Colton Manor by Francene Carroll

was raining again but she barely even noticed it soaking through her clothes.
    There we re no neighbours for miles and the only plan she could think of was to follow the coastal road to Bonnie’s house where she could get help. When she realised that this is exactly what he’d expect her to do she stopped abruptly. The road was very narrow with cliffs on one side and a steep, rocky incline on the other for most of the way. It would be very dangerous for her to walk along in the dark, and if he did come after her there was nowhere to hide.
    She was torn as she tr ied to come up with another idea. She knew the beach went all the way around to Bonnie’s house, but there were rocks in between where the cliff jutted out and it would be difficult to find her way over them in the dark. She also had no idea if it was high tide and how far the water came up over the rocks. As she stood there trying to make up her mind she heard him come back down the stairs. She had to make a choice very quickly. With a last glance back in the direction of the road, she turned and ran towards the cliff and the path leading down to the beach.
    It was raining har der now, dripping into her eyes and blurring her vision. There was a full moon but it was hidden by clouds, and she found it very hard to see more than a few steps in front of her. When she heard the front door of the house fly open she picked up her pace as she headed in the direction of the path. Despite the darkness he somehow seemed to know where to find her because she soon heard his long strides and heavy breathing behind her, catching up fast. Just as she reached the spot where she thought the path began she stopped dead and stifled a scream. There was a woman standing there, just looking at her. Then she was gone.
    Something about the breeze on her face made Ursula look down at her feet and she was horrified to discover that she was standing at the edge of the cliff. If she’d taken just one step further she would have fallen right over. She had no time to overcome her shock because he was almost upon her now. As she glanced backwards the moon came out from behind a cloud and she saw his face. His empty expression sent a shudder of fear through her body.
    “ There is no escape for you,” he called. She knew it was futile to even try to talk to him, but she couldn’t help herself from screaming back as the wind whipped her wet hair around her face.
    “Why are you doing this to me?”
    “You know very well why.”
    Several times he almost caught up with her on the steep descent, but she managed to get away. As soon as her feet touched the sand she ran as fast as she could across the beach towards the rocks. The cold air was raw in her lungs, and she felt like they were going to burst as she fought her way through the soft powdery surface. The only sound she could hear was the pounding of her own heart and the roar of the ocean in her ears. She dared to hope she’d manage to outrun him, but just as she stepped onto the rocks his hand closed tightly around her upper arm. Wrenching herself away she managed to get a few steps ahead of him before he caught up with her again, turning her around to face him with both hands now biting into her flesh painfully.
    For one moment she wasn’t looking at Damien at all, but a burly man with a heavy black beard and eyes filled with hatred. She lashed out blindly with her arms and legs, landing a punch on his face that caused him to lose his balance. As he slipped on the rocks he let her go for a second, and she jumped away from him. Even as he was falling he lunged for her leg but this time she was too fast, and by some miracle she managed to make her away across the slippery rocks towards the cliff face without losing her footing.
    It was much easier to feel her way over the rocks using the cliff to guide her, but with the water lapping at her feet she feared the tide was rising. She could easily be swept out to sea if it got any higher, but