Some of them were already fighting, a few stronger runners trying to take down weaker ones. Two girls had stopped completely and were laying into each other. There were collisions, shoving and punching, but the main body of runners kept on coming.

Ed had faced up to enough rabid sickos in his time not to be scared by a bunch of kids, and was more amused than anything. He got himself ready, shutting down any outside distractions. He knew that the hardest part of taking on a pack was choosing which individual to go for and not being confused by too much choice.

The Windsor kids had formed up into a sort of ram, with two large boys at their head and the rest massed behind them in a column. It looked like they were going to try to blast their way through over to Ed’s right, so he didn’t have to worry about them for the moment. The Sandhurst kids were relying on their size and strength and intimidating look. They were singing a song to the tune of Carmina Burana as they came.

We’re Sandhurst kids.

We’re Sandhurst kids

And we will kick your arses!

The rest of the runners were coming in an unruly mass, the Ascot kids scattered among them. Ed saw one stumble and fall and get trampled on, and he wondered whether any of them were even going to make it as far as the catchers.

And then there was no time to think as the two groups clashed.

Ed saw a blur of faces and bodies and picked out a slightly smaller kid, a boy wearing the green shirt of Bracknell. He was nippy, dodging about between the catchers, and had easily slipped past Sophie. Ed lunged at him, got hold of his shirt, swung him round and slammed him to the ground, slightly harder than he’d been meaning to. The kid cried out and was too winded to get up. Ed saw that Kyle had got hold of another Bracknell kid and thrown him down as well. Now Ed had to decide whether to hold on to his captive or try to knock down another.

Before he could make a decision, though, a Bracknell catcher nipped over, grabbed the boy and pulled him into the Bracknell area. Ed was going to go after him when he saw that the Slough catchers had caught one of the Ascot runners. Two girls had hold of his arms and looked like they were trying to tear him in half. Ed barged into the Slough section and slammed the two girls into each other. They were so surprised they let go of the Ascot runner, and Ed and Kyle cleared a path through to the back of the catching area and sent him on his way home. So that was at least one they’d got through.