To some, an L.A beach is the perfect destination for a little R&R, golden sand leads the path to a tranquil sea which shines all shades of blues and greens in the sun, the palm trees line the coast providing shade to the beach-goers during the heat of the day. It was the perfect place to enjoy the natural pleasures of the world, listening to the waves turn and curl gently with the fizzle of the sand being pulled along the shore. Shane McCutcheon was one to never pass up on relaxation, slouched into a life guard's tower a dozen feet up and a few feet from the sun lit sea with her arm drooped over the side swinging freely, her white shirt sleeve was rippling in the wind and her jeans which were attached to the tower lifted in the air with each strong gust that came, she could almost be dead to the world... Well what was left of it.
A large squawk came from above causing Shane to jolt into an alert position, the frail frame of the wooden tower shook side to side only to be encouraged by the unusually strong wind, yet the woman perched inside of the tall white contraption maintained a stiff posture, only focusing on the sky which was a bright, clean blue. She lifted her shades slightly and squinted at the above, raising a hand to block the sun from her fragile eyes, a frown started to emerge on her face which was quickly followed by a feel of confusion which swamped her almost at once as she curiously watched several blackbirds circling just above. Her confusion only grew upon looking towards the crisp sand below to see a cluster of the birds gathered around a red stained patch which was slowly being washed away by the creeping ocean, as a naturally inquisitive person Shane's first thought was to climb down and investigate, and so she proceeded to do so, picking up her scruffily hung clothing on the way. Pulling up her loose ripped jeans and fastening her black leather belt Shane reached down for her next items of clothing, that was when it soon became clear that in the drunken mess of the night before she seemed to have misplaced her shoes, the sand began to burn her feet and so she hopped to the side burying them in the cooler sand which was shaded by the guard's tower. Taking a moment to forget her pain she looked around to assess the rest of the beach, sun loungers and towels scattered the ground yet there seemed to be no one in sight, umbrellas blew in the sand, falling over and tumbling down the beach and still no one appeared to claim their runaway items. As Shane watched the umbrellas flip and spin down the beach she realized that no movement occurred elsewhere, not on the sand, in the water or along the paths, where was everyone?
Her attention was soon brought back to the red stained patch in the sand as a gust of wind dragged a gut retching smell towards Shane which hit her in the face almost immediately, she fell to the floor gagging and her eyes started to stream, the sudden thud scared the birds away and they quickly disappeared, leaving behind a fleshy looking lump which was surrounded what now looked like blood. Upon further investigation Shane could see what could only be described as a mauled head, she retched again and bent over to face the cleaner sand which lay just next to her, this set the perfect blank canvas for her to think out the situation, was this a human head? Was it even a head at all? Why are there no people on the beach? Why does L.A seem abandoned?