The guy with the glasses is shouting something at his friend, who shrugs and throws his hands in the air. Voices echo across the room, people offering advice – have the Guards been called? – heads are shaking, tongues are clucking, futile words of sympathy, anger, outrage flung about, but no one is moving, no one is going after Sammy. There is still time, the car is still there, the taxi man is only just opening the door. The blood is rushing in my ears, a roaring, and my body is suddenly jolted into action. I spit the water out.

‘Help her,’ I say out loud, or at least I think I do, because someone says, ‘What was that?’

‘Help her!’ I scream loudly. Those words that I swallowed earlier are erupting out of me. People run out the doors and someone manages to open the door of the taxi, but the driver is behind the wheel and revving the engine. The car begins to inch away as people start banging on the windows and doors. All the speed inside of me propels me through the door, and I launch myself at the car before it has had time to build up any momentum.

Sammy is hunched inside, her body curled into a tiny ball against the door. Sweet Mary, Mother of God, please help her, help her.

‘Jump, Sammy, jump!’ She would be better off hurling herself against the hard ground than anything else that might be in store for her.

I run to the front of the car and stand, blocking it.

The car swerves and screeches, but it doesn’t stop. I hear a crunch and feel a snap and I’m on my back, my arm crushed by something huge and heavy.

‘Jesus. Jesus.’

Voices, voices. I fall into darkness and weave my way into and out of the light, fighting to sit, fighting to run, fighting to breathe. Then I hear a loud wail on the air and hands lift me into another speeding vehicle with flashing lights. I can feel wet hot tears pouring down my face, gushing, like my dam has finally burst its banks, and I hear myself saying, ‘You must find her,’ before a mask is put over my mouth.

Someone is pushing the hair off my face and saying, ‘It’s ok, it’s ok, love. All over now.’