The echoes in the static.

Chapter 3: Shadows at Oakhaven

The threat echoed in Elias’s mind long after the static faded into complete silence.

“If you call the police, Elias... the next frequency will broadcast your final breath.”

He pulled his headphones off and set them on the desk, his hands steadying as adrenaline replaced fear. They knew his name. They knew where he lived. But more than anything, they were watching him. Calling the authorities wasn't an option—not until he knew what he was actually up against.

Elias locked his basement workshop, grabbed a heavy flashlight, and threw on a dark rain jacket. Outside, the rain had turned into a steady, cold drizzle. The streets of Oakhaven were dead silent, save for the distant hum of the highway miles away.

Instead of taking the main road, Elias cut through the narrow alleyways, staying deep in the shadows. His destination was Oakhaven-042: the abandoned water treatment plant at the edge of the pine woods.

Ten minutes later, the rusted chain-link fence of the facility rose through the fog like a jagged skeleton. A faded yellow warning sign hung loosely from the gate: RESTRICTED AREA - DO NOT ENTER.

Elias slipped through a tear in the wire fence and crouched near the perimeter wall. The main complex was a looming concrete structure covered in overgrown ivy and graffiti. Rain dripped loudly from the broken gutters above.

He clicked his flashlight on, keeping the beam angled low toward the mud. Fresh tire tracks ran straight past the entrance—heavy, deep treads from an off-road vehicle. They were recent; the rain hadn't washed them away yet.

Elias followed the tracks to a side entrance where a heavy metal door sat slightly ajar. He pushed it open, stepping into a vast, cavernous room filled with the metallic tang of rust and damp concrete.

His flashlight beam flickered across giant steel pipes and decaying control panels. But in the center of the room sat something that didn't belong.

A portable server rack, glowing with soft blue LED lights, was humming softly in the dark. Thicker cables ran from the equipment up toward the roof antenna.

Elias stepped closer, his pulse racing. It was an illegal high-frequency relay station.

Suddenly, a loud click echoed from the shadows above. A beam of red laser light targeted the center of Elias's chest.

"You're right on time, Elias," a gravelly voice echoed from the metal catwalk above. "We knew you wouldn't be able to resist."