Stanley rose from his chair, readied his rifle, and aimed it above the kids' heads towards the entity that used to be Gideon. He had many a hesitation in firing on a child, but he couldn't be sure whether or not it was still a child or what it would do to him, his family, or their house. He did, however, have a feeling of who was behind all of this, and when the creature spoke, it confirmed his suspicions.
"Hello, Pine Trees!" the voice in which Dipper clearly recognized as Bill Cypher spoke through Gideon's quivering bluish lips before revealing his true form by floating out of Gideon's forehead. "I told you I'd be back. And look, I found myself a new puppet, although it's not as good as you!"
"Bill," Dipper said, "I knew it was just a matter of time before you'd rear your ugly Dorito head again." Pacifica recognized the name from her nightmare, and the thought gave her a chill. Dipper continued to speak to the thing. "What are you planning? What are you hoping to gain from all of this?"
"I'm glad you all came to this spot," Bill said, "What a coincidence that all of you are here! See, I need you for a ritual in order to..."
"To make us all your zombie slaves?" Mabel asked.
"To put yourself in a bowl with salsa or ranch dressing?" Wendy asked sarcastically.
"To spout dumb exposition?" Pacifica asked, equally sarcastic.
"No! No! No!" Bill said, "Well, yes, that last one is true. But, more than that, I need to open a portal of my own, and my means of doing it is right underneath your shack!"
"What makes you think we're letting you in here?" Stanley asked in a gruff voice, gun still at the ready.
"Well, gee, I dunno! Maybe this..." Bill replied. And with that, he flew back into Gideon's body and began launching ghastly unnatural yellow lasers from his fingertips. The group scattered in different directions, leaving burned holes in the wooden porch. Lee, Nate, Tambry, and Thompson all headed back to the van, while the rest of the group headed for the door of the shack, seeking protection.
Now, Stanley had no choice.
He fired several red laser beams at Gideon, only to find that each beam seemed to ricochet off some invisible force surrounding him. He threw the rifle over his shoulder again and shouted, "Retreat!" His brother picked up the journals next to him and ran towards the shack door with him.
Just then, another wave of Gideon's blasts came flying towards them, this time heading straight towards Dipper as he was likewise headed inside the shack. He turned around to see the blast headed his way and immediately thought, "So this is where it ends? All my searching for answers ending in a ball of hot death?"
Pacifica, however, was quick to act. She grabbed her jacked from off the porch and pulled out a silver mirror from the pocket. (It only made sense to carry one after last night) She held it up to the blast, deflecting it and obliterating a nearby tree. Both of them could swear that they heard a combination of screams, moans, and whispers when it collided with the mirror. Nevertheless, the moment reminded her of last night when he had saved her from the rampaging ghost; she was more than happy to return the favor. She looked over her shoulder at him, smiled, and gave him a wink. He returned the smile, took her by the hand, and ran with her through the door while everyone crowded inward.
Once the group was inside, Wendy held the door behind them and shouted towards the van.
"Get out of here!" She yelled.
"What about you?" Thompson yelled back to her.
"We'll be fine, just go!" She replied as another one of Gideon's blasts hit the door, causing it to splinter and sending Wendy flying to the ground. Mabel and Robbie helped her to her feet.
"I knew you guys dealt with a lot of weird crap," Robbie said, "but this has to be among the worst."
"Be glad you missed that computer game girl attack, dude," Soos said.
"Oh, trust me," Robbie said, "I think I have some idea what that might have been like."
"Gruncle Stan," Mabel said, not sure which of the Stans to address, "Bill mentioned a portal underneath the shack. Should we go down to the basement and guard what's left of your machine?"
The two Stans looked at each other and said in unison, "Yes!"
"Or destroy the thing entirely," Dipper said under his breath, animosity in his tone.
The group quickly headed through the living room and then through the door behind the vending machine. Stanford shut the door behind them after he saw Gideon float through the living room closely behind them. They then proceeded down the stairs and crammed into the elevator, all of them still distressed from running away from some extra-planar being to not care that they were so jam packed together.
Dipper and Stanley were both thinking the same thing of what would happen had Bill reached the machine. They knew the consequences of what could happen if this device fell into the wrong hands and that Bill had to be stopped at any cost.
Pacifica wondered what sort of danger she had just joined. She did also realize there was no running away from it. Even if she had been the dutiful daughter and stayed in the mansion, the problems still would not have left, that eventually dealing with her abusive parents would have been the least of her worries when Bill or whatever his name was eventually began his attack.
Mabel's thoughts, on the other hand, turned to something she noticed that perked her spirits again: Dipper and Pacifica were still holding hands. She wondered if either of them realized this fact.