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

She didn’t elaborate, and Ellie didn’t ask. Especially not when she realised how regular the gusts of wind from the chasm were; how like breath.

“Tea?” said Kate Beck. She was carrying two steaming tin mugs by the handles with her one good hand, God alone knew how; when Milly took one from her, it was so hot she nearly dropped it. The girl sat beside her, firelight lapping her white profile.

Reuben began barking at the shadows, pulling at the lead. “Easy. Easy,” Milly said, pulling him back by the collar. “Shh, now. Quiet.”

The dog fell silent; Milly and Kate peered into the shadows. Kate half-stood and cocked her head. “Listen. Can you hear…?”

Milly was about to say no, but then she heard a clank and scrape of metal, the faint clunk and clonk of brick and stone. It grew louder: a series of heavy, clunking blows, then the grind and scrape and screech of metal again. Metal being pulled apart. “The fuck?” she said. But the question answered itself: “Ammunition.” All the wrecked cars; all the ruined buildings. Metal parts. Brickwork.

The noises were distant, coming from Halliwell Way and the surrounding roads. But when she squinted into the darkness, she could see white shapes, crawling closer.

“Shit.” Kate stood up. “Everyone watch out,” she shouted. “They’re going to –”

But they’d already started, and that was what finished her. Milly actually glimpsed what did it: a car’s engine block, sailing down with almost leisurely slowness, the instant before it smashed into Kate Beck’s face and swept her aside like a broken doll. And then Milly was diving for non-existent cover, scrabbling across the muddy ground as another missile crashed down onto an outlying fire, flattening it out of existence, and the thin white swarm rolled forward to claim the dark that fell.

63.

63.

The bridge seemed unending, but finally they reached the other side, as if emerging from a black sea onto an empty beach. Their feet crunched in loose scree, stone chips and fragmented bone.

The sheer rock face ahead of them stretched up until lost to sight. At floor level, punched into it at regular intervals, was a series of circular entrances, each about fifteen feet across. Madeleine swept her torch’s beam across them.

“Where now?” Ellie whispered. Quiet in the stone cathedral.

“Shh.” Madeleine held up a hand. “Hear that?”

As Ellie listened, she began to: a faint, rhythmic sound. An underground river, maybe? No, not that: it was sharper, solider, more regular. Almost like –

“Is that a drum?” said Charlotte.

Madeleine nodded, then shone her torch across the entrances again. “This one,” she said at last, and strode forward. “I think.”

Ellie hoped that was a joke on Madeleine’s part.