Dry branches snapped beneath military boots, cutting through the silence of the forest.
Daniel walked with his hands in his pockets, maintaining a relaxed pace while Julie followed beside him, still thinking about the increase in precision provided by her new ability.
The walk back to town seemed peaceful until the sheriff and Ellis emerged from the woods with grim expressions.
The detail that caught Daniel's attention the most, however, was the identical wounds on both of their arms.
The fabric of their shirts was torn, and blood stained the edges of the cuts.
"Judging by the look on your faces," Daniel remarked, "I'd say the cave expedition wasn't all that productive."
Boyd stopped abruptly, narrowing his eyes.
Surprise crossed his face for a fraction of a second before he managed to hide it.
From what Daniel said, it was obvious that he already knew about the expedition.
The sheriff assumed that someone among the few who knew about the plan had let it slip.
"What happened?" Julie asked, her curiosity evident as she examined their wounds. "What did you find in there?"
"That's not the way out." The sheriff looked away and rigidly adjusted the strap of his weapon on his shoulder, making it clear that he had no intention of offering any more explanations.
The brief answer, however, only confirmed to Daniel that there was something far more serious behind those injuries.
He tilted his head slightly, as if he had expected that reaction. "I don't know what happened in there, but I do know one thing. Hiding things usually only makes them worse."
Based on the original timeline, Daniel had a good idea of what could have left them in that state, but he wasn't yet certain enough to reach a conclusion.
Too many details had changed since he arrived in this world, and assuming too much was usually a great way to get yourself into trouble.
Boyd's jaw tightened. Without answering, he turned around and resumed walking.
Ellis hesitated for a moment before following his father.
Daniel merely shrugged, showing no annoyance at being ignored. "Let's go."
A few yards ahead, Ellis discreetly glanced over his shoulder to make sure Daniel and Julie were still following the same path, but far enough away that they couldn't hear the conversation.
"Dad... Maybe he is right? Shouldn't we warn the others?"
Boyd let out a heavy sigh. "We've already talked about this, Ellis."
"But..."
"Who's going to believe us if we tell them?" the sheriff interrupted. "I went through it, and I can barely believe what I saw."
Ellis remained silent for a moment, thinking about how he himself would react if he were in the others' place. "Then what do we tell people?"
"I don't know if word that we went there has already spread or if they only told Daniel." Boyd spoke as though he had already considered every step. "If anyone else finds the place, we can stop them from going in by saying we've already been there."
"We tell them there's no way out and that we were attacked by some dangerous animal in the dark. No one will want to risk going inside if they think there's an aggressive animal living in there. We also need to find a way to block off the entrance."
After considering the idea, Ellis nodded. It wasn't a perfect solution, but it seemed like the best option available.
At the very least, if it worked, it could prevent other people from finding what they themselves still couldn't understand.
That was when two men emerged from the side of the woods, heading in the same direction.
One of them was practically running, stumbling as he tried to keep up with his companion.
Boyd turned toward them, noticing their haste.
"Is there a problem?"
Jon, the young man who usually hung around Dale's group and who had traded purified water with Daniel a few days earlier, stopped in front of them, breathing heavily.
Despite his exhaustion, there was obvious excitement on his face. "We found a cave!"
Boyd's body stiffened instantly.
Beside him, Ellis also froze, the two exchanging a quick glance as the same possibility crossed their minds.
"Which direction?" the sheriff demanded, taking on a commanding tone. "What is the place like?"
Jon pointed behind him, indicating the area he'd come from. "Near two old trees that fell on top of each other."
The tension in Boyd's shoulders eased. A sigh of relief escaped before he could stop it.
It wasn't the same place.
"Has anyone gone inside?"
"Not yet." Jon shook his head. "Nobody had a flashlight. We were actually heading to the Colony House to tell the people who stayed there and get all the equipment we need."
As he explained, Jon noticed Daniel and Julie approaching.
A nervous smile appeared on his face. "Daniel. Some people were looking for you earlier. They killed a big animal and wanted to see if they could trade with you."
"Was it dead?" Daniel asked.
"They said it was," Jon confirmed awkwardly. "I told them you only accepted live animals, but they insisted they wanted to ask anyway."
"I'm not interested." His answer was flat. "Only if it's alive."
Jon nodded, satisfied that he'd simply delivered the message.
He moved on with his companion, while Boyd and Ellis eventually followed behind them.
Julie touched Daniel's arm, watching the men walking away. "Let's go too. I bet my dad's going to want to get involved as soon as he hears about this."
Daniel agreed. If there was a chance of escaping that place, Jim would probably do whatever he could to investigate, even if it meant putting himself in danger.
…
When they reached Colony House, they found some of the residents scattered across the porch and grounds.
Fatima was leaning against the railing, watching the horizon, and let out a relieved sigh as soon as she spotted Ellis.
She came down to meet him, but her relaxed expression disappeared when she noticed her fiancé's injured arm.
"What happened to you guys?"
Jim and Tabitha were outside, trying to untangle a mess of electrical wires with Jade and a few other residents.
The activity caught their attention, and they abandoned their work as soon as they noticed Daniel and Julie arriving.
They hurried over, their eyes scanning their daughter for any sign of injury.
Ellis noticed Fatima's concern and tried to reassure her. "It wasn't anything serious, babe. It's barely a scratch."
Before anyone could ask another question, Boyd took the opportunity to change the subject. "Ellis told me he proposed to you. I'm really happy for you both."
Fatima blushed slightly. Even though she was still worried, she couldn't stop a small smile from appearing on her lips.
Donna, who had heard the commotion from inside, appeared on the porch.
Before she could ask what was happening, Jon raised his voice, unable to contain his excitement.
"We found a cave!"
The news spread through Colony House like wildfire.
Within seconds, the place was filled with voices, questions, and speculation about what might be inside.
Some residents began discussing a possible way out, while Jon gathered people to look for flashlights.
As the commotion grew, Donna discreetly called Boyd aside, far enough away that the others couldn't hear them.
Her eyes remained fixed on the sheriff's injury.
"What happened in there?"
"There was no way out." Boyd kept his voice low, making sure no one nearby could hear. "We ended up getting injured by some kind of animal. Couldn't see a thing. It was too dark."
Donna said nothing, but the way she looked at him made it clear she hadn't entirely bought that version of the story.
Within minutes, everyone at Colony House had left the building.
Only Tillie stayed behind, claiming she was getting too old for this kind of adventure.
They headed toward the forest, with Jon leading the way.
The walk there was filled with speculation and theories about what they might find.
Daniel ended up near the back of the group, alongside the Matthews family, because Ethan was having trouble keeping up with the adults' pace.
When they finally arrived, small search groups were already waiting nearby, all equally eager.
Among those present, Daniel spotted Dilan and Randall, whose expressions hardened as soon as they saw him.
A little behind, Victor stopped so abruptly that Donna almost bumped into him.
The moment he saw the cave, all the color seemed to drain from his face.
"No! You're not supposed to go in there!" he shouted, pointing toward the opening. "You have to go back!"
A confused silence spread among those present.
Some exchanged glances, while others stared at Victor with a mixture of bewilderment and doubt, unsure whether they should take his warning seriously.
Donna raised her hands in a calming gesture. "Victor, calm down. It's okay. We're just going to take a look."
"It's not okay! Don't go in!" He clutched his lunchbox against his chest as if it could protect him from whatever was hiding beyond the entrance.
His voice sounded even more desperate than before, making some of the residents hesitate.
Jade, who had long suspected that Victor knew far more about this place than he admitted, stepped forward a few paces.
"And why exactly shouldn't we go in?"
Victor opened his mouth, but no explanation came.
His gaze remained fixed on the darkness as he slowly shook his head, repeating in an increasingly faint voice that nobody should go inside.
"Oh, that's enough." Dale huffed, irritated by the growing hesitation around him.
He bent down to pick up one of the flashlights scattered across the ground and tested the beam against his palm before looking toward the opening.
"I'm not listening to an old man who draws with crayons."
Boyd stepped forward, taking the lead.
This time, however, he didn't try to stop anyone from following him.
After what he had found in the first cave, he preferred to discover what this second one was hiding with plenty of witnesses around.
If something bizarre happened again, at least he wouldn't have to convince an entire town on his own that it had actually existed.
"Listen up," Boyd shouted, silencing the chatter. "We're going in, but everyone stays together. Nobody runs, and nobody separates from the main group. If you find anything strange, report it immediately. Understood?"
Not far away, Jim was already preparing to go with them.
Julie grabbed his arm before he could take another step. "Dad, no. Don't go in there."
"Julie's right," Tabitha agreed. "You don't need to go. There are already too many people."
"It's going to be fine. The sheriff is armed," Jim insisted. "It could be our chance to get out of here."
Daniel studied the stubborn man. Then he glanced at Victor, who continued shaking his head while Donna tried to calm him down.
Focusing his mind, he activated Danger Wi-Fi.
A translucent radar appeared in his field of vision. Near the edge of its range, in the direction of the cave, a single red dot slowly pulsed in the darkness.
Daniel partially blocked Jim's path.
"If I were you, I wouldn't set foot in that hole," he declared loudly, making sure everyone could hear him.
"Victor has been here longer than anyone else. If he's practically having a heart attack while begging everyone not to go inside, maybe we should use our brains and take what he's saying seriously."
Some of the residents hesitated, exchanging glances as they reconsidered their decision.
Dale, however, shook his head, unable to abandon the idea of finding an escape.
"If there's a chance of getting out of here, taking a few risks is worth it. I'm going."
Several residents agreed with him, driven by the same hope that had taken hold of the town since the radio message.
[And the Darwin Award for natural selection goes to Team Dale.]
Daniel shrugged.
He had warned them.
If those people preferred to bet their lives on an uncertain possibility, it wasn't his place to hold them back.
They were adults, responsible for their own decisions and, unfortunately, for the consequences that came with them.
Still, Daniel wasn't willing to let Jim make a stupid choice without trying one last time.
He lowered his voice, speaking only to him and his family.
"The sheriff and Ellis went into another cave today. They were armed, and they still came out injured. You have a family to take care of. You don't need to take that risk. There will be people willing to do it regardless."
Those words hit Jim in a way none of the previous arguments had managed to.
He stood motionless, looking first at Julie, then at Tabitha, and finally at Ethan, who was watching everything while clutching his mother's sleeve.
"Stay, Dad," Julie pleaded, her voice softer now.
Tabitha squeezed her husband's arm, silently reinforcing the request.
Ethan remained quiet, but the concern in his eyes was all too familiar to Jim.
After a heavy sigh, he finally gave in and nodded.
A few yards away, Fatima was talking to Ellis, trying to convince him to stay outside.
She didn't have to insist much.
Ellis was already torn and agreed almost immediately.
Although he didn't want to admit it, part of him was still trembling at the memory of what he had experienced.
He glanced at his father but didn't try to argue again.
They had already discussed it on the way, and he knew his father wouldn't change his mind.
If he was determined to go inside, all Ellis could do now was trust that his father would make it back in one piece.
The group that finally formed to enter consisted of around ten people, with Boyd at the front and Dale and Randall among the others.
Dilan decided to stay outside, watching with his arms crossed and a caution that contrasted with his reputation as a man willing to challenge any rule.
This time, however, he preferred not to risk his own skin.
Darkness swallowed them as soon as they crossed the entrance, enveloping the group in blackness Boyd already knew far too well for one day.
The beams of their flashlights began sweeping across the stone walls, revealing an uneven corridor.
A few yards ahead, side passages appeared like dark mouths gaping open in the rock.
"Always stay in a straight line." Boyd raised his voice. "Nobody goes into any of these side passages. That way, nobody gets lost."
A low chorus of agreement answered his command, and they resumed their cautious advance.
The sound of boots against stone echoed off the walls, mixing with their breathing and the occasional crunch of gravel beneath their feet.
The farther they went, the more the sensation of isolation seemed to tighten around them.
They covered a considerable distance before Dale, walking directly behind Boyd, slowed his pace.
The hand holding his flashlight remained still for a moment as his eyes fixed on something at the end of the corridor.
"Hey." His voice came out low, heavy with tension. "I think there's something over there."
He carefully raised his flashlight, directing the beam toward the deepest corner of the passage.
The yellowish light traveled across the uneven stone until it reached a dark shape curled up against the wall.
For a few seconds, no one said anything, as if they needed time to understand what they were seeing.
The silhouette had a humanoid shape and was completely motionless, apparently asleep.
A creature.
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