“Lucy, I…” shouted Garbarla, afraid of the fear that he had seen in her eyes.   Before he could start after her though, he heard a shrill, almost metallic screech from behind him.   Not quite animal-like, not quite mechanical in sound, the screech puzzled him.

‘What the hell!’ he thought, starting to turn.   Then he felt a rush of air and a hot wind scorch his face as whatever had terrified Lucy Gabadabadana zoomed past him at head height.

Smelling a foul, sweaty odour like someone who hadn’t washed in a month, Garbarla looked forward and saw a red “light” rushing toward the running gin.   For one crazy second he thought that it was a car light on a police car or fire truck.   But then he realised there was no vehicle beneath to it.

Garbarla started after the terrified woman at a run.   He had almost caught up, when the red light struck Lucy, landing with a thud on the back of her shoulders.

‘My God it’s some kind of bat!’ thought Garbarla, seeing the wing-like shape.   ‘A vampire bat?’ he thought as Lucy began to scream again.   ‘But vampire bats are tiny.’   Whereas the “bat” on Lucy’s shoulders stretched right across her back.   ‘And only exist in South and Central America.’

Then seeing the red glow of the creature he wondered, ‘What kind of a bat is fluorescent red?   A flying fox might be deep orange, even red, but wouldn’t glow in the dark!’   As this creature did.

“Hold on!” he shouted to the gin who was shrilling in pain and terror.

Reaching her Garbarla grabbed the “bat” and tried to pull it off her back.   Seeing smoke billowing, he didn’t realise at first what was burning.

“Oh, God!” cried Garbarla pulling his hands away.   For a second he stared in shock at his burning hands, nauseated by the burnt meat stench.   Then coming to his senses he cupped his hands to his chest to beat out the flames, still not yet feeling the pain of his badly scorched flesh.