After a while he veered off into the big park. They jogged along the wide walkway that ran down the middle of it, trees lined up in neat rows on either side. The walkway ran dead straight. In one direction was a hill with the statue of a man on a horse on the top of it. In the other direction was the big castle she’d sometimes spotted off in the distance. And there, running down the path towards it, were three children.

Scarface got his binoculars out and watched them go. He made a sort of disappointed sound in his throat, like mhmph, and lowered the binoculars.

They looked in the other direction and Ella saw that a couple of scarecrows had appeared by the statue, standing there as if they were trying to stay as still as it was. And, as Ella watched, a group of grown-ups came over the crest of the hill next to them, stumbling along in a tight pack. Ella hoped Scarface wasn’t planning to attack them. It was different hunting ones that were asleep, or from behind. These ones would see him coming before he got close.

‘Come on,’ she said. ‘Let’s go home, yeah? You can’t kill them all. Not today.’

Scarface just sniffed and lifted up his binoculars again. Studying the grown-ups, who were walking steadily down the hill towards the start of the walkway.

‘Let’s go the other way,’ said Ella. ‘We’ve had a good day.’

Scarface seemed to think for a moment, then put his binoculars away and started to move towards the hill, getting faster and faster as he went. For a tiny fraction of a second Ella had a fantasy of turning and running in the other direction, towards the children, towards the castle. It would be safe there. There would be other children.

But she didn’t turn and she didn’t run. She was too scared to risk going off on her own. Too scared to leave Scarface. Instead she ran to catch up with him like an obedient puppy.