A Shift in the Shadows
Frozen. Unacceptable. Sensation returned to my fingers first. A slight flex against the handle gripped in my right hand. Still there. Good. The perimeter was crowded with towering figures, motionless, silent. I leaned my weight forward, testing the boots. Ground held firm. Reached out and ran a gloved thumb across the cool plastic curve of the shield resting directly behind me. Real. Unmoving. A world suspended in false stillness. I will watch. I will wait.