By the time I’d finished, no one, and I mean no one, would dare come after me and mine again.

Ever.

two. Libby

The silence in the basement after the last nail had been hammered home was deafening. I stared at the now boarded-up door, unable to look away. Troy and I had escaped; we’d even made it all the way to the harbour wall, but then I’d spoiled everything by not jumping into the river when we had the chance. And Troy had refused to jump in and escape without me. So stupid. If he’d left me behind and swum for the opposite bank, he could’ve escaped. He could’ve been miles away by now and getting help. But I can’t swim and was too terrified to leap into the murky, dark water. Thanks to me, we’d both been recaptured and brought back to this hellhole basement.

And we were going to turn into dust down here.

Troy launched himself at the door, bouncing off it like a tennis ball to ricochet off the banister handrail behind him at the top of the stairs.

‘Oof!’ He rubbed his shoulder, then his back, before he tried again.

Surprise, surprise! The same thing happened, except this time it looked like it hurt much more.

‘Troy, you’re wasting your time,’ I said.

For heaven’s sake, if we couldn’t open the door before it was boarded up, what on earth made him think he could burst through it now? He glared at the door and leaned forward, slightly side-on, head down like some kind of demented charging bull. He flung himself at the door yet again, shoulder first. This time the rebound threw him backwards onto the handrail behind him again, except the rail cracked and snapped, and, with a startled cry, Troy fell through it, his arms flailing like a fledgling’s wings.

I rushed forward, thinking I could catch him and break his fall or something. But I was too late. Troy hit the ground with a sickening thud, crumpling up like a concertina.

‘TROY!’ I rushed to his side, kneeling beside his motionless body. He lay half on his side, half on his back. I took his hand in mine and fumbled around on his wrist for a pulse, but I couldn’t feel one.

I couldn’t find one.

TROY—

Serves me right.