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

Jess considered waiting till Mum was out of sight among the trees; one look back and she might see her daughter running away. But Mum wouldn’t be at the Hollows long, and might realise Jess was gone the second she walked in. Jess would be walking through heavy snow, and they had tractors to follow her in.

She was insane to try this. She should have grabbed the pistol. But it was too late now. She turned to her right, and crossed the fields towards the copse below Slapelow Hill. By the time she was over the drystone wall and trudging up through the trees her back was throbbing, but she gritted her teeth; with her short legs she was always getting left behind, so walking at a fast clip and pushing on through discomfort were second nature to her.

Tattered incident tape flickered from the trees beside the path; this must be where they’d found Tony. She looked up towards the road, the ledge below the crash barrier. She could see the mark there: one black upright stroke, three to the side.

The bastards had killed her brother. The only one she’d cared about. ’Cept maybe Dom, sort of. Sorry bruv, she thought again. Then she turned left, towards the end of the boundary path and the winding, sloping one leading up to the Height.

38.

38.

Even after sheer exhaustion overrode everyone else’s fear, till one-by-one sleep claimed them, Milly Emmanuel sat gazing into the fire. Feeding it, too: that was important. It mustn’t go out. The dark had to be kept back.

Ellie zonked out first, followed by Charlotte and Kate – the two girls, sisters in grief, spooned together for warmth – and finally Phil and Julie. Ernie Stasiolek, like Milly, stayed awake as the night wore on, only looking up occasionally from the flames, until eventually sleep claimed him. No doubt he saw Marzena and the kids there, just as Milly saw Noel.

She wondered if Ernie believed in God. She’d never seen him at her church, but there were two others in Barsall. Or he might be Catholic, in which case Lord knew where he worshipped.

Well, the Lord would know, of course.

If Ernie did believe, how well had his faith sustained him tonight? Milly had prayed, of course – what else was there, when you’d done all else you could? – but for the first time in her life, she hadn’t felt as though anyone heard. And that had never happened before. She’d always known she was seen, accepted and loved – sins, imperfections and all. But tonight, that familiar feeling wasn’t there.