‘Sure as I can be.’ Ed opened his door. ‘At some point we all knew we were going to have to get out of the car.’

‘I already did,’ said Kyle, sliding his door open and climbing out. ‘Back there on the motorway. Or didn’t any of you losers notice?’

He got out and walked over towards the house, swinging his bloody axe idly in one hand. Lewis shoved his own door open and jumped down. Next out was Trinity. Lewis was impressed with how well the kids got about, joined up as they were. They had two normal legs, one each, with smaller shrivelled legs tucked up in between, under their body. They didn’t wobble or stumble at all, and seemed to use one brain when it came to manoeuvring. They walked over to join Kyle, and Lewis saw the third body on their back, sticking out below their pack. It looked dead, like an old mummy or a goblin, or something.

He thought he caught a movement in the corner of his eye and threw a look to the house. Sure he’d seen a face at a window, pale, like a ghost. No. Stupid. There were no ghosts. Zombies, yes. At least grown-ups who thought they were zombies. But no ghosts.

There was nothing at the window now. If there ever had been.

Next out were Brooke and Macca.

‘You cool with this?’ Macca asked Brooke, hovering too close to her.

‘You’ll look after me, won’t you?’ Brooke simpered.

Macca grinned, puffed up. ‘Sure,’ he said. ‘You don’t need to worry about anything as long as I’m around.’

Lewis grinned. That boy was so dumb. Couldn’t he see when someone was winding him up? Taking him for a ride? Getting ready to dump on him.

Lewis caught Brooke’s eye. She made a face behind Macca’s back and pointed at him – Can you believe this?

Lewis was waiting for it. The moment when Brooke dropped the bomb on him. Looking forward to it. Must be any second now.

‘I’ll get my crossbow down off the roof,’ said Macca. ‘I’m a bare good shot.’

‘One thing, Macca,’ said Brooke. Macca turned and hesitated.

‘Yeah?’

This was it. He was gonna get it now.

‘There’s one thing I want to say to you …’

‘Yeah?’

But Brooke never told him, because at that moment something dark unfolded itself from the roof of the car, leant over the edge and half fell on Macca.

He yelled in fright and jerked as if he’d been electrocuted.

It was a father. He must have been holding on to the roof rack. How had none of them seen him? He had Macca’s head locked in his arms and had sunk his rotten yellow teeth into his throat.