BooksBarbecue
Back The Hollows
Chapters (77)
  1. Front Cover
  2. Title Page
  3. Copyright Page
  4. Dedication
  5. PART I
  6. 1.
  7. 2.
  8. 3.
  9. 4.
  10. 5.
  11. 6.
  12. 7.
  13. 8.
  14. PART II
  15. 9.
  16. 10.
  17. 11.
  18. 12.
  19. 13.
  20. 14.
  21. 15.
  22. 16.
  23. 17.
  24. 18.
  25. 19.
  26. 20.
  27. 21.
  28. 22.
  29. 23.
  30. 24.
  31. 25.
  32. 26.
  33. 27.
  34. 28.
  35. 29.
  36. 30.
  37. 31.
  38. 32.
  39. 33.
  40. 34.
  41. 35.
  42. 36.
  43. PART III
  44. 37.
  45. 38.
  46. 39.
  47. 40.
  48. 41.
  49. 42.
  50. 43.
  51. 44.
  52. 45.
  53. 46.
  54. 47.
  55. 48.
  56. 49.
  57. 50.
  58. 51.
  59. 52.
  60. 53.
  61. 54.
  62. 55.
  63. 56.
  64. 57.
  65. 58.
  66. 59.
  67. 60.
  68. 61.
  69. 62.
  70. 63.
  71. 64.
  72. 65.
  73. PART IV
  74. 66.
  75. 67.
  76. 68.
  77. Acknowledgements

Milly had taken over the Hollybeck Row Practice when Dr Da Silva, an elderly Indian GP, had retired six years earlier. Before that, badly shaken by an attempted break-in at the surgery – one of the few remotely serious crimes in Barsall’s recent history not committed by one of the Harpers – Da Silva had invested in tighter security, including steel shutters at the front and back. When Milly’d joined the practice as his junior partner, he’d drummed the necessity of locking up for the night into her, and she’d kept the deeply ingrained habit up. Luckily.

The windows of the kitchenette at the practice’s rear were already shuttered as usual – a lot of effort otherwise to view an unprepossessing backyard – so once inside Milly only had to pull down the shutter over the back door. As she padlocked it and then shut the door, something began slamming itself against the gate in the yard. Ellie put the flares and shotgun down and helped Milly lock and bolt the door.

“What’s happening?” cried a panicked voice from a consulting room. Phil Robinson muffled a startled cry, and Julie muttered “Fuck.”

“Everybody quiet,” Ernie said. Milly bustled past him towards the consulting rooms; Ellie followed, activating the torch on her phone. One of the doors opened and a blurred shape reached out for her.

Her torch lit Charlotte Famuyiwa’s face; the girl opened her mouth to cry out, but Ellie clamped a hand over it. “It’s me. Charlotte, it’s Ellie Cheetham. Keep quiet. Whatever you do, you’ve got to keep quiet.”

Milly emerged from the other consulting room with Kate Beck and pointed out front, towards the waiting area. Ellie nodded, motioned Charlotte to follow Milly and Kate, then went to get the others.

31.

31.

Milly found candles and a pair of electric lanterns, which she set in the middle of the waiting-room floor. The eight survivors sat around them, listening to the screams and sounds of breaking things from the street outside and through the surgery walls: the creatures must be forcing their way into other houses along the row.

At last those sounds died away, and only the ever more distant shrieks from outside remained. The heating had failed along with the lights; the surgery grew progressively colder. Kate’s teeth chattered; Ellie’s, too.

Milly got up. Ellie opened her mouth to speak, but Milly put a finger to her lips and disappeared into the kitchenette. There was a faint clicking sound, and a few seconds later Milly came back through.

“Soz,” she whispered. “Just checking to see if the hob worked.”

Ellie stared at her. “You were gonna brew up, in the middle of this?”

Milly shrugged. “Dunno if you noticed, Ell, but it’s fucking brassic in here, and we’ve got people in shock.”