The Aftermath of a Nightmare
The arrest of Elias Thorne made national headlines. It turned out the engineer wasn’t just a lone, unhinged madman; he was a highly trained demolitions expert who had been radicalized by an extremist eco-terrorist cell on the dark web. His plan was to execute a nationwide series of attacks on critical water infrastructure to “return the rivers to their origins,” regardless of the human cost.
Because of Smith and Peterson’s relentless detective work, the FBI was able to use the encrypted hard drives found in the abandoned cafeteria to track down and arrest seven other members of the terrorist cell before they could strike.
Today, Elias Thorne is serving multiple consecutive life sentences in a federal maximum-security prison, with absolutely no possibility of parole.
As for the town of Oakhaven, the valley is slowly, painfully recovering. Government grants have helped rebuild homes, and a new, smaller, and heavily guarded dam is currently under construction.
Detectives Smith and Peterson received medals of valor for their bravery. But despite the accolades, the trauma of that case lingers. Locals and the detectives alike still shudder when they look out at the dark, rushing waters of the river, haunted by the memory of the catastrophic night when a monster in human form decided to play God with millions of gallons of water.