Breaching the Perimeter

I pushed past the bottom gap of the cracked sliding screen door and established a forward base on the concrete balcony. The wind hit immediately, but I held my footing. Before me sat an overturned terracotta saucer filled with dry gravel. An ideal high-elevation outpost. I gripped the weathered clay edge, planted my boots against the gritty slab, and hauled myself onto the rim. Below, the courtyard sprawled wide and uncharted. I scanned the treeline and mapped the lower paths. The interior is cleared; my gaze is locked on the open territory ahead.