A brief note: This chapter is a bit intense. It's violent and has horror imagery. If this isn't your deal, skip this one.
"Did you call Grunkle Stan?" asked Dipper. He was reaching into the back of the car, sorting the box of weapons he had assembled. Mabel nodded.
"He's out until tomorrow, so we don't have to worry about him stumbling onto Soos," said Mabel.
"Good," said Dipper. He closed the box, shut the back door of the wagon, and turned to face Mabel. Wendy was inside the house, using the bathroom before they left for patrol. "Are you ready for this?"
"As ready as I'll ever be," said Mabel. She reached into her pocket, and pulled out a small notepad. She had scribbled on it in her incomprehensibly bad handwriting. "First we stop at the diner. Then we go to the pool, the hardware store, the docks, and the apartment complexes. We hang out, and make sure nothing is going on."
"Right," said Dipper. "And maybe there won't be anything crazy happening."
"What are the chances of that?" asked Mabel.
"Slim to none," said Dipper. They heard a door open, and looked towards the Shack. Wendy walked out. Her eyes were wider then usual, and her mouth was slightly agape. "You okay?" Dipper asked.
"I saw Soos," Wendy muttered.
"He's full wolf?" asked Mabel. Wendy just nodded. "Don't think about it too much," said Mabel. "There's nothing we can do anyway."
"You sure you're up for this?" Dipper asked. Wendy nodded.
"I can handle it," Wendy said.
"All right," Dipper said. "Well, everything is loaded up and ready to go." The three stood in place, none of them wanting to move towards the car. Dipper finally inched towards the driver's seat. He slowly opened the door, and got in. After a few seconds, Mabel and Wendy followed. Mabel took shotgun, while Wendy got into the back. Dipper started up the car, and began to drive. They were silent, each filled with fear and anticipation. Mabel clutched the Three book tightly to her chest. Wendy was fiddling with a necklace she had put on. It had a golden cross on it. Dipper was white knuckling the wheel, sweat dripping down his forehead despite the air conditioning. They pulled onto the highway, and took the exit towards the town. The crossed the threshold to the town proper, and Dipper took the turn towards the Diner. The pulled into the parking lot, and the group got out. Dipper opened the back door, and pulled the box open. He picked a few things out, and stuffed them into his pockets. He closed the door, and took a breath. Greasy's was closed- it used to be a twenty-four hour joint, but they had since gone to normal business hours. The building was completely dark. The only source of light was the neon glow of the street lamps, and a flashlight that Wendy was holding. The beam was shaking. Wendy was so scared she just couldn't hold it straight.
"Everything looks all right to me," said Mabel. "Let's go."
"We have to look around," said Dipper.
"Really?" asked Mabel.
"Yeah," confirmed Dipper. The group pulled close together, and walked through the parking lot. Dipper had his hand gripped on a wooden stake he had carved. Mabel held the Three book out in front of her like a shield. Wendy held the flashlight shakily in her right hand, and gripped her cross necklace in her left. The moved past the parking lot, and towards the back of the diner. It was a patch of field, stretching into forest. There was a full dumpster.
"Smells like trash," Wendy muttered.
"Garbage sometimes does that," Mabel said. They went past the dumpster, and moved back towards the front of the diner. The continued until they had gone full circle. When they were back in the parking lot, Mabel let out a sigh. "All right, now can we go?" she asked.
"I think we're clear," said Dipper. Dipper opened the driver side door, and Mabel walked over to the passenger side. She opened the door, and tossed the Three book in. Dipper turned towards Wendy. She was facing away from Dipper, looking towards the rest of town. "Come on Wendy," Dipper said. Wendy didn't move. "Did you hear me?" Dipper walked towards Wendy. He put a hand on her shoulder. "What's up?" he asked. Wendy pointed a shaky finger towards a nearby street light. Dipper looked, and gasped. There was something standing in the glow of a nearby street light.
"What's going on?" asked Mabel. She walked towards the other two. She followed their gazes, and froze. She saw the figure as well. "Oh God," she whispered. The figure moved fully into the light. The group let out a sigh of relief. It was just a man. He was tall, dressed in all black, and had long black hair. He was looking towards the ground, obscuring his facial features.
"Just a guy," said Dipper. "False alarm." The man slowly raised his head. Its eyes were dark red. Not red like having allergies, or being drugged. They were red like they were filled with blood.
"Let's get out of here," said Mabel.
"Right," said Wendy. As the group backed up, the man gave Wendy a strange look. He pulled his hands out of his pockets. Dipper noticed that his nails were incredibly long. He pointed at Wendy. Wendy seemed to become stiff like a board. He turned his finger, and wagged it. It was a, 'come here' gesture. Wendy moved towards the man. She walked jerkily, as if being dragged. "Wendy?" Dipper pulled at her shirt. "What the hell are you doing?" Wendy didn't answer. Dipper grabbed her arm, and tried to pull her back. He just couldn't do it. It was if Wendy was being pulled into a black hole. No matter how hard Dipper pulled, Wendy kept getting closer to the figure.
"Dipper! What's going on?" asked Mabel.
"Help me!" Dipper screamed. Mabel ran to Wendy, and grabbed her other arm. The two tried to pull her back, but she got closer and closer to the figure. They were only a few arm lengths away now. Dipper took another look at the figure. It was staring right into Wendy's eyes. It opened its mouth, and smiled. Dipper screamed. Its canine teeth were massive. They protruded over its bottom lip. "It's a vampire!" said Dipper. He reached into his pocket, and pulled out the wooden stake. The vampire broke eye contact with Wendy, and stared into Dippers eyes. A voice, louder than any he had ever heard in his life, filled his head.
"DROP IT!" the voice commanded. Dipper froze in place, and dropped the stake. "SIT!" the voice demanded. Dipper sat down. He had no control over his body. He couldn't think for himself anymore. The vampire had him in its grasp.
"Dipper!" Mabel tried to pull her brother up, but he refused. He sat dazed, drool pooling out of his mouth. Wendy was almost in the creatures grasp. Mabel stiffened her resolve. She bent down and picked up the stake Dipper had dropped. "Leave her alone, you son of a bitch!" Mabel screamed. She launched herself towards the thing. It turned to face her. She closed her eyes, and threw out her arm as hard as she could. She missed the thing completely, lost her balance, and collapsed on the pavement. Her knee tore open, and she groaned in pain. She opened her eyes, and turned to look at the vampire. She avoided its gaze, and stood back up. It had left Dipper and Wendy, and was now focused on Mabel. Her brother and friend sat and stood in place, unmoving. The vampire's gaze was locked on Mabel's knee. She was bleeding badly.
"Mine," it whispered. It moved towards her, its arms outstretched. Mabel felt its nails scrape her cheeks. It gripped her face, and pulled it towards its own. "Look," it whispered. Mabel wanted to close her eyes, but a force was stopping her. She could smell its rancid breath. It was like long dead roadkill. Her eyes locked on his, and Mabel began to lose control. Mabel stopped moving, and dropped the stake. It opened its mouth, and bent towards her neck. Mabel felt the tip of its teeth touch her neck. They felt like hypodermic needles. She waited for the pain, but it never came. It had stopped. The hands dropped away from her face, and the thing collapsed. A long, pointy stick had been shoved through its chest. Dipper stood over it, breathing heavily.
"You killed it," Mabel said. Dipper nodded.
"It got so focused on you, it forgot about us," he said. He looked around. "We have to get out of here," said Dipper.
"Roger that," said Mabel. The two walked towards the car. Wendy followed them, shivering.
"I feel violated," Wendy said. "It's like it touched my brain."
"I know," said Dipper. "But it's over now.
"Maybe not," whispered Mabel. Dipper looked where she was looking. There was another figure. Wendy gasped. Dipper turned, and saw yet another one.
"We're surrounded," Wendy choked out.
"Get in the car!" Dipper said. He opened the door, screamed, and slammed it. Mabel and Wendy looked in the car. Another figure was in there.
"I left the door open," Mabel said in horror. "When I threw the book in, I left the door open.
"The Diner!" Dipper shouted. The group ran as fast as they could towards the Diner. The figures followed them. Dipper tried the front door, and found it unlocked. The three kids rushed in, and Dipper slammed the door behind them. He locked the door, and stared out. The three figures all pooled in front of the door. The reds of their eyes stood in stark contrast to the darkness of the night. One of figures approached the door. It pushed inward, and the door groaned. It was unnaturally strong, and the door wouldn't be able to hold for long. The group backed away.
"Look for something sharp!" Dipper said. Wendy shined the flashlight around the Diner frantically. The door began to buckle, and the group turned towards the vampires.
"Don't look into their eyes!" said Mabel. The door broke into a hundred pieces, and the vampires moved in. One of them chuckled.
"You all smell good," it whispered. "You smell like fear." It cracked its knuckles. "I like that."
"Screw you!" shouted Dipper. He ran towards the back of the Diner. Mabel and Wendy followed him. The vampires advanced on them, their teeth glinting in the light of Wendy's torch. Dipper found the door to the kitchen, and opened it. He tried to find a light switch, but he couldn't see. "I need light!" he screamed. Wendy fell into the kitchen, and handed Dipper the flashlight. He shined it around, and found the grills. Mabel backed into the kitchen, and the vampires continued to advance. One of them let out a horrible screeching laugh.
"I like them young," it whispered. Another one nodded.
"I hope they scream," it said. "I like it when they scream." Dipper ran towards the grill, and pressed the starter. It clicked a few times, and Dipper groaned.
"Work!" he begged the grill. He pressed it again, and this time the grill roared to life. Dipper turned the dials as high as they would go, and cranked the burners. Flames blasted from the grill, nearly as high as the ceiling. The vampires recoiled, hissing and screeching. Dipper could see the entire kitchen now. He saw a bottle of vodka on a shelf full of cooking sherry, and smiled. He ran towards a nearby sink, and found a rag. The vampires had recovered from the unexpected burst of light. They turned towards the girls. Mabel froze in place.
"They got Mabel!" Wendy shouted. Dipper didn't answer. He picked up the rag, and sprinted towards the bottle of vodka. One of the vampires reached out to grab him. He rolled out of the way, and plucked the bottle of vodka off the shelf. He opened it, and stuffed the rag into the top of the bottle.
"Hey assholes!" Dipper shouted. The vampires turned towards him. He put the rag on the dancing flames, and it lit up. He hurled the bottle at the feet of the vampires. The bottle shattered, and its contents caught alight. The flames ran up the legs of the vampires. They screeched in pain. The flames spread across them like firewood. They were completely immolated in seconds. Dipper and Wendy grabbed Mabel, and ran past the flaming vampires. They peeled out of the diner, and ran towards the car. They stuffed Mabel in the back, and got in. Dipper started it up, and looked towards the Diner. One of the vampires jumped out a window. Most of its face had burnt off, leaving boiling skin and melted bone. It looked at Dipper. Dipper felt himself seize up. The vampires eyes rolled up in its head, and it collapsed into a pile of ashes. Dipper felt himself become free again. He put the car in reverse, and got out of there as fast as he could. As he left, he took one last look at the Diner. The entire place was up in flames. He drove out of the town, and back onto the highway. Mabel was stirring in the back. Wendy was still shivering, her face blank and her eyes wide and unblinking.
"Is it over?" Wendy asked.
"Yes," said Dipper. "We got them." He looked at the clock on the radio. It was only two in the morning, but after that there was no way they were doing any more patrolling. "Can we go back to your place?" Dipper asked Wendy.
"Why?" she said.
"I really don't want to see Soos," said Dipper. "I don't think I can handle it."
"Yeah, I've had enough crazy shit to last me forever," said Wendy. "We can go back to Tambry's." Mabel was sitting up.
"Did that just happen?" Mabel asked. Neither Dipper or Wendy said anything.