‘It’s people,’ she said, trying to keep the panic out of her voice. Now Malik looked back and swore.

‘It’s grown-ups, isn’t it?’ she said.

‘Yes,’ said Malik. ‘And something else. Something I don’t understand.’

Ella screamed as a father came crashing out of some bushes next to her and she cringed, waiting for him to attack her, but he ran past. He wasn’t interested in her. She realized now that the grown-ups weren’t running towards her, they were running away from something. Two more of them went past. Now Ella was really scared. Malik was hobbling and hopping and they were getting into a tangle of trees growing closely together, slowing them down. Another grown-up barged past and, distracted, Ella tripped and fell, pulling Malik down with her. She put her arms round her head to protect herself and looked up. There was no way forward and the grown-ups were having to get out of the woods into the open. She wasn’t used to seeing grown-ups during the day and she wasn’t used to seeing them run like this.

‘I don’t like it,’ she said. ‘What’s going on? What’s going on?’

They heard weird yelps and a noise like thunder coming through the woods. A squealing sound. The howls of animals.

‘Dogs,’ said Malik.

‘Are they that scared of dogs?’

‘And something else.’

‘You said. What is it? What something else?’

‘I don’t know. And I don’t want to stay and find out.’

A mother came stumbling and careering along, fell face first next to them and hit the ground with a screech. When she pushed herself up on her arms, her face was a mess of dirt and pus and blood, teeth missing, her nose flattened. Malik kicked her out of the way and dragged Ella to her feet.

There was only one way to go. They had to run with the pack and follow the grown-ups out into the open. Malik set off as fast as he could go, Ella leaping over roots and stones to keep up with him. And they were out of the woods, into another field, long grass holding them back. Tracks through it where the mothers and fathers had gone. And Ella saw that there were more grown-ups coming out of the trees on the far side of the field, joining the others in a swirling, confused mass in the centre, too spooked to go any further, and Malik and Ella were sucked in among them. And the noise of thunder grew and the squeals and howls, and Ella put her hands to her ears and screamed.

Then a line of horses broke from behind a long hedge, came galloping towards them.

They were being ridden by children. Armed with spears and clubs and carrying nets. They were shouting and blowing horns, dogs running at their side.