‘My name’s TV Boy,’ he said, and held out a dirty hand for Blue to shake, the fingers long and bent. Blue didn’t hesitate; he gripped the hand, squeezed it and then gave him the full homie handshake. TV Boy kept up with him and gave it back, finishing with a thumb press.

Blue smiled, introduced his team, and then it was TV Boy’s turn.

‘That’s the Warehouse Queen,’ he said, nodding at the girl, who remained expressionless but watchful. ‘She’s kind of in charge,’ TV Boy went on, ‘but she don’t say much. The boy wonder is Monstar. Half monster, all star. And he will kick your ass inside out if you step out of line.’

‘We ain’t stepping out of line if we can help it,’ said Blue. ‘But I have to tell you I don’t know where the line is right now. No offence and all, but this is bare strange. You gonna have to tell us just what the hell is going down here.’

‘OK,’ said TV Boy. ‘You want to know? We’ll show you.’

Chapter 59

59

This is the journal of Lettis Slingsbury. It is quiet now and I can write. Some things have been happening that I need to set down in the record.

My last entry was about the argument we were having about going outside to bury Gabby. I had to stop writing before because the others were distracting me and I never got to the end of the story. The story is still not over, but there is more to tell and while it is quiet again I can carry on with my writing.

I have read my last entry. I am sorry if it is not really good proper writing and too much of it is about me. I liked writing at school, but I’m not a professional obviously.

I was telling how the others were arguing and arguing about who would volunteer to be the first to go outside.

In the end I think it was Daryl who said it (I am trying to remember all this, and the words I am writing that people were saying are not necessarily the actual words they said, they are as close as I can remember and sometimes the right person might not have said the words I said they said, but it’s the best I can do under these difficult circumstances).