Abs tried to laugh, but then Jez came in with what looked like a long stick, with a thick handle at one end and prongs on the other, and gave it to his mother. Abs had never seen anything like it, and he made the mistake of asking, ‘What’s that?’

‘This?’

Rachel stepped forward to thrust the double-pronged end of the rod into his shoulder. He felt a sudden, shrieking pain in his bone and muscle, and cried out.

‘Bruv.’ Abs appealed desperately to his best friend. ‘Don’t do this, you don’t want to hurt me.’

‘No talking,’ said Rachel.

She jabbed the cattle prod into his chest and the electric jolt made his muscles scream. His heart fluttered dangerously. He cried out, thinking, This is it, Abs, you’re history.

‘Tell her,’ he appealed to Jez. ‘Tell her what happened to the girl.’

The old woman shoved the cattle prod into his shoulder. ‘Shut up, you.’

‘Tell her it’s true,’ screamed Abs.

Jez looked afraid. ‘She got away, Mummy.’

Rachel turned to her son in shock. ‘Is it true, did she… escape?’

Jez nodded, ashamed. ‘Abs helped her.’

Pressing a button on the handle, Rachel angrily thrust the prod into Abs’s ribs and he jerked in agony. ‘You nasty little man.’

‘She knows Jez’s name… and where she was held…’ Abs panted. ‘The police will be here soon.’

Rachel whirled on her son. ‘This is your so-called friend, the one you pleaded with me not to kill, and look what he’s done.’ Jez’s mother had a face like thunder, and she hissed at Abs, ‘Oh, you’re wicked!’

She gave Jez the prod and went to a cupboard, took out a pint glass, and slammed it on the counter. Abs watched as she dropped to her knees to reach into the cabinet under the sink, and came out with a bottle of bleach.

Abs blinked. ‘What are you going to do with that?’

The old woman twisted the safety cap off and squirted the thick, pungent liquid into the glass. ‘You’re going to drink it all up like a good boy.’

‘I ain’t drinking that,’ Abs told her, incredulous.

‘We’ll see about that.’ She nodded at her son. ‘Jeremy.’

‘Mum…’ whined Jez, looking conflicted.

‘Do it!’ she commanded her son.

Jez stepped forward and touched the prod to Abs’s collarbone and held it there. Abs felt the shock reverberate up and down his body, making his muscles spasm. He was screaming when Jez held him down. Suddenly he was having trouble breathing. Rachel pinched his nose shut and jerked it up, forcing his head back.

‘Open wide.’ Pulling down his jaw, she tipped the glass of bleach to his mouth. The ammonia stench made him retch.