‘I am saying. I’ve been saving this up for the right time. And now is that time.’

‘I don’t get it.’

‘You don’t have to get it. Just get in.’

Robbie dug a key fob out of his pocket, aimed it at the car and pressed a button with his thumb. The indicators flashed and there was a satisfying thunk as the doors unlocked. Maeve felt a little surge of excitement in her guts.

Robbie got up out of the wheelchair, opened the driver’s door and climbed in with some difficulty. Maeve hurried round to the passenger side while Boggle stayed outside to keep watch.

Maeve settled in next to Robbie, who was sitting behind the steering wheel with a huge smile on his face, like a kid on Christmas morning with a new toy.

‘Does it actually work?’ Maeve asked.

By way of a reply, Robbie stuck the key in the ignition and turned it. The engine came to life with a deep rumble.

‘Oh my God. Oh my God,’ said Maeve, trying not to sound like an overexcited little kid herself. ‘We can drive out of London. That is brilliant.’

‘Well, yeah,’ said Robbie. ‘There’s a slight problem, though.’

‘You can’t drive? You’re just going to sit there revving the engine and hooting the horn?’

‘I can drive. Least I can drive this baby. Not very well, to be honest, but I can do it. It’s automatic so there’s no gears, just two pedals, stop and go, and I can work them both with my good leg.’

‘So what’s the slight problem?’

‘Petrol.’

‘It’s empty?’

‘No. There’s some. Remember the first thing that happened when the disease came down on us?’

‘Yeah, the pumps dried up. All the petrol ran out.’

‘Exactly, there was no more deliveries. The tankers stopped sailing, the lorries stopped driving, there was panic buying, petrol riots. You remember how everything just sort of … stopped?’

‘Yeah,’ said Maeve, remembering those scary times. ‘We were all stuck.’

‘Most of the cars you see just sit there reminding us of how useless they are, how useless we are. No gas in them. No keys to start them. But not this one. Not my Raymonda.’

‘It’s called Raymonda?’

‘Why not? Gotta call it something. It was parked outside this house we was scavenging. And on my way out I’ve seen the keys, just sitting there on this shelf near the front door. I thought I’d give it a go and hey presto, hocus pocus, it started first time. So I drove it back here and parked it out of the way. It’ll be our freedom bus.’

‘So how much petrol is there then?’