She slithered forward on her front like a snake, groping for her club. And now at last the family came awake. With surprising speed, the naked mother came at her, her long fingernails raised like claws. Maxie floundered around, trying to keep away from her and get into a position from which she could stand up. The mother raked her fingernails down Maxie’s arm, snapping two of them, but doing no damage. They were unable to penetrate Maxie’s leather jacket.

Now the other three were moving too, making the familiar hissing noise of angry grown-ups.

‘Hurry up!’ Maxie screamed.

‘Your feet are in the way,’ Blue shouted back.

‘Oh crap!’

Maxie drew her knees up, clearing the opening, and rolled on to her side towards where she thought her club was. She couldn’t see it, and couldn’t have picked it up anyway as she was having to use her hands to keep the family at bay. The daughter was scurrying around on all fours, snapping like a dog. The mother was trying to get her arms round Maxie. The son had stood up. He was tall. He swayed above the mother as if drunk. He had a long bone in one hand that he swung at Maxie, smacking her in the side of the head.

Maxie howled in pain and managed to kick the legs out from under him before he did any more damage. Then she had to return her attention to the mother, whose skin felt slimy and hot as she wrestled with her.

Only the father remained unmoved. He just sat there, nodding his head like a novelty toy.

‘Maxie!’

Blue was through. He stabbed the daughter in the back and put her out of action. She flopped to the floor and writhed around for a moment before going into an almighty spasm and freezing in a contorted shape like a startled kitten.

Blue used his boots to get the mother off Maxie, who was at last able to spring up and get sorted. She spotted the club where it had been shunted to one side in the scuffle.

She picked it up and, filled with a fury built from fear and frustration, she swung it with all her strength at the mother’s head. It made a nasty, wet slapping sound followed by a crack as her forehead slammed into the floor. Blood and brains mingled with the squalid debris in the room.

Blue meanwhile had skewered the son, and only the father was left.

He appeared to be smiling. And stroking something in his lap.

Blue stepped closer.

‘What is it?’ said Maxie.

‘Looks like we found Stacey.’

Maxie saw the girl’s head in the father’s hands.

‘Bastard.’ Blue stuck his sword into the father’s mouth and twisted.

The fight was over.

Maxie put her back to the wall and slid down to the floor, sobbing.