Jake had always thought that returning to the world outside the canyon would be a relief, a return to order, to familiar ground, to the life he'd once known. But as he stepped off the bus and walked the cracked sidewalk toward his old police station, he felt a growing sense of unease. The streets seemed smaller, the faces less familiar. He looked at his reflection in a shop window and barely recognized the man staring back: leaner, older, eyes shadowed by memories he couldn't share.
He paused at the front steps of the station, staring up at the faded blue letters over the door. For a moment, he hesitated, wondering if this was a mistake. But he owed it to Miya - and to himself - to try.
Inside, the air was cool and smelled faintly of coffee and cleaning fluid. Jake's boots echoed on the tile as he walked to the front desk. The sergeant on duty, a young man Jake didn't recognize, looked up with a start.
"Can I help you?" the sergeant asked.
Jake cleared his throat. "I'm Detective Jake Rowan. I need to speak to Chief Harris."
The sergeant's eyes widened. "Rowan? You… you're supposed to be missing."
Jake tried to smile, but it came out crooked. "Not anymore."
He waited in the lobby, feeling the stares of passing officers. Some looked at him with curiosity, others with suspicion. When Chief Harris finally emerged, her face was a mask of disbelief and fatigue.
"Jake?" she said, voice uncertain. "Is it really you?"
"It's me, Chief." Jake tried to keep his voice steady. "I'm back."
She led him into her office and closed the door. For a moment, she just looked at him, as if trying to see through the months..... no, years...of his absence.
"Where have you been?" she finally asked.
Jake took a deep breath. "It's a long story. I went to the canyon, tracking Dirty Joy. Miya and I… we got trapped. I only just escaped."
Chief Harris stared at him, her brow furrowing. "Jake, you've been gone for over a year and a half. The search teams found nothing. Your partner is still missing. You're on suspension for unauthorized absence. There's an internal investigation."
Jake's heart sank. "I know how it sounds. But you have to believe me....something happened in that canyon. We lost our memories. There was… something controlling us. Devices in our ears. Experiments. I...."
She held up a hand, her expression hardening. "Jake, I want to believe you. But this sounds… impossible. We sent teams. We found nothing but old ruins and some abandoned camps. No sign of you or Miya. No sign of anyone."
Jake felt the weight of her words pressing down on him. He tried again, desperate. "Chief, please. There are people still trapped there. Miya is alive. I know it."
She shook her head. "You need to see the department psychologist. You're not cleared for duty. Until this is sorted, you're suspended. I'm sorry, Jake."
He left the station in a daze, the world spinning around him. The city felt colder, the noise harsher. He wandered the streets for hours, replaying every conversation, every memory. No one believed him. The world had moved on, and he was a ghost in his own life.
Jake tried to reach out to old friends, but their numbers had changed, and their lives had changed. He was a relic, a man out of time. He found himself drifting, drawn back to the only place that had offered him kindness since his return: Good Hope.
The drive back to Good Hope was long and quiet. The landscape rolled by in shades of brown and gold, the sky wide and empty. Jake felt the tension ease from his shoulders as he turned onto the familiar road, the town's weathered buildings coming into view.
* * * * * *
Samuel was waiting for him at the clinic, standing just inside the doorway as Jake stepped in from the dusty street. The light in the old building was golden and warm, but Samuel's face was drawn with worry and anticipation. For his surprise, Jeremiah and Lila were seated at a battered wooden table, maps and notebooks spread out before them.
Jake managed a tired smile. "you made it back."
Samuel stepped forward, clapping him gently on the shoulder. "At last, yes... How did it go?"
Jake shook his head, the exhaustion in every line of his body. "They didn't believe a word I said. Not about the canyon. Not about Miya. I'm suspended. They think I lost my mind."
Lila's eyes softened. She rose and poured Jake a mug of coffee, pressing it into his hands. "You're not the only one. None of us could convince anyone out here. But we know the truth."
Jeremiah nodded, his jaw set. "We're with you, Jake. Whatever you need."
Jake looked at the three of them, the weight of his journey falling away just a little. "I can't do this alone. I want to go back. I want to rescue Miya. But I need your help."
Samuel gestured for him to sit. "There's something you should know. About how I got Jeremiah and Lila out."
Jake sat, cradling the coffee, and listened. Samuel leaned forward, his voice low and intense.
" I kept researching the canyon and the anomalies. I realized the only way in and out that wouldn't draw suspicion was the old supply Truck. So I the the truck, loaded it with basic goods, and drove back, pretending I was just making a supply run."
Lila added, "We drove out the same way Samuel came in, pretending we were just another supply run."
Samuel nodded. "It worked because we didn't draw attention. The watchers didn't expect anyone to leave that way, or they are programmed that way. But going back in will be harder, maybe. They'll be watching for us now."
Jake absorbed the story, his mind racing with possibilities. "So we use the same plan, but we need to be smarter. We'll bring supplies, act like we're just making another delivery. But this time, we're going in to get Miya, and anyone else we can help."
Jeremiah leaned over the map. "We'll need to time it right. The settlers are most distracted during the weekly meeting. That's when we'll have our best shot."
Lila traced a route on the map with her finger. "There's a side path here, near the old mine. It's less traveled. We can use it to get close without being seen."
Samuel looked at Jake, determination in his eyes. "We'll need to work fast. Once we're inside, we find Miya, remove her device, and get her out. If we can help anyone else, we do. But we can't risk getting trapped again."
Jake nodded, exhaustion in every line of his body, but hope flickering in his chest. "Let's do it. For everyone still inside."
The four of them sat together, finalizing their plan as the sun set outside, casting long shadows across the clinic floor. For the first time since leaving the canyon, Jake felt a sense of purpose,a mission worth risking everything for.
Tomorrow, they would return to the canyon. This time, they wouldn't leave anyone behind.