17 August 2012
16 + Content
My name is Louisa Tanner and I was 19 when I was murdered.
My name is Meredith Riley and I was also 19 when I was murdered.
Meredith and I were both at Leeds University, I was studying for a History degree and Meredith was studying a Computer Science degree. We both shared a flat together that was literally just around the corner from the Uni. We were great friends and had great times together, little did we know we would also be sharing our deaths together.
We had seen on the news about the 7 murders of girls and how the police believed they were all linked. Our parents were worried and had spoken to us about how to be safe, like never go out alone at night, lock all the doors to the flat, make sure windows are closed etc. We were aware but were not worried as we were always careful and much of it is common sense, like leaving a pub and walking home alone, which we would never do. We always left together or made sure other friends walked us home. Regardless of how safe we tried to make ourselves it was still not enough.
My parents are distraught over my death and simply cannot take it in, my mother is almost in denial and keeps saying the police have got it wrong and that I'll show up soon. I often sit and just hold her during her quiet moments which are rare as she seems to be acting so strange lately and has to be sedated when she can't cope. I only wish I could ease her pain but her grief won't allow me to reach her. My poor dad is sick with worry and sick with grief, it is only in his private moments that I can reach him and it fills me with joy when I know he can sense me and he cries but is smiling through the tears.
I wanted to travel the world and see all the wonderful historic buildings that the world has to offer but myself and Merediths dreams have now gone. Meredith would now like to have her say.
Louisa and my dear family have given me such strength as death is such a traumatic thing to deal with. Yes it's painless but it's the knowing that you are no longer with your loved ones that is the hardest part. I suppose at least I can go to them whenever but it's not the same and it's never enough. I leave behind my mother and father and my sister who was ten years older than me and was like a second mother to me. I feel angry and that anger consumes me some days but then I sit in my family's living room and see how much they are suffering and it kind of puts things into perspective for me. Their suffering is so much worse than mine and all I can do is be there for them and somehow let them know that I always will be.
On the night that both Louisa and me were murdered we had been to the local pub and had a few drinks. Back at the flat we decided to have a game of Monopoly and have a bit of fun on the Singstar, we often did this and we had such a fab night, it must have been about 11.30 pm when we both decided to go to sleep.
I got up again at about 1 AM as I was incredibly thirsty so I went to the kitchen and got myself a glass of water and then returned to bed and drifted back off to sleep. The next thing I was aware of was this incredibly painful headache to the right side of my head and that was it, I was then stood next to my body and this man was stood over me and he was repeatedly smashing my head in.
I watched him take pictures of me and that was when I realised that Louisa was in danger too, I went to her room and was trying to wake her, I was shouting but she couldn't hear me, I was stood over her willing her to please wake up. I grabbed her shoulders and I don't know whether she felt me but she began to wake up..........................
I was having this horrible dream, Meredith was covered in blood on her face and I was asleep in bed and she was trying to wake me up, she was crying and pleading with me to open my eyes. I looked around the room and my heart was pounding, I listened and I thought I could hear noises in Merediths room so I listened again and thought maybe she had got up to nip to the loo. I closed my eyes and tried to get back to sleep. I must have only been lying there for about a minute or so when I heard my door open, I turned around and that's when I saw this dark figure just stood there, I initially just froze and that's when he lunged at me, he had some kind of bar in his hands and he began to hit me all over with it, I was screaming but my screams were muffled as I had my head in my pillow and had the duvet over my whole body trying to protect myself from his endless blows. It seemed forever that he was hitting me and at some point he managed to get the duvet away from my head and that's when the deathly blows rained down. I began to black out and that is when I saw Meredith, she was smiling and I finally felt at peace, I held out my hand and she took it. Together we were both stood next to my now dead body. Our killer began to touch me and I had to look away as Meredith squeezed my hand, he then began to take pictures of my still and lifeless shell. He then began to masturbate over me and I remember thinking that they would catch the bastard as he would leave his DNA, but he had a little handkerchief and he came in that. With that we both left our flat for the very last time.
Our bodies were not discovered until the next day after some of our friends had come looking for us as we hadn't showed up for some classes. Our killer had left the door unlocked as he wanted people to find his first double murder. For him this was his masterpiece.
I got up again
27 Voices....parts 8 and 9 • Opuss № I