His Dove's Flight

Is it cheating to flirt with an alternate version of your husband?

I make it out of the Murder Hut in one piece. If such a supposedly daring concept is impressive, then there is no one here to give me compensation for such an achievement. At least a t-shirt that says "I survived the Murder Hut" would be nice, but maybe that's something you buy from the gift shop for $29.99 instead of being gifted by demon hunters. Such a shirt would be made of cheap junk, too. Just like how it would be at home, a place that now feels so distant, it may as well be a dream here.

Leaves crackle under my foot as I take each step. It is the only sound in the entire vicinity. Not a bird dares to chirp, just like how no gnomes laugh, no cryptids roar, nor are there any other signs of life. How many graves am I treading on? How many lives have been lost on the very path my feet touch? 

The silence weighs down on everything around me, as though the forest itself is mourning. Bill must have a base in the area.

Soon, there is a disturbance to the silence. Laughter. Chatter. I start running, following the sounds of socialization. I push past some bushes, finding myself in a small camp. A few tents are popped up, and a bonfire of waiting for the dusk so it'd catch its chance to be lit is in the center. Not only that, but all of Bill's Gang is here! And while I am unsure if flirting with a different version of Bill is cheating, staring at the human version of Pyronica for as long as I have has to be! How can I not, really? She is absolutely gorgeous!

I shake my head out of it. I don't have my time to creep around in a bush. I step forward. It is strange to be an intruder in Bill's life. Even stranger that I'm the outsider of the universe this time, a stranger from a realm that this Bill would consider a nightmare. Is this how Bill normally feels?

"Hey! Who's that?" A demon hunter calls out, pointing at me. The other hunters turn their attention on me, muttering to each other in confusion. I stand in my spot, looking around at all the hunters. Bill is nowhere to be seen. I hold my hands up, palms in view. They stay tense.

"Just a friendly stranger passing by. I heard that this is where the greatest demon hunter lives?" I say, "The one and only Bill Cipher?" I flinch when the blade of a spear gets right up in my face, my heart trying to get away from the danger.

The hunter looks at me with a cold glare. "And what business do you have with the boss to seek him out?"

I stand in silence. I can't just say it's a deal situation with some demon, especially with a blade right in my face. I smile in hopes that my nervousness isn't obvious. "He...saved my life," I say, "He warned me about the Murder Hut, and I didn't listen, but I at least knew ahead of time to escape the Pines before they did anything? So I'm here to thank him." Bill makes this whole twisting the truth thing easier than it is, but despite how poorly I did it, the hunter relaxes a little bit and lowers their weapon.

"Whatever it is, it'd be better to have Cipher deal with you," The hunter says, clearly not impressed by my improv. The demon hunter walks off, essentially giving me access to the camp. I invite myself in. Eyes watch my every move as I do so. The tension screams that my story didn't work, and one wrong move could have me dead.

The demon hunter who approached me comes out of a tent with the familiar blonde man, still handsome as ever. Bill looks over at me and smiles. "Ah, yes! I recognize that kid!" Bill says all chipper, "They definitely didn't listen to me about the Pines demons." Bill abandons the hunter and jogs his way over to me, a bounce in his step.

"There's the man of the hour!" I say, "Thank you very much, you handsome piece of work." I take his hand with both of mine and shake it violently. I meet his grin with my own, putting in my best effort to make eye contact.

"Looks like I got myself another fan." Bill yanks his hand away from mine, "It's good to see you survived in one piece. Can the same be said for your wallet?" I nod my head. Bill's grin only grows, to the point where I can see the gums holding his crooked white teeth together. Bill stretches his jaw, a loud "pop" coming out. "WOOP! Talk about a smile right there!" I laugh at his comment.