"…After all these years…" Stan said, letting go of the niblings and standing up, walking toward his brother. "You're finally here…!"
Mabel, already wary of the newcomer that came out of the portal, noticed the other man's hands clench and expression turn dark. Remembering the LAST time her Grunkle Stan was threatened, she jumped up and ran up to the stranger, pushing him away. "NO!" she shouted. "DON'T YOU HURT HIM!"
As solid as the man was, he still stumbled back in shock when Mabel pushed him. Stan reached out, pulling Mabel back.
"Mabel, what the heck are you doing!?" Stan said, holding her shoulders. "What's gotten into you?"
Mabel's small frame shook, biting her lip. "…He…he was going to hurt you!" she stammered. "I didn't…the last time someone tried to…you…" Her body shook harder, and she reached out, hugging him tightly. "I didn't want you to…"
Stan froze, then hugged her back. "…I'm okay, Mabel," he said quietly. "I'm honestly okay, I promise. I wouldn't…not to him…"
The other man frowned at Mabel. "…Stan, you didn't tell me there were CHILDREN down here!" he hissed, glancing around like there were MORE around he wasn't aware of. Mabel squeaked when Stan's hold on her tightened.
"They're your family, poindexter," he replied almost defensively. "Shermy's grandkids."
The man's expression lightened. "…I…have a niece and nephew?" The lightness grew more sober when Mabel gave him a distrusting look over her shoulder. Okay, yes, perhaps his first impression of almost punching his twin wasn't the best in getting on his great-niece's good graces. The boy, on the other hand…well, if there was an expression to describe 'seeing the face of God', this kid was pulling it off rather well.
"I…I don't believe it…" Dipper murmured before almost shouting, "YOU'RE the author of the journals…!"
Interesting. He slipped his journal out of his coat pocket. "…You've read my journals?" he asked, amused. The boy just kind of stammered before hyperventilating and looked close to vomiting. After the mess he was seeing down here, he wasn't surprised.
"Listen, we'll have time for introductions later," he said, putting the journal back, turning to his brother. "But first, tell me, Stan, are there ANY security breeches? Does ANYONE else know about this portal?"
Stan looked almost sheepish. "…maybe the entire US government—"
"THE WHAT!?" his brother shouted, looking close to throttling Stan. Mabel's mutinous expression came back, but they were interrupted by the security cameras picking up the FBI again.
"Spread out! We're not going anywhere until we find Stan Pines and those kids!" Agent Powers was saying. Mabel whimpered, and felt her Grunkle tense up.
"Okay, alright, we've got awhile before they find this room," the man said, taking out his journal and jotting something down. "We just need to lay low and think of a plan!" As he wrote something down, Stan quietly took Mabel's shoulders and stepped away from her, squeezing her shoulders lightly before turning to his twin.
"…I'll handle this," Stan said, his tone making shivers run down the spines of everyone in the room. He headed for the elevator. "Soos, Stanford, watch the kids. Keep them down here until it's done."
Stanford frowned, opening his mouth to protest, only for any words to be lost when he saw the stiff, frightened look the kids made. He saw Soos hurry up and gather the kids up, looking resolute. "…Stanley?" Stan didn't answer, walking to the elevator and opening it. When he turned around to press the button, Stanford saw a dead glint in his twin's eyes. "Stanley!" He ran over, but was too late to stop the elevator door from closing.
He hit the door and swore, running over to the security screens, his eyes flicking over them as he searched for one that would show his brother. There were none inside the house, that were functional, anyway, but in one of the outside cameras, he saw an agent run out of the house with an expression of terror. Just what in the world was going on!?
Dipper broke away from Soos and rushed up to Stanford, jerking open his backpack and taking out a memory gun. "They cant take him!" he shouted, jerking on Stanford's coat. "We have to use this before it's too late!" He flinched hard when there were screams and gunfire from the camera. "PLEASE!"
"What the hell is going on, kid!?" Stanford demanded, almost being knocked over when Mabel rushed past and pounded on the elevator door, Soos on her heels.
"Mabel, Mr. Pines said to stay down here!" Soos cried, trying to pull her from the elevator. Mabel just sobbed, hitting the door harder.
"HE NEEDS ME!" she shrieked, squirming to get free. "HE NEEDS ME TO HELP HIM STOP!"
Next to Stanford, Dipper shoved the memory gun into his hands. "CAN this help!?" Dipper shouted over Mabel's cries, flicking his eyes to the screen. "HURRY!"
Stanford bit his lip, then took the gun to a panel and began hooking it up to some cords, his fingers flickering with the settings. "I wouldn't even know WHAT to set it to—"
"I DON'T CARE IF IT'S SET ON HOW TO MAKE THEM FORGET HOW TO BREATHE!" Dipper shouted. "JUST HURRY BEFORE THEY HURT HIM!"
Stanford swore under his breath, putting the settings on 'STAN PINES' just for good measure, turning it on. "GET DOWN!" he shouted, ducking down and covering his ears. Dipper did the same, and Soos pushed Mabel down, covering his own ears.
A strong wave of pulses swept over the property before fading out. Just after the pulsing stopped, Stanford heard the 'DING' of the elevator and looked up in time to see Mabel rushing in. He grabbed the memory gun and rushed in after her just as it was closing, too late to stop the elevator from going up, and vowed to put an emergency stop button on in the future.
Mabel's face was almost chalk-pale, her body shaking but her eyes holding a hardness that Stanford thought no child should ever have. She shifted away from him, her hands flexing as though she was prepared to fight him if she had to.
"I'm not going to hurt you," he said, hoping his voice was as calm as he wanted it to be. "I promise."
"I don't trust you," Mabel replied, her voice so sharp he almost flinched. "I don't trust anyone with Grunkle Stan. They don't understand. They don't KNOW."
"Know what?" Stanford asked. "Listen, he's my twin brother, and considering everything I've seen, whatever it is, I know I'll understand." He looked up when the elevator dinged, and Mabel, small as she was, was able to bolt out ahead of him before the elevator finished opening, giving her a good head start on him.
He followed as quickly as he could, the memory gun clenched in his hand tightly, prepared to use it, and ran up out into the gift shop—
—and froze.
Blood.
There was blood EVERYWHERE.
He could only stand stock-still as he surveyed the horror in front of him. Among the blood were bodies. Some had limbs torn off. Some had chunks of skin missing. One had his head removed entirely from his body.
Stanford became aware that his hands were shaking. He reached back with his free hand and grabbed his gun, feeling more protected with it in a situation like THIS, and slowly edged his way out of the doorway.
He absently wondered where Stanley and Mabel were when he heard a shout outside. He edged his way around a body and peeked outside, his eyes going wide with what he saw.
Stanley was standing on the back porch, covered in blood. And that was just from what Stanford could see from the back. There were a handful of agents standing outside with their guns trained on him.
Mabel was out by them, being held back by one of the agents. She kicked and tried to bite at him, shouting to be let go.
Stanford's hands clenched reflexively around both guns when he heard an inhuman growling sound, his eyes flickering around for a moment before realizing that sound came from Stanley. Stanley growled louder, stepping down off the porch, in the direction of the agent holding Mabel.
"FREEZE!" the agent shouted. "DO NOT COME ANY CLOSER, OR WE WILL USE DEADLY FORCE!"
"Shoot him anyway!" another agent called over. "Did you see what he did to those men inside!? He's a MONSTER!"
Stan paid no heed to the commands, and only stepped closer. Mabel jerked against the agent holding her back, reaching out for her Grunkle—
BLAM
Stanford flinched when he heard the gunshot, peeking around, his hands shaking when he saw Stan stumble, seeing a drip of blood pool on the ground. A cold seize of terror ran through his body. His brother had been shot! They SHOT him! He jumped up and ran out onto the porch, skidding to a halt when he saw Stanley straighten up and take another step forward.
The panicking agent shakily took aim and shot again, and this time Stanford SAW the bullet strike Stanley's shoulder. Stanley showed no sign of feeling the hit.
"I TOLD YOU! HE'S A MONSTER!"
"Is this guy even for REAL!?"
"Who the hell is THAT guy behind him?"
In the brief pause for debate, Stanley lurched forward and snatched the agent holding Mabel, grabbing his arm and snapping it effortlessly before reeling him in and tearing out his throat with his teeth.
Mabel scrambled out of the way just in time to avoid getting sprayed with blood, covering her head with her arms when the agents began shooting again in a panic.
In his own panic, Stanford raised his own gun and began firing at the agents, forgetting he'd set his gun to 'Stun' instead of 'Kill', but worked with what he had, doing the same to the pilots about to take off in the helicopters before turning his attention back to Stanley.
He dropped both guns when he found his brother chewing on the flesh of an agent.
'Undead,' his brain supplied. Every sign he formerly observed pointed to it. The dead look Stanley gave him in the elevator. The inability to feel pain when being shot. EATING A HUMAN BEING. He could feel his body shaking violently, nausea rising in his throat.
His brother was a zombie. Thirty years, and THIS is what he came back to.
He snapped back to reality when he saw Mabel slowly get up and walk over to Stanley. "…no…" he choked out. "Don't—!" He knelt down, his hands fumbling for a gun—he didn't know which one, exactly—as he kept his eyes trained on Mabel.
Mabel sniffled softly, walking up to Stan, pointedly ignoring the chewed-on body in his grip. "Grunkle Stan," she said, her voice soft but strong. "It's over. I'm okay. Stop eating him now." Stan growled, his dead eyes staring back at her as he dropped the body to the ground. She wiped her face with her sleeve, reaching under his arm and hugging his torso tightly.
Stanford managed to get a hold of his gun, raising it and aiming in the direction of Stanley's head, jumping when he felt a hand shove his arm down. He looked over and saw Dipper holding his arm down, looking terrified but resolute.
"Don't," Dipper said, swallowing hard, his complexion slightly green from nausea. "…It's…okay."
"Okay…?" Stanford repeated, incredulous. "This…NOTHING…about THIS…is OKAY…! Stanley is—"
"He's not," Dipper replied quickly. "Not…entirely, anyway." His eyes teared up, paling before turning and vomiting on the ground. His grip on Stanford's arm never waived.
Soos hurried up and helped keep Dipper upright as Stanford turned back to Stanley and Mabel, the gun dropping from his hand when he saw Stanley hugging Mabel back, life having come back into his eyes, and his expression mournful and full of regret.
"…I'm alright, Mabel," Stan said, feeling the wrenching in his gut subside completely, feeling disgusted with himself at how full and satisfied he felt. "I'm sorry, kiddo…I'm alright now…"
Mabel sniffled and nodded, leaning back slightly to give her Grunkle a brave smile, blood smeared on her face from where she had been hugging his blood-splattered clothes. "I'm alright too," she said. "I'm okay." She hugged him again before turning to look at the others. "…how…are we going to fix THIS…?"
"…You let me worry about that, okay, sweetie?" Stan said, petting her head before steering her toward the Shack, giving Dipper another mournful look. "…Dipper…Mabel…go wash up. The plumbing should still work. If it doesn't, please, fix it, Soos."
Soos nodded, his own complexion pale as he held onto Dipper and Mabel's shoulders, taking them around to the front to spare them having to walk through the corpse-ridden gift shop.
Stanley's expression turned dark as soon as they were out of sight. He turned to give his brother an unreadable look that had an edge of anger to it. Ford could still see heavy smears of blood around Stanley's mouth, and even a bit of foreign skin sticking to his chin.
"I told you to keep them down there until I was done," he said.
Stanford felt the last well of self-control leave him then. He nearly bent over double as he vomited on the ground, wondering what kind of world he had been returned to.