‘That was for the M25,’ Ed explained, and he double-checked his map. ‘If we go that way we have to do a big loop up to the M40 and along before we can get back to where we want to be.’

‘Then I vote we ram them,’ said Kyle. ‘Ten points for each one you splatter, Lewis. This’ll be just like one of them challenges off of Top Gear.’

Ed wished Will was here. He’d know what to do. He always thought things through, worked out the consequences.

Will wasn’t here, though, was he? Ed had to make the decision alone. He looked at Lewis.

‘Might as well give it a try, I suppose.’

‘Hold on to your hats,’ Kyle shouted. ‘It’s going to be a bumpy ride!’

Chapter 35

35

Lewis nodded.

‘Cool.’

He’d got away with it so far. They hadn’t called him out on his driving. He’d only driven a real car a couple of times before. He’d picked up most of his driving skills from his PlayStation. He loved driving games. Used to have a state-of-the-art steering-wheel controller. Man, he missed that PlayStation.

The two times he’d driven a real car it had been totally illegal. He’d had a mate called Altan who’d been obsessed with cars, kept nicking them, and twice he’d let Lewis have a go. Only up the street and back. Altan had got himself killed riding a stolen scooter one night and after that Lewis went off the idea.

He hoped the others hadn’t noticed what a crap driver he was. They hadn’t said anything, too focused on other things. At least he hadn’t crashed.

‘Look at the bastards,’ said Kyle, leaning forward between the front seats.

‘Sickos?’ said Lewis. ‘Is what you call ’em, yeah?’

‘That’s what they are,’ said Kyle. ‘Not human no more, just bags of pus and bad blood.’

‘Sickos. Yeah … I get that.’

It was a good name for them. Felt right.

And now Lewis had to steer into them.

Driving into a mob of people. That was something else. Wasn’t sure if he could pull this off. He’d give it a go, though. Never let anyone know you had any doubts. That was the game. Stay cool.

He looked in the rear-view mirror. Trey and Trio had their hands clamped over their ears and were rocking in their seats, muttering to themselves. They’d tried to warn him. Maybe Lewis should have listened to them.

Ed was giving him instructions, and he was only half listening.

‘Not so fast that you lose control and damage the car … Not so slow that they can crowd in on us …’