Her hand touched my face.
‘It’ll wait. Are you hurt?’
I raised my hand. Blood welled from my wrist. If I hadn’t had the handkerchief round my throat the brute would have nailed me.
‘It’s all right. A rat took a fancy to me.’
She took off her white silk scarf and tied it tightly round the wound.
‘Really a rat?’
‘Yeah. I killed it. It’s behind you.’
She looked quickly over her shoulder. The beam of her torch fell on the brute. She caught her breath in a stifled scream.
‘Uuugh! Are there any more like that?’
‘One or two. He was particularly persistent. Do you wonder I sounded scared?’