Fading Flames

Chapter 1

Oct, 26, 2015 Nebraska

(Lily) I trudged up the hill slowly. My feet ached, my head was swimming, we had been walking for hours. We had only just left Wyoming, and entered Nebraska. We were trying to flee the country. Make it away from this place that will soon turn into a nightmare. About three months ago, back down in Gravity Falls, Oregon, Stanley Pines, My legal guardian ever since my parents passed, opened a portal to retrieve his twin brother, Stanford Pines, the author of the mysterious journals 1, 2, and 3. Stanford had the 1st, Stanley had the 2nd, and I had the 3rd one in my possession, just in case we were accidentally split apart. After that, a dream demon that goes by the name Bill Cipher used the portal to open a passage from his so called "Nightmare Realm", sending hundreds upon thousands of creatures into the world, destroying our town in hours, and with that 15 more portals opened all over the country. Stanford, having learnt a bit about these creatures in the portal for over 30 years, experienced that they cannot swim for long periods of time. We were making our way across the country, trying to reach Florida so we could get a boat. We knew that there was nothing we could do against these creatures, so we decided to flee. The boats near us would have been to riskful to reach, so that's why we decided to cross-country. I looked back at my troop. Soos, Abuelita, Wendy and her family, Stanford, and Stanley. I glanced to my left, Mabel was standing next to me, a look of depression and sadness on her face. I looked down sadly, knowing what she was thinking about. We reached the top of the hill, a small camping place at the top of it. This seemed like the best place to rest until dawn. "Alright guys, here we stop, for now..." I said weakly. I was the most injured out of the entire group, but I knew that my wounds couldn't stop me from saving my friend's lives. Mabel, knowing I was weak, helped me set up our tent. Stanford and Stanley shared one, Soos and his Grandma shared another, and Wendy's family's tents were split into three. I gathered wood from the surrounding trees, enough to have at least a two hour lasting fire. I ignited the lighter in my pocket to light a stick on fire, throwing it on the pit, the whole thing burst into flames. I lied back on a rock slowly, shaking off the pain that ached in my feet. Mabel sat next to me, and we silently watched the fire wave in the slow breeze that swept over our resting area. "How is your eye doing..?" She asked after a while. I slowly put my hand up to the cloth wrapped around my eye, and took it off, revealing a large empty spot of darkness where my right eye once was, followed with lines of blood. "Same as it was..." I said sadly. She sighed, ripping a fresh piece of cloth off of her pants, and handed it to me. "n-no, you don't have to...." I said, rejecting the cloth. "No, that one is clogged with blood, and it will just infect your eye more. If anything you need to get some medicine on it as soon as possible." She reassured me. "But that's not a choice in this moment in time. Look around Mabel, the world is ending. Its not like we can just run to the store and get some medicine and food and just be perfectly fine." I said, a few tears coming out of my only eye. "I know that... and none of us have ever expected it... but your one of the people who took charge... and you have hunting skills, and you befriended a gryphon. I couldn't have ever done that. None of us could." Mabel said, putting her arm around my shoulder. "And your one of the ones who has stayed strong, and not let other things get the best of you..." She said, knowing that I knew what "Other Things" meant. I slupped down, remembering what happed two months ago in Idaho. A Nightmare creature had been following us, and attacked mine, Dippers and Mabel's tent while we were sleeping. We all tried to fight the creature, but it got the best of me, and clawed my eye out. Dipper, trying to defend me, got himself killed before the creature fled with his body. Tears started to flow out of my eyes for the first time ever since he died. I had lost another part of my family that I loved. "It's the same thing all over again." I said through my tears. Mabel hugged me tightly, knowing the pain I was going through. She had lost her brother, and I also knew how that felt, so we were in this together. "Don't worry, were all here... We'll make it out of here together." Mabel said with confidence, trying to cheer me up as tears came out of her eyes as well. I leaned on her shoulder. "Thanks Mabes," I said slowly. She hugged me again and smiled, and wrapped the fresh piece of cloth around my eye. I adjusted it to a more comfortable position.