For a long time, the only sounds were the crunching of leaves under everyone's feet and their breathing.
Stan stopped at the hole that once led down to the bunker again.
"Now where are those footprints?" he grumbled.
Dipper and Wendy both came forward and looked at the ground. There had been no breeze and certainly no rain the night before, so the footprints were still there. The two pointed almost simultaneously at them.
"All right—Dipper—I want you up here with me. You're closer to the ground and have better eyes than I do. Follow those footprints-. "
Dipper gulped and watched Wendy backpedal to her position behind Stan. "Sure, Grunkle Stan—"
"—and when I say get behind me, get behind me. Understood? "
Dipper nodded. "Yes, sir. "
For about half an hour, Dipper kept his eyes on the ground. The footprints were fairly plain, aside from the odd leaf that had gone over one of them. The soft dirt had preserved them well.
Suddenly, Dipper stopped.
"What's the matter?" Stan asked.
Mabel bit her lip. She had never heard her "Grunkle" speak in such a harsh tone has he'd been using that day.
"It's going to be okay." Wendy whispered in her ear. "Stan's just really worried about his brother."
"I know." Mabel answered. "I just want Great Uncle Ford to be safe, and I want this to be over. "
Soos noted that Dipper looked distressed. "I—I don't see the footprints anymore. "
"What?" his "Grunkle said almost angrily.
"Hey, look." Soos said, coming over to the bushes beside the trail. "Somebody went through here. A lot of the branches of these bushes are squashed and broken. "
Dipper exhaled. "Thanks, Soos."
"No worries, dude. Two years in the cub scouts taught me somethin'. "
"All right," Stan said, glowering. "Everyone behind me. We're going this way. "
The others had to make a single file line behind Stan to go on the narrow path that had been made through the bushes. Eventually they came out of the forest and into a meadow. Everyone stood together looked around.
"Great. Where do we go now?" Wendy said in a low mumble.
Dipper looked around almost frantically. What would Grunkle Stan do if this was a dead end?
"Hey, what's that up there? "His sister suddenly asked.
Everyone's eyes followed the direction Mabel's finger was pointing. On the other side of a meadow, the ground sloped upward, and the forest seemed to continue at the top of the slope. Almost hidden in the trees was a wooden structure that looked as though it may have fallen if there was a strong wind.
There was a moment of silence, and then there was a faint noise in the distance.
"Wh-what was that? " Soos asked of no one in particular, and then it came again:
A scream.
Stan's eyes widened, and then narrowed. "Get behind me, kids." he said in a voice that was almost a growl. "Now. "