42
Curtis sat up, seized by an all-consuming fear as the realisation of his predicament returned, jerking him violently awake. Wide-eyed, he snapped his head from corner to corner, narrowing his eyes, but he saw nothing. The darkness swallowed everything, the brazier having burned right down. He felt his wrist then his pockets and released a moan of despair. They’d taken his watch together with his mobile, so he so could not tell the time, and the g*n and the soldiers. All gone. He slumped back against the barn wall and fought against the sense of defeat threatening to overwhelm him.
Opposite, beyond the double-doors, came the sound of voices. A lot. Raised, agitated and aggressive. He turned to say something to Patrick and gasped. Despite the darkness, he knew, could sense it.
Patrick
