Page 80 of The Cut
312Max stumbled on to the wall of the mill race, crouched down, just as she had, then stretched his arms over his head and hoisted himself up. Ben darted after him, while Karine struggled to keep pace, falling behind, trying to catch the action. The exact map of that night seemed to replay in the bodies of the two of them. Max had seen her climb, he’d witnessed her desperate attempt to escape, and he began reconstructing Annie’s last movements. Just before the water wheel, Max stopped and glanced up to the high tower of the chimney stack. Was this the right place? Was this where it happened? He tried to remember how he had looked down on them both from the Crow’s Nest.
‘Yes. It was right here … wasn’t it?’ He turned back, breathing heavily. ‘Wasn’t it, Ben?’ Karine had caught up and was now climbing the wall. Max gestured with his head for her to come to his side. He tried to read the expression on Ben Knot’s face.
‘This was where you trapped her, this is where it happened.’ Max pinned himself against the wall and edged slowly towards the wheel, trying to draw Ben closer. Ben was fighting for breath, his eyes looking up to an old broken window in the mill wall.
‘What?’ Max followed his gaze.
‘She was trying to reach the window to pull herself to safety.’
*
The headlamp from the motorbike dances across the wall again as Annie rises from her crouched position. There is a broken casement window directly above. She can pull herself up through that window and get to the road, out of his reach. It’s her only escape route.313
‘Annie, come down. It’s too dangerous.’
Annie’s head snaps round to see a figure standing in the glare of the motorbike.
‘Let me help you.’ Ben’s silhouette cuts a terrifying figure in heavy robes hanging like dripping tar. He drops on to all fours and begins to crawl across the broken wall towards her. The blinding light shudders and bounces off the stonework as the sound of the motorbike engine growls a warning.
Annie strains to see through the glare. ‘Leave me alone, please. Go home, Ben, you’re drunk.’
‘I AM NOT DRUNK!’ Ben’s voice is aggressive now.
Annie presses her head back into the wooden structure of the wheel, helpless, as the robed figure taunts her, creeping closer on all fours.
‘FOR GOD’S SAKE … Please … STOP IT.’
Crawling across the wall, Ben quickens into a scamper and Annie screams. Her hands fly up to push him away but he’s on top of her now. She is buried under swathes of damp cloth, struggling to throw him off, almost suffocating under his weight. A hand presses into her shoulder, pushing her head back into the rotting wood, as the wheel creaks and buckles.
‘I … said … no. NO MEANS NO!’
Annie grabs the hand and grips it before biting down hard into flesh.
‘Aagh …’ He strikes her hard across the face. Then his hands press down on to her shoulders, keeping her in place. ‘You think you’re so much better than me.’
Annie shakes her head, tears rolling down her face. ‘Please, Ben, please stop.’
*
314Ben hesitated, crouching down on his haunches, holding his head in his hands.
‘We can’t stop now, Ben, we’ve come so far.’ Max edged closer to the water wheel. ‘Just a little bit further. Here? Is this where you killed her?’ Karine slowly circled around, pushing the camera into Ben’s face.
‘LOOK AT ME, NOT HER.’ Max was hovering next to the side of the camera now, drawing Ben’s eyes into the lens. ‘SAY IT … SAY THE WORDS … TELL ME WHAT YOU DID TO HER.’
Ben stood his ground. ‘What the fuck is wrong with you?’ He rose up now to his full height. ‘You’re sadistic.’ He staggered, swaying precariously close to the edge of the water. ‘Oh my God, is this what the film was for? To torment me? Is this why you’ve been in my house … in my fucking life? You’re psychotic … both of you.’ Ben staggered backwards, closer to the swollen reservoir.
Max moved out from Karine’s side and stepped in closer. ‘You attacked her … didn’t you? You attacked her and then left her to die.’
Ben suddenly lurched in close to the lens. ‘It was Patel, not me. He attacked her. HE CONFESSED.’
*
‘BEN, LEAVE HER ALONE!’ Patel revs his engine again. He pulls up the front wheel on to the edge of the wall, easing on the throttle as the back wheel mounts. Both bike and rider wobble on to the ledge, balancing precariously as the engine growls harder. Dave suddenly ploughs forward, catapulting himself at top speed towards Annie’s attacker. Tight-roping along the broken stone edge, the bike accelerates and the cloaked figure, dressed as315Obi-Wan, stands in the saddle. Then, as the machine hits top speed, he launches himself into the air, landing on Ben’s back, and the bike plunges into the water.
Annie seizes her chance. Her feet find the bottom rung of the water wheel and she slowly edges herself backwards, blade by blade. When she is about halfway up, she turns on to her hands and knees and scrambles, frantically climbing the enormous structure of the wheel, towards the casement window.
Dave is on top of Ben now, pummelling him hard in the ribs. Weighed down in layers of heavy wet cloth, the fight is vicious and brutal. Ben bucks him off and they square up, fists raised. Patel tries to land punches to Ben’s face but the nails sticking out of the mask catch his knuckles; he can’t get close enough to take him out. A heavy boot slams into Ben’s stomach and he doubles over in pain. As Patel moves in for a knee to the face, Ben reaches out, fumbling for something on the ground. In a sudden flurry of movement, his hand arcs up from the floor and a brick smashes into the side of Patel’s skull. Ben rises from the ground as Patel staggers backwards and collapses, blood pouring from his head.
