Beneath the sounds of the sea, from back in the alleys between the main drag and the boardwalk you hear a now familiar cacophony- the mindless rumbling of the new apex predator. The sounds are advancing toward you. There are curses, joyless cackles, occasional shouts and pistol shots. The sounds are above you now. You hear the sound of booted feet stomping down the boardwalk, coming your way.

"Lookid dis. Fuckin' water is coverin' the whole beach."

You hear the hiss of a potato cannon, the smash of glass, and the hollow laugher of people with no hope.

"Told you there wasn't nothin' here. C'mon. Let;s head back before we're stuck.

You let out a breath, unaware that you were holding it in. You feel a familiar tightness in your chest.

You hear the footsteps retreat.

Down here the aroma of death and dying is stronger, permeating everything. It was the pH. Acid. The oceans had been turned from a font of life to an acidic crypt.