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Back The Woman in the Wood Save as PDF
Chapters (62)
  1. Cover
  2. Also by M.K. Hill
  3. THE WOMAN IN THE WOOD
  4. Copyright
  5. Dedication
  6. Contents
  7. Epigraph
  8. 1
  9. 2
  10. 3
  11. 4
  12. 5
  13. 6
  14. 7
  15. 8
  16. 9
  17. 10
  18. 11
  19. 12
  20. 13
  21. 14
  22. 15
  23. 16
  24. 17
  25. 18
  26. 19
  27. 20
  28. 21
  29. 22
  30. 23
  31. 24
  32. 25
  33. 26
  34. 27
  35. 28
  36. 29
  37. 30
  38. 31
  39. 32
  40. 33
  41. 34
  42. 35
  43. 36
  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. Acknowledgements
  61. About the Author
  62. An Invitation from the Publisher

Abs rushed towards the doors, but when Jez charged at him out of nowhere, he fell through the air.

They hit the water hard and went under, the cold a sudden shock to Abs’s system. It poured into his mouth and down his throat. He glimpsed Jez’s crazed face underwater, and his arms thrashing, but then he was hidden by a cascade of white bubbles. Jez’s arms grabbed at Abs, dragging them both down. Abs lashed out, but Jez’s arm was wrapped around his neck. He panicked. Jez was determined to kill them both.

He tried to elbow Jez in the stomach as they sank to the bottom, but Abs was caught in a headlock, and his lungs were filling with water. He was convinced he was going to drown. He tugged at Jez’s arm, and when his feet touched the bottom of the pool, pushed off. The back of Jez’s head hit the wall of the pool, and the shock made him let go of Abs, who grabbed Jez’s head in his hands and slammed it against the side as hard as he could, despite the resistance of the water. When he felt Jez go limp – his friend’s eyes stared, his mouth was wide, his hair swaying eerily slow in the water as he began to drift – Abs clawed his way to the surface, feeling that his chest was about to explode. He broke the surface, taking huge gasping breaths. Choking, spluttering, grasping blindly for the lip of the pool. He clung to the edge until he was able to move again, and then dragged himself, sopping wet, onto the tile. He lifted himself onto his hands and knees to throw up water, which slapped onto the floor. Abs let out a cry of frustration and despair, and then he remembered Jez was still in the water. He was probably dead now; he had killed him. He couldn’t leave him down there in that watery grave. But when he finally had the strength to stand and look into the pool, he couldn’t see him.

Instead, he felt a chill on his wet skin. The patio door was open, and a trail of water led outside.

46

By the time the cab rolled into their street, Sasha was physically sick with worry. Sitting in the front, she gripped the dash as they approached the house. The street was full of young people, teenagers mostly; so many that they spilled off the pavement and stood in the middle of the road, chatting and laughing, drinking and smoking, and oblivious to the ambulance approaching from the opposite direction.

Leaning between the front seats, Kev muttered, ‘Holy…’

Sasha slapped the dash. ‘Pull over here.’

As soon as she cracked the door, she smelled the pungent aroma of weed. Drops of lager spattered the windscreen as someone sprayed a can over the crowd.

The driver crawled forwards. ‘I have to stop the—’