Zombie Falls (A Gravity Falls Fan Fic)

All that matters

WARNING: POSSIBLE FEELS ALERT!

I combed my fingers through her silly tangles of hair as she slept off the rest of the anesthesia. I had constantly ran for about a half an hour, until I finally collapsed and couldn't take Mabel's crushing weight anymore. My legs and arms had no muscle strength left. I stared up at the trees above us. They seemed to brush up against each other with their leaves and whisper to one another. The sun was just making its way along the horizon. The early birds were just waking up, too.

It wasn't long, however, until the peace was disturbed by the sound of footsteps crunching and swishing through the forest brush. It seemed to be getting more uncomfortably closer, drawing nearer and nearer with every step. Instinctively, I reached for my gun and pointed it out, waiting for another noise. My sister laid still, curled up on my lap. I held her closer to me so I knew she was protected. This would be the last time I ever lose her again.

The sound of the heavy feet coming my way belonged to a man. He came dressed as one of the warehouse camp guards and approached me with a gentle manner. As I held the gun up to him, I kept my eyes calm, meanwhile his blue sea eyes showed the complete opposite. "Please," he begged with his hands up in surrender. "Don't shoot. I-I just want to talk. I came with no weapons." The man appeared to be in his late twenties and had golden locks for hair. Only a small amount of his cheeks had pimples. His nose and ears stuck out to me the most because of their abnormally wide size.

"It's about the girl." His eyes moved down to Mabel and back to me while he talked. "She's...important to us."

I huffed a chuckle and answered back with the first thing that came to mind. "Funny. She's important to me, too."

The guard tried again. "Look, kid. You don't understand. This girl - She can save us all."

I focused on the gun that I held up to his head. Then, I took it and pointed it at the innocent girl in my lap. Just around the same time I did so, I heard her mutter my name.

"Dipper?"

I ignored her, though her raspy and fatigue voice made my heart scream with joy and cry and laugh all at once. I felt the water from my eyes show itself to the world and knew I was crying right in front of the fairly built and broad guard. Then, with a weak voice, I spat out. "Leave now...or I'll shoot!"

"Hey, kid-" the guard responded with an urgent, strict tone. I cut him off.

"Leave now! Or I'll shoot a bullet right through her head!" The tears were too much for me to handle. I could feel the lump in my throat getting bolder and wider. Now Mabel had opened her eyes. She squirmed around and wanted to look up at me. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath in, briefly. I hoped Mabel stayed where she was and didn't say another word. I just needed a little more time.

The guard froze, observing Mabel as she woke up. It took him a moment or two until he said at last, "You wouldn't do it."

"Really?" To intimidate him more, I clicked the gun's barrel back, though it was completely empty from its bullets. Mabel went stiff in my lap and I could tell by her faint, held-back whine that she was scared out of her mind.

It took him many seconds of hesitation until he spoke up once more. "Okay, okay! I'll leave! I believe you." And just like that, he was gone, marching back from where he had come. When I was positive he was never to return, I let myself sob as I disregarded the gun from my sister's head. I couldn't hold back the urge to hug Mabel tight in my arms. Although, by the way I had suddenly hugged her after making her think I was going to shoot her, she struggled to get away from me. She pushed me away aggressively with both arms and crawled away. Her actions made my heart sink. I just wanted to hold her in my arms and never let her go. Gosh, I missed her more than she probably knows.

Her face was puffy and red. Her eyes were a little bloodshot and her bottom lip quivered. "Mabel..." Her name rolled off my tongue with a dry, bland taste. I can't recall the last time I've ever said her name before. Now, saying her name was like finally waking up from a never-ending nightmare.

"What is wrong with you?!" She barked at me with her voice still recovering from a long sleep. I opened my mouth to speak, only to be silenced by her again. "I thought you were actually going to shoot me!"

"Mabel, I wouldn't do that! You're my sister!"

"What happened? Where are we?" She said, immediately changing the subject. Her eyes dropped down to realize that she was wearing a hospital gown and no shoes.

"I saved you." I told her with a soft voice.

"Saved me?" She questioned me, giving me a raised eyebrow.

"Back at the camp. They said you were sick."

"Did you get my message?" She asked.

I returned the question with a follow-up question. "Message?"

That's when she took my bag that was leaning up against a nearby tree and pulled out the walkie-talkie. She held it up to me and I couldn't stop my face from blossoming into a smile. I nodded.

"How did you find me?" Mabel asked.

I let out a bittersweet chuckle and turned my attention to making circular motions with my finger in the dirt ground. "Well, it's a bit complicated, actua-"

She interrupted me by returning my hug with a hug, too. She started crying onto my shoulder and I went mute. I hesitated to embrace her hug, but finally wrapped my arms around her. I let her cry and soothed her with a back rub. With her sobs, came more of mine.

After all of this time, this was what I really needed. I needed my sister back. I was just kidding myself that I was okay. I wasn't okay...because I needed her back. Just when I thought I was over her, my psych proved me wrong. Everything hurt without Mabel. Sleeping, walking, breathing, living - it all hurt. All the tears that I had held back from the days she was gone were pouring out. "Where were you when I needed you more than ever, Mabel? Why did you leave me?"

Mabel hushed me and laughed. "It's okay, Dip. I'm here, now."