He walked the old cobbled street until he eventually reached his intended destination. He stopped and took a deep breath; no wind, the gulls were heard high overhead and they were circling the old clock tower, almost bidding him on, driving him forward to make that last short journey and put an end to this thing once and for all.

In good time, all in his good time. He would sort this mess and when he was done, it would never need doing again. There was little doubt in his mind that he had no other options and every possible outcome had been played and replayed in his minds eye more times than was healthy.

There was only one way to do this and he understood only too well what he had to do. He would do just that, no more and no less. But first, he would watch. He would stop, take stock and just watch. As he stood, the sun had almost set over the town, the birds still circling and the lights coming on as the light faded.

The gentle lapping of the river on the banks broke the near silence and once again, he focused. He was watching. He wouldn’t have long to wait and then it would be over…