‘Faster, Lewis.’ That was Ebenezer in the back. He was a tough kid, not much fazed him, but he sounded worried, scared even.

‘Can’t go no faster,’ said Lewis. ‘Is like driving through heavy mud, man. Like driving through trees.’

‘This is stupid,’ said Brooke, and Lewis looked at her in the rear-view mirror. ‘We need to get out of this.’

You’re telling me, thought Lewis. Trying to speed up didn’t make any difference. There were just too many of them. A mother was right up on the bonnet, squatting there, legs bare and scabby, and she was beating on the windscreen with her fists.

More grown-ups climbed up next to her. Lewis turned to his side window. It was jammed with faces, pressing against the glass, gums exposed, smearing their head juices everywhere.

And then the car started to sway from side to side.

Lewis remembered the riots. Watching TV footage of police vans being rocked. Tipped over.

‘Go back!’ Brooke shouted. ‘Lewis, go back. Get it in reverse. We can’t drive through this. This is crazy.’

Lewis didn’t need to be told twice. He pulled the gear lever back, finding reverse. Trying the accelerator. Nothing much happening.

Nobody was talking inside the car now. Everyone was feeling the tension, worried that they’d be trapped. Lewis turned the volume up on the sound system to drown out the thunder of beating fists and skulls and boots and whatever else the sickos were slamming against the car.

The engine whined as the car slowly eased its way backwards. There were more bumps underneath as they went over fallen grown-ups.

Stay cool.

He could see nothing out of the rear window. It was black with bodies. The three kids on the back seat were twisted round, hoping to see daylight, a break in the wall of flesh.

‘Sod this!’ Kyle shouted, and before anyone could stop him he wrenched his door open and was jumping out of the car, clutching the big battleaxe he’d had between his knees.

Chapter 36

36

Chaos. Kyle butting grown-ups with the axe handle. Shouts from the other kids. Ed trying to call him back. Trio screaming. Trey telling her to shut up.

There was a spray of blood across the back window. The flash of a blade chopping down. Light was getting through. Had Kyle cleared a path? Only thing was, if Lewis sped up and reversed away there was a danger he’d leave Kyle behind.

‘What do I do?’ he said.

‘Bloody Kyle,’ Ed muttered. ‘Bloody idiot.’

‘There he is!’ Brooke shouted and Macca leant across between the seats and grabbed hold of Kyle as he tumbled back in through the open door.

‘Floor it, man!’ he yelled and Lewis stamped down hard. The car surged backwards. More thumps, bumps and rattles underneath. It skidded and swerved.

‘It’s OK,’ said Ebenezer. ‘The road is clear. Kyle did it.’