I've recently done some reading on nightmares, so here's what I've got to say. Recurrent nightmares are usually the result of your fear of the same nightmare happening again. In dreams, things we fear have a way of happenning, partly because we expect them to happen. More likely than not, this is just the result of that sort of thing, and not really any sort of message. If you want ot get rid of the nightmare, there are two methods, though basically the same idea. The first is to become lucid in the nightmare, and instead of running from your assailant, face them. Don't fight if you can avoid it; try asking them something, like "why are you chasing me?" Be friendly, and there's a good chance that they will do the same in return. The other method involved visualizing yourself in the dream, though you're actually still awake, and imagining how to create an alternate ending. You could confront the person as above, or devise some clever method of escape that you haven't thought of in your dream.

If you want to find out more about what is going on, the first method would probably be the better choice, since it would give you the chance to talk and figure things out.