A FRIEND IN NEED
I don't own any of the characters mentioned here, other than Kah-Yel/Kyle.
Rated PG, mainly for violence
AUTHOR NOTE: I desperately wanted to write a Halloween fic for "Osmosis Jones", and my original story line (while a little more exciting) was far too long. So, I gave up on that idea and came up with a shorter story.
One more thing- I have a brand new character here. His name is Kah-Yel, but he's sometimes called Kyle. He acts and speaks very much like a five-year-old, even though he's fully grown, but there is a reason for it...
Okies, that's it. Enjoy, and happy Halloween!! *cackles madly*
"Things seemed to be going well for one Frank Detorri on the night of October 31. His daughter was off trick-or-treating, and he was at home, watching his all-time favorite scary movie- 'Frankenstien and the Wolfman Meet Freddie Kruger'. Of course, he fell asleep half-way through it, but that's not the point I'm making here.
"Anyway, for quite some time, Frank hadn't paid attention to a large scar on his arm. He had gotten it last week, when he came across a stray dog that bit him. Our buddy Frank didn't think much of it; if only he knew what was really going on..."
Earlier that day...
A tall, lanky cell made his way through the neighborhoods of Frank's arm. He rubbed his greasy hands on his torn clothes. Brushing away a clump of his short hair, a strange pictograph could be seen; it was a large circle, with every phase of the moon grafted into it. His gait was troubled yet leisurely, and his face showed great interest in the world around him.
The cell turned around and noticed an open glandwich shop. He licked his lips pleasingly. "Food..." he said, picturing a double cheesebooger in his mind. "Eat now, 'fore dark comes."
Smiling, the cell sauntered over to the shop and sat down on one of the stools. He sniffed the air, drooling over the smell of the grease alone. 'Wonder where food is,' he thought as he anxiously looked for anything that matched that oh-so-delicious scent.
Not too far from the hungry cell, two organisms- a white blood cell and a cold pill- were talking with each other. The carefree white blood cell was known as Osmosis Jones, and the by-the-book cold pill sitting with him was his close friend, Drix. Despite their differences, they seem to get along quite well.
Ozzie looked around the shop and noticed all the scary decorations. "Man, there just ain't no holiday like Halloween," he commented. "Costumes, candy, parties, creepy stories..."
As Ozzie further described the strange customs of Halloween, our hungry little friend had fallen onto the floor and scrambled under their table. Whether anyone noticed him or not he didn't care- he just wanted to eat!
"It sounds as if you enjoy this holiday," Drix remarked as he looked at all the questionable items displayed around the shop. "Why, dare I ask, do you enjoy it so much? Halloween seems so... frightening. Why celebrate such an unwelcoming holiday?"
Laughing, Ozzie placed his hand on Drix's shoulder. "That's the whole point," he explained. "Halloween is a holiday when people WANT to get scared, for the fun of it. That's why we've got so many awesome stories about monsters- vampires, mummies, werewolves-"
Suddenly, a great force threw their table against a nearby wall. "Where wolf?!!" a panicked voice shouted. "Where wolf?! Where wolf?! Where's wolf?"
The two officers stared at this new figure. He was a tall, skinny kid, wearing a messy shirt, torn pants, and a childish smile. Though he seemed to be fully grown, he was acting like a toddler. In fact, when he looked up at them, all he could do was giggle.
Before they could speak, the shopkeeper walked in from the back room and grabbed the kid by his shirt collar. "Not you again!" he yelled. "How many times have I told you to stay away from my shop?!"
The cell could only smile. "Hi!" he squealed.
The shopkeeper sighed and dragged his unwanted customer to the door. "Listen, I don't have any free food for you to steal," he snapped harshly. "I am getting sick and tired of you coming in and begging for food. If you don't have carbs, I don't want you here!"
"Hungry," the cell whined. "Want food. You gots food. You give me food?"
Sighing in aggravation, the shopkeeper pushed his customer back onto the streets. "Get out of here, you moocher!" he barked. "Go on! Scram!"
The cell waited by the shop door for a few minutes before reluctantly sauntering away. 'Why he so mean?' he thought. 'I just hungry.'
Coming to a curb, the cell sat in the corner and fussed with his hair. "First I different," he complained. "Then I alone. Now I hungry. What I do bad?"
Then, someone quietly laid an object next to the cell. He looked over his shoulder to see a double deluxe cheesebooger! Happily accepting this newfound fortune, he scarfed down the sandwich and licked the remaining contents off his face. "Thankie!" he praised, looking up towards the fleshy ceiling.
A hand rested on the cell's shoulder. "No prob," said a voice. "It's the least we could do after the shopkeeper trashed you like that."
Turning around, the cell noticed two new organisms. "Hi," said the white blood cell, standing next to what looked like a cold pill. "I'm Ozzie, and this is my buddy Drix."
The cell stood quickly, happy to see he had made some new friends. "I nam-ed Kah-Yel," he introduced himself. "You- you really likey me?"
Ozzie and Drix looked at each other, shrugged, and turned back to Kah-Yel. "Sure, why not?" Ozzie replied.
Noticing his exotic name and poor usage of grammar, Drix asked, "Are you new to Frank? Did you come here from another city?"
Kah-Yel thought for a moment, unsure. "I was born-ed someplace else," he answered, kneeling down. "Came when I just a little one."
Drix looked at Ozzie. "Well, he is foreign- we've figured out that much," he reasoned. "What is nationality is, exactly, I have yet to discover."
Before Ozzie could reply, Kah-Yel noticed the shine of Ozzie's FPD badge and grabbed it, admiring it for a moment. "Pretty," he commented, giggling. "It's shiny!"
Upset, Ozzie snatched his badge from Kah-Yel's grimy, greasy hands. "Yeah, it's shiny alright," he remarked, holding it up. "It's my official Frank PD badge- that means I'm the guy who gets to kick some serious germ booty!"
Drix rolled his eyes in disbelief. 'Here we go again,' he thought to himself.
On the other hand, Kah-Yel seemed quite happy. "You guys go find germs?!" he exclaimed. "That good! Good!"
Ozzie started to back away from the excitable Kah-Yel. "Yeah," he said. "Good, good..."
Kah-Yel looked around for a moment before coming closer to Ozzie and Drix. "I... I gotsa tell you something," he admitted worriedly. "There's a... A BAD THING."
"...Bad thing?" Ozzie thought aloud.
Confused as well, Drix began to question Kah-Yel's knowledge. "What is this... 'bad thing' that you speak of?"
Immediately, Kah-Yel began to express a detailed explanation. "Bad thing really big, really mean, relay scary!" he whined. "Bad thing very hungry, too! Bad thing kill lots! Bad thing almost kill me!!"
Intrigued, Ozzie came closer as well. "So, it's like a virus?" he questioned.
Nodding, Kah-Yel pointed down the street aways, to the area where Frank had been bitten by that dog. "Bad thing down there!" he yelped. "Stop bad thing! Please stop bad thing!"
Suddenly, Kah-Yel looked through the transparent ceiling of the scar and noticed that the sun in Frank's world had almost set. Worried, he didn't dare draw attention to his forehead; he already knew what was happening. Unfortunately, Ozzie and Drix had noticed it, too- the pictograph on Kah-Yel's forehead was glowing!
Scared beyond belief, Kah-Yel ran from the white blood cell and the cold pill. If they saw what was happening, they could mistake HIM for the bad thing!
Ozzie and Drix were about to follow behind him when Ozzie's cell phone rang. When Ozzie answered, he was very surprised to hear a familiar voice. "JONES!!"
"Chief?" Ozzie asked. "What are you doing calling me on my cell?"
The Chief sighed over the other line. "Because you wouldn't respond over the intercom!" he bellowed. "Listen we've got an emergency- apparently, something's been crawling around the area on Frank's arm. It's so bad that anyone who hasn't already been killed has evacuated the area. We suspect it came from that dog. Since you and Drix are in the area, I want you two to check it out, got it?"
Nodding in reply, Ozzie responded, "We'll be there as soon as we can, Chief." He hung up his cell phone and briefly explained the situation to Drix. As they returned to the patrol car, neither of them could help but wonder if Kah-Yel and the Chief were talking about the exact same virus...
"Man, the Chief sure wasn't kidding," Ozzie commented, looking at the neighborhood they had entered. "This place is totally empty, and it looks like the handiwork of a virus to me."
Then, Drix noticed something out of the corner of his eye. "Jones, pull over," he requested. "I believe I might have found a clue as to who caused this."
Ozzie parked the car just a few feet away from another. The hood looked as if something had ripped it's way inside to get at whatever it wanted.
The two officers saw a hand resting over the driver's window. They looked inside to find a very disturbing clue. "It's a cyst," Ozzie concluded with a sigh. "This guy was once a cell- now all that's left is the membrane. It looks like whatever killed him licked his body clean of any molecule even resembling cytoplasm."
"This is horrific," Drix commented, looking at Ozzie. "What kind of virus would do this?"
A moment later, a scrawny wolf-like figure strolled their way. It looked as if it was beaten or starved. Just the same, his gait seemed bouncy and energetic.
The wolf cell approached the two officers cautiously, then noticing Ozzie's badge. He leaped forward, clenched the badge in his jaw, and ran for dear life.
"Hey!" Ozzie shouted. "Stupid mutt! That's my Frank PD badge! Drop it now, boy!"
Despite Ozzie's efforts, the wolf cell continued running. If he liked his badge so much, he'd have to come and get it first.
Infuriated, Ozzie immediately ran after the beast, with Drix soon following close behind. They had a job to do, and all that dog could think about was play-time?!
Thankfully, the wolf cell soon dropped the badge and ran off. This new location was the last place he wanted to be.
Ozzie looked around and finally saw his badge. As he bent down to pick it up, a loud ear-shattering scream alerted him to the danger nearby.
Standing, Ozzie held his gun at the ready and slowly began to approach the source of the cry. Drix, responding to the alarming sound as well, quickly loaded a freeze capsule into his cannon-arm and soon followed his partner.
Turning a corner, the two officers then witnessed a horrifying scene- a monstrous creature crouched over a small car, it's hungered growls overcoming the mortifying screams of the driver. It wasn't long before the frightened cell became a cold cyst, and the beast threw the dead body over its shoulder as it grew larger.
Drix was absolutely appalled. "Oh my goodness!" he remarked. "Osmosis, please tell me you have some knowledge on a fearsome creature like that!"
The beast turned his head, fury burning deep within his eyes. He looked very much like a giant wolf, only much larger, with a membrane darker than midnight and a large, red, fleshy pouch on his chest, connected to a long red tube coming from the mouth. He sneered, cytoplasmic fluids seething from between his long, sharp teeth.
Ozzie swallowed hard and gave Drix a sidelong look. "That ain't no ordinary germ, Drix," he informed. "That's Rabies."
Confused and worried, Drix held his cannon-arm steady, ready to defend himself and his partner. "Beg pardon?" he questioned.
"Rabies is a multi-level virus," Ozzie explained, keeping his eye on the fierce wolfine infection. "It's strongest in third-world bodies, like raccoons, but it's clever enough to sneak into more domestic bodies, like dogs and even humans like Frank. Wherever it goes, the story is always the same- it causes so much chaos in the body that the city must be forced into depression. Then it goes directly to the subconscious in the brain and destroys it, causing a mental breakdown; sometimes, it's so bad that the person goes insane. While the mayor of the city tries to stop it, the beast prepares an ambush so he can trap and eventually kill him. After that, it's not long before the city dies due to complications in the absence of the mayor."
Turning to Drix, Ozzie added, "We've got to stop this thing- NOW- before it gets too out of hand."
Drix looked at Rabies, then the cyst, and then at Ozzie. "Jones, let me ask you this," he requested. "What does it want with these innocent cells?"
Rabies licked his lips. "Food," he muttered. "Hungry. Always hungry. WANT FOOD!!"
While Drix pondered how that vicious beast could talk, Ozzie thought of something he hadn't before. "Drix?" he asked. "Does that sound like... Kah-Yel to you?"
"Kah-Yel?" the beast repeated, his anger peaking to all-out rage. "Man-wolf!"
Suddenly, Rabies broke between Ozzie and Drix, the force of his blow pushing them into opposite buildings. Charging down the street, he yelled "Kill man-wolf!!" as he unleashed his fury on anyone and anything that stood in his path.
A moment later, Ozzie stood and walked over to Drix to help him up. "Weird," he commented. "For a second, Rabies sounded a lot like Kah-Yel. It doesn't make sense why he just ran off like that."
Pondering Kah-Yel's own words for a moment, Drix recognized a few details Ozzie had over-looked. "Osmosis, do you recall Kah-Yel's vague description of the virus?" he inquired. "He said that it was very hungry. His other comments about the creature seem to be true as well- it's big, mean, and certainly scary. It also seems to have killed a multitude of cells in this area."
When Ozzie thought about it, Drix's logic seemed to make sense. There was one other thing he wanted to know about, though. "What was with that 'man-wolf' thing he was going on about?" he asked. "Rabies is practically advertising the term all around Frank, but he only brought it up when I mentioned Kah-Yel. Kinda suspicious, don't you think?"
"Keep in mind, Jones, that they speak a similar dialect, if not the same," Drix pointed out. "Perhaps they're enormous, or Rabies just wants to kill him for one reason or another."
Ozzie was about to question that when his cell phone rang... again. He answered, though he didn't even need to touch it to know who it was. "Hello?"
"JONES!!" the Chief's voice blared. "What happened back there?! The virus is headed towards the brain, and it's not too happy! The mayor's even called for a state of depression so we can sort this whole thing out! Catch up with it, NOW!"
Hanging up, Ozzie started running back to the car. "Drix, we gotta run!" he shouted. "Rabies is headed for the brain! If we hurry, we can cut him off by the throat!"
As the two officers got into the patrol car and sped off, a small wolf-like organism reappeared from the shadows. That virus was smarter than he appeared, and he knew that the right thing to do was to follow and help Ozzie and Drix in any way he could. He didn't have much of a choice- if he didn't help, he'd just die anyway.
After taking numerous back roads and driving unbelievably fast, Ozzie and Drix finally reached the throat. Better yet, they were far ahead of Rabies, or at least ahead enough to cut him off before he could reach the brain.
Ozzie parked the car in a small crevice in the throat. He didn't want to take the chance at being discovered so early- Rabies had grown a lot since he last saw the beast. The depression had reached the "loss of appetite" stage, and that is really bad in Frank's case! Already, Rabies was getting exactly what he wanted, but there was no way he was going to get past Ozzie and Drix (at least, that's what they hoped for).
Once outside the car, Ozzie crawled up a nearby cliffside. "Drix!" he called down to his partner. "Follow me! I've got a plan!"
Aways down the throat, Rabies forcibly made his way to the brain. He had consumed a huge number of cell's cytoplasms, and the nutrients within them had enlarged him to the size of the period at the end of this sentence (cell-wise, that's BIG).
Still, even with all the lives he took, Rabies was unsatisfied. He hungered for more cytoplasms, especially Kah-Yel- that coward should have died with his siblings. True, his parents were lucky enough to flee the scene, but Kah-Yel was special. The wolfine virus wouldn't rest until that... THING's cytoplasm was festering within his pouch.
Sniffing the air, Rabies sneered. "Man-wolf," he breathed. "Man-wolf near... kill man-wolf..."
"Jones, do you see him?" Drix asked, looking over Ozzie's shoulder.
Ozzie shrugged. "Not yet," he replied, "but be on your guard, Drix. He's almost here- I can feel it."
The two officers were on the lookout for Rabies atop a cliffside within the canyons of the throat. Ozzie watched out for the infection with a pair of binoculars while Drix held his cannon-arm steady, waiting for Ozzie's command.
Suddenly, Ozzie thought he felt something touch his shoulder. Looking out of the corner of his eye, he saw the wolf cell from earlier. It had rested his head on Ozzie's shoulder and tried to look through the binoculars, just out of curiosity.
Drix looked down to see Ozzie and the wolf cell. "Well, Osmosis," he said with a smile, "it seems as if our little friend has followed us here."
"Really?" Ozzie snapped sarcastically. "You know, I couldn't tell."
The wolf cell anxiously sniffed Ozzie's arm and began to whine. He tugged at Ozzie's jacket, hoping it would reveal the problem he was trying to show him.
However, Ozzie saw the wolf's gesture as an invitation to play- one he would have to turn down for now. He pulled his jacket away, the fabric of the sleeve ripping away from the force.
Now Ozzie was furious; this was his favorite jacket, and that mutt ruined it! He raised his hand to smack the wolf cell on the snout when Drix grabbed his arm. "Jones," he halted, "look at your arm."
Ozzie lowered his hand and looked at his arm. A large puncture penetrated the membrane of his arm, and small droplets of cytoplasm leaked through the wound. Once more, it didn't look like the wolf cell's handiwork; it looked more like the result of an attack executed by...
"Rabies must have done this," Ozzie concluded. "It must have been from earlier, when he broke between us."
Drix suddenly decided to look at his own arm. Sure enough, a narrow crack ran down his lower arm. Some type of yellowish-green fluid was apparent, though certainly not enough to be lethal.
Looking over the cliffside, the wolf cell began whimpering and hid behind Ozzie and Drix. Something was coming, and it wasn't reinforcements.
Grabbing his binoculars, Ozzie soon saw what it was that made the wolf cell run for cover. "Rabies is coming," he warned. "Drix, when I give the signal, you shoot."
Nodding, Drix carefully watched as the huge beast bounded over the horizon, moving ever closer to them. Rabies had certainly grown- he was so enormous that the cold capsule wasn't sure Ozzie's plan would work. Still, he had faith in his partner.
Then, just as Rabies was moments from their position, Ozzie shouted "Now!"
In an instant, Drix fired. The freeze capsule blasted into the creature's side, the blow sending him to the ground. Rabies laid motionless on the floor of the throat; he seemed to be dead.
The two officers waited for a moment before cautiously approaching the virus. The wolf cell followed them, unsure of whether Rabies was really dead or not. At this point, none of them were sure if they could trust their own eyes with what they had seen.
After checking out the body, Ozzie and Drix decided that Rabies had been dealt with- he hadn't moved for quite a while now. The only thing left to do was call in immunity to have the carcass dissolved.
Suddenly, as Ozzie reached for his cell phone, a great force pushed him and his partner to the ground. Whatever it was, it sure was heavy, and it had what felt like large paws...
Ozzie and Drix managed to turn themselves over to see the fierce, hungry face of Rabies! Apparently, the beast was a master of trickery, and it had worked so well that he now had two more fluid-filled meals.
Rabies pressed each of his paws down on his captives, painfully squeezing the juices out of them. He then leaned in close and tasted the sweet nectar, their cytoplasm samples causing the pouch on his chest to glow. As he grew ever larger, he looked deep into the eyes of his prisoners. "Thirst!" he growled. "You feed thirst, I kill man-wolf, I kill Frank!"
Frantically, Ozzie tried reaching for his gun as Drix searched for a fallen freeze capsule. Needless to say, both were unsuccessful, and they stared long and hard into what seemed to be the face of death.
Then, from out of nowhere, the wolf cell launched himself at Rabies and clamped onto his throat. After a moment of struggle from Rabies tossing his head, he finally let go and ran for cover as soon as he hit the ground.
Temporarily distracted, Rabies forgot his two captives and searched for the wolf. "Man-wolf!" he roared. "Kill man-wolf!!"
Once out of Rabies' grasp, Ozzie rushed over to Drix and helped him up. "Drix!" he exclaimed. "I know how to take out Rabies- for good!"
Drix placed his hand atop his head, still recovering from the shock of Rabies' 'resurrection'. "Continue," he urged.
Ozzie pointed to the fleshy pouch on Rabies' chest. "If we can hit that pouch, it just might be enough to stun him," he reasoned. "Drix, I need you to hit that pouch with another freeze capsule, then I'll hit it with an acid bullet. While he struggles to catch his breath, immunity will be halfway to the stomach with him."
As all this was going on, the wolf cell rushed to the sides of the two officers and hid in their shadows. Rabies followed, looming over the three organisms with fury burning in his eyes.
Building up his courage, Drix shot another freeze capsule at the beast's throat pouch. The impact covered the whole pouch with minty-fresh ice particles.
Enraged, Rabies howled in both pain and anger. The vibrations in his voice sent a mild tremor throughout the throat. That tremor was enough to cause Frank to cough!
A burst of air shot through the canyons of the throat, carrying Ozzie, Drix, Rabies, and the wolf cell up to the mouth. Fortunately, all of them landed in a pool of saliva near the back of the throat.
Pulling himself up from the saliva, Ozzie looked around. Drix, Rabies, and the wolf cell all laid unconscious next to him; see, as Frank coughed, Ozzie's finger slipped and he fired the acid bullet. Fearing the worst, he prayed that the bullet hit Rabies or at least the wolf cell; he would never forgive himself if he'd accidentally hit Drix.
Ozzie walked over to his partner. "Drix?" he asked. "Drix? You okay, man?"
Drix didn't answer him.
"Drix?" Ozzie asked again, now more worried. "Drix, if this is a joke, I'm not laughing."
No reply came from the cold pill.
The officer laid his hand on his partner's chest. "Drix, if you're alive, say something."
Unfortunately, Drix continued to lay in place, unmoving.
Tears began to appear out of the corners of his eyes. "Answer me!"
No response...
Distressed, Ozzie closed his eyes as tears fell on the body of his fallen comrade. 'It can't be,' he thought. 'Why, Frank? Why'd you take him? Why didn't you take me?!'
The wolf cell, sensing Ozzie's great distress, uneasily stood, hobbled over to Drix, and licked his face. Sure enough, Drix squinted a little and gently pushed the beast aside. "That will be quite enough," he said to the wolf cell, then turning his attention to Ozzie. "Jones, what's wrong? You have tears streaming down your face."
Just as Ozzie was about to reply, they felt Rabies move a little. The bullet had grazed his throat pouch, enough for fluids to leak through and be absorbed by the tongue. The loss of nutrients from the cytoplasms caused the creature to shrink. Eventually, he stopped shrinking at a size a little larger than the wolf cell.
As Drix called for the immunity task force, Ozzie rubbed Rabies' back. "I like you this way, Rabies," he commented, "nice and small."
An hour or so later, immunity arrived along with a news crew, who wanted to interview Frank's newest heroes. As the force drove away with Rabies' body in-tow, Ozzie and Drix pushed past a multitude of reporters who wanted the inside story.
The Chief came up next to the two officers. "Congratulations, boys," he said with a smile. "I don't know how you two did it alone."
"Actually, that's not entirely true," Drix corrected. "We had the help of another one of Frank's somewhat unrecognized citizens."
Nodding in agreement, Ozzie looked around. "Say, where is our partner, anyway?" he asked.
Drix pointed out towards a tooth crevice. "I believe I saw him venture that way," he answered. "Perhaps we should find him and let him share some of the glory?"
"I like the way you think, Drix," Ozzie replied. "Let's go find him."
Ozzie and Drix walked into the darkness of the mouth, in search of their wolfine buddy. When they finally found him, he was crouching low on the ground and looking upwards.
Curious, Drix tilted his head to see what it was the wolf cell was looking at. "Now that is interesting," he remarked. "Osmosis, look at this- there's a light on the roof of Frank's mouth, and it's depicting every phase of the moon. Jones? Jones?"
What Drix didn't know was what Ozzie was looking at- that light was coming from the wolf cell's forehead, and he wasn't any ordinary wolf cell either. As Ozzie watched the wolf's front legs thicken, his back legs lengthen, his tail shrink, and his long snout dissolve, it was clear by now that that beast was a werewolf! Stranger yet, that werewolf was...
"KAH-YEL?!!" Ozzie shrieked.
The body turned around in shock. Sure enough, Kah-Yel stood where the wolf cell used to be. He crouched back down and hid his face from them.
Drix looked to where Kah-Yel was positioned. He too was very surprised, but he wasn't about to believe what Ozzie was suggesting. "Jones, y- you must be h- h- hallucinating," he shakily responded. "I refuse to believe that Kah-Yel there is a- a- a-"
"A werewolf?!" Ozzie exclaimed.
"Were-person," Kah-Yel corrected, frightened. "I's born a wolf. Bright flash make me like this. Now, big light turn me person, an' little light turn me wolf 'gain."
Ozzie and Drix just stared at Kah-Yel for a moment. It just couldn't be happening; this was straight from one of Frank's dreams. They had to realize, though, that this was no dream, and what they were dealing with was real.
More calm now, Ozzie walked over to Kah-Yel. "Don't worry, pal," he reassured. "Drix and I won't tell anyone. You can trust us- we're friends, right?"
Kah-Yel smiled as he stood. "You sav-ed me from that big thing, too," he reasoned in his child-like voice. "We be pack buddies?"
Smiling back, Ozzie took Kah-Yel's hand and led him over to Drix. "I think we can do a little better," he replied. "Want to be a hero and get a free meal?"
Much later in the day, around lunch-time, Ozzie, Drix, and Kah-Yel (or "Kyle", as they called him in public) casually strode up to the glandwich shop. These heroes were hungry, especially Kah-Yel (though he was still very nervous; that shopkeeper didn't seem to like him much).
The three of them seated themselves at the main table. "Hey, shopkeeper!" Ozzie called, snapping his fingers. "Let's get some grub over here!"
Drix raised an eyebrow at the 'grub' remark. "I hope he's not serious," he whispered to Kah-Yel.
"I hope he is!" Kah-Yel squealed, licking his lips.
The shopkeeper walked up to the counter, smiling. "Well, if it isn't Frank's heroes," he greeted, his smile fading at the sight of Kah-Yel, "and our little food hound. Look, kid- you're nice and all, but you're ruining my business. Unless you've got carbs, I want you out."
Ozzie put his arm on Kah-Yel's shoulder. "Hey, pal!" he snapped. "This guy helped save Frank. The guy deserves at least a free sandwich."
"You're joking, right?" the shopkeeper replied caustically. "That guy? He couldn't save himself from a stray dog cell, let alone save Frank from a deadly virus!"
Fed up with the shopkeeper's doubts, Drix laid the front page of the 'Daily Frank' newspaper on the table, showing a picture of himself, Ozzie, Kah-Yel, the Chief, and Mayor Colonic. "Believe it," he said, flatly.
Frustrated, the shopkeeper shoved the newspaper off the table. "I don't care if he's the mayor of Frank!" he shouted. "He's making a mockery of my shop!"
The customers began to murmur to themselves. One by one, they stood and clapped for the new hero. It wasn't long before the whole shop was roaring with applause. Of course, Kah-Yel felt very flattered and clapped back, grinning.
"Strange," Ozzie countered. "You said he was ruining your business; from what I'm seeing here, he's helping your business if anything. I think he deserves two sandwiches."
The shopkeeper was appalled. "Two?!!" he screamed. "Are you insane?!"
Drix found this whole argument to be quite idiotic and thought he'd stop it before it got any further. "Perhaps you'd like to try for three?" he remarked.
Sighing, the shopkeeper gave up; he had no choice. "Two free sandwiches coming up," he obliged reluctantly. "It'll be a few minutes, boys." With that, he slunk away to the back room.
Kah-Yel smiled and looked at Ozzie and Drix. "Thankies 'gain," he said happily. "You guys is really nice. Can I... can I join your pack?"
"On occasion," Drix confirmed, patting Kah-Yel on the back. "You're sure that you can take care of yourself now?"
Crossing his arms, Kah-Yel nodded. "I growed up here," he explained. "I knows my way 'round." Of course, he fell out of his chair right after he said that.
Ozzie laughed. "Drix, I wouldn't worry about our new buddy here," he assured. "With us around, I think this kid's gonna turn out alright."
So, how was that, for a Halloween treat? Let me know! Review!!!
-Sabertooth Kitty =^.^=
I don't own any of the characters mentioned here, other than Kah-Yel/Kyle.
Rated PG, mainly for violence
AUTHOR NOTE: I desperately wanted to write a Halloween fic for "Osmosis Jones", and my original story line (while a little more exciting) was far too long. So, I gave up on that idea and came up with a shorter story.
One more thing- I have a brand new character here. His name is Kah-Yel, but he's sometimes called Kyle. He acts and speaks very much like a five-year-old, even though he's fully grown, but there is a reason for it...
Okies, that's it. Enjoy, and happy Halloween!! *cackles madly*
"Things seemed to be going well for one Frank Detorri on the night of October 31. His daughter was off trick-or-treating, and he was at home, watching his all-time favorite scary movie- 'Frankenstien and the Wolfman Meet Freddie Kruger'. Of course, he fell asleep half-way through it, but that's not the point I'm making here.
"Anyway, for quite some time, Frank hadn't paid attention to a large scar on his arm. He had gotten it last week, when he came across a stray dog that bit him. Our buddy Frank didn't think much of it; if only he knew what was really going on..."
Earlier that day...
A tall, lanky cell made his way through the neighborhoods of Frank's arm. He rubbed his greasy hands on his torn clothes. Brushing away a clump of his short hair, a strange pictograph could be seen; it was a large circle, with every phase of the moon grafted into it. His gait was troubled yet leisurely, and his face showed great interest in the world around him.
The cell turned around and noticed an open glandwich shop. He licked his lips pleasingly. "Food..." he said, picturing a double cheesebooger in his mind. "Eat now, 'fore dark comes."
Smiling, the cell sauntered over to the shop and sat down on one of the stools. He sniffed the air, drooling over the smell of the grease alone. 'Wonder where food is,' he thought as he anxiously looked for anything that matched that oh-so-delicious scent.
Not too far from the hungry cell, two organisms- a white blood cell and a cold pill- were talking with each other. The carefree white blood cell was known as Osmosis Jones, and the by-the-book cold pill sitting with him was his close friend, Drix. Despite their differences, they seem to get along quite well.
Ozzie looked around the shop and noticed all the scary decorations. "Man, there just ain't no holiday like Halloween," he commented. "Costumes, candy, parties, creepy stories..."
As Ozzie further described the strange customs of Halloween, our hungry little friend had fallen onto the floor and scrambled under their table. Whether anyone noticed him or not he didn't care- he just wanted to eat!
"It sounds as if you enjoy this holiday," Drix remarked as he looked at all the questionable items displayed around the shop. "Why, dare I ask, do you enjoy it so much? Halloween seems so... frightening. Why celebrate such an unwelcoming holiday?"
Laughing, Ozzie placed his hand on Drix's shoulder. "That's the whole point," he explained. "Halloween is a holiday when people WANT to get scared, for the fun of it. That's why we've got so many awesome stories about monsters- vampires, mummies, werewolves-"
Suddenly, a great force threw their table against a nearby wall. "Where wolf?!!" a panicked voice shouted. "Where wolf?! Where wolf?! Where's wolf?"
The two officers stared at this new figure. He was a tall, skinny kid, wearing a messy shirt, torn pants, and a childish smile. Though he seemed to be fully grown, he was acting like a toddler. In fact, when he looked up at them, all he could do was giggle.
Before they could speak, the shopkeeper walked in from the back room and grabbed the kid by his shirt collar. "Not you again!" he yelled. "How many times have I told you to stay away from my shop?!"
The cell could only smile. "Hi!" he squealed.
The shopkeeper sighed and dragged his unwanted customer to the door. "Listen, I don't have any free food for you to steal," he snapped harshly. "I am getting sick and tired of you coming in and begging for food. If you don't have carbs, I don't want you here!"
"Hungry," the cell whined. "Want food. You gots food. You give me food?"
Sighing in aggravation, the shopkeeper pushed his customer back onto the streets. "Get out of here, you moocher!" he barked. "Go on! Scram!"
The cell waited by the shop door for a few minutes before reluctantly sauntering away. 'Why he so mean?' he thought. 'I just hungry.'
Coming to a curb, the cell sat in the corner and fussed with his hair. "First I different," he complained. "Then I alone. Now I hungry. What I do bad?"
Then, someone quietly laid an object next to the cell. He looked over his shoulder to see a double deluxe cheesebooger! Happily accepting this newfound fortune, he scarfed down the sandwich and licked the remaining contents off his face. "Thankie!" he praised, looking up towards the fleshy ceiling.
A hand rested on the cell's shoulder. "No prob," said a voice. "It's the least we could do after the shopkeeper trashed you like that."
Turning around, the cell noticed two new organisms. "Hi," said the white blood cell, standing next to what looked like a cold pill. "I'm Ozzie, and this is my buddy Drix."
The cell stood quickly, happy to see he had made some new friends. "I nam-ed Kah-Yel," he introduced himself. "You- you really likey me?"
Ozzie and Drix looked at each other, shrugged, and turned back to Kah-Yel. "Sure, why not?" Ozzie replied.
Noticing his exotic name and poor usage of grammar, Drix asked, "Are you new to Frank? Did you come here from another city?"
Kah-Yel thought for a moment, unsure. "I was born-ed someplace else," he answered, kneeling down. "Came when I just a little one."
Drix looked at Ozzie. "Well, he is foreign- we've figured out that much," he reasoned. "What is nationality is, exactly, I have yet to discover."
Before Ozzie could reply, Kah-Yel noticed the shine of Ozzie's FPD badge and grabbed it, admiring it for a moment. "Pretty," he commented, giggling. "It's shiny!"
Upset, Ozzie snatched his badge from Kah-Yel's grimy, greasy hands. "Yeah, it's shiny alright," he remarked, holding it up. "It's my official Frank PD badge- that means I'm the guy who gets to kick some serious germ booty!"
Drix rolled his eyes in disbelief. 'Here we go again,' he thought to himself.
On the other hand, Kah-Yel seemed quite happy. "You guys go find germs?!" he exclaimed. "That good! Good!"
Ozzie started to back away from the excitable Kah-Yel. "Yeah," he said. "Good, good..."
Kah-Yel looked around for a moment before coming closer to Ozzie and Drix. "I... I gotsa tell you something," he admitted worriedly. "There's a... A BAD THING."
"...Bad thing?" Ozzie thought aloud.
Confused as well, Drix began to question Kah-Yel's knowledge. "What is this... 'bad thing' that you speak of?"
Immediately, Kah-Yel began to express a detailed explanation. "Bad thing really big, really mean, relay scary!" he whined. "Bad thing very hungry, too! Bad thing kill lots! Bad thing almost kill me!!"
Intrigued, Ozzie came closer as well. "So, it's like a virus?" he questioned.
Nodding, Kah-Yel pointed down the street aways, to the area where Frank had been bitten by that dog. "Bad thing down there!" he yelped. "Stop bad thing! Please stop bad thing!"
Suddenly, Kah-Yel looked through the transparent ceiling of the scar and noticed that the sun in Frank's world had almost set. Worried, he didn't dare draw attention to his forehead; he already knew what was happening. Unfortunately, Ozzie and Drix had noticed it, too- the pictograph on Kah-Yel's forehead was glowing!
Scared beyond belief, Kah-Yel ran from the white blood cell and the cold pill. If they saw what was happening, they could mistake HIM for the bad thing!
Ozzie and Drix were about to follow behind him when Ozzie's cell phone rang. When Ozzie answered, he was very surprised to hear a familiar voice. "JONES!!"
"Chief?" Ozzie asked. "What are you doing calling me on my cell?"
The Chief sighed over the other line. "Because you wouldn't respond over the intercom!" he bellowed. "Listen we've got an emergency- apparently, something's been crawling around the area on Frank's arm. It's so bad that anyone who hasn't already been killed has evacuated the area. We suspect it came from that dog. Since you and Drix are in the area, I want you two to check it out, got it?"
Nodding in reply, Ozzie responded, "We'll be there as soon as we can, Chief." He hung up his cell phone and briefly explained the situation to Drix. As they returned to the patrol car, neither of them could help but wonder if Kah-Yel and the Chief were talking about the exact same virus...
"Man, the Chief sure wasn't kidding," Ozzie commented, looking at the neighborhood they had entered. "This place is totally empty, and it looks like the handiwork of a virus to me."
Then, Drix noticed something out of the corner of his eye. "Jones, pull over," he requested. "I believe I might have found a clue as to who caused this."
Ozzie parked the car just a few feet away from another. The hood looked as if something had ripped it's way inside to get at whatever it wanted.
The two officers saw a hand resting over the driver's window. They looked inside to find a very disturbing clue. "It's a cyst," Ozzie concluded with a sigh. "This guy was once a cell- now all that's left is the membrane. It looks like whatever killed him licked his body clean of any molecule even resembling cytoplasm."
"This is horrific," Drix commented, looking at Ozzie. "What kind of virus would do this?"
A moment later, a scrawny wolf-like figure strolled their way. It looked as if it was beaten or starved. Just the same, his gait seemed bouncy and energetic.
The wolf cell approached the two officers cautiously, then noticing Ozzie's badge. He leaped forward, clenched the badge in his jaw, and ran for dear life.
"Hey!" Ozzie shouted. "Stupid mutt! That's my Frank PD badge! Drop it now, boy!"
Despite Ozzie's efforts, the wolf cell continued running. If he liked his badge so much, he'd have to come and get it first.
Infuriated, Ozzie immediately ran after the beast, with Drix soon following close behind. They had a job to do, and all that dog could think about was play-time?!
Thankfully, the wolf cell soon dropped the badge and ran off. This new location was the last place he wanted to be.
Ozzie looked around and finally saw his badge. As he bent down to pick it up, a loud ear-shattering scream alerted him to the danger nearby.
Standing, Ozzie held his gun at the ready and slowly began to approach the source of the cry. Drix, responding to the alarming sound as well, quickly loaded a freeze capsule into his cannon-arm and soon followed his partner.
Turning a corner, the two officers then witnessed a horrifying scene- a monstrous creature crouched over a small car, it's hungered growls overcoming the mortifying screams of the driver. It wasn't long before the frightened cell became a cold cyst, and the beast threw the dead body over its shoulder as it grew larger.
Drix was absolutely appalled. "Oh my goodness!" he remarked. "Osmosis, please tell me you have some knowledge on a fearsome creature like that!"
The beast turned his head, fury burning deep within his eyes. He looked very much like a giant wolf, only much larger, with a membrane darker than midnight and a large, red, fleshy pouch on his chest, connected to a long red tube coming from the mouth. He sneered, cytoplasmic fluids seething from between his long, sharp teeth.
Ozzie swallowed hard and gave Drix a sidelong look. "That ain't no ordinary germ, Drix," he informed. "That's Rabies."
Confused and worried, Drix held his cannon-arm steady, ready to defend himself and his partner. "Beg pardon?" he questioned.
"Rabies is a multi-level virus," Ozzie explained, keeping his eye on the fierce wolfine infection. "It's strongest in third-world bodies, like raccoons, but it's clever enough to sneak into more domestic bodies, like dogs and even humans like Frank. Wherever it goes, the story is always the same- it causes so much chaos in the body that the city must be forced into depression. Then it goes directly to the subconscious in the brain and destroys it, causing a mental breakdown; sometimes, it's so bad that the person goes insane. While the mayor of the city tries to stop it, the beast prepares an ambush so he can trap and eventually kill him. After that, it's not long before the city dies due to complications in the absence of the mayor."
Turning to Drix, Ozzie added, "We've got to stop this thing- NOW- before it gets too out of hand."
Drix looked at Rabies, then the cyst, and then at Ozzie. "Jones, let me ask you this," he requested. "What does it want with these innocent cells?"
Rabies licked his lips. "Food," he muttered. "Hungry. Always hungry. WANT FOOD!!"
While Drix pondered how that vicious beast could talk, Ozzie thought of something he hadn't before. "Drix?" he asked. "Does that sound like... Kah-Yel to you?"
"Kah-Yel?" the beast repeated, his anger peaking to all-out rage. "Man-wolf!"
Suddenly, Rabies broke between Ozzie and Drix, the force of his blow pushing them into opposite buildings. Charging down the street, he yelled "Kill man-wolf!!" as he unleashed his fury on anyone and anything that stood in his path.
A moment later, Ozzie stood and walked over to Drix to help him up. "Weird," he commented. "For a second, Rabies sounded a lot like Kah-Yel. It doesn't make sense why he just ran off like that."
Pondering Kah-Yel's own words for a moment, Drix recognized a few details Ozzie had over-looked. "Osmosis, do you recall Kah-Yel's vague description of the virus?" he inquired. "He said that it was very hungry. His other comments about the creature seem to be true as well- it's big, mean, and certainly scary. It also seems to have killed a multitude of cells in this area."
When Ozzie thought about it, Drix's logic seemed to make sense. There was one other thing he wanted to know about, though. "What was with that 'man-wolf' thing he was going on about?" he asked. "Rabies is practically advertising the term all around Frank, but he only brought it up when I mentioned Kah-Yel. Kinda suspicious, don't you think?"
"Keep in mind, Jones, that they speak a similar dialect, if not the same," Drix pointed out. "Perhaps they're enormous, or Rabies just wants to kill him for one reason or another."
Ozzie was about to question that when his cell phone rang... again. He answered, though he didn't even need to touch it to know who it was. "Hello?"
"JONES!!" the Chief's voice blared. "What happened back there?! The virus is headed towards the brain, and it's not too happy! The mayor's even called for a state of depression so we can sort this whole thing out! Catch up with it, NOW!"
Hanging up, Ozzie started running back to the car. "Drix, we gotta run!" he shouted. "Rabies is headed for the brain! If we hurry, we can cut him off by the throat!"
As the two officers got into the patrol car and sped off, a small wolf-like organism reappeared from the shadows. That virus was smarter than he appeared, and he knew that the right thing to do was to follow and help Ozzie and Drix in any way he could. He didn't have much of a choice- if he didn't help, he'd just die anyway.
After taking numerous back roads and driving unbelievably fast, Ozzie and Drix finally reached the throat. Better yet, they were far ahead of Rabies, or at least ahead enough to cut him off before he could reach the brain.
Ozzie parked the car in a small crevice in the throat. He didn't want to take the chance at being discovered so early- Rabies had grown a lot since he last saw the beast. The depression had reached the "loss of appetite" stage, and that is really bad in Frank's case! Already, Rabies was getting exactly what he wanted, but there was no way he was going to get past Ozzie and Drix (at least, that's what they hoped for).
Once outside the car, Ozzie crawled up a nearby cliffside. "Drix!" he called down to his partner. "Follow me! I've got a plan!"
Aways down the throat, Rabies forcibly made his way to the brain. He had consumed a huge number of cell's cytoplasms, and the nutrients within them had enlarged him to the size of the period at the end of this sentence (cell-wise, that's BIG).
Still, even with all the lives he took, Rabies was unsatisfied. He hungered for more cytoplasms, especially Kah-Yel- that coward should have died with his siblings. True, his parents were lucky enough to flee the scene, but Kah-Yel was special. The wolfine virus wouldn't rest until that... THING's cytoplasm was festering within his pouch.
Sniffing the air, Rabies sneered. "Man-wolf," he breathed. "Man-wolf near... kill man-wolf..."
"Jones, do you see him?" Drix asked, looking over Ozzie's shoulder.
Ozzie shrugged. "Not yet," he replied, "but be on your guard, Drix. He's almost here- I can feel it."
The two officers were on the lookout for Rabies atop a cliffside within the canyons of the throat. Ozzie watched out for the infection with a pair of binoculars while Drix held his cannon-arm steady, waiting for Ozzie's command.
Suddenly, Ozzie thought he felt something touch his shoulder. Looking out of the corner of his eye, he saw the wolf cell from earlier. It had rested his head on Ozzie's shoulder and tried to look through the binoculars, just out of curiosity.
Drix looked down to see Ozzie and the wolf cell. "Well, Osmosis," he said with a smile, "it seems as if our little friend has followed us here."
"Really?" Ozzie snapped sarcastically. "You know, I couldn't tell."
The wolf cell anxiously sniffed Ozzie's arm and began to whine. He tugged at Ozzie's jacket, hoping it would reveal the problem he was trying to show him.
However, Ozzie saw the wolf's gesture as an invitation to play- one he would have to turn down for now. He pulled his jacket away, the fabric of the sleeve ripping away from the force.
Now Ozzie was furious; this was his favorite jacket, and that mutt ruined it! He raised his hand to smack the wolf cell on the snout when Drix grabbed his arm. "Jones," he halted, "look at your arm."
Ozzie lowered his hand and looked at his arm. A large puncture penetrated the membrane of his arm, and small droplets of cytoplasm leaked through the wound. Once more, it didn't look like the wolf cell's handiwork; it looked more like the result of an attack executed by...
"Rabies must have done this," Ozzie concluded. "It must have been from earlier, when he broke between us."
Drix suddenly decided to look at his own arm. Sure enough, a narrow crack ran down his lower arm. Some type of yellowish-green fluid was apparent, though certainly not enough to be lethal.
Looking over the cliffside, the wolf cell began whimpering and hid behind Ozzie and Drix. Something was coming, and it wasn't reinforcements.
Grabbing his binoculars, Ozzie soon saw what it was that made the wolf cell run for cover. "Rabies is coming," he warned. "Drix, when I give the signal, you shoot."
Nodding, Drix carefully watched as the huge beast bounded over the horizon, moving ever closer to them. Rabies had certainly grown- he was so enormous that the cold capsule wasn't sure Ozzie's plan would work. Still, he had faith in his partner.
Then, just as Rabies was moments from their position, Ozzie shouted "Now!"
In an instant, Drix fired. The freeze capsule blasted into the creature's side, the blow sending him to the ground. Rabies laid motionless on the floor of the throat; he seemed to be dead.
The two officers waited for a moment before cautiously approaching the virus. The wolf cell followed them, unsure of whether Rabies was really dead or not. At this point, none of them were sure if they could trust their own eyes with what they had seen.
After checking out the body, Ozzie and Drix decided that Rabies had been dealt with- he hadn't moved for quite a while now. The only thing left to do was call in immunity to have the carcass dissolved.
Suddenly, as Ozzie reached for his cell phone, a great force pushed him and his partner to the ground. Whatever it was, it sure was heavy, and it had what felt like large paws...
Ozzie and Drix managed to turn themselves over to see the fierce, hungry face of Rabies! Apparently, the beast was a master of trickery, and it had worked so well that he now had two more fluid-filled meals.
Rabies pressed each of his paws down on his captives, painfully squeezing the juices out of them. He then leaned in close and tasted the sweet nectar, their cytoplasm samples causing the pouch on his chest to glow. As he grew ever larger, he looked deep into the eyes of his prisoners. "Thirst!" he growled. "You feed thirst, I kill man-wolf, I kill Frank!"
Frantically, Ozzie tried reaching for his gun as Drix searched for a fallen freeze capsule. Needless to say, both were unsuccessful, and they stared long and hard into what seemed to be the face of death.
Then, from out of nowhere, the wolf cell launched himself at Rabies and clamped onto his throat. After a moment of struggle from Rabies tossing his head, he finally let go and ran for cover as soon as he hit the ground.
Temporarily distracted, Rabies forgot his two captives and searched for the wolf. "Man-wolf!" he roared. "Kill man-wolf!!"
Once out of Rabies' grasp, Ozzie rushed over to Drix and helped him up. "Drix!" he exclaimed. "I know how to take out Rabies- for good!"
Drix placed his hand atop his head, still recovering from the shock of Rabies' 'resurrection'. "Continue," he urged.
Ozzie pointed to the fleshy pouch on Rabies' chest. "If we can hit that pouch, it just might be enough to stun him," he reasoned. "Drix, I need you to hit that pouch with another freeze capsule, then I'll hit it with an acid bullet. While he struggles to catch his breath, immunity will be halfway to the stomach with him."
As all this was going on, the wolf cell rushed to the sides of the two officers and hid in their shadows. Rabies followed, looming over the three organisms with fury burning in his eyes.
Building up his courage, Drix shot another freeze capsule at the beast's throat pouch. The impact covered the whole pouch with minty-fresh ice particles.
Enraged, Rabies howled in both pain and anger. The vibrations in his voice sent a mild tremor throughout the throat. That tremor was enough to cause Frank to cough!
A burst of air shot through the canyons of the throat, carrying Ozzie, Drix, Rabies, and the wolf cell up to the mouth. Fortunately, all of them landed in a pool of saliva near the back of the throat.
Pulling himself up from the saliva, Ozzie looked around. Drix, Rabies, and the wolf cell all laid unconscious next to him; see, as Frank coughed, Ozzie's finger slipped and he fired the acid bullet. Fearing the worst, he prayed that the bullet hit Rabies or at least the wolf cell; he would never forgive himself if he'd accidentally hit Drix.
Ozzie walked over to his partner. "Drix?" he asked. "Drix? You okay, man?"
Drix didn't answer him.
"Drix?" Ozzie asked again, now more worried. "Drix, if this is a joke, I'm not laughing."
No reply came from the cold pill.
The officer laid his hand on his partner's chest. "Drix, if you're alive, say something."
Unfortunately, Drix continued to lay in place, unmoving.
Tears began to appear out of the corners of his eyes. "Answer me!"
No response...
Distressed, Ozzie closed his eyes as tears fell on the body of his fallen comrade. 'It can't be,' he thought. 'Why, Frank? Why'd you take him? Why didn't you take me?!'
The wolf cell, sensing Ozzie's great distress, uneasily stood, hobbled over to Drix, and licked his face. Sure enough, Drix squinted a little and gently pushed the beast aside. "That will be quite enough," he said to the wolf cell, then turning his attention to Ozzie. "Jones, what's wrong? You have tears streaming down your face."
Just as Ozzie was about to reply, they felt Rabies move a little. The bullet had grazed his throat pouch, enough for fluids to leak through and be absorbed by the tongue. The loss of nutrients from the cytoplasms caused the creature to shrink. Eventually, he stopped shrinking at a size a little larger than the wolf cell.
As Drix called for the immunity task force, Ozzie rubbed Rabies' back. "I like you this way, Rabies," he commented, "nice and small."
An hour or so later, immunity arrived along with a news crew, who wanted to interview Frank's newest heroes. As the force drove away with Rabies' body in-tow, Ozzie and Drix pushed past a multitude of reporters who wanted the inside story.
The Chief came up next to the two officers. "Congratulations, boys," he said with a smile. "I don't know how you two did it alone."
"Actually, that's not entirely true," Drix corrected. "We had the help of another one of Frank's somewhat unrecognized citizens."
Nodding in agreement, Ozzie looked around. "Say, where is our partner, anyway?" he asked.
Drix pointed out towards a tooth crevice. "I believe I saw him venture that way," he answered. "Perhaps we should find him and let him share some of the glory?"
"I like the way you think, Drix," Ozzie replied. "Let's go find him."
Ozzie and Drix walked into the darkness of the mouth, in search of their wolfine buddy. When they finally found him, he was crouching low on the ground and looking upwards.
Curious, Drix tilted his head to see what it was the wolf cell was looking at. "Now that is interesting," he remarked. "Osmosis, look at this- there's a light on the roof of Frank's mouth, and it's depicting every phase of the moon. Jones? Jones?"
What Drix didn't know was what Ozzie was looking at- that light was coming from the wolf cell's forehead, and he wasn't any ordinary wolf cell either. As Ozzie watched the wolf's front legs thicken, his back legs lengthen, his tail shrink, and his long snout dissolve, it was clear by now that that beast was a werewolf! Stranger yet, that werewolf was...
"KAH-YEL?!!" Ozzie shrieked.
The body turned around in shock. Sure enough, Kah-Yel stood where the wolf cell used to be. He crouched back down and hid his face from them.
Drix looked to where Kah-Yel was positioned. He too was very surprised, but he wasn't about to believe what Ozzie was suggesting. "Jones, y- you must be h- h- hallucinating," he shakily responded. "I refuse to believe that Kah-Yel there is a- a- a-"
"A werewolf?!" Ozzie exclaimed.
"Were-person," Kah-Yel corrected, frightened. "I's born a wolf. Bright flash make me like this. Now, big light turn me person, an' little light turn me wolf 'gain."
Ozzie and Drix just stared at Kah-Yel for a moment. It just couldn't be happening; this was straight from one of Frank's dreams. They had to realize, though, that this was no dream, and what they were dealing with was real.
More calm now, Ozzie walked over to Kah-Yel. "Don't worry, pal," he reassured. "Drix and I won't tell anyone. You can trust us- we're friends, right?"
Kah-Yel smiled as he stood. "You sav-ed me from that big thing, too," he reasoned in his child-like voice. "We be pack buddies?"
Smiling back, Ozzie took Kah-Yel's hand and led him over to Drix. "I think we can do a little better," he replied. "Want to be a hero and get a free meal?"
Much later in the day, around lunch-time, Ozzie, Drix, and Kah-Yel (or "Kyle", as they called him in public) casually strode up to the glandwich shop. These heroes were hungry, especially Kah-Yel (though he was still very nervous; that shopkeeper didn't seem to like him much).
The three of them seated themselves at the main table. "Hey, shopkeeper!" Ozzie called, snapping his fingers. "Let's get some grub over here!"
Drix raised an eyebrow at the 'grub' remark. "I hope he's not serious," he whispered to Kah-Yel.
"I hope he is!" Kah-Yel squealed, licking his lips.
The shopkeeper walked up to the counter, smiling. "Well, if it isn't Frank's heroes," he greeted, his smile fading at the sight of Kah-Yel, "and our little food hound. Look, kid- you're nice and all, but you're ruining my business. Unless you've got carbs, I want you out."
Ozzie put his arm on Kah-Yel's shoulder. "Hey, pal!" he snapped. "This guy helped save Frank. The guy deserves at least a free sandwich."
"You're joking, right?" the shopkeeper replied caustically. "That guy? He couldn't save himself from a stray dog cell, let alone save Frank from a deadly virus!"
Fed up with the shopkeeper's doubts, Drix laid the front page of the 'Daily Frank' newspaper on the table, showing a picture of himself, Ozzie, Kah-Yel, the Chief, and Mayor Colonic. "Believe it," he said, flatly.
Frustrated, the shopkeeper shoved the newspaper off the table. "I don't care if he's the mayor of Frank!" he shouted. "He's making a mockery of my shop!"
The customers began to murmur to themselves. One by one, they stood and clapped for the new hero. It wasn't long before the whole shop was roaring with applause. Of course, Kah-Yel felt very flattered and clapped back, grinning.
"Strange," Ozzie countered. "You said he was ruining your business; from what I'm seeing here, he's helping your business if anything. I think he deserves two sandwiches."
The shopkeeper was appalled. "Two?!!" he screamed. "Are you insane?!"
Drix found this whole argument to be quite idiotic and thought he'd stop it before it got any further. "Perhaps you'd like to try for three?" he remarked.
Sighing, the shopkeeper gave up; he had no choice. "Two free sandwiches coming up," he obliged reluctantly. "It'll be a few minutes, boys." With that, he slunk away to the back room.
Kah-Yel smiled and looked at Ozzie and Drix. "Thankies 'gain," he said happily. "You guys is really nice. Can I... can I join your pack?"
"On occasion," Drix confirmed, patting Kah-Yel on the back. "You're sure that you can take care of yourself now?"
Crossing his arms, Kah-Yel nodded. "I growed up here," he explained. "I knows my way 'round." Of course, he fell out of his chair right after he said that.
Ozzie laughed. "Drix, I wouldn't worry about our new buddy here," he assured. "With us around, I think this kid's gonna turn out alright."
So, how was that, for a Halloween treat? Let me know! Review!!!
-Sabertooth Kitty =^.^=