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

Kate Beck, meanwhile, rocked back and forth, fist in mouth so as not to cry out, doubtless reliving the events of the previous night. Charlotte sat motionless, still looking dazed, having only just woken from her sedated sleep into this.

Madeleine Lowe, for her own part, prayed quietly into her clasped hands. At last she finished and opened her mouth to speak, but then the shutters over the back door rattled and she only gasped.

Ellie hadn’t heard the back gate break down; the things must have climbed over the back wall. She picked up her shotgun; Ernie Stasiolek, face pale and set, loaded two cartridges into his own weapon.

The shutters rattled again. Ellie knelt and took aim at the back door, sweat trickling down her back. The sound wasn’t repeated, but she stayed there until her arms ached; finally she lowered the shotgun and sat back down.

Julie Robinson laughed weakly; it rose, close to hysteria, then stopped. She muttered something to herself.

Madeleine looked up. “What was that?”

Julie shook her head. “Nothing.”

“Was that a rhyme? I thought I...”

After a moment, Julie shrugged. “Just something my great-gran used to say.”

“How did it go?”

Julie looked uncomfortable at the prospect of public performance, but finally whispered: “Board your window, keep on your light, when the Tatterskin walks at night.”

“Interesting.”

“Really?” said Milly. “Right now?”

“Came across something like it when I was going through some of the bumph back at the Vicarage,” Madeleine said. “That’s why I came here.”

“Because of an old rhyme?” whispered Phil.

Madeleine shook her head. “I was looking through the parish records for anything like the stuff Ellie showed me.”

“The Phoenician stuff?” said Ellie.

“Yeah. Or to see if anything like this’d happened before.”

Kate Beck flinched at a particularly loud scream from outside and glanced towards the shuttered front window. “I think we’d remember. This isn’t something you’d skip over if you were keeping a diary.”

“The Tatterskin,” Ellie said, almost to herself, remembering what she’d glimpsed back at the Height, the arm caught in the X5’s door; that piece of pale fabric, and what Milly had said it resembled. When she looked at Milly in the dim lantern-light, she saw the same thought there.

Madeleine shook her head. “Not on this scale, no, and not in anything like modern times. But on a smaller scale –”

Something crashed against the shuttered front door.