The Blanket Baby

Chapter 23 - Athena

"Go Athena, go to the happy place. Quickly!" Her mother, Jackie, whispered in a harsh, hushed tone just as the front door was opened and slammed shut, the hinges screaming with ill treatment. The heavy, angry staccato of footfalls had a purpose and they were coming quickly down the hall. She didn't want to leave; at four years of age, she was smart enough and knew what would happen if she did - it was a daily occurrence - and she didn't like it one bit. Mum could never catch a break. Athena's feet were planted; maybe she can help her this time...

"Athena, go now and don't say anything!" Jackie gripped her forearm and damn near flung her through an adjoining door which housed Athena's Bedroom - more like a closet - and quickly shut the door locking it in place.

"Where the fuck is my food?"  Her father's gutteral garble rumbled through the tiny apartment shaking everything that wasn't fixed in place. He was already in the bedroom from the second pair of shadowed boots confronting her own mother's bare feet.

"You would've seen it if you'd went to the kitchen." Jackie mumbled. She tried her best to be strong and surefooted in her words but it was lost on him as a ringing slap resonated throughout the room.

"You fucking bitch! I asked you a question; not for your mouthiness!"

"It's in the kitchen!"

Another slap was given tearing a mangled cry out of Jackie before a rain of objects came crashing down from different areas of the room. Athena pressed her face harder to the angle of the door and floor trying her best to look through the provided gap to see where her parents were. Her mother was currently huddled in the corner shaking, the right side of her face quickly turning into a nasty dark bruise as her father continued to tear through the room like an F5 tornado. Tears were beginning to form at the helpless situation that was unfolding in front of Athena; physically too small to do anything, she could only watch.

"You raising your shit voice at me!? Do I look like one of your little friends?!" He was back to beating her again putting all his strength into the slaps and kicks. He shoved her into the dressing table probably fracturing a hip before acquiring a thin strip of cloth.

Athena's eyes widen, she knew what was going to happen next. Grabbing Jackie by her hair, he flung her unto the bed facedown, her response time to pain slower than a snail's. Climbing on top of her, he secured both ends tightly around his fingers then straightened the middle with a dull snap before quickly wrapping it around Jackie's neck. She immediately gagged and clawed at the fabric around her neck, barely seen eyes tearing up at the creases. Her back was bent in a savagely cruel "L" as he sat easily on her legs watching as slowly slip slowly from her fingers. Athena got up and started screaming, banging away from the other side of the door; there's no way she was going to let her mother die and leave her in the hands of a sexist prick whose father should've just left him in a condom in the trash than the poor unfortunate soul of woman, who actually decided to carry him full term. The distraction worked; he immediately let go of the cloth, and Jackie dropped like a sack of potatoes clutching her neck and coughing violently for air. He tripped over to the adjoining door ready to murder the screaming banshee that was Athena but he was having trouble with the lock.

"Shut up! If you don't shut up, you'll be wondering if you have any angels guarding you by the time I'm through with you!" He pulled on the lock again.

Athena had reduced herself and she quickly backed away from the door, falling in the process. Her intentions were good but his redirected attention might probably end her life. She flocked to grab her brown bunny, Scruffy, and pulled him into a choking hug just as the lock finally gave way. His eyes were heavily glazed and saturated with red as he tried to find his equilibrium and the new target for his rage. Athena was frozen and, with her mother certainly unconscious, the odds were against her in making it out of this alive. He finally recognized her and grabbed her by the collar of her shirt hoisting her up to meet his gaze even though he was clearly too drunk to focus on any damn thing. His breath brought more tears to her eyes as the permeation of alcohol burned the nasal cavity of her little nose.