BooksBarbecue
Back No One Home Save as PDF
Chapters (109)
  1. Cover
  2. About the Author
  3. Praise for Tim Weaver
  4. Dedication
  5. Part One
  6. 1
  7. 2
  8. 3
  9. 4
  10. 5
  11. 6
  12. Joline
  13. 7
  14. 8
  15. 9
  16. 10
  17. The Motel
  18. 11
  19. 12
  20. Part Two
  21. 13
  22. 14
  23. Caraca
  24. 15
  25. 16
  26. 17
  27. Late-Night Call
  28. 18
  29. 19
  30. 20
  31. Pioneer
  32. Part Three
  33. 21
  34. 22
  35. 23
  36. The Suicide: Part 1
  37. 24
  38. 25
  39. 26
  40. The Suicide: Part 2
  41. 27
  42. 28
  43. 29
  44. Clear: Part 1
  45. 30
  46. 31
  47. Clear: Part 2
  48. Part Four
  49. 32
  50. 33
  51. 34
  52. Monster
  53. 35
  54. 36
  55. 37
  56. Martina: Part 1
  57. Part Five
  58. 38
  59. 39
  60. 40
  61. Martina: Part 2
  62. 41
  63. 42
  64. 43
  65. Dead Ends
  66. 44
  67. Part Six
  68. 45
  69. 46
  70. 47
  71. The Photograph Album
  72. 48
  73. 49
  74. 50
  75. Empty
  76. Part Seven
  77. 51
  78. 52
  79. Retirement: Part 1
  80. 53
  81. 54
  82. 55
  83. 56
  84. Retirement: Part 2
  85. 57
  86. Part Eight
  87. 58
  88. 59
  89. 60
  90. 61
  91. 62
  92. Circle
  93. 63
  94. 64
  95. 65
  96. 66
  97. An Ending
  98. 67
  99. 68
  100. Part Nine
  101. 69
  102. Family
  103. 70
  104. Part Ten
  105. 71
  106. 72
  107. Author’s Note
  108. Acknowledgements
  109. THE BEGINNING

‘Martina, she said he drove them up there one weekend in the spring. They’re just chilling out next to the water when, suddenly, late in the afternoon, Adrian tells her they should go hike one of the trails so they can watch the sunset from the top. She thinks he’s being romantic, so she agrees, and follows him all the way up this trail to the top. They watch the sun go down, just like he says, and then he tells her he needs to piss, so he leaves her there, in the pitch black at the top of this damn mountain, surrounded by bears and bobcats, coyotes, rattlesnakes – who the hell knows what else? – as he goes off to find a spot. Except he never came back again.’

‘At all?’

‘Or, at least, that’s what she thinks, anyway.’

‘So he did come back for her?’

‘No. Not exactly.’

‘I don’t get it, then. What happened?’

‘She’s shit-scared, making her way back down the side of this mountain, with no torch, no food and no idea where she’s going – and then she realizes something.’

‘What?’

‘Adrian is watching her.’

Jo heard the door of the minivan open and close, and a male voice – softly spoken, gentle – say, ‘Hey, Ma. Sorry I’m a little late.’ Footsteps followed, first out on the driveway, then on the porch, where he filled the frame of the front door. He was just like his photograph: handsome, broad, muscular.

His eyes searched the living room for Jo.

‘Oh, hello,’ he said, smiling, his tone warm. ‘I’m so sorry I’m late.’

‘This is my boy.’ Valeria beamed from behind him. ‘My Adrian.’

‘So Adrian remained out there in the woods with Martina?’

‘He was just watching her. Like, following her, out of sight.’

‘She couldn’t see him?’

‘No. No, she couldn’t see a thing.’

‘Did she say anything to him?’

‘Yeah, she kept calling his name.’

‘But he didn’t respond?’

‘No. Not once, even when she tripped and fell, and busted up her ankle real good. I mean, she said it blew up like a balloon and she could barely put one foot in front of the other. She could hardly even walk, she was scared out of her fucking mind, screaming his name into the darkness, begging for him to help her out.’

‘But he still didn’t help her out?’

‘No. It was like …’

Jo got to her feet.

‘Hello, Adrian,’ she said, shaking his hand. ‘I’m Detective Kader.’

‘It was like what?’

‘She said it was like Adrian was hunting her.’

Penguin Walking Logo

Part Five

THE ROOM

38

Twenty-four hours later, York was a ghost town.