Chapter 06 : Let's go back to the Town

Jake was the first to voice what they'd all been thinking. "Let's go back to town. Our food's almost gone, and maybe.....just maybe...if we get out of the canyon's grip for a while, we can break the watchers' influence. We'll come back when we're ready. Fresh."

Lila and Samuel exchanged a glance, both weary and hungry. The endless shifting of the canyon, the oppressive sense of being watched, and the gnawing uncertainty about time itself had worn them thin. Even the air felt heavier now, as if the canyon itself resented their presence. Lila nodded. "It's worth a try. I don't think I can take another day of this place without a real meal or a real bed."

Samuel closed his notebook with a snap, his face drawn but determined. "We need to regroup. Maybe in Good Hope, we'll be able to think straight. The watchers seem weaker the farther we get from the settlement. Let's go."

They packed their few remaining supplies. Jake cast one last look at the wooden palisade in the distance - the fortress that had once been a simple settlement, now a symbol of everything the canyon had twisted. He felt a pang for Miya, for Jeremiah, for all the others still trapped inside. But he knew they couldn't help anyone if they starved, or if the watchers finally broke their will.

The journey back to Good Hope was strangely quiet. The canyon's landscape, so unpredictable and menacing before, seemed to flatten and fade as they moved away from the settlement. The trees grew less dense, the rocks less jagged, and the oppressive weight in the air slowly lifted.

But they felt very tired and exhausted Lila almost fainted,and they decided to rest for a while. 

 ******

Samuel walk up first,then the others. Canyons landscape changed but they felt a new freshness in them and started walking again, They didn't speak much as they walked. Each step felt lighter, and the silence between them was companionable, not strained.

It was as if the canyon itself was letting them go- at least for now.

 Jake found his thoughts drifting to the town: the old doctor's clinic, the dusty bar, the little shop with its faded sign. He wondered if the townspeople would even remember them, or if the canyon's strangeness had infected Good Hope as well.

By the time they reached the outskirts of town, the sun was high and the air was warm. The familiar sight of the weathered buildings brought a wave of relief. Jake felt his shoulders drop, tension he hadn't even realized he was carrying finally slipping away. Lila let out a shaky laugh. "I never thought I'd be this happy to see Good Hope again."

Samuel smiled, though it didn't quite reach his eyes. "Let's get some food and rest. Then we'll figure out our next move."

They made their way to the clinic first, expecting to find the old doctor busy with his usual rounds. Instead, they found him sitting on the porch, reading a newspaper. He looked up as they approached, his eyes widening in surprise.

"Well, you're back sooner than I expected," he said, folding the paper. "Didn't you just leave yesterday?"

Jake stopped in his tracks, exchanging a bewildered look with Lila and Samuel. "Yesterday?"

The doctor nodded. "You left in the morning, said you were heading out to the canyon. I figured you'd be gone at least a week, maybe more. But here you are, just a day later."

Samuel's brow furrowed. "Are you sure? It feels like we've been gone for days. Maybe even longer."

The doctor chuckled. "Well, I'm sure. The calendar hasn't changed, and I haven't missed a meal. You folks must have lost track of time out there."

Jake felt a chill run down his spine. The canyon's warping of time wasn't just a feeling- it was real. They'd lived through days of hunger, exhaustion, and fear, only to find that barely twenty-four hours had passed in Good Hope.

Lila slumped onto the porch steps, shaking her head. "It's the watchers. They're not just warping the canyon- they're warping us. Our memories, our sense of time. We can't trust anything in there."

Samuel sat beside her, pulling out his notebook and flipping through the pages. "If the canyon's time is disconnected from the outside, that means anything we do in there might not matter out here. Or vice versa. We could spend weeks trying to break the loop, and it would be like we never left."

Jake leaned against the porch railing, staring out at the quiet street. "Or maybe that's the point. The watchers want us to lose hope. To feel like nothing we do matters."

The doctor watched them, concern etched on his face. "You folks look like you've been through hell. Why don't you come inside, get something to eat, and rest up? Whatever is out there can wait until you're ready."

They didn't need to be asked twice. Inside the clinic, the familiar smells of antiseptic and fresh bread were a balm. The doctor's assistant brought them bowls of stew and thick slices of bread, and for the first time in what felt like ages, they ate until they were full.

Afterward, they each found a corner of the clinic to rest. Jake lay on a cot by the window, watching the sunlight dance on the floorboards. He felt the exhaustion seep out of his bones, replaced by a clarity he hadn't felt in weeks. Away from the canyon, the watchers' grip seemed to loosen. His thoughts were his own again.

As the afternoon faded into evening, the three of them gathered in the clinic's common room. Lila was the first to speak. "So what now? Do we go back?"

Samuel nodded, though his face was troubled. "We have to. But we need a new plan. The watchers are learning from us, adapting. If we go back the same way, they'll be ready."

Jake looked at his friends, feeling their determination echo his own. "We'll rest. We'll eat. We'll be smarter next time. The canyon might be able to twist time, but it can't break us. Not if we stick together."

They sat in silence for a while, listening to the sounds of Good Hope- the laughter from the bar, the distant bark of a dog, the gentle creak of the clinic's porch swing. For the first time in a long while, Jake felt hope stirring in his chest.

Tomorrow, they would return to the canyon. But tonight, they were safe. And that was enough.