“Come on!”

Maxie set off with Freak in the direction of the sound, swinging the club in front of her to clear a path. They hadn’t gone far when two of the beasts suddenly reared up, clutching rocks.

“I’ll deal with them,” said Freak. “You get the kids.”

Maxie ran on. Hoping she was heading in the right direction.

“Joel!” she called out. “Where are you?”

Again—a small piping cry.

Maxie sped up.

There was a big black sky above and a feeling of space such as she hadn’t experienced in months. This had once been a cricket field, and it seemed to go on forever. If it hadn’t been for the fear wrenching at her stomach, she might have enjoyed this exhilarating feeling.

At last she spotted something in the darkness. Two small figures running full tilt across open ground. She roared at them to stop. They were too scared, however, and kept on running. Maxie put on a burst of speed and finally caught up with them and grabbed hold of one. It was Ella.

“Stop,” she said. “It’s me, Maxie. You have to come back.”

The other kid, Monkey Boy, now stopped, and Maxie held on to the two of them as they stood there sobbing and panting and babbling incoherently about monsters. But Maxie wasn’t listening. She had seen something behind the little kids that they hadn’t. It was approaching stealthily through the grass, bigger than the other animals. It came closer and reared up on its stubby legs, its arms out to either side like a wrestler. It had only one eye and a scarred, battered face. A crop of painful-looking boils nested in the crook of its neck. It stared at Maxie with its one big, black, glinting eye.

Maxie straightened up, the club raised ready to strike, never taking her eyes off the brute.

It tossed its head from side to side and quickly battered its chest with its fists, and at last Maxie understood what it was. A male chimpanzee, hairless and diseased, driven mad like the grown-ups. He pursed his huge lips and began to whoop. His call was taken up by the other apes. Maxie was sure he would strike, but a sad look settled over his face. He looked deflated, tired. He sighed, gave a last feeble whoop, then turned and walked off into the grass.

“It’s just a monkey,” said Maxie.

She picked up Ella, and they set off back to the others. On the way, they passed several more chimpanzees hurrying away through the grass.

Freak was standing where she’d left him. He picked up Monkey Boy and walked with Maxie.

A little farther along they heard something moving in the grass, and they froze.

Then Maxie smiled and knelt down. “It’s only Godzilla.”

But Godzilla was whimpering and shivering and nudging something with his nose. Maxie frowned and looked closer.