“You think maybe they’re still down in the tunnels?” said Rachel.

“Must be. I’ll go back down and look.”

“I’ll keep going up to the ticket hall,” said Rachel. “I’ll holler if I hear anything.”

“All right,” said Nick. “But be careful.”

“Ah, they’re only kids,” said Rachel, and she started up the escalator.

Nick ran off back the way he had come.

Rhiannon had been trying to hold her breath, to stop from making a sound, but it was too hard for her—she took a long rasping gasp of air that rattled in her throat, and Rachel’s flashlight beam swiveled around.

She came back down the stairs.

“Who’s that I hear?” she said softly. “Is that you, kids? Are you there? Don’t be scared, it’s only me. It’s Rachel. I know you must be terrified as anything, all alone up here in the dark. Don’t worry, I’ll look after you.”

As she spoke she reappeared at the bottom of the stairs and edged closer to the pile of trash, her voice soft and reassuring, like someone talking to a kitten or a frightened bird that had gotten into the house.

Now her flashlight beam fell on the three of them, and she smiled, tilting her head to one side.

“There you are, my lambs,” she cooed. “Don’t be frightened, now. Just look at you. You shouldn’t be out, should you?”

Sam could feel Rhiannon next to him trembling, and he could hear her breath scraping at her lungs. He gripped his butterfly pin tight.

“Come on. Come to Mommy. I’ll look after you. Haven’t we kept you warm and well fed? Hmm? Haven’t we kept you safe from harm, kept the bad ones away? Hmm? You don’t want to go out there into the big world, now, do you? Whatever would you do? All those crazies out there. You’re much safer with Rachel and Nick, now, aren’t you?”

She got herself into a position that blocked their escape, then straightened up and bellowed at the top of her voice.

“Ni-ick! I found ’em! They’re up here, love!”

“Get her!” shouted Sam, and he charged at her, butting her in the stomach with his head. She grunted and staggered back, but she was strong and Sam was small. It reminded him of play fights with his dad. His dad had pretended to be beaten, to be hurt, when Sam knew all along he could have picked him up and tossed him across the room.