Christ, he thought to himself. I sound just like that tosser Collinson. But what else am I meant to say?

‘Then we just have to put more pressure on them,’ said Hassad. He stood up. ‘Follow me.’

They started to move. Hassad was leading the way, and Nasri, Jabr and Asad were following on behind Porter. He walked down the corridor, through the meeting point of the tunnels, then straight towards the room where Katie Dartmouth was incarcerated. The door swung on its hinges, and Hassad stepped inside. Porter glanced into the room. Katie was still tied to the stake. She seemed close to losing consciousness. Her head had drooped to one side, and her eyes were so swollen it was as if they were bulging out of their sockets. There was a rotting stench of decay all around her, as if she had already died and her body had started to decompose. Maybe she already has died inside, thought Porter. Maybe she’s just waiting for the rest of her body to catch up.

Not many people would have the strength to survive five days in this hell.

Hassad muttered something in Arabic. In response, Asad walked across to the camcorder. He trained it straight on Katie, and then switched on a powerful light that illuminated her face. You could see her much more clearly now: every cut, bruise and scab on her skin was bathed in white light. Her eyes flinched from the lamp, and she tried to look away, but there wasn’t even enough strength in her eyeballs to turn away. A tear rolled down the side of her cheek. Then a gasp of pain escaped from her lips.

Christ, I can hardly bear to look, thought Porter. What the hell are the bastards doing now?

‘I need you to make a statement,’ said Hassad firmly, standing two feet in front of Katie, looking straight into her face.

‘Wha … wha …’

She was trying to speak, but the words died on her lips.

Hassad took half a step forwards. Porter could see Katie flinching. Like an abused child, she now expected to be hit whenever anyone approached her.

‘We will hold up some words on a card in front of you,’ he said. ‘We want you to look at the camera and read them out. We will send them through to the TV station you work for, and post them onto the Internet. When they wake up in the morning, the British people will be able to hear you making one last desperate appeal for your life.’

‘For Christ’s sake, man,’ growled Porter. ‘The woman is in no fit state to talk.’

‘Shut up,’ shouted Hassad.

‘You’re killing her tomorrow, isn’t that enough?’ said Porter.

‘I’ve already told you to keep out of this,’ said Hassad. There was a flash of anger across his face as he turned to Porter. ‘She will do exactly what she’s told to do.’ He turned back to face Katie again. ‘Now read,’ he snapped coldly.