The morning light was soft and golden, painting the canyon in hues of amber and rust. Jake walked slowly through the settlement, his head still aching from whatever Jeremiah had done to him the night before. The air was crisp, the scent of pine and earth sharp in his nostrils. He rubbed his temple, trying to shake off the lingering numbness.
He spotted Miya near the communal well, her back to him as she filled a bucket with water. Her hair was tied back, her hands rough from work. Jake's heart clenched at the sight of her - he needed to talk to her, to tell her what he remembered.
"Miya," he called out, his voice hoarse but clear.
Miya froze, her shoulders stiffening. She turned slowly, her eyes wide with confusion. "What… what did you call me?" she asked, her voice trembling.
Jake frowned. "Your name. Miya."
Miya's face twisted in disbelief. She shook her head, her hands clutching the bucket so tightly her knuckles turned white. "No… no, that's not my name. I don't remember my name."
Jake's stomach dropped. He stepped closer, searching her face for any sign of recognition. "You really don't remember?"
Miya's eyes filled with tears. "I don't know who I am. I don't know who you are. I just know… I just know I'm here. And I'm scared."
Jake reached out, but Miya flinched away. He let his hand fall, his heart pounding. He looked around the settlement. The settlers were going about their morning routines, but none of them called each other by name. They used gestures, nicknames, or just grunts.
"Where were you last night?" Miya asked, her voice small.
Jake hesitated. How could he explain what had happened? How could he tell her he'd been knocked out and woken up in the brothel, that his memories were slipping back but hers were gone? He didn't answer. Instead, he turned and hurried away, his mind racing.
Jake rushed to the brothel, his boots kicking up dust as he ran. He needed answers, and Jeremiah was the only one who might have them.
The brothel was quiet in the morning, the windows shuttered, the air inside thick with the scent of perfume and old wood. Jake pushed open the door and stepped inside.
Jeremiah and Lila were sitting at a small table near the back, their heads close together. They looked up as Jake entered, their expressions unreadable.
"Jake," Jeremiah said, his voice calm. "I wondered when you'd come back."
Jake strode over to them, his fists clenched. "What did you do to me? What's happening to everyone here?"
Jeremiah exchanged a glance with Lila, then sighed. "Sit down, Jake. We have a lot to talk about."
Jake hesitated, then pulled up a chair. He leaned forward, his elbows on the table, his eyes locked on Jeremiah's. "Start talking."
Jeremiah rubbed his swollen jaw - a souvenir from their fight the night before. "You remember your name now, don't you?"
Jake nodded. "Yes. And I remember some other things. But Miya… she doesn't."
Jeremiah's expression darkened. "That's because of the device."
"The device?" Jake echoed, his stomach twisting.
Lila leaned forward, her voice low and urgent. "There's a small device implanted in your ear, Jake. In everyone's ear. It's how they control us. How they make us forget."
Jake's hand flew to his ear, his fingers probing the skin. He felt nothing unusual, just the curve of his cartilage. "I don't feel anything."
"You wouldn't," Jeremiah said. "It's deep. And it's not just you - everyone in this village has one. That's why no one remembers their names, their pasts. That's why the loop keeps going."
Jake's mind reeled. He thought of the settlers, of Miya, of himself. The way memories slipped away, the way the past felt like a dream. "Who put it there?" he demanded.
Jeremiah's face was grim. "Aliens. Or something like aliens. I don't know exactly what they are, but they're not human. They're studying us, Jake. They're running an experiment."
Jake's breath caught in his throat. "An experiment?"
"Yes. They take police, criminals, travelers and they bring them here. They implant the device, erase their memories, and watch what happens. They want to see how humans behave in a closed loop, cut off from the outside world."
Jake's hands trembled. It was insane. Impossible. And yet… it explained so much. The way the settlers never left, the way the canyon seemed to go on forever, the way memories faded like mist.
"How do you know all this?" Jake asked.
Jeremiah sighed. "Because I was one of them. I was an agent, sent here to catch Dirty Joy. But I got trapped, just like you. I lost my memories, my name. I became a settler."
He paused, his eyes distant. "But something happened. I found the device in my ear. I removed it. And my memories came back."
Jake stared at him. "You remembered?"
Jeremiah nodded. "Yes. And I escaped the village. I went back to the outside world. But I had to come back. I had to find out what was happening here, to stop it if I could."
Lila reached out and took Jeremiah's hand. "He came back for me. He removed my device, and I remembered too. But Dirty Joy… he's missing. He's not in his usual place."
Jake's mind raced. "So Dirty Joy is…?"
"He's part of the experiment," Jeremiah said. "But he's not here anymore. Maybe he escaped. Maybe the aliens took him. I don't know."
Jake sat back, his head spinning. He remembered now,he was a police officer. He'd come here to arrest Dirty Joy. But he'd gotten trapped in the loop, just like Jeremiah.
"What about Miya?" Jake asked, his voice hoarse. "Can we help her?"
Jeremiah nodded. "Yes. If we remove the device, her memories will come back. But it's dangerous. The aliens are watching. If they find out what we're doing…"
Jake's jaw tightened. "We have to try."
The three of them sat in silence for a long moment, the weight of the truth pressing down on them. Outside, the settlement was waking up, the sounds of voices and work drifting through the air.
Jake thought of Miya, of the fear in her eyes when she couldn't remember her name. He thought of the settlers, of the endless loop, of the aliens watching from the shadows.
"What about the traveler?" Jake asked suddenly. "Who is he?"
Jeremiah and Lila exchanged a glance. "We don't know," Lila admitted. "He's new. He could be another victim, or… he could be one of them."
Jake's stomach twisted. "One of the aliens?"
Jeremiah nodded. "It's possible. That's why we have to be careful."
Jake stood up, his resolve hardening. "We have to help Miya. And we have to find out who the traveler really is."
Jeremiah stood too, his expression serious. "We will. But we have to be smart. The aliens are always watching."
Jake nodded. He felt a flicker of hope, the first in a long time. He had his memories back. He knew who he was. And he wasn't alone.
He turned to the door, ready to face whatever came next. The loop wasn't endless. There was a way out. And he was going to find it.