Elspeth growled as she turned her head to where Fergus’ foot was still pressed on the back of her dislocated shoulder. Dropping her jaw, she latched on to his ankle and bit.

‘Bitch!’ Fergus screamed. ‘Oh my God, you evil bitch, let go!’

Her damaged arm flopping uselessly to one side, she grabbed his free leg with her good hand, keeping him still.

Fergus bent to beat her across the head and face, fists flying as he tried to pull his leg away.

‘Let me go,’ Meggy yelled at Xavier.

‘No way!’ he replied.

‘He’ll kill her,’ the girl said, working her fingers into the knots she had tied around her waist.

‘He’ll kill you, too.’ Xavier gripped harder than ever. ‘Get up here, Meggy, please!’

‘I want to,’ she sobbed. ‘I want to come back, but he cut off her finger because of me. It was all my fault. She stopped him from hurting me. I’m sorry.’ She gulped deep breaths, then released her grip on the sheet and dropped through thin air out of the loop.

In the moment, her courage failed her. She’d seen herself flying towards Fergus, aiming for his head, feet outstretched to do maximum damage, but her hands got the better of her bravado, flailing, reaching out for anything to reduce the speed of her descent. The pendant light was the only object between her and the floor, an Eighties-style uplighter lamp on a single cord that swung low in the room. Meggy’s hand slid down the cable, smacking onto the light bulb and dragging the fitting from its electrics as she went.

Glass shattering in her hand, the room turned black. The final feet of her fall were through blackness into the unknown. She could feel the multitude splinters of glass in her hand and had time to regret her decision as her up-tucked knees struck the back of Fergus’ shoulders. He crumpled beneath her, yelling as he fell, then her forehead was hitting the back of his skull, and they were both flying forward together. Another scream, this time Elspeth’s, as they bundled onto her fragile body. The light fitting landed on them all – more glass, a long snake of wire, and a metal frame.

Elspeth began choking again, and Meggy scrabbled to get off so she could breathe, avoiding Fergus’ fists as he hit out at whatever flesh he could find.

‘You’re dead,’ he slurred, and his voice was different, his words mushy.

She’d hurt him. The knowledge was a sliver of light in the darkness.