A part of his mind tried to persuade him that the foot was already there when he went to bed – in his anger he could just have missed it, after all – but although he badly wanted to believe that was true he just couldn’t do it.

If the foot had been there when he climbed into the tent, he would have seen it. Or Matt would have seen it.

Unless…

Gary cast his mind back to the brief exchange he’d had with Matt before he’d climbed into the tent. He’d brushed Matt off, climbed in, and then Matt had followed him in not long after. But – and here was the real kicker – he hadn’t followed Gary in straight away.

It had been at least a couple of minutes between Gary getting into the tent and Matt joining him; plenty of time to go for a piss, clean your teeth, or maybe – just maybe – leave a nice little surprise for your old friend Gary to find the next morning.

But that was stupid, wasn’t it? Matt wasn’t the type of person to do something like that, and even if he was, where the fuck would he have suddenly found a rabbit’s foot?

What about if he had an ally? whispered the voice in Gary’s head. What if it’s all part of one big plan to make you look like stupid?

Gary thought back to the way Tom and Matt had behaved that afternoon. The talking among themselves. The quick glances. The whispering.

The whispering.

Gary glanced at Tom and James’ tent, over to his left, for any signs of movement. Was it possible that it had been them out there whispering earlier? Maybe the two of them were in on it together, and they’d just planted the foot now. Maybe all three of them were in on it.

Gary swept his eyes in a careful semi-circle around him, peering into the darkness for any slight sign of movement. There was nothing there.

They’ve got you good and spooked anyway, whispered his dad’s voice. You’re so fucking paranoid you don’t know what to do with yourself.

For a brief, horrible moment, Gary thought he might cry. He was standing out in the cold in the middle of fucking Rutmoor, no one was on his side, and even though he was over a hundred miles away from his father he could still hear the old bastard’s voice in his head.

Fuck this, he thought suddenly. If they’re looking for a reaction from me, they’ll get one.

Gary thumbed the light from his watch and held the thing up like a torch in front of him. He pointed it in the direction of Tom and James’ tent, then took a big step forward over the rabbit’s foot and started walking across the grass.