I saw the bee-brain’s grimace grow wider and wider, until it gaped like a cavernous wound. Its head almost seemed to split apart like a piece of rotten fruit and, to my eternal horror, a dark cloud emerged from the depths of its gullet, streaming upwards before pooling in a buzzing mass above it.

A cloud of bees, I saw, the sound of their swarming filling the otherwise silent street. I fought back a rush of bile in the back of my throat, and understood that the bee-brains had been more than aptly named. I turned to see a number of the creatures blocking our retreat do the same, their mouths splitting open and clouds of bees emerging from deep in their throats.

‘Run,’ said Nadia. ‘Go for the river!’

I obeyed her without hesitation, dashing towards the riverside warehouses and into a narrow alley separating two of them. I heard Nadia and Oskar running to catch up, but then Lucky bounded past us, beating us all to the water’s edge.

I heard, rather than saw, Nadia stumble in the dark, and I stopped just long enough to haul her back upright while she cursed and hissed under her breath. From the way she was holding herself, it was clear she’d twisted her ankle at the very least. She grabbed hold of my arm and held on as we both ran the rest of the way to the dock, the river’s water black under the rising moon. The far shore looked as if it was maybe thirty metres away, but at least it appeared to be deserted.

‘How bad is it?’ I asked Nadia. ‘Can you swim?’

‘Just get in the fucking water,’ she said, hobbling back from me and stripping off her heavy jacket before discarding it on the ground. She limped past me towards the edge of the dock and threw herself into the water with a loud splash.

I could hear the buzzing of insects drawing nearer. I glanced back along the alley between warehouses, seeing the night patrol stumbling towards us, the wide black slashes of their mouths full of dreadful promise.

Oskar and Lucky were next into the water. I slung my rifle over my shoulder and stepped off the jetty. The water was far colder than I had anticipated, so much so that my chest started to cramp from the shock. I pushed hard towards the opposite shore regardless.

I heard Oskar shouting from somewhere close by, his voice full of panic. I came to a halt, kicking my legs to stay upright in the freezing water. I looked around until I saw him, barely visible in the moonlight, gesturing wildly towards the opposite shore.