(Untitled)
In the beginning, it was a nice day.
This is a word which here means 'pleasing', 'agreeable', or 'delightful', so it may come as a surprise to you, dear reader, to hear the day described as such, given the situation in Milliways these past two weeks. But then, 'nice' is such a relative term, don't you agree? And certainly it would be difficult for ( Read more... )
This is a word which here means 'pleasing', 'agreeable', or 'delightful', so it may come as a surprise to you, dear reader, to hear the day described as such, given the situation in Milliways these past two weeks. But then, 'nice' is such a relative term, don't you agree? And certainly it would be difficult for ( Read more... )
There's a story they tell about the end of the world - a cautionary tale for alarmists. It's about a chicken, because that's how these stories go, and about a lot of other fable-friendly animals, and about a sky that isn't falling down.
No false alarms this time.
The sky opens, with a sound like the foundations of the world being torn apart, and weeks' worth of gathering storms erupt all at once, in thunder and lightning and roiling clouds -
CRACK
- and flesh, and bone, and blood.
There are stories they tell about the end of the world that are full of fire and brimstone and wrath; the blood of the innocent, and the blood spilled in the hope that that day will never come. It's a running theme, in these types of stories. Death. And sacrifice.
CRRRRRRRRRACK
The Darkgate is open. The storm is gone. The sky is still a churning, early-evening dark, but the only sound left is the wind, and the faint hummmm of power ( ... )
Reply
The second one, though, that gets Crowley's attention. It sounded like the whole place was about to come down around their ears.
Emerging at a near-run from the bar, Crowley skids to a sudden halt, taking in the scene.
Reply
Reply
He ought to go back inside and wake Aziraphael. They've been taking it in shifts to watch for the door, amidst the rising tensions in the bar, but this is -
This is something else entirely, and suddenly Crowley's terribly, icily certain that they ought to both be awake. To be ready.
He's turning back towards the door when he sees the bodies. Three - no, two.
One of them is moving.
Within hailing distance of Enzo, still hurrying towards him:
"What's - what happened?"
Reply
Reply
The sky's been clouded over with red for days. Then again, nothing much else the kid said makes sense either - though the mention of a magnet makes Crowley's gaze flick anxiously to the humming silver hemispheres.
If they did this; if they're the source of the sudden rush of skin-crawling wrongness Crowley can feel -
Not now. This, first.
He draws to a halt beside Enzo, offering him his hand.
"Can you stand?"
Reply
Reply
(He's not very good at it. One thing, at least, he hasn't managed to pick up from Aziraphael.)
"That's a start. Can you walk?"
Reply
"Does anyone need first aid?"
Reply
(There's a crumpled shape over on the baseball diamond, one that looks mostly like a person.
But only mostly.)
Reply
But he hasn't recovered quite enough to resist properly. Yet.
Reply
(Crowley should know; he's been on the receiving end of it often enough.)
Hand still firmly on Enzo's elbow, he's frogmarching them towards the bar at as quick a pace as Enzo can manage.
Reply
Still, the man has a point.
But.
"'Sit time to evacuate?"
Reply
And the black space in the middle, dark and empty and deep, right where Crowley once almost pitched a perfect inning.
"Maybe."
Reply
That's a good compromise, he decides. Get himself recovered enough to be of use.
Reply
Besides, the kid is green. Who knows what he does for sustenance.
"You have anyone in here with you?"
Reply
Leave a comment