I sank onto the vacant chair beside her, and she laid her head on my lap before closing her eyes again. Within seconds she was asleep. I leaned my own head back and closed my eyes, and it wasn’t long before I had joined her.

I woke to the sound of the door unlocking. This time it was Mayer, in a fresh suit, and accompanied by Louie and the other guard. The others woke, grumbling and stretching.

‘Sorry that took so long,’ said Mayer.

‘They kept us locked up like prisoners,’ I said.

‘I’m sorry about that,’ he said. ‘They just weren’t taking any chances.’ He gestured to the empty corridor behind him. ‘I need you all up and ready, because we’re going for a ride.’

We shuffled after him and the two guards. They led us down an echoing stairwell that terminated in an underground car park. Light from the street above filtered down a steep access ramp. It was bitingly cold and felt like late December or early January back home. I remembered the date on the calendar and wondered if perhaps it hadn’t been changed in a long while. I also couldn’t help but notice that the air smelled of burning wood, as if there was a fire nearby.

Apart from two old and dusty-looking limousines that had to be at least thirty years old, the car park was empty. Louie guided us all towards one of the limousines, before pulling open the rear door and gesturing to us to get in.

I paused by the door, my teeth chattering from the cold, and looked over at Mayer.

‘Go on,’ said Mayer. ‘I’ll be in the other car, right behind you.’

‘What about Yuichi?’ I demanded. ‘Where did they take him?’

‘He’s in there,’ said Mayer. ‘Just get in.’

I dipped my head and peered into the darkened interior of the limousine and saw a grinning Yuichi, his leg wrapped up in heavy bandages, a pair of crutches by his side.

‘Don’t look so surprised,’ he said. ‘Just get the hell in before you let all the warm air out.’

We piled in around him, laughing and chattering and suddenly I felt that everything was going to be all right after all. We got comfortable on two dark leather couches facing each other across the rear compartment while Louie got in behind the wheel, the back of his head visible through a thick sheet of glass separating him from us. It wasn’t long before we were underway, driving up the ramp and onto a broad avenue streaked with slushy snow.