They strode briskly through the meeting point. Hassad glanced at the one corpse Porter had left behind, then glanced at Porter. He could tell from the expression on his face that he knew exactly what had happened. Porter jabbed him forward with the AK-47. They kept walking towards the room where Katie had been tied to a stake. Porter was struggling to keep track of time: he reckoned it was three thirty in the morning, but it could be as late as four. The two soldiers stood rigidly to attention as they saw them approach. Their own assault rifles were snapped into position.

‘It’s OK,’ said Hassad softly. ‘We’re just going inside for a moment.’

Smart, thought Porter. He knows they could shoot me, but it would be a bloodbath, and probably all four of us would die. Once you started letting off AK-47s in a confined space, the bullets would shred everyone. Better to let me inside: there’s still a chance he might be able to talk me into dropping the gun.

Pale light had spread across the room. Porter glanced at Katie. It was only a couple of hours or so since he had last seen her, but her condition was even worse. So far as he could see, she had lost consciousness: she could be sleeping, but with the pain she had endured Porter reckoned she’d gone under.

He kept his gun trained on Hassad.

‘Untie her,’ he snapped.

He knew his drill. Get her off the stake, then try and fight his way out of here, room by room. It was probably the worst plan he’d ever heard. Against so many men, there was practically no chance of success. But at least this way they’d take a few of the bastards with her. And it wouldn’t be on worldwide TV.

‘No,’ said Hassad, with quiet determination.

As he spoke, Porter could see Katie’s eyes slowly open. He could see the pain each movement caused her, but there was a glimmer of defiance in her expression. Her boss was right, thought Porter. The woman has nerves of steel. She glanced first at Hassad, then at Porter. ‘I …’ she croaked, coughing as she struggled to form the words on her lips.

Porter raised a hand to stop her from speaking. He pushed the AK-47 closer to Hassad’s chest. ‘Then she’ll at least have the satisfaction of watching you die first,’ he said. ‘And then I’ll untie her myself.’

‘I hope she enjoys the show.’

‘Please just do …’ started Katie, her voice turning into a cough.

While Porter’s attention was distracted, Hassad leapt forwards, smashing the AK-47 from Porter’s grip as he did so. He jammed as hard as he could on the trigger, loosening off a few rounds of bullets, but the barrel of the gun had already been deflected, and the shots smashed harmlessly into the solid stone walls of the cell. Christ, thought Porter. The noise of that gunfire is certain to alert the rest of the guards.