Chapter 380: "Goodbye, Sherry Zane.
Chapter 380: Chapter 380: "Goodbye, Sherry Zane.
The wind was strong tonight.
Sherry Zane pulled open the door, and her hair was instantly whipped into a mess by the wind.
She spoke to the person on the other end of the phone, "Brother Shawn, I’m outside now."
Seeing this, the few small birds perched on the rooftop railing began to chatter among themselves.
"Look! The human Mary told us to watch is out!"
"Who is she talking to?"
"A cell phone. These humans have high-tech stuff. They can use phones to talk to each other."
"How magical!"
A curious little bird flew over to look at her phone.
One of Mary’s friends also flew over, not to see the phone, but to hear what the human was saying.
The man on the other end, the one called Brother Shawn, said in a haunting voice, "Sherry, you’re doing great. Can you keep walking forward?"
"Okay." Sherry Zane obediently agreed.
The pitch-black sky suddenly lit up as bright as day. A flash of lightning, like a silver dragon, streaked across the sky, followed by a deafening clap of thunder.
CRACK—
Raindrops began to fall, one by one, like beads from a broken string.
Sherry Zane’s shoulders flinched instinctively. She closed her eyes slightly. "Brother Shawn, it’s raining."
"So it’s raining." The man laughed nonchalantly. "The rain makes it more atmospheric."
"C-Can I go back inside?" Sherry Zane asked.
"Nope." The man chuckled maliciously. "Sherry, are you scared? Don’t you want to see me anymore?"
"I’m not scared." Sherry Zane quickly shook her head. "I want to see you."
"Good," the man said. "Then keep walking forward."
"Okay." Sherry Zane walked forward cautiously. "Shaw... Can I stop?"
"You can stop when you reach the railing."
The cold rain soaked Sherry Zane. Her wet hair clung to her face, and her clothes were drenched.
She felt cold, her body trembling uncontrollably.
Sherry Zane stood before the railing and said in a low voice, "I’ve stopped. What do I do next?"
"Sherry, look down."
"Okay."
Sherry Zane slowly lowered her head. Looking down from the ninth-floor rooftop, she could see nothing but pitch darkness.
"Did you look?"
"I did."
"Good. Did you see me?"
"No." Sherry Zane shook her head blankly. "I didn’t see anything."
"How could that be?" The man’s voice was still tinged with a smile. "I can already see you."
"Really?" Sherry Zane’s tone held a hint of surprise. "But I really can’t see you."
The man let out a low laugh. "Sherry, then jump. If you jump, I’ll be able to catch you."
"I..." Sherry Zane gazed into the bottomless darkness, hesitating. "If I jump, will I be able to see you?"
Hearing this, the birds circling around her grew anxious.
"Human, you can’t jump!"
"It’s very high up here! You mustn’t jump! You don’t have wings, you’ll die if you jump!"
Mary flew up just in time to see this. She immediately shrieked in panic, "Don’t jump! Don’t jump! Everyone, stop her! Renee will be here any second!"
Several small birds flapped their wings, blocking Sherry Zane’s path.
The man on the other end of the phone heard the birds chirping and said with some annoyance, "It’s noisy over there. Shoo them away."
"Okay." Sherry Zane waved her arms. "Go away! Brother Shawn thinks you’re too loud!"
Not only did the birds not leave, they even pecked at her clothes with their sharp beaks, trying to pull her away from the edge.
"Go away!" Sherry Zane was getting angry now, her movements to shoo the birds becoming rougher and more frantic. "Go away! You annoying birds!"
"Sherry," the man’s voice came again. "Forget the birds. Come down and find me."
"I know." Sherry Zane lifted her foot onto the railing.
Seeing this, Mary was so scared she almost forgot how to fly.
Renee Jennings ran up nine flights of stairs in one go, only to find the rooftop door locked.
Sweating profusely with anxiety, she shone her flashlight around, picked up a rock, and smashed it against the lock with all her might.
"Don’t jump! He’s a bad guy!"
"Get down from there!"
"..."
The birds’ frantic cries reached Renee Jennings’ ears, making her heart pound faster and faster. The sharp rock scraped the soft flesh of her palm raw, a stinging pain spreading through it.
’Am I too late?’
’No, I can’t let anything happen to Sherry Zane.’
Renee Jennings endured the pain, smashing the lock again and again until it finally broke.
She quickly removed the broken lock and slid open the bolt.
The moment she pushed the door open, Renee Jennings saw Sherry Zane standing on the railing with her arms spread wide. Her pupils constricted, and her heart seized as if crushed by a giant, invisible hand.
When Mary saw Renee Jennings, she reacted as if she’d seen her savior, calling out excitedly, "Renee, quickly, get her down! She’s going to jump!"
They were at their limit. The rain had soaked their feathers, and they could barely fly.
Renee Jennings charged into the curtain of rain, wanting to get closer to persuade Sherry Zane to come down, but she saw her step one foot over the edge.
"Very good." The phone in her hand was now on speaker. The man’s voice was coaxing her, step by step. "I’m ready too."
He said, "Sherry, jump. I’ll catch you, and then we’ll never be apart."
Sherry Zane tilted her head back, her pale, youthful face covered in rain. She closed her eyes, a faint smile gracing her lips. "Brother Shawn, we’ll never be apart."
With that, she leaped—
"AHHHHHHHHHH YOU’RE REALLY THROWING YOUR LIFE AWAY!" Mary shut her little eyes in terror.
The phone fell into the darkness. The man laughed wickedly, "Sherry Zane, goodbye."
All the little birds closed their eyes.
Mary peeked open an eye and saw Renee Jennings draped over the railing, half her body hanging over the other side.
It blinked, asking in confusion, "Renee, what... what’s wrong with you?"
Renee Jennings managed to force out two words: "Saving... her."
Hearing this, Mary poked her head over the edge to look, then cried out in surprise, "AHHHHHHHHHH RENEE, YOU CAUGHT HER!"
"Yeah."
At the last possible moment, Renee Jennings had lunged for the railing with all her might, her hands clamping tightly around Sherry Zane’s ankles.
Her face was flushed red from the effort, and her breathing became labored.
’She prayed desperately for Henry Stark and the others to arrive soon. She wasn’t sure how long she could hold on, or if she would fall along with Sherry Zane.’
Renee Jennings pressed her lips together, not daring to think about it any further.
Hanging upside down, Sherry Zane slowly opened her eyes and asked expectantly, "Brother Shawn, where are you? You caught me, right?"
Renee Jennings: "..."
’Brother Shawn, my ass.’
She simply didn’t have the energy to respond, gritting her teeth and tightening her grip on the girl’s ankles.
Getting no response, Sherry Zane shifted her body. "Where am I?"
"Don’t move," Renee Jennings warned in a deep voice.
Sherry Zane looked around blankly and finally noticed Renee Jennings. "Who are you?"
Renee Jennings felt her strength fading, and her foot, braced tightly against the railing, suddenly slipped.