The Audi was very powerful, but Franck was hesitant about starting up the hill. He got out of the car to have a look at the slope, wondering if the car would make it up a hillside that was almost vertical and full of potholes. There was no signpost, but this must be the turning. From the road, the track went off to the left just as the farmer had told him, an access road that was even steeper than a parking ramp, ravaged by rain, the ground cracked by the sun. He made sure he was in 4×4 mode. From below, the track looked like a tunnel formed of holm oak and box, dense masses on either side that joined at the top. He noticed rocks showing through in some places, so he would have to be careful not to swerve or stray from the track. That said, he was excited by the prospect of testing the motor; at least now he could unleash the three hundred horsepower that he had been holding back, making sure not to exceed the speed limit. They refastened their seat belts and took off as if they were on a fairground ride.

The ascent quickly proved challenging, especially as it was two kilometres long; two kilometres of stony, potholed track with a forty per cent incline. He struggled to rev the engine enough to pull the weight of the Audi whilst trying not to gain too much speed. The rocky ground gave way beneath the tyres; the car tilted so far at every turn that he feared it would roll over or spin off the side of the road. The sensors were beeping on all sides, the monitoring system going crazy, but still, rather than stopping, Franck kept his foot down, the stones spraying out from under the wheels like a hail of bullets. The track seemed to go on and on. Franck was becoming increasingly tense. He felt as if they had fallen into a trap, realising that there was no chance of turning back and that the higher they climbed, the deeper the ravine to his left became. He felt increasingly panicked by how high up they were, while Lise hung on tightly and told him to carry on, as if she were finding it exciting …