Chapter 143 Those Who Stayed

Chapter 143 Those Who Stayed
Tessa's POV
The children in the classroom watched us with cautious curiosity.
Some clutched small books against their chests.
One little girl held a rag doll whose dress had been stitched together several times, while a boy near the window quietly rolled a wooden wheel across his desk before stopping it with one finger.
Hannah noticed where I was looking.
"They've tried very hard to be brave."
Her voice carried quiet pride.
"They've had to grow up faster than they should."
Grace stepped forward with a gentle smile.
"My name is Grace."
The youngest girl smiled back.
"I'm Lily."
Anthony and Daniel soon introduced themselves as well.
Within minutes, the children were comparing wooden toys, asking questions about Daisy the goat, and arguing over which animal was the fastest.
Watching them together eased the heaviness that had followed us into Ash Hollow.
Children had an incredible gift for making unfamiliar places feel welcoming.

Dylan turned his attention back to Hannah.
"We found your letter in the satchel."
"I hoped someone kind would discover it."
"You seemed certain help would come."
"I wasn't certain."
She smiled faintly.
"I chose hope anyway."
Samuel looked around the classroom.
"How many children are here?"
"Six."
"And you've cared for them alone?"
"For the last three days."
"How have you managed?"
"The villagers left enough food."
She pointed toward several neatly stacked baskets.
"They believed they would return."
Renwick frowned.
"They planned to come back?"
"They never spoke as though they were leaving forever."
That answer caught everyone's attention.
"Tell us exactly what happened," Dylan said.
Hannah nodded.
"It started at the evening gathering."

She pulled out a chair and sat down.
"Every month, our village shared a meal in the square."
"The older people told stories."
"The children played games."
"The musicians performed until sunset."
Her smile lingered for a moment before fading.
"That evening felt different."
"In what way?" Tessa asked.
"People kept looking toward the eastern hills."
"As though they were expecting visitors."
Micah folded his arms.
"Did anyone arrive?"
"No."
"But many said they heard familiar voices."
Samuel lowered his gaze.
"The Voice."
"I believe so."
Hannah clasped her hands together.
"One family stood up first."
"They said a son who had died years earlier was waiting beyond the hills."
She paused briefly.
"Another woman claimed her mother was calling her name."
"What happened next?" Caleb asked.
"The conversations spread."
"By sunrise..."
She exhaled slowly.
"...almost the entire village had decided to leave together."

Anthony stopped talking with the younger children and wandered closer.
"Didn't anyone tell them not to go?"
Hannah smiled sadly.
"I tried."
"What did they say?"
"They told me I was afraid because I couldn't hear what they heard."
Anthony looked at the floor.
"I almost believed something that wasn't real too."
Hannah reached over and gently squeezed his shoulder.
"I know."
"That's why I'm grateful you found your way back."

Dylan unfolded the map Tobias had carried.
"Which direction did they travel?"
Hannah pointed toward a narrow valley east of the village.
"They followed the old harvest road."
Micah looked surprised.
"I thought that road had collapsed years ago."
"So did we."
"But they walked it anyway."
Renwick leaned over the map.
"How many people?"
"Almost eighty."
His expression grew thoughtful.
"Eighty people leave footprints."
"They do."
"And eighty people need food."
Caleb nodded.
"They can't disappear forever."

One of the little boys quietly tugged on Hannah's sleeve.
"May I show them?"
She smiled warmly.
"Go ahead, Ben."
The boy hurried to the back of the classroom and returned carrying a small wooden box.
Inside were folded pieces of paper.
Drawings.
Each one had been made with coloured pencils.
Ben proudly handed the first picture to Tessa.
"It was my homework."
The drawing showed Ash Hollow filled with smiling families.
Another showed the village square during a festival.
The final picture made everyone pause.
It had been drawn only a few days earlier.
The entire village walked toward the eastern hills.
At the very front stood a tall figure.
Its face hadn't been drawn.
Only its outstretched hand.
Ben pointed proudly.
"That's the Guide."
"The Guide?" Dylan asked.
Ben nodded.
"That's what the grown-ups called him."
Hannah looked surprised.
"They never mentioned that to me."
Ben shrugged.
"I heard them talking after they thought we were asleep."
Samuel studied the drawing carefully.
"So they weren't following random voices."
"They believed someone was leading them."

Late in the afternoon, Renwick and Caleb searched the village while the others remained with Hannah and the children.
They returned carrying several notebooks collected from different homes.
Caleb placed them on the teacher's desk.
"You should read these."
Dylan opened the first one.
It belonged to Ash Hollow's baker.
Most of the pages contained ordinary recipes and daily notes.
The final entry was different.
"Tomorrow, we begin the journey together. If the stories are true, our loved ones are closer than we've ever believed."
The second notebook belonged to the village healer.
Its last sentence read:
"I don't feel afraid anymore. The Guide says nobody will be left behind."
Micah looked toward Hannah.
"They all wrote about him."
"They did."
"But none of them described his face."
A thoughtful expression crossed Dylan's features.
"The Voice always borrowed familiar faces."
He gently closed the notebook.
"This Guide doesn't."
Hannah looked at him.
"What does that mean?"
"It means..."
Dylan chose his words carefully.
"...someone has found a new way to earn people's trust."
As evening settled over Ash Hollow, a church bell rang once in the distance.
Hannah looked toward the window.
"I didn't ring that."
Renwick was already on his feet.
"The bell tower is empty."
Another clear chime echoed across the village.
This time it was followed by footsteps.
Not hurried.
Measured.
Someone was walking through the main street.
And they wanted the people inside the schoolhouse to know they had arrived.