The electric lights hummed overhead, strips of illumination more blue than white. Every so often one would stutter and blink out for a moment. Then the humming would continue. It was the only sound in the otherwise silent hospital and as she lay awake, it was slowly driving her insane.

Lying in the narrow hospital bed, Casey watched the lights flicker with dull, disinterested eyes. She wasn't sure how long she'd been there, what time it was, what day it was for that matter. She drifted through a timeless void, numb to everything around her. She'd been that way since she arrived.

A week had passed. A week of no sleep, hospital food and nurses asking 'concerned' questions. She was exhausted but every time her eyes slipped shut, even if it was just for a second, she found herself staring into his eyes. It was better just to stay awake. Stay quiet, stay alert. She ignored anyone who came in. The doctors, the police… Mr Benoit had come to see her and Marcia's parents. Those visits were the worst. They made polite enquiries about her health but Casey could see in their eyes what they were asking themselves silently. Why her? Why had their daughters died? Why had she lived while they didn't?

Casey wiped her eyes clear of tears she hadn't realised she'd been shedding and swung her legs out of bed. One was wrapped in bandages and the movement caused a stab of pain that threatened to force her mind back to the days before.

Teeth on flesh.

Wild animal eyes.

The voice that howled in the dark.

No.

She forced herself out of bed and hobbled over to the window. There was a small stand with a jug of water and a cup. She balanced awkwardly against the glass and poured herself some, before turning her gaze outside. It was dark outside, late night or early morning. Philadelphia was spread out beneath her. The parking lot of the ugly grey building she stood in was quiet. Nearby was a sign advertising the Philadelphia zoo, just five minutes away. She shuddered, wishing they'd sent her somewhere else.

A flash of movement caught her attention, something large darting across the parking lot on all fours. It was gone as quick as she saw it and she couldn't be entirely sure it was really there but the hunched over posture unsettled her. It was too similar to how… he had moved.

Too much.

Casey closed her eyes and rested her face against the glass. She was too close and she knew he was still out there. She didn't fear for her own life, he had already left her and she hadn't held much value in her existence since she was young. But just the thought of him, those protruding veins, unhinged stare, clambering up walls in a way no human could. She felt bile stinging the back of her throat and fought against the desire to wretch. She would stay strong, just as she always had. Put up a wall around herself and wear a mask. Take the internal pain and make it external.

The glass was cold and wearing only the hospital gown she felt oddly vulnerable. Goosebumps were rising along her skin and she shivered, missing her own clothes. Outside in the hall, she heard light footsteps and soft voices as two nurses going by. She knew if they found her up and moving around they'd fuss. Her leg had been badly savaged and she wasn't supposed to walk on it yet.

Silently she returned to her bed and lay down. She wrapped the blankets tight around her body, covering every inch of exposed skin that she could. Her fingers lightly grazed the scars on her shoulders. She couldn't get the image of his eyes out of her head. The way he had looked at her, the almost hungry look in his eyes.

'You are different from the rest.'

That was what he had said. She already knew that. She didn't fit in. Even Claire had said it.

'Why do you act like you're not one of us?'

Because she wasn't and he had confirmed that. It was written across her skin and in her eyes. Maybe that was why the police woman had sent her here. She'd seen the look in her eyes and then instead of sending Casey off with her uncle, she'd instead had her whisked away with to the hospital in the back of the ambulance. It was a pleasant, if brief, relief. She already had to fight to keep one monster out of her head, the one waiting at home could wait.

'You are different from the rest.'

Casey pulled a pillow over her head, clamping her hands over her ears in a futile attempt to block out the voices inside her head. Of course it did nothing, if anything the angry voices seemed to speak louder in response.

'You are different from the rest. Your heart is pure! Rejoice! The broken are the more evolved. Rejoice.'

She dug her nails into her skin, screwing her eyes shut tight. Casey knew that the nightmares would probably fade with time, although she doubted his voice would ever truly disappear. It would linger in the dark place at the back of her mind, the one she pretended wasn't there, where the soft venomous voices of her greatest fears liked to wait, sharpening their claws in preparation.

Above her, the light continued to flicker and hum.