Just Barely

With an almighty push, Valerie freed her body from the window frame. With the help of her improvised rope, she lowered herself and dropped down to the balcony. Not a moment too soon, for she heard voices from above, and one of them had noticed the open window.

She quickly surveyed her options. The door to the inside was locked - not that going back inside the building was a good choice. For one thing, the alarm sirens were still blaring, and doubtless the entire place was on alert. It would be a challenge to stay hidden in there while fully equipped - in her current naked state, it was practically suicidal.

That left her with only one choice. She knew the building was next to a large public park. She wasn't too high up, and right across from her was a large tree. One of its thick branches was only a couple of feet away from the balcony. With the right start, she figured - hoped, rather- that she would make the jump.

"What is that?" came a voice from above. Not wanting to wait, she quickly vaulted onto the metal railing. Taking a moment to balance herself, she leaped off the balcony, her hands outstretched and hoping to grab the branch.

To her credit, she did indeed make the jump - almost too well, for instead of her arms, she hit the branch full **** with her stomach, knocking the wind out of her sails. She tried to hold on, but slipped. Panicking, she reached out and caught a hold of another branch, only to have a snap under her weight. Knowing she was about to fall, she braced herself and tried her best to break her fall.

She landed with a dull thud on the ground under the tree. Spikes of pain shot through her body, and she bit her lip to avoid screaming out. Her vision blurred while she tried to stay conscious, but the pain overcame her and the world faded to black.