Lost Grave

Welcome to another story, this was literally a coworker and I being really bored on a really slow day of work. I all started with me writing a line and handing him the paper and saying "now you add something." This wasn't even supposed to be a fanfic, but it turned into one and I didn't do it. He did- we're going to call him GentlemanJoe for privacy sake. Anyway, I polished it a couple of times, went over it with him and boom here we are. I hope you like it.

We don't own Gravity Falls, that would be the slightly demented yet brilliant Alex Hirsch, we're just huge fans.

Enjoy.

Lost Grave

"Ow!" Phoebe growled pulling herself off the ground, dusting off her t-shirt and jeans with a huff. Groaning she sat back on her butt and pulled out the pocket watch from her pocket along with the letter. "Papa." she sighed, glaring a the watch. It was ancient, tarnished bronze with an odd eye in the center. The numbers were roman numeral and faded with time. But at this point she barely looked at the thing anymore, focusing instead on the letter. It was from her grandfather addressed to her mother, but they had a strained relationship at best so obviously, her mother never read the letter, which her grandfather assumed. "You couldn't make this easier for me."

My dear, Leah

I assume that you are going to ignore this letter and hide it away so no one will ever see it again. But if I know my sweet little Phoebe she'll find it and follow the instructions I've set. Hopefully, before it's too late.

My sweet and courageous Phoebe, when you find this I need you to act fast. Find the lost grave. The founder's grave. Find it and make sure that no one else finds it. It's a terrible burden to place on someone so young. But as the branch family of the founder of Lost Grave, it is our job to keep the grave hidden. If the damned fools hadn't named the damned town Lost Grave we wouldn't have so many tourists or conspirators trying to find it. Not the point though. I need you to find it and keep it hidden. I can't tell you outright where it is. Someone else could find this letter and track the grave then we'll all be in trouble. The grave contains secrets about his town, dangerous secrets. Secrets that piece together a puzzle that should never be solved. The only clue I can give you is this; atop the tree, there is a star. If you remember the old stories I used to tell you then you should be able to find the spot.

Please hurry. No one else can find this.

I love you. You were my little phoenix, nothing could keep you down. You'll always rise again.

Be safe, love you.

Your grandfather, Ulisious.

"Atop the tree is a star." she repeated wistfully.

She knew of only one place like that. There was this cave up the mountain, you could see it from her papa's study window, where he used to tell her stories. There was this great pine tree that towered just a few feet away and if you looked at it from her papa's armchair, the mouth of the cave looked like a star on top of the tree. That cave had to be where the grave was, or at least hold some clue as to where it was. The cave was the towns off-limits area. Used to be a tunnel for a copper mine. You would think that kids would go in there because they're kids and that's the kind of things that kids do. However, when she was five a group of teenagers went into the cave and weren't seen again for three years. Everyone looked but could never find them. So on new years eve, another group went in as some kind of test of courage. What they found was enough to scare them craven. Just inside the mouth of the cave were the teens from three years ago, however, they were just muscle and bone, their skin was sliced clean off. It took dental records just to figure out who they were. After that, the mayor had the place boarded up and put under security. The place was crawling with cameras and motion sensors. She knew this, but still, she had to go. Her grandfather entrusted this responsibility to her and she needed to see it through… and she might really want to find the lost grave… added bonus.

With another gruntled groan, she hopped to her feet and continued her journey up the mountain.

The sun was well on the way of its descent by the time she got to the cave entrance. Or at least what was once an entrance. Now it was a bunch of rotted planks of wood blocking a hole in the mountain. Though they were rotten it was clear after giving the planks a few experimental shoves that they were not going to budge. Looking at the sky and growling she decided to look around so as to maybe find another clue about the founders grave. There wasn't much else she could do at the moment, she didn't bring any tools to help her. Maybe she could find a rock or a stick. Something to knock down the planks to this accursed cave. With the setting sun it was hard to see, so she pulled out her phone and activated the flashlight heading left of the cave scanning the ground. It was because of this she did not notice the shadows moving around her. She had kneeled down to pick up a rock when something suddenly slammed into her back sending her sprawling on her stomach. Her phone skittered just out of her reach, illuminating several cloaked figures around her. Her scream of surprise was cut short as someone pressed their palm to her lips and someone else grabbed her arms and hoisted her to her feet.

"What are you doing on the mountain, mortal?"

Eyes wide, she watched as a tall cloaked figure stepped forward, his voice a deep baritone that sent vibrations through her nerves.

"Sir, she had this on her." one of -what she assumed- lackeys hissed taking her pocket watch handing it to the man.

She struggled against her captures in an attempt to take back her papa's watch, but all it got her was a jab under the shoulder blade.

The leader took the watch and examined it. Upon seeing the eye his shoulder started to shutter. It took her a moment to realize that he was chuckling, very quietly.

"My dear." he cheered, stepping closer to her, placing his free hand on her shoulder. "You have come to us at last." with an air of jubilance he turned to the others throwing his hands in the air. "Friends, at long last the wait is over. The branch family's heir has come to us. To aid us in our endeavor of freeing our lord. She has brought us the key to the lost grave. Release her and give her a cloak."

They did so, but she didn't put on the cloak, just stared at it in wonder.

"Put it on child and come."

She didn't think arguing was the best plan at the moment. These people seemed unstable. And maybe, just maybe they could lead her to the lost grave. If she got out of here alive she'd go to the police and have these people removed from the mountain. That should make keeping the grave safe just a little easier. So with slight trepidation, she shrugged the cloak on and followed them just a little past the entrance to the cave. She kept her eyes on the leader, knowing that if something went wrong, taking him down was her priority.

They walked darkness for what felt like hours when they finally stopped, they were farther up the mountain than any sane person would dare go, and Phoebe's legs were killing her. But when they did stop, she forgot about her pain entirely as her eyes widened with aw.

"That's…" she gasped.

"The lost grave." the leader finished for her, flourishing his arms around in a grand gesture that made him look mad.

The lost grave of the town's founder was not what she expected. The stone figurehead was covered in moss so one could barely recognize it as a bishop with its head bowed. The name, long since faded with time. The size beyond the regulation of a normal grave. It looked more like a mausoleum. The stone doors barely touched by vegetation signified that someone has been using them repeatedly in the last decade. These people have been entering it for that long and her papa never knew?

"How…" she asked before she could stop herself.

"We had to dodge that old coot for a long time." the leader supplied apparently attuned to her thoughts. "There was a time he was one of us. Our purpose was to protect this place from any and all intruders. To keep its secrets safe. That was until I received a vision from our Lord. He showed me what power is held in this grave. With its power, we can end all suffering. It just requires a few sacrifices. Your grandfather didn't understand this. He only believed that the power was destructive. He lost it when we took those kids-"

"Those teenagers!" she gasped stepping away from him in horror. "You did that to them."

"No." he chuckled. "We merely sent them to our Lord. But he wasn't satisfied and sent them back without their skin."

"You killed them." she shrieked.

"We did no such thing." he sighed now circling her. "Our Lord was not satisfied. Only the blood of the founder will do. You are of his blood. You are the key."

All she wanted to do was run screaming. But her papa told her to protect this place. These people were not stable and were what he was trying to warn her about. She had to stop them. If she went with them she could learn more. From the sounds of it, they had no plan of skinning her alive since she was the key. So maybe she could play along and get to the bottom of this mystery.

"What do you want me to do?" she asked in what she hoped was a defeated voice.

"My dear," he smirked placing a hand on her shoulder. "You simply need to be a part of our circle and I'll take care of the rest. Should tonight be in our favor our Lord will take you to his world and bless you with his power."

Nodding she let him lead her into the mausoleum. It was a lot bigger on the inside than she assumed. There was an oddly shaped pentagram painted on the floor and dozens of white candles surrounding it. Everyone took their places around the pentagram and took a candle. She followed suit and waited her turn as the leader began to light them all. Everyone began chanting in a language she didn't understand, and when he realized she wasn't doing the same the leader turned to her.

"Chant child," he told throwing his arms in the air. "Let our lord hear you."

"What if I don't want him to hear me." she murmured before following along in the chanting stumbling over the words purposefully.

Satisfied with this, the leader turned back to the center of the circle and pulled a knife from his cloak.

"Oh god." she gasped tightening her hold on her candle. "What are you going to do with that?"

Thankfully he didn't turn it on her or any of the other people there. Instead, he took it and ran it around his own palm.

"Why did you do that?" she asked cringing as the blood dripped to the ground.

He didn't answer her, instead, he clenched his fist wandering to the center of the circle. Drip, drip, drip… three red drops dripped onto the center of the circle as he chanted.

"This is so wrong." she choked only to freeze as a blood-curdling scream cut through the air like a razor. "Who is screaming!?"

"That screaming is the song of the chosen one." A cheerful sing-song voice crooned all around her harmonizing with the screaming. No, that wasn't right. The sounds weren't around her, it was inside her. Invading her mind and filling her with a sense of dread she never imagined she would feel. " Or I should say your future self. We are gonna have to free you from your skin prison if we want you to join our army of meat slabs."

"Skin prison? Army? Meat slab?" all the blood left her skin, feeling as if it was pouring from the soals of her feet and staining the ground. The candle slipped from her now clammy hands, clattering to the ground and shattering the eerie feel that blanketed the room. Without a second thought, Phoebe turned and sprinted for the exit. "Oh god, someone help me! Please! These people are crazy!"

She had a small moment where she was sure she would make it. But it was for not. Just as her fingertips brushed the door handle she heard a fwoosh then felt a sharp prick at the back of her neck. The world grew dark and she hit the floor, fading away into the shadows of the candlelight. And still, in her mind, she could hear the screaming and the laughing of the melodious voice.

Only now she could see an eye to match the voice, shining with sadistic mirth.

She had no idea how much time passed until she finally woke up. But when she did she wasn't where the cult was chanting anymore. She was actually pretty sure she was trapped in one of the lowest circles of hell. Though it was hard to be certain with all the blood rushing to her head. All she knew for sure was that her hands were tied behind her back, and she was hanging upside down. The room she was in wasn't really a room but rather a cavern with torches all around painting the walls red and orange. And worse yet was the man sitting in the corner shrieking to the shadows- the piercing echo must have been what woke her. At first, she thought he was just shrieking nonsense, but after clearing the grogginess from her mind she could clearly understand him.

"BRING ME HER FLESH LEATHER!"

"Nope. My flesh leather is staying firmly attached to the rest of me, thank you very freaking much." she gritted- when nervous she defaults to snarky sarcasm. Struggling with her bindings she tried to get a better idea of where she was and that was when she noticed she was dangling over a troth. "Oh good, what's that for? Collecting my organs?"

CLANG!

Craning her neck as far as she could she tried to see what the loud sound behind her was. That was when she noticed the trap door in the floor and out of it came three hulking naked men with feley knives. They held their free hands out in front of them feeling the air as they stumbled toward her.

"You have got to be kidding me!" she cried now thrashing about in her binds. "I am not going to be skinned alive by a bunch of sweaty beefed up blind guys!"

CRACK! With that sudden sound, one of the blind men fell to the ground dead revealing behind him a cloaked figure holding a board with a nail in it.

"Um…" Phoebe didn't really know how to respond to this, there was only so much her brain could take before it finally cracked. And at this point, she has had enough with the cloaked figures and their nefarious plots.

Pushing aside the other two men, the cloaked figure rushed for her pulling something out of his pocket.

"Quickly, swallow this." he urged pressing what looked like a marble with odd calligraphy to her lips.

"Hell no!" she gritted careful to keep her teeth clenched.

"Do you want to make it out of here alive?" he pressed trying to gain her already frayed trust.

She glared at him but did as he asked not seeing any other way out of this.

Once he was sure she swallowed it he took out a sword and slashed at the chains that held her to the ceiling.

"Ah!" she cried as she suddenly dropped with a heavy thud to the stone floor. "Ow."

"Hurry and get up," he told her untying her hands. "We need to get moving more of those men will be here soon. We don't want to be here when that happens."

"Wait," she growled standing and backing away from him. "Who are you and what did you make me swallow?"

"Who I am is not important," he told her sheathing his sword. "As for the marble, I'll explain on the way. I will take about fifteen minutes to actually start working as it is. Now come one."

What choice did she have?

Wanting to scream to the heavens and curse her papa for sending her on this stupid adventure, she took a deep break and rushed to catch up to mister mysterious carefully avoiding the remaining blind men with knives

"So, start talking." she urged. "What was that thing?"

"It was a piece of rift bridge."

"Rift… what now."

"This is not your world," he told her with the utmost seriousness. "This is a world that exists in one's nightmares. But make no mistake. Should you get hurt or die, that is in fact real. What I gave you will bridge this world to yours and take you there. But like I said it takes a while to activate. Soon enough you will be back home and this will be nothing more than a nightmare. But I must ask you, do not leave the town that you live in. And be sure that no one else will ever be able to come here. Protect what needs protecting and stop the end."

"Do what?" she gawked. "You talk like my-"

Cutting herself off she noticed that she was suddenly glowing. And it was getting brighter and brighter to the point where it was blinding her.

"What's going on?!" she cried shielding her eyes from the light.

"Remember what I said. Protect what must be protected, and don't leave your town." he called back.

The world around her was being absorbed by the light blocking out all the horrors and darkness. Just before it all disappeared, however, she heard that voice again. She heard him chuckle like he had won a game, she heard him say;

"Reality is an illusion the universe is a hologram, buy gold, by!"

A soft breeze caressed her cheek, brushing her blue-dyed hair over her face before it settled back down on her shoulder. Hazel eyes fluttered open to see trees and clear skies. She pressed further into the tree she was leaning against just to feel the rough bark bit into her back. Assurance she was awake and this was real.

Of in the distance, she spotted the cloaked figure watching her. But there was something wrong with him, he was transparent. Like he wasn't really there, not fully anyway. Was he just a delusion? Or was she still caught between that nightmare world and reality? Was everything she just endured real? Or was her mind finally giving into the insanity she new it fought off every day? She wanted to ask him feeling certain he would have the answers she needed. She reached out for him with a weak shaky hand but he only shook his head.

"One town down." he sighed. "Four to go."

Before she could ask what he meant he turned and began to walk away.

"Wait, please," she whispered her voice suddenly hoarse.

He didn't answer her, just simply gave her a wave.

It was then she noticed that his hand… he had six fingers…

Let me know what you think.

This was a lot of fun, Thanks for doing this with me Ireland.

See you guys in the next story.