On the Ninth Floor

"Is he out of his mind? He's trying to climb the wall."

"That's 10 floors of brick. He's going to fall."

"In dress shoes? Somebody stop him before he gets past the 2nd floor."

Nobody on the ground thought he had a realistic chance of reaching the 10th floor. Scaling an urban high-rise barehanded didn't happen in real life, especially on flat concrete and brick.

Near the planter, Eleanor Grant dropped her grocery tote, her face pale.

"Jude, get down from there," Eleanor called out, taking a step toward the wall. "Wait for the fire truck!"

Beside her, Mrs. Song shook her head, her tone sharp. "What is he doing?! Thinks he can do whatever he wants because of that car. Throwing himself into danger to show off... Eleanor, this is completely reckless."

15 feet up, Jude ignored the shouting below.

Hanging from the 1st-floor window frame, he pulled his weight up with smooth momentum, catching the upper stone ledge.