Chapter 2: The Grudge
The walk back to Gravity Falls was a long, long, long walk. Mabel tried to keep cheer up, but after several hours of the 'la-la' song, the rest were ready to eat her. And food. That was another major problem. Each of them were starving by the time the sun started to rise and not to mention exhausted. So naturally each of them were on their last nerve and it wasn't helped by the fact that Stan was a child. A little child. And therefore he acted like it.
"Are we there yet?" he moaned. Dipper silently cursed the person who first put those words into a sentence.
"No. We weren't there five minutes ago when you asked, just like we we're there fifteen minutes ago and we won't be there when you ask again!" he said, his voice rising with every word.
"Ugh! I'm tired of walking! My feet hurt and so does the rest of me." Stanley said as he stubbornly plopped himself on a rock. Dipper rolled his eyes.
"Well, join the club Stan! Maybe if someone didn't tick off an angry rabbit cult thing, we wouldn't have too deal with this!"
"Hey! This isn't my fault!" Stanley snapped back.
"Yes it is! You jumped in the stupid water!" Mabel interrupted them.
"C'mon you two! Look on the bright side," she said. "At least no one is trying to kill us anymore. And look at that sun! How can anyone be gloomy with that smiley face looking at you?" she added to the team who all had rapid sunburns from the exposure. Stan picked at his skin.
"Cool! My skin's peeling." Mabel leaned over and out a playful squeal.
"EWW! That is so gross!" She gave him a playful shove with a loud laugh.
"OW! My sunburn!" Behind them Grenda, who's face was redder than all of them due to previous day of towel assault, groaned.
"Ughhh! I'm hungry!" Then her eyes fell on Candy. "Hmm... I'll bet you're really sweet." she mused. Candy glared slightly.
"Try it and I will give you a 'sour patch kids!'" she warned. Dipper quickly got between the two.
"Guys, there's no need to go cannibal here!" he called, trying to find order before things got violent.
"Right! There are squirrels right over there!" Stan grabbed two rocks and jumped at a squirrel. The furry rodent dodged however and ran up a tree. This resulted in Stanley falling flat on his face.
"Ow!" Dipper sighed as he went over and picked Stanley up.
"We can't keep this up," he announced to everyone. "We'll never make it make it back to Gravity Falls this way."
"What else can we do?" Candy asked.
"Ooh! Maybe we can build a sled and catch a bunch of squirrels to pull it!" Mabel suggest.
"Yeah! We can race down the road." Stan agreed.
Dipper, tired and exhausted, moaned as he yelled, "Enough with the squirrels!" He took a moment to calm himself as he looked around. "Look, there's a payphone over there. We'll use that to call for help."
"Whoa! Those still exist?" Mabel said with awe.
"It is very antique. I wonder if they still work." Candy mused.
As the kids ran across the street to gathered around the pay phone, Stan sat on a rock. There he poked at his feet, which were blistered from the long walk. This moment alone gave him a moment to think.
Since he awoke by nearly drowning in a pool he had been running on adrenaline fueled by crazy people shooting at him and driving off a cliff. Now he was calmed down and his mind was reeling by trying to make sense of what was going on. When it failed to do so, it focused on one, clear solitary fact;
He was alone. His mom and dad weren't here and more importantly, neither was Ford. But then where was Ford? Mabel told him that he was an adult now, so that meant Ford was too, right? Did that mean Ford left him?
Stanley pursed his lips. He supposed he always knew that he and Ford would have to leave each other as adults, but he had also hoped the two of them would grow up to be treasure hunters like the books he and Ford read. Stanley grabbed a stone and threw it into the a bush. The bush in turn bristled like cat fur.
"Huh?" Stanley waited a moment, then grabbed another rock and tossed it. The bush bristled again. Stan stepped back nervously.
"Um guys?" The others however were all busy with the payphone.
"Did he pick up?" Mabel asked.
"Guys..."
"No. Ugh! This is just great!" Dipper complained as he hung up the phone. "Who are going to call now—Oh! I know we can call Wendy." Mabel scowled slightly.
"Dipper! We've talked about this! You need to move on and-"
"That has nothing to do with this!" Dipper snapped. "She's still a friend and guess what? She know to drive, so maybe she can give us a ride home. Anyone got another dollar?" Grenda moaned in response.
"We got nothing." Candy stated. "We are kids! We never got any money, that's why we have parents." Dipper sighed.
"Okay, then I guess we'll call collect." he said as he picked up the receiver.
"What's that?" Grenda asked.
"Oh! My parents told me all about it," Candy piped. "See, back in old days people would use collect for free calls."
"Guys!" Stanley yelled, a bit louder this time. "There's something weird here." The others, exhausted and tired, ignored him.
"Not now, Stan!" Dipper called.
Stanley, receiving no back up, started to retreat slowly.
"Hah! It's nothing!" he told himself. "Get it together, Stan! You're starting to sound like poindexter." There was rustle in the woods and this time Stan felt something long and cool, like a twig, slide itself down his shoulder. Stanley let out a startled yell as he jumped round. There was nothing.
"What the—what's going on?!" Stanley's skin prickled slightly. He turned back towards the woods, his curiosity fueling him. He crawled onto the steel barrier to get a better view between the trees, wondering if he could see something. As he peered though the trees, a long tentacle whipped out and wrapped itself around him before yanking him into the woods. Stanley could only let out a muffled yelp as he was yanked between the trees.
*)
The followers of the Great Moon Rabbit were not happy.
There was a number of factors to this; the weight and humiliation of their failure to keep an unworthy from their sacred pool, the failure to capture said unworthy one, the exhaustion from climbing up a cliff fraction in with a night's travel, and finally the fact that they were all lost and being eaten alive by mosquitoes and the sun's rays above. This last part was especially bad because the followers haven't seen sun light for years for one and second, their robes were styled to sparkle in the moon light like the diamonds that had been graced to share the great veil. In moon light this worked well and had a very enchanting appearance. In sunlight however the robes were blinding and every few steps a follower would fall back in agony when another blinded him (her, whatever) with their robes.
None of this was helped by the fact that their 'leader' refused to shut the hell up.
"I know the path... is long... and difficult... but we must prevail to return honor and glory to our great—OH GREAT HOLY RABBIT WHY!" he cried, falling back as he was blinded by a sparkly robe. It never even occurred to any of them to remove the robes as the robes were the whole image; without them they were just nut jobs wondering around endlessly in the wild. With the robes however they were holy nut jobs in lost in the wilds with a most scared mission that must be dealt with at all costs.
However, if their leader went off on another long winded speech one more time, then the follower were going to participate in a most unholy mission.
"It's no use," one groaned. "We will never find the unworthy one at this rate." In the narrative laws of comedy, Stan, still bound by the tentacle, slid swiftly by. The followers, who were not on the ground writhing pain, blinked.
"Did you see...?"
"I think we should take a break. The sun is making us hallucinate."
"Quite right brethren, sisteren, whateveren. Unlike the Merciful moon who illuminates the great veil of blackness the sun is ruthless beast burning and-"
"SHUT UP!"
*(
Meanwhile Dipper tapped the receiver nervously, muttering, "Please pick up, please pick up, please pick up..."
"Hello?"
"The AT&T."
"Uh, who?"
"Do you accept a collect call from—Caller; at the tone, say only your name."
"Uh, Dipper Pines?"
"Do accept the charges?" Dipper could just imagine Wendy shrugging.
"Meh, sure. Dad's paying and I'm not at work." she said in her nonchalant way. "Hey, Dipper; what's up?" As soon as Dipper got through he exploded excitedly.
"Wendy! Thank goodness, you'll believe we've been through!" he said, his voice full of relief. "Can you come pick us up? We need help getting home and the girls are too scared to hitch-hike-"
"You are too!"
"-and if we walk anymore my legs are going to detach themselves." Dipper finished, ignoring his sister.
"What happened? Did Stan get himself thrown in jail again?" Wendy asked with a soft scoff.
"No, he just got himself turned back into a little boy and our ride got destroyed when we running from some angry rabbit cult." There was a silence on the other end from the teenager.
"Uh...what?"
"I'll explain later. So, can you come get us?"
"Sure. I just have to wrestle the keys away from my dad. So where are you guys?" Dipper glanced around.
"Uh, I'm not sure," he turned to the others. "Uh, where are we?" The others shrugged.
"Ooh! Look over there! It looks like a lumber mill!" Mabel squinted. "Hmm... Lumber Joe's Mill. Where lumber's a million. I don't get it." It seemed Wendy heard Mabel over the line.
"Lumber Joe, huh...Oh, I remember that place! That's where the old witch used to live there under the cliff." There was a slow silence.
"Witch?" Candy repeated.
"Yeah. Don't worry, she's dead." The gang let out a sigh of relief. "Unfortunately the monster ain't." Silence fell again.
"What monster?" Dipper asked. On the other side of the phone, Wendy shrugged.
"Dunno. My dad just used to say that there was a giant monster that used to destroy all the lumber trucks that passed through. That's why no one uses the back road anymore. Or that Mill. Actually, now that I think about it, it appeared after-" Suddenly a sense of dread filled Dipper as he realized that it's been quiet for awhile.
"Stan...?" he said hopefully. "Stan?" Mabel let out a loud, worried gasp.
"DIPPER! Stan's gone!" she yelled as she ran towards the spot where she had last seen him with the other girls. Dipper grabbed his hat.
"Oh man! Oh man! Wendy, get here as fast as you can! And try to get Ford from the shack!"
"Uh, who?" But Dipper had already hung up and was running to join the others.
"He was right here." Candy stated as Mabel continued to yell for Stan.
"Do you think the monster got him?" Grenda asked. This increased Mabel's frantic yells, "Grunkle Stan! Stan, please come out! Grunkle Stan!" Dipper didn't even stop. Instead he jumped the steel barrier and ran into the woods.
"Dipper!" Mabel and the others chased after him. "Where are you going?"
"We have to find Stan!" the boy stated. He didn't know if Stan had wandered off or had been taken by the monster, but whatever had happened he knew Stan was in Danger!
"How? We do not even know what the monster is." Dipper stopped. Candy had a point.
"M-maybe there's something in the journal." Dipper went for the journal, but then he realized something. "No! The journal! It's gone!"
(*
Stanley let out muffled cries as he was dragged through the woods by the long, cold tentacle that was wrapped around his little body. He started getting motion sickness as he was slid in every direction imaginable and ways he didn't know were possible. There were countless times that he was sure he crash into a tree, a rock, or a deer, but always yanked away like rubber at the last moment. After many, many, dizzying harrows, Stan was yanked down a deep, deep hole of some sort and was pulled until every spot of light vanished.
When there was only darkness Stanley was dropped to the ground with a large thunderous thump. Stanley's body quivered with the pain one would get when they hit their funny bone. The tentacle finally released him, pulling away from the body with an uncomfortable slither. The boy let out a loud, "OW!" which was cut off by the vomit that had been searching for his throat for awhile, but had been unable to find it due to the fact it kept changing places. Fortunately Stan hadn't eaten for—he didn't even know how long.
As he evacuated whatever was in his insides, a giant, green eye ball opened. This was the only light in an otherwise dark setting. Stan turned towards it and fell back in surprise.
"Whaa! Who...what...?" he stuttered.
"...well..."
"Huh? Ow!" Stan felt his shoulder burn as something touched his back.
"The gall, to return here..." The voice echoed around like whispered in his ear. Suddenly a beam appeared illuminated by one a single green eye. It stared hard at him, as if trying to peel his skin and muscles away so he could get to the core of where Stanley was. Stan gulped.
"I... That's..." he tried to be brave and force a smart remark, but was unable to due to. He was too scared and that eye... It didn't even blink. It just watched him. It just watched.
"Here to finish what you started, old man?" Suddenly something wrapped around Stan's neck lifted him off the ground. "Or did you simply not learn your lesson the first time?" Stan gasped for his breath.
"Gack! I'm not..." he squawked. There was a thoughtful pause, but then he was dropped.
"Hm. It's definitely you. No doubt about that." it mused. Stanley whimpered as he clutched his throat.
"What do you want?!" he yelled, determinedly keeping his eyes closed. Even with his lids shut as tight as he could he still see that horrible green light. "Who are you?!" There was a soft laugh.
"Oh, how delightful." Something cold touched his back, making his eyes shoot open. Stan moved to slap it, but missed.
"Stop it!" The echoing chuckle stating that the whatever was clearly amused.
"You really don't remember or know? No... because you are a child. That's thing with your type; you never learn and as a result you make the same mistake. Over and over." Stanley was still scared, but now he was also annoyed.
"What. Are. You. TALKING ABOUT?!" he called. "Start talking or I'll... I'll give you pink eye!" He was startled when the eye suddenly turned pink. "Seriously?! Whoa!" He was lifted into the air.
"How?" the thing asked. "You are more worthless than ever. You can't even beg for your life right." Stanley wiggled.
"P—Please!" he yelled, willing to say anything to get out of here. "Just let me go! I wanna go home!" Stanley was then bounced in a sort of playful way by the creature then plopped back on the ground.
"What home? The one stole or the one you were thrown out of?" Each word was filled with amusement at his expense. "Your 'home' doesn't want you? And why would they? After all you're just a bumbling leech."
Stanley had to close his eyes to fight his tears of embarrassment. He hated how scared he was. He hated how he was this thing's toy. He just... hated this thing! He clenched his fists in anger and felt his fingers wrap around a rock. In his fury he picked it up and threw it straight at the giant eye.
*)
"Oh, man! Oh, man!" Dipper paced the forest floor, in a full out panic. "Oh man, oh man!"
"Dipper!" Mabel exclaimed. "What do we do?!" Dipper pulled at his hair.
"I...I dunno!" he admitted. "I mean I always had the journal for this stuff, but now... it... it's gone..." Dipper felt like crying, in fact he almost was. They were lost in the middle of no where with a monster who probably had their miniature uncle somewhere, and one line of defense Dipper always counted on was gone!
"Well, we can't just stand here! We've gotta find Stan!"
"How?!" Dipper cried. "Mabel, we have no idea where we are or even what we're up against! Even if we did find whatever's out there, there's absolutely no way we can fight it without the journal!"
"That doesn't matter!" Mabel grabbed her brother's shoulders and stared him straight in the eyes. "Dipper! Grunkle Stan has always been there to save us when we needed him! He's fought through an army of zombies for us and punched out a dinosaur for us! Now we're gonna do the same for him! So forget the journal and get your punching hands ready because we're gonna save our family!" Dipper stared, at her for a moment then nodded determinedly.
"You're right Mabel." Journal, or not Stan needed them more than ever. "C'mon! We'll search the whole forest if we have to!" Just as he said this the ground shook and a light exploded in the distance.
"Uhhh, I think I know where were Mr. Pines is." Grenda stated.
*)
Stanley had thrown the rock out of desperation. He didn't expect it to do anything. So when the stone started to glow in mid-throw he was surprised. He was even more so when it collided with the creature's eye and exploded. There was sound of steam leaking out and tiny little lights filled the area. Stanley was in shock for a moment, then bolted to his feet and ran. He had no idea where he was going, but he knew that wherever he was heading it was better than here with that thing. The sound around him was just as piercing as screams. They seemed to seep into Stan's brain to stab every lobe. His ears actually started to bleed as he dashed on. Yet he still pressed forward because he knew what would happen if he didn't. His heart started to drop as the tiny lights started to vanish, but it lifted as the rays of sun appeared at the end of the tunnel. Filled with hope, he ran towards the end only to reach just that; an end. Stanley saw that he was in a deep, deep hole. He might as well have been at the bottom of a mountain.
"No!" he cried. Stan kicked at the wall even though he knew this would do nothing. Then he fell to his knees, almost crying. Hopelessness and despair started to fill him when suddenly-
"Stan!" Stan looked up and saw Dipper and the others. Relief emerged from the pure terror he was feeling.
"Guys!" His joy was just short as the ground started to shake. He turned and saw the reason was as hundreds of black tentacles shot through the tunnel towards him. Stan scrambled at the wall desperately.
"Help!"
Mabel shot the grappling hook at his feet. "Grab on!" Stan did so and the rope started to retract just as the shadow limbs followed him up. The others exchanged frightened looks.
"What is that?!" Mabel exclaimed. Dipper shook his head.
"I dunno! I don't have the journal." He stepped closer to his sister. "Can't that thing pull him up faster?!"
"This is as fast as it goes!" The shadows were getting closer, making Stan curl into a ball. As soon as he was close enough, Dipper grabbed him and they all started running just the shady limbs burst from the hole and shot after them.
(*(
A few steps ahead the followers were having a 'creative discussion' using an extensive vocabulary featuring words that cannot be revealed in this particular story and words that sound as if they were just made up.
"-You blame me?!"
"Yes! You! You drama king drop out!" the follower snapped.
"Why you ungrateful mammothrepts!" The 'leader' of the followers cursed, using a word from his word a day calender. "If not for I where would you ingrates be?"
"Not lost in the bunny pellet woods!"
"No! You would be running around like a drunken monkey welding a knife!"
"That's what we're doing now!"
"No! Now you have purpose; we have direction!"
"Oh, really? What direction?" Just as this question was asked They saw the group of kids rush past them, followed moments later by long black tentracles and a large black shadow. It created a force of wind that threw up into the trees. Caught in the branches like birds, the followers all shared a look that in this modern age had become known at the 'WTF' face. The leader was the first to recover.
"That direction! FOLLOWERS! Our perseverance has prevailed!" The others blinked.
"Are we just going to ignore the giant force of blackness that just passed?" one of the followers asked. "I mean, seriously? Something like that needs acknowledgment."
"Blackness, whiteness, pinkness, it matters not!" came a snap reply. "All that matters is that we capture the unworthy one so we may appease the Great Rabbit!" The leader grabbed a vine. "Followers! Follow me—AH GREAT HOLY BUNNY THIGHS!" The vine snapped as he tried to swing and the follower fell to the earth below as he was cruelly reminded that he wasn't in a jungle nor was he Tarzan.
(*(
The kids ran and ran as fast as they could, trying to escape the darkness behind them. However, they weren't able to get far before the tentacles had caught up to them and were now surrounding all of them.
The swirl of black mass closed in on them, closer and closer, cutting off the air as it did so. Stanley was sure they were goners when suddenly a ray of light appeared. Literally as it sliced the darkness around them. They turned and standing in the direction it came from was- "Ford!" Stanley stared.
"Ford...?" Just then a truck skidded up beside them
"Wendy!" Dipper yelled, relieved. Wendy threw open the passenger door.
"Get in!"she yelled. The kids did so while Ford covered them.
As soon as they were in, he hopped on the back and yelled, "Go! Go!" Wendy didn't need to be told twice and shot off like a charging bull through the woods.
"Oh god! Not again!" Grenda moaned, getting a horrible flashback to the day before as she covered her eyes.
The beast wasn't going to let it's prey go so easily however and sent it's shadows after them. Ford cover them as best he could, but the car's sudden turns to avoid the tentacles which stabbed into the ground in front of them.
"Don't worry, guys!" Wendy called to them all as she swerved around the black spikes. "I can lose this thing no sweat-"
"HALT UNWORTHY ONE!"
"WHOA!" Wendy and everyone one else were startled (shocked beyond reason) when a cloaked figure threw themselves on the window of the car. Because they did this, Wendy was forced to do an extremely sharp stop that almost threw Ford off the back and the figure flew off the front, hitting a tree and creating an imprint that would make George of the jungle jealous. Ford saved himself by catching the back, but lost the weapon he was using. "No!"
The group then found themselves in a black cage as the shadows stabbed the ground all around them. They were trapped.
"What now?" A frightened Candy asked.
"What now-?! What was that!" Wendy exclaimed as calmly as she could in the situation. She pointing at the follower who was currently trying to push himself out.
"Ah! It's them! But what are they doing here?!" Dipper cried.
"Forget them! Why is this thing after us?!" Mabel whined. She turned to Stan. "Stan! What did you do?" Stan shook his head.
"Nothing! It's crazy, just like everything else!" he yelled. His brown eyes stared through the window as a shape formed in the center before them. It appeared to be the shadow of a woman, but it had the same frightening eyes that had watched Stanley in the dark. They were still watching Stan. Stan felt himself go ice cold as the gaze focused on him. He whimpered slightly as he pushed himself as far as he could in the seat. The twins saw this and both covered him instinctively.
The woman raised a hand slowly and all the black tentracles reacted accordingly as Ford leaped on the hood of the car and stood protectively in front of the kids. He threw open his jacket and reached in to grab something from it, but just as his fingers touched whatever he was grabbing a shadowy limb shot out and wrapped around him, lifting the man into the air.
"Ford!"
In the corner the followers were poking their leader.
"You know, I'm starting to think that following this nut-job isn't such a good idea..." one of the four said.
"Still. You got to admire his determination." The leader groaned as he pushed himself up.
"Ooh... Everything hurts." he muttered. Once he managed to regain his footing he straightened himself and tried to make himself looked dignified. After he felt he had done so he stalked towards the shadow of woman, much to the horror of the others.
"Um, excuse me," he said, bolder than he should have been able to in the situation. Everyone turned to look at him, drawn by his bravery and sheer stupidity. "Er, mam—whatever... I can see that you're busy being... well, frightening, but er, you see we need the unworthy one to sacrifice and appease the Great Rabbit on the Moon. So if you would just er, let me grab him we will be on our way." The woman stared and Stanley, having been the sole focus of those eyes, was impressed by the man's ability to stand as firmly as he was.
"...Who are you?" The man drew himself up as much his skinny body could.
"I am a Great Leader and Hunter of the Great Rabbit who stirs the most holy to return what times steals-"
"No you're not! You're just head water carrier." one of the other followers interrupted. The leader deflated.
"Well, they didn't need to know that!" he snapped. "Way to ruin the moment, fool!"'
"You already did that, idiot!"
"Oh, really? Well then! You reason with Lady Creepy Eyes over there and get the unworthy one, while I'll hide behind the tree like a coward!"
"We are not hiding! We are merely observing the situation and determining the best solution!"
Stanley took this distraction as an opportunity to suddenly push his way out of the truck. He didn't know what compelled him to do so, but it was too late to stop himself now.
"Stan?! What are you doing?!" Dipper wailed as he followed. Stan jumped on the ground and picked up the item that Ford had dropped. He then turned towards the shadow woman and, like in the cave, aimed straight for the eyes. The item exploded and an electric field appeared. There was a hiss that echoed like a screech around them as the shadowy limbs shook and waved. Stanley cringed from the sound and barely noticed Dipper carrying him back into the "safety" of the car. Beside them, Wendy glared ahead and revved up the motor. The vehicle roared and charged forward at the limb holding Ford crashed into it. The tentacle vanished and Ford fell into the back with a crash. There was no time to see if he was okay for the other limbs started to waver. This was their one chance!
"Hold on!" Wendy called to everyone. Pressing as hard as she could on the accelerator, the truck took off through the woods, and the followers who had to dive out of the way to avoid becoming hood ornaments. Ford almost fell out, but yanked a gadget that was basically a large magnet from his pocket and stabbed it down, giving him a decent grip. The kids all screamed as Wendy landed on the road with a bounce, but she recovered like a professional racer and maintained control as she raced down it.
Behind them there was a sound of anger, but nothing was chasing them. Turning to see why, Stan saw something like a barrier, keeping the beast trapped. There was no cry or scream of anger, or even any sound. Yet Stanley could still feel the rage as those glowing eyes watched him. They watched Stan and he knew that this wasn't over.
Not yet.
End of chapter
I rewrote this chapter to fit in more with the story. I even added the Followers! My crazy little maniacs. X3