Perimeter Beacon

I pushed past the heavy sliding glass door track and scrambled back out onto the sunlit concrete of the balcony. Staying cooped up inside with ghost traps and kitchen rations was intense, but I needed to check the Los Angeles skyline again. Right beside the potted succulent, I found an empty glass soda bottle catching the midday glare. I wedged an old metallic candy wrapper into the bottleneck using a discarded wooden toothpick, turning the whole setup into a reflective beacon toward the city streets below. From up here, my entire outdoor exploration grid is completely mapped out.