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‘Someone’s a little heavy on their feet – should’ve gone to ballet classes.’ Evil-GG’s sing-song voice is shrill and darts through the air, curdling my heart.
‘I’ve got a tutu you can borrow. Oh wait – too late.’

I turn another corner and crash through a set of fire doors and find that I have quite brilliantly run into a dead end. All I can see are more closed doors, more rooms and then a wall at the far
end of the hallway. There’s a large window that looks out on to the building next door, but that’s it. This is as far as I can go.

‘Hold that pose,’ I hear Evil-GG call out and I realise he must have sensed me come to a stop. Whoever was running on the floor above me has stopped too, or more hopefully found an
exit. I scan the hallway and then start trying the locked doors. It’s completely futile because even with the best will in the world I’m not really going to last more than a second when
Evil-GG comes for me. Even if I got a door open and then barricaded it he’d slash through it all in no time.

I look back and even though Evil-GG isn’t here yet, I know he has only slowed down because he is just so cocky and in control.

I back up towards the window and as I do I spy a rolled up fire hose built into a recess of the wall. I glance at it, dismiss it as being utterly useless, then stop and rethink. It’s
amazing the thoughts that can suddenly spring into your head when you’re being chased by an evil version of one of your friends, and before I know it I have smashed open the casing for the
fire hose and start tying it round my waist. I’ve seen this work in films and the reality I am in right now feels more like a film than anything, so what the hell. I tie the hose as tightly
as I can and then brace myself.

‘You can do this,’ I say out loud. ‘You can.’

‘You
so
can’t,’ says Evil-GG as he pushes open the fire doors with the tips on his talons. When he sees me with the fire hose wrapped around me, he sniggers.
‘Nice belt. Not sure it really goes with the rest of your look, though.’ He laughs and takes a step forward.

I back away, hoping I can engage him in conversation, buying every valuable second I can.

‘We could all just go home and forget this ever happened,’ I tell him.

‘Yes. Yes let’s do that.’ Evil-GG claps his hands. ‘Yes, yes, yes! Spiffing idea.’

His irony is as sharp as his talons.

‘Let’s have a party first, get to know each other, swap numbers.’

‘Let’s do that. Why not?’ I am barely keeping my voice steady.

‘Actually, second thoughts, the only person we’ll be inviting is your Moth. Because he’s all we need.’

‘So why are you down here chasing me?’

‘Because I’m like that. I like to hunt. Usually it’s for bargains in boutiques but this is fun too.’

I have to keep him talking, I just have to. ‘What if I get the better of you?’

Evil-GG laughs and does a robotic voice. ‘Does not compute. Reload information. No. Still does not compute.’

‘I took your Moth down, so I’m going to take you down too.’

Evil-GG is revelling in what he thinks is my total stupidity. ‘Honey, you couldn’t take a picture down from a wall.’

‘You are one big bitch,’ I tell him.

‘You noticed?’ He laughs. ‘Well for that you get a prize. You get these.’ Evil-GG flashes his talons at their fully extended length. ‘All to yourself.’

I can easily imagine them cutting into me and take a step back. I have no idea how long I’ve detained him but I’ve got one last chance at making this as hard as I can for him.

‘Are your friends coming?’ I ask for no particular reason other than using up time.

‘They sent me on ahead. They knew I’d find my other self, because most of the time I’m horrendously predictable.’

‘But they’re all coming here?’ I’m now fishing for information, trying to picture how Johnson and Billie will ever escape with the Moth. If they’re going to do it,
they’d better do it now. ‘So what’s it like in your world?’ I ask. ‘What sort of things do you guys get up to?’ It’s so lame but my brain is starting to
wind down. I didn’t realise I was so tired until now. It’s like someone’s flicked a switch and turned me to off. I’ve run out of conversation.

Evil-GG can sense something about me now. I must have given everything away because he has stiffened slightly.

‘Oh, I see,’ he says, metal glinting in his mouth. He wags a talon at me like a teacher telling a child off. ‘You’re trying to keep me talking. You’ve got a
plan.’

‘No.’

‘Yeah.’

‘No.’

‘Now what would that plan entail? I wonder. Could it be you’re diverting me from my true purpose? Ooh. D’you like that? “True purpose.” Must write that down.
GG’s true purpose. Yeah, that’s catchy.’ He turns serious in a heartbeat, snarling, nasty. ‘I’m too fast,’ he roars. ‘They’ll never get away.
Never!’

He’s about to come for me. He’s coiling and he’s angry that I’ve played him for a fool.

‘You thought you could outsmart the great GG? Silly, silly girl.’

I tighten the hose one last time round my waist then look behind Evil-GG. ‘Johnson!’ I call.

Evil-GG spins and in the time it takes him to figure out that there is no Johnson and I have just conned him with the oldest trick in the book, I am already hurtling towards the window at the
far end of the hallway.

I leap at the glass, curling forward and burying my face and head in my arms as best I can, hoping that the fire hose is long enough to reach the ground floor, and then I crash into the
window.

And bounce straight back into the hallway.

I have no idea what the glass is made of, but from the way I bounced off it, I doubt a sledgehammer would make a dent in it. It must be triple-thick safety glass designed to stop idiots like me
throwing themselves through it.

I land hard and feel the carpet burn my already raw skin as I skid to a halt.

Evil-GG has found my pathetic attempt at escape so hysterical that he has to bend over, he is laughing so much. He has tears in his eyes. ‘My God. Oh man. I’m going to wet myself. Oh
my God.’

So much for making it difficult for him. I get to my feet and quickly untie the hose. There’s a brass metal attachment for aiming the water at the end of the hose and when I feel it in my
hand I realise it has a weight and solidity to it.

Evil-GG leans back against the door of one of the rooms and giggles at me. ‘Do it again! Go on. Pleeeeeeaaaasssseeeee! Wait, let me get my phone out so I can video you.’ He retracts
his talons and slips his hand into the pocket of his dressing gown. He flips the phone open and clicks the camera on. ‘Let me just focus. OK. Take two. Reva tries to escape from little GG.
You ready?’

But when he looks up all he sees is the brass attachment flying straight at his head. I’ve hurled it as hard as I can and it hits him right in the throat as something finally goes my way.
He immediately starts choking, unable to catch his breath.

‘Film that!’ I say in a pitiable attempt at being movie cool.

Evil-GG paws at his throat as he drops his phone and coughs and splutters. He sinks to the floor and bends over. He looks like he is dry-puking as he fights the damage his caved-in throat is
doing to him.

I want to stay and watch him die, to make sure he’s not going to recover and come after me, but I know I need to find the others and get us as far away as possible. I burst through the
fire doors, leaving Evil-GG gagging for air and charge down the endless hallways until I find the arrow that points to the stairwell. I crash through more fire doors and find the stairs.

‘Johnson! Billie! I got him!’ My voice carries up and down the richly carpeted stairwell. ‘Johnson? Billie?’ I listen hard. ‘I got the other GG!’

I don’t know whether to go up or down, and decide that down would be best when I hear footsteps hurtling down the stairs, taking two at a time.

Johnson appears above me and my heart leaps so hard in my chest I swear it hits my ribs.

‘I got him,’ I say as Johnson sweeps me up into his arms and holds me tight again.

‘You OK? Did he hurt you?’

‘No. I got lucky.’

Johnson steps back, taking me in, checking me over, making extra sure. That warmth of feeling I felt earlier comes back as his protective instinct for me takes over.

‘Where’s Billie?’ he asks.

‘Getting the Moth, I hope.’

‘You really beat him?’ Johnson looks seriously impressed.

‘I beat him,’ I smile.

His eyes find my lips and I know this is it, this is the moment. I move closer to him.

‘Johnson . . .’ I say.

‘Way ahead of you, Rev,’ he replies and our mouths close towards each other.

‘Is it safe?’ Billie’s voice echoes up the stairs.

No
, I think,
don’t interrupt now. Not when we’re so close . . .

But Johnson is already drawing away from me. ‘Billie?’ he calls down the stairs.

No!
I scream inside my head.

‘How’d you get down there?’ Johnson yells out.

‘Service lift.’

‘There’s a service lift?’ I say to Johnson, with a certain amount of disbelief. ‘How come I didn’t see it?’

‘What about the Moth?’ Johnson calls.

‘I thought you were getting him?’ Billie calls back.

‘I thought you were.’

Yet again the Moth has been left behind. What a plan.

‘Wait,’ says Billie, ‘I’ll go back up. You sure it’s safe?’

Johnson looks to me and I try to nod but I don’t really think anywhere is safe. ‘We need to do this quickly,’ I tell him.

Johnson calls down the stairway again. ‘Be quick, Billie.’

Johnson looks at me and I know that yet again our moment has been snatched away. He seems to know it as well. ‘One day,’ he says to me and brushes the hair from my forehead.
‘One day, Rev.’

He starts downstairs towards the lobby and I follow, feeling just that little bit deflated despite having saved our lives. It’s crazy the way one feeling can be stronger than everything
else. We’re lurching from danger to danger, and yet the way I feel about Johnson keeps taking over. Something that has no tangible state at all, but when your heart tells you to feel
something, there’s absolutely nothing that will stand in the way of it. Not even an Evil-GG with his murderous nails.

It takes all of three minutes for Billie to collect the Moth, return to the lobby and collapse into my arms.

‘We’re still alive,’ she breathes rather than speaks.

Johnson joins us and we do this spontaneous three-man hug in silence. Until the Moth tries to get in on the act by driving his wheelchair in between us all.

‘You always forget me. What is it with you guys?’ he says in his nasally tone.

‘Sorry.’ I move away from Johnson to let the Moth through and we stay in an awkward huddle for a long moment.

‘The others are on their way,’ I eventually tell them. ‘The other usses.’

Billie looks exhausted, flat out on her feet. ‘Really?’

‘We have to hide out somewhere else,’ I tell them.

But as we huddle, the Moth again sees Carrie lying on the lobby floor. He turns pale and his mouth dries.

‘Carrie.’ He sighs. ‘Why would he do that?’

‘Moth, we need to leave,’ I tell him.

But he is already whirring towards her fallen body.

‘Carrie?’ he says, as if she’s going to wake up and answer him.

Johnson heads over to him. ‘We didn’t know it was him, no one knew.’

‘Carrie, get up.’ The Moth has walked into one shock too many and he is losing it now. ‘Carrie, I’m taking you home, remember. I promised you.’

Tears are gathering behind my eyes now. I glance at Billie and she looks as devastated as I do.

‘I’m going to work it all out and we’ll uh . . . We’ll . . .’ The Moth stops talking, then hunches over and I watch as his shoulders shake. He’s crying
silently into his chest.

Johnson stands behind him, respectfully letting the Moth run out of tears. Probably two minutes pass before the Moth gathers himself as best he can.

‘I think she liked me,’ he offers quietly. ‘I think I had a chance with her.’

He takes one last look at Carrie and then wheels his chair round. The last time I saw that much despair in one person was in my mum when she eventually gave up waiting for my dad to come home.
That moment she realised he was never coming home again.

‘She liked you. A lot,’ Johnson says.

‘What about GG?’ the Moth asks. ‘Is he . . .?’

‘Oh God,’ I say quietly. I’d forgotten that Evil-GG must have been waiting in the kitchen for GG. He did what he had to do and then changed into GG’s lush bathrobe before
he brought out the pavlova.

‘I’ll go,’ Johnson tells us, knowing that finding GG isn’t going to be pretty. ‘Meet you at the entrance,’ he says quietly.

Billie takes a moment to wipe her eyes. ‘We’re losing everyone, aren’t we?’ she says.

‘No,’ I tell her. ‘That will not happen.’

‘The others’ll be on their way and we’ll need more blankets to cover people up.’ Billie touches her scarred face and winces. ‘God that stings.’

More blankets
, I think to myself.
I hope we don’t need any more blankets. Ever
.

I step gingerly past Carrie on my way to the reception desk and start looking for keys to a store cupboard or even a room where I can find a blanket or sheet to cover her with.
I accidentally knock one of the computer monitors behind the reception desk and it slips from sleep mode to operational and I realise it shows a series of collected images from a bank of CCTV
monitors, all of them aimed outside the hotel. I scan them all just in case there are more of the other versions of us out there. But nothing moves. The city is dead, devoid of life.