Sweat mopped my brows and dripped down the side of my face as I gasped unbelievably. What the hell, I thought, my eyes growing round in awe and my stomach doing flip-flops.

Squishing noises were heard as I shifted away from the window, my body pressing closer to Lisie's in protection. The first whiplash of the creature's beak against the window was indeed a sight to see. I swallowed as I watched cracks slit through it, each varying in their length and proportion.

I was still. I couldn't move, my whole body was in a trance and my breathing came out ragged. Lisie squirmed in the seat, her hands shot to her ears as she gave out a piercing scream. I moved a bit from her and turned to stare directly into her blue irises, searching for what was causing her to panic and wail.

Oooh nooo!!

Tears were flowing from her eyes and her head was raised to the roof of the car as her pupils started to dilate. I bit my nails in panic, not knowing what to say or do. Lisie kicked her legs and began foaming from the mouth. All of a sudden, I sprang up from my position and brought her closer to my body, patting her hair and muttering a few indistinct words to calm her down.

I could feel her heartbeat pounding outrageously, her demeanor stiff and her fingers blocking her ear drum. She let out a loud screech as more tears cascaded down her face. The only sensible thing I could do was to wipe her mouth with a handkerchief and provide her the warmth my body offered.

After a while, she seemed to quieten and her sobs turned to hiccups as her breathing evened out. Her chest heaved and dropped with each inhale and exhale and I squeezed her tighter, eliciting a small gasp from her.

"Mummy, it's okay," her tiny voice muttered silently.

No, it was not okay. You could have died here and I would have been in misery, the memory forever etched in my mind.

I pulled her back and looked at her tear stained cheeks and red rimmed eyes. My heart clenched at how my baby's blonde hair was ruffled and a moist, sticky liquid dripped from her nose. I used my towel to wipe it off, kissing her cheeks one after the other and pulling her into another body- shaming hug.

I thought it was all over. Not knowing it had just begun. The creature prounced on the car fender, stretching to it's full height and my eyes bulged out of their socket. Lisie was clasped in my grasp, I didn't want to let go. My heart was thumping loudly and I knew it was no longer in it's right place.

The glinting rays of the sun reflected sharply on the webbed digits that were spread out. The head was contorted in such a way that the massive forehead extended in a narrow line to the back. There were no eyes, just a tiny pinch of flab that made up for a nose.

The creature's skin looked scaly and the colour blended with the evergreen forest. It's whole body was carried by a hunch which proved to be the skeleton that supported movement. The two hands formed wings which sprouted from it and had a flat edge.

I had never in my entire existence seen anything like this before. My breath hitched as it hollered loudly and Lisie screamed. I spotted blood trickling from her right ear down her finger tips and my eyes grew moist as tears began pouring out. I was scared, what was I to do? How was I to make the creature stop making Lisie bleed?

My hands were shaking as I frantically searched for something, anything, to block her eardrum. I heard a loud crack of the windshield but I paid the sound no heed. All I wanted was to get the hell out of here. Heaving a momentary sigh of relief, I latched the head phones I found in the glove compartment onto her ears and suddenly, she grew still.

Her head twisted to the side as she watched the creature closely as if attracted to it. It snarled and beat it's wings in the air, the feet moved an inch and connected with the windshield again and a thought occurred in my head. Why was the mere presence affecting my kid so much?

I mulled over that as I scrambled to get Lisie to safety in the back and just then, the glass shattered and pieces flew in every direction. I held Lisie in the comfort of my arms as my breath paused. My heart was hammering out of my constricted chest and my jaw was clenched in exasperation.

There had to be a way! This wasn't how I was going to die was it?

My stomach became queasy and I heard the driver's seat make cringing noises. That was it! It was in . . . I had to do something.

My eyes darted here and there as a low grunt escaped my dry lips. Immediately, the creature's head thrust through, it's head barely missing my leg an inch. It was crouched and even though the darkness was growing on us, I saw it's ears open as wide as the dam, the insides were in circles and steeped. My left hand shot up to cover Lisie's mouth so she wouldn't scream and drag her attention to us.

By some miracle, the headphone had fallen off Lisie's ear and now, she was groaning internally, her palms were clamped on my arm. We remained still as what I title strutted about and finally gave up. It retreated sullenly and I released the breath I didn't realize I had been holding.

We were safe. At least for now but we had to get out of the car or we would be done for.

The hair on my arms bristled and stood on end, I groped for the handle and opened the door. A cold, chilly wind hit me almost instantly and I stumbled out with Lisie by my side. As soon as my feet hit the ground, I hightailed it to the woods, my daughter hitched on my back.

I didn't care where we were headed. All caution had flown to the wind.