I'm about six months pregnant. I can see the baby's legs when she moves in my belly. I'm very nervous about being able to protect her when she's so fragile.
I'm driving and the car goes off the road and onto a thick, long patch of grass. The car lurches and the seat belt slams against me, jostling my body. My stomach contorts, and I worry about the baby's safety.
I continue down the road and then I notice there's an orange glow up ahead. The trees are on fire and burning branches are falling. It never enters my head to turn back. I can't get to where I'm going unless I drive through. If I drive through, though, there's a chance the falling branches will land on me and my car. If I turn back, there's no chance at all of making it anywhere. I step on the gas and plow through, hopeful that I'll make it -- and I do, but the car is destroyed. I have to get out and make the rest of the journey on foot.
I'm in a dark stretch of woods. The only things I can see are scary shadows and lots of smoke. At one point I make out a huge snake in a low-hanging branch. It sees me and it's slowing moving toward me. I have nothing to protect myself with except a basket that I had filled with emergency food. My only option is to throw the basket at the snake, in the hopes it will knock it down far enough away that I can get away from it.
I throw the basket in a sideswipe as hard as I can, successfully hitting the huge snake and throwing it from the tree. I hear it hit the ground with a satisfying thud some far distance off.
The burning woods are behind me, but I lost my car. The huge snake is no longer a threat, but I lost my basket.
I have nothing left with which to defend myself from whatever might come next. I take a deep breath and take my next step anyway, my head held high, continuing on, never stopping.
I have no choice.
