7am, lying in bed when there is a great banging on the door, turn over and let the wife get it as a great despair has been growing in me over the last couple of days, sapping my will to action. Suddenly it occurs to me that all is not right, the bird song in the background has stopped and the dogs, instead of their normal barking at the door, appear to be wimpering quietly.

A long moment later my wife returns to bed, her face ashen, and in a frightened voice whispers "he came for you".

Nervously descending the stairs I find the dogs huddled in a corner of the living room, staring apprehensively at a nondescript box sitting on the desk of the study area. At that moment I detect an unearthly laugh fom the street and the words "who will be next" echo in my ears.

I am still sat in front of the box, trying to gather the courage to open it and see what lies within.