Love Unheard

Chapter 7

(Dipper pov)

I open my eyes and see once again nothing but the darkness around me. I turn in a full circle but still don't see anything. Have I gone blind as well as deaf? No, I haven't because when I wave my hand in front of my face I can make out the faint outline of my hand.

I put my hands over my ears crying out in pain as the ringing gets so bad it feels like it's trying to shatter my skull.

"Pi....ree...."

I can somehow faintly make out a voice, it sounding familiar and seeming like someone was whispering right in my ear but the ringing just keeps getting worse as I try to make out the words clearly.

Feeling a hand on the back of my neck I whip around, tripping over myself falling back there's a man, in a bright yellow tuxedo. He wears a top hat and an eye patch over his right eye. I can't make out his face though, there's this bright yellow glow all around him. It's almost angelic but there's something wrong about it.

"...ine.....tr...e....."

I see his mouth moving and forming words but because of the glow I can't clearly see what he's trying to say. I weakly try to scoot back away from him as he advances towards me.

I open my mouth and feel myself trying to talk but the ringing is so painful that I can't even make out what I just said.

The man plants his boot right on my chest, his heel painfully digging into my ribs. I try to get it off but he is unimaginably strong. He doesn't appear to say anything and just digs his heel in my ribs even more making me let out a scream of pain from him and from the horrible ringing in my ears.

.............................................

I gasp awake as I sit up, feeling sweat trickling down the back of my neck. It takes me a minute to remember why I'm sleeping on a couch instead of my bed. I groan as I run my hands over my face.

Why the fuck does this keep happening? This is the second time I've had this nightmare. And it's not outright terrifing like my old nightmares used to be. This one does scare me but mostly because I don't understand it. Who was that man? Why is the ringing so much worse in that dream? And why is it like I can almost hear someone?

The name I keep hearing is vaguely familiar. I feel like I should know it. But I don't know what Piree or Inetre means. It doesn't sound like a foreign language or older english. Why is this happening to me? Why can't I just go a few days back in this stupid town where weird shit happens to someone else instead of me? Why is it always me that this shit happens to? I don't really see how that's fair at all.

Feeling my phone vibrate I take it out and see hundreds of messages from Ford, and see that he tried to Facetime me like 20 times last night. I ignore all of this and instead click on Stan to Facetime with him instead. When he answers he looks tired. I only know realize it's 6 in the morning so I probably woke him up.

"Kid? You know what time it is? Actually, nevermind that. Where the hell are you? Ford is at his wits end and is close to reporting you as a missing person."

I spent the night at my friend's house. I'm sorry for running out on you both like that, I just needed some time to myself away from everything.

"That's fine, just at least come home from school today so that he will stop worrying."

Okay. Can you do me a favor and not tell him about us Facetiming like this?

He sighs. "Kid-"

Please? If he knows then he will keep trying to message me and I don't want to talk to him right now. He'll just make me come home or come out and force me to come home.

"Fine. I won't say anything. But you two both have to get your shit together and stop making this whole thing so complicated already."

He hangs up the call and I look up feeling a tap on my head. I see Bill standing over me. "You sleep well, Dipper?"

"Yeah, I slept alright. Did I wake you?"

"Nah, I usually wake up early to get breakfast from town. You want to come with me?"

"Sure."

Getting up I follow him outside where a white pickup truck is parked by a garage. I don't remember seeing it there last night. Maybe I was just too tired to notice it.

I get in the passenger seat and him in the driver's seat as he drives us out of the forest and into town. He parks outside the diner and we both get out taking a seat at one of the booths, Lazy Susan busy with the pie machine. When she does come over she's positioned so I can't clearly make out what she's saying but Bill orders for the both of us I'm guessing cause then she walks off before Bill looks at me.

"You look tired. Was my couch that uncomfortable for you?"

No, the couch wasn't the problem. I just haven't been able to sleep since I came back here. Keep having bad dreams.

"What kind of dreams?"

Well, on the bus ride here when I fell asleep I had a dream about the accident where I lost my hearing. But these past two days I've just had this dream where I'm surrounded by darkness. The ringing in my ears is amplified so bad that it physically hurts. Then there is a voice and I swear it's almost like I can hear what someone is trying to say but that's impossible. Last night there was even this man in my dream. He looked so familiar but I can't think of where I might know him.

"Huh.....what if we worked together to figure out why you're having these dreams? Maybe it's somehow linked to all the weirdness in this town."

You would really help me?

"Of course. That's what friends are for. Do you think we should ask your great uncles about the dreams?"

No. I don't want to bother Stan and Ford will just freak out if I tell him. He might have a clue in his basement or one of his bunkers but I doubt he will let me in his basement anymore.

"Then how about after school we look for one of these bunkers? That sound like a decent plan?"

I think it over in my head before giving a nod with a small smile, overjoyed to have someone there to help me figure this out.