Gabe coughed and nodded Thanks I guess this proves there really is a giant octopus in Lake Thunderbird Tyler said And I got it on camera I don’t know about that Sean said He held the hooked pole he’d used to drive off the tentacles He pried something off the sharp tip of the hook I’m pretty sure it’s man-made Why would someone make a giant killer octopus Tyler asked Good question Ben said Along with who I’m going to find out You know the rule said Gabe No one goes in the water alone Ben nodded Let’s go As Gabe jumped into the water he wished Tyler would stop calling it a killer octopus That was his last calm thought before the tentacles started thrashing again 8
chapter 2 EVIDENCE As the van bumped along the pitted back road Gabe leaned over to look at the image on Sean’s computer tablet It showed a rather lumpy gray lizard man with big feet and hands That doesn’t look very real Tyler’s head popped over the seat in front of them and he pointed It’s real enough for me Like we found out in Oklahoma fake monsters leave bruises too Gabe couldn’t argue after the battering he and Ben had gotten when they swam down to the octopus machine and followed the cables running it back to another boat The fake octopus people were in jail Their efforts to drive people away from the lake were over Sean looked 9
up from his tablet I didn’t get any bruises in Oklahoma You never do Tyler answered Why Brains Sean said Gabe drew his friend’s attention back to the computer So is this made out of rubber like the octopus in Oklahoma Sean looked at him blankly I can’t tell from a photo Though we can safely assume it isn’t real Why is that Tyler asked They never are Gabe didn’t argue with his friend but he didn’t agree either He was sure he’d seen real cryptids since they’d joined his brother to make his Internet show Discover Cryptids They had seen a lot of fakes but he believed some of the creatures were real probably Sean Ben called from the driver’s seat Aren’t you going to share any fun facts about 10
South Carolina I’m curious about the state My fun facts are not always appreciated Sean said Sure they are Ben called back giving Gabe and Tyler a sharp look in the rear view mirror Yeah lay some fun facts on us Tyler said Sean did some quick searching with his tablet He raised an eyebrow Here’s an interesting fact The Swamp Lizard Man isn’t the only cryptid in South Carolina According to this Lake Murray has a water monster Gabe shuddered No more water monsters for a while How about a happier fun fact Um the salamander is the official state amphibian Sean suggested No wonder the Swamp Lizard Man feels comfortable there Tyler said They like slimy creepy things Like most reptiles lizards have dry skin with scales and no slime Sean said Also since 11
