The first thing Naomi was aware of as she began to come around was the dull ache in the back of her skull from where her attacker had slammed the butt of his pistol down on her head. The second was the steady hum of the engine below her. She was lying on some sort of heavy itchy blanket, curled up on her side with her hands bound behind her back. She was clearly in the back of some sort of van and through the haze of darkness she could make out someone's boot in front of her face. Someone was sitting right in front of her. She closed her eyes back over, hoping they weren't aware she had woken up. She was pressed right up against the side of the van so she knew no one was behind her. She lay still and silent, trying to assess what was going on. She was still alive, so that was something. Whoever had taken her obviously had a plan for her; of course that was little comfort to the blonde who knew there were worse things in life than death.

She tugged at her wrists, testing whatever was binding them together. To her amazement it felt like cloth. She didn't want to risk moving too much, but with the darkness in the van and her hands hidden behind her back she could afford to wriggle her wrists a little as she tried to figure out what was keeping them together. Her fingers brushed against something cold and metal and as she traced its outline she realised it was a belt buckle. A glimmer of hope shot through her as she stretched her fingers to the edge of the buckle and found a small tear in the fabric. Her attacker had tied her up with her own belt. Had she not been trying to feign being unconscious she would have smiled at the man's stupidity. The belt was an old one and the tear went almost halfway through the belt. With enough force she could tear it all the way through and get her hands free.

The problem was that if she moved too much then whoever was sitting in front of her would notice. Then there was the fact that she was in a moving van in the middle of god knows where. Even if she could get her hands free, and then subdue the possibly armed man, she would be faced with either jumping from the van or risk waiting until it stopped. Getting her hands free would be the easy thing, deciding how to use them to her advantage would be trickier. First things first though she had to snap the belt. She pulled her wrists as far apart as the fabric of the belt would allow and kept pulling, trying to force the tear to split. The belt dug painfully in to her skin, biting at the flesh of her wrists. Taking a risk she cracked one eye open to check on her guard. His boots hadn't moved from in front of her face and he made no acknowledgement that he knew she was awake.

She pulled even harder on the belt and finally felt the fabric give way. The noise of the engine masked the sound of the material ripping and it only took a few more tugs to rip it all the way through. Naomi felt the pressure on her wrists instantly give way and her fingers scrabbled to catch the torn buckle before it hit the van and gave her away. Keeping as still as she could she manoeuvred the belt around her hands so that it would appear to still be tied. She hadn't decided what to do so there was no point in risking the man noticing her bonds were loose.

She couldn't see whether the man was armed without lifting her head and that would give away any element of surprise she would have. There could even be others out of her line of sight. Trying to ambush the man might prove too risky, but waiting for the van to stop wherever they were going and then trying to run could prove to be just as risky. Either option could end with a bullet in her back. With her head still pounding she lay on the floor, weighing up her options. She was certain the man who had attacked her in Mandy's room wasn't one of Minhas' men. She was just as certain that he could have killed her while she lay unconscious, so there was a chance that whoever had taken her wouldn't kill her if she tried to escape; though there was also a chance they would cut their losses if she was too much hassle.

All too soon Naomi's decision was taken from her as the van lurched to a stop. She lay still on the floor, bracing herself for when the door opened. She had no idea how long she had been out for or how far they had driven from Henham Hall. They could be in Scotland for all she knew. She heard two doors slam up front and footsteps approaching the back of the van. That meant there were at least three people for her to worry about. The side door of the van slid open behind her and it took every inch of willpower she had to supress her natural instinct of fight or flight. "She still out?" A gruff voice sounded from outside the van, it belonged to the man who had attacked her at Henham.
"Yeah, you must have hit her pretty hard mate, haven't heard a peep out of her!" The voice from inside the van sounded like it belonged to young man and Naomi regretted not taking her chance to ambush him while the van had still been moving.
"Little fucker tried to stab me!" The gruff voice of her attacker sounded close to her ear as he leant forward and scooped Naomi up, tossing her over his shoulder without noticing her hands holding the belt in place.
"Oh, did the little girl try and stab you?" Naomi heard the voice of the third person, another man, mocking the one who had slung her over his shoulder. She didn't like the odds of what three men wanted with a teenage girl.

Her choices were few and her chances were slim, but she had to do something quick as the man carrying her started walking. She cracked her eyes open and was met with more darkness. It was still night time and they were stood in a clearing in the woods, there were trees everywhere. They were deep in the woods somewhere and no one was behind her, which meant the other two men were up front somewhere. If she could take out the one carrying her she had a good chance of outrunning them in the woods. Her dark clothing, sturdy boots and slim frame were perfect for navigating the trees and finding a hiding place.

Taking a breath she tensed her body, ready to spring in to action. Her boots were steel toe capped and with her legs hanging precariously in front of the man's groin she knew it wouldn't take much to incapacitate him. In one quick motion she swung her leg back and delivered a powerful blow to the man's privates with the toe of her boot. The man was midstride and as Naomi's foot connected with its target he let out a scream of pain and his knees buckled. Naomi landed harshly on the ground as the man dropped and the second blow to her head sent the world around her spinning on its axis. Nausea washed over her and for a moment she was stunned. Then the man's shouts and the sight of his friends running towards them kicked her in to action. She scrambled to her feet and pushed aside the overwhelming dizziness as she darted towards the trees.

Her boots pounded against the forest floor, loose stones and dense undergrowth threatening to trip her as she raced towards the cover of the trees. Her lungs screamed for air and the muscles in her leg began to cramp as she manoeuvred the uneven terrain as fast as she could. The other two men were hot on her heels and despite her better judgement she risked a glance behind her. Their guns were still tucked in their belts, but she wasn't sure how long their patience would last as her lead on them started to increase.
"Stop her!" The older man chasing her shouted and Naomi realised too late he wasn't shouting to the younger man in front of him. Her head snapped back around just as someone tackled her head on, crashing in to her chest and sending her sprawling to the ground. She landed on her back and felt the wind being knocked out of her as her assailant landed on top of her. Her head slammed off the ground much harder than before and for a moment she thought she was going to pass out as her eyes closed of their own accord. She heard the other men growing closer as bile rose up in her throat and knew it would be seconds before they were on her.

She snapped her eyes open at the same time as she clenched her fists and went to swing for her assailant. Her fist was easily caught though and her arm went slamming down to the ground as a pistol was shoved in her face. Naomi lay on her back, struggling to stay conscious and staring down the barrel of a .9mm. The fight left her body as she stared up at her attacker and the other men closed in on her, including the man clutching his swollen crotch. "Nice one." He wheezed at the teenager sitting on Naomi's chest.
"Fuck." Naomi sighed, panting for breath and fighting back the need to puke. Her eyes could barely focus on the redhead straddling her and her blood was roaring too loudly for her to hear the thick husk of the girl's breathless voice.
"What the fuck's going on?"

She got to her feet as one of the men from the van dropped to his knees and roughly shoved Naomi over so she was lying face first on the grass. He wrenched her arms behind her and snapped at the young woman who had brought her down. "Give is your belt kiddo." The man had a thick northern accent and sounded as out of breath as Naomi felt. Naomi felt a thick leather belt wrap around her wrists and bind them together tightly.
"What's going on Frank?" The young black man standing beside the girl asked as the northerner yanked Naomi to her feet. Naomi caught sight of him and then her eyes finally focused on the girl beside him. Her small frame and long red hair were a familiar sight and Naomi was even accustomed to the scowl she was wearing. She was staring at Emily Fitch.

"Jed sent us to Henham to steal supplies. Tony here decided to be a big shot and try kidnapping Minhas' daughter for a bigger pay off." He jerked his thumb towards the man who Naomi had kicked as he firmly gripped Naomi's bound arms and started marching her back the way they'd come.
"That's not Mandy." Emily's eyes narrowed on the blonde, though even in her scrambled state Naomi didn't miss the way the other girl's gaze lingered over her. The boy standing beside her, Thomas, was scowling.
"No shit." Tony wheezed, still clutching his manhood. "She was in her room. Figured she was her new bitch and she was better than nothing-" The man groaned as Emily delivered a sharp knee to his crotch. He once again dropped to the floor, tears welling up in his eyes as the fiery Fitch stood over him.
"Call me a bitch again Tony!"

"Easy Emily. You know what he's like, just ignore him." Frank snapped whilst keeping his grip on Naomi's arm. As the oldest of the group he seemed to have the most authority and Emily allowed Thomas to take her hand and pull her away from the man sobbing on the ground. "He might be on to something this time, if she is with Minhas' daughter he might pay big to get her back." Emily looked uneasy, though whether it was because she thought Naomi was with Mandy or because of the bounty on her own head, Naomi couldn't be sure.
"I'm not with Mandy! I'm not with any of them!" She finally found her voice and tried to convince her captors that they'd got it all wrong.

"Shut it!" Frank shoved her and the blonde lost her balance. She fell forward, landing roughly on her knees.
"Frank!" Emily snapped as she stepped forward and helped Naomi back to her feet by grabbing her bound hands and dragging her up. She took over from Frank and held on to her arm as they carried on marching through the woods.
"Please, my name is Naomi Campbell-"
"Of course it is bitch! And I'm Prince Phillip!" The man she had kicked roared with laughter as he caught up to them and mocked the blonde's name. Naomi wasn't going to argue with them, she fell silent and kept her jaw clenched as they marched deeper in to the woods. After ten minutes they came out in another larger clearing and were met with the sight of a group of wooden cabins. It looked like it had been some sort of woodland activity centre before the virus had struck, but the survivors that had settled there had obviously made it in to a home.

It was late and while a few cabins showed signs of life with candle light seeping out of the windows, most were dark and still. "Thomas, you and Emily have a spare bunk in your cabin don't you? Keep her there tonight. We'll see what Jed wants done with her in the morning." Naomi felt a flood of relief at the prospect of getting away from the men who had brought her to the camp. She fancied her chances of survival a lot better with Emily and Thomas. "Thomas, there's some handcuffs in the armoury. Make sure she's tied up at all times!" Frank's eyes narrowed on Emily as he spoke. Thomas followed the older man to a stone building that was obviously the armoury while Emily led Naomi to one of the cabins closest to the woods.

Inside the cabin was pretty basic. There were three single metal bed frames, two on the back wall and one on the opposite side of the room. There were small pine bedside tables beside each bed with candles sitting on them. In the other corner of the room stood a matching pine wardrobe with its door hanging open and a mixture of Emily and Thomas' clothes strewn all around it. "Homely." Naomi commented dryly as Emily closed the door behind her and lit the few candles littered around the room. Emily glared at her as she pocketed her lighter and shoved the blonde down on to one of the bunks against the far wall. She really needed to learn to keep her mouth shut. She decided to try a different tact since they were alone.
"My name really is Naomi. Yours is Emily isn't it? I'm friends with your sister Ka-"
"Don't!" Emily snapped, cutting her off before she could get Katie's name out. "Don't you dare say her name! You never knew my sister, and whatever bullshit game you're trying to play, it ends here!"
"Emily-"
"Shut the fuck up!"

Emily snapped at her again and it was clear to see Katie's fiery attitude was hereditary. Naomi took her advice and fell silent, not wanting to irritate the armed girl any further. She sat quietly on the bed, trying to figure out the best way to break the news that Emily's twin was alive without getting a bullet for her troubles; she was also testing the strength of the belt binding her wrists together but the leather proved to be much tougher than her own belt. When Thomas walked through the door he was carrying a pair of chain link steel handcuffs and any chance of escape went out of the window. He walked over to her and asked her to stand up. "Turn around, please." Naomi stood up and did as she was told. Thomas's fingers worked on undoing the knot in the belt and for a moment her hands were free. Her body tensed as she considered trying to overpower Thomas, but the guy had a pretty strong build and he seemed to sense what she was thinking. "Please do not struggle." She felt one of the cold cuffs snap around her left wrist. "Please sit." Like a robot Naomi did as she was asked and took a seat on the bed. Thomas attached the other cuff to the part of the metal frame that made up the headboard.

He reached in to the bedside cabinet between Naomi's bunk and the one Emily was sitting on and pulled out a bottle of water. He handed it to Naomi with a wide smile and offered his hand once she took the water. "I am Thomas. So nice to meet you."
"Naomi." She shook his hand warily, not sure what to make of the gentle giant. On the bunk beside her Emily shifted and pulled her gun out of her belt. She checked the safety was on before she tucked it under her pillow. She caught Naomi looking at her and glared. The pair had definitely gotten off on the wrong foot. Naomi thought she knew why.
"I'm not with Mandy. I only just met her today."
"Lucky you." Emily replied dryly as she pulled her jumper over her head and tossed it with the rest of the clothes scattered by the wardrobe.

"My friends and I live on a farm in Bristol…they'll be worried about me."
"I don't care." Emily sighed. She stood up to slip out of her jeans and Naomi found her eyes lingering on the creamy flesh of her thighs. Thomas, who was on the other side of the room rummaging through the clothes on the floor for something to wear to bed, seemed oblivious of the half-naked girl in the room. Sharing a cabin with Emily he was obviously used to the sight. Considering she shared a room with Katie Naomi should probably have been used to the sight of a near naked girl too, but she had to admit Emily was a nice distraction. As attractive as Katie was it had been a long time since Naomi had looked at her like she was looking at Emily. Katie was practically the blonde's sister after all.

Emily pulled on some sweatpants and a thick hoody for bed. Thomas was wearing at least three layers and sat huddled under his duvet. Naomi was starting to feel the cold herself and slipped under the duvet, the handcuff clanking noisily off the metal bedframe. The blanket was thick and itchy but it would at least shield her from the plummeting temperatures outside. At home on the farm, when the nights were long and cold, she would often wake up to find Katie curled up in bed beside her. As she pulled the blanket up to her chin she hoped Effy was looking after the oldest twin, and that they were safe at home, not still looking for her at Henham. She knew what Katie was like, given half a chance she'd be tearing the place apart trying to find the blonde. Emily, however, seemed completely different to what Naomi had expected. The twin Katie had described had seemed passionate about what was right and wrong, yet the girl lying across from her could care less that her group had kidnapped an innocent girl.

"So what happens when Minhas won't pay up?" She watched as Emily's jaw tightened. She was reading a book by candlelight and Naomi's question had clearly distracted her as she put it down on the bed beside her. She bit her lip as she answered, unable to turn and look Naomi in the eye.
"It's up to Jed. He runs things."
"Really? So he's the one I should tell about the ransom on your head?" Naomi had no intention of ratting on Emily, as bitchy as she was being it was understandable after everything she'd been through. The blonde was simply testing the waters, it was obvious Emily wasn't a prisoner like Minhas had claimed, but Naomi wasn't sure what was going on. Emily's reaction told her everything though. In the blink of an eye the redhead was standing over her with her gun in her hand and a desperate look in her eye. "You're terrified of them, aren't you?"

"Emily!" Thomas sprang to his feet, but Emily had already tossed the gun back on to her bed, where the magazine clip was still lying under her pillow. She slumped on to the bed and held her head in her hands as she counted to ten under her breath, trying to calm herself down.
"You don't know what kind of people you've got involved with…If Minhas gets me back…"
"I don't know what's going on, but I don't think you're any safer here than you were at Henham Hall. If they find out about you they'll turn you in in a heartbeat won't they?" Emily looked pale and sickly and Naomi thought she was getting through to her. She was about to mention Katie when Thomas stepped in.
"It is ok." Thomas took a seat beside Emily and put an arm around her shoulder. "That will not happen." He shot a meaningful look at the blonde as he comforted the youngest twin.

Naomi had never been very good at keeping her mouth shut and instead of staying silent she pushed on, trying to bring Emily around. "I'm on your side Emily. Trust me."
"Trust you?" Her big brown eyes narrowed on the blonde as she shrugged off Thomas' arm. "I don't even know you! You just happen to get taken in Mandy's room? By Tony? That man couldn't catch a cold! Did Mandy send you here? To try and trick me back to Henham-"
"Emily, please, I know your sister. Katie. She's alive and she's looking for you-"

Emily abruptly cut her off with a slap to the face. Naomi held her red raw cheek with her free hand, stunned in to silence. "That's the best you've got? Katie's alive and waiting for me? Pathetic." She rolled her eyes and climbed back in to her bunk, picking up her book she turned her back on the blonde. Thomas returned to his bunk, warily watching Naomi. Not one to learn her lesson, and bordering on desperation Naomi spoke up again.
"I'm telling the truth. Your name is Emily Fitch, you lived in Southgate London. Your father died first, then your mother then your brother James. You were sick with a fever and Katie thought you had flu…" Naomi started talking faster as Emily slammed her book down and got to her feet. She picked up a scarf from the bottom of her bed and wrapped it around her hand before advancing on the blonde. "She woke up and thought you were dead, but you were still alive and she knows that now and she's looking for you! That's why we were at Henham! Emily, please you have to-" Naomi's words turned in to muffled shouts as Emily wrapped the scarf tightly around her mouth. Naomi still had one hand free and could have ripped the scarf off, but the angry glare in Emily's eyes made her think twice about doing anything other than staying quiet.

When Emily spoke her husky voice sounded low and threatening. "Katie is dead, and if one more thing about her comes out of your mouth, you will be too." Naomi took the hint and sat quietly on the bunk, contemplating how she could convince Emily she was telling the truth. If she had been with the people at Henham at one point and she had obviously been close to Mandy, then she could have shared a lot about her twin; just as Katie had with Emily. She had to think of something that would prove beyond doubt that Katie was still alive. Not for the first time in six months Naomi missed the days of mobile phones and the internet. Had the old world still existed she could have just phoned Katie, or gone on her Facebookpage or something; of course if they were still living in the old world Naomi would never have met either twin in the first place. They would still be living with their parents in London and Naomi would be at some protest rally or another with her half-baked mother.

The three of them lay on their bunks in silence. Thomas was the first to fall asleep, buried under a mass of blankets to keep him warm. Naomi started to feel the bitter bite of the night air as she lay on her back staring up at the ceiling. She rolled on to her side, curling in to herself to try and keep warm. The handcuff around her wrist clanked every time she tossed and turned, the sound filling the silent room. Emily let out a heavy sigh as she heard the blonde moving again. Pushing away her own blankets she padded over to the wardrobe and pulled out a rolled up sleeping bag. She tossed it haphazardly over the blonde. Next she unwrapped the scarf from around Naomi's mouth and wrapped part of it around the metal bedframe, stopping the sound of the cuff clanking against it. The other end she threaded through the cuff on Naomi's wrist, padding it slightly to stop the metal from biting in to her already bruised flesh. "Thank you." Naomi whispered. A spark of hope ignited inside her at the small sign that the old Emily still existed. She wasn't the hard-faced bitch she was pretending so hard to be.

Emily didn't say anything back; she just climbed in to bed and cast a wary glance at Thomas, checking to see if he was awake. She lay back down with her head resting on her arms, but stayed facing Naomi instead of rolling over. Without the harsh light of the candles she looked younger than she had earlier. More vulnerable somehow, like the attitude she had been wearing all night was a show for the rest of the world and she had finally let it slip a bit. "Why did you leave Henham?" Naomi took her chance to try and get the other girl to talk.
"We were out on a foraging trip in the summer, looking for supplies. I'd been at Henham for a few months, it'd been fine, me and Mandy were getting on pretty well and then these two kids ambushed us, and I mean kids, they were like fifteen. They were just hungry; looking for some food…we took them back to Henham and Minhas made a big show of holding a trial, he said it was part of building a new society; except he was judge and jury. He found them guilty and he shot one of them in the head." Naomi felt her blood run cold. She had known her instincts about Minhas had been right. "They were brothers, and I just thought…what if it has been Katie, you know? I tried to save the other one. I undermined him in front of the others, that's why he wants me back at Henham, to make an example out of me. That's why I can't go back. He'll kill me."

"And what do you think these people are going to do to me?" Naomi wasn't as sure about the people Emily was with as she was. "You might not believe me Emily, but I was with your sister at Henham and she and a lot of other people rely on me. I can't die here."
"Jed wouldn't…" Emily started but faltered, whether she believed Naomi about Katie or not she was obviously starting to have doubts about her own people. Kidnapping wasn't far from murder in the grand scheme of things. "I still don't believe you, but I won't let anyone hurt you, ok? If Minhas doesn't pay then I'll make sure you're set free. Trust me; I don't want our group associating with Henham. They're good people…but Oliver Minhas is offering a lot to get me back. Trust only goes so far these days."
"Tell me about it." Naomi sighed; she shifted uncomfortably, the cuff on her hand irritating her. "I won't tell them about the reward… and I'm really not Mandy's bitch you know."
"I don't care Naomi." Despite Emily's snappy toned as she rolled over to sleep the blonde didn't miss the small smile playing on the other girl's lips. Despite the situation she was smirking herself as she pulled the covers up to her chin to get some sleep. It might not have been ideal, but at least she'd finally found Emily Fitch.

Sometime later in the night, when Naomi's arm had gone stiff from sleeping on it she was woken by a hiss in her ear. Her eyes slowly opened and it took a moment to adjust to the darkness. When her eyes focussed she was met with the sight of Thomas looming over her, his expression grim and Naomi's knife holster clutched in his hand. "I am so very sorry Naomi."