Chapter 1: A Light Now Taken

Casey sits silently in the College library, reading a book she never thought she'd ever read again, The Beauty and The Beast, however, she's found herself reading the Brothers Grimm version of the story. Fitting really, as three weeks ago she was abducted and almost eaten by the Horde that occupies Kevin Wendell Crumb's body, by the veritable personification of a Beast; The Beast as they called him. The encounter was and continues to be simply unforgettable, and not in a genuine way, no, every time Casey tries to sleep she finds herself reminiscing about the way The Beast twisted those iron bars, devoured her friends, and took a chunk out of her leg. However, she cannot forget that she fought back against The Beast, that she wasn't just going to give up and allow herself to die, to let herself be consumed by a monster. She'd shot him, twice, in the thorax and abdomen, giving him her all, prepared to resume shooting until he finally went down. It was only when he realised that she was 'pure' i.e. abused and raped every week by her Uncle, that he decided to let her go. Even with her Uncle locked up for a very, very long time, she can't seem to be rid of the other Beast in her life, wherever he may be. Sometimes she wonders where Kevin is, whether or not it's Dennis, Patricia or little Hedwig in the light; some things are better left forgotten, but if only Casey could.

"Casey, honey, it's close time," Miss Sorola, the College Librarian softly speaks to her, her wonderful smile still glued to her face, even after a long day. "Did you get lost in your reading again?"
"Oh shit, I did it again?!" Casey sighs, staring at one of the library windows, seeing that the light in the sky is dying out. "The next bus isn't for an hour at least, I'm better off just walking home, I'd make it in the equal time." Why Casey was speaking her own thoughts out loud for the librarian to hear was unknown, especially to Miss Sorola, who just awaits Casey to leave the library so she can lock it up. "I'm doing it again, goodnight, Miss Sorola."
"Goodnight, my dear," Miss Sorola pauses, calling out to Casey immediately. "Casey! Do you need a ride home?!"
"No thank you, Miss Sorola, I'll be able to handle myself."
It took Casey a few minutes to find an exit that wasn't locked, and after finding herself from the premises of the College, she began her long walk home, placing eyephones in each of her ears, but setting the volume low enough that she can hear if someone is coming up behind her. After everything that has happened to her, it's become a habit to ensure that she's as safe as possible, primarily when she's walking alone at night. That's where her secret weapon comes into play, a weapon she's not scared of using, no matter the situation. It was only a matter of time before she started catching someone's attention, and unfortunately for Casey, it's not someone she knows, instead, a small group of concealed figures who walk on the other side of the road, following her or coincidentally walking the very route, at a corresponding pace, dressed in concealing clothing. Philadelphia is a dangerous city after all, but if Casey acts smart, she can spare herself a confrontation, it's the last thing she needs on her plate. That's when she begins passing her first option; a 7-Eleven.

"Alright, all casual now, Casey," she mutters to herself before stopping in front of the 7-Eleven, acting like she's staring at the posters at the front of the store. She continues like that for a slow and enduring minute, the unbreakable want to look back to see if her stalkers are still stalking is challenging to shake off, but she must stay put as it would just give her position away. Instead, she finds herself inside the 7-Eleven, prepared to wait it out as long as tolerable, or call the police if she feels any more endangered by the proximity of the outsiders.
"Hello, Casey," the Owner greets, noting her turmoil. "Is everything okay?"
"I'm not sure, to be honest, I feel like somebody's watching me," she admits, finding herself staring outside one of the windows. "I can't see them anymore."
"Who's watching you?" The Owner questions, hand placed on the store phone. "Do you want me to call the police?"
"If I knew who was watching me, I wouldn't need to be anxious. Maybe it's just in my head, I don't know, I'm sorry, Mr Dawson, have a good night, yeah?"
"Of course, Casey, of course, if you're feeling any more anxious, just come back here and I'll call you a cab."
"Thank you, Mr Dawson," Casey thanks before exiting the store, casually and discreetly enough to observe the entire street view without appearing obscure. "All clear, I guess it was just my imagination."
Casey turns to proceed on her walk home but is stopped by the sight of the small assembly of figures, standing on the other side of the road, gazing at her silently, probably with concealed weapons beneath their jackets. She must seem like the ideal target; young, beautiful, a student at an exorbitant college, but what they don't know, is she remembers every street and alley-way, and with her own secret weapon concealed in her study bag, if she chooses the right alley-way, they'll be the sitting ducks. Casey dashes down the street at a full-sprint, using the distance separating them to her advantage, knowing that they will be following closely behind; she knows where to go, she's memorized the distance and the location, practised while working out, she's the one with the advantage here, not them. At least that's what she keeps telling herself.

After running a fast-tracked minute, she turns into the own-way alley-way, finds herself at the edge of the wall and turns to face the entrance, her back sitting against the brick wall behind her. She reaches into her study bag, pulling out a Colt 1911 before cocking it, feeling her way around the grip and getting as comfortable as possible. That's when the game becomes a waiting game, the worse part about it, the sight gives her deja vu, evoking the time when she waited for the Beast to come for her; the sight of him unnaturally writhing on the ceiling, shattering every light one by one as he gradually found himself closer to her. She can feel her heart pounding in her chest, her hands shaking from the anticipation, and her stomach sinking into itself as the shadows begin creeping towards her.
"Girly girly?! Where are you?! Oh, there you are!"
"Oh no, she's got a gun, whatever will we do," one of the strangers chuckle, pulling his own gun from his concealed jacket. "Oh wait, we've got this?!"
"What do you want from me?!" Casey questions, aiming his gun at the closest stranger. "I'm not afraid to use this."
"We know you go to Drexel College, girly, everyone who goes to Drexel is loaded with cash, so you better give it up or we'll do something we won't regret."
"You can do this the easy way or the hard way."
"We don't want to hurt you, just give us your shit."
"How about the hard way?" Casey snarls, firing a shot at the strangers, clipping one of them in the shoulder.

"FUCK! YOU BITCH! NOW WE WANNA HURT YOU!" The clipped stranger screams, aiming her handgun at Casey and firing, the sound forcing Casey to close her eyes, but she feels no pain, no burning sensation in her chest or stomach, nothing at all. Is she dead?
"What the fuck?! Where did you come from?! Get the fuck outta' here!"
Casey opens her eyes, standing in front of her is a large shirtless being with a bald head, muscular with thick veins surrounding the entirety of his body. He stands tall and intimidating, staring down the strangers as his large hands clench into fists and his entire body shakes from his heavy breathing.
"Leave her alone," the shirtless being growls in a dark harrowing voice. "Now."
One of the strangers swings a large wrench at the shirtless being, but as the wrench impacts him, it bends violently into an abnormal shape. The being then yanks the wrench from the stranger and breaks in half, throwing it away like it's nothing.
"No way. It's you," the stranger gasps, his face suddenly drained of colour. "Let's get the hell out of here."
The strangers run from the scene, disappearing from view in a mere couple seconds, leaving just Casey and her not so mysterious saviour. However, her saviour doesn't turn to face her, not quite yet. The veins fade from his body like they never existed, and he takes time putting on a checked button-up shirt and black hoodie wrapped around his waist, he wears no shoes but doesn't seem to care. That's when he turns to face Casey, a nervous smile glued to his face, his body language signalling anxiousness and discomfort.
"Hello, Casey, um," he pauses, taking a few steps away from the still panicked young woman. "Before you shoot me, I just need you to know, I'm not here to hurt you, that's not who I am."
"K- Kevin?! Is that you?!"
"Yes, dear Casey, I've taken it back, my encounter with you encouraged me to take the light back, now I'm the one who looks after everyone, I get to help them feel protected. But coming back to the light has caused to face the consequences of the Horde's actions, the things I must repent for."
"What?! H- How?! What do you mean?!"
"Shit, I know this is presumably so complicated right now, but if you feel content, and I understand if you wouldn't feel so, I can explain everything to you, and what comes next."
After taking a few seconds to breathe, Casey slowly and steadily lowers her gun, unsure as to whether or not to keep it in her hand, just in case. But this is Kevin she's speaking to, she knows that like the back of her hand, it's difficult to forget the contrast between Kevin and the rest of the Horde, he's just so different in comparison. But, he was just The Beast?! How is that possible?! Curiosity gets the better of her. "Okay, let's talk."