When Evil Falls ༺Gravity Falls/The Evil Within Crossover༻

IV. Dimension #213

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"Find myself within,
Darkness twisting me around,
And there is nothing I can do..
This world doesn't spin,
It just turns itself around,
And  a r o u n d.."
❁

It felt like decades before reality returned to Dipper.

He woke with a crick in his neck and an unsettlingly warm feeling seeping through his shirt. A groan escaped him as he struggled to lift himself. Everything felt overwhelmingly heavy and groggy. His eyes peeled open to unveil his dark surroundings, blurred by sleep. Rubbing his eyes, he finally managed to sit up. His back snapped, crackled, and popped like Rice Crispies.

When his vision finally cleared, he spotted Ford sitting right across from him. A grave look was presented on his face. A small fire blazed between the two, providing a faint, orange glow amid the pitch blackness surrounding them. Crickets chirped. Grass prickled his past his clothing and against his skin. He inferred that they were in the woods, but due to the darkness he couldn't be for sure.

"Ugh," Dipper groaned, rubbing a hand through his tousled brown hair, "where are we?"

"I'm not sure yet," his gaze didn't deter from the flames.

Dipper patted a hand against his damp shirt, withdrawing it and exposing it to the fire's glow to reveal crimson coating his fingers. He opened his mouth to cry out, but Ford quickly hushed him by raising a six-fingered hand and speaking softly,

"It's mine, not yours," he explained. By the look on his face, Dipper wasn't much relieved. "I had to carry you a little way since you unconscious. Some of the blood from my wound soaked into your clothes." He gestured to the gash on his left shoulder. White gauze was wrapped tightly round it. A maroon blot marked the exact location of the injury.

Dipper winced slightly at the sight before he suddenly blurted out, eyes widening with realization. "Where's Mabel? Grunkle Stan?"

Ford's eyes fell and his frown deepened. "I'm afraid I don't know. I'd searched for them the moment we arrived here, but couldn't find them. I fear that they might have landed in another dimension.."

Tears pricked the young boy's eyes. His sister.. Gone? His heart sunk to the depths of sickening sorrow. This was all his fault.. If only he hadn't tried to save Ford.

But even then, how could he live with himself knowing that he could have saved his uncle?

His head throbbed with conflictive thought. Literally. Normally a headache was common for someone under stress. But not a pain like this. It was as if his brain were being squeezed. As if a spike had been rammed through his skull.

Ford took notice of this, for the boy began to groan and hold the side of his head. The author frowned with concern and a tinge of worry overcame him. Could it be? No.. What would be the odds of that? His own thoughts echoed in his head.

"Ugh," Dipper moaned, wiping his arm across his face. Eyes falling downward, they widened immediately at the sight on his wrist. Blood. He touched underneath his nose and withdrew his finger. More crimson. A nosebleed?

While the tween wasn't too alarmed, only surprised since he'd only experienced one when injured, Ford's eyes were widening with disbelief and pure shock. Dipper met his gaze and raised a brow. "What is it Uncle Ford?"

Instead of answering, he prompted him with his own question, "Dipper, are you hungry?"

Confused as he was, Dipper still answered, "no..?"

"Thirsty?"

"No."

"Tired? Fatigued? Anything at all?"

Dipper paused for a moment. As a matter of fact, he didn't really feel anything. The pain of his head and aching body was all he felt. Nothing else. It was very peculiar.. It were as if he were in a dream, immune to normal feelings.

"No. I don't actually.."

Ford was exasperated, now sitting in a 'thinker' fashion. No signs of bodily functions, unusual headaches, spontaneous nosebleeds, no.. It can't be!

But it's the only logical explanation..

"What? What's the matter?"

"I'm afraid I know where we are, Dipper."

His eyes grew to the size of saucers, "where?"

Ford stood and sucked in a deep breath, his hand venturing into the pocket of his trench coat and drawing a ray gun out as if an impending threat was drawing near.

"Dimension #213. Ruben's mind."

//Hey guys! Sorry this chapter was a little short compared to the rest. It's kind of an introduction chapter (and a cliffhanger, sorry!) Anyways, be sure to vote and/or even comment if you liked it! More to come soon, love you guys and hope you have a great day! :D\\

Song credit: "Long Way Down" by Gary Numan. (The Evil Within opening theme song)