Chapter 49


    "And now, a statement from Channel Seven Station Manager, Rudy Ward."


    This belongs ? N?velDra/ma.Org.


    "Here we are, Cypress Citizens, on the edge. That is exactly how it feels at this very moment in our fair


    city. Cypress has faced numerous challenges and obstacles before. From the copse of the National


    Building back in ''42, to the assassination of Governor Billups in ''67; Cypress, Ohio has managed to rise


    up above the chaos and tumult of the times.


    But now, something else has emerged, and that something is possibly even more primeval than


    anything we have faced before. Instead of gun wielding murderers, I believe we are dealing with a force


    not even our sophisticated society can handle. Are we headed down the same path as New York City?


    Is our descent into madness a one way journey?


    Now, most people, including yours truly, will agree that the decision to demolish the Hollis towers is


    long overdue. They were a blight to the city and a ma for debauchery. But knowing what we now


    know about what was going on inside one of the buildings, it is safe to assume that we are not dealing


    with amon threat.


    These recent animal attacks have people not only staying inside their own homes as though this was


    the Old West, but most Cypress citizens are actually fleeing the city for safer pastures. And who can


    me them? The police are dumbfounded, citizens are terrified, and on top of all that, no one alive has


    ever seen these beasts. Perhaps destroying theirir is the start we need to flush out these animals.


    But the fact remains, what other sort of terror have they wrought?


    Are we safe, or are we in the calm of a very bitter and violent storm? No one can seem to answer such


    questions. All we as citizens of this great city can do is batten down our defenses and hope for the


    best. I am an optimistic man. I do believe that Cypress will prevail in the face of disaster.


    This is not New York City where a person walks out of their home only to get mugged within five


    seconds. I happen to believe in our police force, our city council members, and most of all, our citizens.


    We will stand tall and fight back. We will be more vignt and aware, and we will not rest until this


    sphemy has atst been extinguished. As the old Negro hymn goes, ''we shall ovee.'' Cypress,


    Ohio will once more shine like a jewel.


    And if leaving this city is your decision, then Godspeed. But I assure you, if you do decide to return, you


    shalle back to a different life, a brand new perspective. Our story is far from over. When you


    return, life as you once knew it, shall be no more.


    All we have to do...is keep fighting. For Channel Seven, I''m Rudy Ward."