Oak Tree | REWRITE

9 - Settin' The Woods On Fire

"Go ahead," Bill said. "Get us out of here."

"Both of us?" Dipper asked, alarmed. "I can barely teleport myself three feet away!"

Bill rolled his eye. "Stop being so dramatic. It's easy peasy. Just do it."

Dipper recoiled from where he stood at the huge triangle-shaped door overlooking the whole burning town. He reluctantly held Bill's arm to make sure he took him with him. The arm was as cold as the rest of him.

Dipper took a deep breath and imagined where he wanted to go, putting his energy into it.

He opened his eyes to falling.

"Bill!" Dipper screamed.

"Ow, kid, release your death claws already," Bill grumbled as he tried to pry off Dipper's hand. "Levitate!"

Dipper squeezed his eyes shut and tried to imagine it, he really did try. But it wasn't working. He felt the wind tearing at him. He opened his eyes to the reds and oranges of the sky and the approaching burning forest. He couldn't help but exclaim when the trees came closer and closer.

"I can't!"

"Ugh, I have to do everything," Bill said and they both slowed to a stop just as they were about to hit the ground. Then Bill let go and Dipper fell to the burnt grass.

"Ow, what the heck, Bill!" Dipper snarked after he landed on his back.

"Learn faster," Bill griped and brushed imaginary dust from his arm. Or, well, maybe there was something. Ash was floating around everywhere.

At the thought, Dipper plucked his hat from the ground beside him and hugged it to his chest as he took in his surroundings. There were countless trees on fire, the heat hitting his skin like a brick. The trees were practically black with char. The grass was dry and crunched and snapped under him like twigs. It smelled awful and he could hear henchmaniacs doing their thing in the distance.

Wildlife was...nowhere. No tracks, not anything.

"If you're done admiring the scenery," Bill said snidely, "We have a job to do. We had a deal."

Right. The deal.

Dipper inhaled and he accepted his fate as he exhaled. He made a deal, he had no choice but to uphold his end of it. Bill would kill his family and friends with a snap of his cruel fingers.

Dipper latched back onto Bill's arm and concentrated.

The air wooshed around them and Dipper knew they made it a good distance more into the forest, closer to the Mystery Shack. He...didn't know exactly how he knew; maybe it was the way the magic worked or maybe his subconscious recognized the now barely recognizable parts of the forest. Perhaps the blackened remains of a tree trunk was what he nailed promotional posters for the Mystery Shack on months ago.

Dipper only had the strength to teleport thrice more. He clenched his hands, willing the magic to work, but it was as if he ran out. Panic filled his chest. What would Bill do to him? What if he was considered worthless, or something?

Bill pat him on the back faux-sympathetically. "Poor Pine Tree. I forgot how little energy you humans have. I'll take it from here."

Before Dipper could even process anything, Bill grabbed his shirt sleeve and teleported them from point to point without even a single second of rest between.

Finally, Bill let go of his arm and Dipper fell against a tree, clutching his stomach from the nausea the sudden teleportation bouts brought on. "Warn me next time you do that!" He gasped.

Bill didn't answer.

"Bill, did you listen to me?"

"Hush, kid," Bill said. If he had a mouth, he'd be grinning. "We've got company."

Dipper froze and righted himself from the tree. "What? What do you mean? It's not a monster, is it? I ran out of energy!"

"Sorry, kid, gotta bounce!" Bill cackled and disappeared with a flash of white light.

Dipper turned in quick circles, scouring the forest for the murderous triangle demon. He wouldn't leave him out in the forest to die, would he? What about the deal? His family!

Relax, you little stress monster! I'm right here.

"Bill!" Dipper hissed. "Where are you?"

Oh, nowhere, just out of sight, you see! Now, shut up and listen. Listen to the forest. What do you hear?

"If this is more of that training bullshit, I swear I'll—"

Voices.

Dipper shut up.

He turned around and understood why Bill made his leave so quickly.

It was Mabel.

There were others, too, but Dipper only had eyes for the sister he had missed so much.

"Dipper?" Mabel whimpered.

"Uh, hi," Dipper croaked.

Wendy attacked him with a bear hug. "There's that squeaky-voiced kid we all know and love!"

Dipper pulled away to take his sister in. Her favorite sweater (the hot pink one with the shooting star) had holes in it and stains on the sleeves, but all in all...she looked good. She looked put together. Unlike him.

Mabel pulled him into a hug and Dipper hugged back with the same amount of force. Mabel sobbed and her shoulders shook with the effort.

"I missed you so much," Mabel cried. "You look awful. What did that monster do to you? Are you okay? Did you escape? Does Bill know? We need to—"

Dipper pulled away, his own vision blurry from unshed tears. "It's okay. I'm...safe."

As safe as he could be, anyway.

Mabel grabbed onto his hand. "We need to get you back to the Shack. Now. Everyone needs to know that you're back!"

Dipper forced a smile. "Yeah. I'm back."

He looked around her at the rest of the group for the first time. Pacifica and Robbie were there, wide-eyed and smiling. Wendy crossed her arms triumphantly. The couple other people were talking happily with each other.

Calm before the storm, Bill said in his mind. It's hilarious that they have no idea what they're really in for!

Shut up, Dipper said back. I don't...I don't want to talk about this with you. Not right now.

Dipper let Mabel take his hand and they walked arm in arm to the Shack with the rest of the group around them.

I'm giving you a time limit, Bill said as they reached the Shack. Get out of there with the missing component to the equation within a week or you and your precious family go bye-bye.

Dipper's blood ran cold. A cold sweat gathered on his neck despite the one hundred degree heat.

I won't forget the deal, Dipper promised.