Late Watch

Struggling writer Travis Hall lands a job as a night-shift security guard, thinking that the long, quiet hours will help him finish up his latest novel. The absurdity of the job, however, distracts him from his ambition. Hired to work as a security guard on the night shift, Travis Hall hopes his new employment will pay the bills while giving him time to finish his latest attempt a new novel. The problem: he has to make it through his first night on the job, which is tougher than it sounds in an occupation where grown men wear clip-on ties and get paid to stare at blank walls for hours on end. The only joy his co-workers typically find is in vending machines, lunch at the local strip bar, and punching the clock at the end of the shift. As he stumbles through his perimeter sweeps, Travis finds irony in the questions his coworkers leave unanswered: "What are we protecting? Why are we securing an area already littered with security cameras? Is there really no brighter future than retirement with beer gut and two bad knees?" —Anonymous