Night Watch Established

Hauling myself over the beveled lip of the coffee table took more grit than planned, but the carabiner rig did its job. I hauled the remaining slack up behind me, coiling the paracord tight beside an abandoned ceramic mug that smells faintly of stale roast. Up here, sightlines across the entryway and dark hall are clean. I plant my boots near the polished wood rim, visor locked forward into the shadows. The sector is officially under lockdown for the night. Nobody slips past uninvited.