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  ‘Fight the cops? What, all of them?’

  ‘If I have to.’

  ‘Don’t be stupid, that’ll never work.’

  We would’ve kept arguing, had the door not swung open right then. Two policemen hesitated in the doorway for a moment, before one stepped into the room and the other hissed into his shoulder-mounted radio.

  ‘Kyle Alexander?’ said the first, in a voice that made my name sound like an accusation.

  The second policeman joined the first, blocking the door so there was nowhere for me to run. Already I could hear more footsteps racing along the corridor.

  And that was when I realised what I had to do. The moment it all became clear. The moment everything changed.

  The moment I became a monster.

  Creating the gun was easy, barely taking any effort at all. I did it behind my back, out of sight of the policemen and the swelling ranks of the other officers out in the corridor.

  ‘You think I did this,’ I said, gesturing towards my mum. ‘And you think I murdered Marion and burned down her house.’

  ‘We’re just making enquiries, son,’ the second policeman said. ‘Just making—’

  ‘You’re right,’ I said. ‘I did do it. All of it.’

  Ameena turned on me. ‘What? Why are you—?’

  I raised the handgun and pointed it between her eyes. ‘Shut up,’ I told her.

  I heard a curse from the policemen, then the crackle of a walkie-talkie being put to use. I stepped closer to Ameena, keeping the gun to her head. It looked like one from an old Western I’d seen, more like a toy than a real weapon, but the cops weren’t taking any chances.

  Draping an arm across Ameena’s throat, I pulled her in front of me. She struggled, but not as much as I’d expected her to. Either she could see through my bluff or she was genuinely terrified. I’d have to ask her later.

  ‘I’m going to walk out of here,’ I said. ‘You’re not going to follow me.’

  I cleared my throat, knowing the next few words were going to be difficult. ‘And then, when no one’s guarding my mum, I’m going to come back, and I’m going to finish her off, just like I did Marion.’

  I pressed the barrel of the gun against Ameena’s head, emphasising my point. ‘Understand? The moment you stop protecting her, she dies.’

  ‘Look, son, we can—’

  ‘Shut up,’ I said. ‘Tell me you understand.’

  Both policemen in the room nodded. ‘Understood, but you won’t get away, son. Let the girl go. We’ve got the place sealed off. You can’t escape the hospital.’

  ‘Trust me, you’re not the first person to tell me that today,’ I told him. With the gun I motioned for them to step aside. They did, pushing back into the corridor and giving me room to move.

  ‘You sure about this?’ Ameena whispered, quiet enough that only I would hear.

  ‘It’s the only way,’ I said in her ear. ‘They’ll protect her now. She’ll be safe.’

  ‘Yeah? Well what about you?’

  I thought back to earlier, when I’d first arrived in the hospital in the Darkest Corners. I’d been sure there was no way I could survive without Ameena’s help. But I was wrong.

  ‘I can handle myself.’

  I glanced down at the figure on the bed, smaller and more shrunken than I’d ever seen her before. I wondered if she was dreaming. Good ones, I hoped.

  ‘Bye, Mum,’ I whispered, and I shoved Ameena out of the room, past the ranks of helpless policemen, and onwards into the dark and uncertain future that lay beyond.

  Also available in the INVISIBLE FIENDS series:

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  Copyright

  First published in paperback in Great Britain by

  HarperCollins Children’s Books in 2011

  Visit us on the web at www.harpercollins.co.uk

  Visit Barry at www.barryhutchison.co.uk

  Text copyright © Barry Hutchison 2011

  ISBN 978-0-00-731519-2

  EPub Edition © 2011 ISBN: 9780007447787

  Barry Hutchison reserves the right to be identified as the author of the work.

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