Saul flew.
Chest out, arms outstretched, he soared high above the waterways, and what was left of the streets, below. No one saw him, not many people looked up anymore. He and his kind owned the roofs, the air and –
He pulled his arms back, curled into a ball and allowed himself to fall forward, landing on the roof opposite with a roll. Never stopping, he used his momentum and ran a wall over a sheer drop. From there he pushed out into open air. A leap, and fall, of faith to a flag pole.
He swung on the pole and flew, perfectly, through the window of an empty tenement.He reveled in the rush as brick and wood passed his ears.
Another roll and he stopped, flat on the floor, panting.
Saul’s mind wandered back to the history of the Roofers. It often did at this time, the still moments. He thought of those who came before him. He stood, abruptly, and crossed the room to another window.
To be honest, he didn’t care about who came before him; didn’t care how he and his kind came to own the roofs. All he cared about was here, and now.
And milk.
He checked his route home. It was a simple from here – a jump to the roof below, a sprint leading to a leap, which in turn called for a roll and on and on and on.
He grinned and jumped into the window frame.
His arse vibrated. Stepping back into the room he pulled his spime from his pocket.”Yup.”
“Hey, Saul. It’s Matt. How’s the roofs?”
“Better than the water, Fish boy.”
“Uh huh. So you won’t be coming out here at the weekend then.”
“You got the code done?” The excitement in Saul’s voice was obvious.
“Of course. If you bring the stuff, we have ourselves a deal, my friend.”
Saul slipped the spime back in his pocket and, laughing, took to the skies again.
He hit the roof running, hit a loose tile, felt it slip out from underneath him.
He stumbled, tipping out over the street. He twisted, slamming his weight back.But his rhythm was shot and his balance quickly followed. He tried to remain upright, and failed.
Arms flailing, he toppled from the roof.
His hand scrabbled for a gutter, caught it, and felt it rip away as his dead weight proved too heavy.
Saul fell.
