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

“Come tomorrow we won’t have to worry about the pigs or anyone else. All we’ll have to worry about after tonight’s Them. We’ll take the boy to the Hollows in the morning. Give ’em the girl the next day. They’ll want more than piglets now. We wanna keep Them happy.”

“No!” Everyone jumped: the cry had come from the last place anyone had been expecting to hear a peep from. “You can’t do that,” said Jess. “You can’t.”

“Shut up, you thick cunt,” Keira said.

“It’s murder.” Jess’ face was red, her eyes glistening.

Keira gave a jagged, cawing laugh. “Ooh, no. Listen to the little cry-baby. Mustn’t do anything against the law. That’d be dead naughty and we’d get in trouble.”

“By tomorrow it won’t be murder,” said Liz, as if Keira hadn’t spoken. “It’ll be sacrifice. Survival.”

A big leap, she knew, but one they’d all have to make, as a family, else they’d never survive.

“But the police –”

“Fuck the pigs,” said Keira. “Right? Right?”

Dom laughed. “Fuck the pigs.”

“Two days,” said Liz. “That’s all that’s left. Tonight, then tomorrow night it’s the Dance and –” she ground out her cigarette “– police won’t matter anymore.”

“Mum, you can’t. They haven’t done anyth–”

“Just shut up,” Liz snapped, all patience gone. “Enough bloody snivelling. The boy goes down tomorrow, the girl the day after. End of story. Fuck everyone else, Jess. This is about the family.”

And normally that’d have had Jess slinking away like a whipped dog, but she wasn’t just scared or sad any longer – for the first time Liz could remember, she was angry. The red face, the tears, weren’t grief or fright but rage. “You wanna give Charlotte and him to the fuckers who killed our Tony?”

“Shut the fuck up!” Liz was angry too now, and raised a clenched fist. Good thing the shotgun hadn’t been in reach. “This isn’t about wanting, you stupid little cow. I told you, it’s survival. Tony’d no business going out at night. It was his own stupid fault.” Her voice cracked. No; no tears. She mustn’t cry. “If it hadn’t been him, They’d have found someone else.”

And if They hadn’t? Would They have taken it as a sign that the time wasn’t yet? If Tony had stayed in night before last, would they have been spared all this?

No point thinking on that – the past was past and done. What mattered now was dealing with what came next. Liz knew from the family Bible what that was, and what to do.