The next demented morning in Hell had come and a demonic rooster with three eyes and a an extra sharp beak screeched in the sky as the red Hellish sun arisen. Mornings in Hell, particularly the wrath ring were beautiful (in a twisted way).
Cody slowly awoken from his warm slumber but something was wrong. very wrong.
One thing he noticed was that he felt rather horrible and his nose was all stuffy, and he felt dizzy in his head. Not only that, but he felt a little achy he just didn't feel right at all. Loona came in the room and went to wake him up. "Morning Cody, how- Oh Shit!" she exclaimed as she looked at him.
"Morning Loona." Cody said before giving out a loud sneeze. "I don't feel so well."
"What happened to you?" Loona said.
"I don't know." said the boy in reply. "I have a runny nose, and I don't know what's wrong with me."
"That's not the only thing you have, kiddo." Loona pointed. She pulled out a hand mirror from one of her drawers and showed Cody his face.
The boy's face was covered in red spots like a bundle of rashes. Cody let out a scream and said: "Ah! What happened to me! I look like I got stung by hundreds of bees!"
"Relax, relax! shhh. calm down." Loona soothed him. "Looks like chicken pox."
"Chicken pox?" Cody said. "I haven't had that since I was five. I should see a doctor."
"Good idea." said the female hellhound. "Let me get Blitzo."
Meanwhile, Cody continued looking horrible and sick from whatever sickness or disease he has right now. He let out three more sneezes and inhaled his stuffy nose. Yes, he definitely felt sick.
Loona came in the room with Blitzo and the red male imp let out a look of horror and disgust. "Holy fucking shit! it looks like he has full-body herpes!"
"Blitzo!!!" Loona said before smacking him in the back of the head. "Don't say that! we need to get him into a doctor, dumbass!"
"Got it." said the imp. "I know just the guy."
Cody waited patiently on the doctors' with a thermometer in his mouth in another part of Hell. Loona and the imps were in human disguises so they wouldn't scare anyone in the medical building.
This doctor was a man with a goatee and looked like an old-fashioned kind of doctor.
He was gently feeling the kid's head and he said: "This is definitely a fever." he sounded like a pompous country club person that would talk down on others. His name was Doctor Goldstein
"How do you know this guy, Blitzo?" asked Moxxie
"He is a doctor that got screwed over by someone who impersonated him but paid me to get revenge on the imposter."
"Oh."
"Well, this does look serious." said the doctor.
"What's the diagnosis?" asked Loona with her arms crossed and looking unamused as always.
"Your little human friend here has a condition called Hellhound fever."
"Hellhound fever?" said Loona in surprise.
"Don't worry, it's just like any other common cold down here in Hell, Loony." said Blitzo
"Yes, it's nothing to worry about. Cody here will recover normally overtime." said Goldstein boldly. "Just make sure you get plenty of bed rest and take it easy."
"When will I be better?" asked Cody
"In a day or two, or even three." said Dr Goldstein. "Just do as I say, and you'll be just fine."
The imps sighed in relief hearing that. Loona however, didn't sound very convinced. She didn't know how humans would be affected by this illness. Heading back home, and going back to bed, Cody was watching some shows on an iPad to keep him from getting bored. Occasionally, he would sneeze once in a while.
Loona looked on through the door in a worried expression. "I hope he'll be ok, Blitzo." said Loona
"Come on, you heard the doctor, he specifically said-"
"I know what he said, dipshit!" Loona snapped. "It's fine for hellhounds and demons down here, but Cody's a human for Satan's sake! we don't know how it will affect him!"
"Ooh. good point." Blitzo realized.
"What if Loona's right, Blitzo?" asked Moxxie. "What if it kills him?"
"Shut the fuck up, Moxxie." said Blitzo. "I've seen it on many demons. And I think it won't do that much damage to the kid."
"Maybe you're right, sir." said Millie. They all left him alone for a little while over the course of the hours as he was still watching the iPad.
When he got bored with it, he took a little nap and dreamed of his parents again. At least one good thing came to him while he is sick.
"Come on, Loona." said Millie. "I think Cody will be fine. I'm a gal who believes in doctor's orders."
"You realize this is Hell, right?" asked Loona. "Anything can fucking happen down here."
"I haven't seen you worry this much, Loona." Moxxie admitted. "You're usually calm, aloof, cool, and collected."
Letting out a small sigh, the Hellhound said: "Yeah, i know. It's usually you that's worried, Moxxie. You know how to make a big deal out of everything."
"I agree, Loona." said Blitzo with a smug look on his face. "He can be such a fucking drama queen."
Moxxie just scowled and said: "At least Cody's sleeping right now." and he looked at the closed bathroom door.
"Yeah, just let him rest." said Loona.
Over the course of the hours, the boy was awake again and he was visited by some familiar faces. Loona's female hellhound friends, Serena and Crystal.
"Oh look at you." said Serena in a concerned voice. "You're sick as a dog."
"Don't say it like that, Serena." Crystal reprimanded her.
"No, it's ok, Crystal." the boy said before sneezing into his elbow again. it just feels like a regular cold." he then sniffed his stuffy nose. both the Hellhounds know that poor Cody was sick. In bed, and in his pajamas. "I'll be fine."
"Good." said Serena. "I'm sure you'll be fine too."
"Yeah, I'm sure it's like a cold as you said before." Crystal said. "If you want, I can get you some lemonade or orange juice from the store."
"They don't have alcohol, do they? You know I can't drink any of that stuff, right?"
"We know.' said Serena. "Don't worry, we'll get you non-alcoholic drinks." those words made Cody smile.
"Meantime, just rest up and take it easy." said Crystal. "We'll see you soon." they both gently patted his head and left the room, leaving Cody alone with his iPad to watch more cartoons.
About one hour passed and he was about to take a hot shower to clear out the sinuses a little more. Before he could go into the bathroom, he heard another knock on the door and he said: "Come in."
He smiled to see a friendly giant, none other that Vortex himself. "Cody, there you... oh." he caught sight of how ill he looked. "What are you doing out of bed?"
"I was... achoo! about to take a shower."
"Oh. OK. Well, I wanted to give ya some ice cream." he handed him over a vanilla chocolate sundae with sprinkles on it and Cody sat back down on the bed to eat it. "Hehehe. I knew you would love it." Vortex smiled.
"Thank you, Tex."
"You're welcome, Cody." the male hellhound gave him a pat on the back a few times. "Anything for a friend."
"Tex?" Cody stopped eating for a moment.
"Yeah buddy?"
"have you ever had Hellhound fever before?"
"Oh yeah. two times. it's like the common cold for us demons."
"Funny, Loona, Crystal, and Serena said that. And Blitzo too. But I'm a human and.. I didn't think I would get something like this before."
"Right? Believe, Cody. I am just as surprised as you you."
"But what if it does something horrible to me? I heard Loona say that she doesn't know how it will affect." he let out another sneeze into his arm. "ugggghhhhh. The guys keep saying i'll be fine, but they don't know for sure."
"You know Cody: fair enough, you're right. We don't know for sure. but what we do know is that you are a strong kid. I mean, look at you. You might be nine years old, but you are stronger than you know. Believe me."
Cody was thining about what he said, and Tex might be right. He has been down here in hell for a little while and he has faced some dangers and he was trying to be brave like when he faced Stella and Striker before their lives were taken by I.M.P.
"Yeah. That's true."
"Well, get well soon, Cody. See you later." he then exited the room and Cody ate the rest of his ice cream before taking that shower. It was nice and refreshing shower for him to enjoy and that cleared out his sinuses a little bit.
For the rest of the day he continued laying in bed and watching the iPad. He was about to take another nap when he was visited by Octavia and Stolas. "Ah, there you are, sweetie." said Octavia.
"Oh my. You do not look so well, Cody." Stolas admitted.
"Yeah. it's Hellhound fever." Cody coughed a little bit. "But they said it's like a regular cold. And... I am happy to see you guys but- achoo! what are you doing here?"
"What? A prince of Hell cannot visit a good friend of his? or a Goetia princess?" Stolas said amusingly.
Cody smiled and he was flattered to he visited by more friends. "I just don't wanna get you guys sick too."
"You do not have to worry about us, my boy." said Stolas.
"Yeah, we're immune to Hellhound fever." Octavia added
"Do you think you can make a cure for it?"
"Unfortunately no. we're royal demons, not doctors." the owl demon frowned.
"OK."
"Cody, did you see the news yesterday?" asked Octavia
Smiling again, the human boy said: "Yeah, I did. I'm just glad I helped you out, Octavia."
"I was just about to say that myself, Cody." the owl-demon princess said. she hugged him in her arms and she felt warm to him. "And I hope you get well really soon, Cody." she gave him another kiss on the forehead
"Ooh! and I almost forgot. I wanted to give you this as a reward." said Stolas before handing him a gift basket with some candy and a couple of video games.
"Wow. thanks Stolas." said Cody
"Anytime, my friend. anytime. Ta ta!" both the Goetia family members exited the room and Cody slept through the night when it was bedtime.
The Next Morning
As the rooster crowed again. Cody woke up from his bed and oddly, he didn't really feel sick at all. No, it was like he felt all better in an instant. It looksd like all that bed rest paid off for him.
Nevertheless, he got in the bathroom to take a shower and start a brand new day ahead of him. Scrubbing soap all over his little boy body, and rubbing his mid-length hair with shampoo and conditioner, Cody realized that he was probably feeling better already.
Yes, he didn't have a stuffy nose and didn't feel dizzy at all. He was rather puzzled, but he was glad. Looking at the mirror however made him think differently. He saw that he had completely changed into something else.
His face looked dog-like or puppy-like ajd he was covered with brown fur as if he had turned into a werewolf. "Aaaaaaaaahhhhhh!" he screamed at the top of his lungs three times as he was looking at his changed self. He had claws on his hands and his feet were canine-like. something like Loona a little bit. "What happened to me?!?!"
He heard the sound of rushing footsteps come into the bedroom. "Cody! Cody?!" it was Loona's voice, "Cody what's the matter?"
"Are you ok?" asked Moxxie.
"Let us in!" Millie added.
Not just them, but Vortex, Loona's female hellhound friends, and Stolas with his daughter were with Loona as well. "I can't come out!" said Cody. "I'm a freak! a hideous freak!"
"What are you talking about?" said Tex
"I just can't come out, ok?" Cody called out. "I need to be alone."
"Did you have another nightmare?" Loona asked
"I wish it was a nightmare!" Cody remarked.
"What does that even mean?" asked Blitzo
"I'm coming in there!" Loona said before using her left claw to lockpick the bathroom door and open it.
Turns out Cody was nowhere to be seen in the bathroom and Loona sniffed for him. "Go away." said the boy in a scared voice. "I'm a monster."
she opened the shower curtain to reveal Cody in the form of a hellhound pup rocking to and fro with a shocked look on his face.
"Whoa!" Loona said. "Look at you."
"I know. i'm hideous!" Cody said.
"No you're not." said Loona, giving him a sympathetic look. "Come here, let me lend you a hand."
"Oh crumbs." Moxxie said in surprise. "Cody, is that you?"
"Y-yeah. it's me." the child said.
"Ooh, you turned into a hellhound?" said Blitzo. "That looks nice on you."
"Not helping, Blitzy." Stolas chided him.
