“Do something normal, for God’s sake!” the voice in my head said, with an urgency that bit right into me, “Don’t just stand there like a useless fucking knob-head – move! Do something…” The electric intensity of the telepathic voice galvanized me into action. My brain started working again. It unfroze.

On impulse I crossed the High Street and walked into the 24 Hr MacDonald’s and took my place in the queue. I ordered a Big Mac Meal and went and sat down at a table. It worked. I fitted in immediately. I merged with the crowd. I was invisible.

“We can help you,” said the voice, “but you have to trust us. You have to do everything we say instantly, without question, without thinking about it.”

Out there in the night they were scanning for me. I could feel them looking, searching, probing, but somehow they couldn’t detect me. I was safe, however temporarily. They were searching relentlessly for me but I could feel the scanning mind-rays pass straight through me, not seeing me. I was under the radar. Somehow being normal was the key. I realized I had to get better at being normal if I wanted to stay alive…

Chewing mechanically on my Big Mac, sucking my Coke noisily up through the plastic straw I relaxed for the first time in days. It occurred to me that maybe I had a chance after all. I just had to keep on acting normal, doing normal stuff, thinking normal thoughts, so that I fitted into the crowd. I had to get fluent at it. I had to find the fluency and fluidity to do what everyone else was doing, as if it was what I always did. As if that was who I was. I had to use my head and not let the fear paralyze me as it had just a few minutes ago out there on the street…