A/N: This is a story I had posted before, I only had two chapters completed before I took it down to edit it and realised I didn't save the chapters. I'm pretty sure this is how the first chapter went, but I'll be pretty much changing it anyway as my tastes have changed a lot over the past few years =)

Feedback is very much welcomed, I'm not sure whether this story is worth writing so please share your opinions with me.

Read, Review and Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I own Nothing except the OC's!

Chapter 1: Demons in the dark!

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The cold air stung her cheeks and she was drenched from head to toe, but nothing was going to stop her. The wet ground splashed up her legs as she ran through the dark, deserted streets; she could hear his echoing footsteps behind her, mirroring her own. They were getting closer, he was gaining on her, but she dared not look over her shoulder. She ran as fast as she could, ignoring the pain in her legs. As she reached the end of the road she came to a cross roads. She didn't have time to stop and think so she turned left down what she thought was another road but to her horror she realised it was an alley. Looking straight ahead of herself she came face to face with a brick wall, the panic rose in her stomach as she looked ahead of her, it was a dead end – she was trapped.

Hearing the heavy breathing she quickly turned around, backing down the alley towards the brick wall. There he was at the entrance of the alley. He was hunched over catching his breath, he looked up towards her, a sick smirk crossing his face as he noticed the sheer terror etched on her face. The street light's glare caught her eye as he approached her, she raised her hand to shield her eyes, she needed to keep her sights set on him. She backed up slowly with her hands up in front of her defensively. She backed up as far as she could until she felt the cold wet wall behind her. She began to hyperventilate as she realised she couldn't move any more, that she was stuck in the alley with the man who had been haunting her.

That's when she knew it was over, that she'd lost. She sank to the ground defeated. She began to sob loudly, the fear completely taking over now and reducing her to a cowering, weeping mess on the concrete ground. As he reached her sunken figure he bent down slowly, he reached out a hand and lifted her chin forcing her to face him. His cold hazel eyes staring straight into hers, she could see the delight dancing in his hazel orbs as he watched her shake violently with terror in front of him. He ran his other hand up and down her arm, causing goose bumps to prickle her skin and tears to fall from her eyes again. He smiled at her before moving his hand to her face, stroking her cheek in what would normally be an affectionate manner, but on this occasion it was anything but. It was completely sick and twisted, the look in his eyes only confirmed it. He leaned in close to her, inhaling her scent as the stale whiskey on his breath burnt her nostrils. There was eerie silence for what seemed to be forever before he spoke, his breath hot on her neck. The blood pumping in her body seemed to drown out every word he spoke until he moved his lips to her ear, his voice sending chills down her spine as he whispered "You can't escape me!"

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Suddenly Ashlee jumped bolt upright, she slapped her hand over her mouth to repress a scream as he began to pant heavily, trying to catch her breath. She was panic stricken, scanning her surroundings and breathing a sigh of relief, she leaned back on the headboard of the bed – it was just another dream. He hadn't found her, she was safe. She wiped the sweat from her brow and climbed out of bed, walking towards the window. She pulled back the curtain cautiously, peeking out to make sure it really was just a dream. Seeing nothing she checked the window was securely locked before doing the same to every window and door in the apartment. Even though she had already checked them several times before going to bed, she knew she wouldn't be able to relax until she checked them again. This had become a nightly routine for her over the last few years.

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Ashlee looked at the clock 4:45am, there was no way she would ever get back to sleep now. She sighed and made her way to the kitchen and flicked the switch on the kettle, boiling it up for a cup of coffee to calm her nerves. She then walked down the hallway to the bathroom. Leaning both her hands on the sink she looked into the mirror. She swallowed hard at what she saw. She looked a right mess. Her face was pale and sunken, her eyes were bloodshot and were not sporting dark circles and bags beneath them, a sure sign that her lack of sleep was catching up on her. She splashed come cold water around her face, trying to wake herself up a little.

'How has my life come to this?' She thought to herself.

Ashlee began to think about the days when she was younger. The days when she would complain that she had had the worst day of her life over something trivial like missing a bus or working late. Oh how she wished she could go back to those days, when all she had to worry about was getting to work on time.

Sure back then it was boring, working nine to five and barely being able to afford a night out a month but she would much rather have that than what she had now. She knew she had had some ups and downs in her life, who hasn't right? But the way everything in her life had changed over the last few years, how her simple, boring life had been turned upside down and dragged into the darkest, miserable nightmare she could have ever dreamed of, she would have swapped lives with a coma patient at this rate. Her life at this point in time gave the word 'nightmare' a new, more creepier meaning.

It wasn't always this way, once upon a time she lived a very normal, mundane life, which was filled with the occasional happy time! She had friends, a family, a social life. Once upon a time she had taken the simpler things in life for granted.

She ran a hand through her long, brown locks as she reminisced about her 'old life'.

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She was born Ashlee Marie Morgan in Orlando, Florida twenty three years ago. She had a loving family. Her parents Pete & Laura were the best parents anyone could have asked for; they raised their children in a loving home and took care of all their needs. Ashlee and her four siblings wanted for nothing growing up. She was the youngest of the family, the baby of the bunch so she was usually the most spoilt.

First there was Dean, the eldest child. Twenty eight years of age, tall, blue eyed, dark haired and extremely handsome and boy he knew it. A very protective big brother, he was always looking out for Ashlee and her sister Kerry, threatening potential boyfriends or giving them the 'big brother' lectures. He loved his little sisters dearly and was prepared to do anything to make sure they never got hurt. Dean was a complete ladies man. He lived the Playboy lifestyle – out every weekend with his friends or chilling out in his bachelor pad. He could usually be seen with a new girl on his arm every week. Ashlee and Kerry had lovingly dubbed him a 'Man Whore!'

Then there was Kerry, the second eldest. The 5'6 red head was your typical daddy's girl. All she had to do was start batting her eyelashes or flip her long red hair and their father would open his wallet and indulge Kerry's latest whim. These days though, things were very different. At twenty six Kerry was a wife and mother of two little boys, Cody – aged three, and Ryan - thirteen months.

Next there was Nathan. He was twenty five and like Dean he was raven haired and very handsome. He too was very protective of his sisters. Although unlike Dean he had been with his girlfriend Liv since they were sixteen years old, they were high school sweethearts. Ashlee could see them getting married and settling down together for the long run. Nathan was the type of guy to commit to someone eternally, he was quite the opposite of Dean.

Then lastly there was Ashlee. She was the baby of the family, and for the most part of her life she was spoilt rotten. She was the black sheep of the family. In her teen years she has been a Goth which had nearly given her mother a heart attack and worried her father so much he had called a counsellor. Unlike her siblings, Ashlee was self conscious. She wasn't as thin as Kerry, she didn't have the confidence that Dean possessed and she didn't have the social skills Nathan possessed. She felt like an outsider in her family for a long time, like she just didn't fit it. With her blonde hair she didn't look anything like them, they were all naturally dark haired, for a while in her teens she had come to the conclusion she was adopted and had tried to find her real family. Probably another reason her father called in a counsellor.

With her low self esteem Ashlee hadn't had a boyfriend until she was sixteen years old, never even having her first kiss until she met what would be mistake one on her ever growing list. To begin with her mother was delighted that Ashlee had found herself a boyfriend, he seemed nice, his parents were friendly people and she was sure this would give her daughter the confidence push she needed. Though it soon appeared that this guy had a hold over Ashlee, whispering commands in her ear that she would follow without a second thought. It became clear to everyone that Ashlee was controlled by this man. So her parents did what any concerned parents would do, they told her to end her relationship with him, even that had managed to become a drama.

Ashlee thought she knew better, she thought she was in love. She convinced herself that without this man in her life she would die, stop breathing and die. She was headstrong and very stubborn, she went against her parents' wishes and eloped with her then boyfriend, marrying him in impromptu ceremony. As it turned out her parents were right, she wasn't in love and he was no good for her. Thus ended their impulsive marriage, their nuptials were abruptly ended with a quickie divorce.

Since then on she had been seen as the screw up of the family, she had broken her parents' hearts, she had disgraced the family. After a while she decided that if she was going to be branded a screw up for no reason she might as well live up to the description, going out and partying every week, staying out for days at a time and not calling her family. Then at eighteen she had her daughter Eva and although her parents loved the little girl, they were completely disappointed in Ashlee, and she knew it. When she had first told them she was pregnant he mother broke down in tears, mumbling about shame and disgrace. After Eva was born Ashlee noticed how her mother still flinched every time she was reminded that Ashlee had a child. It was as if she thought the world was still stuck in the past. After finally having enough of her family's judgemental attitude, at the age of nineteen she packed her bags and she and her daughter took off for New York.

She got a job in a diner to support her and Eva and pay the rent on her small, dinky apartment. Ashlee knew that she needed to provide a better life for herself and her daughter, so she enrolled in night school, taking courses in accounting and creative writing; which had always been a passion of hers. She knew she needed to give Eva someone to look up to, a mother to be proud of and she'd be damned if she would let her daughter down.

Two years later after enrolling in night school she managed to get herself a job in a hotel which included accommodation for her and her daughter. Things were falling into place, she had a good job, a roof over her head and her baby was happy and healthy, apart from the fact that she hadn't spoken to her parents since the day she took off, all in all things weren't that bad.

Well not until that cold November night.

Ashlee shuddered at the memory. She quickly turned the shower on, undressed and climbed in. She closed her eyes and let the warm water wash away all her worries, drown out the voice in her head – his voice, reminding her that she'd never be able to escape him.

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After her shower she changed into a clean set of pyjamas, her other pair being socked in swear from her nightmares. She went into the kitchen and poured herself that cup of coffee had attempted to make before she had been sidetracked by her shower. She sat in the sitting area of the apartment, her hair still wet, sipping on her mug of coffee as she let her mind drift.

She kept asking herself how she could have managed to screw her life up so bad.

'My parents were right, I am a screw up!' She thought to herself.

Ashlee continued in her thoughts, only stirring when she heard the soft voice coming from the bedroom door. Turning her head, her eyes came to rest on the small, blonde haired child dressed in a purple 'Hannah Montana' night dress, rubbing her eyes. Ashlee couldn't help the smile that made it's way onto her face as she took in her daughter's image. Her blonde curly hair, her little dimples and her big, sparkling blue eyes, she was beautiful. Eva was well spoken, so sweet and oh so smart, sometimes too much for her own good. She acted like a teenager rather than a five year old sometimes.

"Mommy, can you tuck me in again?" The little voice asked.
"Sure thing Buttercup!" Ashlee replied, setting her mug down and taking the child by the hand, leading her back to her room.

Eva climbed into the bed as Ashlee pulled the covers over her, securely tucking her in and kissing her upon her forehead.

"Good night Buttercup, I love you!" She whispered as the little girl's eyes fluttered closed. Ashlee checked the windows were locked one last time before moving toward the door.

Taking one last glance at the sleeping blonde girl she whispered, "The only thing I ever did right!"

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What did you think? Please let me know, I'm not sure whether to continue or not with this story.