Mabel opened her eyes with a start, and the first thing she noticed was the light. Bright, warm sun beamed in through the triangular window, illuminating the soft dust particles floating through the air. Birds sang merrily, and a gust of gently summer wind rustled the tall pines, but there was no other sound. At first, Mabel lay perfectly still, a bit bemused, but actually relaxed and peaceful. It was like waking up from a relaxing summer nap. Mabel even sighed. She turned her head, and saw Dipper's bed. It was empty, the blankets neatly folded, with no sign of her brother. He must be downstairs... Mabel thought dreamily. She sat up, yawning, and her hand brushed the overly big sleeves of her own sweater. The star sparkled in the bright light, and Mabel gasped.
The sweater...the one I was wearing...
Dipper!
Mabel stood up, a coldness running along her spine as she chided herself internally. The Forces were already hard at work, trying to distract her, trying to make her forget. She'd have to be more careful. She took a deep breath in through her nose, keeping her shoulders still, trying not to bely her nerves. She opened the door-which, in this version of the Mystery Shack, was still intact-and quietly went down the stairs.
For all Mabel knew that it was a fake, dreamland Mystery Shack, it felt incredibly real. And it was certainly no nightmare. Thanks to Dipper's disconcerting accounts, Mabel had expected to find herself appearing in a fiery pit or surrounded by zombies or something. But that was not the case. The Shack was warm and had its usual comforting, if not slightly dusty, smell. Through the windows Mabel could see blue sky, with white clouds grazing gently across it, and the pines and trees were giving off the most gorgeous fresh scent that crept in through the cracks in the charmingly rickety building. There was only one thing absent, and it made Mabel's heart skip beats.
There were no people.
There were noises of the gentle breeze, the weather vane twisting slowly. The surrounding forest gave off the occasional chatter of a chipmunk or a bird's song, but there was no other sound. Every room Mabel went through was empty. Soos wasn't doing an odd job anywhere, Wendy's position by the register was vacant, and Grunkle Stan wasn't in the museum fleecing tourists. Indeed, there were no tourists to fleece. There were no cars, no snaps of cameras, no bell at the door. It was as if Mabel was the last person on earth, and she didn't like it. She wandered slowly until she stopped in the deserted gift shop again, hoping, in futility, that she might finally find someone. Nothing greeted her except the faded yellow paint on the walls and assorted knick-knacks on rickety shelves. There was no where else to look but outside. Mabel tried to walk with purpose without racing. She had the unsettling feeling that something was watching her.
Something was.
Mabel let herself outside, and if she didn't know any better, she would have thought it was the most beautiful day she had seen since coming to Gravity Falls. It was warm, but not too warm, and the sunlight was bright and streamed in beams into the clearing where the Mystery Shack stood. Mabel felt a lump grow in her throat. Perhaps it was too perfect. The air was too clear, the forest too quiet. Mabel did a loop outside the building, seeing Grunkle Stan's car, empty in the drive. It was the same old rusty lemon it always was, every detail perfect down to the loose mirror and the frayed patch on the itchy upholstery on the passenger bench. It looked like Grunkle Stan's charmingly decrepit vehicle, but it struck Mabel as a disgusting fake. She wrinkled her nose at it and kept moving.
I can't just walk around the building in circles, she thought to herself. I have to find Dipper...or...anyone...
The breeze suddenly halted, leaving the air still. A sound reached Mabel's ears that made her stop in her tracks. It was very faint, barely audible, but Mabel was sure she had heard it. It was a voice, distant, and she was only able to discern a brief "aa" syllable, but it was definitely human. It sounded to Mabel like the snippet of a voice heard from down a long hallway. Mabel strained to listen, and heard tiny parts of the voice again, so distant she couldn't make out anything, like a muffled voice talking in another room. She closed her eyes, hoping to get a better sense of where it was coming from. The sound was gone. A squeak made her open her eyes and glance up. The question mark weathervane had shifted with a groan of rusty metal. Mabel watched it turn slowly, although there was no wind. The W pointed towards the woods it slowly continued circling, when suddenly it jolted back in the other direction, as if wrenched by unseen hands, so that the W once again faced the woods. The weathervane was then completely still. Mabel followed its direction with her eyes, ending up gazing into the forest. It looked normal, but Mabel couldn't help but notice she way the uneasy feeling in her gut increased. Surely, that meant she was looking in the right direction. Dipper must be in there...Mabel set her face in a determined glare, and she pushed the growing fear back down into her stomach and marched forwards. Soon she was in the trees, their dappled shade casting cool patches over her, that Mabel noticed were icy in contrast to the patches of sun. Each step took Mabel deeper into the thickening woods, the light growing thicker and darker. Mabel was steadfast. The sound of voices returned, louder this time but still indecipherable. Mabel felt the pull of her brother. She knew he was in there.
Dipper, I'm coming for you.
Unseen eyes followed her. Brave girl...