It was the only thing he wanted to take: that and an oddly nice promise ring.
That was all Cody took when he boarded the boat back to civilization, away from the messed-up island after a hazardous month. Cody didn't want to look back; the memories hurt too much. The screams, the blood, and the brown eyes that he loved staring into faded to nothingness. It was all Cody could imagine; even when he tried to forget about it, he couldn't. Cody wanted to puke, to scream, anything, but nothing came out of his mouth.
In his hands? A blood-red sweater, oddly still soft after what had happened to it.
Why did he take it? He doesn't know. But it was a reminder—a reminder of the one he lost, of everyone he lost.
It was horrifying to think about that day. Cody remembered the feelings of dread and fear as he walked through the forest to see the body of Noah, lifeless above the water. Cody held it until Gwen had to take him away, crying herself.
She didn't even stop him when Cody attacked Duncan; only Izzy and Eva did. He remembered how they managed to rip away from choking Duncan to death, and Cody shook, realizing that he couldn't be like that, a cold-hearted person.
What would Noah think if he did?
Would he be happy? Scared? Satisfied? Those questions filled his head as the boat rode forward, the island now hiding amongst the fog, never to be seen again.
"Best to sleep," he heard Alejandro whisper. "You need the engery when you get back to the mainland."
"…how could I?'
Cody didn't sleep for a long time, paranoid about everything around him. But he should. He was safe now, and now that he was safe, he should sleep.
Right?
Or was he going to have the same nightmares of his own friends dying over and over again? Or dream of one of the best moments before things went to hell?
He doesn't know, but once he started wearing that blood-soaked sweater—the sweater that could only warm Noah for mere seconds—he felt some sort of peace. A peace that made him rest, his eyes slowly closing, and off to a delightful dream.
(Prompt (Outfit Swap) Loosely based on Nocovember2024 by @aangellface)
