Breaching the Perimeter

Stalked past the shoe rack, measured and slow. The front door had slipped open by a single thumb's width. Out in the common hallway, carpeted silence stretched wide. I stepped across the metal threshold, feeling the cool draft against my chest. Leaned my weight into the heavy wooden door frame, testing its give. None. Perfect. Right at my feet lay a brass apartment door key dropped flat on the pile runner. Sturdy piece of cold metal. I pinned it beneath my claw, sliding it an inch back toward the safety of the baseboard. Outside belongs to me now, too.