Chapter 1

Everything about this creature was revolting. The beast was almost too big to fit in the cave; the patches in the ceiling providing a decent amount of light on that thing. It's skin rotted in some places and you could see its bones in others. It's eyes are a neon orange color with no pupils. You could see it's nasal cavity; a cloud of sickly green smoke coming out with every exhale. It's limbs were mangled and it's hands were drenched in bright crimson blood.

This is all my fault. It's all my fault.

She looked up with dread and horror in her eyes, tears streaming down her face as she stared up at the screeching monster. She couldn't move, couldn't bring herself to do so. Her body was covered in scratches and bruises. And she was pretty sure her ankle was sprained and she had a concussion. Her mind was in chaos and Mabel wanted nothing more than for everything to rewind back to yesterday. At least then she would still be happy, still be with her family laughing at anything and everything. At least then she wouldn't be completely submerged in the guilt, fear, and the emptiness she was feeling now.

She could see the cave starting to crumble. She could faintly hear her twin and Grunkle Ford who were near the entrance; begging and screaming for her to move before it was too late. She could see in her mind the tears they shed for the now cold, maimed body she was trapped under. She felt the warm, sticky blood seeping into her favorite, now torn and dirty, sweater. She could feel the cave violently shaking all around her as the monster made its way towards her, screeching at a painful volume.

It's too much to handle. Everything around her was moving all too fast while she seemed to be stuck in that single position. She was having a hard time processing what was happening. She didn't want to move, not that she could anyways. Nor had she been able to mutter a single noise throughout the whole ordeal, not a scream or cry for help. While protecting her, Grunkle Stan had used his body to take the hit full on and fell on top of her as he fell. All the while telling her one last significant thing that he felt needed to be said, weakly smiling with tears in his own eyes.

"I love ya, kid. We all do. Don't you ever forget, you got that?"

At the moment, the pain, the agony, and the regret she felt completely engulfed her. She could no longer tell difference between her screams of sorrow from the monster's screams of hunger. What was the difference anyways? She was no different from the ugly creature, after all, it was her fault that Grunkle Stan was now nothing more than a cold, bloody mess of dead weight. It was her fault that what little family she had left was in danger, wasting their time trying to save her.

She didn't want to be saved. She didn't deserve to be saved. Mabel had let her family down; had stupidly ran off for something that would never be worth the price of her grunkle's life. She didn't even get to say goodbye, didn't have the chance to at least return the words he so lovingly wasted on her. Why? Why him? Why not her? It should have been her!

She made sure her twin brother and her other grunkle knew just as much. She screamed, kicked, punched, and cried; she did everything to vocalize her thoughts of just that as her brother picked her up and ran out of the cave. The disgusting creature from earlier having been crushed under the rocks which were still falling all around them; how she hadn't been crushed already was something she briefly considered as unfortunate. From the corner of her eyes, which were quickly being dominated by black spots, Mabel could make out Grunkle Ford carrying her Grunkle Stan while running alongside Dipper. He must have picked him up while removing him from on top of her so Dipper could carry his own twin.

As if feeling her gaze, he turned to glance at her with a matrix of emotions swirling in his eyes and dried tear tracks on his face. Mabel turned away with her own tears still falling; she couldn't bring herself to look at him, not after the damage she had caused. She doesn't know what he, or her brother for that matter, is feeling or thinking right now. And if she she was being honest with herself, she didn't want to find out. If the roles were switched, she didn't think she could ever live with what he must be thinking of her right now.

Dipper peered down at his sister as he and Grunkle Ford made their way into the mystery shack.

At some point she had finally passed out from the fight she had been putting up as they ran to safety.

They both trudged in, not giving a care about the rain, mud, and other things trailing behind them. The two were soaked and shivering, skin turning blue and panting from exhaustion. However, none of that mattered to them. All Dipper and Ford could focus on were their siblings who were lying in their arms.

Dipper was afraid, he did not dare look at his grunkles. He couldn't bare to witness what had happened to Grunkle Stan. He didn't think he could face the pure grief his Grunkle Ford was sure to have; not bothering to try to keep his emotions hidden like he sometimes did.

Mabel almost died and he wasn't nearly as strong as his Grunkle Ford. Just the thought of being in Grunkle Ford's position right now, of Mabel dead within his very arms, gave him an indescribable combination of emotions.

This was wrong. Everything was wrong. He hadn't thought this chain events would occur. This wasn't how he wanted things would turn out. What he did know was that he didn't want to think about it anymore. He didn't want to think, feel, or listen to anything around him. He just wanted to sleep and for Mabel to be okay. That's all he wanted.

With that thought in mind, he made his way to their room without a single look in his grunkle's direction. Dipper cleaned her and himself up; then set her down in her bed and brushed her bangs out of her eyes. He stared down at her, watching the way her eyes flickered and the heavy frown marring her face. He felt the same frown on his own face as he continued to watch.

Dipper knew better than to hope that everything would turn out alright and that their little family would make it through. He knew for a fact that his sister and Grunkle would never be the same again; especially when the person they holded very dear to them was now beyond saving. Neither would he; however he had to be strong, he had to protect the last two most important people he had in his life now. If he wasn't couldn't be strong then who was going to keep them from destroying themselves?

With those thoughts still running through his head, he sat on the floor next to his sister's bed trying to keep watch for any unwanted guests.

Except there was one person he couldn't see, one who was always watching. And he was enraged.