‘Do you want me to open it or not?’ Blue asked.

‘Yeah, yeah, in a minute,’ said Seamus and he swallowed, his Adam’s apple bobbing in his throat. ‘When I say so try to get the door up quickly and as soon as the gap’s wide enough we all go through in a rush. But ready, yeah? Ready to kill? I know you lot can kill or you wouldn’t have survived as long as you have.’

Yeah, thought Blue, we can kill, but the reason we’ve lived so long is we’re careful. This was all tipping out of his control. It was in situations like this that people got hurt.

He grabbed Einstein.

‘Take over here,’ he said. ‘When I say, turn it as hard and as fast as you can. Don’t stop till we’re all through.’

‘OK. OK.’ Einstein was still excited, shaking and jittery.

Blue marched to the centre of the door. A dull orange light showed under it where it had opened a crack. He could hear something echoing and distant. It sounded almost like music. He gripped his own spear tight. Realized he was scared. Out of his depth.

Monsters, Seamus had said. Could they be worse than a bunch of diseased adults? If only he knew what to expect. He hated Einstein for bringing him here. Hated Seamus for putting him in this situation. Hated himself for not knowing what to do.

‘How many of them are there?’

‘Not sure,’ said Seamus. ‘Ten at least.’

‘Ten? Is that all?’

‘You don’t know them, Rambo. Don’t know how dangerous they are. They’re not human, remember, they’re freaks, they’re deadly. We go in hard and fast and kill anything that moves. Don’t give them a chance.’

Blue looked at one of the other fathers. He didn’t speak, but bared his teeth in a doglike grin. Licked his lips.

‘Wind her up!’ Blue shouted, and he took up a defensive stance, ready for anything that might come under the door. What if it was a snake thing? Like Jackson had seen. How fast did they move?

He looked along the line. There was Seamus and his three friends, then Achilleus with Jackson, Ollie staying back in the second rank with his missile crew, Ebenezer looking like he was praying. Emily was over with Einstein. Good. They were out of the way there.

God, but the door was taking an eternity to go up. It was agonizingly slow, and loud. Any monsters on the other side would know they were coming for sure. Blue kept his eyes on the widening gap, looking for any signs of movement – shifting shadows, dark, skittering things … A drop of sweat dropped from his chin and hit the floor with a soft pat.

Then he mouthed the word ‘Maxie’ and Seamus was ducking under the door, yelling at the others to follow.