Take a chance and go outside

Oh hell yes, you're going for this.

The same as yesterday, you step out into the hallway and gently shut your door behind you. You move briskly through the hall and down the stairs—if someone comes out to grab a drink again, you at least want to be far away from their doors so you have the time to react. Coming to the bottom of the staircase, you find yourself in the living room. While it's tempting to pose through the window again, you've got bigger, more ambitious plans tonight.

Passing under the archway and through the dining room, you come to the kitchen. The back door—one of the sliding variety—is in the corner, right across from the basement door that you fled into last night. Taking a breath to calm your nerves, you step up to it and push one of the vertical blinds aside to peek through.

It really is dark outside; you can barely see anything out there. You're even more convinced now that you could go without being seen.

You decide to quickly see what the weather is like. You turn off the alarm near the top of the door and flip the lock. Quietly, you nudge the door open and wiggle your fingers out into the night air. It's...not bad, really. Even though it's still April, it has been unseasonably warm the last couple of days. You doubt it would be too uncomfortable out there, clothes or no clothes.

...You weren't really nervous until just now. Sure, it's dark out there, but your options for protection and places to hide would be fewer and less familiar to you. This is in an entirely different league from last night.

You're still okay. You can still quit here. You can throw in the towel and head back to your room, content with what you've already accomplished. Or...you can put it all on the line and do the previously unthinkable, walking out into the back yard in all your naked glory.

No more dawdling about. The time to choose is now.