Alley Redoubt

Night clamped down on the alley. Raw brick walls towered black on both sides. Wind swept gritty dust along the trench. Needed fortified shelter. Ahead, a heavy wooden cargo pallet leaned tilted against a brick corner. Narrow triangular cavity underneath. Perfect bunker. I stalked close, clamped my teeth onto a discarded plastic motor oil cap lodged in the gravel, and kicked it clear with one violent stomp. Shoved my broad skull directly into the dark recess beneath the thick pine slats. Rough timber pressed against my spine. Solid timber shield. Alley perimeter locked.