Night Reconnaissance

I scaled the ribbed casing of the radiator to reach the wide windowsill. The glass pane was cold against my digits, fogging faintly under my knuckles. Below, the empty street stretched into darkness beneath the dim yellow wash of a streetlamp. Searching the ledge, I found a discarded brass key. I dragged the heavy metal piece across the painted sill, propping it upright against the frame to mark my coordinates. Distant vehicle lights swept through the shadows outside—craby's scouts could mobilize under cover of darkness from any angle. I locked my knee joints into a steady crouch. This perimeter is monitored.