‘Please, please help us!’ cried one of the men by the sofa. He was shaking with fear. His face was grey and his eyes had sunk. He looked what he was: a physical wreck who had lost all his dignity.

Suddenly, they heard the sounds of motorbikes starting up. Willie instinctively ran to the back door to see two men on scrambler bikes, who were tearing across the field, away from the cottage.

He shot back to Mike, who was still staring at the grim remains of the woman.

Mike snapped out of his trance. ‘Staffie, frisk these men, will ya?’

Staffie dragged one of them away from the sofa and patted him down. ‘He’s clean.’ He then did the same to the other man, who also didn’t put up a struggle.

‘Who are ya?’ asked Mike once again.

The paler of the two, replied, ‘I’m Serco and my friend is Fabian. We need help. She . . . ’ – he pointed to the dead woman – ‘has already died, and I am sick. Are you the police?’

‘No, we ain’t. Who gutted her and why?’

Serco looked down in shame. ‘A man called the Governor. We were all supposed to be paid but not until the men had our drugs. They are still inside us. She’s dead because her parcels exploded. She died before she could even see dis country.’

Staffie felt his stomach churn so much, he had to go outside to get some fresh air.

‘Please help us. One of the parcels is leaking inside me. I feel it. I am unwell, and I know I will die soon like Cillag did.’

‘So the men who’ve just left were waiting for you to discharge your drugs, then?’

‘Yes, they would not let us leave. They said we had to produce the parcels first, but I cannot pass them. The flight has made me not able to shit.’

Mike looked at Fabian. ‘And you?’

Fabian shook his head. ‘Same as him, but the men were impatient. They said if we do not give them the goods, then we will be cut open, like her.’

‘Staffie, do us a favour, will ya? Take ’em to the hospital. Me and Willie will stay here. I wanna see who turns up. Serco, my mate, here, will get you help. But, tell me, what does this Governor look like?’

Serco replied, ‘Like you, he’s a big man, with short hair, but maybe he’s older.’

‘And how did you get here?’

‘We came by aeroplane.’

‘Did this Governor geezer meet you at the airport?’

Serco shook his head. ‘No, another man, a younger man did. He came and brought us here.’

‘How the fuck did they let you on a plane?’