‘I probably know more about the disease than anyone else in England,’ said Amelia. ‘And here am I, ninety-two, weak and feeble and helpless. I haven’t got much longer on this earth. How I’ve got to ninety-two quite frankly I have no idea … and all I know will die with me.’

‘Unless you tell us,’ said Trey, and he and Trio crossed the room to sit next to her on the sofa. ‘We could write it all down, or something.’

Amelia smiled at him and placed her hand on top of his. She stared into his face, trying to make sense of him, and was just about to ask him something when Lewis butted in.

‘Is it like this all around the world?’ he said. ‘Is it this bad everywhere?’

‘As far as we know. Everything looked hopeless. We gave up in the end. We closed the labs and I came here to be with Dot. By then all the staff had gone. Dead or run off. It was just the old people. Left to die. But we didn’t die. Because, before I left the labs, I was able to do one last thing. I had ultimate authority: the government had given orders that anything I needed I should have. The work I was doing was that important. So I made one last order.’

‘What was it?’ Ed asked.

‘Come along,’ said Amelia, struggling up off the sofa. ‘I’ll show you.’

Chapter 40

40

Ed was reminded of the secret drinks stash in Shadowman’s basement at the club in London. Only the shelves in the cellar here weren’t piled high with alcohol. It was food. Rows and rows of boxes and cans and bottles and jars and packets and plastic containers, all with identical packaging; plain white with black lettering – Emergency food supplies – with the date and contents and various government stamps and labels and warnings. There was fruit, vegetables, rice, pasta in sauce, meatballs, spam, noodles, condensed milk, long-life milk, fruit juice, biscuits. Anything you could think of, it was here. All kept neat and in order.

‘Three lorries turned up one morning,’ said Amelia. ‘And men in gas masks brought the food down here and put it on the shelves under my supervision, and I signed for it and they went away, and that was that. No questions asked. Just following orders. We’ve been living off it ever since. We have fresh food as well. There’s a large vegetable garden and an orchard. We keep a few chickens and ducks and pigeons.’

Ed looked along the shelves. He was reminded that those who had the food had the power. He remembered Mad Matt’s warehouse near St Paul’s. But what happened when it ran out? Could any of them grow enough food to live on?

‘You have to tell us what you learnt, Amelia,’ he said. ‘Is there any hope?’