Chapter 9: The Drain Begins

As Sheriff Brody turned back to his radio, a subtle but undeniable shift occurred in the air. The high-pitched whine that had been a constant undercurrent intensified, becoming a piercing, almost painful tone. The shimmering distortion around the hovering object seemed to deepen, the light within it pulsing with a more rapid, frantic rhythm.

A collective gasp rippled through the onlookers, the stranded drivers, and the emergency personnel alike. Even the methodical movements of the hazmat team faltered, their heads tilting upwards in alarm.

Elias felt a strange dizziness wash over him, a wave of disorientation that seemed to emanate from the object. The static in the air crackled against his skin, and the faint ozone smell intensified, now carrying a sharp, metallic tang that made his nostrils flare.

He looked at the ground near where the energy tendrils had been subtly touching. The grass in those small patches began to wither and turn brown at an alarming rate as if life was being leached out of it. A small tree nearby, its leaves a vibrant green moments before, now drooped listlessly.

Panic began to spread among the onlookers. Murmurs of fear turned into shouts of alarm as they witnessed the visible effects of the object’s activity. Some started to retreat towards their cars, a desperate urge to escape the unknown.

Sheriff Brody barked orders into his radio, his voice tight with urgency. The earlier skepticism had vanished, replaced by a dawning realization that they were dealing with something far beyond their understanding.

“Clear the area! Everyone pull back!” he yelled, waving his arms.

But it was too late for some. A woman near the edge of the affected area stumbled, clutching her chest. She cried out, her voice weak, before collapsing onto the asphalt. A man rushed to her aid, but he too staggered back, his face pale and contorted in pain.

Whatever the object was doing, it was having a direct and harmful effect on the environment and, it seemed, on living beings.

Elias felt a surge of adrenaline, overriding his fear. He had tried to warn them, but they hadn’t listened. Now, people were getting hurt. He couldn’t stand by and watch.

He pressed the button on his sleeve again, taking another controlled inhalation of the vaporized marijuana. The “Veridian Sight” bloomed behind his closed eyelids, and the horrifying truth of the situation became starkly clear.

The energy tendrils were no longer subtle. They were widening, intensifying, and he could now “see” a faint, shimmering energy flowing upwards from the ground into the object, like invisible roots drawing sustenance. And where those tendrils touched living beings, their life force seemed to be visibly draining away, their energy signatures flickering and dimming.

This wasn’t just an incident; it was an extraction. And Clover Creek was the target.

Elias opened his eyes, his earlier frustration now hardened into grim determination. The authorities were out of their depth. If anyone was going to do something, it had to be him.