Misguided Adventures and Magical Attachments (Completed)

Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Dipper turned out the lights, saying 'goodnight' to his twin before closing his eyes to fall asleep. Thankfully, the book was gone, so he didn't have to worry about it when he tried to sleep. Maybe it came and went with his will. Or perhaps Bill took it back for some reason. Dipper didn't have a way to know at the moment.

Instead, he thought back to his stealthy entrance, the way he made his way inside the Shack with a simple wave to Wendy and dodged his sister's pursuance by hiding in the bathroom until she left him to his thing. Dipper had stashed the items in an old cardboard box he found in the attic, away from prying eyes and hopefully where no one would bother to look. You'd better keep your promise, Bill . . . the boy murmured in his mind, thoughts beginning to slur with the onslaught of drowsiness. The blackness engulfed him, smothering him in nothingness. Keep them safe . . . Don't hurt them . . . Let me help . . . while . . . I . . . can . . . He couldn't remember anything after that, falling fast asleep.

Yeah, yeah, of course I will, kid! Bill was in his dreams or rather . . . nightmares. Bill did need his form of entertainment . . . and the nightmares and dreams would keep coming as long as he was around. It was funny to watch the kid scream and run in fear and terror. Bill had the weirdest sense of humor, that only demons would understand.

Brambles scratched at the boy's skin as he ran, pelting through the dark undergrowth in his attempt to escape. To flee. To get as far away as possible and into safety. If there was safety.

Dipper could hardly see anything in front of his nose, breath coming out in ragged gasps as he bolted in sheer terror. Oh no. Oh no. Oh no!

The beast seemed to get closer, almost ready to rip him into tiny shreds and boil his insides in a lava-cooked stew of pain. It would only take a second now. He would be gone and the monster the victor, gobbling up his spoils and hungry for more. It would be a massacre when it reached the town, innocents bitten and tortured, squashed and smitten with hardly any effort. Everything would be in ruins.

Despair would litter the small city until it could stay no longer, seething and bubbling of wrath until all life had evaporated away, wisps of forgotten memories blown away in the wind. Then it would go for more somewhere else, dissatisfied with the low quantity and finding motive to feed itself on another, blood-soaked saliva dripping, sharpened claws ripping . . .

Dipper found his terrifying thoughts and predictions to be enough to paralyze him and the boy tripped and fell under his stiffened tracks, catching himself on a tree. He was curled up on the cold, muddy ground, back to the rough bark of a pine tree as he cowered, listening, waiting.

That thing was going to get him. He could hear it trampling through the forest, nearing him. Its growling breath was harsh. Worse. Getting closer. The ferns in front of the tween parted, the only thing separating him from that horror. Malicious eyes peeked out from the innermost leaf. Dipper's heart raced, his body soaked with a nervous sweat and brown eyes stricken with fear. Then, he tilted his head back and screamed.

Bill laughed as he snapped his fingers, the monster disappearing, and he seemed to glow brighter, as if the fear was energizing him. "Well, hello, Pine Tree. I see you have enjoyed my little surprise! Ahahaha! My little nightmare creation of fun! This is certainly entertaining!" Bill floated down toward the boy, his yellow glow making the the dark mindscape seem a bit brighter.

"B-bill?" Dipper stammered weakly out, glancing around to make sure the beast was really gone before pulling himself up. This is . . . a dream? He frowned, watching as the land around him changed color under the demon's bright light. It certainly doesn't feel like one. The twelve year-old's dreams — and nightmares — were usually vivid to the point where he couldn't distinguish them from the waking world. But the more he thought about it he realized that if Bill Cipher was here then it couldn't be anything else.