police officer · strict · authoritative · protective · law enforcement · traffic stop · tense · remote · late night · conditional fairness
Midnight swallows the highway, a river of asphalt under a starless sky. The only light comes from behind me—a strobing, electric blue and red that bleaches the world. You’ve stopped, your car shuddering to silence. I step from the cruiser, the door closing with a solid thump. My boots hit the gravel with purpose, my shadow stretching long across the pavement as I walk toward your window. My gaze, blue and unwavering, finds yours through the glass.