Till Dark

At the bottom she crouched behind a few large boulders afraid to stand completely in case he was lurking around. Crawling on her hands and knees for the next few feet till she was sure what to do next, Jordan peered through the darkness and saw the lighthouse in the distance and gave a quiet sigh of relief. "Oh thank God!" She breathed softly thankful she knew where she was. Momentarily gathering all her courage and strength she rose and half ran as fast as her screaming, injured muscles would allow. She ran till her side ached and her breaths came in shallow gulps and her mind screamed with fear. "Only a few yards left." She told herself and then slowed her pace. Dropping to the ground to rest often she made it to the lighthouse. Taking in heavy breaths of air she rested here for a few minutes and took small sips of water till her breathing had slowed and she was strong enough to proceed. Dizziness flooded her more than once and she thought she might lose consciousness. She fought hard to stay focused. Andy's house was not far so she decided to call the police from there. She made her way along the beach without drawing too much attention. It was dark out and that helped to disguise the blood on her shirt. Her attacker had removed the belt from her leg and the socks she had tied around her head. She could feel her leg gushing now but kept up her swift pace anyway. "If I can just make it to Andy's house everything will be alright." She said softly to herself. She walked up to the gates and pressed the intercom button. No one answered so she pressed it again leaning on the heavy metal for support. Still there was no answer. She turned and made her way back to the beach toward a thinning crowd there.

Clark walked into the lobby of the hotel at seven fifteen and took the elevator up to Jordan's room. He knocked on the door three times and when Jordan didn't answer he went back to the lobby to ask the clerk at the front desk to call her room for him. The receptionist informed him that she had not seen Ms. Mackenzie since early that afternoon on her way out. Clark smiled politely and told the young receptionist that he was to take Jordan to dinner and they were supposed to meet here at the hotel. Returning his smile with a hundred watt one of her own, the receptionist told him that she would inform him the moment Jordan returned to the hotel if he would like to wait in the lounge. Clark gave her one last striking smile and headed off to order himself vodka on the rocks. He drank slowly and waited for someone who would never show up. A smile touched his lips at the thought of the fun he planned to have with her before he choked the life out of that beautiful face. Downing the last of his drink before ordering a second, he called his boss to find out where to pick up the rest of his payment and his next target. A commotion to his right caught Clark's attention as he walked out of the hotel. A crowd had gathered down the beach along with police cars and an ambulance. He could not see what was happening so he decided to move in for a closer look.