Ed was first out of the car. His legs felt stiff and his back hurt. He tried to ease his muscles and loosen his joints. Lewis was next out. He shambled away from the car and took a piss in the long grass. As he did so, Kyle shifted into the driver’s seat and Ebenezer slipped out of the door on the far side without anyone paying him much attention.

Last out was Brooke. She slid her door back and sat on the step, watching.

‘So what have you got for us then?’ Ed asked. No harm in being optimistic.

‘This and that. Patience, dude. Josa’s on her way.’

‘Great. I can hardly wait.’

Kenton took the measure of Ed. Probably had him down as just some useless posh kid who’d lost one too many fights and got himself carved up in the process.

Kenton had no worries. He had his shotgun with him. It annoyed Ed the way he played with it, swinging it around in one hand like a toy, showing it off, but trying to look like it was no big deal. The message was pretty clear. He had a gun and Ed didn’t. No contest.

Ed and Lewis were unarmed, though there were weapons within reach on the roof. They didn’t want to risk provoking the locals.

Josa arrived with her team around her. Her boy band. She looked full of herself, enjoying the situation, being in power. She strutted across the car park, laughing and joking with her boys.

‘It’s been a long day.’ Ed kept his voice polite. ‘We want to get going.’

‘Yeah, yeah, yeah,’ said Josa. ‘We’ve had a chat. I’ve asked my guys what they know.’

‘And?’

Josa opened her hands in an empty gesture, an amused glint in her eye.

‘They don’t know nothing. Sorry and that, yeah? We ain’t seen no one from your gang up this way. Or out in the field. Ain’t heard nothing from any of the other camps.’

‘It took you all this time to find that out?’

‘I had to wash and get something to eat and put my little boy to bed and catch up on all the goss. The world don’t revolve around you, mister funny face.’

‘No,’ said Ed. ‘It appears to revolve around you.’

‘Mm. But listen, we ain’t gonna let you leave with nothing.’

‘That’s good of you.’

‘Your best bet is to go to Windsor. They got the biggest camp, the most kids. If I was coming out of London, and wanted to hook up with anyone around here, I’d head there. They got the castle. They stush.’

‘Our friends wanted to move to the country, to get away from towns.’