Lewis flung his arms around her waist, a broad smile spread across his face. ‘We need to hurry. Do you know what time Pete’ll be back?’

‘No, they just said it should be fairly early.’

There was nothing to take with them, so they unlocked the front door and threw it wide open. The cold air made Danny catch his breath; he hadn’t been outside for nearly a week and it felt good to step into the outside world, even if it was cold and rather misty. His legs were wobbly and he wondered if he’d be able to run.

Lewis grabbed his arm. ‘There’s no time to waste sightseeing – let’s try this way.’ He pulled Danny towards the trees but Sally stopped them, pointing in the other direction.

‘The road’s over there; shouldn’t we head that way?’

Lewis shook his head. ‘That’s the way Pete’ll come and the last thing we need is to bump into ’im an’ Neil on their way back. There’s a path through those trees – we might find a farmhouse with a telephone if we’re lucky.’ Lewis decided for them and they ran towards the trees. After barely fifty yards, they were stopped by the sound of a vehicle. The van was approaching from the other side of the house – it screeched to a halt as the driver saw the three escapees.

There was still another thirty or forty yards before they would reach the cover of the trees. Sally stopped and looked back.

‘Keep going, Mum, run, please!’ Lewis shouted. Sally turned to do as he said but she’d lost valuable time and slipped in the mud. Lewis ran back to help her up, urging her to try harder.

Danny was terrified – he too stopped momentarily when they heard the engine. His mouth was dry and he felt weak. His legs trembled and he thought they’d give way on him. Danny’s breathing was heavy; his chest hurt. If they could reach the wood, he thought, they might be able to hide or run through it and get away to safety.

Should he go back and help Lewis and Sally? he wondered, but Lewis was shouting at him to keep running.

Suddenly there was an explosive sound that seemed to stop the world on its axis. Birds flew out of the trees, squawking, startled by the noise – the unmistakable sound of a gun, followed by the thud of a body dropping onto the cold wet earth.

40

DAY 6