I waited. Shifted position again. She has to come soon. She has to. Blackness tugged on my eyelids. I could not remember the last time I’d slept. I battled and battled against the urge to drift into delicious sleep and I won, for a time …

‘She’s here!’ Olivia’s voice hit my brain like a hammer.

My eyes flew open.

Metal scraped metal. I pulled the tights taut just as Mother began to tug on the door in the ceiling. She was strong but I was in a better position and prepared. My arm muscles clenched and I held fast to the tights as she tried and tried to open the door. I waited one more second. She had to be using maximum effort for this to work. I bit my lip and prayed again to a god I did not believe in, then I let go of the tights.

The door flew open and light burst into the blackness. Olivia gasped. I raced up the steps and out, out into the outside. Blinded, I raised the nail. Mother had fallen onto her back – just as I’d hoped. Sandwiches littered the ground. She was stunned and spluttering furiously, but she was already trying to stand. I threw myself onto her and straddled her ribs. Without hesitating, I stabbed the nail deep into her upper arm. She screamed and her eyes went wide with shock and pain. I pulled out the nail and tried to stab again but she roared and rolled over, sending me sprawling onto my side in the long grass.

She crawled away from me. I scrambled to my feet and chased her, nail raised. I jumped onto her back and wrapped my left arm around her throat. She seemed possessed by inhuman rage and tossed me off her back. I hit the ground like a rag doll and she turned and grabbed my wrists and straddled me.

‘Stop,’ she panted.

I struggled against her, writhing and thrusting and kicking out my legs, but she had me pinned. Still I thrashed and thrashed. I was possessed and I wasn’t giving in. Her hands squeezed my wrists so painfully that I nearly dropped the nail. Somehow I clung on to it. Sweat from her stringy hair dripped into my face when she shook her head. I tried not to focus on her glaring eyes, instead shifting my gaze to the blue sky and sparkling sun – so much beauty. My lungs burned. I could not go back in the shelter.