Read the text to help you answer the questions.
Desperately, he fought through it, the blades scratching at his face, half-blinding him as he tried to find his way back to the main path. He needed other people. Whoever had sent these machines ) and now he remembered Mr Grin talking on his mobile phone), they couldn’t kill him if there were witnesses around. But there was no one, and they were coming for him again…. Together this time. Alex could hear the engines, whining in unison, coming up fast behind him. Still running, he glanced over his shoulder and saw them, one on each side, seemingly about to overtake him. It was only the glint of the sun and the sight of the grass slicing itself in half that stretched a length of cheese-wire between them. Alex threw himself head-first landing flat on his stomach. The cheese-wire whipped over him. If he had still been standing up, it would have cut him in half. The quad bikes separated, arcing away from each other. At least that meant they must have dropped the wire. Alex had twisted his knee in the last fall and he knew it was only a matter of time before the cornered him and finished him off. Half-limping, he ran forward, searching for somewhere to hide or something to defend himself with. Apart from some money, he has nothing in his pockets, not even a penknife. The engines were distant now, but he knew they would be closing in again at any moment. And what would it be next time? More cheese-wire? Or something even worse? It was worse. Much worse. There was the roar of an engine and then z billowing cloud of red fire exploded over the grass, blazing it to a crisp. Alex felt it singe his shoulders, yelled and threw himself to one side. One of the riders was carrying a flame-thrower! He had just aimed a bolt of fire eight metres long, meaning to burn Alex alive. And he had almost succeeded. Alex was saved only by the narrow ditch he’d launched in. He hadn’t even seen it until he had thudded to the ground, into the damp soil, the jet of flame licking at the air just above him. It had been close, there was a horrible smell: his own hair. The fire had singed the ends. Choking, his face streaked with dirt and sweat, he clambered out of the ditch and ran blindly forward. He had no idea where he was going any more. He only knew that in a few seconds the quad would be back. He had taken about ten paces before he realized he had reached the edge of the field.