The Altercations With Distance

Baltimore's Nightmares

Picture by the talented LizRenKnight

Casey spent the five months at the asylum watching her baby bump grow. Every day brought her closer to meeting her son and every day brought new worries about what would happen to him once he was born. She wasn't sure if the police could take him away because she wouldn't cooperate with them. It was an intense five months.

Casey tried to take Emma up on her offer to escape, but once she was outside all Casey could think about was the manhunt that would be searching for her. All eyes would be searching for her and no disguises could ever mask her face. Casey freaked out and demanded Emma take her back to their room before the guards found out.

Emma complied, but Casey could tell the girl was angry that she wimped out of their escape plan. Especially after Casey promised to take her to a place where no one could ever hurt her again. A place no one would ever  find them and was protected by a group of people. So Casey lied a bit, but she thought she needed to offer this in return for Emma to help her. Casey lured Emma in with stories about how a man saved her from an abusive uncle and she was welcomed into a group of people who would never hurt her.

Emma devoured these stories. She never felt safe in her life, but listening to Casey made her believe a life without pain was possible. These people would protect her from the world. All she had to do was earn her keep. Casey said she would vouch for her pureness and if they let her stay she would have to do certain things to stay there. Casey said not sex things, just things like cleaning or protection from the people who wanted to take them away. Emma was willing to do that. She would do anything to be a part of this group.

But when Casey refused to break away from the asylum, Emma was crushed. She didn't want to spend more time here. She wanted to be with the group now. Casey apologized over and over, but Emma didn't want to hear it. She wanted freedom. But she couldn't go to the group without Casey. Only she knew where it was located and only she could vouch for her.

Emma forgave Casey, but only because she had to. She was her ticket to freedom. There was no way to be safe without the group Casey promised her. She waited month after month for the police to clear Casey, but that never came. The police were clueless and were convinced Casey was a partner to this Fear Monger. When Emma asked if she was Casey just replied, "There is no Fear Monger. Just a bunch of idiot police who need to add a name to the unknown face." She never elaborated.

When Casey reached eight months of being pregnant, she devised a plan that would take care of her child. She didn't tell Emma about it, nor did she write it down anywhere. The plan stayed in her mind. At least until she met up with the Beast again. And if her plan went accordingly, it wouldn't be long.

When the ninth month came, Casey lived every moment in fear. Being in an insane asylum for the criminally insane during October didn't help. She wasn't due until the end of October, so Casey was literally dangling on the edge for almost an entire month. The doctors and nurses tried to make her comfortable and Emma was as good as a birth buddy could be in this situation, but none of this helped Casey any.

Not until the very early hours of October 31st did Casey feel in control. She felt her very first contraction. This was much more intense than her Braxton Hicks ever were, so Casey knew this was the real deal. She was in labor. "Emma!" Casey called out to her sleeping roommate. Emma moaned, but didn't get up. "EMMA!!" Casey said more frantically.

Emma rolled over to look at Casey. She was still half asleep so she couldn't see the pain all over Casey's face. "What?" She muttered. 

"I'm in labor." 

Emma's eyes shot right open and she sat up quicker than she expected. "What?! It's okay, deep breathes! I'll get a nurse."

Emma was on her feet and ready to go when Casey grabbed her arm. "No! I need you to do something for me. Something only you can do." Emma nodded and knelt down next to her friend. 

"Sure, whatever you need." Casey grabbed a pen from their nightstand and wrote an address on Emma's palm.

"This address is where the group I was talking about lives. I need you to break out and go straight to this address. There will be a man who lives on the second floor, room 211. Knock on the door and say Casey Cooke sent you. Tell him I said you are pure. Tell him I went into labor." 

Emma looked at the messy note on her palm and nodded, trying to memorize the address in case she sweat it off.

"How will I know which man?" Casey's contraction ended and she took a long breath in and out. 

"He should be the only one there. His name is Dennis. He'll know I sent you. You are the only person who knows about this address. Can you do it?" 

Emma nodded and got to her feet. "I can. I'll send a nurse your way before I go."

Casey smiled at her friend. "Thank you. Stay at the hotel. I promise no one will hurt you. And remember, say you are pure." Casey emphasized the word to stress its importance. 

Emma smiled at her friend and blew her a kiss. "I'll remember. Anything for you. You may have saved my life bringing me into your group." Casey watched Emma leave their room as she leaned back onto the pillows.

"Halloween baby, eh? You already have a sense of humor, kid. Your daddy haunts Baltimore's' nightmares."