The North Window pt.3

“Where are you going?” said Benjamin, sitting up.

Edward did not reply as he exited the door. Benjamin was right behind him.

“What’s going on?” said Benjamin.

Edward was frantically running around the plinth stacked with wood.

“Erm hello?!” said Benjamin.

“I saw him again,” said Edward, “the guy with the horse and cart, there was an arm hanging out from under the tarp and when he hit it went back in. He’s got men under there, he’s been sneaking men into the village for weeks now, right under our nose. Who knows how many of them there are down there, they’re obviously building up to some sort of attack, we have to warn everyone! Or what if they have already attacked and he’s only bringing reinforcements, that would explain why we haven’t had a delivery!” Edward was striking match after match but there was no dry wood for the fire to take hold of. 

Benjamin stood watching Edward with his mouth wide open, still half asleep. 

“Oh for God’s sake, it won’t light.” Edward pushed Benjamin out of the way to go back to the tower. Benjamin followed Edward inside. 

“Come on, this is ridiculous, how do you know it was an arm? The clouds are low you could hardly see whether or not it was an arm, plus you’ve not eaten or slept, you’re paranoid.”

“Oh and whose fault is it that I haven’t eaten, Benjamin? I told you we should save some food. But no, Benjamin is always right. Oh, it will stop raining tomorrow, the delivery boy will come, and there’s no men on the guy’s cart. Well no, I’ve had enough, something is going on and I’m not going to sit here and do nothing.” Edward picked up the small amount of dry kindling they had kept in case the stove was to go out. As he passed Benjamin on his way back to the door, Benjamin grabbed his arm.

“You can’t burn the last of the dry kindling for this,” said Benjamin. 

Edward turned and slapped Benjamin’s hand away.

“I can do whatever I want, and not you or anyone else is going to stop me.” 

Edward continued out of the tower and back to the plinth. Benjamin followed. 

“Oh come on, stop this now. This is ridiculous.”

“Stop calling me ridiculous, anything could be going on down in the Village and you are just happy to sit here, not eating and grunting at your coffee, something is going on, I know it!” 

Edward picked up a heavy piece of wood and created a small opening at the base of the would-be fire, he built a small pyramid of dry kindling, he then lit a match and put it under the dry wood. As he went to return the heavy piece of wood to its original place Benjamin came and grabbed at his shoulder from behind. As Edward turned he threw his arms around, still holding the wood, and struck Benjamin on the side of the head. Knocking him backwards. Both men stood in shock. Blood began to trickle down Benjamin’s cheek. Shock turned to anger in Benjamin’s eyes, he gritted his teeth and rushed at Edward. In that same instant Edward felt a rush and swung again. This time hitting Benjamin hard, sending him to the floor. He landed on his hands and knees and blood spattered from his mouth onto the wet grass. He turned to look at Edward, he could see the whites of his eyes. Just for a second, Edward saw fear flash across Benjamin’s face as he raised the wood and struck him a third time. This blow knocked Benjamin unconscious and facedown in the mud. Edward stood astride Benjamin’s body and raised the wood above his head and brought it down onto the back of Benjamin’s head. He swung again and again. The dull thuds could be heard reverberating off the stone walls of the tower and around the hills. Edward let out a guttural scream as he brought the wood down a final time, before dropping it and stepping back. He was panting and his heart was beating out of his chest. He stood for a second, his shoulders rising and falling, before feeling a heat on his back. He turned round to see that the plinth was now engulfed in flames.

Edward frantically ran back into the tower, leaving Benjamin’s body where it lay. Using the bench and things lying around he barricaded the inside of the door. He then hurried up the stairs and looked out of the window at the flames that now roared skywards. In the flames he saw Alice’s face laughing at him. It was contorted and demonic. Then he saw Benjamin’s face smiling behind her. The heat burnt his eye and he had to look away. When he looked back he could just see Benjamin’s feet, motionless on the ground. He took short, shallow breaths and sweat now beaded down his face as the heat from the fire poured in through the crack in the wall. He turned and desperately paced around the tower. He was sure that someone had seen the fire by now and the alarm must have been raised. What would he say when they came on their horses to see what the cause for concern was? How would he justify being in the tower with Benjamin’s body just feet away? He could feel the blood rushing around his temples. Should he move the body? He could throw it onto the fire? But then he would have to watch and smell as Benjamin slowly burnt. He looked down at his clothes that were all spattered with blood. It would be obvious to anyone what had happened. On horseback it only took about ten minutes from the village. Someone would be here any minute, if he went out and tried to move the body now he would be caught red handed. The sound of his panting bounced off the stone walls as he kept wiping the sweat from his brow. The whole tower was sweltering with the heat from the fire now.

Edward could not tell how long had passed since the fire had erupted, it felt like an eternity. He had changed out of the bloodied clothes into his spares. He had slowly fed the offending garments into the stove and watched as they disintegrated. As his breath slowly returned to him, he had decided that when the men arrived he would tell them that Benjamin had gone out to light the fire after they had seen the suspicious man. He would say that while Benjamin had been lighting the fire the man had caught sight of him and had attacked him. He would tell them that he was afraid to go out and help so he barricaded the door shut and prayed that the man did not see him. He would say he did not dare look and see what had happened but he had heard the dry thuds and eventually the fracas had ended. He would tell them he had crouched shivering in fear in the tower until they had arrived and he had no idea that Benjamin laid dead outside the tower. He thought they would believe him, as they would have much the same opinion of him as Alice did, one of a snivelling coward. They wouldn’t know the truth. No one would ever find out the truth. He would take it to his grave. No one would be aware of what he was capable of. Edward had never had just a rush of conflicting emotions before, guilt and shame coupled with a strange powerfulness, he thought that no one would ever put him down again. Alice would see a strong man come back to the village. But then, there would be the story of how he hid in the tower as his watch-mate was murdered. 

Still no one answered the call of the Beacon, the fire was beginning to die down. Edward wasn’t sure what was supposed to happen when the beacon was lit, maybe it was protocol for people to stay in the village and be on high alert. The sun was beginning to fade and Edward sat on his mat, hugging his knees and rocking back and forth. His teeth were chattering and he was murmuring to himself. He stayed in that position for most of the night, barely blinking, he even let the stove go out and stayed in the freezing cold until just before dawn. It was Saturday morning. Even if no one had come to the alarm, the two other men would be here soon to relieve Edward and Benjamin of their duty. Edward had solidified his story in his mind, he could even hear the sounds of Benjamin and the unknown assailant wrestling outside. He could see their shadows dancing on the wall, backlit by the fire. He knew how he would have to react when he came out and saw Benjamin’s body. 

The sun rose in the sky and Edward braced himself for the arrival of the two men, checking out of the window every ten seconds and listening for the sounds of distant voices or footsteps. But none came. The sun was high in the sky, it was a clear blue day, the valleys were clear and still. Edward knew now something was wrong. There had been no midweek delivery, no one had answered the call of alarm, and now no one was here to take over the watch shift. He knew he must leave. There were no supplies left in the tower, and he had burnt his only other set of clothes, so there was nothing to pack except his mat. He rolled it slowly, he stood up and put it under his arm and took one final look out of The North Window. Benjamin’s feet still lifeless in the grass. He went down the stairs and unblocked the door. He looked at Benjamin, facedown on the ground, the back of his head was open and bloody. The skin of his hands was very pale. He did not look like he had died peacefully. 

He walked and stepped over the body. To the right was the path down the hill to the village. Edward turned left and headed to the North. He got to the crossroads that he had so diligently watched. He did not know where any of the paths lead, but he chose the smallest one, it meandered off into the distant hills. He took a deep breath, turned to look at the tower, the embers of last night’s fire still smoking, and Benjamin laying next to it. Then he set off down the smallest path into the next valley.