I walked down the dark alleyway, the splinters of my once-trusty blasting rod still embedded in my arm and still shooting waves of pain through my body. I could smell the sulphur in the air, could hear the Hell's Bells off in the distance. Stars and stones rained all over the tiny Chicago alleyway, though if I looked up all I'd see was an empty night. I noted absently that MacAnally's was just a street over, and I thought about the good ol' days, when things were notably filled with less brimstone and everybody I loved was still very much alive.
Eldest Goat Gruff, my last remaining ally, awaited me at the end of the alleyway. This time a decade ago, his very presence would cause flowers to blossom on the nearest surface. That didn't happen anymore, and these days he looked tired and so very old. "Wizard..."
"It's okay," I said. "Always wanted to go out this way."
Back to the wall, no weapons but my will and my favourite post-Red Court leather duster. Pure apocalypse all around me. The promise that Uriel and his pals will fix the world anew a few centuries down the track. Good for them. I wouldn't be around to appreciate it, but heck, who would want to live another few centuries without the finer things, like friends and steak sandwiches and... doughnuts.
I looked at the gruff seriously. "Remember when we first met?"
The goat-man smiled fondly. "Verily."
I ignored the rising winds, the acid rain and the hailing brimstone. I ignored the hellish cries coming from my city; I just shut it all out. "I might get tired halfway through. I'll need a doughnut, if you can find one. Normally I'd say that it'd be impossible for anyone to find a good doughnut right now, but if anyone can do it, it's you."
Eldest Goat Gruff nodded. "Likest thou jelly-"
"Don't get cute."
He bowed deeply, a sad little smile on his face. I pointed to the brown knapsack hanging off of his back, and he nodded. Good. He disappeared into the Nevernever with a swoosh of his staff, the knapsack containing all of my journals - the Dresden Files, I'd named 'em - going with him. Kinda depressing to write, yet all kinds of fun to read, I'm sure.
I brought my will to the surface, ready to bear down Soulfire and Hellfire and everything I had on the first ghoul that came my way. Although the voices in my head had long since disappeared during this whole apocalypse deal, I thought I could hear the lingering encouragement of everybody and anybody that I wanted to hear it from.
I never got my doughnut.
