‘It was different, though. Tough. Much harder to do on a human. Bigger throat, tighter muscles, more resistance.’

‘Stop. Oliver, please stop,’ Louisa said.

‘You can’t have it both ways! You wanted the truth, so now you have to listen. Don’t we all follow the path of least resistance? I did what was easiest for us in the long run, Lou.’ His eyes glared, as though a film had appeared over the retinas. Dark, as though his pupils had swallowed his irises. Louisa’s stomach churned with acid. She looked to Melissa, afraid of her reaction. But she was standing still, no emotion showing on her face.

‘Where did you take her?’ Melissa’s voice a whisper in the silence of the night.

‘Oh, come on. You expect me to tell you that? I’m not going to prison for your stupid runaway of a sister, Melissa.’

The shriek seemed unnaturally loud. There was a waft of air as Melissa rushed past Louisa, causing her to step back in shock.

The hoarse grunt that followed confused her for a second.

Then, with a surge of panic, she knew.

She hadn’t noticed Melissa reaching into the bag she’d held under her arm.

Hadn’t noticed the blade.

And Oliver hadn’t noticed it quickly enough to move out of its way.

Now, Louisa looked on in horror as a dark patch appeared on Oliver’s shirt, and spread outwards like deep-red ink on blotting paper. Her eyes focused on the handle protruding from just below Oliver’s ribcage and her legs gave way. She fell to her knees on the stony ground, watching on helplessly as Oliver slumped back down to the sitting position he’d been in moments before, gasps of air the only sound she could hear.

‘Melissa … what the fuck have you done?’

Melissa was standing over Oliver, staring, saying nothing. Then she crouched down, and with one hand she reached for the knife.

Louisa closed her eyes, waiting for Oliver’s scream as Melissa removed it. She couldn’t bear to watch.

‘I guessed you would never tell me, so there was no point holding this off. The only way I’m ever going to feel better about what you did to Helen, to me, to Louisa, is to punish you myself.’

Louisa opened her eyes, and swallowing the acid liquid that had erupted into her mouth, she directed her gaze towards Oliver.

‘Oh, God.’ She couldn’t keep her stomach contents in any longer. Retching to the side of where she was kneeling, Louisa brought it all up, coughing and spluttering like Noah did when he gulped his milk too quickly and choked. She wiped her mouth with the back of her hand and tried to stand. She had to get away from the scene, as far away from the common as she could. She couldn’t have anything to do with this.