Night Fortification

I shifted my weight into the blind spot behind a heavy ceramic coffee mug. The sector went dark when the room lights cut out, leaving only a slice of streetlamp glow across the timber desk. Using my right hand and teeth, I looped the rubber band over the crimson cloth strip against my left forearm. Pressure applied. Bleeding simulated or real, the limb is stabilized. I crouched against the curved ceramic wall, knees bent, back braced against the glaze. The towering armored figure across the perimeter remains motionless in the shadows. Defensive position established. I will maintain watch until daybreak.