When Daniel finished saying goodbye to the family, a notification flashed in his vision.
[Reward received: 200 silver coins, 2 attribute points, 3 skill points, 1 new skill.]
[Congratulations. Jim does not think you are a criminal. He is feeling relieved because he got rid of you. Poor man.]
Daniel exhaled, finally relaxing. At last, he could stop walking on eggshells while talking to Jim and Tabitha.
He walked toward the house with Kenny, who stayed silent for a few seconds before breaking the heavy air.
"So, what brought you to this region? Vacation, work?"
"A mix of both." He shrugged. "I like exploring isolated places, hiking, filming the environnt. That kind of thing."
"So you work with video?"
"Yeah, sothing like that. Social dia, adventures, extre sports. Nothing too exciting," Daniel said with an ironic smile.
Kenny nodded slowly, as if processing the information in slow motion. "I always wanted to do sothing like that." His voice sounded distant. "Climbing, traveling... but there was never ti." In the end, he smiled, trying to hide his emotional state.
The way he said "never ti" made Daniel look at him with understanding. As if Kenny knew there would never be ti for anything anymore.
When they stopped in front of the house, Daniel noticed how Kenny avoided looking at the front door, the kind of subtle avoidance that revealed more than words.
Kenny took a deep breath. He held the doorknob for a mont longer than necessary, pure hesitation.
Daniel observed everything carefully. The tension in his jaw, the short breathing. It was the sa house where the girl and her mother had been found dead.
When Kenny finally opened the door, the sll of disinfectant was still strong, unsuccessfully trying to cover sothing deeper. Daniel crossed the threshold slowly. The floor creaked under his feet, and every step seed to echo more than it should.
The living room was tidy, but there was a sense of emptiness that no furniture could fill. A picture fra turned face down on one of the shelves caught his attention. Kenny quickly looked away, as if it were an exposed wound.
Daniel raised an eyebrow, absorbing the heavy atmosphere. Of course. A house of the recently deceased. If there was one place where he could stay without bothering anyone, it was this one.
Kenny spoke quietly. "You can stay here tonight. There's a spare room upstairs. The other one is under maintenance."
"No problem." He dropped his bag on the floor and sat down on a chair in the living room, observing the place while trying not to imagine a child walking through it the day before.
[New mission available]
Social Mission: Be the first to tell the Matthews family that there is no way out of the town.
Difficulty: Easy
Reward: 300 silver coins, 1 attribute point, 2 skill points.
[Race against ti: Explain that they are trapped in a nightmare town before the local authority does. Nothing like healthy competition with deadly consequences.]
Daniel frowned. Great. Now he had to compete with a veteran sheriff for the attention of a traumatized family. And do it before Boyd started his inevitable speech.
"Accept all missions automatically from now on." Since there were no penalties for failure, he figured it was the best decision.
The door of the house opened, and Boyd walked in. Jim and his family were already back on the road at this point.
---
(Point of View: Boyd Stevens)
Boyd did not trust newcors. Never. The pain of seeing hope in their eyes, only to witness panic and, worse, the terror of their endings, had broken him too many tis.
Daniel was different. And that, to him, was dangerous.
Blond hair, black jacket, eyes far too calm. He had the kind of presence that unsettled people, the type who observed in silence and thought more than they spoke.
His initial plan had been to house everyone at the sheriff's station, as he always did with newcors, but that fell apart the mont he rembered Frank. The man was locked up there, shattered inside after losing his wife and daughter.
The girl had opened the window for the creatures. And Boyd had repeated it endlessly: if you have children, nail the windows shut. Frank had not nailed them. And now he carried a guilt that crushed anyone who got close.
Leaving a newcor sleeping next to soone so unstable would be irresponsible, maybe even dangerous. So the plan changed.
He would talk about the loop. Let Daniel see the family return. And when everyone was back, because they always ca back, he would repeat the sa conversation with the group together. They would spend the night in that house, under his direct supervision. It was the safest way.
Newcors made mistakes. Always. They went out in the middle of the night thinking they could escape, or opened windows out of desperation. He could not afford to lose more people to impulse.
And only when night fell, when the creatures began knocking on doors and calling them by na, only then would he tell the full truth. It was better that way. Less ti to panic before nightfall. Fewer chances for soone to do sothing stupid.
---
"Sorry for the delay, Daniel." Boyd approached slowly, posture firm. "So, your motorho. Is it far from town?"
He needed to know if the vehicle was left before the fallen tree, because if it was, there would be no way to retrieve it. After seeing the tree, people took the detour and never managed to return to it.
Daniel lifted his head. "No. I think about thirty minutes from here."
The sheriff nodded, making a ntal note. "Good. And what was your destination? Traveling for work or vacation?"
"I was going to hike in the nearby forest." He kept his tone neutral, deliberately vague.
Boyd did not look away. "Daniel, I have sothing serious to talk to you about."
"I'm listening, sheriff."
Boyd crossed his arms, analyzing every microexpression. "I'm not going to ask you to believe right now. I don't even expect you to. But things here don't work the way they should."
"When you take the road, it always brings you back. No matter how far you drive."
He let the explanation fall slowly, without using the word trapped. Not yet.
"It's like the road repeats itself. A loop." His voice was heavy, but controlled.
Daniel did not blink. Boyd expected hysterical denial, an incredulous laugh, or even for him to stand up and leave thinking it was so kind of scam. Instead, he asked a asured question.
"So you're telling we're all trapped in this town?"
"Yes. It happens after you see the tree and the crows on the road. We don't know why."
"I don't want to offend you, sheriff," Daniel said slowly, "but do you have any proof? You can't expect to believe this just on your word."
"I understand your doubt. When I was in your place, I didn't believe it either. Only when I saw it with my own eyes." Boyd watched Daniel's reaction.
"Jim is already on the road with his family. If you want proof, wait here. They'll co back on the sa road. I know it won't be enough proof, but it's what you'll have for now."
Daniel stayed silent, thoughtful. I need to talk to the family before Boyd does. "Even if it's true, they won't stop now. They'll think they took the wrong turn and try again. How about I hitch a ride with them again and see it for myself?"
Boyd stayed quiet for a mont, evaluating. This kid was difficult, the type who wanted everything on his own terms. But there was still daylight. And honestly, it would be easier to convince everyone at once when they ca back.
He was not being permissive. He was being practical. Letting the young see it for himself would save hours of arguing. And he would return with the family, all ready to hear the truth at once.
The sheriff leaned forward. Authority radiated from every word. "Fine. But listen carefully. Do not say anything to the family about what I just told you. I'll speak when you all co back. I don't want anyone driving a trailer in panic. Understood?"
Daniel nodded, already preparing a convincing excuse. "I can say the chanic left town and you didn't know. Then I'll ask for a ride to the next city. Don't worry, I'm discreet."
Boyd's eyes narrowed slightly. Daniel's casual tone set off silent alarms in his mind. The kid spoke with a confidence he should not have. As if he already had everything planned. That kind of person was often dangerous.
One step at a ti, Boyd thought, his jaw tightening. First the loop. Then the rest.
At that mont, Daniel felt the urge to use the bathroom, and Kenny showed him where it was upstairs.
When Kenny returned, he asked, "Do you think he believes?"
"It doesn't matter if he believes now. He'll believe when he cos back."
Kenny nodded, but concern lingered in his dark eyes. "And if he tells the family before they return?"
"Then I'll have a more complicated conversation when they get here, but it won't be a big problem." Boyd crossed his arms, muscles tense under his shirt. "Sothing tells he won't tell them. I don't know why, but he seems smart enough to know it would be worse."
Boyd rubbed his temples, already thinking about having to give the sa explanations again.
Because the worst part was not convincing people they were trapped.
It was convincing them that the things outside were not human.
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