Margaret awoke with a start. Her neck hurt and her throat was dry. She was in a bed, a proper bed, in what looked like someone’s bedroom. She heard a noise to her left and turned her head to see what it was. There was a young woman with a friendly face sitting on a chair next to the bed.
‘I see you’re awake,’ said the woman. ‘Here, drink this.’ She held out a glass of clear liquid with a short straw in it.
Margaret took the glass and sucked on the straw. Her throat felt better. She sucked again. ‘Who are you?’
‘I’m Erica,’ said the woman. ‘I’ll look after you.’
‘What happened?’ said Margaret. ‘I thought they were going to kill me.’
‘One of Jack’s little jokes,’ said Erica. ‘You’re already a sensation online.’
Margaret relaxed back into the pillow. She felt a hundred years old, not li
