How Could This Happen to Me?

Daylight was fading fast, threatening the valleys with relentless darkness. For the residents of one of the sleepy towns, this fast approaching night would be one they would never ever forget.

A community that seemed unbreakable was about to be broken. A solid structure with which the various families lived with one another was about to be shattered from the inside out. Its once firm foundations would be left in utter ruins.

One horrific action will leave behind a path of immeasurable destruction in its wake.
Right now, everyone was unaware of what turmoil was ahead, not least for the family with whom would be most affected….

7PM.
NEAR ‘THE GREEN HOUSE’
CARDIFF.

Jenna’s PoV

Ohmygod! What a day I’ve had! I’m just on my way home from one of the BIGGEST shoots of my life! It was for Nuts Magazine! I still can’t believe it! I’m beyond buzzing. I can’t wait to tell all the girls. I bet Nicole is fuming ‘cause she couldn’t do the styling for it! Not that there was much of that mind, but still. I’ma be loving it if she is. I’ll rub her face in it like when Leeroy lets his jet lose all over my tits! Gah! Lee! I can’t wait to snog his brains out and hopefully, even more than just that…
I’m so glad they let me bring my dog Princess along to the shoot. I dunno what I’d a done without her! I’d have been tampn’ so hard, like! She’s been so good and supportive. I know she’s so so proud of me, like! She’s sleeping now, but she had been yapping happily since I got done.
A.K and the photographer kept giving me positive feedback, like, I think they both thought it went well. I’m sure it did, like, but the reassurance from them is, well, wanted I guess. It’s good they do give me it. I wouldn’t be shitting a brick or anything. I know I’m beu-tee-fal but like, I just need to hear it professionally, like!

I’m starting to feel a bit cold now mind, and I’m completely alone bar Princess. I just wanna get home to unwind, maybe have a bath then go back out at 9pm. I hate this time of year! I hate when it gets dark at like, 6:20. Cardiff is rough in parts. I might have made it out of the Valleys but crime never leaves anywhere I guess.

I can feel little hands around my boobs. I’m not scared though. Princess sometimes manages to wiggle her way out of my bag so I’m guessing I’ll get a wet lick on my neck any minute now. No point looking down. I only gotta go a few more steps until I get to the house. I’m totally safe, like!

BONG! BONG!

11PM
GWAUNFARREN ROAD,
MERTHYR TYDFIL.

Sean’s PoV

I was making way home to my parents’ house when shit got real. I had been at band practice and was naturally buzzing from the fun with my mates. I’m a co-vocalist in a band with another mate. When I say I ‘sing’ I mean, scream, but they kinda merge depending on the song.
As it was gonna be dark when I was walking home, I brought my dog with me for protection. It wasn’t strictly my idea though; it was more of a ‘Mammy moment’ so to speak. Overprotection has its serious downfalls when you live with your mother for pretty much 29 years of your life!

Just as I was nearing my front door, my Schnauzer Sasha decided to go a little berserk. At first, I didn’t think much of it. I figured she’d been over stimulated from various treats and goings on during practice. However, soon enough I myself started to become suspicious. Within close range, I could hear a soft, feeble yapping of another dog.
‘Bingo!’ I thought.
Sasha’s communicative barks back began to strengthen in sound and pitch and before I could get any commanding words out of my mouth she was tugging the leash so forcefully that I was being dragged towards a ditch. As soon as I found my voice, my subsequent commands were about as good as a howling at the bright moon above head. I had no choice but to follow her, as I couldn’t bring myself to keep demanding her to stop. Neighbors could possibly hear me and lets just say they wouldn’t be offering the sort of help in a way that would reflect positively on me! Images of straight jackets flashed in my head as my final command of “Sasha! Stop! You don’t need sex now!” echoed eerily around.
As Sasha pulled me further into the ditch, an ill-feeling started in the pit of my stomach. I was starting to get scared and just wanted her to turn back so I could get back home. Although I don’t seem to, I do actually get quite jumpy in the dark.
I was getting a bit browned off now, for want of a nice term. I had stupidly expected Sasha to just find the yappy dog, say “Hello” in dog language and then strut back in the direction of home completely calm again.

However, nothing could ever have prepared me for what Sasha did eventually find. I’m not good with mathematics so lets just say about half way through the ditch, she made her discovery. By this stage I had cleverly (or not so) cleverly decided to turn the torch app on my phone as the streetlights had almost completely disappeared from view. Before my eyes caught up with Sasha’s, she had stopped barking and had slowed down. Initially, when the torchlight hit, it just looked like a pile of black sacks. At that moment I felt like picking Sasha up, walking home and threatening her with no treats for a week as punishment for what I had deemed to be an exhausting adventure to end up sniffing around someone’s dumped waste. As much as I wanted to, something was stopping me. I felt like I had been tied with invisible rope and I couldn’t move a muscle. A foul stench invaded my nostrils and it was ten times worse than ordinary household or industrial waste. It almost smelled like decomposing flesh.

I took a closer look with one hand holding my nose tight while the other directed the LED light from my phone. When my mind connected the dots with my eyes, I almost chocked on air. Within a split second I began screaming my head off. I snatched Sasha up in my arms and dialed the local Heddieu as I stood shaking, rooted to the spot and scarred for life.

After about 5 to 10 minutes of stammering I had managed to tell the operator on the other end of the line that I had inadvertently found the mutilated body of a female with long black hair. I was still stuck to the spot and shaking worse than a tree during a tornado. Sasha was clamped to my chest more like a koala then a dog. I was so overwhelmed that I couldn’t face the police. I knew I would struggle to speak even more so than I had when making the call. However, I managed to make one other call a few seconds later.

BONG! BONG!