Command of the Light

I marched back up the wide granite entrance steps, disdaining any prolonged exposure on the open asphalt. Just short of the main glass doors, a circular ground spotlight cut a stark upward beam into the dark. Jammed into the narrow seam between the stainless-steel bezel and the stone sat an abandoned metal key ring. An untidy obstruction on my threshold. Bracing one boot against the warm tempered glass, I gripped the curved steel loop with both gloved hands and hauled upward with steady torque. It resisted, then tore free with a sharp metallic clink. I kicked the scrap aside, securing the warm, illuminated perimeter as my command post for the night.