it against the steel beam. A deep, shivering ring vibrated right through the iron and down into my knuckles. I stayed pressed there, resting against the chilled metal.