Falling Universe [Complete]

Chapter 13

[I think I'm going to start waiting for 50 reads between each chapter...]

Dipper's grip tightened. His hands squeezed around Mabel desperately. He was soo sorry. He was so confused. Bill was helping him. Bill was his friend. Bill was supposed to undetstand... Bill was a liar.

He almost attacked- killed his sister! The conversation around him was no more than background static for his ruminations.

Dipper didn't want to be helpless. He didn't want Mabel to eventually abandon him because he's not a good enough brother. He wanted to train so he could come back a hero... come back useful.

Now here he was. Sniveling. Weak. Pathetic. Holding his sister like a lifeline. He really was useless as dirt... wasn't he?

He didn't register her talking.

He didn't register the usually strong Sodalite unravel and begin to sob.

He didn't register trees falling nor Bill's crazed laughter. Getting closer and closer.

He didn't register his sister's screams when she-...

He registered her hold and he hugged her back as the world began to bleed back into his consciousness.

"Dipper! How do we stop that?!" Mabel screamed.

On all fours Bill lead the charge of mutations. The arrow still stuck in his chest. Animals stampeding away, trees falling in their wake.

Bill laughed maniacally as his claws penetrated Ariel's physical form. His sythe was brought out and with a swipe of it, the tame mutation poofed into it's gem.

...it was a part of the scythe's power. Able to destroy the physical being in a single swipe if he willed it.

The trio let out oofs as they fell to the forest floor, the shore and other side of the lake was visible.

Dipper gapsed as he felt points dig into his wrist and forehead. Around his gem.

His hold was ripped away from his sister's and he whimpered.

He was on the tips of his toes. He felt a painful tug at his chest. His body expanded alarmingly before calming. He thrashed and tried to get away from the claws. Away from Bill.

"Dipper!"

"Mabel!"

Bill had him. The mutations were stalled and Dipper was grabbed. He felt himself expand again, this time with a flickering white light.

He seen his sister. With determination, she drew her bow. His surprise was unable to show when he seen Sodalite backed away from them, almost hiding behind Mabel.

Even when he was on the brink of- what was his body doing? Was it trying to explode?- whatever it was doing, he questioned his trust in her.

As Mabel drew back further, the claws got worse and Bill's grip tightened. "Ah ah ah, you big bright star. Don't want to see him crack, do you?"

His grip on Dipper's gem tightened as he pulled him closer, against his physical form. For a beat all that could be heard was the breathing of the surrounding army and the haunting quiet of the forest.

He grinned as Mabel's weapon disappeared. An almost incoherent mumble came from her lips. "Don't hurt him."

"D'aww how cute. She thinks she can save her quote unquote brother." Bill teased. By now the furious red had faded back to yellow. With a small whistle and tilt of his head, the monsters inched closer to Mabel and Sodalite.