Chapter 8: A Desperate Plea

The image of the energy tendrils subtly draining something from the ground sent a chill down Elias’s spine, even in the warmth of the afternoon sun on the hillside. The official response was proceeding cautiously, methodically, completely unaware of the potential implications of what he had seen.

He knew he had to try again. He had to make them understand that this wasn’t just a strange phenomenon to be studied; it could be something actively interacting with their world in a way they didn’t comprehend.

He descended the hill quickly, his urgency overriding his usual cautious nature. He approached the perimeter of the emergency vehicles again, scanning for Sheriff Brody. He spotted him near the command center truck, talking on a radio.

Elias waited impatiently for Brody to finish his call, his anxiety building with each passing second. Finally, the sheriff lowered the radio, his brow furrowed in concentration.

“Sheriff,” Elias said, his voice more insistent this time. “You need to listen to me. That thing up there… it’s not just sitting there.”

Brody turned, a hint of weariness in his eyes. “Elias, we’ve got experts on the way. They’ll handle it.”

“But you don’t understand!” Elias exclaimed, his voice rising slightly. “I saw… I saw these energy things coming down from it. They were touching the ground. It looked like it was… taking something.”

Brody sighed, placing a hand on Elias’s shoulder. “Son, I appreciate your concern, but you need to let the professionals do their job. We don’t know what this thing is, and we don’t want anyone getting hurt.”

“But that’s the point!” Elias argued, pulling away slightly. “They don’t know either! They’re treating it like some kind of accident or a natural phenomenon. But it’s not! It’s… it’s like it’s alive, or it’s some kind of machine, and it’s doing something to our town!”

He knew he sounded frantic, his words tumbling out in a rush. He could see the skepticism hardening in Brody’s eyes.

“Energy things?” Brody repeated slowly, his tone laced with doubt. “What kind of energy things, Elias?”

Elias struggled to articulate what he had seen through the “Veridian Sight.” How could he explain a perception that wasn’t based on visible light? “They were… faint. Almost invisible. Like… like tendrils of heat, but… not heat. They were connected to the bottom of that thing, reaching down.”

He saw a state trooper nearby exchange a knowing glance with another officer. The frustration welled up inside him, threatening to boil over, a familiar echo of his morning irritability, but now fueled by genuine fear for his town.

“Sheriff, please,” Elias pleaded, his voice softening slightly. “Trust me on this. There’s something wrong. You need to tell those people in the hazmat suits to be careful. They don’t know what they’re dealing with.”

Brody looked at Elias, his expression a mixture of concern and exasperation. He clearly believed Elias was sincere, but he also thought he was out of his depth, perhaps overwhelmed by the situation.

“Alright, Elias,” Brody said finally, his voice gentle but firm. “I’ll… I’ll mention what you said to the team leader when they arrive. But you need to understand, we have protocols to follow. We can’t just go off of… feelings.”

Elias knew he had failed to convince him. The official channels were too slow, too bound by procedure to grasp the urgency of what he had perceived. He was on his own.