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

Ellie gagged but fought it down. She wouldn’t vomit on a corpse, even this one. For all the times she’d thought of smashing Keira’s face in, she felt no triumph.

Ellie pulled the pistol from Keira’s hand. Beside the dead woman, Liz Harper lay slumped against the wall, eyes closed; her mouth hung open, as if to bellow in outrage at her fate.

“What can I tell you, girls?” Ellie said aloud. “Things are tough all over.”

She was starting to shake. A packet of tailor-mades, somehow undamaged, stuck out of Liz’s pocket. Ellie took it. To the victor the spoils. She sank down on the church’s step, put a cigarette in her mouth, then realised she hadn’t got a light and began to laugh and cry all at once.

“Love.” Milly put an arm around Ellie’s shoulders, then lit her cigarette with a plastic lighter. “Here.”

Ellie leant against her friend. The street stirred back into life and the living emerged, to gather round the dead.

49.

49.

Jess backed away from the gate, then turned around.

There wasn’t much to see. More fields, white with snow, canted down the side of Slapelow Hill, towards Fendmoor. The pylons stood straight against the white ground and blue sky, except the one that lay in a tangle of buckled steel. All open ground nowhere to hide.

Jess ran along the path behind the houses. The yards and gardens were fenced and gated, to keep animals out. None of the gates budged when she rattled them.

Noise and shouting came from the direction of the church. Jess had to find somewhere, quickly. If Keira or Mum were behind her, they’d shoot her in the back without thinking twice. Keira would jump at the chance. Frank might hesitate, though in the end he’d do as Mum told him: he’d stuck up for her when they were younger but hadn’t done for years, not even against Paul. Only Tony had done that. Dom’d tried a few times, only to get bitch-slapped till he cried, so he didn’t bother any more.

Her vision was blurred as she fought for breath. She no longer bothered trying the gates. Most of them were solid wood; she just struck at them as she blundered past. None budged.

Paul wouldn’t kill her if he could help it. He’d want her alive, for one last bit of fun before the end. That thought gave Jess extra impetus, pushing her faster and further than she’d thought herself capable of, especially after the morning’s exertions.

Passing a particularly high stone wall topped with broken glass, she slapped weakly at the heavy wooden gate. By now she was so exhausted she didn’t even realise it had swung open till she staggered past.