Chapter 13 (Pt. 4) - Cody


How was he supposed to prove he'd be a good boy outside these walls? He almost wished he was in prison so he could be let out for good behavior. Or at least he'd be on death row in another state for the severity of his crimes. Maybe a life of parole would work? His top-notch lawyer could argue against the suffering of all the people he'd hurt over time. Sure they could still point fingers and yell 'serial killer!' like he was the star of a horror film, but a lack of suffering or pain from his victims might have led to decades in prison and then the rest of his life on parole, right? Maybe it wouldn't be over a thousand years in life sentences.

How would he be able to make it right? He wanted a life outside of these walls. He didn't expect the families of the victims to forgive him. In fact, if they wanted to come up to his place in the middle of the night and beat him within inches of his life, fine. If he had to spend a night in an emergency room and then months in ICU, that was okay. They deserved the chance to let it all out on the killer of their loved ones.

He just wanted the opportunity to get up and move on with his life after it was done, as he was certain the others wanted. If those families could overcome their own pain, even if it took them years, maybe he could get out and rebuild the ties with his daughter. The real question was... would it be worth it if she didn't want to rebuild ties with him?

The man lay in his bed, eyes trained on the ceiling. He had already made his decision. He was going to get past this stage in his life. He was done being Dr. Demise. Whether or not other people believed him, who cared. It wasn't like anyone would ever hire him again anyway, and he didn't need friends. When he got out of here... or if he never did, he was going to be a changed man. Despite whatever urges he may have when certain giant walking bags of trash and blood walked near him, he was a changed man, starting today!

When his eyes opened, he was already five minutes late. That would certainly be marked down by some nurse or another. In fact, when he clambered to the back of the breakfast line, two nurses were already discussing further treatment for insomnia and nightmares. Neither of which were issues he currently had.

Choosing to ignore them, Cody grabbed his slop, and dropped in his normal seat. He then decided against the position, and held himself up with poise and dignity. Cosette, across from him but ignoring his presence, paid no attention to his differing movements.

After eating, he was surprised that she still hadn't spoken to him. He watched her take both of their empty bowls up, so at least she knew he was there, before returning without a sound. Her eyes never landed on him, just focused out the window. "Are... you okay? Did they do something to you?" He found himself leaning closer, voice lowered and breaths hushed. Cosette risked an annoyed glance at him, and shook her head. Ugh, women. Why didn't they ever just say what was on their minds when they clearly wanted to talk?

"I can't solve your problem if you don't express the need." His fingers tapped against the hard table surface. Finally, the female turned to him, arms cross and eyes laser-focused. "Why did you kiss me?" Cody let out a breath of relief. Alright, so she was just scared of getting in trouble. Big deal. He could handle that. "So you're upset that the nurses and guards are going to be judging you for a few days. After being here almost twelve years, it's no biggie, right?" His smile didn't make any sense to her.

"What? I don't care about that. They judge everyone all the time. I want to know why you kissed me. What randomly made you decide that that was the right place, at the right time. You've known me for what, six or seven months?" She scoffed. 'Huh, whaddya know? The woman really is just having an emotional problem. Here I thought it'd be fear of rejection.' Cody's smile grew wider, because he knew the answer. "I believe we've grown exceptionally close in that time period, mademoiselle." He bowed his head.

Her brow jetted up, disbelievingly. "You're a clinical sociopath or something after all those crimes, aren't you? You're just hanging out with me because I'm pretty." She stood, starting to leave. Riskily, he reached out and took hold of her arm. "Cosette, no. I was never diagnosed as... Come on, that's ridiculous. I've made so many sacrifices for so many people. Just because I did some bad things doesn't mean I feel nothing but selfish desire." He didn't realize that his eloquent tongue only annoyed her further. Normal people didn't say things like 'desire' or 'express the need.'

She jerked her arm away from him. He could tell she was more confused than anything. Had this woman never experienced attraction before? Perhaps it was a very long time ago. She had been here for over a decade, after all. "I have to report to H- a nurse about this, you know." She grumbled, rubbing the fair skin over her forearm. "What? Why?" He, obviously, was confused by the behavior. She'd never been the snitch-y sort before. What had they done to this marvelous creature he found himself so drawn to?

As soon as she disappeared, he got to his feet. He told the nearest nurse he had to go to the bathroom, as they were required to discuss what they were doing before they left the room. He meandered toward the bathroom, then turned to the other hall, where he'd seen Cosette disappear, and ran. It was weird to pick up the pace in a place like this. It was practically seen as a threat. Maybe that's how he wanted to appear, though.

When he turned the corner, the music room was the only closed door. "Bingo." The man slunk over, back pressed to the wall. He could hear voices inside the room. His eyes narrowed sharply. He slowly grabbed the knob, carefully turning it. The voices continued. He held his breath, then pushed open the door. Looming over Cosette was none other than Hugo.

The guard turned to face the intruder, eyes wide and hands hurriedly fleeing their spot on the other body. Cosette didn't look at him, humiliated. "What are you doing here?" She grumbled, pulling her sleeves onto her shoulders and buttoning up the top buttons of her shirt. Hugo turned, terror and rage alike in his eyes.

People like this were only ever sorry when they got caught, after all. At least with his crimes, Cody had felt no guilt or shame when he was caught. At least he was declared insane. At least he supposedly didn't know right from wrong at the time. He was Dr. Demise! He would be in every psychology textbook from now to three hundred years in the future! This man, however? A nobody in the face of history? A perfectly sane, healthy, happy, able-bodied, able-minded man? Taking advantage of a mental patient's brokenness? He may as well be attacking a child! There must've been some kind of leverage. He had to figure out what it was.

"I knew you were hiding something." Cody huffed quietly, fists clenching by his sides. There was no way he could beat this guy if it came down to a physical fight. Hugo was both fat, and muscular. Cody was just an average dude. He'd lose and end up in a real hospital if they brawled. If he could just get this man into the hallway for the battle, then the cameras could pick it up, right?

In the middle of his thinking, the woman responded to his statement. It was the only thing she could do, after all. Plus, it distracted both of the men in front of her. She didn't want them to fight. She knew Hugo would win just as well as they did. "He said he could get me out of here, Cody! He can get me out of here. He's a judge's nephew. Don't you know this is the key to my freedom? How else am I ever going t-"

"Don't you know it's all a trick, a ploy he set up, knowing you'll never escape, never have anybody to tell, and never know the difference because you were still so young and naïve at the of your capture that you still don't know what's good or bad for you yet?" Cody interjected, all in one quick breath. The female backed away from the guard, mortified. She didn't know what would happen to her, now. Would she ever be freed? Was this all a ploy?

Inversely, they all knew what would transpire between the men. Either Cody would win and they could get Hugo fired, or Hugo would win and Cody would be punished. It was about a ninety-ten shot. The odds were not in favor of the mental patient. Even so, he found it worth fighting for. So finally, after all the standing around, he lunged.



(Oh no! Cosette! Just a woman doing her best to survive. It's not uncommon, but it's tragic in every instance. Remember to reach out if you need help, and remember you're NOT alone in any battle you fight!)

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