It was sunny outside. The world looked green and fresh. Ollie had taken a moment to soak it all up and enjoy the solitude. Pretend it was the old days, before the fear set in. He had plenty of time. They’d been held up for ages trying to sort out Caspar, the kid whose foot had been half bitten off by dogs. He’d made it through the night and was now finally asleep. Asleep or in a coma. Who knew? Drenched in sweat, his eyes flicking about under his lids. His breathing was very shallow and fluttery and he was pretty weak. It was obvious they couldn’t move him just yet, which was why the arguments had started downstairs.

So Ollie had left them to it, climbed the stone steps to the top of the steeple and leant on the parapet, watching the birds flapping about in the trees. So many of them. This was their world now. Not exactly quiet – they were making a right old racket – but peaceful.

Once he went back downstairs, however, he was right back in it, the arguing and the fighting and the tension, the wailing and the panic. It was business as usual. The day-to-day grind of making battle plans and hoping to survive till the next meal.

And shouting. Always shouting.

He could see that the museum kids weren’t too happy about Blue’s announcement. Some of them were clustered round him, having a go.

Shouting.

Blue stared them down until they fell quiet again. Then he pointed at Caspar lying on a pew.

‘All right then,’ he said. ‘You pick him up and dump him in one of your stupid trolleys and we’ll wheel him out there, yeah? How long do you think he’ll last? As I get it from talking to Einstein last night, where we’re headed ain’t so far away. So I’m going to take a small group of experienced fighters rather than dragging all you museum noobs along. You’ll only get in the way and slow us down. You are gonna stay here and barricade yourselves in, yeah? No way any grown-ups can get in.’ Blue showed no emotions at all, neither happy nor sad. He was just stating how things were.

‘You’ll be a lot safer than out there on the streets with us. You can look after Caspar. Make sure he’s all right. If any of you got a better idea let’s have it.’

Nobody said anything.

‘OK. For now, we’re leaving behind the trolleys too.’

Einstein made to protest, but Blue cut him dead with a look.

‘Once you’ve found what you’re looking for we’ll carry it here if we can. Otherwise we leave it, come back for the trolleys and everyone else. By then we’ll know what it’s like out there. No one got any problem with that …? Good.’