‘Charlotte! Emma! Come back here!’ They were howling and yelping at the vehicle that continued to plough up the rocky hill towards me, towards them. ‘Come here, now!’ I shouted their names again and again, until my throat felt as though it was going to split in two and finally the girls spun around and leapt behind the boulders just in time to miss the vehicle. I sprang to my feet, and together, we ran down the other side of the hill. ‘Patrick!’ I shouted, glancing over my shoulder, the headlights burning my eyes so that stars appeared wherever I looked. The girls yelped and howled while they ran. They’d most likely never seen a motor vehicle in their lives and were probably as scared as I felt. ‘Run, girls, run! Get Mum! Go!’ I shouted, hoping and praying that Mum was somewhere nearby with her shotgun ready. If there was ever a time for Mum to unleash her inner commando, it was now.
