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Should she make her move now?

A thin film of perspirations clung to Viyan’s brow as she yanked open the bin, peering down at the contents.

It was not the exertion, nor even the impact of her injuries that was making her sweat, it was tension .

More by accident than design, she had stumbled upon a possible route out of her misery and suddenly it was all she could think of.

Should she seize the moment now, act before her courage failed her?

It was sorely tempting, the prospect of liberation dizzying to comprehend.

Her mind was suddenly full of possibilities, her body fizzing with energy.

Why not cover her captor in rotting tissue and run? Why not seize the day?

‘What the hell are you doing? This isn’t a rest break …’

Viyan snapped out of it, realizing that she had frozen with the bag half-out of the bin. Hurrying to comply, she grasped the heavy receptacle, but her hands were shaking and the liner slid from her grasp, crashing back into the dirty metal bin.

‘For God’s sake, what’s wrong with you? Get on with it …’

Her minder was eyeing her keenly, his exasperation clear.

But was there something else in his expression?

Curiosity? Suspicion? Had he clocked the change in her demeanour?

Earlier she had been bitter and angry, scowling at both her captors and fellow captives.

Now she appeared skittish, distracted, tense.

Had he picked up on this? Could he sense that something was up?

‘Sorry, sorry …’ Viyan muttered, reaching back down into the bin.

As she did so, her eyes strayed to the window.

She knew Southampton’s main hospital well, as they visited it every night.

She was confident she could navigate her way to the main entrance, but what then?

Should she throw herself on the mercy of the doctors and nurses?

Or should she run? The first option sounded more appealing, but would they believe her story?

Or would her minders convince the authorities that Viyan was lying, confused or even mentally unstable?

They certainly wouldn’t let her out of their clutches without a fight.

Should she take her chances in the outside world then?

Stay under the radar until she’d worked out a plan?

Her gaze now picked out the railway line that ran past the hospital.

She’d often seen large passenger trains lumbering along the tracks, starting their journey northward.

Could she stow away on one of those? Or failing that, simply follow the train line until she was clear of the city?

If she kept at it, she would one day reach London or another big city that she could lay low in.

To most people, hiding out on the streets, begging to survive, would have seemed like a nightmare, but to Viyan it felt like a wonderful dream.

Hauling the heavy bag from the bin, she took a breath.

This was it then. This was the moment when she threw off the shackles, stood up to her tormentors and brought two years of misery and degradation to an end.

Gripping the top of the bag, she took a breath and prepared to yank it open.

Counting down in her head, she willed herself to be strong. Five, four, three, two—

‘We’re going.’

Viyan froze, poleaxed by the sound of Naz’s voice.

Casting a cautious look over her shoulder, she saw that he’d joined his fellow minder in the doorway, the former glaring at her with his single, beady eye.

Immediately, Viyan felt her courage fail her, the prospect of forcing her way past two burly men robbing her of all conviction.

Desperate, disappointed, she knotted the bag tightly and hauled it across the floor towards them. Liberation was what she craved, it was what she was owed , but she would not be rid of their hateful presence tonight.