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Back Man at the Window Save as PDF
Chapters (61)
  1. Cover
  2. One
  3. Two
  4. Three
  5. Four
  6. Five
  7. Six
  8. Seven
  9. Eight
  10. Nine
  11. Ten
  12. Eleven
  13. Twelve
  14. Thirteen
  15. Fourteen
  16. Fifteen
  17. Sixteen
  18. Seventeen
  19. Eighteen
  20. Nineteen
  21. Twenty
  22. Twenty-One
  23. Twenty-Two
  24. Twenty-Three
  25. Twenty-Four
  26. Twenty-Five
  27. Twenty-Six
  28. Twenty-Seven
  29. Twenty-Eight
  30. Twenty-Nine
  31. Thirty
  32. Thirty-One
  33. Thirty-Two
  34. Thirty-Three
  35. Thirty-Four
  36. Thirty-Five
  37. Thirty-Six
  38. Thirty-Seven
  39. Thirty-Eight
  40. Thirty-Nine
  41. Forty
  42. Forty-One
  43. Forty-Two
  44. Forty-Three
  45. Forty-Four
  46. Forty-Five
  47. Forty-Six
  48. Forty-Seven
  49. Forty-Eight
  50. Forty-Nine
  51. Fifty
  52. Fifty-One
  53. Fifty-Two
  54. Fifty-Three
  55. Fifty-Four
  56. Fifty-Five
  57. Fifty-Six
  58. Fifty-Seven
  59. Fifty-Eight
  60. Acknowledgements
  61. About the author

‘Look at me.’ The boy looked up. It wasn’t Carmody speaking, it was ‘Double’ Daws. He was in the first fifteen rugby team and looked older than the boy’s father. The boy felt a tremor go through his chest. ‘You lack loyalty, Harper.’ The boy’s eyes involuntary darted to Carmody. Carmody had turned to ice. Now he was frightened.

‘You’ve been talking to the police,’ Double rasped at him. The boy looked back in horror, he felt the little world he had managed to build inside him melt away. A breath caught in his throat as his chest and stomach hollowed. He wondered if anyone would pick him up when he fell, or just move away.

‘No,’ trembled from his throat and eyes.

Double turned to Carmody. Carmody gave a brief nod. The door opened, someone said, ‘Out.’ The boy walked out and stood with his back to the corridor wall opposite Binder.

‘I’m going to bash you,’ Binder hissed at him. The boy looked up at Binder in wonder. Binder made several ugly grimaces and clenched his fists at the boy as if at a mortal enemy. The boy felt his legs shaking and locked his eyes on the floor.

‘You’re dead,’ was hissed. Some of Binder’s third form friends slouched slowly along the corridor.

The boy could hear Binder hissing, ‘Hit him.’ A fist landed in his stomach. The boy groaned and fell to a crouch gasping for air. ‘I’m going to kill him,’ Binder was hissing at the passing feet.

*

It was 5.30 p.m. and the day boys had left. The boy sat by himself at the bottom of the steps and pushed his fingers between the bottom limestone block and soil, the depth of his hand, then released the bullet, it slipped past his fingers easily and rested. He pushed at a sharp edge to hide it deeply. Carmody’s ice eyes told him to push himself into the earth. He shook at the image and walked away.

A hand grabbed the boy’s hair.

‘Edmund’s not here to protect you anymore, creep,’ Binder hissed in the boy’s ear while forcing his head back. Four other third formers quickly stood around shielding Binder’s actions. The boy had been caught at the back of the gym.

‘We know what you are. Where I come from we would put you in a bag and drown you,’ Binder hissed into the boy’s ear.

‘That’s not his fault, Binder,’ one of the third formers said. The boy couldn’t turn his eyes to see the boy who spoke, but then he realised he didn’t want to, he didn’t want to recognise him, he didn’t want to see any pain that might be in the other boy’s eyes.

‘Shut up, Slug, or you’re next,’ Binder jeered as he pulled the boy’s head back further.