His heart thudded with fear. Meredith had once – just once – told him about what happened when the van she was in had stopped.

As if prompted by his terror, the van’s gears changed down with a crunch, and Pete felt it slow to a halt.

This was it.

Van door opening. Heavy footsteps, no voices. The click of a lighter. A pause. Pete couldn’t hear the inhalation, but imagined his kidnapper sucking on a cigarette, leaning contemplatively against the van side just inches away from him, perhaps keeping it alight to burn him with…

Then a few more footsteps, the crunch of the door opening. The glare of a torch in his eyes, and the sweet scent of country night air. A familiar, comforting smell: sheep and grass and sleepy, droopy-headed flowers after dark.

‘Rolled out, you bastard, did ya?’

A strange growly voice; Pete honestly couldn’t tell if it was high or low.

At least there only seemed to be one person out there. He could take him on. Kick him, hard, even though his feet were bare; his flip-flops having vanished at some point. Maybe kicking wouldn’t be so effective. He decided to think of him as Rolli, as the word ‘rolled’ had snagged in his head. Better to give him a name; made him feel less monstrous. Rolli was small, cute and cuddly. He, Pete, could take a Rolli.

He’d just have to bide his time.

‘Rolli’ hauled himself into the van, making it creak and rock. Silhouetted against the black night, he was barrel-shaped, solid. Wearing a balaclava. Not remotely small, cuddly or cute.

Pete’s heart sank. It was the same guy who’d taken Meredith, it had to be. Van, tape, balaclava. When would the knife be brandished? Pete could already see it glinting in the moonlight; imagine its flash through the air and the slice – or stab. Perhaps he’d be branded in the same place that Meredith was; they could have twin injuries. There was something faintly reassuring about that, even while the skin on his hands twitched with fearful anticipation at how much it would hurt to be impaled by a knife. But what could this guy want? What could they have ever done to deserve this?