Breaching the Threshold

I pushed past the resting glass marble and approached the heavy steel bar spanning the base of the fire exit door. Sunlight cut through the narrow gap beneath the weatherstripping, calling me to the city courtyard outside. Sheathing my translucent blade across my back, I hooked both hands beneath the rubber flap of the door sweep. It resisted with tough, pliable weight, but I dug my boots into the scored concrete landing and heaved upward. The black rubber yielded with a muffled scrape, wedging just high enough to reveal the open gravel path and fresh autumn air awaiting below.