Octopocalypse Read Online Free Page B

boundaries.
    “We have a team exploring why this
happened and what can be done to remedy the situation.
    “We will need time to make this
work. Please give it to us so that we can give you your beach back.”
    He felt like a second-rate
politician giving a tired stump speech.
    “Are there any questions?”
    He didn’t want to ask.
    But he had to.
    “Officer Hayes…”
    “Sheriff Hayes…”
    “Mr. Hayes!”
    The mob around him clamored for information,
raising voices, shouting over one another until finally one lucky winner got to
ask their question. Acknowledging the victor, a well-groomed lady from KFMB in
San Diego, he let her ask her question.
    “What can you tell us about the
attacks and the victims of the unfortunate events?”
    A big question there… two in fact.
She could get quite a bit from him with such an open-ended line of inquiry… if
he let her.
    He was in a giving mood.
    “The first known incident claimed
the life of a fisherman on the bay and appears to have been the result of an
attack by a group of Humboldt squids. The incident was instigated by shining a
signal light into the water in order to draw their attention.
    “The second incident involved two
young men on the very pier behind me.” Directing his attention to the nearby
protestors that the Guard had cordoned off from the news conference, he added,
“One I would recommend you avoid for the time being. Again, the victim was
fishing. A giant octopus of some sort flew out of the water and claimed one of
the teenagers’ lives.
    “A third incident involved a
jogger that never returned from her evening run. No signs of her body have been
found. The only eyewitnesses to come forward say they saw her running one moment
near the break and that she was gone the next.
    “A group of surfers was found
washed up along the shore at Old Dunes State Beach. An eyewitness there did not
see the incident take place, happening upon the scene well after it occurred.
    “A beachcomber is presumed missing
after he never returned from his daily stroll along the beach to pick up litter.
    “Finally, we are presently
investigating reports of a pair of missing jetskiers and a couple whose tent
was found unoccupied along the shore.
    “We hope there are no more
incidents.”
    Seeing that he was finished, the
group grumbled and shifted while his name was called out in more variations
than he thought possible.
    Finally, a soft-spoken reporter
from KCRW in LA asked, “What can you tell us about the cause of these events?
What does it mean?”
    He shrugged. “What does anything
mean?”
    That wasn’t they type of answer
they were looking for. He wasn’t about to enter into a philosophical discussion
or a logical debate. These people wanted reassurance and information. They
wanted things to make sense.
    They didn’t want some tired old
man to start rambling about man’s search for meaning or lack thereof.
    He tried again. “Understand that
what I am about to say is merely conjecture and should at this point be
considered as such.
    “As you know, the local fisheries
have suffered of late with decreased catch and reduced quality of those fish
harvested. One prevailing thought—at this point no more than speculation—is
that the collapse of the local fishery may be the cause of certain marine
organisms searching for food sources in new areas, while also experimenting
with new food types.
    “On the other hand, it is also quite
possible that these changes in marine life, whatever they are and however they
are caused, may have been the cause of the fishery’s collapse. Perhaps these
changes in sea life resulted in predators that are too efficient for their own
good.
    “It may be the case that these
organisms will die off without adequate resources to maintain them.”
    Where had he pulled that one from?
    Megan was rubbing off on him.
    “And what caused these creatures
to evolve?”
    He missed who asked the question.
    “That is a question we are
currently