Beach Patrol: Part 2
The second part of a three part story I am working on. Happy Shark week from California!
Beach Patrol: Part 2
As Captain Brady left his downtown apartment, he hoped for yet another quiet day. His hope was unfortunately shattered when he spotted a State Police Cruiser while pullin in to the South Beach Patrol Station.
Thinking of all the possible reasons as to why the State Police would suddenly visit, Brady opened the door to find the State Trooper mid-argument with his lieutenant, John Jackson.
"This is a beach, Lieutenant. Have you considered the possibility maybe alcohol was a factor?!"
"What is going on here. And why is there a State Trooper in our station?"
"Deputy Bradley." responded Lieutenant Jackson, "He's gone missing and since our department has no Internal Affairs division I contacted the State Police per Procedure."
The State Trooper added, "Your lieutenant here seems convinced Deputy Bradley Thompson fell victim to...voodoo, was it?"
"Last night we had some reports of a man transforming into some sort of shark creature. I didn't think much of it..." Lieutenant Brady responded.
"Like I said, it was probably a bunch of drunk beach-goers." interrupted the State Trooper.
"As I was saying, I didn't think much of it until Brady failed to return. I had dispatch check and his last known location was near where the witnesses reported the incident. I tried his radio and his phone and nothing." continued the Lieutenant.
"He probably ran off with some chick" interrupted Deputy Kagen.
"Classy as always, Kagen" commented Deputy Parker. But as the only female deputy at the station, she replied "But, it could be true."
"No, not Bradley, he wouldn't! I looked it up and apparently there was a curse set by the natives that would turn men into beasts like this and..."
"Enough Lieutenant. I know Bradley was your friend, but I can't have you chasing down fairy tales." answered the Captain. "Now all of you back to work!"
"Right, well if that's it, I'll be heading out." finished the State Trooper, "I understand a missing Deputy is no laughing matter, but next time tell your men to file a report online. The State Police is understaffed as it is. We don't need to be wasting time...:
"What was that?" shouted Dispatcher Goodman.
"Do you have anyone in the holding cells, captain?" asked the cautious State Trooper.
"Not that I know of." replied the Captain.
"Right, well, if you excuse me, I have work to get back to" the annoyed State Trooper told the Captain.
As the trooper was about to walk out the door, the sound of glass breaking could be heard. The trooper, suspecting it to be a drunk breaking the stations windows drew his pistol and the deputies followed suit.
"Just what I need." the State Trooper sarcastically though to himself.
The officers were soon shocked when through the window a large creature with the appearnce of a half-shark, half-man being appeared through the window.
"Holy hell!" the state trooper shouted as he unloaded his gun into the creature. "Well, you just gonna stand there or you gonna help me?"
The deputies quickly took cover behind the reception desk and started opening fire onto the creature but to no avail.
The creature quickly took down the dispatcher and collared him with a strange necklace which seemed to transform the downed dispatcher.
"Great, now there's 2 of them!" shouted Deputy Parker.
"Everyone to the basement!' Ordered the State Trooper. "We can fortify there while I call for backup."
As the deputies followed and barricaded themselves in the basement armory, The captain asked the lieutenant Jackson what that creature was.
Lieutenant Jackson told the captain the story he had found while researching online. "According to the Historical Society, that is the 'Curse of Sunvale Coast'. When colonists first arrived in the area they found they weren't alone. There was a tribe already here. Though they made peace with the tribe at first, the tribes were eventually slaughtered. The tribe knew they would be killed if they failed to act and in their negotiations offered a chest filled with golden necklaces like the one Bradley used on Goodman. These necklaces were intended to transform and enslave the colonists. It failed however, when the captain of the local navy was ordered to take the chest back to the capital. The captain decided to take one for himself and when he transformed the crew was forced to take him down. The first mate ordered the chest to be disposed of. Apparently Bradley came across one of them and now, well..."
"How can we be sure it's Bradley?" asked the captain.
"Didn't you get a good look at it. It still had Bradley's uniform on." replied the Lietenant.
"I don't know what in the hell that thing is. But, I know we gotta kill it" said the State Trooper.
"Kill him?! We can't! It's still Bradley in there." responded the lieutenant.
"Oh god. I've never killed anyone before! I don't think I can do it." added Deputy Kagen.
"The trooper's right. We may not have a choice. Not only is it our lives on the line, but the entire city as well." said the Captain.
"Central. I have 2 officers down. I need that SWAT team now!" shouted the State Trooper over his radio.
"SWAT is still 2 minutes out, Hughes. You need to hold the suspects off until then." replied Dispatch.
At that moment, the armory door busted open and the 2 shark-men appeared.
"On me men. Open Fire!" ordered the State Trooper, "C'mon, you giant fish!"
The smaller one, who could only be the former Dispatcher was fast and quickly took out Parker and Kagen collaring them in the process. Meanwhile the State Trooper, with help from the station's leaders, held his own for a while until the larger shark finally grabbed him and slammed him across a nearby table.
The large creature collared the trooper after a short struggle and then turned his attention to the captain. Grabbing the captain by the throat, the former deputy collared him too and threw him aside, running to the last deputy, his former friend, lieutenant Jackson.
Jackson put down his handgun, attempting to reason with the creature. "Please Bradley, it's me your friend. I know you're in there."
Though the creature hesitated, he eventually snapped back to his enraged state grabbing and collaring the last deputy as the sound of an APC could be heard pulling up...