Chapter Text
„…Radio is fucking dead!”
What an utter nonsense! Surely that arrogant, obnoxious and overconfident idiot had no idea how the things were going in Hell. Even after his seven-years disappearance Alastor could gladly tell that everyone was still fearing the Radio Demon. Not to mention his prime! When other overlords had started going missing, only to be found afterwards within his broadcasts as a new addition to his collection of screams, some sinners had been dreading to even speak his name. Even after all these years, Alastor had a pretty huge and loyal audience.
However, the deer demon didn’t have time to reflect on his thoughts further. There had appeared some kind of immense brightness, blinding him for a second. He didn’t have to open his eyes to know that something was very wrong.
„What just happened?”, he murmured, realizing in horror that the radio filter of his voice was gone. He looked around in alarm until his gaze fell on the cane he was firmly holding in his hands. The man noticed that it was broken in half. „Fffuck.”
That was all Alastor was able to articulate before he felt an excruciating pain, nearly making him lose his ever-present smile. He couldn’t help a screech when he felt like his entire torso was being ripped apart. For a moment he could have sworn that the dogs were back to finish him off just like it had been at the end of his human life, but this time there was no gunshot ending his agony. He hit the wall with his back, feeling as if someone had just stolen his ability to breathe, and bounced off it like a ragdoll, landing on his face.
Alastor wished he could stay in this position and just wait for the merciful embrace of death. He couldn’t move, he couldn’t breathe, he couldn’t stand this burning feeling in his chest…
But he had to. He needed to flee. Somewhere, anywhere. He couldn’t give this piece of trash the satisfaction of taking the Radio Demon’s life. Alastor slowly rose up to his knees, leaning on his shaking limbs. The blood kept dripping from his gigantic wound, staining his coat and palms. Black dots were dancing in his vision, yet between them he spotted Adam approaching him with his now covered in demon’s blood guitar-axe. The leader of the exorcist army was grinning insanely, ready to finish what he had started.
„Have to disagree with you there!”, exclaimed Alastor, forcing himself to sound as joyful as possible, as if he hadn’t just been fatally injured. He was relieved that he’d managed to sit up, and that his radio effect was back. Blood was dripping from his mouth when he was speaking, but he tried to ignore its metallic taste. So ironic that something he typically enjoyed so much was now making him nauseous. The man tried to stop the bleeding by pressing his arm to the wound, but it didn’t seem to help much. „Radio’s not dead, but it is ending this broadcast!”
With these words, Alastor let his shadow consume him, farewelled by the First Man’s triumphant laughter.
~~~
The deer demon teleported not so far away from the main battlefield and hid behind what was left of some wall; it was the closest site he could reach at that moment. He was shaking from the unbearable pain and the blood loss when he fell to his knees and leaned against the pleasantly cooling bricks. The overlord was panting heavily. He didn’t even have to unbutton his coat to look at his injuries; he knew too well that there was too late for him. After all, he’d died a few times, including his first death on Earth. The wound was too extensive to just sew it up and judging by the metallic taste he could still feel in his mouth, his internal organs were damaged, too. He couldn’t help himself with his magic since his cane, connected directly with his power, was now in parts. Alastor knew exactly he was going to die.
And this time, there would be no coming back.
He just understood that and felt the panic taking over him. If that was a normal injury, he’d rise from the dead shortly, but the angelic energy radiating from the abyss in his chest was a clear indicator that heavenly weapons were designed to take away demons’ lives permanently. There was no coming back to life as a sinner and there was no other afterlife ahead of him anymore. This time, he’d be dead forever, consumed by the never-ending void.
Alastor wanted to scream at this injustice. He’d been supposed to escape his deal! He’d been supposed to use his soon to be regained full power to make entire Hell his dominium! Now he’d never witness what else he could have accomplished if his life hadn’t been ending here.
He’d never get to see random sinners running away at the mere sight of him. He’d never be able to share another first-class cannibal meal with Rosie. He’d never party with Mimzy again. He’d never hear Niffty’s laughter at some of his blood-freezing stories. He’d never see Charlie at her full potential.
The deer demon lowered his head, feeling his throat tightening up unpleasantly. He wasn’t sure what hurt him more – his injuries or the awareness that he wouldn’t see another day.
Suddenly, he heard an earsplitting noise. His ears lay flat on his head, unable to stand such loudness. Thick dust rose into the air, making Alastor cough. He stuck his head out from behind the wall in curiosity and felt his heart pounding rapidly.
His beloved Radio Tower, his favourite place ever beside his mother’s kitchen, was now only a few meters from him.
The overlord smiled widely, deeply touched by that. Everything around him was now in ruins, including the hotel itself, but his studio had found him just when he’d needed it the most. It hadn’t failed once to cheer him up when he’d had a rough day and it had brought him this final piece of solace in the hour of his death.
Alastor used his last remnants of energy that he had left to stand up, holding onto the wall with his hand, and started moving towards the Radio Tower with heavy steps. He managed to crawl into his studio, leaving enormous blood stains behind himself. The man collapsed to the floor and let out a silent cry.
He didn’t care anymore about how he appeared himself to be. No one was here anyway. He always had known he’d die alone. He had on Earth, and he would in Hell.
Alastor turned to his side, curling up in pain. The red liquid escaping from his body turned into a rather large puddle of blood beneath him. He could feel it sticking to his clothes, but all of his layers were all covered in it anyway.
The deer demon could feel his pain lessening gradually, meaning that he was slowly drifting off. He relaxed a bit; he still couldn’t believe that he was able to pass away in his beloved studio and not behind a random wall. He looked up and saw through a window that the portal in the sky was opened. The angels were retreating.
Had Hell won? Alastor couldn’t help a weak smile. Such a shame he wouldn’t be able to celebrate with the rest. In his last moments he wasn’t afraid anymore to admit that he, in fact, had grown attached to this abnormal place and its residents. He wondered whether the feeling was mutual.
With that final smile, the Radio Demon greeted the darkness.
~~~
The angels had finally left, leaving the ruined hotel behind. Among countless corpses of both exorcists and cannibals, Charlie couldn’t be more relieved, seeing most of her friends safe and sound.
Well, she could actually, she thought almost immediately. It still hadn’t gotten to her that Sir Pentious was gone. Her second guest, learning how to be a better person so quickly… If giving his life for his friends wouldn’t grant him redemption, she didn’t know what would.
And her poor Dazzle… The princess’ heart ached at the thought that his twin Razzle would now be so lonely. Her two lively goats had been her loyal company for years, and now one of them had been taken from her. When she had found KeeKee in the ruins and spotted Angel Dust and Fat Nuggets reunite, she felt her heart warming up a bit. At least most of their pets were safe.
Another thing that kept worrying Charlie was the fact that Alastor had been missing ever since his encounter with Adam. She knew that he wouldn’t leave the battlefield without a significant reason so his prolonged absence was giving her chills. She had also seen Husk and Niffty leaving the rest of the group and going to a secluded place. Had they been determined to find their souls’ owner, too? Why hadn’t they taken anyone else for their search?
Just when the girl had thought that, she heard the footsteps. She turned around and gazed at her staff. Husk was looking strangely perturbed and Niffty was weeping sorrowfully.
„Shit, what happened?”, asked concerned Charlie, running towards them. „I mean, apart from Pentious.”
The cyclope demon tried to say something, but she couldn’t articulate any words, still sobbing.
„I have no idea how to tell you, either”, murmured the bartender, peeking at the maid.
The princess felt her heart pounding swiftly. She suspected what she was about to hear, but there was still a glimmer of hope in her that she was wrong.
„What’s going on?”, asked Vaggie, who had just ended her conversation with Lucifer and approached her girlfriend. She glanced at her and frowned. „Charlie?”
„Fuck, I hate to be the one doing that”, sighed Husk, seeing how Niffty wouldn’t be able to say a thing. „Alastor’s dead.”
„What?” The ex-exterminator stared at him in shock. „Are you sure?”
„One hundred percent. Our chains are gone.”
„But maybe… maybe it’s temporary…”
„It’s not. Do you have any idea how many times that fucker died during his combats with other sinners? The chains were always here. Now they’re not. Our soul contracts expired, we’re free, he’s dead. Sorry if that sounds harsh, but that’s the true.” The cat demon took a huge sip from the beer bottle he had found between the rubble.
„Niffty? Is that true?”
„Y-yes…”, mumbled the cyclope demon tearfully.
„Fuck… Charlie?”
Charlie had heard the entire conversation, but the words spoken by everyone couldn’t reach her mind. She kept staring at the ground absentmindedly, wondering if all of that wasn’t just some sick nightmare.
No. It couldn’t be possible. She’d already lost one friend today, she couldn’t lose another. Not her business partner. Not him.
„Charlie, do you hear me?” Vaggie grabbed her partner’s shoulder and shook it gently. The princess looked at her blankly. „I’m so sorry, honey.” The one-eyed girl hugged Charlie tightly.
„We need to find him”, muttered the princess with a trembling voice. „Maybe it’s not too late… DAD!”
Lucifer was by her side almost immediately.
„Yes, sunshine?”, he asked.
„I may need your help. Husk says… he says Al is dead. We have to find him, maybe we’ll be able to still help him…”
„Char-Char…”
„We won’t know if we don’t try! C’mon!”
Shortly everyone joined Charlie’s search mission. Each of the hotel’s residents was checking every corner of the ruins, hoping for any signs of the deer demon.
There was still hope, the girl was telling herself. Both she and her father possessed a colossal power, surely they’d be able to do something. What Husk and Niffty were saying couldn’t possibly be true, they had to be exaggerating.
„Charlie!”, called Angel Dust after some time. „There’s a blood path leading to Smiles’ radio tower!”
The spider demon didn’t have to repeat himself; Charlie ran to the overturned tower and bolted inside. She swayed at the sight she’d been met with inside.
„NO!”, she shrieked, falling to her knees beside Alastor’s dead body. The overlord’s entire torso was torn apart by an extensive wound running from his left shoulder to his right hip. There was also a trickle of blood at the corner of the demon’s mouth. The whole floor in the close proximity to the man was covered in already dried blood, undoubtedly belonging to him.
The princess felt that her head was spinning.
No. Nonono.
No.
„Alastor!”, she choked out. „Alastor, wake up!”
Charlie heard the footsteps of other people entering the studio. There were some gasps, some cursing, and another outburst of sobbing coming from Niffty.
„Maaaster!”, cried the maid, running towards Alastor.
„Not your master anymore”, reminded Husk quietly, more to himself than to her, and drank from his bottle again.
„Alastor…”, whispered heartbroken Niffty, kneeling behind her former soul’s owner head and scratching his ear gently. „I avenged you, my master.”
„No! It’s not ending here!”, screeched Charlie. Before she was aware what she was doing, she went into her demon form and took Alastor’s face into her hands. „I forbid you from dying, do you understand me?! As the Princess of Hell, I command you to live!”
The girl felt magic radiating from her palms into the deer demon’s body. For a moment she truly hoped that he’d open his eyes, but when she took her hands away from him, Alastor’s cold body was still lifeless.
„Dad… Dad, do something… Please…”, muttered the princess, choking on her tears. Vaggie approached her and sat beside the blonde girl to put a reassuring hand on her partner’s back.
„Forgive me, sunshine, there’s nothing I can do anymore”, sighed Lucifer. „I’m sorry about your loss.”
Charlie pulled Alastor’s limp body into her arms, moving his hair away from his deadly cold forehead with a shaky hand.
„Al… Al, my dearest…”, she kept whispering. „Please don’t leave me. I can’t do this without you.”
He didn’t answer, of course. The princess leaned her cheek against his forehead and let out a piercing cry of pain. Even when others starting shyly encouraging her to let go off Alastor’s dead body, she wasn’t going to yet, still waiting for a miracle.
There was none.