It took a few moments for Danny to remember precisely where he was and when he did, a deep sense of fear again flooded his mind and his body shuddered. He sniffed; cold and hungry, he nodded at his visitor.

‘Wanna come downstairs to get it?’ Lewis seemed to be almost taunting him – the thought of food and getting out of the room was appealing to Danny, but did he mean it?

‘You can go to the bathroom if you like and get rid of that stinking bucket.’

Danny did need to pee and the bucket in the corner smelled disgusting. He moved to pick it up, half expecting Lewis to slam the door in his face and laugh at him from the other side.

‘Who’s downstairs?’ Danny whispered.

‘Just me mum but she’s still asleep.’

Hope surged through Danny’s mind; if she was sleeping and he could go downstairs perhaps he could get out. He was sure he could fight Lewis off if necessary; the boy looked as if a strong wind would blow him over. Danny moved towards the door, surprised when it wasn’t slammed in his face.

‘Bathroom’s down the hall.’ Lewis pointed, and Danny headed towards it.

Once inside he checked the window but only the tiny top pane opened and there was no way out from there. He emptied the bucket and used the toilet, then splashed his face with cold water before going back onto the landing.

‘Come on – we’ll get some grub.’ Lewis made for the stairs and Danny dutifully followed. The boy’s attitude towards him was puzzling. The previous night he seemed to be one of the kidnappers but that morning he was acting more like a friend, offering little concessions. It was totally weird.

The boys went downstairs. Danny’s eyes darted everywhere, mentally taking note of which would be the best way to get out. If there was only Lewis and his mother in the house, he felt sure he could outrun them, Danny was team captain for cross-country running at school, but he’d need to act swiftly before the men came back. The front door was the obvious choice. It was an old solid-looking door and would almost certainly be locked. A light shone from the opposite end of the hallway, possibly another door or a window?

As they entered the living room, Danny noticed it was almost as sparse as the room upstairs, just an ancient sofa, a chair and a small television on top of a coffee table. An open fireplace dominated the room but no fire was lit and it was equally as cold as the bedroom – how he longed for a little warmth. There was a strong musty smell and the walls were stained with damp patches, like the ones upstairs.