When Gravity Falls and Earth becomes Sky

Chapter Five

With no house to go back to and no money in my pocket, I took Bill's advice and walked down to the gas station, kicking rocks along the way. Coming up to the station, I took a moment to look at all the fliers in the window. There were job ads, real estate agents, missing dogs posters, etc. The longer I stared the weirder they seemed. Their face's morphed and their eyes drifted to look at me. I shook my head and rushed inside. The fliers were creeping me out, I needed new scenery. The inside wasn't any better, though. Everyone just looked so... sketchy. They were all looking at me, side eyeing me with big, suspicious eyes. I just ignored them and walked up to the counter.

"Hi, I'd liked to, uh, buy a lottery ticket please." I took out my wallet and fished around, seeing how much I had. 

"What kind?" The older man behind the counter asked. I looked up from my wallet, quirking an eyebrow. What kind? How many different kinds of lottery tickets were there?

"Just do the Gravity Falls Double. Trust me." 

"Um, the Gravity Falls Double... please?" I smiled kindly at the man and watched as he reached into the container that was holding all the cards. He didn't even ask me for an ID, or charge me for the card, which was strange. Whatever. I took the card and ran back outside, pulling a nickel from my wallet. I walked over to a nearby bench, sat down, and began scratching the ticket. One by one, the symbols showed up. Triangle... Triangle... eyeball. Damn. 

"Wha- Bill, you said I'd win." I was a bit pissed; Bill said I was going to win, and I didn't. 

"Whoops. Must have told you the wrong card. Go back inside and buy another."

"Okay..." I went back into the gas station, but everything was different. It was darker, like all the lights had gone out and the only source of light was coming from the setting sun outside. Everyone was staring at me with wide, yellow eyes and cat-like pupils. It scared me.

"Uhm... Bill? What's happening?" I was borderline terrified and hoped Bill would know what to do, but he just laughed at me.

"Relax, kid. They don't make you uncomfortable, do they?" He was taunting me. "Now, get another ticket."

Hesitantly, I approached the counter, looking up at the man from before. His eyelids were stretched wide, it looked like it physically hurt him to open them that big. "Uh... can I get another lottery ticket, please? First one was a dud." I laughed uncomfortably. 

The man mumbled something I didn't understand. It didn't even sound like a different language, it was just straight up gibberish. He was twitching, I was afraid he was having a seizure. 

"Sir, are you okay?" I placed my hand on the counter and leaned forward, squinting my eyes in order to see him in the dark. He kept twitching and spewing gibberish, I couldn't understand a word he was saying. Suddenly, he grabbed my arm and yanked me closer. His nails dug into my flesh, close to breaking through the skin and drawing blood. I yelped, trying to pull my arm away, but his grip was iron. Looking up into the man's eyes, I had seen that they had gone completely white, like a ghost. 

"Laudas me, culpant me." He said. That was Latin, I knew that, but I was too afraid to translate it. My brain wouldn't think straight anyway. The cashier let go of my arm and everything went back to normal. No one was looking at me, the light came back on, and everyone's eyes went back to normal. I pulled my arm back, looking down at the, now bleeding, nail marks. I didn't stick around to buy a ticket. I rushed out of the gas station and back into the woods.

"Sixer, where the hell are you going?"

"Back to the shack! I can't be out here, I need Ford," I explained breathlessly, pumping my legs as fast as they could go back to the shack.