She heard a light scurry of feet a few yards from the ditch beside her. It was then that she saw the face of one of the men coming out of the dark shadows of the tall grass. The men measured their pace just behind hers as though they had plenty of time to follow her. Ellen knew that if she began to run from the two men this would be the final stroke, so she slowed down, almost imperceptibly, yet kept herself ready for that burst of energy and strength she would have to put out once they began advancing more rapidly.

"I'll tell you what I think, Billy. I think she's playin' a little game with us," another unfamiliar voice remarked in a sinister tone. "She's playing the stuck-up little bitch, don't you think?"

"Just give her some time, Cash. All that walking her little ass is doing should warm her up."

"Yeah, and them watermelons of hers sure look juicy," the man named Billy replied, an obscene vicious tone evident in his voice. "I'd sure like to get my mouth around those tits."

Ellen involuntarily moved faster as she heard the men's feet scuffling up onto the shoulder of the gravel road. They were walking directly behind her now, but she didn't dare look back. Suddenly she knew she was really afraid, and she became sure that the two men were not part of the group at the beach party. None of the boys, no matter how lewd their intentions, would have spoken to a girl like that. She found herself moving at a half-run now, and she measured the distance to the tiny lights of the shack ahead of her. If she could only get within shouting distance of the beach house she just might have a chance.