The Altercations With Distance

Playing Animal

Casey sat in an annoyingly bright hospital room surrounded by an annoyingly cheery team of nurses. She had been in this annoying room for a week now with no chance to escape. She was right next to the nurse's station and she had police officers outside her room at all times. Casey had debated on jumping out if one of the very big windows, but she was on the fifth floor and would land on concrete if she tried. So she spent her week giving sass to the detectives and making nurses cry.

For the most part, Casey watched the news to see the recent updates on the "worst crimes Baltimore has ever seen." She smiled every time another murder was committed by what the public was calling, "The Fear Monger." Casey hated the name and she sensed the Beast did too. All she wanted to do was call him from her room, but always had to think of the consequences if she did. She needed to keep the Beast and the personalities safe. She kept the hope that she would be out soon. They had nothing on her.

A little blonde nurse came into Casey's room humming. She was a young, short little thing that made Casey feel homicidal every time she saw her. 

"Hello, Casey! How are we feeling today?" Casey sat up in her bed and put on her bitch face. 

"Why are you so happy all the time?" The nurse placed a food tray on her bed and shrugged. 

"Why wouldn't I? And why aren't you?! You were saved, you should be thrilled." Casey rolled her eyes. 

"Who said I was in danger? Who said I was kidnapped? Because it certainly wasn't me." Casey put the food tray on a small desk beside her bed and crossed her arms, waiting for an answer.

"Well, where else would you be?" The nurse asked, slowly losing her cheery mood. 

"Maybe I was hiding." Casey responded. 

"Hiding from what?" The nurse asked, moving to the end of the bed. 

"Maybe I was hiding from people like you." Casey said, laying a trap the poor nurse fell in to. 

"People like me?" Casey smirked and leaned forward.

 "You know, the people who want to save someone, but end of failing. I'm sure you're familiar with that feeling." The nurse flinched. "You do know. Let me guess, a patient died under your care?"

The nurse broke Casey's gaze and looked down at the ground, as if remembering a time. "Maybe I didn't want to end up like your patient did. Maybe I wanted a chance to live. Maybe I was hiding to protect myself from the false protectors like yourself." The nurse flinched again and started to cry. 

"But now that I'm under your care, I can kiss my survival goodbye. I'll probably die before I get a chance to leave." The nurse ran out of the room crying and she almost ran into Clark and Richards. Or as Casey liked to call them: Idiot 1 and Idiot 2. The men walked into the room and slid the door shut. 

"What did you do?" Clark snapped at her. Casey just shrugged.

 "I made sure I wouldn't have to see her again." Richards looked out the window, debating to go after the now bawling nurse.

Casey took a minute to observe the two men. Clark was in his late forties with brown hair and had streaks of grey in it and dark brown eyes. He was in shape, but not overly built, he stood about 5'7, and always wore a look of exhaustion on his face. Richards was a younger man, around late thirties, with brown hair, brown eyes, and a short beard. He was about three inches taller than his partner and had a more serious expression. They both wore suits and their badges hung from their neck by a chain. They were not in the mood to mess around today.