‘I had to let them in,’ she went on. ‘You know that. We couldn’t leave them out there to get killed, could we? And anyway, if the grown-ups do attack, it’ll be helpful to have some more people to fight them off, won’t it?’

Scarface just shrugged again.

‘So what do you think?’ Ella asked. ‘That I should have just let them get splatted by your trap? Would you have liked that?’

Scarface gave Ella one of his sort-of-smiles. That made her feel better.

‘I didn’t tell them about the food and the chickens,’ she said. ‘And I scared them. I told them how fierce you are. How you’re the biggest killer on the planet. How they don’t want to mess with you. Is that right? Did I do the right thing?’

Again all she got was a shrug. She hated it when Scarface was grumpy like this. She wanted to make him laugh.

‘I didn’t tell them about your books, and how you’re secretly a wimp and into baking and ballet and Justin Bieber. How your name is really Face-Ache the Belieber.’

Scarface gave two quick snorts through his nose. It might have been a laugh. Ella told herself it was.

‘I’d better go and see what they’re doing,’ she said, trying to keep busy, trying not to think about the grown-ups getting closer. She looked to see if he had anything to add and, just as she had expected, he shrugged again.

Bloody grumpy old Face-Ache.

Daniel and Harry were sitting on some old logs that Scarface had set up like seats in the middle of the yard. They were checking their weapons and chatting nervously. There was no sign of the two girls.

‘Where’s Sonya and Louisa?’ asked Ella, trying to sound casual.

‘Dunno,’ said Harry.

Ella strolled off, trying not to hurry. Where were they? What were they doing? She looked everywhere, as the shadows of night deepened, and eventually found them by the chicken barn, fiddling with the locks.

‘You need to be careful,’ she said, going over to them. ‘He’s got traps everywhere.’

‘What’s in here?’ said Sonya.

‘Farm stuff, I think,’ said Ella. ‘Tools and that.’

‘There’s a funny smell.’

‘That’s a farm smell.’

‘Like animals.’

‘There were animals here before, I think.’

‘If we’re gonna be safe, we need to get inside a building,’ said Louisa.

‘We live in the big barn,’ said Ella. ‘That’ll be the best place – we’ll all go in there.’

‘Why not the farmhouse?’

‘Oh, I never go in there.’

‘Why not?’

‘You know …’ Ella had no idea what to say next. Why couldn’t Scarface deal with all this? ‘Shall I take something up to Isaac?’ was all she could think of.