Small notice, this is a human Bill, but he's still a dream demon or whatever.

You should probably be emotionally and mentally stable before you read this...

I'm sorry. I really am.

You'll know why later.

Chapter 3 - Urgency

"Mason, did you hear that?!" Mabel exclaimed excitedly.

Despite Mason's curiosity, panic rose up in him. "Oh no. Mabel, it's too dangerous to go out there! She said it herself; whatever beast is in there will kill anybody."

"Aw, c'mon! Just for a little?" she pleaded, clasping her hands together and giving him puppy dog eyes. He just couldn't say no to that look.

"Okay, fine." he said. "But only for a few minutes, and then we're getting the heck out of there."

His sister cheered as they exited the shop and walked into the parking lot. "We'll be back, just going into town for a bit!" he called to his Great Uncle as they walked away. Ford gave a nod of approval and continued his conversation with the adults.

The siblings started walking towards the forest. Mason ignored the knots in his stomach, or his gut telling him to go back to safety. Why did he agree to this? Slowly, the line of trees got closer as they approached, a dark aura seeming to emit from it. A lot of the plants looked dead or overgrown; at least what he could see did. Some trees were thin and looked about ready to fall down, while others were thick and looked like they were as old as the United States of America itself.

By now, they were just a step away from entering the forest. Mason grabbed his sister's hand, gripping it tightly to keep her from running off. If Mabel were hurt, he would never forgive himself for it.

The branches started swaying back and forth wildly as the wind blew so furiously that it almost knocked both of them off of their feet. It quickly stopped completely however, as if time was frozen. After what felt like hours, but was only seconds, the siblings stepped into the forest. As they walked in deeper, Mason swore he heard dark whispers echoing around them, but he pushed it aside as his mind just playing tricks on him.

After a few minutes, he opened up his mouth to say that they'd spent enough time in there by now, but his breath hitched when he saw a glint of yellow, Mabel not noticing it because she was turned the other way looking at something. His foot slipped backwards a few centimers on instinct, and he looked around slowly, trying to spot what he'd seen. Then, for a brief second, it was there again, the yellow light shining into his eyes so brightly he had to close them shut for a bit.

"M- Mabel, we should probably l- leave…" At this point, adrenaline was coursing through his veins and his mind was screaming at him to get out.

Then he heard a scream. A high pitched scream. A scream that had to come from a certain girl…

"Mabel!"

His sister had wandered off when he wasn't looking, and he searched blindly though the green terrain, tripping occasionally, trying to find her. She wasn't too far, but when he saw her he gasped at the sight. There was a large gash in her abdomen area, and it was bleeding severely. She wasn't dead, but she was definitely knocked out and unconscious from the blood loss. He picked her up and threw her body over his shoulder, knowing he had to get out of there. Within seconds, he heard footsteps behind, chasing after him. He didn't need to look behind him to know it was the same demon - Bill Cipher - who'd tried to killed his sister. He ran, and ran, and ran, and didn't stop until he was out of the forest. His lungs were burning and he was struggling to breathe, gasping for air like he'd just emerged out of the ocean after someone trying to drown him. He tumbled to the ground as soon as he burst out of the treeline, rolling onto the grass, face covered with dirt and clothes now stained with sweat and blood.

He slowly got up, barely able to stand, as it caused immense pain, looking around his surroundings to see if he was safe. He thought everything was clear until he noticed that the demon was staring at him from the edge of the forest with a glare like he was staring into his soul. He panicked for a brief second before he noticed the reason that Bill Cipher wasn't attempting to kill him was because there was a moslty-transparent shield blocking him. He looked to the ground, seeing a fine line of a bright, rainbow-colored substance, which was what was creating the 'boundary' for the forest.

"Pinetree. You're Pinetree, aren't you?" it hissed in anger. He didn't know what that meant. He glanced at his sister before it spoke again. "And Shooting Star."

He ran away, fleeing, not caring for those useless words. If he didn't hurry, his sister was going to die.

Tears streamed down his face.

Tears streamed down his face because he knew it was all his fault.

He was so focused on the emotional pain of it all that he didn't realize that he'd made it back to the bakery until he ran straight into the wall, almost dropping his sister and giving himself a concussion. He ran the other way. "Grunkle Ford! Mabel's injured! Help!" At his call, he turned around, and immediately rushed over to him when he saw her condition. Pacifica looked shocked, while Preston immediately got out his phone and dialed 911.

His mind wandered to what Cipher had said as the ambulance arrived, lights and alarms blaring and everything.

"Mason, you stay here. I'm going to the hospital with your sister." Ford said firmly.

"Wait!" His yell caused him to halt, and he didn't waste anytime asking his question. "What are Pinetree and Shooting Star supposed to mean?"

The Zodiac… the old professor thought. Then he realized why Mabel was injured so badly. It was Cipher's doing. He froze up.

Bill Cipher.

Bill Cipher had just tried to kill his great neice.

"I'll tell you later, my boy. I'm sorry, but I have to go!"

And with that, he got in, and the ambulance left.