It let out a hideous high-pitched scream and lurched towards Maxie.

Maxie kicked out at it and the thing grabbed her leg. She could feel the incredible strength in its arms. Before it could bite her she quickly butted the end of the club into the top of its skull. It croaked and fell away with a pitiful whine. She struck it once more in the head and it collapsed into a lifeless heap. At least the things could be killed. She helped the little girl up from the floor. Her back and neck were scratched and bleeding and she was sobbing uncontrollably, her tiny body shuddering. Whitney scooped her up and cradled her in her arms.

‘I’ll look after the kids,’ she said to Maxie. ‘You rally the fighters.’

Maxie yelled at the top of her voice.

‘They’re attacking the little ones! Everyone help!’

She saw two of the beasts dragging Curly Sam into the long grass by the hair and ran after them. She got there just as Lewis and his team arrived. The animals were swiftly dealt with and Curly Sam was returned to his friends.

‘What are they?’ Lewis ran his torch beam over the dead animals. They had huge, black eyes, great ragged ears and long yellow fangs strung with saliva and spotted with blood. Like the grown-ups, their skin was covered with oozing pustules and ugly lumps.

‘Gross,’ said Lewis, curling his lip with disgust. ‘They’re some sort of mutated children.’

Maxie didn’t know what to think. Anything was possible. Before they had the chance for a proper look, though, they were called back into the fight. The beasts were everywhere, scurrying in and out of the legs of the kids, bowling them over, snatching the smallest ones. The fighters tried to get at them, but it was difficult in the dark with all the kids in the way.

Maxie switched on her torch and saw a group of little kids break off the path on the other side further down.

‘Stop them!’ she shouted, but it was too late. She saw them go into the grass, which came up almost to their shoulders, and one by one they went down.

Thank God Blue and the others had realized what was going on. They charged back from the front, weapons at the ready, and scattered a knot of marauding beasts. The noise was appalling. The animals screeched and squealed and bellowed, which terrified the kids even more.

Maxie saw a fighter run past with one on his back, its hands over his face, clawing at his eyes. She smashed it in the spine with her club and the two of them fell over. The animal was quickly up, though. It ran at her on its knuckles, teeth bared into a ferocious grin. She butted it in the face, but only succeeded in knocking it back for a moment and making it furious. It was soon up again and coming at her. She didn’t have time to swing her club and could only try to fend it off. Its skull seemed to be made of iron. Then it managed to get hold of the club and wrenched it out of her hands with tremendous force. Now she was unarmed. She didn’t want to run because she was terrified of it getting on to her back. It flung the club aside in a rage and lifted both hands above its head. She backed away and saw it preparing to charge. Then there was a flurry of activity as someone stepped in and stabbed it with a spear.

It was Josh.

‘They don’t scare me,’ he said as it ran off, dripping blood.

Maxie spotted Joel. He was sitting on the ground hugging Godzilla. She was glad that he was all right. As she watched, though, a fighter blundered into him and kicked him over. Godzilla was jogged from his arms and he shot off into the grass, whimpering.

‘Leave him!’ Maxie shouted, but Joel ignored her and was soon lost from sight in the confusion.

Blue and Freak arrived.

‘Get everyone together,’ Blue yelled. ‘We need to make a run for it – get out from the trees and on to the road.’

‘Yeah, but some of the kids have gone off into the long grass,’ said Maxie, looking for Joel.

‘Then go get ’em back,’ Blue ordered.

‘OK.’ Maxie turned to Josh. ‘You take the other side. Make sure you get any stragglers.’

‘Sure.’ Josh grinned. ‘You might need this,’ he said, handing Maxie Arran’s club.

‘Thanks.’

Josh ran off.

‘I’ll take this side,’ said Maxie.

‘I’m with you,’ said Freak.

They ran into the long grass and found Lewis and his team already bringing back a group of runaways.

‘Is that all of them?’ Maxie asked.

‘Think so.’

‘What about Joel, the little kid with the puppy? Have you seen him?’

Lewis shook his head. ‘Nah.’

Then Maxie heard a shout. Thin and high and far off.

‘Come on!’

Maxie set off with Freak in the direction of the sound, swinging the club in front of her to clear a path. They hadn’t gone far when two of the beasts suddenly reared up, clutching rocks.

‘I’ll deal with them,’ said Freak. ‘You get the kids.’

Maxie ran on. Hoping she was heading in the right direction.

‘Joel!’ she called out. ‘Where are you?’

Again – a small piping cry.

Maxie sped up.

There was a big black sky above and a feeling of space such as she hadn’t experienced in months. This had once been a cricket pitch and it seemed to go on forever. If it hadn’t been for the fear wrenching at her stomach she might have enjoyed this exhilarating feeling.

At last she spotted something in the darkness. Two small figures running full pelt across open ground. She roared at them to stop. They were too scared, however, and carried on running. Maxie put on a burst of speed and finally caught up with them and grabbed hold of one. It was Ella.

‘Stop,’ she said. ‘It’s me, Maxie. You have to come back.’

The other kid, Monkey-Boy, now stopped and Maxie held on to the two of them as they stood there sobbing and panting and babbling incoherently about monsters. But Maxie wasn’t listening. She had seen something behind the little kids that they hadn’t. It was approaching stealthily through the grass, bigger than the other animals. It came closer and reared up on its stubby legs, its arms out to either side like a wrestler. It had only one eye and a scarred, battered face. A crop of painful-looking boils nested in the crook of its neck. It stared at Maxie with its one, big, black, glinting eye.

Maxie straightened up, the club raised ready to strike, never taking her eyes off the brute.

It tossed its head from side to side and quickly battered its chest with its fists, and at last Maxie understood what it was. A male chimpanzee. Hairless and diseased, driven mad like the grown-ups. He pursed his huge lips and began to whoop. His call was taken up by the other apes. Maxie was sure he would strike, but a sad look settled over his face. He looked deflated, tired. He sighed, gave a last feeble whoop, then turned and walked off into the grass.

‘It’s just a monkey,’ said Maxie.

She picked up Ella and they set off back to the others. On the way, they passed several more chimpanzees, hurrying away through the grass.

Freak was standing where she’d left him. He picked up Monkey-Boy and walked with Maxie.

A little further along they heard something moving in the grass and they froze.

Then Maxie smiled and knelt down.

‘It’s only Godzilla,’ she said.

But Godzilla was whimpering and shivering and nudging something with his nose. Maxie frowned and looked closer.

‘Take the kids back,’ she said to Freak and something in her voice told him not to question her.

‘Come along,’ he said and carried on.

Joel was lying in the grass, bleeding from a wound in his head where he had been hit with a rock. His eyes were open and he had stopped breathing.

Maxie picked Godzilla up. He struggled and protested, whining quietly. He wanted to stay with Joel.

‘I’m sorry, darling,’ Maxie said and closed Joel’s eyes.

She sniffed. Her throat was tight but no tears came.