The bang was audible across the whole park, reverberating from the advanced track, above the heads of the spectators, over to the beginner’s track and the cashier’s booth. In the cafeteria, it made everyone turn their heads towards the door. A communal look of concern spread from face to face, and Jamie felt all the blood drain from his. He knew it in an instant: something terrible had happened to Paul.

He jumped to his feet. ‘I’ve got to go and see,’ he said in a tremulous voice.

Kirsty stood up and grabbed his arm. Around them, other people were standing up, drifting over to the windows and door to see if they could catch a glimpse of what was going on. ‘We’ll come with you.’

They headed towards the door. Jamie broke into a run as soon as they got outside, Kirsty, Heather and Lucy following close behind. He pushed through the maddening crowd, headed towards the advanced track. Further ahead, he could see half-a-dozen blue-overalled attendants running in the same direction. Two of them were carrying a stretcher.

The crowd thickened nearer the track, and as they got closer Jamie could smell smoke. He ran to the front of the crowd, stopping where the go-karts were lined up, ready to take people on the ride of their lives.

Somebody was lying on the track near the starting line, surrounded by medics and attendants. Two medics laid the stretcher on the ground and the process began of shifting the person onto the stretcher. As they lifted the person Kirsty, Heather and Lucy arrived by Jamie’s side and the person’s face became visible.

Jamie saw Chris standing there, looking down at Paul on the stretcher.

Heather cried out.

She ran towards the wall of tyres and tried to throw herself over it, panicking so much she didn’t realise that a few feet to the right was a gap which would have allowed her onto the track without this athletic display. She shouted, ‘Paul!’ and as she hurtled over the top of the tyres, she was caught by two of the attendants, who stopped her from throwing herself on her prone boyfriend.

Jamie, Kirsty and Lucy moved around the wall of tyres onto the track. Chris was standing over the other side. Jamie saw him look at Lucy, then look away.

Jamie caught hold of an attendant’s arm. ‘What happened? Is he dead? Tell me!’’

It was the same man who had advised them earlier. He wiped his face with his sleeve. ‘No, he’s not dead.’

Jamie exhaled with relief. He could see Heather, just a few feet away, kneeling beside Paul, tears rolling down her cheeks.

‘What happened?’

The man looked over at Chris – whose face was downcast, staring at the track – then back at Jamie.