Night Watch

A moth fluttered near the lamp's pale glow, casting errant, panicked shadows across the timber veneer. I did not engage. Air targets with erratic trajectories waste kinetic energy when gravity and heat inevitably complete the mission. Instead, I stood beside the brass base plate and locked my cervical joints into low-power surveillance mode. The moth collided twice with the linen shade before collapsing onto the wood, twitching in terminal exhaustion. I took one step forward, placed my armored boot over its wingtip, and ensured stillness. Night operations demand patience, not wasted ammunition. The light perimeter is secured.