Page 67 of Demons Dig Donuts

A pizza box appeared in front of Indy. He didn’t hesitate to open it, groaning loudly when he saw exactly the pizza he wanted inside. It was still steaming hot.

“I was surprised. That’s all.” Mr. Heiss looked over the donut in his hand.

Indy was too hungry to care what Mr. Heiss thought about his pizza choices. He knew it was unusual, but he didn’t give a crap. Being mindful of potentially scalding his tongue, he wolfed down as much pizza as fast as he could.

Dill hovered nearby, leaning over to give the pizza a curious sniff.

“Whant shum?” Indy turned the box toward him.

Dill blinked.

Indy swallowed the bite in his mouth to ask more clearly, “Do you want some? Can you… Can you even eat? Do you need to eat?”

Dill eyed the pizza, sniffed at the pineapple, and shook his head. He retreated, fussing noisily.

“What? It’s good! It’s just pineapple.” Indy laughed. “Some people do consider it a crime against pizza, but eh, whatever.”

Dill grunted as if agreeing.

Around the end of the last bite of slice number three was when Indy became aware that Gammy and Mr. Heiss were very quiet.

Too quiet.

And it was because they were having a staring contest.

Gammy didn’t have to blink.

She was dead.

Mr. Heiss was very much alive, but he seemed to be giving Gammy quite the challenge. He was completely still except for the thoughtful swish of his long spaded tail, his eyes bright and twinkling but definitely not blinking.

Gammy finally did though—maybe it was a mental thing—and she immediately sneered. “Ugh! What?”

“What?” Mr. Heiss echoed, breaking his gaze to glance over the donut in his hand.

“Ha! You gonna keep playing with that thing or are you gonna eat it?”

Indy almost choked.

Mr. Heiss narrowed his eyes and then promptly shoved the entire donut in his mouth. No hesitation. No chewing. It was gone in a single bite, though a bite implied some level of chewing and it appeared Mr. Heiss had swallowed it whole like a snake wolfing down an egg.

“Holy shit.” Indy cackled. “And I thought I could fit a lot in my mouth.”

Mr. Heiss scoffed, turning his head to unsuccessfully hide a smile.

“And on that note, you should go to bed.” Gammy gave Indy a small hug. “Let the juice do its work and get some rest, all right? Thanks to some people—” She shot Mr. Heiss a glare. “—you’ve had quite a stressful day.”

“No shit.” Indy barked out a quick laugh. He tried to hug Gammy back, but she was not able to stay corporeal for very long. The result sent Indy tipping forward and smacking into the counter.

Dill whined in distress.

“Oh! Sweetie cakes!” Gammy cried. “I’m so sorry! Still trying to get my strength back—”

“I’m fine! I’m okay, promise! I’m—” Indy grunted as Mr. Heiss’s tail snapped around his middle to assist in straightening him out. He gave the tail a firm stroke and swore it shivered. “Thank you. I’m okay. Thank you, everyone. But yeah, it’s definitely time for my beauty sleep.”

And hopefully time for the pizza to soak up some of the excess booze so he could sober the hell up too. He needed to shower, wash his face, and brush his teeth, but all that he wanted right then was a bed.

Maybe hugs.