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

Fire licked up the hanging folds of the blanket. A flame touched Ellie’s hand and she gasped in pain, almost dropping it. Instead she swung it against the wall beside the stairs until the wallpaper ignited, then tossed the blanket over the banister into the hallway. As she climbed the stairs, smoke billowed up around her. She coughed and choked, eyes streaming, but there was a fire now, down in the hallway. And as she reached the landing, another of those screams – viciously loud and piercing, as though someone was shrieking directly into each of her ears – rang out from below.

The fire was spreading fast. Downstairs, metal clanged and clattered again, but this time Ellie felt certain it was a retreat rather than an advance. The air on the landing was already thick with smoke: she could barely see, and every breath made her cough. “Milly?” she shouted.

“Up here!”

When Milly lowered the ladder from the ceiling hatch it almost caught Ellie in the head. She’d pulled it up after her. Sensible. No point making things easy for the creatures. Ellie climbed up into the dark cramped loft. Ernie pulled her clear of the hatch, then helped Milly pull the ladder back up and drag the hatch cover back into place as Ellie coughed and wiped her eyes.

The air was clearer here, at least; enough that her coughing fit subsided. It wouldn’t last, though; the crackle of flames was getting louder and smoke was seeping up between the loft-floor joists.

“Fuck sake, Ellie,” Milly said. “What’d you do?”

“Turns out –” Ellie spat out phlegm. “Turns out they don’t like fire.”

“No shit.”

The fire got louder. Ellie studied the others in the flare-light; Charlotte and Kate were shaking, and Phil Robinson looked little better off. Julie and Madeleine seemed more composed; Ernie remained expressionless.

“So now what?” Milly said.

“The roof,” said Ernie, before Ellie could. “Nowhere else to go. Move along the row.” He nodded to himself, something like a smile on his lips. “The fire will keep them back.”

“We’ll freeze,” said Kate Beck. “It was bad enough in the crawlspace last night, we’ll be exposed, and –”

“We’ll have some heat,” said Ernie. “It’ll buy us time, anyway. More than we’d have otherwise.”

“He’s right.” Madeleine dragged the ladder across the loft, peering up at the roof’s interior. “A little help?”