Trepidation || j. g ||

| c a l m b e f o r e t h e s t o r m |

JAKE ABBEY AWOKE at the early hour of 4 am, his body still holding onto the ounce of sleep he had gotten just hours before. He quietly made his way to the bathroom where he took a shower and brushed his teeth rather longingly, as his eyes were more worried about the figure sound asleep in the bed just a few feet away from him.

He quickly dressed, giving Athena a quick kiss on her forehead before leaving the room and making his way downstairs. He brewed himself a single cup of black coffee with three sugars and sat by himself with the TV on low volume in the kitchen. Jake always watched the news. It's the reason why he gets up so early and it's been easier since Athena has been so tired lately. She would sleep well into eleven am without a problem-Jake wouldn't ever bother her.

His eyes narrowed once a familiar face made its way onto the screen, a suited man with a stern glare. His eyes icy as he stared into the sea of reporters and camera flashes. Detective Reagan. Of course Jake knew. A small smirk crept onto Jake's lips as he lifted the ceramic mug to his mouth-his eyes never leaving the small screen of the T.V. He could clearly remember that rainy morning in Ike when Detective Reagan and Detective Spencer eyed him warily-as if they already knew that he was Ike's new and improved Slasher.

"As you all are aware, we've been chasing a stone cold murderer for two years now and it's been a tiring and frustrating experience for not one of us but all of us. I come bearing good and bad news today. As my mother once used to say, 'there's no good without evil,' so with that, I'll give you the bad news first. My partner and fellow detective, Detective Spencer, went on a scourge to find this murderer who has hid and practically lived normally among us for a few years now. We are taking every precaution as well as leaving no stone unturned when looking for Detective Spencer-and we will not stop until we find him,"

Jake scoffed, a light chuckle reverberating through the otherwise silent room as he continued to drink his steaming mug of joe.

"The good news is groundbreaking. We've found DNA evidence from the string of murders that occurred relatively close in time. We had identified him as a native of our small town in-"

The TV suddenly shut off, a whistle emitting from behind Jake. He turned with ferocity, Dawson standing in the doorway of the kitchen. He rolled his eyes and placed the remote on the countertop.

"Why the fuck are you moving like Miss. Daisy? We got shit to do."

-

Athena gurgled once, the alcohol taste so very pungent on her otherwise sweet tongue as she outwardly shook from the taste. She stared at the bulky bottle of dark liquor, her vision hazy as she raised the bottle to her lips again. She fought against her reason, her mind screaming at her to stop what she was doing-but Athena couldn't. She had to do this. It was the only way...

The intricate glass bottle tipped from her nimble grasp as she downed the last of the liquor, her hands reaching out to balance her body as she began to stand from her sitting position. She zigzagged her way upstairs, holding onto the oak railing for dear life as she had one goal in mind: make it to the bathroom.

Athena pushes the door of the bedroom open, her vision shifting and spinning uncontrollably as she reached for the wall for guidance. She's never drunken liquor a day in her life-until now. Slipping on the bathroom rug at the entrance, Athena's forearms harshly collided with the top of the bathroom sink as she desperately tried to keep herself off of the floor. It took her a few tries, but she managed to lift herself up and lean over the sink. Without looking at her reflection in the mirror, she brashly opened the mirror making it collide against the adjacent wall to wall mirror with a loud bang. Her dull brown eyes set upon the many ember vials. Without another thought, her slender digits reached forward as they crashed into the lot of them, sending the vials tumbling down into the sink below.

A slurred curse left her lips as she shakily reached down, opening a few bottles and trying but ultimately failing to pour some pills in her palm. In frustration, she groaned, tossing the almost half full palm of pills into her mouth. She swallowed the chalky tablets, coughing a bit as she felt in dire need of a bath. She could smell the liquor rising out of her pores-her stomach churning uncomfortably as she let the bathtub fill with warm water. Steam steadily rose from the flowing water, Athena fixated on the sight as she slumped over a few times-her body then jerking upwards just as quickly as she hadn't realized she was falling at all.

She undressed, leaving her clothes thrown astray on the floor as she nearly fell into the porcelain tub. The lights seemed so bright-the smell of liquor and bathroom bleach was overbearing. Her hand reached sideways as she gripped a bottle of body wash, turning it over and letting it pour into the steaming water. She had let it drop on the floor outside of the tub, her hand-eye coordination totally diminished as her eyes began to flick from side to side. She became anxious.

She sunk deeper into the water, her eyes just peeking over the white porcelain of the bathtub as she looked at nothing in particular. She sat up a bit in fear, a noise echoing through the bathroom as Athena anxiously looked around for the source. She was the only one in that isolated house deep in the woods of Minnesota...

"Stop..." She slurred, her eyes downcast as she needed to lay back down. Her head was spinning, an odd sensation running through her body as she suddenly let her head lull towards the open door of the bathroom.

Standing in the doorway looking down at her was Dennis Williams. He wasn't scary and he didn't look angry. He looked just like he did when Athena was much younger. When Dennis loved her so much. When he'd call her princess instead of bitch. He gave a weak smile, tilting his head to the side as he stared at his overdosing daughter in a pool of hot water and soap suds.

"It's gonna be alright, princess." He whispered, her eyes closing as she forced them to open back up-but Dennis Williams was nowhere to be seen.

She felt it, almost like she had drunk poison and it was slowly creeping through her veins. A slow, deadly killer. She looked up at the ceiling, her body slowly slipping further and further down...

"A baby is a blessing, Thee. Why would you kill it? Why?"

Athena gasped as she sat up again, the water making waves against the ceramic tub as it splashed over and onto the white tile. The sweet face of Allie York looked over at Athena's pale face as she sat beside the tub, the closest to Athena. Athena moved mere inches to Allie's face, Allie giving a small smile.

"You would be a wonderful mother."

She shook her head in confusion, her red rimmed eyes squinting before the presence of Allie before she reached out touch the blonde. Upon her absence, Athena retreated her arm back-creating a splash into the water. She laid back, her gaze cast on the shiny shower head above her as she thought about her baby. The baby in her belly...that was in her belly...

Athena began to flutter her eyes closed, fighting back the heavy feeling of them as she suddenly became aware of her situation. She may, actually, die. Tears slipped from the corners of her red-rimmed eyes as she held both sides of the bathtub tightly, the pads of her fingers going stark white from the pressure. She found it hard to speak, but she tried anyway.

"Jake..." she squeezed, her voice nothing above a hoarse whisper as she realized she was all alone.

"I'm sorry, sorry..." she mumbled, her fingers releasing pressure as her eyelids fluttered closed. Her wrists hung out of the tub just slightly as she began to sink...and sink...and sink.