NOTE: I felt the last chapter was a bit too long so I decided to chop this in two and post the other half later.
The door nearly came unhinged as it swung off the frame and slammed against the rusted steel wall. Wendy stumbled out first, catching Dipper and Mabel who very nearly fell onto the floor. Sweating and covered in grime, the feeling of momentarily relief had been washed over by the dread from the officers' revelations.
Mabel held onto her brother's arm to steady herself but didn't let go. "At least they didn't check behind them, eh, broseph?" she said with a nervous chuckle.
Dipper gawked at her. He had to hand it to his sister. Even in the direst situations, she still somehow managed to stay cheery. He had to admit, her gaiety was what kept him from losing it during crisis points. It was amazing how she seemed the least rattled out of the three of them. Though she still had to let go of his arm; her grip was starting to hurt.
"I can't believe they'd think about us like that," Wendy muttered. "We're not bad people. Deputy Stonewick...he...he drove me to the Shack after dad chased away the thing. They were the first to respond."
"And they're going to kill us because we know too much?" Mabel added. The ends of her sleeves were now folded to help cool her sweaty palms. The engine room had felt like an oven and the hold's chill was a welcoming relief.
"Maybe it's just some metaphorical stuff they like to say a lot," Dipper said. Before he was aware of it, he was pacing the grated steel floor. "We're just letting this get to our heads. They're not really going to hurt us."
"Yet," his sister continued, control slowly disappearing from her tone. Much like a shot of adrenaline, her joviality was petering out fast. "You heard what they said. They'll try to silence us like the mob in Ducktective!"
Dipper grabbed her shoulders and shook her with enough force to make her hair fall over her face. "Mabel! We survived Bill, Wierdmaggedon, and a hundred other monsters that could have ripped us apart easy. This isn't the first time our lives are on the line, right? Remember those government agents? Compared to them, how can we be intimidated by three low-ranking cops? I mean, what can they really do to us?"
"Um, kill us," the redhead deadpanned.
The male twin shook his head. He reached over and wrenched the lid free off the pyrotechnics crate.
"Bro-bro, what are you doing?"
Dipper pocketed five flares and began unhooking the lid on a metal box—one of many—kept on the shelf. This fish hold had effectively been converted into a supply stash and he was determined to siphon what was needed. He hoped Officers Stonewick, Vanchetti, and Benning didn't keep inventory of what they were hoarding here. Most of it probably came from the police depot and knowing the Gravity Falls police, they could care less if a rocket launcher went missing.
"Sheriff Blubs isn't crazy enough to let three of his own go all out like this," Dipper began, his hand digging into the box and yielding yellow shotgun shells. Or they looked like shotgun shells. The words Dragon's Breath was printed on the casing. "But I doubt he could muscle them out of it."
"Dipper, maybe they could've muscled him and Deputy Durland to stay out of their business," Mabel raised.
"You have a point there." Dipper noticed Wendy peering through the porthole. "So they call this monster the 'Grass-Man', huh."
A dejected sigh. The eldest of the three slumped down onto her rear. "Yeah. It started showing up around here recently, around a month ago. Been making hell for dad and the other loggers. Trashed outer-lying homes like ours. Wrecking campsites. At least dad chased it off. Then Deputy Stonewick showed up."
"Do you think he's somehow related?"
"He took dad's statement and drove me to the Shack. He even helped me settle into the attic room. He was a really cool guy, cracked some good jokes, even paid a visit a couple times to check up on me and Soos. Made moving easier."
So much for subtlety, Dipper thought. Wendy sounded betrayed. Because she most probably was. Whoever this new deputy was, he had played with her trust and—like Robbie all those summers ago—tosses her out like a used napkin. If there was any ever determination for him to get something done, whether it was Mabel comparing their height or his classmates picking at his physique, then seeing a close friend looking so down made him want to do everything he could to do to get something done.
Then again, he had to reconsider what she just said about Deputy Stonewick. What sane resident of Gravity Falls—let alone cop—would willingly pay a visit to the Shack if not to buy something? Even after Wierdmaggedon, who still would? Perhaps he was just being nice. If not, he was good at masking it. Or he was scouting...
"Guys, let's head back to town," he said with a touch of finality that made his sister stare at him. "We have some work to do."
"Broseph, don't do anything stupid," Mabel warned.
"No. I'm not going to. I'm going to the library and look up on this Grass-Man or anything related to it." It was disappointing though that there was no journal to assist him here. Everything in those pages had all been explored and there was still a lot more to be documented in this county alone. If only their great uncles were here...
"Dipper?" It was Wendy. She looked just as concerned. "I know that you're trying to make me feel better. And I appreciate it. But better safe than sorry."
"The library's pretty safe," the male twin deflected.
"Let's just head back to the Shack first. I could use a breather."
"Me, too."
"Fine," Dipper acquiesced as he pocketed the yellow shells. He ascended to the deck and scouted the trail that led to this little hideaway. Come to think of it, how the hell did a dilapidated fishing boat end up all the way up here?
Dipper had been shaken from his musings when Mabel yanked him off the trail and into a bush. Her hand clamped down on his mouth before he could protest. Wendy was pressed against the bark above them. He looked up at her then at Mabel who let go and only nodded.
The twins carefully pushed against the bush until they felt hidden behind the leafage. The golf cart was a few minutes away but up ahead was a tiny glade where a squad car had been parked. The three officers were huddled around the trunk.
"Tracking dry leaves isn't easy, sir," Horace groused.
Hector rounded the car after Stonewick bolted down the hatch. "Boss, you think the Grass-Man will hit the Mystery Shack next?"
Vernon sighed, musing. "There are so many places here that are potential targets. All we've got now is luck. We're packed but we'll be shooting blind." He stopped himself then stared into the tree line while Vanchetti and Benning squeezed into the back seat.
Wendy eased her head back. Dipper held his breath and he was sure Mabel did too. Deputy Stonewick was looking directly at them. Or where they were hiding. He seemed to be seeing through the shrubbery but he couldn't be sure. He had to admit though that the way his pupils pierced the dark was unsettling. Did he have experience with the weirdness? Surely, there were sister towns to Gravity Falls that also had its own basket of mysteries.
Stonewick took a step towards them. Dipper squeezed Mabel's hand. Don't move, came the soundless words.
Vernon stopped short of the tree line and shrugged. "Huh."
He turned on his heels and slipped into the driver's seat. He may have been fresh off the academy three years ago but he knew when they were being trailed. He could hear them when the two idiots in the backseat weren't bickering.
"I know you're out there, kids," he whispered under the hum of the diesel engine.
The squad car pulled out of the glade, backing up through the woods until it disappeared behind the wall of timber striping before the highway. Dipper crawled out of the bush and found himself standing where the three officers had been, staring down the tracks that snaked between the trees.
Mabel tugged at his arm. "Come on, Dip. We have to go. You've got the keys, right?"
"The golf cart should be nearby, right, Dipper?"
Dipper nodded, his head still craned towards the trees. These cops were now a danger to the three of them as much as they thought themselves protectors of the town.
"I said drop your weapons!"
"Begone, ye foul minions!"
The fanatic raises his gun. Vanchetti squeezes once over Benning's shoulder. A twelve-gauge slug smashes into the suspect's chest. Horace gapes in horror as his only accomplice looms over the still man whose beige shirt darkened with crimson.
"Heck! I had him! He was going to put his gun down!"
"He was going to shoot you, Horse! I saved your life!"
"But, but we had him."
"Don't fool yourself, man!" Hector shoves Benning and glares. "Get a grip! We are dead if we don't fight back. Screw protocol; our own lives are on the line right now."
Horace shakes his head. "You're right. You're right." He breaths slowly then flips the switch on his carbine from semi to full-automatic.
"Come on. We might be able to get out this way," Hector nudges as they pass through the wide church hall into a corridor adorned with banners. He pauses briefly to look up at the image of an odd triangle deity. "Goddamn cultists."
ORIGINALLY DRAFTED: February 21, 2017
LAST EDITED/UPDATED: March 10, 2017
UPLOADED: March 9, 2017
NOTE: I'm grateful for the support for this fic, especially to SGA. Also, thanks to NecroticHate for reminding me about Manly Dan. I thought I'd make the lumberjack more even-headed because he'll be playing an important part in the story later on. Can't have him yelling 'manly' things and smashing everything with his gargantuan fists all the time.
As always, keep leaving reviews and pointing out stuff that might help/or is a little too much.