He let go and, as one of the guards glanced his way, collapsed back into a shrinking, shiver ball of misery.

Nice, I thought. At least we had one ace in the hole, even if it was locked up. Sooner or later, they’d underestimate him, and let him loose.

And then the joker would definitely be wild.

Eve returned from the bathroom, and Pete left; she leant against the wall and folded her arms, staring defiantly at our driver. He walked over to check Liz, slumped against the wall. I’d already done it. Her breathing was good, but I didn’t like the chalky pallor of her skin. Whatever they’d given her to put her out when they’d abducted her, it had really taken her down. I supposed we were lucky they hadn’t given us the same tranquillisers … yet.

‘I’ve been thinking about it,’ Eve said.

‘About what?’ I asked, still watching the driver.

‘I think you’re still an asshole.’ And she turned and slapped me. Hard enough to leave a mark. I blinked and caught her hand on the second attempt, and felt her other hand, disguised by all the drama, shove something into the pocket of my jeans. I didn’t look down, just straight into her face.

‘Well,’ I said, ‘I think I get your point.’ I shoved her backward, and the driver got to his feet, frowned, and opened up the steel door. He shoved Eve inside, then me, and dragged Liz in as well.

‘If you want to go at each other, do it in there,’ he said. ‘But I’m not sending in any bandages. You want to fight, you can just bleed freely.’

‘He’s not worth the effort of a punch,’ Eve said. She turned her back and walked away, arms folded again.

Pete arrived and was shoved inside, and the door boomed shut. I didn’t get a bathroom trip, probably to punish me for being myself.

The room, upon inspection, was a plain concrete box, no windows, nothing. There was a faintly antiseptic smell, as if it had been used for storage of medical supplies, but there was nothing left but us, and a small hand-sized drain in the centre of the floor. My dad had already said that a human body could fit through any size of hole large enough to accommodate the head; it was just a matter of dislocating enough bones. Yeah, he was fun that way.

But this hole wasn’t even big enough for my clenched fist, never mind my skull. So that was out. Fortunately.