Heath groaned beside me. ‘You fucker. You fucking …’ I leaned over to unlock the doors, but before I could do anything to stop him, he grabbed me by my throat. A searing pain rocked me and I could do nothing to stop the cry that billowed out. I clawed helplessly at his grip – until I caught a glimpse of June as she reached through the gap in the seat and dug her nails into the nape of his neck. He shrieked, and his hands shot away.

June barely had enough strength to get her own door open, and once it was, she didn’t move, so I leaned back and practically pushed her out of the car. ‘Go. Go,’ I told her. She fell into the mud with a soft splat.

That was when I remembered the phone. My phone.

Heath and I seemed to realize at the same time.

We both lunged, but he was too fast, and my back was in white-hot agony; he got there before I did, grabbed the phone and smashed it against the dashboard.

Once. Again. Again.

That didn’t matter now. I had to get to June.

I leaped from the car and went to her, making sure to move fast, to keep my feet up so I wouldn’t get stuck. It wasn’t easy; the rain was beating down and each step threatened to pull me under. There wasn’t time for that. Not any more. I tore through the sodden earth, round the back of the car, and made it to June, anchoring myself on an elevated bit of dirt.

‘Give me your arms,’ I told her.

‘I can’t. This one –’ It was pitch-black, but even with just the traces of moonlight crawling through the trees I could make out June’s arm hanging limp and unnatural.

‘OK, just …’ I grabbed her underneath her arms, got the best grip I could, and yanked.

June hollered, and I groaned with exertion, but I continued, pulling and pulling until the earth beneath her popped, releasing her. I hauled her to the side of the pit, just far enough out that she couldn’t be dragged under again.

The car continued to disobey Heath, and he waited, but then shifted his attention to us. His eyes flickered; he wasn’t finished.

‘You have to get up,’ I said to June. She didn’t even try to move, her eyes struggling to focus on anything, so I dragged her up while she tripped over her feet. ‘You gotta. Come on. Come on.’

‘June, let me help you,’ Heath said behind us.

Thunder boomed somewhere far away.

June and I scrambled, and we tried to run – I hated it, didn’t want to run, but we had no choice.