‘We are combing the aisles. We have eyes on all paths in the surrounding area. If they try to leave, they will be apprehended. If they are hiding, we will find them.’

A pause.

‘We are at a critical stage. We cannot allow the humans to threaten the success of the second generation.’

‘No human can defeat the hive.’

‘I will patrol the perimeter.’

‘I will return to stand guard.’

‘At all costs.’

‘At all costs.’

I try to steady my breathing as I listen to the crunch of their feet on the gravel path. That was too close. Then I count to one hundred before I start moving again, my mind replaying what we 105 just overheard. At all costs. What does that mean?

The ground around the side of the building is compacted, icy mud. Moving across it is tricky. I try to keep my feet from flying out from under me, while the back of my coat keeps snagging on splinters in the wooden wall I’m leaning up against. By the time we make it to the back of the building, I’m just about done.

‘I hope it’s still here,’ Kat whispers as she starts feeling around the wooden panels, gently pushing on each one.

‘What are we looking for?’ I say.

‘One of these should slide,’ she frowns. ‘Aha!’ The panel she’s jiggling moves slightly. ‘Give me a hand, it’s supposed to be quite stiff.’

Kat pushes, and Karim and I pull, and after a bit of wiggling the panel slides across, leaving just enough space to crawl inside. Kat goes first, followed by Karim, and I get another great view of his butt as I go behind him. Once we’re in, we pull the board back to hide the hole, but not quite all the way, so that we can get out quicker if we need to.

It’s dim to the point of almost dark inside the 106 building, with just a small amount of light coming in through a couple of grimy windows. And all I can see are Christmas trees, looming up around us. There must be hundreds of them – all different sizes – their needled branches silhouetted in the gloom.

We find a hollow, just big enough for the three of us, where we can finally sit.

‘This is nice,’ Kat smiles, once we’re huddled in together.

‘Can’t talk. Dying.’ Karim leans his head back and closes his eyes.

‘Have you got a snack, buddy?’ I say. ‘You should eat.’

Karim nods and pulls a cereal bar out of his pouch.

‘First of all, I need to know how you found this place, Kat?’ Even in the middle of trying not to be captured and spored by wasp people, the question had crossed my mind a couple of times.