Page 4

There had to be a third option. Noah glanced at his grandmother. “Nan?”

The building screamed, and the wall to his left peeled away as if a giant hand had ripped it off.

“Fuck…” Noah stepped back—not that there was anywhere for him to go. His teeth buzzed in his jaw, and the world around him shuddered as if being pulled apart. The floor bucked, and he fell, landing on his ass. He wrapped his arms over his head, expecting the roof to fall on him.

Another bang. But no debris fell. He peeked out from beneath his forearm.

The wall had returned.

What the hell?

The lights flickered and went out, and the world stopped shaking and groaning. There was a breath of silence, and then it became filled with sobs, sirens, and screams.

Noah drew in a couple of slow breaths. It was over. He was fine. He took another couple of breaths as he worked out what to do next. Without the lights, the interior of the bar was dim, but there should be a torch near the cash register.

He reached out and hissed with pain. His palm stung as if he’d poured alcohol on a cut.

Oh, shit. The broken bottles.

He was sitting in spilled alcohol and broken glass. He grabbed the edge of the bar with his fingers and pulled himself up to avoid more cuts on unseen glass. His eyes adjusted to the gloom, and he inched over to the cash register and then ran his hand beneath until his fingers brushed the hard plastic of the bright yellow torch.

He flicked the button and set the torch on the bar, pointing up at the ceiling to cast light around the bar. “Is everyone alright?”

He needed to check his own hand, but he wasn’t quite ready to do that, even though something warm trickled over his skin. There should be a first aid kit beneath the cash register, too. He felt around with his other hand and then set the metal tin on the bar next to the torch.

A few people murmured that they were okay. Anyone who is dead wouldn’t answer, which wasn’t a comforting thought.

“Nan?”

When she didn’t answer, he grabbed the torch and swung it toward where she’d been standing. She slumped against the bar, eyes closed.

No, no, no.

He rushed over and crouched next to her. As he reached for her, she drew in a breath.

He also noted the torchlight glinting off the bloodied gash in his hand. His stomach turned.

“Nan.” He gave her a shake, needing her to wake up. He didn’t know what to do. This wasn’t an emergency he knew how to deal with.

Sirens bounced off the buildings as the cops, and ambulances and firetrucks dealt with worse situations.

Nan made a noise and blinked a few times. “Get the light out of my face.”

Noah exhaled and smiled. She’d be fine.

“Don’t get up yet; you banged your head.” He glanced at his hand. He needed to deal with the cut before he did anything else. Nan would insist on helping the customers before she worried about herself. “Give me a moment to check on everyone else. Promise me you’ll stay there.”

She touched the side of her forehead. “What happened?”

“Earthquake.” What else could it be? But when he glanced over his shoulder, it wasn’t the pub wall that had returned but something else entirely. Something with a large wooden door.

And that’s where the screams were coming from.

CHAPTER3

Getting home was not the easy drive it should’ve been. Powerlines were down. Trees had been uprooted. New buildings had appeared. As in, entire buildings constructed of wood and stone stood in roadways and on paths and where other buildings had previously been. The new wall in the pub belonged to a spire made of some kind of glowing marble, which appeared to have no windows. Just the door that they’d agreed not to open without knowing what lived on the other side. Even standing in the car park, the terrible wailing seemed to echo.

They’d stood there, staring at it for what seemed like hours before Nan had spoken. “I’m not imagining the castle, am I?”