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The Beast watched her through the bars, his eyes were so dark, so different from the blue she was starting to get used to.
Casey clutched her dirty top, her body was trembling so much it was a miracle she was still standing. She was so cold, this place was so humid, she hated everything, but strangely she had started to like it, to her new life without uncle John, without the pain he brought.
The Beast bared his teeth, his hands grasping the bars firmly and he pulled, bending them so easily like it was butter. Soon he would reach her, soon everything would be over. Her life, her pain...
“No...” Realization quickly came in the Beast's eyes. He scanned her body, seeing all her scars that covered her shoulders, her belly, her arms. Casey felt naked, she hated those eyes, she didn't want him to keep looking but her arms wouldn't move to cover her.
“You... you know the pain, you have suffered ... you are pure .” Each word was spoken carefully, his distorted voice sounded amused, filled with joy. Casey blinked, not sure what to say. She kind of understood what he meant, but she still couldn't believe it.
The Beast finished to bend the bars, if he wanted he could entry and devour her alive like he had done with the other girls, but he surprised her again when he lifted his hand, encouraging her to grab it.
Casey hesitated, she wasn't sure about it, that was the hand that took away the lives of the girls just some hour before, she should just slap it hard and run away as fast as she could, but... she could see into his eyes. He understood her, understood her pain and she had seen his power, what he was capable of. He could keep her safe.
Casey looked down at his hand. She was still afraid, but not of him. The world and the “impures” were much more terrifying. The Beast was right, there was no place for them if they didn't fight with teeth and nails, no one would want them.
Slowly, she lifted her hand and touched his. His skin was so warm and after their contact, a shiver ran in his body. The Beast closed his eyes, enjoying her heat before his fingers locked around hers, a satisfied growl leaving his lips. Casey shivered in fear, but she clenched her teeth and allowed the Beast to tug her forward until she was out the bars.
She looked up at him uncertain, his hands and chest were still covered in blood., but she wasn't afraid. Not anymore, not now that she had understood him and he her.
“What should we do now?” She asked, watching him carefully. The Beast took a deep breath, his eyes met hers and he squeezed her hand like he was trying to comfort her.
“We must go hiding for now, we have all the time in the world to find the impures.” The Beast snapped his teeth then he saw her trembling. He tilted his head to a side, his nostrils flaring, he looked just like a confused animal now, like he couldn't understand her reaction to him.
“Are you cold?”
Casey bit her lower lip and shook her head. Honestly she didn't know what she felt herself. What was she doing? Following her kidnapper... what a joke, it seemed unreal, but what other choice she had? She didn't want to go home and now she was sure Kevin, the Beast, Dennis and all the other personalities would never dare to hurt her. They were just like her, broken, scared and desperately in need of affection.
“My Horde won't touch you...” The Beast said, kicking the gun at his feet away like he had been able to hear her thoughts. Casey couldn't believe her eyes before and she couldn't now, the bullets that pierced him were already healing, like they had done nothing to him... he wasn't human, but strangely that nearly comforted her. She wasn't becoming crazy, she was just... evolving her way of thinking.
“That's nice to hear.” She muttered and the Beast looked at her for a moment with the corner of his eye. He always watched her, not because he was afraid she would hurt him, but he was curious. He may have been half beast, but he was human too.
“We... we should clean up...” Casey finally said, maybe uncomfortable for the long silence. The Beast looked down at himself and nodded, he started walking like he knew that place like the palm of his hand, but probably the other personalities were helping him, whispering where to go.
After a few meters, when they started to return to the underground apartment she was forced to stay in in the last few days, Casey finally spoke, mostly because she was trying not to look at the blood that was covering the floor and walls.
“Will you... stay in charge... forever?” She asked slowly, not wanting to upset him. He had said he wouldn't hurt her, but she wanted to be careful anyway.
The Beast growled like the thought hurt him. His muscles tensed and he stopped, closing his eyes as he stretched his neck up. He gritted his teeth, then relaxed all at once. “No... I won't... but the wounds need to close, the Horde isn't as strong as me, they wouldn't survive them...”
Casey bit her lower lip and nodded. She was the one to shoot after all, she couldn't say anything more.
The bathroom was small, but very clean – Dennis probably spent all his free time cleaning it – and the two of them barely fit, but Casey didn't mind it, he didn't touch her like uncle John, she knew it.
The sound of water running snapped Casey out her thoughts. She looked at the sink where the Beast was using the cold water to rub off the blood on his shoulders, stomach, chest and mouth. He was doing a poor job with his hands and Casey took pity on him, deciding to help him out.
She grabbed a towel a passed it under the water then, slowly, she started to tampon the places where the Beast was covered in blood. He looked at her surprised, maybe also distrusting, but the fact he hadn't flinched away meant a lot.
Casey worked quick, she didn't want to drag this out and by the time she was finished with him, the towel had changed colour from white to red. Dennis will probably scowl at her later, but Casey didn't want to think about this now as she threw the towel on the floor and took out another one to clean herself, since dirt and blood were still covering her from the previous fight.
She rubbed her skin like she wanted to rip it off, just like she did when uncle John touched her. She gritted her teeth, feeling the cloth burning on her skin, but she didn't care, she had too many scars on her body anyway, one more wouldn't make a great difference.
The Beast's fingers wrapped around her wrist firmly, not enough to hurt but to make her stop. He growled behind her and started to move the damp towel slowly, with a gentleness she couldn't believe he was capable of.
“Don't... hurt yourself... you have... already suffered...”
Casey thought she was mad, but she found his words nearly... sweet. Oh, she was losing her mind, she knew it.
She lifted her head and met his black eyes in the mirror. They weren't moving, they just looked at each other. His fingers squeezed her wrist again, making her lose her grip on the towel.
In that moment, Casey knew it.
The Horde would keep her safe and she wouldn't need to be hurt anymore if she took care of them.
The thought made her smile.