Philip caught his breath and explained to the gentleman what had happened to him by the beach, and the gentleman was very surprised.
“Do you want me to call an ambulance for you?” The gentleman asked.
“No, I’ll be okay, thank you” Phillip glanced down at his scuffed up knees.
“I have lived in this house for 20 years and have never heard of any attacks in the area.” The gentleman handed Phillip a glass of water.
“I know, I have lived here three years and have never had a problem when I go for a run… Thank you.” Phillip took the glass of water.
The gentleman expressed his concern for Philip's safety and invited him to spend the night, but Philip thanked him and explained that he only lived three blocks away.
“Thank you sir, but I have to get home to my girlfriend.” Phillip set the empty glass down and walked toward the door.
The gentleman nodded his head. “I understand.”
Philip thanked the man again for his kindness and then stuck his head out the door. He glanced to the left and then to the right as he stepped out onto the dimly lit porch. He darted off the porch and jogged swiftly down the road staying far away from the beach. Philip frequently looked around as he finally made it to his home safe. He rushed in through the door and swung it closed fast which alarmed his girlfriend, and she screamed.
“Phillip, oh my gosh!” His girlfriend gasped.
She saw that his face was all scraped up. “What happened?
A bit rattled and out of breath, Philip plopped down on the sofa. He tried to wrap his head around what had happened to him and what it was that attacked him.
“I was attacked but I don’t know by what.” Phillip looked at the scrape on his arm.
He explained to his girlfriend that it was something that felt to be bulky and strong like a Florida panther but knew that couldn’t be possible.
She gasped… Being concerned, she grabbed his arm and pulled him close.
Philip said that the creature had stumbled, so he was able to get his footing back and run away.
"So, did you see what it looked like?" she asked.
"No, I just tried my hardest to get out of there," Philip said.
His girlfriend grabbed and hugged him once again. "I'm just glad that you are alright."
Philip reported the attack the next day, and with all the other instances happening, Sheriff Brown decided to have a town meeting that night. He instructed his officers to pass the word on to the townspeople and get the town hall set up for it. Later that day, two boys playing along the beach about a quarter-mile away from where the attack happened to Philip, the boys noticed something sticking up out of the sand.
"What is that?" The younger boy asked.
"I don't know," The older boy said as he dipped his fingers in the sand.
The older boy slowly dug down and got a better look at it, then jumped away.
"What is it?" The younger boy backed up.
"It looks like the bones of a hand? Go call the Sheriff!" The older boy told him.
About a half hour later the younger boy and officer Jons arrived on the scene.
“It’s about time!” The older boy pointed at the sand.
Officer Jons could tell right away what it was and phoned the Sheriff.
“Sheriff, it’s another body part.” Officer Jons said.
Sheriff Brown told officer Jons to rope the area and that he will be there soon. Officer Jons then thanked the boys for reporting this and sent them on their way.
The area forensic investigator, Mr. Bigsby, rode along with the Sheriff to the beach. As he investigated the scene, Mr. Bigsby noticed how close to the water's edge the bones were.
"I realize that the tide is low right now, and that is probably why the bones hadn’t washed back into the ocean. But I am concerned about the possibility of sharks being close to the beach. Have you had any reports of sightings?" Mr. Bigsby asked.
"No, not that I'm aware of." The Sheriff looked out into the water.
Mr. Bigsby continued to scan the area for anything that looked out of place and noticed an abundance of seaweed scattered. It puzzled him because there hadn't been any heavy rains or storms lately. As he met back up with the Sheriff, he suggested that the bones be collected and delivered to the lab in Orlando.
“Orlando lab will be able to tell us if this is a male or female hand. And then you might get some of the answers that you are looking for.” Mr. Bigsby scratched the top of his head as he glanced around.
John still hadn't given up hope on finding his wife and continued his search with Janet. He had fliers made up for some of his friends to deliver in Palm Coast and St. Augustine. John and Janet went south to Ormond Beach and Daytona with the thought that maybe Patricia was abducted. Philip decided not to jog along the beach at night anymore but early in the morning for now. And the rest of the townspeople were concerned but went about their daily lives. Sheriff Brown decided to post two deputies at night at the beach where the attack happened to Philip. He knew that they needed to figure out whether it had been an animal or human responsible for everything that had been happening.
The following evening when the last business near the beach closed, two co-workers, Cathy and Jamie headed for home. They walked together and stayed on the business side of the road away from the beach. They had to walk about three blocks before turning to go down the road where both of them lived.
“This is really spooky out here; I never felt like this before.” Cathy looked around.
“I know what you mean. I’ve lived here 10 years and never felt as nervous as I do now.” Jamie grabbed Cathy’s arm.
Before the two women arrived at the street where they live, they heard a noise behind them. They stopped to look back when suddenly Cathy was jumped on and forced to the ground.
Jamie screamed in terror, not knowing what she was seeing. She knew that there was nothing she could do to help her friend, so she ran. The two officers in the area ran in the direction where they heard the screams. By the time they got there Cathy laid dead and bloody with no one else was in sight. When Jamie arrived at her home, she called the police. She was terrified and could hardly speak to the operator but tried her best to explain what just happened. The officer at the scene radioed the Sheriff, and with the sound of horror in his voice, the officer described the scene.
About 20 minutes later Rhonda Reese, a female officer, arrived at Jamie’s home to take her statement. She observed blood splatter on Jamie and asked what had happened. Still shaken, Jamie tried to explain what she saw attack her friend but officer Reese found it hard to believe.
“It was on four legs and dark in color and looked scaly.” Tears ran down Jamie’s face. “I don’t know what it was!”
“How large did it appear to be?” Officer Reese wrote in her book.
“It as very big, like the size of a lion, but didn't have any hair.” Jamie grasped her arms.
When officer Reese finished taking Jamie’s statement, she asked if she had someone to spend the night with. Jamie told her that she could go to Palm Coast and stay with her mother.
Please join me again tomorrow with: The Beast At Flag Beach