The Blanket Baby

Chapter 10

"Those are a lot of bags; do you need  lift? Reparation for almost running you over."

There it is. The intuition that something is seriously off with this guy. Don't get Athena wrong, there's nothing bad about what he said; it's how he came off saying it: pushy, demanding, desperate. It's almost like he gave the words embodiment and a smell, and it not pleasant in the slightest. She glanced at him again, taking in the concerned look oh his face but all she could see is a predator over excited that it's prey is a nanosecond away from taking its bait. Normally, Athena is not scared of anyone - the slums fixes that really early - but all she could think about is throwing up.

Think Athena, think! Increasingly drawing a blank, she was at her wit's end until a yellow cab pulled up to the curb, and the driver came out. "Are you the one who hired a cab?" Truthfully, she didn't. She was actually going to catch a bus but she understands the deed of saving someone's ass when she sees it and she can tell that this cabbie was doing just that. Oh, there is a God. "Oh you made it. I felt as if I gave the operator horrible directions."

"You're lucky I know this place lady or you would have been here." He started taking her bags into the truck of the car.

Athena turned back to the guy she now named Lurch in her head, "Thank you for the offer but my ride is here." It was for a second but she swore she saw an unnerving glimpse of infuriation before it was replaced with a complacent smirk.

"Well, I still owe you and I believe I will make it up one day."

"Don't worry yourself. At least I'm not dead." And she quickly got into the cab. Breathing a sigh of relief, she rubbed the palms of her hands into her eye sockets before addressing the cab driver. "Thank you for saving me."

"I have six sisters; I don't like to see women being harassed. Ex-boyfriends are extra pains in the ass."

"If I knew him, God and Satan would have a peace treaty already. Could you do something for me? Drive around a bit; I'll pay extra."

"Sure no problem."

Athena rolled her neck before sliding lower into her seat. Why do I feel like that that won't be the last of him?

*****

The steady beeping and whrr of a machine pierced through the dark blissful stupor of Tilly's mind and irritated the shit out of her. Other than her daughter, no one disturbs her so whoever who put this Hickory Dickory ticking spawn of Satan next to her will learn what it's like to be a caught fish: gutted and flensed. She forced her uncovered eye open and was happy that there weren't any sudden rays of light to burn her retina out but attempting to move probably killed the rest of her brain cells because it hurt like a bitch to even try.

I'm still alive? Hoo-fucking-ray...

The soft click of a lock had her hurting the tendons in her bruised socket all because her nosiness decided to say 'hi'. The soft shuffling suggested that it was Chelsea skulking around the room. "It's just... you."

"I know you're happy about that."

"Like the... Bee's knees." Tilly paused before swallowing harshly, "water."

A straw was already poised at her lips just waiting for her acceptance. Sticking her lips out like a starved baby aimlessly trying to latch on to a nipple, she took the straw and sucked in the liquid sent from the heavens to soothe her irritated larynx. Satisfied with the amount consumed, she sunk completely in to the bed reveling in its comfort. Despite the pain, it's been a long time since she's been comfortable. A quick scrape of a chair against the floor bards by her ear told her Chelsea was sitting bedside. "He was livid, you know."