‘Milo!’ she screams, but it’s too late. The bigger dog attacks, and the air is filled with a horrible mixture of growling and roars of pain and anger.

She doesn’t even think, she simply hurls herself into the hollow, using the branch to beat the nearest German Shepherd while kicking the other so hard that she feels the impact all the way up to her clenched teeth.

The animal whimpers and staggers away, and for a second, she thinks she’s won, but the dog she hit with the branch has simply spun around, and before she can react it has sunk its teeth into her left thigh.

Strangely enough, she feels no pain. Maybe she’s so full of adrenaline that the message can’t get through. She even has time to study the dog’s face, the black eyes, the upper jaw. She is surprised at her icy calm as she slams the end of the branch right between its eyes. The dog lets go and backs away a metre or so. Its teeth are still bared, but it doesn’t seem to feel like making a fresh attack. She is aware of a movement by her right leg. Milo has got to his feet. He is a mess, one ear is hanging off and his white fur is bloodstained, but his hackles are still up. The dog she kicked comes into her field of vision from the right. He is limping, and one ear is damaged just like Milo’s. It is showing its teeth and growling, but it doesn’t look as if it wants to continue the fight either. Anna stabs the branch in the direction of the nearest dog, which makes pain shoot through her leg. She gasps, but at least the dog immediately backs away. She does the same to the first dog and this time Milo joins in. The result is the same. The two German Shepherds look at each other as if they’re not quite sure what to do. The expressions on their faces and the damaged ear makes them look kind of pathetic rather than vicious.

‘You see – that’s what happens when you fuck around with the Vesper family!’ she says, without really knowing why. Milo steps forward and barks, just to drive the point home.

Anna turns and looks up the slope. They don’t have much time. The pain from the bite is definitely breaking through the adrenaline rush. The beam of a torch suddenly sweeps across the far side of the hollow and past the dogs before blinding her.

‘Good dogs!’ Marie shouts. ‘Attack!’

Both German Shepherds react immediately. Anna can hear them growling, but the light makes it difficult to see them. She shades her eyes, which helps a little.