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room.
    ‘There is something else I want to show you.’
    Cal followed him through the living room and wondered whether he should make a run for it. But then he remembered what Jefferson had said about being in the middle of nowhere and guessed he was better off waiting until he could take proper stock of the situation.
    Sooner or later the world would present him with another chance to move on.
    Then he could run away and leave it all behind, same as he always did.

Twelve
    As they crossed the clearing, Cal felt the sun burn his neck and guessed it was probably mid-afternoon; the sky was cornflower blue and the air shimmered in the summer heat.
    When they reached the concrete building, Cal was surprised at the size of it. It reminded him of the storeroom at the back of the supermarket where one of his foster mums used to work. But that was stacked with enough groceries to feed a small town for a week. What possible use could Jefferson have for such a place?
    Jefferson took a bunch of keys from his pocket, selected one and pushed it into the lock.
    Cal remembered what he had said about never locking the doors to the house and wondered why this building should be any different.
    ‘I built it myself,’ Jefferson said, as if Cal was a prospective buyer who had asked to be shown round. ‘Took me the best part of five years.’
    The door swung open and as he stepped into the corridor Cal smelled damp, stagnant air. His T-shirt stuck to his back and he shivered as Jefferson closed the door. For a moment they stood in total darkness and Cal imagined he heard whispers from somewhere at the end of the corridor. Then Jefferson flipped a switch and a neon light flickered into life. The walls were rough, unplastered breeze-block and Cal saw that there were several doors at regular intervals along the corridor, each smooth and windowless. He looked at Jefferson, his face pale beneath the artificial light, and listened to the whispers. Was this what he did for fun? Kidnapped people and kept them locked up for months, years, maybe for ever?
    ‘What are you going to do?’ he asked, trying to keep the fear out of his voice.
    Jefferson saw the way Cal stared at the doors, wondering what lay behind them.
    ‘Don’t worry,’ he said. ‘As long as you help me, you’ll come to no harm.’ Then he unlocked the door in front of them, pushed it open and turned on the light.
    In the centre of the room was a large metal cage.
    Along the far wall was another bank of computers, their lights flickering brightly. High up in each corner were what appeared to be four satellite dishes. In the middle of each was a thin glass bulb, tapering to a point, and all four were aimed at the metal cage in the centre of the room.
    ‘What do you think?’ asked Jefferson. ‘Pretty impressive, isn’t it?’
    Cal stayed silent, wondering whether he could move fast enough to run outside and lock Jefferson in. But Jefferson had put the keys back in his pocket and as Cal looked at his muscled arms and the rough calluses on his hands, he realised he must have spent years cutting down trees and manhandling concrete blocks in order to build this place. The work had made him strong, and Cal knew he would be no match for him in a fight.
    The door of the cage was padlocked and as Jefferson unlocked it he turned to Cal and smiled.
    ‘Works every time,’ he said, pushing the door open. ‘Go ahead. See for yourself.’
    As Cal stood nervously at the entrance, Jefferson noticed his unease. ‘What? You think I’m going to lock you in?’ He turned and kicked the padlock across the floor into the corner.
    ‘I ain’t gonna lock you in.’
    Cal walked into the cage and picked up the small teddy bear lying in the centre of it. Its left eye was missing and there was a worn patch on the top of its head. He could see right away that it was the same as the one he had seen on the computer monitor.
    ‘I don’t understand,’ he said, handing it to Jefferson. ‘What do you want