A/N : Takes place post movie. Tw for some blood, major (canon) character death, nausea, and just overall really shitty conditions
After the tornado left, Cookie and Tanner began to go back to the house in hopes that the dog was still okay. On the way back, they stumbled across a sight they really didn't want to see, and it took everything in both of their souls to not vomit at the sight.
Mitch's bloody, torn up corpse smashed against a tree stump.
That seemed to be the last straw for Tanner, as he then kicked Cookie out of the town. Cookie couldn't even blame him. He and Mitch had brought these storms here. Besides, the many the years of isolation turned Tanner into a rather anti social being. It was a miracle he'd let them stay as long as they did, especially considering that their introduction was a tornado ripping apart his home.
With nowhere else to go to, Cookie swallowed his anxieties, built a boat, and set a course to his home town. Maybe he could outrun the tornadoes and they'd leave him alone. Even if that didn't work, the town had plenty of storm shelters and was far more equipped to handle tornadoes. Maybe he could reconnect with Brenton or Scourge.
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It took awhile, and he was constantly worried that he'd be lost at sea forever, but he eventually managed to find his old hometown.
He was indescribably tired as he reached the land mass. His arms were cramping and sore from the days of constant rowing, he hadn't eaten or slept since Tanner's island, and the only water he had drank was salty sea water. When he reached land, he pretty much immediately collapsed to the ground.
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He woke up in the same hospital tent that he and Brenton had pitched for Mitch way back when he got a concussion. He wanted to gag at the thought. Mitch had been lucky then, coming out of that with only a concussion. Now Mitch was dead. Gone. Tanner had probably thrown his bloodied corpse into the ocean.
Cookie swallowed down the bile that rose in his throat at the thought and realized he had an IV in his arm wrist, giving him much needed hydration and nutrients. His arms were still incredibly sore and likely would be for awhile, but he felt okay enough to get up. He removed the IV (it was almost emptied anyway) and walked out of the tent, stumbling a bit as he did so.
An arm caught him and he looked up to see the familiar face of Brenton. Before he could hold it back, tears came to his eyes and he began crying. Brenton just silently held him. He had many questions (Where was Mitch? Why did they leave? What happened?) but he kept his mouth shut for the time being, just allowing his old friend to cry.
Cookie and Mitch had really only been gone for a year, but it had felt like 50. Cookie looked older, more scarred and destroyed. So much had happened. So many tornadoes. So many homes destroyed. Mitch was gone, and no one could bring him back. It was just like what had happened to Ypsi, except Mitch never got to leave a journal behind.
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He didn't know when he had passed out again, but he woke up once more in his old bed at Brenton's house. The repairs on the property had gone so well, you could hardly tell there was ever any damage done to it, let alone that a tornado had once ripped through it.
"Hey, Cookie" Brenton said gently once he saw his old friend waking up. "What..." Cookie looked around in confusion. "What happened?" he asked, his voice slurred from exhaustion and pain meds. "I could ask you the same thing" Brenton replied with a chuckle, but Cookie didn't say anything. "You cried yourself to sleep in my arms so I brought you here"
"Oh" Cookie said softly as he processed those words. "You kept our beds" he observed suddenly as he noticed that there were indeed still 3 beds in the room. "I didn't know if you guys ever planned on coming back" Brenton replied, and Cookie swore he heard some hostility in his tone. "What happened to you guys?"
"A tornado struck through the town" Cookie recalled, but the meds made it a little bit hard to think clearly. "We realized that we were likely the attractors they kept them there, so we moved to the beach. Mitch..." his voice grew sad at the name, which worried Brenton a little bit. "Mitch decided we should try to be pirates so we took boats and we sailed off"
"Where is Mitch?" Brenton asked gently, sitting on the bed with Cookie and gently holding onto one of his hands. "Gone" Cookie replied, voice oddly toneless as he avoided Brenton's gaze. "Oh" Brenton replied, feeling a bit of shock himself. He had a feeling that something bad had happened but to have it confirmed still sent a chill down his spine.
"His body got torn up by a tornado and his head crashed into a tree stump" Cookie elaborated. "Tanner- He was this blonde haired hermit dude we met on our travels- Him and I found Mitch's body after the storm and then he kicked me off the island" he explained further. "And then... Well, here I am"
"I'm glad you're here, Cook" Brenton said with a small smile as he placed a kiss on the other's forehead. Cookie put forth no effort to hide the blush that came over his face at that action. "Even if you are a tornado magnet" Brenton continued. "I'm glad you came back. I really missed you... And Mitch"
"Can we hold a memorial for Mitch?" Cookie asked suddenly, and Brenton swore he could see tears forming in his eyes. "It's just..." Cookie took a deep breath. "I never got to hold one since Tanner kicked me off and I know a lot of people in this community liked him so I was just... I..."
"We can hold a memorial for him, Cookie" Brenton reassured with a small smile. "I'll make sure of it. But, for now, you need rest" he continued. "Wanna curl up on the bed, eat cookies and watch cartoons just like old times?"
"I'd like that"