The sun hung oppressively over the beach, casting long shadows across the sand as Surfer Dave stood motionless at the edge of the surf, salt-crusted hair whipping in the breeze. The rhythmic crash of the waves, usually a soothing heartbeat in his ears, only amplified the storm gathering in his chest. It had been one of *those* days, a day where reality felt jagged, with every sound and touch grating against the surface of his mind.
Shelly was the first to disrupt his tenuous calm. She approached with a confident stride, her bright orange lifeguard suit almost blinding in the midday glare. Her sun-bleached hair framed her face, and she flashed a casual, toothy smile. "Hey, Dave!" she called, her voice slicing through the air with a pitch higher than usual. It stabbed into his brain, a needle that twisted and sent a shiver down his spine. His fingers twitched at his sides as he forced a nod, the tension in his jaw making his teeth ache.
Bob was next. The wiry, tanned man, always exuding the smell of stale beer and saltwater, ambled out from behind the bar. His eyes crinkled with what might have been friendliness, but to Dave, it looked like something more sinister. Bob’s hand shot out, the grip stronger than necessary, the knuckles pressing painfully into Dave’s bones. Sweat dripped, trailing down his temple, stinging his eyes as he met Bob’s steady gaze with a faltering smile. His heart thudded irregularly, muscles tightening as if preparing for a blow.
Before he could pull away, Sally’s voice rang out, cutting the air like a knife. "Dave, you won't believe—"
The sentence died abruptly, stolen by a noise so sharp it felt like the sky splitting. A shriek of terror pierced the lazy sounds of the beach. Dave’s head snapped up just in time to see Sally jerk upward, her feet flailing in the air as massive talons wrapped around her waist. The eagle’s wings beat furiously, creating a whirlwind of sand that stung his eyes and filled his mouth with grit. Her scream—raw, primal—echoed down the shore, piercing the skin and boiling the blood underneath. It carried far beyond the horizon before fading, leaving a stunned silence that vibrated in his ears.
Dave’s breath shuddered out in a rasp, a tremor running through his limbs. For a moment, something like relief seeped through the cracks in his composure. Maybe it wasn’t so bad after all. Maybe-
His eyes drifted to the gas station, an ancient structure bleached and cracked by years of sun and salt. Old Larry stood wobbling on a rusted ladder, the metal creaking as he fumbled with the cracked plastic numbers on the price sign. The wind tugged at Larry’s tattered overalls as he worked, a hum of his familiar tune lost in the rush of waves. A smile ghosted Dave’s lips, the edges of his memory dredging up Barry’s old song. "3.78082, on the dime," he mouthed, a chuckle bubbling up.
The humor died in his throat, curdling into dread. Larry shifted on the ladder, revealing the bold, impossible digits: 69.99.
Dave’s eyes widened, the world narrowing to that mocking number. His vision blurred, breath shattering in his chest. "Nice," he muttered through clenched teeth, a beat of insane laughter punctuating the word. "Wait, what?"
The last string tethering him to reason snapped. A red mist clouded his vision as a roar ripped free from his throat, primal and jagged. Before his brain could catch up, his body lunged forward, a freight train of rage. The ladder shook violently as his hands found purchase, and Larry’s startled yell was cut off by the sickening crack of bone against pavement. Blood sprayed in an arc, darkening the sun-bleached concrete as Larry crumpled, a pool spreading beneath his head, crimson glistening under the harsh sun.
Chaos detonated around him. Bob emerged from behind the bar, eyes wide, lips parted in a shout that never came. Dave’s fists found their mark, a burst of red and shattered glass following the crunch of bone. Shelly screamed, but her voice, once a torment, now only fueled the fire gnawing through him.
He moved through the beach like a hurricane, leaving a wake of blood and shattered limbs, the air thick with the copper tang of violence. And then, as quickly as it had erupted, silence fell, broken only by the rhythmic crash of waves, indifferent and eternal.