Nightfall Perimeter

The balcony door frame was cracked open just wide enough to slip through into the night air. I climbed the slatted metal rung of the exterior chair, securing purchase along the cool iron rail. Below, city streetlamps cast sharp amber pools across the courtyard asphalt. A sudden vibration hummed beneath my boots—the low mechanical thrum of an outdoor air conditioning condenser cycling to life nearby. I crouched, using the structural bracket for cover while tracking the courtyard's perimeter shadows. The wind caught the edge of my cape, but my footing held. The zone is secured.