All she could do was hope her message had got through and they were on their way.

She was hungry, too. Guy had not come that morning – she thought it was around 8 a.m., so perhaps he had already gone into work.

Nothing to eat until tonight, then. She’d be fine. She didn’t care.

She looked at the lake. It was still, and empty. Perhaps the person she had signalled would come back for another look. She would keep her eye on the lake, just in case.

There was a click as the lock turned. So Guy was here after all.

He walked into the room. He was in dark jeans, trainers and a black T-shirt. It didn’t look like he was going to work at all. Was it the weekend? Had she missed some days?

‘Morning,’ he said. He looked tired, his expression serious. ‘Big day, today.’

‘You’re not going to the office?’

‘No.’

‘Is it Saturday?’

‘No. Wednesday. But I’ve had a rethink. Something came up.’

‘What happened?’ she said.

‘The police called me. They’re coming here, this afternoon.’

It was the SOS signal. It had worked. It had got out into the world, and its effects were rippling out, and now the police were coming here.

‘Why?’

‘It’s a long story, but it means we have to leave. Now.’

‘Where are we going?’

‘I’ll tell you on the way. But we have to go. Get yourself ready. I’ll be back in five minutes.’

The doorbell rang. He started, and then a look of fury crossed his face.

‘Fuck,’ he said. ‘Wait there.’

He slammed the door shut.

Annabelle smiled. This was it. This was the end.

Finn

1

Suneela had not wanted to get back together. She had not even really wanted to talk. She had only wanted to make sure he was all right.

I care about you, she said. We can be friends.

They could not be friends. Not now, not ever. If he couldn’t be her boyfriend he wanted nothing to do with her. He didn’t even want to think about her, not that he could stop himself.

What he wanted was to never have met her in the first place. It was too painful.

So he’d gone to see Eric, and play his PS4. As he was leaving, he’d remembered the SOS signal and mentioned it.

Eric raised an eyebrow. You should tell someone.

I will, he said. Tomorrow.

2

He was just past the Co-op on the way to school, when he saw two cops and remembered what Eric had said. He braked his bike to a stop next to them.

‘Excuse me,’ he said. The two cops turned to face him. One was a man; the other was a woman. He felt guilty talking to them, even though he knew he had done nothing.

‘Yes?’ the woman said.

‘I wanted— something happened last night.’

‘Keep going,’ she said.