‘Dunno, mate. We’ll see, we’ll see. I’ll tell you, though, Mick, whatever happens, when we get back to the museum we ain’t going anywhere for a bare long time. We are staying put and resting up.’

‘Sounds like a plan.’

‘I’m glad you like it, blood, cos it’s the only one I got.’

They were approaching the edge of the park and Mick could see houses through the trees.

‘You reckon there’s gonna be grown-ups out this way?’ he asked.

‘What do you think?’

‘I think we’ve had an easy start today, but it’s gonna get worse.’

‘It always gets worse,’ said Blue.

‘Yeah. That’s the one thing you can be sure of.’ Mick laughed.

It was quiet when they broke through the line of trees and got out on to the road. There was a row of old-fashioned-looking houses, those ones with fake wooden beams in the walls. They were dark, the windows broken, some of the doors hanging open. Dead and deserted. Cars covered in dirt and dust and bird shit stood on flat tyres.

Soon they came to a good wide road and Mick felt happier. This was an ugly part of town, made for cars rather than people, with lots of small businesses and offices. Didn’t bother Mick, though. It was familiar. The Holloway Road had been pretty butters, with its crappy shops and takeaway food joints.

They’d been walking for about fifteen minutes when they saw their first grown-up. A mother. Standing in an overgrown front garden, staring up at the sky, her arms straight out in front of her, as if reaching for something. They almost walked right past her. It was Mick who spotted her and he swore. The others stopped, made ready for a fight.

‘Leave it,’ said Blue. ‘She ain’t going nowhere. Look at her, she’s like one of them stupid living statues you used to get down Covent Garden.’

‘Are you saying we just ignore it?’ said Einstein. He obviously wanted to get a closer look, but was too scared. ‘Why’s it out in the sunlight like that? You can see her face is burnt.’

He was right. As well as being deformed by the usual growths and swellings, the mother’s skin was blistered and peeling. In fact, as Mick looked at her, he thought he could see her face sort of seething and boiling and twitching. He took a step closer. Maybe her brain had been completely eaten away? Maybe she was like a shell. Nothing inside. If you hit her head it might just crumple …