Chapter 12: The Devil Wears Dad's Skin

"Where's Dorothy?" I said in a sing-song tone, covering my face with my hands, knelt down to the aforementioned infant Dalmatian in question. "There she is!" I moved my hands away from my face and smiled at her as she giggled in glee. "Cody, I'll be out with my friends for a while! Dylan's in his tree house if you need him!" Dolly called out to me before I heard the front door close which was followed by Dorothy letting out a yawn. "Must be nap time for you." I concluded as Dorothy nodded, rubbing her eyes. I picked her up and carried her to a basket covered in a blanket, she fell right to sleep as soon as she was laid on the blanket. After sneaking out of the room she was asleep in, I looked over into the back garden to just notice Dylan with Dawkins in the tree house. Curiosity got the better of me and I climbed up to see Dylan placing a box down. "Hey, Dylan. Hey, Dawkins, what's going on?" I asked as I saw a muscular canine with long hair in front of a purple background on the box. "Hey Cody! Me and Dawkins were about to play some Poodlewolf, wanna join in?" I nodded as I sat on the wooden floor opposite of them and Dylan proceeded to set up the board game.

The game itself was a little confusing with how you used cards rather than the simple player figures and dice. From what I gathered about the game according to Dylan, is to find an artifact called the Golden Chewtoy and defeat the board game's antagonist, Lord Furball. Dylan of course had chosen the titular hero, Poodlewolf whilst Dawkins went with Inventicus which was pretty fitting giving his hobby, leaving me as Dogsbody. It took maybe an hour or so near evening but in the end, Dylan won first place which was to be expected since he seemed to know about the franchise more than me so I didn't mind.

"Hey Cody, you wanna help me with a new little invention I'm working on? It's got a few kinks I could use an extra pair of hands to help with." Dawkins asked me as he stood up. "Oh, sure thing Dawkins!" I replied before waving bye to Dylan and heading back inside. I followed Dawkins and was about to follow him upstairs.

Knock knock knock…

Until I heard someone knock at the front door. I called out to Dawkins and told him I'd be with him in a moment before walking to the front door and opening it.

Dylan's POV

I immediately snapped awake when I heard a scream come from within the house. When you're tasked with taking care of ninety-nine siblings and handling chores, it can really make you drowsy during the day. I quickly exited my treehouse and ran inside and found nothing out of the ordinary. Had I just been hearing things? I suddenly heard Dawkins rush downstairs, followed by Da Vinci both with concerned looks on their faces.

"Dylan, did you hear someone scream just now?!" Dawkins asked me as he seemed to be looking around for someone. I wasn't hearing it, someone had definitely screamed. "Cody? Are you alright?!" I called out, wondering if Cody had maybe hurt himself. There was no response. "Cody?!" I called again, growing with worry as I rushed upstairs and looked around desperately for my human brother. He was nowhere in sight, not even Dolly's room or the basement. "Cody?! Where are you?!"

"Yo Dylan, I can hear you over my tunes. What's going on?" DJ came out from his room to me. "Cody's gone! I can't see him anywhere!" I exclaimed as Dawkins rushed to my side. "Me and Da Vinci can't find him anywhere either! It's like he just vanished!" He said, both him and Da Vinci now getting as worried as I was. "Get everyone to search the house, quickly!" I commanded as the two didn't hesitate to alert our siblings.

Dolly's POV

That day out sure was fun, but it was a shame I had to cut it short with it getting later and I know that Dylan would need some help getting our bros and sisters ready for bed. The smirk I had upon that thought fell to a frown of confusion as I heard something come from inside our house. I walked through the front door and saw the entire house in a panic. Probably the worst I've seen since the time we were all banned from the park. "DOLLY! IT'S TERRIBLE!" Dante suddenly appeared in front of me in terror. "THE LIFE THREATENING WAVE OF MISFORTUNE HAS FINALLY HIT US! OUR LIVES ARE ON THE LINE TO DEATH AND DARKNESS!"

"Dante, what are you talking about?!" I said incredulously as he gripped my arms, hyperventilating. "WE'RE SLOWLY DISAPPEARING ONE BY ONE! WE'RE BEING CURSED TO VANISH TO GOD KNOWS WHERE AND I DON'T KNOW WHO WILL BE NEX-" I finally had enough and slapped Dante across the face to snap him out of it. "DANTE! Calm the hell down and tell me what's the problem!" I firmly yelled at him as he panted before explaining. "Cody's gone! We can't find him anywhere!" My eyes widened in shock at the revelation. I didn't waste no time in rushing around the house, calling out for Cody like the rest of us were. But even after maybe an hour of searching, he was nowhere to be found.

We were all gathered in the living room as Dylan paced back in forth, clearly trying not to panic with his hands on his head.

"Oh dog oh dog oh dog oh dog oh dog, why didn't I stay awake and keep an eye on him?!" Dylan scolded himself as I looked amongst our siblings to see them just as terrified as he was. "Was anyone with him before he vanished?" I asked, trying to keep calm. Everyone shook their heads. "I did hear a scream from downstairs and so did Dawkins!" Da Vinci explained. Something must've happened to him because there was possibly no other explanation for that scream. "Everyone outside! We need to look everywhere in London!" I called out, no one hesitated to run outside to continue the search outside whilst I grabbed Dylan by his arm and ran out with him.

Cody's POV

I should've never opened the door. If only I had known who was behind that door, I would've ran as far away from it as possible and warned Dylan. The person who knocked had the all-too familiar smell of beer on him and the unkempt beard that despite how messy it was did nothing to hide the resentful snarl he had given me. The man I once viewed as my dad had grabbed me and painfully dragged me to his car as all I could let out was a scream of terror before I was shoved in the front passenger seat.

And now, whilst we were still in London, we were god knows how far from Dalmatian Street. 'Dad' didn't say anything to me at all along the way, but one look at the crowbar in his hand was enough to tell me that if I tried banging on the window or screaming for help, I'd be good as dead.

"Augh, damn it. Gotta drop a bomb." I heard him grumble in annoyance as we stopped at a nearby petrol station but before he left, he faced me with a deathly glare. "Don't even think about moving from that seat. If you do, you'll wish you hadn't." He them slammed the door shut and headed for the station's bathroom stalls. I just wanted to cry, I just wanted to scream, I wanted to be back home safe with Dolly and Dylan. I looked outside through the window, the petrol station's advertising pole had a spinning light shaped like an egg, the design on the front having the silhouette of a brontosaur with the word "Dinoco" below it. I kept looking around until my eyes fell on a nearby phone booth. It was a very risky idea but if I could call for help and get back in the car before 'dad' would notice me, then I had a chance. Remembering some loose change I noticed under the driver's seat, I grabbed it and opened the door, rushing to the phone booth as quietly as possible before inserting the coins and typing the first number that came to mind, hoping to god that I would get someone on the other end who could help.

Dolly's POV

Dylan, Fergus and I stopped in the middle of London town square, the former panting like he had just run a marathon, Fergus almost looking the same, the Dimitri trio just a few steps away from us. "Any sign of him?" I asked the two in worry. "Sorry, Dolly… I didn't see him anywhere." Fergus responded, his ears folded down. "Ohhhh, Cody! Where could you possibly be?!" Dylan yelled out, finally giving in to despair. "Dylan, we're NOT giving up already!" I grabbed his shoulders and stared at him sternly. "We're going to keep looking for him even if it kills me, but I need you for this! I need you to keep a levelled head and help!" I told him as seriously as possible as he breathed in and out to try to calm down, taking my words to heart.

Our focus was broken when we heard a nearby ringing. We all turned to see it come from a phone booth as one of the Dimitri trio whom was the nearest answered. We heard nothing but crackling feed until my ears picked up a voice.

"H-Hello, is anyone there?!" All our eyes widened as we realised who the voice belonged to. "Cody? Cody, is that you?!" Dimitri said on the line, just as shocked as we were. "Dimitri! He's here! My dad found out where I lived and he dragged me to his car! I think he's going to kill me, just please… N-NO! WAIT-" He was suddenly cut off as the call went dead. "Cody?! CODY?!" Dimitri yelled through the phone, hoping for a response before throwing it against the booth in anger. "DAMN IT! I'M GONNA KICK THAT HUMAN'S ASS!" Dimitri screamed in rage, and I couldn't really blame him. I was now just as pissed upon realising that the very same person who threw him off the bridge had essentially kidnapped him, but I refrained from swearing as I knew that getting irate wouldn't help Cody's situation.

"We need to find Cody's former dad as quickly as possible. But how?" Dylan wondered as I tried to think of a way to track the two down. Perhaps if someone could sniff for Cody's scent…

Then it hit me like a bag full of bricks. I turned to Dylan and he seemed to come to the same idea as I had as we both yelled out in unison.

"DIESEL!"

Cody's POV

I screamed out in agony, clutching my arm where 'dad' had just struck me with the crowbar as he was growling furiously. "WHAT THE HELL DID I TELL YOU ABOUT MOVING FROM YOUR SEAT?!" He screamed at me before grabbing me by the neck of my shirt and dragging me back to the car, but instead, he opened the trunk and shoved me inside. "We're getting out of here right now and when we are, YOU'RE DEAD!" He threatened me before slamming the trunk door shut, leaving me in the darkness. The only thing I could do was cry in pain and fear as I clutched in arm. Wherever Dimitri 3 was, I hoped he would find Dolly and Dylan in time.

Dolly's POV

"Yep. Cody was definitely around here. With someone else, and they smell really bad." Diesel's look of concentration scrunched in disgust as he sniffed the area in front of us. I couldn't afford to waste any more time Cody's dad about to do what I think he was going to do to him, so Diesel and I were on my skateboard, rolling along the direction his nose would lead us to. "Any idea where they went next?" I asked as Diesel sniffed again just as we were approaching two separate roads. "That way!" Diesel pointed left as I turned my skateboard, often having to lean left to right to strafe my skateboard out of the way of oncoming traffic. "Wait…! The smell's behind us!" Diesel suddenly pointed out. "Where?!" I looked behind as Diesel did the same, sniffing. "That nasty smell again… And Cody's… It's from… that car there!" Diesel immediately pointed at a black car getting further and further away from us. "Diesel, get Dylan and the others! I'll get Cody!" I instructed him to which he hopped out and ran off to find Dylan. I then put all my pedal force onto my skateboard after the car. "CODY! I'M COMING, BRO!"

It was a real struggle but I just managed to catch up to the car's trunk before it could make a turn and held onto the back bumper. We were now entering a less-inhabited part of town so there wasn't even any traffic to my advantage. I looked through the window for any trace of Cody but all I saw was the back of some old guy until I could just about make out the sound of someone crying coming from the trunk. Thankfully, the guy hadn't locked the trunk door so I opened it and there he was.

"Dolly!" Cody's face washed over with relief as he attempted to get up and reached for me, only for the car to suddenly screech to halt, making me bump into the back, knocking me off my skateboard. I sat up to see one of the car's front doors open and out stepped the guy, crowbar in hand. Immediately I got onto my feet and lurched forward, growling at him. As he approached me, I could see him wearing a filthy black hoodie and dark grey pants. His beard looking like he hadn't shaved in months. He reached the trunk and was about to grab Cody.

"Do NOT touch him. I'm warning you." I snarled threateningly as I held an arm out between Cody and his so-called dad but he merely swung a leg up, kicking me in the stomach and causing me to cough. Clutching my stomach, I didn't look up to see him raise his crowbar above me until too late.

"DOLLY!" I heard Cody scream out to me as I was knocked to the ground, a searing hot pain now on my head and feeling a trickle of warm fluid on it. I looked up to see Cody rush to my aid and gently shake me. "D-Dolly! Come on, please get up!" He begged me to move, but the pain from his dad striking me with the crowbar and the sense of me slipping into unconsciousness was unbearable. All I could do was weakly call out to him.

"...Cody… Please just run… Don't let him… hurt you..." Was all I could muster but Cody didn't budge, not wanting to leave me. "No! Dolly, please you have to get up! PLEASE-" Suddenly he was cut off by his dad who grabbed him and threw him against the wall as he slid back down to the ground, his dad now towering over him.

"You could've made this so easier on yourself if you had just died back at the bridge. In fact, it would've been so much easier if you were never born. If it hadn't been for you, your mother wouldn't have died!" I heard him snarl at him before he held his crowbar up.

"I'm done screwing around. I'm fixing my "mistake" NOW." I wearily reached an arm out to him, trying to vocally plead him to stop but…

THWACK!

…

...Oh god… No…

Cody wasn't moving. I could just about see blood pooling around his head as he remained silent. The hot feeling of tears ran down my cheeks as I mentally begged for this to just be a bad dream. The stress of seeing my own human brother about to be murdered by this… this horrible person made the pain more brutal as my vision started to blur, I could only make out Cody's dad raise his crowbar once more to finish him off until my eyes finally shut. But before I slipped out cold, I heard the sound of Cody's dad yell out in pain, followed by a familiar voice…

"Get. The hell. Away from our bro."