Flashback.

I gritted my teeth in pain as I held my baby bump and tried to make my way across the cold, well worn steps. I stopped and took a deep breath. Blood pooled from my legs and trickled to the linoleum floor. I gasped when I saw it and I knew this was a sign that the baby was going to come prematurely.

I gripped the golden banister and laid against it for support. I could scream but no one would hear me and that was because, I didn't have neighbours for miles away. The telephone was downstairs and here I was, struggling to get to the steps. Didn't think I would make it in time to the hospital.

But, I had to try. I heaved a sigh and began moving forward, my movements were disgruntled. When I finally reached the stairs, I painstakingly made my descent, barely holding back a scream. I was on the third steps when my right feet connected with a sharp nail that thrust through and appeared at the other side. I didn't know when I let out a blood curling scream and gasped in horror.

Blood began to pump out of the wound. Tears pooled from the corner of my eyes and slid down in rivulets down my face. I contorted my face in anguish as I screamed yet again, "someone please help me."

My voice bounced off the paster white walls of my home and ricocheted for miles. I sat on the steps akwardly and held my head in my hands. It ached so bad that it made me want a brain freeze. My gaze was drawn to the pool of blood that lay underneath me and lacquered the hard wood steps. It wasted no time in dripping down and colouring the white carpet at the base.

I saw my life flash before my very eyes as I slowly began to lift my leg from where it had been punctured. Feeling a sharp pain jolt through me, I lost my balance and fell, tumbling down the steps hardly.

Then, everything went black.

At night, Zeal couldn't sleep. She kept on tossing, turning and bunching the bedsheet in her arms, while Lisie slept at the edge of the bed. She had been positioned earlier in the crook of Zeal's arms but because of her bedplay, Lisie had scooted to the far corner and slept soundly.

Feeling utterly frustrated with herself, she had crept down the stairs stealthily and headed to the refrigerator in the kitchen to get a cold bottle of water.

Flipping the cap, she leaned on the fridge, using her body as a wedge. The kitchen was dimly lit with only a sliver of light passing through the shutters.

Her legs carried her to the sitting room and she dropped the water she had been drinking carefully on the center table, and plopped on the comfy couch. Zeal thought back to what had caused Lisie's scream.

There at the exact same spot the stalker stood watching her, she had seen a little, blonde haired girl who had on a pink, sleeveless, flowered gown with a black hoodie that graced her head.

She held a silver knife that glinted sharply in the diminishing sunlight, using it to slice her throat, licking the blood off it, and slumping on the ash, granite road. Zeal hadn't realized who it was but she had to protect her daughter in any case that the sight would cause her harm.

It was only after she had settled in for the night that she thought carefully about it and concluded that the girl looked exactly like Bennie. Zeal knew that Lisie would have guessed it was her even from a far distance. That was because, they had been bonded in a strange way and till now, she couldn't fully understand it.

She could only hope that Lisie was the least bit affected. Zeal's throat felt parched even after gulping almost a whole bottle water, and she got a hold of it and downed the rest.

She felt rejuvenated and laid down on the couch in an upright position and simply stared at the stark, white ceiling of a place she had once called home.

By the morning, they would be far gone from the town, never to come back. The suitcases that Zeal was taking with her for the journey, were already loaded in her car trunk and waiting for it to be dispersed. She couldn't wait to hightail it because, she was scared that at any minute, something terrible would happen to hinder them from leaving.

It was possible that Glee had cleverly planted a trap and she had to use her senses to her utmost ability. Zeal wasn't going to ignore her gut feeling just like she did with Bennie who was now dead. The journey was going to be a risky one which she knew quite well but it all laid on her.

The responsibility weighed on her shoulders and she felt it press deeply on her sub-conscious. There was no backing out, otherwise, they would be trapped in the town forever and she wasn't going to give room for the devil which was Glee, to finish the handiwork she had already started.

But, there was one problem. Lisie didn't have an idea that they were traveling far away, to a place she didn't even know. Zeal knew if she told her, that she would freak out and would create a tantrum. Right from the start, Lisie never liked the idea of moving to a new place. It irked her and made her irritated.

Zeal remembered the first time they had moved. Between then and now, a good number of years had passed.

So, everything was planned in the secret. While Lisie was playing ball at the backyard, Zeal had discreetly packed the suitcases and stashed them away in the trunk of her brown Chevy.

She would lie to Lisie that they were going on a short tour and would be back before school day.

If there was one thing Lisie had a weakness for, it was vanilla ice cream and short tours. She absolutely loved them and would disturb Zeal ever so often, to take her to one. But she never had the time for such frivolities. Yes, Zeal knew Lisie was a kid and once in a while, that was inevitable but it wasn't to be done regularly.

Lisie had no choice but to respect her decision, since she was playing both the role of a mother, and a father.

Thoughts of what lay ahead kept on churning in Zeal's mind as she fell into a peaceful, dreamless sleep.