Page 181 of Demons Dig Donuts

Really, really bad.

Indy looked all around, swallowing hard.

Mr. Heiss was slowing down, dodging Mr. Mitternacht’s attacks with less success as the battle dragged on. Lou could barely stay on his feet and kept falling over. Seymour cried quietly as he held Sariel close, Gammy still hard at work healing him.

Aodnait was a tiny flame on Dill’s shoulder, too weak to keep fighting and in clear danger of going out. Day had given up on Murray’s leg and was now trying to eat his tail or at least take a good chunk out of it. Izba had been reduced to the first floor of the building, but he was valiantly kicking Murray over and over with no sign of tuckering out anytime soon.

Tanze and Underwood were there now, Azazel too, and they all took turns jabbing at Murray’s sides and underbelly, but they’d yet to do any visible damage.

No one had.

The dragon’s scales were too tough, but there had to be a way…

Oh no.

Indy had an idea.

A very stupid, stupid idea.

He sprinted to the parking lot, ignoring Gammy’s and Neil’s calls behind him. He didn’t stop until he reached the first row of cars, screaming, “Dill! Aodnait! I need you!”

Dill howled, clearly not wanting to leave Izba alone.

Izba took a break from stomping Murray to turn and bump Dill, pushing him away as the remaining side of his walls lit up with words.

GO NOW

I HAVE GOT THIS

Izba went back to wailing on Murray, shuddering as sections of asphalt curled up from the ground like peeling the wrapper off a Band-Aid on either side of him. He wielded them like arms, punching Murray furiously and driving him back. Murray tried to breathe fire at him, but Izba simply shifted the asphalt over to act as a shield.

A shield that was actively melting, but it gave Dill enough time to race over to Indy. He shrunk as he got closer, his face twisted up with worry as he cradled Aodnait’s tiny flame close. “Grow?”

“We’re gonna play basketball, okay? Know what basketball is? Okay, just follow me here for a second. We’re gonna play, but me and you are the ball, and Aodnait is gonna dunk us right over there—”

“Grow?”

“Yes! Now!”

“Grow!”

Death had been Indy’s greatest fear, and what he was about to do, well…

Fuck it.

Time to put up or shut up and all that, right?

For Gammy.

For his new friends. Seymour, Sariel, Neil, Lou, and yes, the crazy house, Izba, and all the spirits too. Myrna, Flanders, Day, Dill, and Aodnait.

For Raph.

For everyone.

Indy took a deep, shaking breath as Dill wrapped him up in a big leafy ball. He could see Aodnait growing bigger until she could pick up the ball like, well, a basketball. Indy’s stomach sloshed as she ran with them back to Murray, and Indy cringed, knowing what was coming and only being certain of one thing:

It was going to be awful.