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“Nope.” Noah shook his head.

“Or the screaming?”

He wished it were imaginary. There was a part of him that wanted to see if they needed help, but he didn’t know who or whattheywere.

“Looks like a fairy castle.”

Noah glanced at Nan.

“What? You got a better idea?”

He didn’t. No one did. People on the radio blamed monsters, the fae, or demons. There were plenty of theories but no facts. “Aliens?”

“Pfft. It’s the fae folk. Did you leave out the milk like I said?”

“Yeah.” He’d imagined fairies as small beings. The door to the castle in the pub was bigger than human-sized. He doubted the fae in there wanted a bowl of milk. He’d left out a jug of milk and a cup and the biscuit barrel from the break room.

Nan sighed. “Well, we’d best head home. Hopefully, we still have one.”

While Noah needed to pay attention to the road—which had buckled in places—his attention was drawn to the things that didn’t belong. He tried not to panic, which was kind of futile as his heart was racing, and at some point, he’d be unable to ignore the way fear stalked closer.

“This is a bit of a mess,” Nan said as if the destruction was something that could be cleaned up tomorrow. She didn’t seem bothered. Concerned with a side of grim, but she was acting as though it wasn’t the worst or strangest thing she’d experienced.

This was not a fix-it-tomorrow mess. He wasn’t sure it could be fixed. Where had the buildings come from? And what about the monsters the news had reported? Were there monsters on the other side of the door in the bar?

“Yeah.” Noah slowed and pulled the car over to the side. He stared at the road, or where the road should be. Down the center was a rip like a giant had tried to pull the road apart. Driving was hazardous…was walking any safer? He glanced at Nan. They weren’t that far from home. “Are you able to walk the rest of the way?”

“I hit my head. My legs work fine.” She was already getting out of the car before Noah had formed an argument.

Sure, she seemed fine and didn’t appear concussed. They’d gotten everyone out of the bar and locked up and cleaned up the worst of the broken glass.

“What about…what if there are things out there?”

“We aren’t going to be rescued. Do you want to sit here like tinned monster food?”

“No.” He didn’t want to be monster food at all.

He locked the car and hoped it would be safe. Then they trudged along the street, heading toward home. He helped Nan climb over obstacles and around detours.

“Guess we’re walking to work tomorrow.” He said lightly, not knowing if they’d even go.

“Aye, someone has to clean up the mess we left and check on the castle.”

It took them an hour to walk home, and they didn’t see a single monster. All the neighbors were out in the street, like a meeting needed to be held about the disruptions.

Uncle David rushed over. “Linda.” He embraced his mother-in-law. “Thank God you’re alright.” He pulled Noah in. “You, too. I haven’t been able to get hold of Meredith or Isla and Rhet.”

“The middle of town is chaos. Mer will be dealing with that,” Nan said. “No new buildings here?”

“New buildings?” One of the neighbors asked, peering at them like they were drunk.

It took Noah a moment to realize that aside from cracks in the road, the lack of power, and some fallen trees, there was nothing weird on this street.

“David…it wasn’t an earthquake. It was something else,” Noah said at the same time Nan started talking about the fairy castle now joined to the pub. Which sounded slightly insane, and from the looks the neighbors gave her, it was clear they thought she’d lost it. But he’d seen it.

It was real.

David stared at Noah as if he was to blame for Nan talking about the fae folk.