“Look, if you’re right, none of this’ll matter anyway. But until I see otherwise, this is a local problem and my job’s to get us through it. I don’t want to lose anyone else, okay?” Saying that made her think of Tom; for all he’d done her head in, Ellie’s eyes filled up. She wiped them on her sleeve. And then there was Joda. She’d liked Joda. And Barbara, who’d only wanted to die in whatever peace she could. Grant and Sally Beck. And the boy, Richard – Rick – whose last act had been to shove Kate Beck into the crawlspace and pull the cover over. And Tony Harper. What must that have been like? Heading home, and then those things coming out of the snow. Herding him, like dogs a sheep, across the foot of the hill. What must it have taken him to scramble up to that ledge – towards the hill road – only to find them already above him, looking down? That would’ve been how it happened; Ellie could see it. Tony boxed in, huddled on the ledge, knife in hand, hoping to wait them out. But they’d been waiting too, and the cold hadn’t bothered them.

“All right.” Milly touched her hand. “So what now?”

“Fucked if I know, frankly. Just try getting through tonight. See where we are in the morning. If the weather’s any better someone can go for help. Even if it’s like today, we might have to chance it.”

“Think we’ll be okay tonight?”

“Maybe. Whole place is lit up, so that helps. Light seems to be all that bothers them. I blasted one with a twelve-bore, point-blank, and it just got up again. Tried to fucking flatten another one against a wall and –” Ellie shook her head, all the memories from the ride back to Barsall flooding back. “Light,” she said again. “Dunno if it actually hurts them, or they just prefer the dark. But all the power was out at the Bell. And you heard Kate Beck – same thing happened at Wakeman’s before they busted in. Probably why they got attacked first – on the outskirts. Isolated. More vulnerable. Easier to – shit.”

“Wouldn’t have thought you’d have any problems doing that, after the night you’ve had.” Milly grinned, but Ellie didn’t. “Ell? What?”

“Bert.” She stood up. Her legs, thankfully, remained steady. “He went back home.”

“Shit.”

“Borrow your car keys?”

“Ell, I don’t think you should be driving, state you’re in.”

“Yeah, well.”

“I’ll get Jones to go check.”

“No.” If anything happened. If Noel didn’t come back. Milly would blame Ellie, or herself, or both of them. Enough. Better Ellie went. Who’d miss her, after all? “I’ll do it.”

Milly looked ready to argue, then sighed and shook her head. “Fine. Any chance you can bring it back in one piece, though?”