3 The Lovers' Death and The Screaming Man

Ian recognized the face of one of the decapitated heads as it belonged to the couple he saw yesterday. What he saw was a woman with an agape mouth. Her beautiful expression from yesterday now turned ugly. Flies were still flying around her, trying to get closer to her face. The woman's green, lifeless eyes had a sense of creepiness when looking at them. The fact that she died not too long ago disturbed him even more.

Ian didn't see the man as he was already covered in a shroud. He couldn't stay there any longer and walked away. Ian felt a hand grabbed onto his shoulders, and he turned to look back. It was Ray and Conner.

"Brat, are you deaf? We were calling out to you like a million times already." Ray spoke out.

"Ah, sorry boss. I was spacing out." Ian shrugged his shoulder as he replied, hinting Ray to get his hand off his shoulder. Ignoring his hint, Ray placed his whole arm around Ian's neck when he noticed a perturbed expression on his face.

"You're acting weird. I never heard you apologize before." Ray paused then pointed at the crime scene, "Did you see it too?"

Ian knew he was talking about the decapitated heads so he nodded his head. The horrific scene still appeared in his mind. He then pushed Ray away from him.

"Damn! I wish I caught whoever did this to these people and strangle them!" Ray shouted as he posed himself strangling the imaginary perpetrators, "These assholes are just going around killing people like it's simply ordering fast food!"

"Hey, Ian...Uncle.. let's stop talking about this, please." Conner finally spoke out. He was hard to hear because he's usually soft-spoken. Deep inside, Conner felt uneasy knowing that the perpetrators were still out there looking for their next victim.

Ray let out a sigh before saying, "Let's just head back to the truck."

Ray drove across the sandy terrain to his shop before parking behind it. As the three got out and ready to unload, they heard a man screaming for help. A slightly overweight man was dragging himself away from the ocean. All three of them immediately rushed to help the man. What they saw shocked them. The man's left leg was torn apart. His right arm seems to be dangling around, held up by several tendons. Multiple lacerated wounds appeared all over his body, and he was on the verge of dying. Through sheer will, he continued to drag his body forward with his left hand.

"Monster! There's a monster here!" The man cried out. He shouted the same line repeatedly. Screams were heard from onlookers as they saw the wounds on his body. Ray took off his shirt and tied it around the man's torn leg in an attempt to stop the bleeding.

"P-Please, help me!" The man begged Ray as he grabbed his shirt with his left hand.

"Ian! Call for help!" Ray roared as he was squeezing the man's torn leg to pressurize the wound, "Hand me your shirt, Conner!"

Conner immediately took off his shirt which exposed his skinny, tanned body. Meanwhile, Ian was quickly dialing the number for the emergency on his smartphone. The man was still screaming out in pain. Ray grabbed Conner's shirt and pressed it against the deep gash on his back. The wailing sirens echoed as the ambulance drew closer. Two paramedics rushed to the scene with a stretcher.

"Move away from the wounded person, sir." A paramedic said.

Ray immediately backed away. Two paramedics analyzed the situation and had grim expressions on their faces. They immediately attempted to control the bleeding. They knew they had little time left so they put him on the stretcher and hurriedly carry him into the ambulance.

"Don't go in the water! There's something there!" The man screamed again. The paramedics closed the doors then the ambulance sped off towards the hospital.

Many onlookers left the beach as the incident soured their mood to swim. The lifeguards that were now present temporarily closed the beach due to the possible presence of sharks.

"This day keeps getting worse and worse," Ray said as he pinched the bridge of his nose. His nose was smeared with blood from his hands, but he didn't care.

"We may have to close up shop for a few days until things calm down. Hey Ian, go grab your bike. I'll drop you off home." Ray continued. He wiped his bloody hands on Conner's shirt that was already soaked in blood and threw it in the truck.

.....

The men drove through the small town called Port Marbine. A light fog covered the town, giving off a sense of calmness in the air. The street they went through were filled with shops that were ocean-related, from tackles shops to seafood restaurants. Occasionally, they came across gas stations and fast food restaurants that were spread throughout town. In the distance, they could see a harbor filled with fishing boats, and people walking around with fishing rods.

The truck arrived at an old apartment complex and found a space in the parking lot. Ian got out of the truck. He felt a bit safer now that he's back home.

Before closing the door, Ian asked Ray a question, " Was there really a monster that attacked that guy back there?"

He remembered seeing something huge moving through the water just before he left. After what that man said back there, he felt that what he said might be true. The murders across Condria's beaches further strengthen his beliefs.

"Hahaha, monsters? Like a leviathan? Don't think so. That guy back there might have suffered from shock after being attacked by a shark like that." Ray said, "Anyways, kid. I'll call you when the shop opens back up."

"Hey Ian, stay safe," Conner said. He was worried that someone close to him will have the same tragic fate as the couple.

"Don't worry about it, Conner! I'll have anyone eat shit if they try to kill me." Ian said with a grin. Yet, it couldn't hide that frightening gaze of his. He reached his hand out, wanting to fist bump Conner. Conner simply smiled before connecting his fist against Ian's.

Ian waved the two goodbyes before heading into his apartment. He placed his bike next to the door. Ian then head towards the kitchen and placed Lily's lunch bag in the fridge. He went to the counter and bent down slightly to open the top drawer. There were opened mail, A roll of garbage bags, papers, and pencils all cluttered in there. On top of them was an unopened cigarette box.

"Haven't smoked one since senior year," Ian said as he opened the box up. After the events that happened today, he felt like smoking to help calm his mind. He searched his living room before he managed to find his lighter. Ian threw himself onto the couch and lit up his cigarette.

Huh, monsters…..

Ian fell deep into thought. He inhaled the cigarette before slowly letting out a puff of smoke. The smoke carried his thoughts as it slowly rises up and dissipates in the air.