As I reached the corner I took a quick glance over my shoulder, and there they were, still following me. Decision time. My first thought was to make it hard for them to follow me – try and put obstacles in their way… any obstacles. I ran straight on, across the road, hoping there would be traffic, or a tram, or anything. There wasn’t.

I reached the other side of the road and jinked right, heading towards the town centre and looking for side streets to duck down. Round the first corner I came to, heading away from the river, and nearly knocked myself out on a lamp-post, or road-sign pole or something. I almost managed to avoid it at the last second, but still hit it with quite a thump. I was really starting to gasp for breath now. I recovered my balance and tried to pick up the pace again, saw another corner ahead and ran for it. As I turned, I glanced back and saw one of the men slowing by the metal pole I’d bumped into. The other man was picking something up off the ground – it looked like an envelope.