Chapter 10: The Revenge Plan

Brian's POV

Winston Churchill's bunker, Paddock. The place I considered home ever since I was released from juvey and my own parents disowned me. The underground caverns that Churchill used during World War 2 had stopped with it's two to three visits per year several years ago, essentially making it abandoned. Anyone who believed me if I told them I lived down there would probably ask me how I even get in said bunker, well, for whatever reason, they never had any security around the place and that made it all too easy for me to break in and live there probably for the rest of my life. With Kevin and this Cruella woman having me join them to get our own back at Cody. Getting those two here wasn't exactly easy since we'd pretty much have to lurk in the darkest corners of the city to not get spotted by anyone. Chances are if anyone were to find out those two were out of jail, then this bunker would be the last place they'd look.

There were very few rooms that had furniture, said furniture being worn and collecting a lot of mould and dust from lack of maintenance. In one of these rooms, Kevin, Cruella and I were sat at a metal table, already thinking about how we were gonna do this.

"So… We already a good idea on where those Dalmatians are. And even though they still believe I'm rotting in a cell where I belong, one of them is a real brainiac and will no doubt have the place fortified should I ever strike again. And the many times my pathetic excuse of a grand nephew has failed trying to capture even one of them has told me enough that they're smarter than we think." Cruella explained, grimacing as she mentioned her grand nephew before pulling out a layout plan on a large house. "Brian, we'll need you to retrieve the Dalmatians, every single one of them. And Cody. Do whatever you must to get in and bring them here. Any questions?" She instructed me before asking that.

"Just one. What exactly do you want the Dalmatians for?" Cruella just grinned at me before replying. "All will be revealed soon, my dear. Now off with you. Me and Kevin here have some things to discuss." I nodded as I made my way to the surface.

To think that teenage puppy I messed with eleven years ago was just outside the house he and Cody lived. 101 Dalmatian Street, how fitting. I thoroughly scanned the front of the house, making sure I didn't look suspicious to anyone if they saw me. I could just about make out some kind of tablet device next to the front door, maybe some kind of hand scanner. I glanced to my left to see a row of trash cans near the house. That was the very spot were Cody had not only somehow got my ass handed to me but in turned humiliated me in front of one of his so-called brothers.

I walked around until I was facing the back of the neighbourhood. I did not expect to see a brick wall full of paintings of other Dalmatians in various poses. One in the middle was a man with two of the Dalmatians sitting at each side of him, their arms wrapped around him. It didn't take me long to figure out who the guy was and as I did, I growled and spat in the face of the person painted on the wall. It was like he was mocking me with that stupid smile on his face. Well, he won't be smiling for long.

I noticed a small hole in the wall and peeked through it. Christ, there must've been maybe thirty of those dogs all hanging around in the back garden. One however caught my attention. He was in a white tank top stained with dirt and shorts that had similar stains on and was thrashing his hands against the ground, digging a hole. That was when I remembered that when Cruella tried to snag them once before, this particular dog who was probably a nine year old puppy back then had dug into the ground and made an escape route so the family could evade her. Should I strike again, they'll no doubt use that tunnel to escape. Unless if I fill that hole myself.

My thought was cut short when my view of the dogs was suddenly blocked by an eye looking through the hole and staring directly back at me, probably belonging to one of those Dalmatians. I quickly moved away from the hole before hearing a voice from the other side of the wall.

"Hey Dylan, I think there's a peeping tom on the other side of this wall!"

Shit. If I was caught now, I was good as dead. Quickly, I made off as fast as possible away from the neighbourhood.

I wrote down what I learned and figured out back at Dalmatian Street. It may not be much but at least now I had a foresight on their possible escape plan when the time was to strike. Next step, for me at least was to look online for anything that may help with this plan. If I recall correctly, Kevin had learned that Cody was still breathing after watching a commercial that involved him and three of his family named the 'Triple D'. Using the park's free Wi-Fi, I looked on my phone for any social media accounts under that name, quickly finding one on Twitter. Loading up their page, I scrolled down until my eyes stopped on a tweet containing a photo. It looked to be a selfie of the Triple D with some kid, the tag-line above reading 'Met this totes cute urban human being raised by our sis' Dolly's foxy friend, Fergus!' complete with heart and fox emojis. I saved the photo into my phone's album before hearing a two voices in the far distance.

Following the said voices, I peered from a wall into a canal tunnel to see that same kid conversing with a fox in a tank top and shorts.

"So Trev, how are you enjoying life with us in the streets?" The fox asked as he and the kid both were enjoying a few snacks.

"Well I have to admit, Fergus, it's better than the life I had before I met you. If I we never met that one night, I probably would've died alone a year later. So… Thanks for saving my life." The fox who I now knew as Fergus smiled in response.

"Hey thanks, kiddo. Honestly, you've been a big help to us in the crew. Who'd thought a humie like you would survive out here for so long? ...Say, you talked with Cody recently? Last I heard about him from Big Fee was that he was looking for a girl." So they knew Cody as well. This was perfect, the kid I could get some good info would give me enough info on how to get him.

"Oh yeah, came across him on the same day I bet one of his sisters to eat chocolate. ...I felt a little bad on making that girl get a stomach ache so I snagged some magazines I think she'd like and got Cody to give them to her." Fergus smiled again at the kid before tossing away his empty snack boxes and sitting next to him.

"Trevor, I think urban humans like you are the types of humies I love the most. You're tough but caring and charitable." He patted the teen's back as he smiled back at him before his face fell into thought.

"Fergus… There's something I want to ask you."

"Eh? Well sure, ask away, Trev!"

"...Even if it's only been a few days, you've cared for me and taught me so much, just like Cody's mum and dad did." Trevor hesitated a little before continuing.

"So… Would it be okay if instead of 'Fergus'… I called you 'da-'" Trevor's question was cut off as I noticed Fergus' ears straighten upwards and he looked around with a focused look on his face.

"Hold that thought, Trev. ...Something doesn't feel right." Fuck. I think he knows I'm here. I was about to slowly turn and leave before he could catch me until I noticed his eyebrows raise like he had just realised something. "Oh, that's right! I was supposed to help Hansel with something! Hang here, Trev, I'll talk to ya later!" He quickly sprang up onto his feet and rushed off before Trevor could protest. The teenager watched the fox vanish into the distance before looking down at the ground with a sigh. With enough information for today, I quickly headed back to the bunker.

The familiar scent of mould and worn stone hit my nostrils as I made my way down below the ground surface, my footsteps echoing slightly across the hallway and it wouldn't be until a few seconds later when I heard the faint voices of Cruella and Kevin behind the door. Opening it up, I looked in the room to see the two still in conversation, the latter with a beer bottle in his hands and looking a little intoxicated.

"...I never even got to say goodbye to her. Maria was the most beautiful woman in the world and she meant everything to me." He mumbled in deep melancholy before balling up a fist. "If I had just pulled out that night and stopped that little mistake from being born… She could've still been alive to this day." Cruella placed a hand of Kevin's shoulder. "I'm sure Miss Wester misses you dearly." She said compassionately before looking over at me. "Ah. Brian, how much dirt do you have on those Dalmatians?" She grinned as she walked over to me.

"Enough to know of one of their possible plans of escape and how to roadblock it." I grinned back at her before showing her my phone which was set on the photo I had saved of the Triple D and Trevor. "And that kid in the photo? He knows them. And I have a fairly good idea on how we can get those Dalmatians and Cody here." My grin went wider as what I had in mind repeated itself as I felt Cruella's fingers on my back.

"Brian, my dear, you do nothing but impress me. Keep this up and I can very well call you a De Vil of my own." I smirked at the idea of that. Anything was better than living alone in the dingy barely lit tunnels underground and that could also mean, I'd be living a better life if Cruella got rich from whatever she was planning to do with the dogs.

"Just one thing." I started before looking over at Kevin. "When we bring Cody here, I get first dibs on him. I beat him up as much as I want and then I'll leave him with you. Let me do that and I'll get you a six pack of beer everyday until we're done here." I suggested. Kevin snarled at the idea with me knowing very well he wanted to screw over Cody as much as I did, I only hoped that my compensation of delivering alcohol to him would win this deal with him.

"...Done." He finally said, albeit a little reluctantly as we both shook hands on it.

All we had to do now was follow through on my first phase of the plan and then decide on when the perfect chance would be to strike.