PROLOGUE
Stan PoV
I hurried them through the underground corridors. I knew if we didn't all make it to the portal in time, we would die. Plain and simple. I wasn't so much concerned for myself as I was for the kids though. Of course, of course, he had to raise hell the one summer my great niece and nephew were over.
My legs ached from the running. They always had, and I assumed they always would. My chest was heaving, desperate to replenish oxygen in my old and asthmatic lungs. Finally, we reached our destination.
"Dipper, give me your journal," I ordered. The boy's hands were visibly shaking as he reached into his vest pocket. It took him almost a minute to pull it out, but when he did, I grabbed it from him. I'll admit that my hands were shaking as well, but the extremity of it in Dipper frightened me. The kid was tough. He'd had more shit this summer than most people have in their lives. He was always the strong one, able to confront whatever was out there. But the look in his eyes was that of pure fear, and it flat out scared me. But I had to be the strong one now.
I fluttered through the freshly blood soaked pages until I reached the right one. I slammed it down on my desk, reactivating the portal.
"Kids! Hurry!" I screamed as the roof caved in. Both of them started running towards the glowing portal, but they suddenly stopped when a chunk of the ceiling landed on Mabel's leg. She let out an ear-piercing shriek that, at any other time, would have been almost impressive. "Dipper, just keep running! When you get there, pull the lever!" I commanded. The boy shook his head defiantly. "I'll get Mabel out of here. I promise. But if I somehow fail, I at least want one person to survive tonight. Now GO!"
He started walking away slowly, without saying a word. When he looked back, I saw a tear glistening on his cheek. The he faced forwards again and ran. That was the last I saw of him that night.
"Alright, kiddo. I'll get you out of here," I muttered as I began trying to push the large block of cement and wood off my great niece. Mabel's crying was expected. I still didn't like it though, especially because it was so silent. Eventually, I managed to uncover her crushed leg. It was bleeding unnecessarily, and the foot was bent the wrong way. A shard of bone pierced the skin in the middle of her leg."Don't look at it," I told her gently when she tried to catch a glimpse.
I picked her up and walked over to the portal. The room had started rumbling when I was moving the ceiling off Mabel's leg like a 9.0 earthquake, but I knew better than to blame natural phenomena for this disaster.
But then the rumbling stopped. It was just for a few moments, but it still stopped. And then the room exploded. The impact knocked Mabel out of my arms, causing us both to scream desperately and reach out to grab hold of the other. I saw red, probably blood, and probably my own. The last thing I heard before entering darkness was a cackle, insane and straight out of hell. A blue light filled my vision, and then I blacked out.
And that was the last time I saw my niece and nephew.
A/N: So, this sprouted from a piece of fanart that I promised I wouldn't make a story for until I finished (at least) B C and/or Triple Trouble. But I couldn't stop my mind. Every time I told myself to stop thinking about it, my thoughts would always come back to it. I TRIIIED! D: Anyways, yeah. So bye!