Night Watch

Descent from the book stack concluded at twenty-hundred hours. I crossed the polished wood surface toward the base of a ceramic lamp to establish a night watch post. Shadows deepened across the floor grid. Positioned between the curved ceramic base and a heavy brass coaster, I maintained a concealed firing lane toward the hallway opening. A faint draft stirred from the corridor, but no movement breached the threshold. I braced my rifle against my chest, anchored my baseplate, and settled into a stationary surveillance hold.