The Boundaries of Memory

The sun dipped low as the Jeep roared along the rugged path, its tires kicking up clouds of dust that hung in the air like lingering phantoms. Jessica gripped the steering wheel, her knuckles white, eyes narrowed against the glare of the setting sun. Beside her, Leanna adjusted her glasses, scanning a tablet that displayed a map with a blinking dot—San Tomás. In the back seat, Olivia fiddled with her camera, ensuring it was ready for whatever awaited them.

"According to Rodrigo's intel, we should be close," Leanna murmured, her voice barely audible over the engine's growl.

"Let's hope his information is solid," Jessica replied, her tone edged with tension.

The landscape around them had shifted from the bustling chaos of Mexico City to the desolate serenity of rural Mexico. Rolling hills gave way to jagged mountains, their peaks piercing the sky like ancient sentinels. The road, if it could be called that, was little more than a dirt trail, winding through dense thickets and rocky outcrops.

As they rounded a bend, the town of San Tomás emerged from the horizon, nestled in a valley like a forgotten relic. It was eerily pristine—rows of identical houses with red-tiled roofs, a central plaza with a fountain, and a church whose bell tower cast a long shadow over the town square. But there was something off, something that made the hair on Jessica's neck stand on end.

"This place gives me the creeps," Olivia muttered, snapping a photo.

"Stay sharp," Jessica warned, bringing the Jeep to a halt outside the town's perimeter. "We don't know what we're walking into."

They disembarked, the crunch of gravel underfoot the only sound in the oppressive silence. As they approached the town, they noticed the fence—a chain-link barrier encircling San Tomás, standing eight feet tall with no visible gates.

"Why fence in a town with no roads leading out?" Leanna mused, running a hand along the cold metal.

"To keep something in," Jessica replied grimly.

They found a section where the fence had been tampered with, the links cut and hastily repaired. With careful precision, they created an opening large enough to slip through, entering the town like intruders in a place that shouldn't exist.

The streets were deserted, the air thick with an unnatural stillness. As they ventured deeper, they saw signs of life—laundry hanging on lines, bicycles propped against walls, the distant hum of a radio playing a melancholic tune.

"Where is everyone?" Olivia whispered, her camera clicking softly.

"Let's find out," Jessica said, nodding toward the central plaza.

As they approached, the sound of murmured conversations grew louder. Turning a corner, they found the townspeople gathered around the fountain, engaged in subdued chatter. Men in work clothes, women with children, elderly couples—all going about their routines with an unsettling normalcy.

Jessica stepped forward, clearing her throat. "Excuse me," she called out in Spanish. "We're travelers and seem to have lost our way. Can someone tell us where we are?"

The crowd fell silent, dozens of eyes turning to scrutinize the newcomers. After a tense moment, a man in his fifties stepped forward, his face lined with age and weariness.

"You are in San Tomás," he said, his voice steady but devoid of warmth.

"San Tomás," Jessica repeated. "It's not on any of our maps. How long has this town been here?"

The man exchanged uneasy glances with those around him. "As long as we can remember," he replied, a vague answer that only deepened their unease.

Leanna stepped forward, her gaze sharp. "And how far back does that memory go?"

The man opened his mouth to respond, but a sudden commotion cut him off. From the edge of the plaza, a woman screamed, pointing a trembling finger at the newcomers.

"Intruders!" she shrieked. "They've come to take us away!"

Panic rippled through the crowd, faces contorting with fear and suspicion. The man who had spoken raised his hands, trying to calm the masses.

"Please, everyone, remain calm," he urged. "Let's hear what they have to say."

Jessica took a deep breath, choosing her words carefully. "We're not here to harm anyone," she said, her voice firm yet soothing. "We just want to understand what's happening here."

A murmur of uncertainty passed through the crowd. Finally, an elderly woman stepped forward, her eyes clouded with confusion.

"I... I remember waking up here," she said softly. "But before that... it's all a blur."

Others nodded in agreement, their expressions mirroring her bewilderment. She knew that confusion. The ache of trying to remember something that might never have been yours to begin with.

"None of us remember how we got here," the man admitted, his shoulders sagging. "It's as if our lives began anew a few weeks ago."

Leanna's eyes narrowed. "And no one has tried to leave?"

Jessica was about to press further when Olivia stiffened beside her. "Jess," she whispered.

Jessica turned and followed Olivia’s gaze.

At the edge of the plaza, standing beneath the flickering streetlights, a child watched them. A boy, no older than ten, dressed in simple clothes. His face was pale, his wide eyes locked onto Jessica with an intensity that sent a chill down her spine.

But it wasn’t his gaze that unsettled her. It was his expression. He wasn’t afraid. He wasn’t confused. He was aware. He didn’t blink. He didn’t flinch. He stared like someone who had seen her before. Jessica took a slow step forward, but the boy turned on his heel and ran.

“Wait!” she called, breaking into a sprint.

She chased him through the darkened streets, his small form darting around corners, always out of reach. Leanna and Olivia were right behind her. They turned a final corner—and came to a dead stop.

The boy was gone. In his place was the fence. An endless stretch of chain-link, glinting under the weak streetlights. No gate. No road. Nothing but an eerie, unnatural boundary encircling the town.

Jessica reached out, gripping the metal links expecting cold metal. Instead, she felt a strange hum beneath her skin—like the echo of something watching from the other side.

Leanna caught up, breathing hard. "Jess, where did he go?"

Jessica didn’t answer. She was staring at something else. In the dirt at their feet, small footprints led straight up to the fence. And then— Nothing. The boy hadn’t climbed it. He hadn’t turned back. He had simply... disappeared.

Olivia swallowed hard. "Okay. That’s officially creepy as hell."

Leanna knelt, examining the ground. "No footprints leading away."

Jessica took a step back, her pulse quickening. She suddenly felt like they were being watched.

“We need to get out of here,” she said, forcing her voice to stay steady. “Now.”

Leanna and Olivia didn’t argue.

They turned and hurried back toward the plaza—only to find the town silent. The people were gone. Every door was shut. Every window dark.

Jessica felt her stomach turn. “They were just here.”

Leanna’s fingers twitched at her side, the telltale sign that she was barely restraining panic. “Jess, what the hell is this place?”

Jessica didn’t have an answer. But she had a feeling they were about to find out.