Dark night. Abandoned warehouse. The sound of the pump running.

And Bear looked around furtively, before reaching into the file box that Ray always locked.

He searched for keys, a diagram of the poultry house, a victim information sheet, to find a way out.

In the camp, everyone knew that if they were slow, they would be the next nameless corpse after Anya.

The escape plan required coordination: April distracting, Mick guarding the door, Simo breaking the electric lock, Bear taking the key. Everyone knew: one wrong step – death.

April resisted Celia for the first time. She raised her head, looked straight at the face of her former master, pretending to be good. But in fact, she was drawing attention so that Bear could escape to the warehouse. Bear’s steps were heavy as a rock, but he kept going – because if he didn’t, there would be no tomorrow.

The atmosphere in Emmerdale at that moment was thick with suffocating. Bear reached for the key. But just then, Ray’s footsteps echoed. Bear hid in the wooden box, gasping for breath. April stood outside, her hands clenched, hiding her fear. Everything seemed to stand still.

Whether or not the key was released – the audience understood: this was no ordinary drama. This was life – and the price of freedom could be very high.