The policemen had yet to find their hiding spot, but Casey could hear the steady drone of a helicopter in the distance and knew they would be discovered sooner rather than later. While Kevin was unconscious she tried to patch his leg up, and fortunately Patricia had chosen a van that had a medical kit inside. Casey was no doctor, but at least she could finally stop the bleeding.

Suddenly Kevin started to breathe heavily, and Casey jumped up and moved to the other end of the van, unsure of who was about to emerge. No sooner had she reached the last row when she heard a pained groan, and turned just in time to see black eyes staring back at her. She recoiled instinctively, and then tried to force herself to calm down. The Beast saw her as the one of the broken, and she knew in a way she knew nothing else that he would not hurt her.

She went over to see if he needed help, and was caught off guard by the blue flecks that now dotted his irises. "Kevin?" she whispered, unsure of whom she was looking at.

The Beast moaned and shook his head, bringing up a hand to massage his temple. "No. No, it's me."

The New York accent was unmistakable, and she was floored. "Dennis?" Without thinking, she threw her arms around his waist, and then cringed when she remembered how injured he was. Dennis, or the Beast, or whoever it was, didn't make a sound though. When she looked up, she just saw a pair of blueish black eyes lightly staring back at her.

"Casey, you shouldn't be here," Dennis scolded, but only meant it halfheartedly. He still couldn't believe that she had risked her life for them.

She ignored the reprimand, still utterly fascinated by his eyes. "I don't understand, is that you Dennis? Why do you look like-"

He cut her off. "The Beast is beaten. I'll explain later, we need to get out of here."

Remembering their current predicament, Casey quickly settled down. "Can you even walk with that fracture?" she asked tentatively.

Dennis smiled grimly at her. "What fracture?"

Casey looked back down at his calf, and then quickly removed the bandages she had applied earlier. The only sign there had ever been any trauma at all was the dried blood sticking to his skin. She had to keep herself from asking ten million questions all at once, and instead just breathed a sigh of relief. That was going to make escaping so much easier.

He glanced out of the rear window, rolling his shoulders back nervously. "I know it's a stupid thing to ask for, but I need you to trust me." He was looking at her out of the corner of his eyes, unmoving, like he was trying not to startle a small animal. "Would you be comfortable getting on my back? We need to move fast and it will be quickest if I can scale the gate on the west end over there. The woods should provide enough cover for us to disappear."

Casey swallowed nervously. She wasn't afraid of Dennis, but the thought of clinging to someone else, so high up off the ground, was enough to make her a bit weak in the knees. "What if I fall?"

Dennis turned from the window to give her his full attention, and reached out to gently grasp her forearm. "I won't let you. I swear it."

So much promise in such few words, but it was clear he meant them. Casey relented. "Then yes, I don't mind." She moved to slide open the door, but Dennis stopped her. "Not yet. We have to create a distraction first."

Casey raised her eyebrows at him. "What kind of a distraction?"

"I'm not so good with strategy," Dennis admitted. "Fortunately, there's someone here who is."

Realizing he was talking about another identity, Casey clung to him. "Are you leaving?"

Her touch gave Dennis pause; he wasn't sure how to interpret it. "Just for now. I'll be back when Orwell gives me the 'all clear'. He may be smart, but me? If anyone is scaling walls and dodging bullets, it's going to be me."

"But you don't even have your glasses on you, do you?" Casey didn't want to offend the man, but if she were going to be trusting him with her life, she'd rather not be running in to walls.

The thought actually made her choke back a stressed laugh, and Dennis's face turned quizzical. "I'm nearsighted. That won't be an issue though. Like I said, I'll explain later. Let's get to safety, alright?"

Seeing the wisdom in that, Casey released his arm and stood back.

A few seconds passed, and then: "Hello my dear."

Casey couldn't help but smile when she heard Orwell's voice. It always reminded her of her favorite sociology teacher in high school, a kindly older man who always seemed to see Casey's humanity over her quiet rebellion. "Hello Orwell. It's nice to see you again."

Orwell beamed at her. "Likewise. I do regret it's under these circumstances, but perhaps later we can get better acquainted when there are less pressing matters to address?"

Casey smiled shyly. "I'd like that."

Orwell patted her arm, and then as if suddenly realizing his surroundings, looked at his veiny, muscular form in distaste. "Oh! Dear me, what has the Beast done to our body?"

His surprise came as unexpected to Casey. How did he not know what the Beast looked like? "Orwell, when was the last time you held the light?"

Before he could respond, the barking of orders was heard over the din of the helicopter; apparently they were now actively being searched for. Whatever distraction David Dunn had afforded them was now over.

"Oh my god, if they find us we're going to die," Casey pressed herself against the middle row of seats, futilely trying to camouflage herself.

Orwell, on the other hand, didn't seem fazed. "Oh well, you know what they say. 'When in Rome, do as the Romans do'."

Casey had no idea what that was supposed to mean in their current scenario, and before she could protest he jumped out of the van and spared her a glance before running headlong into the men. "Run Casey, I won't be far behind!"

Leaping out of the vehicle, Casey headed towards the fence Dennis had mentioned, completely ignored by the police. Turning back to look one last time, she saw the Beast, or rather Orwell, pushing a power line over onto the blacktop where the water tank had spilled. As the line fell, live wires ripped open exposing their nerves, creating a field of deadly electricity for whoever tried to cross the expanse. It wasn't enough to completely stop the advancement, but it would buy them a little time.

Not satisfied, Orwell jumped on top of another nearby van, trying to catch the eye of any gunman that wasn't trying to find a way around the electrified water. Heightened senses alerted him to a sniper that now had his gun trained on him, and in the blink of an eye he jumped down behind the hood of the vehicle. Bullets peppered the area and the engine caught on fire, making it convenient for Orwell to push it towards a group of police that were now flanking his left side. With the hospital to his right, power lines in front and burning car to the left, all that was left to do was make a run for it.

Orwell signaled to Dennis, and the other alter quickly grabbed hold of the light, a part of him noticing that he had never swapped places with any of the alters so effortlessly before. Working together would have felt a lot nicer if their lives weren't currently at stake.

The cops on foot were preoccupied now, but the helicopter was rotating back around again, and Dennis decided the time was now or never. Breaking into a run he followed Casey's footsteps until he reached the gate and saw her pacing back and forth nervously, waiting for him. "Casey!" he yelled out, alerting her to the fact that he was fast approaching, and the look of relief on her face when she saw him made his heart contract in ways he wasn't used to.

Stopping where she stood, he bent down to let her more easily climb onto his back, arms and legs wrapping around his torso like she belonged there. Dennis could hear the men with the guns screaming to one another, pointing out his location, and he tensed his body up to make a run for the gate before backup arrived.

"Hold on," he cautioned, and without further warning Casey could feel his thigh muscles coil underneath him as he took a running leap forward and latched on to the wiring. She closed her eyes tightly, not wanting to see the distance between themselves and the ground, but fortunately Dennis made short work of the gate and before she knew it, they were at the top.

"I'm going to jump down," he warned, and Casey shook her head against him. "That's going to shatter every bone in your body!"

Dennis grunted. "Trust me Casey; it's going to be alright."

She didn't have much of a choice, and with a combination of breathless horror and wonder, they dived down and she watched the ground rush up to meet them, Dennis bringing his hands out to stabilize the fall like a giant cat. The force of impact made the surrounding area shake, and when he stood up on two legs again, she could see the crater his body had left behind.

"Oh my god," she whispered, but barely had enough time to register what had just happened before he was off again, running through the woods at top speed.

Despite their fast pace, minutes seemed to tick by agonizingly slow to Casey, on alert for any sign that they were still being hunted. Eventually the sounds of guns and the helicopter faded into the distance, and she allowed herself a small glimmer of hope that they had actually come out of all that unscathed.

Suddenly she became aware that Dennis's gait was off kilter and he was beginning to stumble. Panting, he nearly collapsed to the ground, and she quickly jumped off of his back to relieve him of the extra weight.

Cocking her head, she listened again for the sounds of perusal, but heard nothing aside from Dennis's labored breathing. Reaching out to touch him, to make sure he was ok, she gently took his face into her hands. "Are you doing alright?" she asked, concern etching her entire body.

"Yeah, just…" he pulled himself away so he could rest against the trunk of a nearby tree. "I just need a few seconds. The Beast is strong, but god we are going to feel this tomorrow." He choked out a weak laugh and then closed his eyes, the only sign he hadn't passed out being the erratic rise and fall of his chest.

Casey didn't want to stress him further, but they were exposed in the woods and couldn't have been more than a few miles from Raven Hill. They couldn't stop. "Are you able to keep going? You don't have to carry me anymore; I just think we should keep moving."

Dennis groaned, but nodded his head.

"Any idea where we are headed?"

The question made Dennis frown. "We aren't going anywhere. We are moving clear of that damn hospital, and then you are going home and the others and I are going to be laying low for a bit."

For the first time since he had met her, Casey stared him down furiously. "So what, you're done with me, and I'm being dismissed? Is that it?"

"What?" Of course she was going to make this difficult, he should have known. Couldn't she see that she wasn't safe with him? "Don't be ridiculous. You've been through enough on account of us; you need to worry about your own hide."

"You motherfucker!" Casey's outburst made him jump despite his exhaustion, and he raised his eyebrows in surprise, but she was beside herself with anger. He didn't get to just inject himself into her life and then decide to be the arbitrator of what was and wasn't good for her well being. She was a person, not a doll he could pick up and put down as he saw fit.

"Excuse me?" His voice was clipped and cold, and he crossed his arms, daring her to stare him down.

For a second Casey had to fight off shivers, flashing back to those days spent prisoner under the zoo. But the Beast had freed her, turned her world upside down. With a few simple words (You are different from the rest. Rejoice!) her thoughts had changed, and thus changed her reality. She wasn't going to stand down to Dennis, not anymore. "I don't know if you recall, but you kidnapped me, so you don't get to talk about putting me in danger. As I remember it, you were willing to sacrifice me, and not only me, but who knows how many others? You don't get to fucking talk about my safety!"

Her words were burning in his head, and Dennis tried his best not to start hyperventilating. Everything she said was true, and it was like little knives in his heart. He uncrossed his arms and looked away, refusing to meet her gaze. "I've been a coward and a fool, I know. Please don't make me put you any more at risk than I already have," was all he weakly offered in response. Then he turned and started walking forward again, hoping against hope she wouldn't see the sorrow on his face.

A near half hour of silence had passed between the two, the only sounds the occasional call of a bird and further off, the hum of multiple vehicles. They must be getting close to a highway, Casey mused.

Dennis, let me talk to her! Barry broke through the self loathing cloud Dennis was currently under. Oh good, now he got to hear from the peanut gallery.

"Mind your business, I've got this!" Dennis snapped, and winced when he realized he looked like he was talking to himself. Casey looked over at him, curious. "Um, Barry was just saying something," he explained lamely, embarrassed.

Slowing her pace, Casey suddenly forgot her anger. "So you can just talk to the other alters whenever you want? They don't just disappear when you have the light?"

Surprised by her interest, Dennis shrugged. "I mean, kind of. It's like we're all sitting in a room, in chairs, right? And when you have the light, you're in control of Kevin, you're looking through his eyes, but you're still semi aware that you're in that room." He rubbed the back of his head. "You with me? Does that make any sense?"

Casey nodded. "It does." A thought occurred to her. "So is there any chance I can see Barry?"

Snorting, Dennis folded his arms across his chest. "Why? Because you know he's not going to try to send you back home?"

Ugh, just let me out ya tyrant, I want to see her too! Besides, I thought we were partners now.

Dennis rolled his eyes and threw up his hands in defeat. "Fine! Okay? But don't try and make me the bad guy, Barry. She has got to go; she's not safe here with us." In a moment, Dennis was gone from the light, and it seemed whatever part of the Beast he controlled went with him.

Before Casey's very own eyes Kevin's body seemed to light up from within, hold itself with a joy and playfulness that she wasn't used to seeing imposed on his powerful form. The black eyes faded to light blue, and when they glanced her way they sparkled with pleasure.

"How you doing sweetheart?" Barry purred, hugging her. Casey eagerly returned the embrace. While she had spent so very little time with him previously, he was one of the alters that haunted her most. To be forced to do horrible things with no recourse, and with such a good heart. It made her shudder.

He began fussing over her immediately, noting a bruise on her face that she hadn't even remember getting. "Doll, you look exhausted. Why did ya put yourself between the Beast and all of those guns? You could have gotten killed!"

Casey pulled him into a hug again, unwilling to let him go. "I was afraid for you."

He grunted in disapproval."That's a lot of skin to put on the line for someone that kidnapped you." His voice was light, but she knew he held tremendous guilt over her abduction.

Looking up at him under her lashes, she shook her head vehemently. "You never kidnapped me. I know you did everything you could to stop the Horde; I don't blame you or Kevin in the least. That's why I came to see you. At Raven Hill, I mean. I didn't want you to feel all alone."

The admission left Barry overwhelmed. Her concern was obviously genuine, but it still made no logical sense. "I don't get it. What happened between when we first met and now that you're treating us like a friend?"

Everyone kept asking her that, but how to explain the events that transpired after meeting the Beast? How to convey the look in his eyes when he saw her scars? The admiration, the warmth that rolled off like waves on this monstrous killer?

Shifting weight nervously from foot to foot, Casey decided it was a story for another time. "I guess it sounds weird on the surface, but I do have my reasons. Can I explain later? I don't really feel comfortable being out in the open."

Oh yeah. They were fugitives now. Still, Barry let himself remain warmed by Casey's words. "You're too sweet for this world, Casey Cooke." Reaching for her hand, he led them deeper into the woods.

Twilight was falling and hunger was setting in, but Barry's relentless optimism kept Casey from flagging. How he could make walking miles in a forest endlessly entertaining was a mystery, but apparently that was Barry for you.

Eventually though, Casey had to break his stream of consciousness to figure out where the hell they were heading. "Barry?"

"What is it, sweetheart?"

"Where are we going?"

Barry stopped walking abruptly, like it had just occurred to him that they were supposed to be finding shelter and not having a leisurely outing in the forest. He rubbed his neck. "Well I'm not gonna lie, this is embarrassing. I didn't really have any place in particular in mind; I was just kinda winging it, yeah?"

Yeah, that sounded about right. Mulling over an option she really didn't want to use, Casey decided they had no choice. "I think…I think I know someplace we could go."

Her downward gaze made it obvious she wasn't thrilled with her idea, and Barry stopped forging ahead so he could look at her closely, concern evident in his eyes. "Wherever this is, you don't look like you wanna be there."

"No, it's nothing like that. I think all the running around today is just catching up to me now."

Barry's eyes softened in understanding. "I feel ya, babygirl. I could do with sleeping a decade or too myself. What was your suggestion then?"

Twisting her hands, which did not go unnoticed by her companion, she began to explain how an old family friend of her father had a few cabin properties scattered around the East Coast, one being relatively nearby in the Poconos. "I know his family is only out there a few weeks during the spring. Unless they've turned it into an Air BNB I think it remains empty most of the year,"she added.

"Poconos, eh?" Barry cracked his neck, thinking it over. "That's still a bit of a hike from here."

"It is. I'm not sure we have many options, though."

"And it's a good one love, but we're not gonna make it there before night falls."

Sighing, Casey shrugged and collapsed to the ground. "That's alright. I spent plenty of nights sleeping outside as a kid."

"Oh yeah? Did ya go camping a lot with your family?"

The memories welled up in Casey unbidden, and she shot Barry a sad smile. "I went hunting with my father and uncle often, yes."

"Oh" Barry mouthed softly to himself, realizing the turn the conversation had taken. He was there for Casey's admittance to Kevin that her uncle hurt her, but he didn't know the specifics, and didn't know if he could handle them anyway. Barry was created to lead and comfort, but he discovered long ago there were just some things you couldn't make better.

"Well," he offered, hoping to change the subject, "We should be far enough from the highway that we won't be easily noticed. Did ya want to try to get some sleep? I realize we don't exactly have the accouterments of the Renaissance here, but ehh..we can make it work."

Noticing for the first time that the only thing Barry wore was his raggedy pants from the hospital, Casey grimaced and indicated his lack of clothing. "I'm not sure that's comfortable camping attire. Not much of a barrier between yourself and all the bugs out here."

Stretching his traps and shoulders to show off his physique, Barry winked at her. "You kidding? I should strip and sleep the way God intended, au naturel!"

The sides of Casey's face felt like they were going to burst into flames and Barry smirked at her horror. "What's wrong? You look like you seen Patricia in a bathing suit. Don't get me wrong, these pants are hideous and the sooner I'm out of them the better, but I wouldn't put ya through that," he grinned.

Casey stammered. "No! I mean, no, it wouldn't be a terrible thing. You have a nice body, I just…not that I've seen everything! I wouldn't mind, but it's not really appropriate…Oh god." She put her face in her hands, mortified, but Barry couldn't stop laughing.

"You really need to relax babygirl, you're making it too fun to mess with ya."

Casey forced her hands to her sides, cheeks still burning, and with a final chuckle Barry sat down at a particularly grassy copse and held his arms out to her. "We can worry about tomorrow after we get some sleep; I'm having trouble keeping my eyes open."

Tentatively Casey sat down and allowed him to embrace her, leaning into his body heat. "You alright sleeping like this?" he asked, chin resting on her head. Casey nodded into his chest, silent. She didn't want to admit that she was nervous at the possibility of waking up next to another alter she didn't recognize, or, god forbid, Patricia.

Reading her mind, Barry squeezed her tighter. "Don't worry about the others. I can't promise Dennis or Hedwig won't show up at some point, but you're ok with that, right?"

Thinking of Hedwig brought a smile to her face, but the idea of waking up next to Dennis made her stomach knot up in a way that was overwhelmingly foreign. She decided not to dwell on it. "Of course, I love seeing Hedwig. And Dennis…Dennis would be fine too. So long as he doesn't try to send me away again."

"I'd never let him, don't you worry your pretty head, baby doll." Barry yawned, lifting his arms to stretch before wrapping them around Casey again. "Try and get some sleep now. I think we've earned it."

Before she could sleep, there was one more person Casey wanted to speak to. "Do you think there's any chance Kevin will come to the light?"

Shifting so he could better see her, Barry paused thoughtfully. "I don't know, I can definitely try. If there's anyone he'd make an attempt for, it would be you."

Smiling, but trying to not look too self-satisfied, Casey grabbed Barry's hand. "Please. I want to see how he is."

For a moment or two, all Barry could do was stare in awe at this young woman whose care and affection they most definitely did not deserve. Then he squeezed her hand in turn. "Give me a few minutes to look for him." Getting Kevin to the light was usually an exercise in futility, but Casey seemed to make it much easier.

Looking inwards, Barry walked the recesses of their consciousness, looking for his progenitor. He found him sleeping, although much closer to the light then usual. It was almost enough to give him some real hope. "Kevin, Casey is here. She's asking for ya," he whispered, gently rubbing his sire's back.

Much to his delight, Kevin stirred immediately, but came to looking distraught. "Casey? Why does she keep coming back?"

"Why don't you ask her yourself?" Barry offered, trying to tempt the other man into action.

He went to help Kevin get to his feet, but he remained in place, shaking his head. "I don't think I can make it. I've been in the light twice recently, it's all too much." He seemed so small and helpless, it broke Barry's heart.

Suddenly, Barry felt another presence and realized the two of them weren't alone. He glanced upwards to see Dennis towering over them, and breathed a sigh of relief; he didn't think he'd be able to coax Kevin up on his own.

"You can make it, I'm here now," Dennis's voice cut through the astral quagmire they resided in, and then came alongside the pair and wrapped an arm around Kevin's back, waiting for Barry to grab his other side. Together, they were able to fight through the darkness and sit Kevin down in front of the light, much to the shock of the other alters. Ian moved to say hello, but Dennis shook his head sternly. "He's come to speak with Casey. Let them be."

Outside of Kevin, Casey waited nervously, and when she felt her companion stir, she backed up to give him a bit of breathing room.

"Casey? Where-" Kevin looked around, shocked at their woodland surroundings. "Where are we? Where's that doctor?"

"We're not at Raven Hill anymore. You're free, Kevin."

Kevin stopped looking about, whipping his head around to stare at her aghast. "What do you mean? Oh god, what if I hurt someone again? Casey, we have to get back to the hospital, I-"

Squeezing his hands, Casey shushed him gently. "You're free of the Beast too, Dennis took him out! He's not going to hurt anyone ever again."

This information seemed to leave Kevin astonished. "What? How?"

Casey realized she didn't actually know all that much about what went down, she had only seen the aftermath. "You'll have to ask Dennis, I suppose. I just wanted you to know…it's going to be ok, Kevin."

A sigh of relief left him, and Kevin sagged back down on the tree trunk they were resting against. "I don't believe for a second things are going to stay this way, but I appreciate you letting me know."

While not a natural pessimist, Casey wasn't sure how to convince him otherwise. She groped around inside her head for the right thing to say, but instead he surprised her by turning to grace her with a lopsided smile. "You really my friend?"

Beaming, Casey nodded at him. "I've never met anyone else that understands…you know. What it's like. To have had a childhood like ours, I mean."

Kevin's smile turned into a frown, but only briefly. "I wouldn't wish that on anyone. But I'm glad I know you, Casey."

Suddenly, his eyes widened, and Casey recognized the telltale signs of him losing the light. She clutched his hand to try to keep him present, but it was no use. Soon it was Barry staring back at her, and he regarded her with a mixture of warmth and sadness. "Sorry babygirl, Dennis and I kept Kevin here for as long as we could."

"Thank you. I know that's not easy for any of you."

Barry hummed thoughtfully. "I know Kevin doesn't feel this way, but the longer he sits in the light, the stronger he gets." He pulled Casey tightly against himself, sighing. "You being here means the world, it makes a big difference. For all of us."

Casey scoffed. "Not to Dennis or the Horde, I'm sure."

"Doll, you let me take care of Dennis, and never mind the Horde. Now can we please get some shut eye? If I don't get some rest soon, I'm gonna get loopy."

"I don't know, loopy Barry sounds like a lot of fun."

Barry chuckled. "You telling me I'm no fun now?" Casey yelped as he squeezed her ribs, but mercifully he settled down quickly, sleep weighing heavily on him. "Seriously, I'm beat. I'm tapping out, alright?"

Casey nodded, relaxing into her friend. Despite the bumpy ground and tree bark digging into her back, she found her body's need for sleep outweighed its need for comfort, and soon the two were fast asleep.