‘It’s dead,’ she said. ‘Congratulations, Claire. It’s quite a breakthrough. With a little more experimentation, we can understand everything about vampires – how to use them, how to control them properly. And it’s all thanks to you.’

‘I know,’ Claire said. ‘So’s this.’

She couldn’t hesitate, couldn’t stop to second-guess herself. She turned the weapon on Jesse and shot her, too. Then turned the gun on Myrnin. She didn’t have time to hold down the trigger quite as long before the guard started to rush her, clearly not sure whether this was a killing situation or not, and deciding to err on the side of caution.

It was enough time for her to smash VLAD against the concrete floor and destroy the delicate circuitry before he tackled her.

‘No!’ Anderson yelled, too late. Myrnin and Jesse were lifeless on the floor, like Oliver. ‘No, you fool, what did you do?’

‘I ended your experiment,’ Claire said, as the guards shoved her down to a kneeling position. ‘Because you’re not a scientist. You’re a monster. I’m not leaving any of them at your mercy.’

Anderson’s face turned red with fury, and she grabbed the wreckage of the weapon off the floor. ‘Shoot her!’ she shouted. ‘Shoot her, and shoot her friends, too. And bring me Michael. At least we’ve still got him!’

‘Come on,’ the guard said, and grabbed Claire by the collar of her shirt. ‘Might as well die with them. That was stupid, you know. Real stupid.’

Claire knew. But this time, doing something stupid was the only way she could outsmart her enemies.

Dr Davis was kneeling down next to the bodies. ‘Looks like they’re dead all right. In any case, they’re of no use to us now. Take them out of here and get rid of the bodies. Burn them.’

That was exactly right. Burning was the only way to truly be sure the vampires were dead. Davis wasn’t taking any chances … and Claire didn’t want him to take any, either. She needed the vampires to be unlocked.

The air outside of the barn was brisk and cold, and it tasted like snow was coming, even though the sun was still shining. A pretty morning. Probably the last sunrise she’d ever see.

She’d kind of given up on the crazy idea of surviving this, she realised, and that made it possible to take in a deep breath and enjoy the last few moments in the world. She’d done what she could. And maybe it would work out.

But most probably, it wouldn’t. The barn seemed deathly quiet behind them. She pictured Dr Davis’s lab monkeys unchaining Jesse, and Myrnin, and Oliver … and she could see it so vividly in her mind, the limp, dead way their bodies slumped to the floor.

She’d either saved them, or destroyed them. There was no middle ground.