Bang bang bang bang
The old man woke up. He rubbed his eyes and put on his glasses. With a grunt and popping from his bones, Stan was up. He put on his slippers and headed towards the strange sound.
Bang bang bang bang
From the kitchen maybe? he thought. He walked down the hallway, and sure enough, there was his great-nephew, looking startled.
"Dipper?" Stan asked. "What are you doing in the kitchen? It's three in the morning."
Dipper was just… standing there, next to the counter. With an unnaturally wide smile covering his face and bruises all over his arm.
"Oh, nothing. I was just looking for my journal." He seemed to have snapped back to himself after Stan questioned him. "I guess I'll go back to bed then."
He walked past Stan and to the staircase, hands on his hips.
"Hey wait!" Stan called after him. "Did you hear that banging earlier?"
Dipper shrugged. "Must have been a woodpecker."
They both went back to their rooms and crawled into bed. Stan thought it was a bit unusual, but nothing could prepared him for what was about to happen. Had it been Ford, he might have caught on, but unfortunately, he didn't. He also didn't notice Dipper carrying back a knife and a box of matches with him upstairs.