AN: Okay, this one was a little challenging. I'm not sure how well I portrayed Angel Dust but I hope it's okay. Anyways, I'll keep this short. I hope you all enjoy it and thanks so much to everyone leaving such nice comments, they really make my day :)
Disclaimer: Vivienne Medrano owns Hazbin Hotel. I own nothing but the plot of this story.
"Al? Alastor?" Charlie called, hands cupped around her mouth in order to amplify her voice. "Can you hear us?"
They had been searching for about thirty minutes at this point, slowly working their way toward what remained of the radio tower. The princess was determined to find him. She refused to let any tears fall while there was still hope that Radio Demon was alive. So far, they'd yet to come across any sign of him, though.
"Alastor, where the hell are you?" Vaggie shouted, voice echoing through the area as she followed close behind Charlie.
The two lovebirds didn't talk as they continued walking, what was left of Alastor's radio station coming into view as they picked up the pace. Within minutes they were standing outside the surprisingly intact tower. Somehow, for whatever reason, it seemed to be the only part of the hotel that wasn't completely decimated. Charlie smiled, hope filling her heart as she rushed forward, calling out once more.
"Alastor! Are you in there?" She shouted, quickly moving to open the trapdoor.
No answer was forthcoming but that didn't stop her. If he had truly been hurt, then Alastor could simply be unconscious and unable to call out to them. Unfortunately, the hatch refused to open no matter how hard she pushed. It frustrated her. They were so close! She was certain that this is the one place Al would go if he was hurt and now she couldn't get the damn door open.
"Vaggie, help me!" She yelled, annoyance seeping into her tone at the door's stubbornness. "I can't get it open!"
"Back up, Hun, let me handle this." The other said, not wanting to risk injuring her girlfriend.
"Just be careful. If he's in there we don't know how close to the hatch he could be. We can't risk hurting him further." Charlie expressed, backing up with a worried frown.
"Right," Vaggie stated with a firm nod before turning her attention back to the trapdoor.
With one powerful attack, the door broke off its hinges and fell to the ground with a loud racket. The two glanced at each other, smiling slightly, before moving forward to poke their heads through the entrance. Glancing around, it was clear that no one had been here since before the battle. There was no blood, nothing disturbing the layer of dust that had settled over the floor, it was simply empty.
"No! You've got to be kidding me," the Princess of Hell cried, frustration coursing through her very being. "I was sure he'd be here! Where else could he have gone?"
"We'll keep looking, maybe something happened and he wasn't able to make it here." Vaggie comforted, wrapping a soothing arm around the taller woman's shoulder. "Or, he could just be off doing hell knows what. I swear I'll never understand what goes through Alastor's head and, truth be told, I don't want to."
That got a small chuckle from Charlie, her eyes filled with love as she turned and took the former exorcist's hands in her own.
"You're right, I'm sure he's around here somewhere. After all, it's Alastor we're talking about. Nothing can keep him down." She said, resolve filling her words as she leaned over to place a quick kiss on the other's lips. "Now, let's keep looking, we only have a few hours left before nightfall."
With that said, the two resumed their search, both hoping the overlord was simply off doing whatever it was he did when not at the hotel. They'd rather not think of the alternative.
-XXX-XXX-XXX-
Vox frowned, it had been several hours since the collapse and, so far, he'd heard nothing from the world outside their stone prison. If only someone would pass by, he would be able to shout out and hopefully draw their attention... but no such luck. To make matters worse, Alastor had begun to develop a fever. It was a little early for the wound to become infected but here they were. He figured it had to be the result of being struck with a holy weapon. Seeing as there was no way to treat it at the moment, the fever would likely continue to climb until it fried Al's fucking brain and there was nothing he could do to stop it! Their situation seemed more hopeless by the minute. At least he felt confident that he'd gotten the bleeding under control. Vox finally felt safe enough to remove his hands fully from the other overlord's chest. As long as the deer demon remained still there shouldn't be a problem and, seeing as he'd yet to awaken, it should be fine.
Crawling a slight distance away from his injured friend. The TV Demon used the light from his face to glance around, searching for anything that could help them. If he could find a place where the rubble wasn't as thick, maybe he could make a hole to the surface without bringing the rest down on their heads. It was a plan, not a very good one, but a plan nonetheless. As desperate as it may be, it was their only chance at this point. If he wanted to get Alastor out of this mess, he had to take action. Sitting around and waiting was no longer an option as Al's condition continued to deteriorate by the hour. Hell, he didn't even know if anyone was left alive up there to help them in the first place! No, it was best to take matters into his own hands, at least then they may stand a chance. Finally, after much searching, he noticed a tiny pin-prick of light shining through the loose stones about ten feet from where he'd left the other demon. Hopefully it would be far enough away that, should anything go wrong, it wouldn't affect the area around the prone demon.
"Hold on a little longer, Al," Vox muttered, taking a quick glance toward the other sinner. "I'm getting you out of here if it's the last thing I do. You better not fucking die on me in the meantime."
With that said, the blue overlord grabbed a broken piece of metal that he'd spotted a while earlier and began using it as a trowel. He carefully scooped loose dirt and stone away, being mindful to leave anything that seemed to be holding up the remains of the building they were buried under. It was slow going but, with patience and determination, he finally managed to create a small hole. Vox smiled, it was a start at least. Even if it was only about the size of a baseball, it gave him hope that they'd get out of here. Carefully lifting himself up, the TV Demon peered through the hole and took his first look at the outside world since the hotel collapsed on top of them. He couldn't make out much of anything, not that that was a surprise, but he'd hoped to be able to see something at least. With a heavy sigh, Vox sat back on his haunches, prepared to go back to work. A quiet gasp from behind him put that plan on hold, however, and he carefully made his way back to the other demon's side.
"Alastor?" He asked quietly, noticing his friend's eyes were open but glazed over with fever. "Hey, can you hear me?"
The slightly larger male wasn't sure if he would receive an answer, Alastor looked pretty out of it from where he was sitting. Still, he waited a bit longer, wanting to give the other time. Sure enough, after nearly two full minutes, Al nodded. Letting out a sigh of relief, Vox smiled softly.
"Okay," he said, speaking slowly so the other would be able to understand what he was saying. "I need you to stay still so you don't reopen your wound. You've also got a fever. Whatever holy energy was in that weapon is really fucking with your body."
Alastor took a few moments to take that in before nodding again, slowly turning his head to glance at his friend, ears tucking close to his head as he coughed weakly before opening his mouth to speak.
"Water?" The deer demon asked in a scratchy whisper, sounding rather pitiful.
Vox winced, if he'd felt bad about not having water for Al the last time he woke up, he felt damn well awful now. Still, there was nothing he could do about it at the moment. He promised himself that, once they got out of here, he'd give the other whatever he wanted no matter what it was. He'd even make a trip to Cannibal Town for a very specific type of shopping if it would make his friend feel better! Right now, though, he had to break the bad news.
"Sorry, pal, we don't have any." He said with regret, steadfastly ignoring the way the other's ears flattened further in disappointment.
"Okay..." Alastor murmured, trailing off and simply staring into space.
Vox waited for more to be said, but nothing followed. It was eerie seeing the Radio Demon so out of it. In all the years he'd known Alastor, he'd never seen anything like this. Sure, he'd seen him injured or sick from time to time. Hell, he'd even seen him drunk off his ass. That had been fucking hilarious, to say the least. But he'd never seen him like this... and it was scaring the shit out of him. It's as if the man he knew was no longer there, simply a shell of who he'd once been. He could only hope that once they managed to get free from this place and get him treated, the Alastor he knew would return. If he didn't, Vox wasn't sure what he'd do. Probably try to figure out some way to kill that dick, Adam, if someone hadn't already beaten him to the punch.
Vox opened his mouth, about to say something when a sound from above drew his attention. Snapping it closed once more, The TV Demon cocked his head to the side. He could have sworn he'd heard a voice just now. Maybe it was his imagination? No! There it was again. A faint call, barely audible from where they were, but there all the same. As the voice drew nearer, he could just make out the sound of his friend's name being called. It seemed as if their luck was finally changing for the better.
"Do you hear that, Alastor?" Vox laughed, a slight manic tone in his voice that he chose to ignore. "Help's on the way. You're going to be fine."
A glance at the other demon let him know that Al hadn't heard a thing he said. His friend must have slipped back into unconsciousness at some point without him realizing. It was probably for the best anyway. Knowing him, Alastor would be horrified to be seen in the state he was currently in. Vox completely understood, he hated showing weakness to anyone as well, only making an exception for Al. To be honest, they were both too full of pride for their own good at times. It's nearly gotten them killed on multiple occasions. Now, he was willing to put his pride aside to save his friend's life. With that thought in mind, he shuffled over to the hole he'd managed to dig out and screamed for help. Even if he looked like a fool, if this ruined his reputation throughout hell, it didn't matter to him in the slightest. His friend was dying! Without help, he would have no chance whatsoever. If it meant saving Alastor's life, he would gladly face whatever ridicule came his way.
-XXX-XXX-XXX-
Angel Dust walked through the wreckage of what had been his home for the last six months or so, shouting out for their lost comrade. He'd split off from Cherry Bomb about an hour ago to cover more ground and now he was alone with his swirling thoughts. It was pitiful. Nothing was left of the hotel besides a giant pile of rubble. When it had happened he hadn't had the time to think about it, there were exorcists to kill, after all. But now? Well, now it was as if his entire fucking world had come crashing down. They'd lost their home. They'd lost Pentious. Now, it was looking more and more likely that they'd lost Alastor as well.
"Come on, Smiles, where the fuck are ya?" He breathed, barely audible as he took another look around.
He didn't want to admit it but he was worried about the bastard. Al was still a big fucking mystery wrapped up in a sinister smile and a worrying tendency to just pop in on you outta the blue. Even so, he didn't wish harm on the guy. In fact, he was starting to consider him one of his closest friends, along with the rest of the people at the hotel, even if the fucker would never accept it. It didn't matter to him, Alastor could deny it all he wanted but Angel saw the way he watched out for everyone.
He cared for Niffty as if she were his daughter and never got upset at her when she climbed on him. He was always patient with her when others would get frustrated. Husker was a different story. Al seemed to enjoy annoying the hell out of him but to Angel, it seemed to be mostly in good humor and usually when the cat demon was in a particularly foul mood. The same could be said for Vaggie. Alastor poked and prodded at her but never went further than he knew she could handle and usually left her wearing an amused smile. With Charlie he kind of acted like a father, or maybe a crazy uncle of sorts, always offering some form of advice. It was sweet and seeing him butt heads with Lucifer had been a highlight of the spider's afterlife. Hell, sometimes he'd even be there waiting with a hot meal after Angel had gotten back from a long shift at work. He made no comments, asked no questions, simply handed him the food with a smile that seemed more sincere than usual, and left him to it. So yeah, in Angel Dust's opinion, Alastor was his friend. Now that friend may be in trouble and there was nothing that would stop him from helping... if only he could find him, that is.
With new resolve coursing through his veins, the pink sinner raised his voice and shouted once more. To be honest, he wasn't expecting a response. He and the others had been searching for hours now with no sign of the Radio Demon. That's why he was caught off guard when a voice suddenly called out in answer. It didn't sound like Al. For one, there was no radio effect and it seemed to be a deeper timbre than his friend's voice would have been... but for some reason, it seemed oddly familiar. There was something about it that caused alarm bells to ring in his head. Still, if someone was in need of help who was he to deny them?
"Hey?" He called, raising his voice higher than before. "Can ya hear me?"
"Thank fuck," the voice responded, slightly muffled. "Over here, we're buried under the rubble."
'Shit,' Angel thought to himself. 'We didn't even consider that people could have been trapped in the collapse. I've got to find them before anything happens to 'em. I'll probably need help getting them out though. Depending on how deep they are, there's no way I'll be able to dig them out on my own. Well, I'll just take a look. I can always call the others once I figure out where they are. Jeez, as if this day couldn't get worse?'
"Okay, keep talkin' so I can find ya." He said aloud, trying to remain calm so as not to upset whoever was trapped. "Are ya hurt?"
He realized, after the words left his mouth, that the question he should have asked was 'How badly are you hurt?' There's no possible way someone had a building fall on them without obtaining at least some form of injury. That didn't matter, though. He could berate himself for being stupid later. Right now, he had survivors to find. Listening closely, he waited for a reply.
"I took a blow to the head and a big fucking rock hit my arm but I'm fine otherwise." The voice called and the spider demon was quick to follow the sound, worry filling his heart at what the other male said next. "My friend's unconscious, though. He's got a large ass cut stretching from his left shoulder to just below his ribs on his right side. It was made using some kind of holy weapon. I managed to stop the bleeding but I think the damn thing's infected."
There was a pause followed by some softer words that he could barely make out. "Hmm, what else... I swear there was something..."
Suddenly the voice rose in disbelief and was fully audible to him once more. "Oh fuck, I forgot! He also has at least one broken rib. I landed on him pretty hard when I shielded him during the collapse."
'Man, whoever this person is, they can't catch a break, can they?' Angel Dust thought to himself, finally spotting a small opening in the rubble dead ahead.
That seemed to be where the voice was coming from and, from the looks of it, whoever was trapped there had attempted to dig themselves out from the inside. Knowing how unstable some of the debris was, Angel wasn't sure how good of an idea that was. Still, at least the small opening would let him get an idea of the situation below him. Taking out his phone, the spider turned on the flashlight app and shined it down through the opening... directly into Vox's face.
'This day just got fucking worse!'