1

I should have known better. This always happens to me.

Ianto Jones stormed out of the steamy bustle of Terry's Coffee Shop and marched down the sidewalk along the street, towards his apartment. Thankfully, he lived not too far away and would be home soon enough, ready to binge-watch some of his new favourite shows on Netflix.

Bodine, the hunky male star of the show would keep him company while he drowned his sorrows in a giant bowl of chocolate-chip ice cream. Bodine was quickly becoming his only steady relationship.

So, I'm dating my television now. Beyond pathetic, Ianto.

He had so been looking forward to tonight. His dating slump had started to take its toll on him recently, as he had suffered through several rounds of blind dates with friends-of-friends and even the daughter of one his aunt's friends. They'd all been disastrous.

He was beginning to think that dating was hopeless for him; there were simply no good people left. Romance was dead, a thing of the past, he was convinced. Then he met Lisa. Finally, it seemed he'd come across a mature, interesting woman. She had passion, direction, and a great sense of humour. She was even a tad bit gorgeous as well. It had been nearly a year since his last relationship and, at the nudging of his best friend Toshiko he had decided to give internet dating a try. He figured at this point he had nothing to lose. He'd always been wary about the whole internet dating thing because there were so many psychos out there. He had watched way too many police-procedurals on TV to not have his head filled with all the horrible ways that an online relationship could end in blood and murder. But, at this point, he was desperate.

He was twenty-seven and, while that was not exactly ancient, he wanted to find the right girl or guy to settle down with. Even if an online fling did wind up getting him killed... well, at least there'd be no more blind dates to deal with. Despite being quite stunning and intelligent, Ianto had always had the worst luck with relationships. His last relationship had ended nearly a year ago when his boyfriend Kyle sent him a long text message - a breakup text. Kyle was a classy guy, indeed. He said that things between them were getting too serious and that he was just not at a place in his life where he wanted to take on a serious commitment.

Three months later he was married with a baby on the way.

Ianto had been chatting with Lisa for about three weeks. It had started with some messaging on the dating site and eventually he'd started Skyping with her. He figured it was a natural progression to keep things safe and take everything nice and slow. Plus, it was easy to fake a photo on a dating site, but with video-chat he was able to tell that Lisa really was quite the looker. Lisa was an insurance agent, had that great saleswoman's smile, and even the witty banter to go with it. She liked to go bike riding, hiking, camping, and even rock climbing. Ianto couldn't believe he had met a girl who loved all of the same things he did.

After several weeks of chatting and Skyping, Lisa finally asked to meet him in person for coffee after work. He eagerly agreed. Ianto was so nervous that he tried on six different outfits before finally just going back to the first one he had tried. With the butterflies dancing the mambo in his stomach, his giddy excitement was interrupted by sporadic tides of nausea. He picked up his phone and nearly cancelled five separate times. But, somehow when the time came, he got it together, walked out the door, and headed to the coffee shop.

The night air was clean and crisp, so Ianto decided to walk. The exercise would help quell his nerves, and behind the wheel of a car was probably not the best place for someone as nervous as him, anyways.

He got to the coffee shop a few minutes early so he sat down at a window booth and pulled a small book from his backpack. He always had a book on hand - as long as you have a book, there's no such thing as a wasted moment. He had read that somewhere, likely in one the many books that crowded the walls of his small apartment.

The minutes ticked by, and still Lisa had not arrived.

A small tinge of dread swelled in his gut. he agonizingly took a peek at his watch. A quarter after. The entrance door swung open and his eyes darted up to see - not Lisa. The minutes continued to tick by as the hollow feeling in his gut grew stronger.

It became agonizing to watch the door swing open and to quickly realize that it wasn't Lisa coming in to meet him.

He sent her a few texts, trying his best not to appear desperate. His mind raced, thinking of plausible reasons why she might not be there.

Car trouble, had to work late, car accident, murder.

Maybe she had just taken a quick nap and didn't wake up in time… But after hearing no response for almost an hour he stopped giving her the benefit of the doubt. The rage and pain ran circles inside of his mind. This was not the first time he'd been stood up, and it never got any easier to deal with.

Finally, at fifty minutes past the mark, Ianto conceded that the night was a bust. Lisa wasn't coming tonight. Lisa wasn't coming any night. Ianto stepped out of the coffee shop into a warm gentle breeze. The air felt good against his skin which was now covered with a slight bead of sweat.

His shoes slapped against the pavement, echoing in the night which was eerily quiet. It was seven o'clock and the sun had already long vanished. A full moon hung high in the sky, covered with an ominous orange haze.

He loved full moons. When he was a kid he would lay out in the yard and stare at the moon, studying every single mark, blemish, and crater until his mother would finally yell at him to come inside and go to bed.

As he rounded the corner onto Narndaby Street, the night became much quieter. Even the normal dinner traffic he'd heard on Main Street from a few blocks away was now only a faint whisper. It all at once dawned on Ianto that he was totally alone. Not one to be easily frightened, Ianto took a deep breath and continued walking along, not speeding up or slowing down, as if in defiance of his encroaching fear.

Wish I'd driven now… It's okay - everything is fine, he thought, trying to quiet the voices in his head.

His habit of staying up and watching too many late-night horror movies was warping his imagination. The skin on the back of his neck flushed with a cold tingle - the fear was starting to take hold of him. He concentrated on his breathing - in and out, slow, steady, and deep. His fingers grew tense as they wrapped around the pepper spray that he always carried with him; a gift from his Grandy when he moved away.

Even though the town of Cardiff was considered one of the safest in Wales, it was always good to be prepared. He paused half-way down the block and stared ahead - several of the overhead street lamps flickered on and off. The evening's darkness wrapped around him, and if it wasn't for the full-moon above he might not be able to see much of anything at all.

A strange orange glow covered everything, and the pitch-black shadows surrounding him frightened him even more. Ianto picked up the pace. He just had to round the corner and he'd be on Randolph Street. Just one more street to go and he'd be home safe and sound. Easy peasy.

He was nearly to the corner when he heard a noise behind him. He froze and then snapped around with his pepper spray held in front of him. There was nothing but darkness. He had heard something… it wasn't his imagination. He was sure of it. What was it…?

He couldn't identify the sound.

Rustling leaves, maybe a squirrel, or… a growl? It couldn't have been that…

He paused a moment and caught his breath listening as intently as he could through the silence. He heard nothing. After a few moments of total silence Ianto released his breath, turned around, and rounded the corner. He started walking much faster now, almost jogging. It was indescribable how scared he was right now.

His mind was in full meltdown mode and he felt stupid, but he was okay with that. He'd heard a small noise - that was all. But it had lit a fire under his feet to move, move, move!

He could see the faint glow of the lights of his own street up ahead. he just had to keep going. Ianto heard another noise. This time closer and unmistakably animal-like. Before he could even register what it was or exactly how close it was, he found himself flying towards the ground below.

He cringed, anticipating his face smashing into the hard pavement. He flung his arms in front of him to brace himself, but it was too late. He hit the concrete hard, but his momentum carried him into a roll so his body did not pick up the full impact.

Something had pushed him.

Something big.

Ianto's limp body came to a stop in a damp patch of grass. His hands, elbows, and knees felt like they were on fire. He felt the warm tickle of blood dripping from his fresh wounds. Another animal noise sent a cold terror through his veins.

Pain and blood didn't matter anymore - he was staring straight into the eyes of hell.