Rise of The "Beast"

For The Better

Casie stared intently at the noise stick she got for her birthday, with her one-hand man Mr. Wuggie accompanying her on her bed. She kept turning the tube side to side, hearing the weird noise that came out of the toy. Tilting her head in curiosity, she soon burst into giggles.

"This is a funny toy..." she mumbled, turning her head to look at her friend. "Right, Mr. Wuggie?" The plush just stayed silent, chilling out on her bed with its permanent smile.

Her dad was gone for the whole day. Where was he? He never missed out on a birthday before...

Casie lowered her ears as a thought popped up in her mind and frowned. "Do you think Mama's telling the truth?" She said.

"I know that I should trust her... but... I'm still thinking about what Papa told me. He said I could do whatever I wanted and follow my dreams... but Mama says that my dream is here at home." The youngling then sighed. "I know she thinks I'm a monster... but do you think I'm dangerous, Mr. Wuggie?" she asked, staring at the plush in silence. Casie looked at the floor after a second. She really hoped that wherever her dad was... he was safe. She soon started to smile as her pupils dilated.

"Ooo! What do you think Papa would come home with??" She then told Mr. Wuggie. "I hope it's tons of presents for me! Ooo! And maybe a pet froggy too! I've been asking ever since I met that toad friend!" She snickered as she looked at her pal. "Oh, you don't know him, Mr.Wuggie... but I wish you did! It would be so much fun to play together!" Casie said, clapping her hands.

Then, she heard some banging outside her room, making her gasped happily. "Papa's home!" She exclaimed.

Casie ran out of her room with a big smile on her face. She was so excited to see what her dad came home with after being gone for so long. But when she saw him, her smile faltered. Her dad looked terrible, with exhaustion etched on his face, and his usually vibrant eyes now dulled by fatigue. His jacket was soaked in an orange liquid, making Casie's heart race with concern. As he dropped to the floor, Casie's initial excitement turned into a rush of worry, and she sprinted to his side. Kneeling beside him, she gently shook his shoulders, desperately trying to rouse him.

"Papa! What happened??" She cried out.

He tried to steady his breathing, looking up at her as his tentacles covered his face. His pupils started to dart around, thinking of something to say. "Fuck... uh..." He trailed. Soon sighing, his body language softened. After pushing himself up, he took off his jacket.

Casie gazed at his severed arm and raised her eyebrows in concern. "How... how did this happen?"

It took a minute to calm his anxiety about the situation and looked around. "I-... I-is your mom here?"

She tilted her head at the question. "Yeah... she's in your room." She told him.

Taking a deep breath, he scooped her up in his solitary arm, swiftly rising and hurrying towards the youngling's room. Depositing her on the bed, Casie furrowed her brow at her father's actions, watching as he attempted to barricade the door with something.

"Pa... pa? Why are you blocking the doo-"

He then approached her, grabbing her shoulder. "I'm going to tell you this once, Casie. So listen closely, okay?" He said, interrupting her.

Confused, she nodded at him. "Yeah, bu-"

"I was infected with some... disease of some short... I don't know what it is." He told her. "It got my arm bad, so I had to do what I thought was right and cut it off. I needed more time..."

"Shouldn't we get Mama to take you to the doctor-" She started.

"NO!" He firmly told her, shaking her a bit. "Doctors cannot cure this... it is FAR beyond what medical staff can do... they cannot know about this."