Chapter Four

Walking through Gravity Falls at night was always very strange. There were a few streetlights keeping the road somewhat lit. Many were dim. A couple were busted, flickering uselessly. No cars passed through town. No voices could be heard. And no one was even awake at that time of night, so the unusual creatures that inhabited the town were always free to scurry about peacefully. Very rarely did any of them actually pay Dipper any mind whenever he took walks through town at night. Most of them were rather familiar with him by then anyway. But this time in particular... This time was different.

This time, the creatures were just as silent as the townsfolk. Not so much as a one passed by him or caught his eye. And even stranger, Dipper felt the presence of another person beside him, moving in time with him. Yet he couldn't even turn his head to see who it was. The realization that he was dreaming quickly hit him, and he narrowed his eyes straight ahead. Was this what Bill had told him about? He stopped, although he hadn't willed his body to do so. It simply... did.

He felt a hand slide into his palm, and he stiffened. Whoever this was, they were cold. Very cold. And their fingernails were long, sharp against his skin. He furrowed his brow. It felt almost as if the person next to him was attempting to be romantic, in their own twisted way. "Listen," a female voice whispered, as if mimicking the soothing tone of a mother, hand trailing up his arm and digging her fingernails deep into his flesh. Dipper grit his teeth at the sensation. He could feel the warmth of his own blood welling up and spilling from the thin cuts her nails were leaving behind them. But he did as he'd been told, though it wasn't like he had a choice in the matter.

He really wished he could have said no, however, because what he heard was sickening. It started out low, quiet, barely a whisper. The sound of something almost like a whistle touched his ears. Then there was a crack and a whir that made him shudder. And soon, the sounds got louder, and Dipper was sure he heard people far away screaming in terror. He had no idea why or what was happening. They had erupted out of nowhere, it felt like. But what was happening quickly hit him. He was still unable to look back, but he could see red and orange being reflected off a nearby stop sign and the windows and doors of nearby houses. He could feel the heat radiating off of the rising flames behind him.

The screaming became louder and louder, gradually reaching so close to him that it was nearly deafening, shrill caterwauling that he so wished he could somehow block out. The hand, which had trailed all the way up his arm, clamped down on his shoulder. "Listen to all the suffering you've brought about. You had no idea what a stain upon this earth you are, did you?" the woman beside him inquired in that same tone, like she truly believed her words brought him comfort. Her voice was different now, though. It was hollow, as if she were speaking through a metal tube.

Dipper swallowed hard. This wasn't his fault. This was a dream. He closed his eyes, willing himself to wake up. Yet the screams of the innocent remained. And the sting of the flames crawling ever nearer remained as well. Claws dug into his shoulder where the woman's hand was. "Answer me!" she screeched, voice echoing above the chaos.

Dipper flinched, instinctively bringing up his hands to cover his ears. When he found that he could, he shook his head, jaw clenched. "No! I didn't do any of this!" he screamed over the noise, but unlike the woman beside him, his cry was lost among the wailing of the people behind him. He hunched over, trying to block out the horrid sounds, but they only got louder the more he did so. "Make it stop!" he pleaded, his eyes screwed shut. He could feel the flames licking at his heels, but barely noticed it through his terror. And then-

"Dipper!" That scream stood out. He could never forget that voice, the voice of the person he'd never stop protecting.

He spun on his heels to face the scene behind him. "Mabel!" he called, eyes frantically searching the wreckage. The scent of burning flesh and wood had intensified, and he may have vomited had he not been focused on something else. Something far more important. Mabel's voice rang out once more, this time less a cry for help and more so a cry of excruciating pain. Dipper winced, his eyes burning, both with welling tears and from the smoke now swirling around his body. "Mabel! Answer me! Please!" he was begging, his voice cracking like a twig from the sob he was unable to contain. There was a bang and a snap, and a large building collapsed, joining all the rest that had already burned to the ground.

His sister's voice rang out like a bell in what Dipper could only assume where her final moments. It was that desperate and horrified kind of wail, when you know you're life is ending but you still want someone to know, to hear you. It was the sound of someone that didn't want to be lost in the rubble, someone who didn't want to become just another name on a list of missing people. It was the sound of Dipper's sister begging anyone and anything around her to remember that sound. To remember her. It was the sound of Mabel's life ending.

And that struck a really sensitive nerve for Dipper.

The screaming went silent. The flames dissipated. Dipper's shoulders began to shake with the terrible urge to burst into tears. He turned towards the woman beside him, prepared to rant and scream and curse about how she could have been saved. But he stopped before he'd even started. His eyes widened at the sight. The woman's figure was no more than a silhouette. The only perceptible feature she had were her eyes, which were simply glowing white rings where her face should have been. Dipper stepped back, clutching his injured arm in his hand. "Mabel. Fix her, save her! Now!" The creature tilted its head, almost in a confused kind of way. But it seemed more so demeaning when the circular eyes narrowed into slits. Was she... amused by all of this? Dipper didn't know, nor did he care by any means. "Bring her back! Give me back my sister!"

The woman began to circle around him, and Dipper realized then that she had no legs. Beneath the waist, she was a mere shadow. Dipper followed the creature with his eyes, turning to face her. There was a spark, and flames rose in the wake of the shadow. Dipper held tight onto his arm, letting the pain of his fingers digging into his wounds distract him from his fear. Why hadn't he woken up? Why hadn't Bill gotten rid of the nightmare? Questions swirled in his head, but no answers came. The shadow stopped directly in front of him. Dipper wanted to step further away, but the blazing fire behind him kept him in place. The shadow moved closer to him until he felt the chill of her body up against his. He found that he was unable to move yet again, and cursed silently to himself.

Then would have be a wonderful time to have the journals. Or to be able to speak. He knew plenty of exorcism spells, but he couldn't exactly recite them without the use of his mouth. The creature giggled playfully, her arms winding around his torso. Its claws picked at the hem of his shirt, then crawled upwards, along his spine. Dipper shuddered, closing his eyes. The creature clucked her tongue in an almost scolding manner, her hands stopping right in the middle of his back. "Never look away from me," she purred, leaning up into his ear. Dipper ground his teeth together in frustration. "Do you understand that? You're mine." He felt her remove her hands from his skin. Not even a second later, her claws were being driven deep into his flesh.

Dipper's eyes snapped wide open, and he felt blood pooling in his throat. "You're mine! MINE!" the creature wailed, the sound shrill and banging against his eardrums. She screamed the word over and over, punctuating it with another stab into his skin each and every time until he was almost completely numb. Dipper felt he should have collapsed long ago. He felt he should have died long ago. And yet, he was still on his feet, still able to somehow take the agony she was providing him. The shadow stopped, and he heaved, his body slumping over her shoulder for support. His breathing was quick and shallow, and he was barely able to keep his eyes open at all.

He felt fingers entangle themselves into his hair, still cold but oozing with his own blood. He would have moved away, but he didn't even have it in him to feel disgusted. "Mabel... I..." he choked out, the tears that had collected in his eyes pouring onto the creature's shoulder. "Please. I can't live without her..." The fact that he was dreaming at all was lost on him by then. All he could register was the fact that he should be dead, and Mabel should be alive. The shadow clutched his hair, claws cutting into his scalp as she yanked his head back to face her. Everything had gone completely black. The town, the flames, all of it gone. The only thing he could make out were the now glowing red eyes of the furious creature in front of him, mere inches away from his face.

"Never say that!" she spat, voice even more hollow as it echoed through the empty void they seemed to be in. "You're mine! Mine! MINEMINEMINEMINEMINE!"

Dipper awoke, sputtering and coughing. His chest heaved and his entire body was trembling. He sat up in his bed, eyes wide and full of terror. Bill was already up, it seemed, but Dipper barely even noticed a thing beyond his own fear. Bill grabbed him by the collar of his shirt, eyes blazing red with fury. "What did you do?!" he growled, shaking Dipper enough to bring him a little further into reality. "What did you DO?"

Dipper shook his head. That's what he wanted to know. But Bill clearly didn't believe him. He pulled the brunette closer to him so they were just about nose to nose, teeth sharp and grinding together in outrage. "Did you make a deal with another demon?!" he demanded, showing no sympathy for Dipper, who was still shivering from the dream.

"No!"

"Did you let one into your head?!"

"No! I swear!"

Bill shoved Dipper away from him, his eyes no longer red, but it was obvious he was far from calm. "Kid, you have no idea what you've gotten yourself into!" he growled, fists clenched and quickly turning white. Dipper just stared back at him, unable to respond. "This thing clearly has its eye on you! And because of whatever you did, Shooting-" he stopped, noting the way Dipper's entire body stiffened up when he said it. He sighed, running a hand through his bangs. That was low, even for his standards. Bill hesitated a moment, then placed a hand on Dipper's shoulder. The brunette looked upwards at Bill to see that he was clearly apologetic, his eyes cast to the side. "Pine Tree, I don't really know what's going on, but I'm not gonna let that she-demon sink her claws into Shooting Star, alright?"

Dipper felt his nerves begin to unwind. He wasn't quite sure why, but that was actually rather comforting. He nodded, taking a breath to calm himself. "You'd better not," he said firmly, easing up so his back straightened out. He hissed in pain when he did so, and reached a hand back to feel the spot that hurt. It stung to so much as touch, and his arm also felt a little worse for wear. Dipper quickly realized that the arm that hurt was the one the demon had raked her claws into, and he pulled his sleeve up to see four jagged red lines that crawled all the way up from his wrist to his shoulder.

When he looked up, he immediately noticed the fact that Bill's eyes had turned a bright crimson yet again. He reached out, taking Dipper's arm into his hands. "Take off your shirt," he ordered, tracing his thumb along Dipper's wrist.

Dipper blinked. "What?" he questioned, brow furrowed suspiciously.

But Bill looked dead serious. "Take. Off. Your. Shirt," he was clearly seething, and Dipper could see the flames quite literally rising in his eyes. He reluctantly pulled his shirt up and off, trying to ignore the way his limbs protested against him. He watched Bill stand up, motioning for Dipper to do the same. He did as he knew he was being told, and Bill grabbed his uninjured arm, spinning him around to see his back. A long few seconds passed by in silence. Dipper wasn't sure what to make of the situation he was in. He felt a hand press up against the wound and he flinched, both out of shock and out of the pain that came with the light touch. "Kid. This is more serious than you think," Bill said direly, and Dipper felt the blonde's fingers glide over his skin. His ears were on fire by then, and he had to take a deep breath, silently scolding himself.

He was being haunted by some creature equipped and willing to kill him, and here he was getting flustered over a demon he didn't even like.

Dipper shook his head. "What's happening?" he asked, closing his eyes. This was just too much for him. And after so many years of almost normalcy...If he could really even call it that.

"What's happening is you've somehow attracted a demon to you. Whether you went out on one of those mystery hunts of yours and stuck your nose a little too deep in the thornbush, or you just accidentally said an incantation the wrong way, it doesn't matter. You've caught the eye of something deadly. And if you thought I was bad..." Bill whistled, placing his hands on Dipper's shoulders and spinning him around so they were face to face. "Then you're really not gonna like what you've gotten yourself into now. This thing doesn't want your possessions, and it doesn't want the world. It wants you; mind, body, and soul, kid. Why, I don't know. But I'm going to find out."

Dipper nodded, jaw hung open slightly. Bill was staring at him in the strangest way, and he couldn't tell if it was anger or sympathy or determination, but it made him nervous. Bill moved away from him, exhaling. A moment passed. Neither of them really said anything. At least, not until Bill finally let his body relax, shoulders rolling back some so he didn't appear to be so on edge anymore. "Get dressed. We're opening up the gift shop today." he said, opening up the closet and pulling out a yellow sweater vest. Dipper decided that was Bill's way of lightening the mood and, because he really didn't want to think of some supernatural creature attaching itself to him, he went along with it.

Dipper stepped towards his dresser and opening it. "Nope. Mabel declared today a "party day" and planned a bunch of stupid fun things for us to do," he explained, shoving his arms through the sleeves of a t-shirt. "We were supposed to do all of this yesterday after work but Mabel really wanted Pacifica to be here and she was busy, sooo..." He put a pair of jeans on, then searched his drawers for the black and white flannel he'd intended to wear.

"Sounds fine to me, I guess. Hey, Pine Tree," Bill called, and Dipper spun around to face him. He was immediately met with exactly what he'd been looking for, except it had landed on his face and Bill had obviously been the one to throw it. Grumbling, he reached up and pulled it away, opting not to comment as he put it on and buttoned it up. "I forgot to give it back after I borrowed it." Bill said with a grin, combing his hair into place with his fingers. Dipper hummed, eyes downcast as he turned to walk away. He felt his chest inexplicably tighten. His flannel smelled fucking fantastic. If Dipper had to name the scent, it was almost like mint, but not quite so overwhelming. And maybe vanilla. Yes, he was certain that's what that was. And the fact that he liked it so much was enough to make him feel nervous again in the worst kind of way, because he was clueless as to why.

Bill started laughing, and Dipper knew exactly what the reason for it was. He grimaced, stepping down the first stair and trying to block out the blonde's laughter. "Thanks, kid! I think I'll choose to take your little observation there as a compliment," he cooed, watching Dipper disappear down the stairs. The brunette clenched his fists at his sides, really doing his best to ignore both of the demons in his life, pestering and pushing him to the edge of insanity. That book of his had better be a goddamn best seller, or else none of this was even worth it. He stepped into the living room to find Mabel on the couch, talking very animatedly to Pacifica. She looked over to see him and waved excitedly.

"Sup, broseph! Where's Bill? I heard you two yelling at each other earlier. Is everything alright? You aren't mad at each other, are you? The last thing I need are two pouty boys in the house. Oh, yeah! Pacifica needs to meet him. Er... Not meet, since they kinda already have. But you guys know what I mean. Anyway, yeah," she rambled, talking almost too fast for even Dipper to follow her. But he was nearly fluent in 'Mabel-ese' so he was able to decipher it. Pacifica furrowed her brow in interest.

Dipper chuckled awkwardly, rubbing the back of his neck. "Uh, he'll be down in a second. Everything's fine. Bill was just..." Dipper paused, not quite sure how to put it. He didn't want to tell Mabel about his little demonic issue just yet, especially not with Pacifica around. "Upset, is all." he replied with, deciding that was vague enough to quell her curiosity until later. He was about to continue when he heard the sound of a certain former triangle's voice.

"Sorry about the noise, Shooting Star. Won't happen again, I promise. Cross my heart or whatever," Bill chimed pleasantly, sending Mabel his best toothy grin.

Dipper simply rolled his eyes. "Pacifica, this is Bill. He's, uh..."

"Your boyfriend," Pacifica said casually, an eyebrow raised in interest. "Right? I mean, the only rooms up there are yours, Mabel's, and your uncle's. And I'm assuming he's not living in either of those other ones, sooo..." She nodded to herself, a hand on her chin. "And he is... whew. Might not wanna take your eyes off him for a second. He's way too far out of your league not to have some weird ulterior motive."

A few silent and extremely awkward seconds ticked by in what felt like an eternity before Bill's laughter erupted throughout the room, and Dipper felt his face becoming red. Extremely red. "Boy, Shooting Star, you really know how to pick em! Those friends of yours sure are sharp, aren't they?" he pointed out between his incessant cackling. "I mean, first Candy and now Blondie over here? Oh, this is just perfect!"

Dipper grit his teeth together, casting a glance towards Bill, who seemed too busy finding this absolutely hilarious to actually pay attention. Dipper smacked a hand over his mouth, hushing him and glaring at the demon, who glared right back now that his fun was being interrupted. "I have to agree about the ulterior motive, but things are more complicated than that. I wouldn't date Bill if my life were at stake and, considering the fact that it has been at stake many times, I feel like that's a pretty slim chance," he hissed, looking back at Pacifica and Mabel, who seemed about to respond when Dipper quickly snatched his hand away from Bill.

Did he just...? Bill had licked Dipper's hand in annoyance. The brunette was being such a killjoy, and it pissed him off. Dipper grimaced, wiping his hand on his jeans as thoroughly as possible. When he looked at the blonde, he had his arms crossed over his chest, looking proud with that obnoxious smirk on his face. Dipper faced the two girls in the room. "Oh yeah. He's also the demon that tried to kill us all and destroy the entire world when we were twelve. Have fun." Dipper stormed out into the kitchen, leaving Pacifica to process the information he'd just dropped on her.

"WHAT?!" she shrieked. Mabel laughed nervously and Bill didn't say anything in defense. "You're the triangle guy!? To think I actually thought you were attractive!"

Bill snorted in amusement.

Dipper had to admit that he did as well.