A Grim Discovery

3 hours ago, at the Somerton Beach.

“Can you pick up the pace?” Thomas's voice cut through the tranquil morning air at Somerton Beach, irritation lacing his words.

“Don’t take your frustration out on me,” Grace shot back, glancing over her shoulder with a defiant look.

“Those sneakers aren’t made for long walks. I warned you,” he said, his tone sharp.

“My shoes aren’t the problem. Your mood is,” Grace retorted, trying to keep her voice steady despite the throbbing pain in her feet.

“Let’s find somewhere to sit for a bit,” Thomas suggested, scanning the beach for a resting spot.

“Good idea,” Grace agreed, grateful for a moment of respite. They settled onto the cool sand, the rhythmic sound of the waves easing their tension.

As they caught their breath, Grace broke the silence. “We’ve been invited to Shelly’s housewarming party.”

“Yeah, we should—” Thomas began, but his words trailed off.

“What is it?” Grace asked, noticing his sudden stillness.

“Look over there,” he said, pointing toward the water.

Grace turned her head, squinting against the sun. “It’s just a log.”

ut Thomas wasn’t convinced. His brow furrowed as he rose to his feet, brushing the sand off his hands. “I’m not so sure,” he murmured, his curiosity piqued. There was something about the shape, the way it lay half-buried in the sand, that didn’t sit right with him. Without waiting for Grace’s response, he began walking toward the water’s edge, his steps quickening as his fascination grew.

“Where are you going?” Grace called after him, her voice laced with a mix of confusion and concern. Reluctantly, she followed, her earlier discomfort momentarily forgotten as she hurried to catch up. The warm sand shifted beneath her feet, slowing her progress, but she pressed on, her eyes fixed on Thomas’s retreating figure.

“I need to check it out,” Thomas replied over his shoulder, his tone firm. His jaw was set, his determination unwavering. Whatever it was, he wasn’t going to let it go without a closer look.

“Thomas, wait up!” Grace shouted. But he was already moving with purpose, his focus locked on the mysterious shape partially submerged in the surf. As he drew closer, his steps slowed, and his breath caught in his throat. The object was no log—it was something far more unsettling.

“Is that a person?” he whispered, his heart pounding in his chest. The figure lay motionless, the waves lapping at its edges, and a cold dread began to creep over him. He took another step forward, his mind racing with possibilities.

Grace finally caught up. “What do you mean?” she asked, her eyes widened as she realized what he was looking at, and a wave of panic washed over her. “Let’s go back,” she urged, her hand gripping his arm tightly, her nails digging into his skin.

But Thomas shook his head, pulling away from her grasp. “I need to see if he’s okay,” he insisted.

“Are you out of your mind? If he’s dead, we could be implicated!” she snapped.

“We have to call the police,” Thomas said firmly. He reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone, his fingers trembling slightly as he unlocked the screen. The gravity of the situation was beginning to sink in, and he knew they couldn’t just ignore what they’d found.

Grace’s eyes widened in alarm, and she stepped closer, her voice rising in panic. “No, we need to leave,” she insisted, her words sharp and urgent. The thought of getting involved in something so grim filled her with dread, and all she wanted was to put as much distance between them and the beach as possible.

Thomas shook his head. “We can’t just walk away! Someone could see us!” His thumb hovered over the keypad as he dialed ‘000,’ the emergency number. He knew it was the right thing to do, but the weight of the decision pressed heavily on him.

Grace threw her hands up in frustration, her voice dripping with exasperation. “Do whatever you want; you never listen to me,” she muttered under her breath.

The phone rang once, twice, and then a calm, professional voice answered. “Emergency services. What’s your situation?”

Thomas took a deep breath, his words tumbling out in a rush. “Hello, there’s a dead body on Somerton Beach,” he blurted.

The operator’s tone remained steady, unfazed by the urgency in his voice. “Where exactly?”

Thomas hesitated, his mind racing. “Uh, I don’t know… my wife and I found him lying in the water”.

“Stay at the scene. Officers are on their way,” the operator instructed before the line went dead.

Thomas lowered the phone, his hand shaking as he slipped it back into his pocket. “They told us to stay,” he said.

Grace let out a long, exasperated sigh, her shoulders slumping in defeat. “Of course they did,” she replied. She shot Thomas a look, her eyes filled with a mixture of anger and helplessness. “This is exactly what I was trying to avoid”.

Moments later, police cars roared onto the beach. The flickering glow of police lights painted the scene in harsh reds and blues, casting long, jagged shadows. Thomas and Grace stood up, apprehension churning in their stomachs.

“Inspector Strauss, Jason Strauss, this is my team,” a tall officer introduced himself. His broad-shouldered frame was clad in a crisp, immaculate uniform, tailored to highlight his athletic build. His dark hair was neatly cropped, with a few strands tousled from the breeze, and his piercing blue eyes exuded confidence and sharp intelligence. Though his sharp gaze left no room for doubt, he addressed the group with a calm, yet commanding demeanor.

Thomas and Grace stood stiffly at the edge of the crime scene. The weight of the moment pressed down on them, leaving no room for anything but grim silence. They exchanged tense, almost mechanical greetings with Inspector Jason Strauss, their voices flat and hollow as they stated their names.

“Did you make the call?” the inspector asked.

“Yes,” Thomas replied, his voice barely above a whisper. He could feel Grace’s presence beside him, her breathing shallow and uneven, but he didn’t dare look at her.

The inspector nodded curtly and turned his attention to the body lying a few feet away. He approached it slowly, his movements deliberate, and knelt down to inspect the lifeless form. The victim’s face was obscured, partially buried in the dirt, but the unnatural angle of his limbs and the dark pool of blood beneath him told a grim story. “Do you know who he is?” Jason asked, his tone clipped and businesslike.

“No,” Thomas answered quickly. “We just stumbled upon him.” He glanced at Grace, who was staring at the ground, her arms wrapped tightly around herself as if trying to hold herself together.

“How did you find him?” Jason pressed, his gaze narrowing as he studied Thomas’s face.

Thomas swallowed hard, his throat dry. “We were walking,” he began, his words stumbling out in a rush. “We noticed something unusual—something out of place. As we got closer, we realized it was... a body.”

“Did you touch anything?” the inspector asked, his voice cutting through Thomas’s thoughts like a whip.

“No! We stayed away!” Grace interjected suddenly. “We didn’t touch anything,” she repeated, quieter this time.

Jason studied her for a moment before nodding. “Good,” he said simply. He straightened up, brushing dirt from his knees, and turned to signal a nearby sergeant. “I need your details,” he continued. “And you’ll have to come to the station tomorrow to give your official statements.”

Thomas and Grace exchanged a glance, a silent conversation passing between them in an instant. Neither of them wanted to be here any longer than necessary, but they knew they had no choice. As the sergeant approached, notebook in hand, Thomas felt a wave of exhaustion wash over him.

As the officers began their meticulous work, cordoning off the area and snapping photographs, Inspector Jason Strauss crouched beside the corpse, his sharp eyes scanning every detail. The faint morning light cast long shadows across the beach, the golden hues of sunrise clashing grotesquely with the grim scene before them.

Jason’s gloved hand hovered over the victim’s neck, where faint, purplish marks stood out against the pale skin. “Looks like someone tried to strangle him,”

“What about his legs?” one of the junior officers, Oliver, asked. His voice wavered slightly, and horror flickered across his face as he stared at the partially buried lower half of the body. The sand around the legs was disturbed, as if someone had hastily tried to conceal them.

Jason didn’t look up. “Half-buried in the sand,” he replied, his tone low and measured. “Dig them out.”

Oliver hesitated for a moment before grabbing a shovel from one of the other officers. The sound of metal scraping against sand filled the air as they carefully uncovered the legs. When the full extent of the damage was revealed, a collective gasp rippled through the group. Both feet were missing, the ends of the legs ragged and torn, as if they had been hacked off in a frenzy.

“Where are his feet?” Oliver exclaimed, his voice rising in disbelief. He took a step back, his face palee.

Jason’s jaw tightened, his expression hardening. “Search the area! The killer might have disposed of them nearby.” His words carried a sense of urgency that sent the officers scrambling. They fanned out across the beach, their flashlights sweeping over the sand and nearby dunes, searching for any sign of the missing feet—or the monster who had taken them.

A few feet away, Thomas and Grace stood frozen, their hearts pounding in unison. The idyllic beach they had walked onto just hours ago, with its gentle waves and soft morning breeze, had transformed into a nightmarish tableau. The air, once fresh and salty, now felt oppressive, heavy with the stench of death and decay. Grace’s hands trembled as she clutched Thomas’s arm, her nails digging into his sleeve.

“What have we gotten ourselves into?” Grace whispered, her voice barely audible over the murmurs of the officers and the distant crash of waves.

Thomas didn’t have an answer. His mind was racing, a whirlwind of questions and dread. He gripped Grace’s hand tightly, his own palm slick with sweat. “I don’t know,” he replied, his voice strained. His gaze lingered on the body, the missing feet, the brutal violence of it all.

As the sirens faded into the background, replaced by the rhythmic sound of the ocean, the reality of their discovery loomed heavily over them. This wasn’t just a tragic accident or a fleeting moment of horror. It was something far darker, far more sinister. And as Thomas stared out at the horizon, the sun rising over the water like a cruel mockery of hope, he couldn’t shake the feeling that this was only the beginning.