Gravity Falls. A mysterious, sleepy, small town of the eastern part of the state of Oregon. It's not on any known maps and people have hardly ever heard of it, but for those that have heard of it know that it is anything but a normal town. Not only was it founded by a president that history would rather forget, but it was also a hotspot for many supernatural occurrences. Some would say that it existed inside of a twilight zone between reality and fantasy. Between science and superstition, and it lied between the pit of man's fears and the summit of his knowledge.
It was midnight, the day after the Pines family had gotten the Mystery Shack back from Gideon. The winds were calm as not a sound was made from the forest. Suddenly the ground shook. Inside the Mystery Shack, Patrick was sleeping soundly in his bed when a massive blue light started glowing from underneath the floorboards. It grew larger and larger, before stopping and disappearing.
Patrick got up from his bed and walked over to where he had a nightlight plugged into the wall. With tired, squinting eyes, he pulled it out of the outlet and tossed on the couch. He then got back under the covers and went back to sleep.
However, down below in a secret underground lab that neither he or the twins knew about, there was something going on. Something that they could've never imagined. Stan and Veronica had just activated a giant machine. A machine that the journals created the blueprint for.
"We did it, Veronica. Thirty long years and it's all led up to this. Our greatest achievement!" Stan exclaimed. Both elderly cousins could hardly believe that this was finally happening. There was a pause as Stan looked down and noticed that he was still in his tank top and underwear. "Probably should've worn pants."
The machine surged and sparked out some bolts of lighting. Hitting the ground in front of Veronica and hit Stan's shoulder. Setting it on fire. Stan quickly patted himself on his shoulder to get rid of the fire. "Feisty," Veronica said with a smile.
They then walked out of the machine's room and got back to the control room. The secret agent flipped some switches on the switchboard and looked up. A screen in the ceil over the window slides open and showed a readout of a lot of code running on the black screen.
To the normal person, it looked like a bunch of gibberish, but to Veronica and Stan, it made sense. The moment they've been waiting for was coming. "This is it. It'll take some time before the machine is completely activated," she told him. The machine emitting laser rays and the ring also changed the color by each slot. "And once it starts, we'll have to keep it stabilized and constantly running."
"But if we finally pull this off, it'll all have been worth it," Stan said to Veronica, sitting down in his chair. "We just have to keep playing it cool; if anyone ever finds out about this. Are you sure that your agency doesn't know anything about this?"
"I'm positive. I've given everyone the day off today for when we turn on the machine," Veronica told him with a serious expression. There should be no one at the base to detect the energy pulse. But Stan, I'm worried about the kids." She sadly looked at the picture of Patrick, Dipper, and Mabel. "They're going to find out sooner or later, Stanley. And when they..."
"Yeah, right. we've come this far. Who could possibly catch us now?" Stan asked, brushing off his cousin's concerns. He then grabbed a 6-fingered glove and slid it on his hand, leaving the far pinky finger empty.
Veronica paused for a moment. Stan was right. This was what they've been building towards for a long time. Their last chance to finish what they've started and make things right. She didn't care if the government labeled her as a rogue agent. In all honesty, she's been preparing for that day. But now it was time to make history, and as long as she continued to put on her facade and remain a somewhat innocent little old woman, then she was safe. As long as no one found out, things will all go according to plan.
Stan got up and Veronica took over the seat. The agent started flipping the switches, setting the machine to the exact coordinates they need.
Stan grabbed a lever for the power and turned back to his cousin. "You ready?!"
"Almost...Got it!"
"Alright. Contact!"
"Contact!"
Stan pulled the lever down to MAX POWER.
Outside, the Mystery Shack lights up brightly from the power of the machine. Causing a power surge around town as the light brightly shined from over the tree line. Shining on Gravity Falls. No one who was asleep ever noticed it.
Little did Veronica know was that there was someone that noticed. And it was her own agency.
The Office of Paranormal Investigations' base was a concrete structure comprised of an operational building, adjoined by a garage. The only known entrance is a heavy, sealed door, illuminated by a fluorescent light above it. There was a high set strip of windows on the front side, and the roof was outfitted with solar panels and large satellite dishes. Due to the base's secretive nature, it's isolated in the middle of the desert.
Inside, Agent Trigger had just packed his suitcase and was about to head home. Suddenly his monitors started going crazy. He looked at it and was shocked to see readings there were off the charts. Looking to one screen, it showed a red line that was similar to one on a heartbeat monitor.
Trigger dropped his suitcase when he saw it spiking. "SIR! You've got to take a look at this!" He called his partner, Powers, over. Powers ran over from the door and looked at the monitor.
When Powers saw the spiking red line, his eyes widened. "My God, we haven't seen readings like this for thirty years."
Trigger quickly got in his chair and started typing on the keyboard. "Is it coming from deep space? An enemy weapon site?" He asked, zooming in on the exact location of the signal. Tracing it to the Pacific Northwest, in Oregon. The red dot on the one place that they knew it could have come from. They've been investigating the paranormal all over the United States, but only one town that was known all throughout the OPI.
"Just as I suspected," Powers said. He turned on the big screen and it displayed an aerial photo of the town in question. "Gentlemen! We're going to Gravity Falls."
Play Stranger Things theme by Kyle Dixon Michael Stein}
The intro begins by fading in a scene of the road sign that said: "Welcome to Gravity Falls, Oregon."
We then see a view of the town of Gravity Falls, with the strangely shaped canyons in the background, and the sun going down between the two land formations. As the sun was setting, the day turns to a blue night. However, a sinister red light comes from over the horizon. Shining between the canyon.
The next scene is of a large, dinosaur footprint in the ground. It then changed to show the trees of the forest at night, and a pair of glowing eyes staring at the viewer, before the camera switched to a wider shot and showed many more eyes staring at the viewer. The next scene was a far back show of two men dumping a body into the lake, and as that body sank down it was swallowed by a massive creature.
PATRICK
The teenage Pines is shown in a freeze shot of him walking in the woods with a lantern and his crowbar in hand. Behind him, Bill's eye in the sky looked down at him.
DIPPER
The male twin is looking down at the journal with a flashlight. Not noticing that there was a Pteranodon staring down at him, ready to eat him.
MABEL
The female twin is the final one to be seen, and it showed her wearing a sweater that lit up because it was plugged into an outlet. But in another, farther away shot show's Gideon's hand controlling her like she was a marionette.
The finale of the intro shows the Mystery Shack as the sun goes down behind it and the trees of the forest. When the sun goes down and the night came, and just like the beginning, the red light appears, but then a blue light shined from inside the Mystery Shack.
Then the screen when black and the title of the story appeared in a flash of light.
WEIRDER THINGS
It then disappeared, before the chapter title appeared.
Chapter Nineteen:
Scary-oke
"Welcome, to the grand re-opening of the Mystery Shack!" Stan announced to the people and tourists inside the house and they all cheered and clapped loudly. Words that the kids were more than happy to hear. All of the Gideonland things were gone, and the building was free of all Gideon related items and nicknacks were destroyed. Things were finally back to normal and the shack was much more popular than ever. Stan and the kids were standing on the counter, the shack becoming too crowd from the to stand on the floor. "We're here to celebrate the defeat of that skunk Li'l Gideon!" the old man said. Patrick grabbed a Li'l Gideon doll and held it up.
The tourists all booed at the Gideon doll.
"Please, please..." Patrick said, holding up his hand to have them stop. He then grinned and pointed at them. "You call that booing! My Grandma can do it better than you!"
"You damn right I can! BOO!" Veronica shouted, standing near the vendor machine. The crowd joined in with her and booed.
Patrick dropped the Li'l Gideon doll and kicked it away. Stan then wrapped his arms around his niece and nephews. "But I didn't catch that porkchop all alone. These two scamps deserve SOME of the glory," he said, playfully rubbing Patrick and Dipper's hats. Mabel raised an eyebrow and elbowed him in the ribs. "Okay, okay. Most of the glory."
Toby Determined then came over and held up a cinder block painted to look like a camera. "Smile for the camera!"
"Your camera's a cinder block, Toby," Patrick told him, deadpanning.
"I just wanna be a part of things..." the reporter mumbled, looking down sadly.
That's when news anchor Shandra Jimenez walked over with her camera crew. Leaning in front of Toby's head with a smug smile. "Smile for a REAL camera," she told the Pines family.
"Everybody say 'Something stupid!'" Mabel told the boys.
"Something stupid!" They all cheered, doing some kind of silly pose. Mabel poked her fingers in her cheeks and went crossed eyed, Stan put up some jazz hands, Dipper pretended to choke himself, and Patrick posed like he was a cowboy with finger pistols.
After the picture was taken, Stan said, "And don't forget to come to the after-party tonight at eight." He pulled out a flier that Patrick made for them out of his back pocket. According to the flier, there was going to be music! It was going to be fun! And it was not free!
"We're doing a karaoke bonanza, people!" Mabel exclaimed, reaching down in front of the counter, and then pulling up a karaoke machine. "Light! Music! Enchantment!" She blew a handful of confetti out of her hand. She then pulled out a hand-drawn poster of Stan, Mabel, Dipper, and Patrick dressed like singers with given different stage names. "And an amazing karaoke performance by our family band, Love Patrol Alpha!"
Dipper scratched his arm. "I don't know about that."
Stan scratched the back of his head. "I would never agree to that ever."
"I refuse to participate," Patrick said bluntly.
"Too late! I wrote your names on the list! It's happening!" Mabel said, biting on the poster.
Wendy then barged into the shop through the door and blew an air horn. "Buy a ticket, people! You know you don't have anything going on in your lives! I'm talking to you, Pizza Guy! Don't lame out on me!" she announced. The tourists all followed her out of the shop and went outside. Leaving the five Pines family members alone in the gift shop.
Stan sighed in delight and leaned against the counter, and the kids jumped down from it. "The town loves us, we finally got that Gideon smell out of the carpet. Everything is finally going my way," Stan said to no one in particular.
Patrick felt a tug on his sweater's arm and looked down to see Dipper. The young boy held up three fingers. Know what he meant, Patrick nodded and turned back to Stan. "Hey, Stan. Now that we have a moment. I've been meaning to ask you for our journal back," he said.
"Wha? Journal?" Stan asked, and began patting himself down, even though it was fake. Giving Veronica the signal.
"I've got it right here, sweethearts," the old woman said, pulling out the journal and handed it back to Patrick. She had the journal on her because during the night, she had copied all the papers of the book. "I was able to sneak in and take it from your uncle when he was asleep."
"I was gonna give it back!" Stan retorted.
"Wait, you're just gonna give it to us? Just like that?" Dipper said, after Patrick handed it to him.
"What else do you want? A kiss on the cheek?" Stan asked sarcastically.
"I... I gotta go!" Dipper suddenly shouted. Tucking the journal under his arm and then grabbed both his cousin and his twin sister by the arm. Patrick and Mabel exclaimed in surprise when they were taken with him to the attic.
Soos then walked over to Stan and said, "I wouldn't mind a kiss on the cheek."
"Not gonna happen," Stan said.
When Dipper opened the door to the attic, he pushed them inside before shutting the door and locking it. "What the hell, Dipper?" Patrick asked. Dipper, however, didn't answer and looked around nervously. He then turned Mabel's stuffed animals around. He then pulled down the screen on the window. This got concerned looks from the twin sister and the teenage cousin. "Uh, Dipper, are you okay?"
Finally, Dipper turned on his electric lamp that was on the table below the window. "No! Of course not! Everything's not okay!" He yelled, pulling on the journal and gripped it tightly. "Guys, we've gotta talk. What Patrick said yesterday made me realize that we're still no closer to figuring out the big mysteries of Gravity Falls," Dipper said, gesturing to a billboard what he'd set up after Patrick moved out of the attic. Normally Patrick would've been there to tell him to relax, but without him in the room, Dipper's brain's been unrestrained in trying to put the pieces together and it's been driving him nuts. This worried him and Mabel and the two exchanged worried glances while sitting on the girl's bed. "Gideon almost destroyed the town to get his hands on this journal. But why?" Dipper then started pacing up and down the room. "Who wrote it? Where are all the other journals? What was Bill talking about when he said 'everything was going to change'?"
"Dipper, try and claim down," Patrick said, taking his eyes off the billboard. "What're you trying to say?"
"I'm saying there's something HUGE going on right under our noses," Dipper said, turning around and pointing at him and Mabel. "And it's time we stop goofing around and get to the bottom of it."
He opened the journal to a random page and started looking into it. Mabel then hopped off her bed and walked towards him. "Bro, you looked at that thing like, a bazillion times. There's nothing left to discover! Half the pages are blank, remember?"
Dipper started flipping through pages of Journal 3. Coming to a halt when he reached the blank pages. "I just feel like I'm one puzzle piece away from figuring out everything."
"Don't worry Dipper!" Mabel grabbed Waddles and lifted him up. The pig now wearing a detective hat on his head. "Lord Mystery Ham is on the case!" Patrick laughed at her silliness as she pretended to be Waddles, Mabel said in a British accent: "I play by me own rules! Wot? Wot?"
"I don't know why I tell you things."
Patrick was about to say something when he heard the sound of a coming from outside. "Do you hear that?" He walked over to the window and pushed the curtains up. He looked down and raised an eyebrow. "What in the world?"
In the free parking lot of the Mystery Shack, a black car that had a license plate with "USEXEMPT" on it. The words "U.S. Government" were written on the side in white letters, with the symbol of the Office of Paranormal Investigations below it. It also had a sticker saying "Honk if you want to be arrested" on its rear bumper. Out of it stepped Agents Powers and Trigger and started to approach the Shack.
Soos was standing at the window when he saw them and asked, "Hey, Mr. Pines, what's that code word I'm supposed to yell when I see a government vehicle?"
"Wait, what?" Veronica's eyes widened and she rushed over to stand near Soos and looked outside the window too. When she saw the government vehicle that belonged to her agency and her two agents walking to the shack, the old woman got scared. Quickly closing the window, Veronica turned to Stan and yelled. "MICROWAVE WINGS!"
Hearing this, Stan gasped in fear and quickly ran over to the intercom. Pressing the button, he yelled, "The Mystery Shack is now closed, everybody out! I will not hesitate to use the hose on the elderly!"
While all the customers were leaving the gift shop, Patrick and the twins ran into the room. See Stan pacing nervously with only Veronica, Soos, and Wendy the only ones left. "Stan, what the hell did you do? We saw the government vehicle," Patrick told the old man.
Veronica walked over to them. "Kids, let's go into the other room," she said, trying to usher them out of the gift shop. But then the doorbell rang along with a few knocks after it. They all stopped and looked at the door.
Taking in a deep breath, Stan walked over and opened the door with a big smile. "Welcome to the Mystery Shack, gentlemen! What can I get you?" He took out a snow globe and a U.F.O key chain of his jacket. "Key chains? Snow globes? These rare photos of American presidents?" He asked, pulling a five-dollar bill out of his sleeve in a half-assed attempt to bribe the agents as he began to sweat.
"That's a joke?" Agent Powers asked Trigger.
"Regular cut up," Trigger said.
"We should give him a reality show."
"I'd watch it."
"I'd watch it twice."
"Even if Flavor Flave was in it."
Two men standing in the doorway then pulled out their government I.D. cards. "My name is Agent Powers and this is Agent Trigger. We're with the Office of Paranormal Investigations and we're here to investigate reports of mysterious activity in this town."
Trigger pointed at Stan. "Activity!" he repeated.
"Mysterious activity? In the Mystery Shack? You gotta be joking!" Stan nervously lied.
"I assure you I'm not. I was born with a rare disorder that made me physically incapable of experiencing humor," Agent Powers said.
Stan laughed nervously. This can't be real. This guy had to be a robot. But worst was that these were the same agents that his cousin's been warning him about ever since they started their secret project.
"I don't understand that sound you're making with your mouth. Now if you'll excuse us we are conducting an investigation," Powers said, pushing past Stan and entering into the gift shop.
Trigger followed, but stopped to poke at Stan menacingly. "Investigation!"
When the agents came in, Veronica tried to push her grandson, niece, and nephew to the back door again. Dipper's eyes, however, lit up and he smiled. He ran around his great aunt and approached the agents. "Wait! Wait, did you guys say you're investigating the mysteries of this town?"
Powers looked at Veronica, who was trying to tell him with her eyes to not talk to him. He then looked back down at the boy and kneeled down. "That information is classified, but yes. For many years, now. Between you and me I believe there is a conspiracy of paranormal origin all connected to this town. We're just one small lead away from blowing the lid of this entire mystery."
"Are you kidding me?" Dipper exclaimed, taking a step back with a giant smile on his face. "We're investigating the exact same thing! We found this journal in the woods which has almost all the answers. If we work together, we could crack the case!"
Powers looked over to check with Agent Trigger. They will be going against orders, but they needed answers. He turned back to Dipper and pulled out a card from his jacket. "If you have evidence of these claims, we should talk," he said, handing Dipper the card.
Dipper looked at the card as it had Powers' phone number. The young boy smiled happily. "We could talk right now! Please, please. C-Come in! I have so much to show you!"
Veronica quickly rushed over and placed her hands on Dipper's shoulders. Pulling him back as she nervously chuckled. "Hehe, I'm sorry, gentlemen. My great-nephew here has an overactive imagination and it can get too his head sometimes. And like, has a sweating problem."
"Haha! Zing!" Mabel laughed, before getting hit in the shoulder by Patrick.
"She's right! Paranormal town stuff is just part of gift shop lore. Sells more tickets you know?" Stan snapped his fingers.
"Popodopopo!" Soos rushed over and stuck "What is the Mystery Shack?" bumper stickers to both agents and put some funny antennae on their heads. "Swag!" He said, walking away.
The agents remained emotionless. "We have other spots to investigate. We'll be on our way," said Powers before turning around and started walking away.
Trigger quickly reached for one of the shelves and took an armful of ten Stan bobbleheads. "I'm confiscating this for evidence."
"Smart move."
"Wait! No, wait!" Dipper shouted and began running to the car in vain. The agents got in and were already driving off. "We got so much to talk about!"
Stan stopped Dipper by grabbing his shoulder and turned him around to face him. "Hold it kiddo. Trust me, the last thing you want around during a party, is cops," he said, leaning against the vending machine and closed it. He then reached down and grabbed the card the agents gave Dipper. Snatching it from him. "I'm confiscating that card." Dipper gasped and glared at Stan, helpless to stop him as he placed the 'Contraband Box'. "Now how's about you being a normal kid. Flirt with a girl, or steal a pie off a window sill. Patrick, I want you to make sure that he doesn't do anything stupid!"
The old man and Veronica walked into the living room. "But Grunkle Stan! You don't understand!" He yelled.
"And don't go talking to those agents," Stan called back over his shoulder before the door closed.
"Ugh!" Dipper turned around as Patrick and Mabel walked over to him. Wendy and Soos left the Mystery Shack to let them have a moment alone. "That could've been my big break!" He said, holding up the journal.
Patrick looked a little conflicted, but reached down and took the book from Dipper's hands. "Look, Dipper, I have to agree with Stan and grandma," he said, putting the journal on the counter. "We've been waiting this long to look for answers, I'm sure we can wait one more night. Besides, There's something about those guys I don't trust."
"But they could help us finally figure out all the mystery of Gravity Falls," Dipper insisted. "Those agents have the experience and the resources that could help us solve everything!"
"Bro, we're throwing a party tonight! Can't you go one night without searching for aliens or raising the dead or whatever?" Mabel told her brother, flipping to the page in the journal with the zombies.
Dipper frowned and rolled his eyes. "I'm not gonna raise the dead. I just need a chance to show those agents my book!"
"Trust me Dipper, the only book you'll need tonight is right here: Boop!" Mabel brought out her karaoke songs book and handed it to Dipper, who looked at it. "I say kara–, you say –oke! Kara–" She raised her arms.
"No!" Patrick shouted, putting his hand on her mouth.
It was late at night and the party was getting set up. The workers and family had just finished decorating the building. There was a sign that read 'AFTER PARTY' on it hanging over shack and there was karaoke equipment. Lights were up in the trees and there was even a disco ball. Soos placed a nacho bowl on the snack table that had different foods and punches on it. However, the lights of the shack were the only thing that was lighting the area, as the moon was blocked out by storm clouds.
Mabel was standing on the podium when Stan walks to stage the karaoke equipment was on to inspect it. She grabbed her confetti cannon and fired it at Stan, startling him. "Well, the confetti cannon works!" The girl said, dressed for the party. Looking at the karaoke machine, she gasped when she saw the selection it had. "And the karaoke machine has all the best songs! 'We Built This Township on Rock and Roll,' 'Danger Lane to Highway Town,' 'Taking Over Midnight' by &ndra!" She read out the song titles before grabbing a microphone.
"Listen, kid, you do not want to hear this voice singing. Trust me," Stan said, resting one arm on the stage floor.
"Grunkle Stan, karaoke is not about sounding good, it's about sounding terrible, TOGETHER," Mabel said that last part with big eyes.
At the same time, Patrick, Dipper, and Wendy were hanging up posters and black-lights for the party. Wendy laughed when she was finished putting up one of the lights and turned to the Pines boys. "Check it out! These black lights make my teeth look scary." Wendy turned on the light and grinned. Patrick's posters lit up, revealing the design he had on them. And it also made her teeth and eyes glow. "It's like a crime scene in my mouth! C'mon, you love it."
Patrick chuckled, showing off his own glowing teeth. "You know I do!"
However, Dipper was the only one of the three not amused and sighed in frustration. "It's not fair. Finally, I meet someone who can help me solve the mysteries of this town, and Stan confiscates their card," he angrily said, stapling the poster.
"Yeah, well it's too bad that Stan doesn't want you to call them, even if you had that card," Patrick said, leaning against the wall. "Besides, even if we got them to help us, the's no certainty that they wouldn't just take the book."
Dipper sighed, a part of him knowing that his cousin was right. But that rationality was overshadowed by his obsession to find answers. However, Dipper's eyes widened and a brilliant idea popped into his head. "Wait a minute. Stan told me that I can't call the agents..."
Patrick's eyes widened, quickly realizing what he was going to say. "No! No way! Then I'd get in trouble!"
"Please, Patrick? Can't you do me this one solid and call them? Please!?" Dipper begged, dramatically falling to his knees with his hands together.
"Hey, dudes, I probably shouldn't be telling you this," Wendy begun, lowering her voice so that no one what the three of them could hear, "but I'm pretty sure Stan hides, like, everything in his room."
"Really?" Dipper sprung up to his feet with a hope plastered on his face.
"Wait, are you serious!?" Patrick incredulously asked Wendy in disbelief. "This is the U.S. government we're talking about. Who knows what they'll do to us. Besides, if we go into Stan's room we'll get in so much trouble."
"Yeah, you're probably right," Wendy acknowledged. She then mischievous smirked and placed a party hat on Patrick's head. "That's what makes it fun, dummy! Besides, don't you want to solve the mystery too?"
Patrick stared at her sternly. Looking to Dipper, he saw him anxiously waiting for his answer. Knowing that he was going to do it without him, so Patrick had no other options.
"The things I do for love..." He sighed in defeat.
After being able to sneak back into the Shack, Patrick, Dipper, and Wendy were no standing in front of the door to Stan's room. It was a foreboding thing to look at. There was a piece of wood nailed to the door that read "STAN'S ROOM." A sign hanging on a nail below it read "NO MINORS ALLOWED." A picture of Dipper with a cross through it and "THAT MEANS YOU!" written on it is pinned to the door. And finally, there was a "Do not disturb" sign on the doorknob.
The three stared at it for a moment, before Dipper stated, "Well, it said for me to not enter it."
"Shut up," Patrick said, knowing what he was implying.
"We'll keep an eye out for Stan. You go rustle through his weird old man biz," Wendy told Patrick with a cringe, placing a hand on Dipper's shoulder.
Patrick nodded and grabbed the doorknob. opening the door and walked into Stan's room. The place was poorly lit and musky. More than any other place in the Shack that the teenage saw. Paying no mind to that, Patrick closed the door. "Alright, Stan. Where did you hide that card?" He muttered to himself and opened a nearby drawer. In it was an old copy of Gold Chains For Old Men Magazine and other items. "Nothing."
He then walked over to the closet and opened it. "Nothing," Patrick said, before closing it.
Opening another drawer, all it had were knuckledusters and boxing gloves. "Nothing."
Patrick found a chest and opened it. The inside contained Fully Clothed Women magazine and Lady Swimwear magazine. He quickly slammed the chest shut. "Pretending I never saw that," Patrick muttered to himself before looking up at a large, self-adulating portrait of Stan hanging on the wall. If he was a conman and wanted to hide things in plain sight, how would he do it?
But the more that Patrick looked at the painting, the more he noticed something about how odd it was hanging on the wall.
"Wait a minute..." Patrick walked over to it and moved the portrait to the side. Revealing a secret compartment with the "Contraband" box in it. "Haha, yes!" He exclaimed with a wide smile.
The door then opened and Dipper peeked his head inside. "Did you find it," he asked, as Patrick took out the box and pulled out Agent Powers' card.
"I got it!" Patrick exclaimed.
"Well, what are you waiting for, call them!" Dipper said impatiently, quickly slipping into the room and closed the door. Wanting to waste no more time waiting, Patrick pulled out his cellphone and dialed the number on the card. Dipper paced around anxiously as his cousin waited for the ringing to end. After a moment, someone finally picked up.
"Agent Powers."
"Yes, hello? My name is Patrick Pines, and early today you came to the Mystery Shack and talked with my cousin, Dipper. You know, the one with the sweating problem?" He informed the agent of the OPI, getting a dirty look from Dipper. "Listen, we have to journal that he's been talking about."
"And you're certain this "journal" will help our case?"
Patrick looked down at Dipper, who rapidly nodded his head. Believing that the agents would believe the moment they saw what was inside the journal. "Absolutely."
"Very well. We're on our way."
Patrick ended the call. "Okay, let's go before-"
The boys stopped when they turned to leave, only to see Stan and Veronica appearing behind them. Both of them scowling irately. Wendy was standing behind them nervously, looking apologetic as she frowned. She rubbed her arm as she stared at her crush. "Sorry, Patrick," she said, pulling out her phone with the picture of a shirtless Thompson that was sent by Tambry on it. While she had a good laugh out of it at first, it wasn't so hilarious with the scene they were in. "I got distracted."
Veronica gave the boys gives an inquisitive expression. Crossing her arms and narrowing her eyes at them. "Can one of you please tell us what you were ordered not to do?"
Patrick held up his hands. "Grandma, I can explain..."
"Then why did you kids call those agents when we specifically told you not to?" Stan said, his tone of voice exasperated. "I've told you once, I've told you both a hundred times! There's nothing "supernatural" going on in Gravity Falls."
"Yes, there is!" Dipper yelled, frustrated with the conman's denial. "After everything that's happened, you have to know that by now. Veronica, you've seen it-"
"Mason, stop!" Veronica held up her hand when she made the command. Surprising Dipper when she used his real name. "This is not up for discussion, young man. Haven't you ever considered that maybe the author hid those books because he realized that the secrets that he knows are not meant to be shared? I'm more than willing to help you, kids, on your adventures, but your obsession will only get us all in trouble one of these days. And on that day, if you continue going down the rabbit hole, you'll find it harder to find your way back out of it."
"But...But..." Dipper stammered with a frown, trying to defend himself but couldn't think of anything.
Stan then grabbed his nephews by the shoulders and shoved them out of his room. "Now go enjoy the rest of the party, 'cause when it's over – you're grounded!"
Dipper was about to stay and argue, but Patrick shook his head. Telling him to let it go. Dipper looked over at Stan angrily and walked away with his cousin and Wendy.
Stan and Veronica let out a deep breath in unison. The grandmother's expression then turned to one of slight regret. She didn't like to yell at her grandkids for trying to follow their passion, but she knew that if they got in contact with the Office of Paranormal Investigations, it was all over. They'll take that journal and likely the kids for further questioning. That's why she didn't want the agents to go anywhere near them. For their own safety.
When they made it outside, after Wendy left to go rejoin the part, the two boys stayed behind, sitting on the couch outside. Sulking for a moment.
Patrick's was lost in his own thoughts as he was rather conflicted. Was his grandmother right? Did the author not want anyone to find his work? But why? Everything in this town was amazing in its own way. It was dangerous, but there was a sense of wonder to it. He remembered when they found the journal that he didn't want anything to do with it, but after going on so many adventures and having a blast with his family, Patrick wanted to know more. He wanted to find the author just as badly as Dipper. To solve the mystery and have more adventures. But he also wanted to do it while keeping them alive and safe. He was telling the truth when he said that he didn't trust the agents, but with no leads and no place to start searching, the OPI really could be the breakthrough they've been looking for.
After a moment, Patrick took in a big breath and sighed it all out. "You realize that if we do this, there's no telling what was going to happen, right?" He asked, his cousin.
Dipper looked up at him with wide eyes, before nodding with a smile. There was nothing that was going to stop him. He was going to do anything to find answers.
The two boys ran off, while inside, Veronica and Stan walked over to the vending machine inside the gift shop. With the Office of Paranormal Investigations on their way, they had to make sure that the machine was stable and that the basement wasn't noticed. If not, everything would fall apart. Stan entered the code, and the two elderly stepped inside it after it opened. Veronica checked to see if anyone was watching before closing it behind her.
In the parking lot of the Mystery Shack, the government vehicle from earlier appeared. The doors on both sides opened, before Agent Trigger and Agent Powers get out of it. They look at their watches, wanting to see if they would have to wait long. The risk they were taking with these kids was big would be putting it mildly. Not only were they taking leads on serious investigations from a couple of minors, but they were going against orders from their superior by even talking with them.
"So you came." The agents looked up to see Patrick and Dipper coming towards them. The teenager was walking to them with his hand in his pockets while Dipper hurried over.
"You said you had something important for us, so we came," Agent Powers said. "So let's make this quick.
"Don't worry, you wouldn't be disappointed. Working together we can crack all of the big questions of Gravity Falls!" Dipper exclaimed with excitement, finally having a chance to show the Office of Paranormal Investigations the journal. The agents look at each other, unconvinced. "Trust me, this book is the lead you've been looking for." Dipper showed the book to them and then handed it over to the agents. The two men started reading into it as Dipper started pacing and ranting a bit. "I'm thinking full-scale investigation. Forensics, researchers. Do you guys have a helicopter?"
Patrick was quicky to lightly elbow him, silently telling him to stop. "What my cousin is trying to say is that we're trying to find the person that wrote the journal. I know this all sounds crazy..."
"Kids, I'd love to believe you, but this just looks like more junk from your uncle's gift shop," Agent Powers said, scoffing. He then turned the book around and opened it to one of the more sillier entries it had. "I mean, Leprecorn? I can't be the only one who thinks that's not funny."
"I can confirm." Trigger shook his head. "Not funny."
"No, no, no! It's real, I swear!" Dipper protested in a sudden panic. "You should 'send it to the lab.' Am I saying that right?" He then felt a hand on his shoulder and looked to see it was Patrick.
The teenager sighed and said, "Sorry for wasting your time, gentlemen." Dipper looked at him with wide eyes that held a bit of betrayal in them.
Powers handed Patrick back the journal. "Sorry we couldn't help, but it looks likes your uncle was right about that overactive imagination of yours," he said to Dipper. They then started walking back to the car. "We've got paperwork to do, kids."
"Boring. Paperwork." Trigger said with emphasis, as the two continued walking away.
"But, hold on!" Dipper cried out, about to run after them when he was held back by Patrick. "Patrick, we've got to show them! They have to know!"
"Look, I'm sorry, but there's nothing that we can do. They wouldn't believe us. We might as well go home," he told the young boy. Dipper looked hit by that statement, but that hurt expression to a glare. His mind became filled with his obsession. "Come on, let's-"
"NO!" Dipper suddenly yanked his arm away from Patrick's hand, shocking the teenager. "I've come too far to just give this all up!" he shouted at his cousin with a glare. Turning to the agents, Dipper started running to them. "WAIT! This book is real!" He held up the journal as he flipped through the pages. Gnomes, cursed objects, spells! I can prove that it's real! LISTEN!" The agents stopped and looked at him as Dipper looked through the spells, before coming upon a random one. "Uh, uh, Corpus Levitus! Diablo Dominus! MONDO VICIUM!"
The last word of the spell echoed through the air, as a large gust builds up and goes through the trees. Patrick and the agents looked around. "Dipper, what did you do?" the teenager asked worriedly. But truthfully, not even the young boy knew what he'd just recited. Suddenly the ground started to shake under their feet.
At first, it seemed like a mere earthquake, but then the ground started to split, and a huge crack formed between Dipper's feet. On instinct, Patrick quickly grabbed Dipper and jumped onto the side with the agent. And not a second too soon as a green smoke came out of the crack. They all stared at the crack as a sinister glowing green light came from it. Watching with increasing fear as a rotting hand that was nothing but dead flesh and bones reached out and grabbed the edge of the crack.
The owner of that hand then pulled themselves up, and revealed itself to be a zombie that roared at them.
"Ha, a zombie! A real, actual, zombie. See? Spooky journal, 100% real. Now can we work together?" Dipper asked the agent, satisfied that the spell he randomly recited worked for him. The agents, including Patrick, were anything but amazed. They looked downright terrified at what they were seeing as the zombie approached them.
"Mother of God!" Powers gasped, losing his usually collected demeanor.
"What do we do?" Trigger exclaimed.
"It's just one zombie, trust me I see stuff like this all the time," Dipper said, hardly worried concerned as he started scanning trough the journal, looking for a solution. "Am I right, Patrick?"
Then after a few seconds, the zombie roared in the boy's face. Dipper screamed as it was about to bite him. Patrick quickly pulled Dipper back and bashed it in the skull with his crowbar, killing it with a single blow to the head. Splatter blood and brains on his face before it fell to the ground.
Dipper sighed in relief. "Whew. Oh, good thing it was just that one."
Patrick whip around to glare furiously at him. His rage coming out again. "DIPPER! Do you have any idea what you've done?!"
The ground started shaking again. In front of them, more cracks started forming from the ground. Just like the first one, green smoke bellowed out of them. Suddenly and without warning, hundreds of zombies started crawling out of the crevice in hordes. Their glowing yellow eyes all looking at the group as they started making their way towards Patrick, Dipper, and the agents.
Finally seeing what his obsession has brought upon, Dipper started to feel fear as he hid behind his cousin. "Oh my God! You guys can help right?!" He pleadingly asked the agents.
"Kid, we've been chasing the paranormal for years but we have never seen anything like this before!" Powers exclaimed, backing away from the approaching zombies.
"Get down!" Trigger warned his partner, but it was too late. They didn't even have time to react when they were violently tackled to the ground by a pair of zombies. Patrick bashed one zombie that jumped at him, before he and Dipper looked back and screamed. Seeing the zombies pulling the struggling, screaming agents into the darkness of the forest. Their terrified cries echoing until being silenced. Leaving Patrick and Dipper all alone.
Seeing the full extent of the horror he's just unleashed, Dipper grabbed his head in horror. "OH, MY GOD, WHAT HAVE I DONE?!"
The after-party was more alive than it was before. Everyone was happy, dancing, and having a good time. Then show the police rapping. The people were lively and festive, as it was rare for them to get their boogie on like this. The stage was open for anyone willing to take a shot at performing karaoke for the rest of the guests as they danced to the music. An offer that Blubs and Durland took up and the two started raping for the crowd.
"What up, fools. It's Blubs and Durls," Blubs rapped while he and his partner were moving with the beats.
"Making all that money and gettin' them girls!" Durland sang the next lyrics.
Mabel then picked up a mic to pump up the dancing crowd of the party even more. "What do you say guys is this party legendary? When I say "Mabel," you say "Pines"!" She shouted.
However, the ground started shaking violently. The earthquake caused by Dipper's reanimator spell had made its way to the shack. Mabel didn't notice, but the other people did and they were starting to get started get really afraid.
"Mabel!"
A woman in the crowd screamed.
"Mabel!"
"WE'RE ALL GONNA DIE!" a guy screamed.
"Why does that never work?" Mabel frown, before finally noticing the ground was trembling.
Wendy was standing near the punch table and noticed how violently everything on it was shaking. Red punch splashed over the edge of the bowl and spilling all over the table. "WHOA! I think it's an earthquake!" The redhead shouted, blowing her airhorn. "Hey, everybody, we got to get out of here!" No one needed more convening and the guest all started running from their lived off the property.
"Mabel, escape while you still can!" Grenda yelled at Mabel, as she ran away with Candy in her backpack.
"Wait, no! Don't leave!" Mabel shouted after the fleeing guest, but they weren't listening. The girl became dismayed to see the party come crashing down. "We haven't even done our family karaoke song yet!"
She stepped off the stage and was about to chase after the crowd when she heard the shots of Patrick's shotgun laser being fired behind her. Mabel turned around to see Dipper running around the corner of the house, followed by Patrick, who was firing at something in the woods. Both boys didn't stop until they made it to the stage. Stopping before Mabel, out of breath from running.
"Guys, what happened?!" Mabel asked them worried.
After regaining some of his breath, Patrick spoke up. "Oh, I don't know, Dipper, what's the one thing your sister told you not to do tonight?" He snapped at the boy frustratedly.
"Raise the dead," Dipper said, ashamed.
"And what did you do?" Patrick asked harshly, with Mabel now glaring at him.
"Raise the dead..." Dipper repeated. They turned around after hearing the zombies getting closer. Mabel and Dipper back up as Patrick heroically stepped in front to protect them. Firing a few shots at the undead, killing them. But like a hydra, when he took down one, it seemed like two more would take their place.
Soos ran over to help protect the kids. "Stay back dudes, this is about to get intense," he said. Patrick handed him the shotgun laser before pulling out his crowbar. A zombie knocked over the punch table. Forcing them into a dead end, as the zombies surround them from almost every angle. With their back against the wall, all they could really do was let out a shared frightened scream.
"Don't panic. Maybe they're just a really ugly flash mob?!" Mabel reassured. But then a zombie swung its arm at them, almost hitting their heads before they ducked down. Patrick then swung his crowbar and knocked the head of the zombie off its shoulders.
They run behind Soos while screaming. The big man used his body to shield them as he fired at some of the zombies. "Dudes, stay calm," he said, firing two shots. He then turned his back to the zombies. "I've been training for this moment my whole life. With all the horror movies I've seen, I literally know all there is to know about to avoid zombies."
Ironically, he didn't learn that you should never turn your back to zombies and one sank it's teeth into Soos' shoulder. The kids gasped in horror at the sight of the blackish purple wound that had blood dripping from the teeth marks, going down his sleeve and trickled down his arm. The handyman's skin turned pale as his eyes turned glowing yellow."
The zombie Soos then turned to the kids. "Second thought, gonna flip the script," he said, still retaining some of his personality. "Can I, eat your brains? Yea or Nay? Seeing some Yea faces over here."
To make things worse, the handyman tossed the shotgun over his shoulder. Patrick and the twins screamed in horror, taking off running around the side of the house with Waddles coming out of nowhere to join them. Patrick used his crowbar to bash the skulls of all the zombies that got in their way, as Mabel lugged her karaoke machine with her. Soos and the other zombies were in slow pursuit.
As they rushed to the nearest entrance of the shack. Only to be intercepted by a zombie that came out of nowhere. Patrick used his crowbar and struck at its neck, decapitating it. "Get to the golf cart!" He exclaimed, pointing to the vehicle. Unfortunately, their hopes of escaping were dashed away when a horde of zombies attacked the golf cart, tipping it over, and then started biting at it. "Aw, come on!"
"Hoo, that's a bummer," remarked Soos, as he and the other walkers made their way around the house. "Good news for me though, haha."
"Soos!" Dipper shouted.
"Sorry, dude, I just really want those brains!" Soos chuckled, before moving their way with the other undead.
"Stay back!" Patrick shouted at the zombie horde, grabbing a nearby a colorful disco ball. He tossed it up and then used his crowbar to send it towards the zombies. But instead of actually hitting any of them one of the zombies caught it in its mouth and swallowed it. Then it roared as rays of colorful light shined out between its ribs.
They continue advancing toward the kids, who stood in fear. "Give it up, dudes! Your fighting only makes us look more rad!" Soos said.
"This is bad. This is really bad," Patrick whispered. The twins were huddled behind him as they backed away.
"What do we do? Where's Grunkle Stan?" Mabel worried asked, noticing that the old man nor Grant Veronica!?"
"How're they supposed to help?" Dipper remarked. "Stan doesn't even believe in the supernatural!"
As it turned out, the conman and secret agent were completely unaware of the horror going on upstairs. They were still down in the secret lab, working on the machine. It was now glowing and making a zapping noise. Stan was in the chair, pushing buttons while observing the machine. Veronica was readying the additional monitors nearby, documenting want she read on a clipboard.
"Are you sure that you told them to not come to the shack after Dipper called," Stan asked, going through another set of buttons. "Those agents could ruin everything."
"Yes I did," Veronica stated sternly. She was still thinking about how they snapped at Dipper and Patrick earlier.
Sensing this, while also feeling the same as his cousin did, Stan sighed. "Damn kid! He has no idea what he's messing with. He's stubborn, that's his problem," he said. He then heard Veronica chuckling a little and glared at her. "What!? What're you laughing at?"
Veronica had to cover her mouth before waving her hand in front of it. "It's nothing, nothing. It's just, his stubbornness reminds me of you," she said, looking at Stan with a smile.
Eyes widening, Stan glanced down at Journal #1 and picked it up. Staring down at his own reflection on the golden six-fingered hand. "Yeah, I guess you're right, I suppose."
"I just hope that we when we tell them about all this..."Veronica paused for a moment. "What do you think they'll say?"
Stan put the journal down on the desk and said, "Ugh, we've got too much on our minds to worry about those kids right now. I'm sure that when the time comes, they'll understand. I mean, what's the worse that can happen?"
"Come on! Come on!" Patrick yelled, holding onto the kids' hands and dragged them as they ran around the house. the best opinion the had was to get inside the house and barricade themselves until they think of a plan. Out of nowhere, a zombie popped out, blocking their path, and roared. Patrick lets go of the kids and swung his crowbar into its head. Decapitating it and the body fell down to the ground.
More zombies were approaching behind them. Relentless in their hunger for flesh. But thankfully the path to the door was clear.
Patrick ran onto the deck and held open the door for the twins. "Get into the house!" He told them and they ran inside. Slamming the door behind him, the teenager grabbed one of the shelves and pulled in down. The massive furniture slammed down the floor in front of the door. "Quick! Board up the windows!"
The twins grabbed some wooden boards and started hammering them to the window frames. Blocking them as Patrick rolled the Mayan stone in front of the door. He leaned against the stone on one hand and panted for a moment before jumping back when the zombies pressed against the door and begin to break it.
"Okay, maybe that'll hold 'em," Patrick said, backing up. The zombies at the windows were beating against them. Sweating, the teenager turned to his cousin, anxiously. "Dipper, isn't there something in the journal about defeating zombies?!"
"No!" Dipper exclaimed, frantically looking through the journal for a solution but there were no solutions. "There's nothing in here about their weakness!" He then sighed and closed the journal.
Suddenly one of the windows had its glass clashed and the zombies were beating against the wooden planks. Then Soos' large fist punched into the planks, shattering them too. The handyman then leaned in. "Hey dudes! By the way, I taught the zombies how to get into the fuse box," he said brightly, holding up a power drill. "Among these dudes, I'm like a genius, haha!" The lights inside the house flickered before going out. Casting the inside into darkness and dim, eerie red light pouring in from outside. It was like being inside a nightmare, and then zombies start climbing in through the window. Their eyes glowing. "Get those brains, dawg!"
Patrick looked to the door that led into the living. He grabbed the kids' arms and ran for the other door, just to have a zombie's hand smashed through. They all gasped and backed from it as the undead monster tried grabbing for them.
The teenager backed them up into a corner. "Patrick...a-are we going to..." Mabel trailed off, as she and Dipper hugged their cousin. Patrick didn't say anything. He couldn't say anything thing to comfort them. There was no hope of getting out of this alive. The zombies were popping out of everywhere and were going to tear them apart. He wanted to hold his cousins right then and there in one last embrace, but all he could do was be prepared to fight to the bitter end to protect them.
Dipper sighed. "This can't be happening. I wanted answers so bad I put everyone in danger. Now we're toast, it's all my fault, and no one can save us!" He said. "Patrick, Mabel, I'm sorry."
"It's okay, just..." Patrick tried to say something when a nearby zombie suddenly rushed at him. Patrick swung at it, but it grabbed his arm and lunged its head at him, until its neck was grabbed by the teenager as he pushed back. Grunting as he struggled to push against the zombie as it pulled itself closer to him.
"PATRICK!" Dipper and Mabel yelled. Helpless to save him. Patrick screamed as his face was pulled closer to the waiting jaws of the zombie, when suddenly-
SMASH!
It was hit in the back of the head with something hard. Breaking the zombie's head, allowing Patrick to quickly push it away and back away. Tripping over himself as he fell to the floor. Suddenly, gunshots echoed in the gift shop as a hail of bullets ripped through the shells of the living dead. Killing a large majority of the horde. The kids looked at where the shots were coming from and gasped.
Stan and Veronica were standing firmly and heroically in front of the door frame. The old man had his hat missing, and the old woman wore a white, button-up dress shirt that was under her coat. Both were panting with their clothes tattered and filthy for fighting the undead. In Stan's hands was a baseball bat and Veronica was wielding double Glock 18s set to full-auto.
With livid expression, Stan gestured to the kids. "YOU THREE! ATTIC! NOW!" He snapped harshly with a fierceness in his tone that they've never heard before.
"Grunkle... Grunkle Stan?!" Dipper gasped in disbelief.
"I said NOW!" Stan barked. Without further hesitation, Patrick grabbed Dipper and Mabel's and dragged them behind him as he rushed out of the room with Waddles fleeing after them.
The zombies approached the elder Pines. "All right, you undead shitheads," Veronica said, aiming her guns at the zombies. "YOU READY TO DIE TWICE?!" She opened fire on the monsters, at Stan bashed their heads in with the bat.
The kids ran through the living room as Stan and Veronica following behind, fighting off zombies as that cased after them. Veronica stopped and the doorway and fired into the crowd of walkers, until her automatic pistols were empty. She got behind her cousin, who bashed a few away from him, as the fighting entered into the living room. "The only wrinkly monster who harasses my family is me! Take that! And that!"
Patrick, the twins, and Waddles ran up the stairs and disappeared around the corner. Veronica ran over to the first step and pried it open. Reaching in and pulling out a shotgun. Loading and cocking the weapon, she stood up as Stan was pushed out of the living room.
"Eat it, no eyes!" He yelled, taking another swing at a zombie. But the corpse grabbed the bat and bit it in half. Only be punched by Stan's brass-knuckle-wearing fists. "ANYONE ELSE WANNA PIECE?!"
As he continued bashing zombies, Veronica saw the front door being pounded on. Then it was knocked over and more zombies came pouring in. The secret agent fired at the undead, blasting their heads off. However, they were quickly being outnumbered. Veronica followed Stan up the stairs, shooting at the zombies that cased after them.
When the weapon clicked to signify it was empty, Veronica growled and tossed it at the head of a corpse. Knocking it down. At the top of the stairs, the two cousins pushed over a grandfather clock with a grunt, sending it tumbling into the horde of zombies.
At the same time, the kids barged into the attic, slamming the door behind them. They back away as something suddenly started pounding against it. Likely the zombies coming to finish them off for good. Patrick stood in front of the twins and raised his crowbar to strike.
But as fortune would have it, it wasn't the undead. The door opened to reveal Stan and Veronica. The two elder Pines coughed and clutched their sides, before Veronica turned and slammed the door shut and used a chair to barricade it.
"Oh! Ow. Everything hurts," Stan groaned.
Veronica nodded, panting. "I'm going to be feeling this in the morning," she expressed, taking a moment to catch her breath.
The kids ran over to the elders. "Grunkle Stan, Graunt Veronica, that was amazing!" Dipper exclaimed, thoroughly amazed by their actions.
Patrick, however, was concerned for the two. "Are you alright?" He asked in worry, placing a gentle hand on Veronica's arm.
The grandmother smiled sweetly at her grandson and patted him on the hand. "It's just old age, sonny. That and having to fight zombies."
Dipper walked up to Stan as he chuckled nervously, noticing that he was getting a rather harsh glare from him. "Heh heh, well, at least you can't deny magic exists anymore, right?"
Patrick's fiery suddenly snapped to life and he punched Dipper hard in the face. Leaving a bruise and having the spit in his mouth fly out. Everyone cried out in shock as Stan and Veronica held the enraged teenager back, struggling to keep him from killing Dipper with his bare hands while Mabel held her brother back. "IS THAT REALLY ALL YOU CAN THINK ABOUT!? You single handly caused an entire zombie apocalypse and all you're worried about is if Stan believes in the supernatural!?" Patrick yelled at Dipper, who looked away in shame.
As he struggled to hold back his nephew, Stan finally shouted. "Patrick, stop! I've known! I'VE ALWAYS KNOWN!"
When he heard that, Patrick suddenly stopped struggling. When his elders let him go, he turned around and stared at them in disbelief. He heard Stan, but didn't know what to make this revelation. "What? You knew?"
"I'm not idiots, kids!" Stan snapped, running a hand through his hair. "Of course this town is weird! And the one thing Veronica and I know about that weirdness is that it's dangerous!"
A zombie's hand broke through the door. The group quickly backed away into the center of the room. But the argument was far from over. "So wait, all those times we've told you about our adventures. All the things we've been trying to prove exists all summer, you've known about them and have been lying to us?!" Dipper exclaimed angerly.
"Grandma, I thought you believed in the supernatural," Patrick said.
"I do. I wanted Stan to tell you about it all, but he said it was safer that you didn't know," Veronica said, remorsefully. "And so...I lied about knowing the full extent of this town's weirdness too. All I could do was try and warn you whenever I could."
"But, why lie about it!?" Patrick asked, glaring at the two. "Why didn't you tell us!?"
"What do you think, because it's pretty obvious!" Stan said pointedly. "We've been lying about it to try to keep you away from it. To try to protect you from it!" A zombie suddenly broke through the window, and Stan instinctively punched it out of the room. Sending it falling to the ground. But when he looked out the window, he saw a massive crowd of zombies that stared up at the Shack. Some were now starting to crawl up the outside walls. "It looks like we didn't lie well enough..."
"What do we do, what do we do?" Mabel asked Patrick worriedly.
"I don't know! But we've got to think of something and fast, because we're sitting duck in here!" Patrick said urgently.
"Well, normally the journal would help us, but there's nothing in there about defeating zombies!" Dipper explained, pacing around the room, opening the journal one more time to look for an answer. But there was one answer. Hopelessly, he paused by a black light that was lying on the ground and turned the book around to show that there was no solution in it. However, not noticing that he was unintentionally shining the black light on the pages and revealing glowing text. "It's hopeless!"
Patrick saw the text and gasped. "Wait, wait, wait! Dipper, give me the book!" He rushed over and grabbed the journal from his cousin. When he looked at it, the text was gone. Turning to the black light on the ground, Patrick reached down and grabbed it.
Everyone gathered to see what Patrick was talking about, as he held the book in one hand and the black light in the other. The light still on, he moved it over the page. Sure enough, when the neon shined on the old pages, it illuminated a hidden note left behind by the author.
I have decided to use invisible ink to keep away prying eyes. ANYONE could be watching me!
Dipper stared down at the pages in disbelief as Patrick started flipping the pages. "I don't believe it. All this time I thought we knew all the journal's secrets, but they're written in some kind of invisible ink!" He exclaimed.
"Invisible ink?" Stan and Veronica asked, their eyes widening.
"This is it!" Patrick said, stopping on the zombie page of the journal and started reading out loud. "'Zombies have a weakness! Previously thought to be invincible, their skulls can be shattered by a perfect five-part harmony.'"
"Five-part harmony, how can we create that," Dipper asked, looking over the journal before turning to the others. "I have a naturally high-pitched scream...?"
"I can make noises with my body?" Stan added. "Sometimes intentionally."
"Boys, boys," Mabel interjected with a sly grin. "I think you're both missing the obvious solution."
"Really? What is it?" Patrick asked. Mabel didn't say anything but just held up her karaoke machine. "Oh..."
By now, the Mystery Shack was completely surrounded by every zombie that Dipper summoned. Even though many of their numbers were killed by the Pines family, there was still enough to take over a small town like Gravity Falls. Determined to fill their endless hunger. But then their attention was taken by the sudden sound of a microphone screech rang throughout the building. "Hello? Hello? Is this thing on?" Mabel's voice said on the loudspeakers.
Intrigued, the zombies started walking towards the source, including zombie Soos. He was inside with some other zombies and was walking through the living room. But then he got distracted by the TV as he passed it. "Ooh, Gossiping Housewives is on!" Said the zombie handyman and sat down in the recliner to watch. One of the zombies groaned, calling him to come outside with the others. "Eh, I already sat down."
Soon enough, all of the zombies gathered outside and looked up when an upbeat, poppy backtrack began playing. It was coming from the karaoke machine, which was with the Pines family high above on top of the roof awning. Each of them holding a microphone. Mabel looked excited, Veronica looked indifferent, but the boys were uncomfortably stiff as boards.
"Zombies and gentlemen!" Mabel shouted in her microphone. "I'm Mabel, they're Dipper, Patrick, Veronica, and Stan, and together we're Love Patrol Alpha!"
"I never agreed to that name," Dipper quickly clarified.
"Hit it!" Mabel shouted, as the song "Taking Over Midnight" starts playing on the machine.
The boys looked at the lyrics and made faces. "Uh, Mabel, our lives may not be worth this," Stan said.
"Suck it up, boys, and sing," said Veronica, knowing that he was afraid of his manhood being in danger.
Patrick sighed in annoyance. "Of all the songs in the world. Friday night, and we're gonna party 'til dawn," he sang. Despite his disdain for the song, he made an attempt to use his best singing voice.
"Don't worry, Daddy, I've got my favorite dress on?!" Dipper picked up where his cousin left off, but turned to Mabel disturbed and covered his mic. "Mabel, this is stupid!"
Mabel just picked up where her brother left up. "Roll in to the party, the boys are lookin' our way. We just keep dancing', we don't care what they say!" She sang brightly, swaying to the beat. The zombies started crawling upside of the house to get to the roof.
"And all the boys are gettin' up in my face–Aah!" Veronica was interrupted when a zombie reached the awing and made a grab at them with a hiss. "Too close, pal!" She pulled out her handgun and shot it in the face. "Guys, we have to sing together or it won't work!" The agent told Patrick, Dipper, and Stan.
Begrudgingly, Stan picked up the song. "Boys are a bore, let's show 'em the door," Stan sang, cringing at the lyric.
"We're takin' over the dance floor! Oh-oh! Girls do what we like!" All five of them sang together, and it sent out a powerful sound wave. The plan was started to work, as the zombies let out cries of pain, covering their ears in an attempt to block out the song. But it wasn't enough, and few of their heads exploded into brain and blood. This encouraged the others to continue the song, now more hopeful and upbeat, despite that they were pretty bad. Singing to the night as more zombies' heads explode."Oh-oh! We're taking over tonight! Oh-oh! Girls do what we like! Oh-oh! We're taking over tonight! We're queens of the disco! Oh-oh! Girls do what we like! Oh-oh! We're taking over tonight!"
The zombies were dropping like flies from the terrible singing, but the family was having too much of a good time to notice. "Takin' over tooniiiiight!" Dipper sang the final line of the song. As the guitar riff plays, the last remaining zombie climbed up the roof and popped up over the edge. Dipper screamed.
Patrick gasped and looked at the confetti cannon attached to the karaoke machine. It wasn't his laser shotgun, but he grabbed it, pulled it off the machine, and fired it the confetti at the zombie's head. Its disembodied head flew through the air, before landing in the punch bowl as the rising sun. It's light illuminating over the trees to show the corpses of all the zombies around the Shack.
The family stared down at the dead zombies littering the ground with expressions of triumph. "Thank you! We'll be here all night!" Mabel yelled proudly.
"Deal with it, zombie idiots!" Stan laughed maniacally.
"This is how we do it in Jersey!" Veronica howled, pumping her fist.
The family then started chanting. "PINES! PINES! PINES! PINES!"
After making it back down from the roof the Pines were back in the living room of the house. The zombies that got in ravaged the place in almost every room. Furniture was flipped over, the windows were broken, and almost everything was tattered. And there was zombie blood from when they exploded
Dipper looked over the damage as Stan found his fez and put it back on his head. "I'm sorry about this, guys. I totally ruined everything," he said with a frown.
"Dipper, are you kidding me?" Mabel jumped in with a grin. "I got to sing karaoke with my four favorite people in the world! No party could ever top that."
"I've got to admit, I'm kinda at fault," Patrick said, rubbing the back of his neck. "I saw how obsessed you were about finding answers and I didn't do anything to try and stop it."
"Right..." Dipper said with remorse, placing a hand on the bruise his cousin gave him when he punched him. Definitely deserved that one.
"Mind sharing the blame?" The kids turned to face Stan and Veronica. The two elder Pines walked over and bend down next to them. Veronica placed her hands around the twins with Patrick in the middle. "If we'd just told you the truth, none of this would've happened. We're sorry for lying, but please understand that we only did it to keep you kids safe."
"This town is crazy," Stan said with a tired sigh. "And you've seen that first hand. So you need to be careful. I nor my cousin wouldn't know what we'd do with ourselves if you got hurt on my watch. I'll let you hold on to that spooky journal, as long as you promise me you'll only use it for self-defense, and not go looking for trouble."
"Okay, as long as you promise us that you don't have any other bombshell secrets about this town," Patrick said and Dipper nodded. He was going to keep his family safe, no matter what, but wanted to know that the two people he through he could trust had nothing else hiding from them.
Stan and Veronica glanced at one another, knowing they couldn't really make that promise. So, they continued to do the one thing that they've been doing all summer. "Promise," they lied together. Crossing their fingers behind their backs.
Patrick stared hard at them. He wanted to believe them but couldn't shake the feeling that they were still keeping something from them. Something big. While he desperately wanted to know, the teenager felt he wasn't ready to ask that question. Besides, he and the twins had an even bigger mystery to solve.
"Promise," he said, crossing his fingers behind his back as well.
"Man, we have got a lot of zombie damage to clean up," Stan remarked and he scanned around at the wrecked room. "Where's my handyman anyway?"
On cue, zombie Soos wandered into the room. "Brains...Braaains!" He groaned.
"Holy Moses!" Stan yelled and grabbed a chair and Veronica pulled out her gun. They were about to attack Soos when Dipper suddenly interrupted them.
"Wait!" The boy shouted, holding up his hand. He then pulled out the journal and flipped to the zombie page. "There's a page in here about curing zombification. It's gonna take a lot of formaldehyde."
Mabel and Patrick walked over and read the page over his shoulder. "Ooh, and cinnamon!" The girl said.
"Come on, Soos, let's fix you up." Patrick used his crowbar to prod and push Soos out of the room.
Veronica watched as the kids struggled with getting Soos into the kitchen before letting out a sigh. A few minutes later, she was walking away from the Mystery Shack. It was morning, the machine down in the basement was stable for the time being, and the secret agent was in desperate need of some sleep.
She admits that despite the weirdness that lies in the town, the forest was always beautiful when it was calm. But then calmness only lasted a minute when walking along a crevice and was caught off guard by two disheveled, almost dead looking figures crawled out of it. Veronica gasped and pulled out her gun, only to gasp when it was Agents Powers and Trigger.
"Are you boys alright?" The director rushed over and helped them out of the crevice.
"We were attacked!" Trigger exclaimed, breathless. "By zombies!"
"What?"
"We talked to your grandson and nephew and they showed us this book," Powers explained. Veronica's eyes widened. "The youngest then summoned those things and we were pulled down there!"
"It was insane!" Trigger brushed the dirt off his suit, trying to calm himself. "I knew that this town was weird, but I've never seen anything like this! I mean, raising the dead, magical books? What's the protocol? What do we do?!
Veronica stared at the agents for a moment, before she spoke. "Nothing."
"What?" The two agents exclaimed.
"You have your orders! Just like when I said to not interact with my family, you will follow my commands to the letter," Veronica order coldly and sternly, before turning and walking away. The two agents of the OPI behind. Both looking at her in disbelief as she got in her car and drove off.
"She can't be serious, can she?" Trigger asked.
"She is." Powers pulled a zombie head off his jacket. Breaking off its jaws to get it to let go and held it up. Watching as it dissolved in his hand. "This is bigger than we imagined. We need to bring in the big guns."
"But they'll never believe us! And even if we called them, the director would know and..."
"Then we'll make them believe us," Powers said, narrowing his eyes. "This is the town we've been searching for, and Agent Pines knows it is. She's more than she's letting on and it's clear that there's something she's hiding. We'll have to keep a close eye on her and the Pines family."
"I can't believe it! All this time the author's secrets were hiding in plain sight!" Dipper exclaimed, grinning, pacing around the attic with excitement. Patrick was sitting on his cousin's bed, holding a handheld black light over the journal as he flipped through it. He was tuning out the kids talking as he looked at all the pages.
And then gasped when he stopped on one page. It was the blueprint page. The page they didn't know was for the machine under their feet. But what was written in it is was really made his eyes widened.
The machine was meant to create knowledge but it is too powerful! The device, if fully operational could
And that's it. The rest of the sentence was nowhere else. But this filled Patrick's head with so many questions that he wanted to know as badly as Dipper. He figured that the author stopped writing in the book and started writing in invisible ink. But why? What happened to him that he decided to hide his notes? Did it have to do with this machine that he was talking about?
What was the rest of the summer going to be like? What would they find? Will it be the answers they wanted, and if not, would they able to accept what they learn? Some much has already happened in the past few weeks they've been in Gravity Falls, but those were just things they discovered every day. There was no roadmap. But now they had new information and could finally start looking for the author.
But was Veronica right? Did the author not want anyone to find the answers? That must be why he started writing in invisible ink. Would the reward be worth the risks?
"If you continue going down the rabbit hole, you'll find it harder to find your way back out of it."
"Hey?" Patrick gasped and snapped his head up. Dipper and Mabel were staring at him as the boy asked, "Did you hear me?"
"Huh, oh, sorry!" he said, flipping through the pages. "I was just...sorry what were you saying?"
"I'm saying that this is great! These hidden notes open up a whole new chapter of mysteries to explore," Dipper said with a grin.
"But where do we start?" Mabel asked. Patrick thought for only a second before his eyes widened. He flipped the pages back to the front, before stopping on one page and the twins gathered around him.
The page had an illustration of the very same tree that Patrick and Dipper originally found Journal 3 nearby. The switch box that was inside the tree that opened the compartment in the ground and the corner of the page had the words "Hiding Spot?" But when Patrick held the blacklight over it, and the text firmly states "My Hiding Spot." The blacklight revealed more to the illustration, showing a hidden staircase that winds around the tree, and a warning pointing down to a bunker under the tree's roots. A small eye had been doodled on the screen of the mechanism that opened Journal 3's compartment.
"We'll start where it all began."
AN: Straight from "Gideon Rises", we go into the horror and hilarity of "Scary-Oke!" Things are going to start getting more interesting as the kids begin their journey for the author. Secrets are revealed, the stage is set, and things are only going to get weirder.
Coming up with this chapter was definitely a tough thing to do. Patrick's motivation to help Dipper, and what secret Veronica held from the kids without revealing that she was an agent for the Office of Paranormal Investigations.
You know, this chapter was to Dipper as "Boyz Crazy" was to Mabel. This was defiantly one of Dipper's worst episodes. Again, Gravity Falls didn't really have an episode that was completely bad, as it had something to enjoy, but Dipper wasn't really at his best in this chapter. People seem to forget that he himself caused an apocalypse, even though it was tiny.
No real interaction with Patrick and Wendy, but that's okay. The chapter we've all been waiting for is coming next.
Thank you very much for reading. "Weirder Things" will return. Please be sure to Favorite and Follow if you like the story, and also Review it so that I know that I'm doing good and what to improve. If you any questions or discussions you'd have for me, then please in a Review or a PM me.
Thank you for reading, may God bless you, and have a wonderful day.