“Go with them,” she said. “I need someone levelheaded in there.”

“Sure.” Ollie followed the others inside as Maxie clapped her hands and started shouting, moving among the kids.

“Okay. Let’s not get soft. We should be in battle formation. Small kids in the middle, larger ones form a ring. Blue, you take the west side. I’ll take the east. Come on, move it!”

Ollie smiled. This was good. Maxie was doing well. He only hoped that it wasn’t a mistake sending the scouting party into the store. They were some of the best fighters. They couldn’t afford to lose any of them.

Them? Surely he meant us. Ollie was in on this. It’s funny, he thought as he slipped into the darkness. You always thought it was someone else who was going to die, not you.

It was dark in the store. There were no windows to the outside world. The flashlights of the scouting party scoured the murk of what used to be the perfume and makeup department. There were broken glass cabinets and display stands everywhere, draped with cobwebs. Some of the signs and logos were still in one piece, but there was a forlorn, deserted feel about the place, and smashed bottles lay all over the floor.

The lingering smell of perfume hung in the air, sickly and cloying. There was no evidence of any recent human activity, though. It was very still and quiet.

“If we can’t find any clothes, we can always just swipe some perfume,” said Achilleus. “It’ll hide the stink at least.”

“Yeah,” said Lewis, sleepily scratching his head. “You can arrive at the palace smelling like a queen.”

“That’s right.” Achilleus laughed.

Big Mick had been searching the debris on the floor with his flashlight. “Look,” he said, picking something up. “This

one ain’t broken.”

“Show me that,” said Lewis, and Mick passed it to him.

“Moisturizer,” he said mockingly. “I know a few grown-ups could use some of this. They’ve really let themselves go since the disaster. Their skin care is appalling, bro.”

“We should keep moving,” said Sophie. “We’ve only got ten minutes. The clothing departments are upstairs, I think.”

“Sure.”

Sophie had to be very careful of what she said. She was well aware that at least half the kids hated her for killing Arran, even though it was an accident. She had to do all she could to get on their side.

They crossed the floor, glass crunching underfoot, and found the escalators. Lewis spotted a store map and ran his flashlight down it.

“Men’s first floor, women’s second floor.”

“Let’s quickly go up to the very top,” said Achilleus. “Then work our way down.”