What John had on Mark in weight, Mark had in experience and speed. Mark stood his ground, watching as the lad moved towards him. He grabbed a pudgy arm, twisted it behind John’s back with ease, and used his momentum to push him back towards the bed. ‘Easy does it, lad,’ he said, whispering, hoping too much noise hadn’t been made. Even if they’d wrecked the room, he didn’t think John’s mum was about to burst through the door. Still, he wanted to keep this as quiet as possible.

‘Are you going to be good?’ Mark said, keeping a grip on the lad’s arm. He’d forced it behind his back, but wondered exactly how much damage he could do. He wasn’t exactly pliable. He guessed John had used all his energy running the six-foot distance between them. Now he was out of breath and sweating even more. ‘I’m not going to do anything but talk to you. If you want to make this more difficult, I’d rather know now.’

‘Fine,’ John replied, his shoulders sinking as his resistance fell. Mark let go of his arm and he promptly collapsed in a heap, his head dropping into his hands. ‘I’m sorry, I just… I just can’t take this anymore. It’s not fair.’

Mark shook his head, resisting the urge to sit down next to him and offer words of comfort. ‘You need to start talking to me. Now, John.’

‘I can’t…’

‘I’m not interested in can’t. This has gone too far. You need to tell me what’s going on. With Holly.’

‘You’ve found her, haven’t you? I didn’t think it would happen. Not really. She’s gone, hasn’t she? She’s not coming back.’

Mark tried to think quickly, not willing to let on how little he actually knew. ‘If you just tell me your side of things, we can sort this out. That sound fair?’

‘It’s not just her though, is it? It’s everything. It all got out of hand. I thought I was doing the right thing. I thought it was going to be okay, but it’s all gone wrong.’

‘John, I need you to calm down and talk me through it all.’ Mark still resisted sitting down, but placed a hand on a large dresser, which rocked a little as he did so. Even in the light from the lampshade above his head, it was still dark in the room. The bed was lying underneath the window, lengthways along the wall. It created a little space in the room, but it was still a small area. Not as claustrophobic as Charlie’s box room, but close enough. He chose his next words carefully, hoping to make John think he knew more than he did. ‘Start at the beginning. Tell me what you know about this Game.’