Her eyes snapped open as she sensed movement, and in that split second her world froze. Numb with fear, she caught sight of a reflection on the pane of her bedroom window. Someone was standing over her. A solid mass of black. She opened her mouth to scream and was silenced by a leather-gloved hand over her mouth. Her teeth crashed against her gum as she tried to bite down. White starbursts flashed in her vision as she received a sudden blow to the head. Fighting for breath, she swallowed the trickle of blood running from her gums. She kicked and thrashed in the bed, her eyes wild with fear as she tried to gain sight of her attacker. She screamed into the pillow as her head was pushed down, but it was a muffled cry. Her left earbud was ripped out in the struggle, and instead of Taylor Swift, all she could hear was a wet, rasping breath. And the smell … damp blankets, sweat and something else … Her eyes grew wide as she emitted another muffled scream. Fire. The candle had shifted on her bedside and had caught onto her curtains. She wriggled and squirmed as a muffled gargle left her throat. Her attacker was on top of her now, forcing her face down further into her pillow. Panic filled her being as her lungs burned for breath. Grunting, she felt them fumble … oh God no. Please no.

Then a zipping sound, hard plastic ties against her wrists as they were tightly bound. Zip ties, she thought. They’re zip ties. The weight of the body pinning her down shifted as they swivelled, fastening ties on her ankles. Levering her face to one side she inhaled a wet, rasping breath. In the window, she watched the black figure, head down, intent on immobilising her. Before she could scream, her face was pushed back down into the pillow, one of her earbuds squashed up against her nose. On Taylor Swift sang, ‘oh, oh, oh, oh,’ while Libby was bone cold with fear.

Was this how Angelica ended up before she was found in the woods? If the Midnight Man catches you, he kills you and pulls out your insides, piece by piece. Jahmelia’s words returned to haunt her. She wanted to scream that she had won the game. She didn’t deserve to die! Tears streamed down the side of her face as the attacker worked in silence to immobilise her. She shook her head furiously as a rag was wrapped around her mouth. Gagging, she recognised the rotting, sour smell. Blackhall Manor.