Phantom Falls

15: Suspicions

The above artwork does not belong to me.

A cold breeze whistled through the trees. The night air seemed to press in on Danny as he walked into the woods.

He knew that he didn't want to go to the rocky clearing, but no matter which path he took he always ended up there. As he left the place for the fifth or sixth time, a malicious chuckle stopped him.

You'll never escape this, the presence laughed. It's useless to try.

The halfa's blood ran cold. "Whoever you are, you're wrong." He tried to sound confident, but inside he was shaking with fear.

The presence laughed, and for a moment Danny could almost place where he'd heard it before. You still haven't figured out who I am?

No, he hadn't, but it was probably because he didn't want to know. He felt himself unwillingly morphing back into his human self.

You can't hide from me. Human or ghost, you can't avoid this, Danny. You will be our key to the three worlds.

"I don't care what you think! No one will be your key."

A cold draft of air made its way out of the cave. I don't think anything, boy. I know. I know you better than anyone.

Blood-red eyes blinked open, shining from the cave. Danny's heart raced. No, it couldn't be him . . . could it?

Sleep tight, little ghost, it murmured, chilling him to the bone. I'll see you soon.

* * *

Ford poured cereal for himself. The twins were laughing, joking around, trying to pretend that yesterday hadn't happened. Stan was acting like that as well, but an underlying tension still filled the room.

As he munched, Ford debated over whether to tell his family about the halfa. Initially he'd decided to only spill the secret if they were in danger.

Did this qualify? Dipper had told him about the creature who'd attacked Mabel. It was called a septem tigris, a rough translation of 'seven tiger.' He'd heard about it from the gnomes, but he'd thought the species was extinct.

Danny had felt responible for the incident, apparently. As if it were his fault. Was that reason enough to give up his secret?

Just then, a knock was heard on the door. Ford sighed. Why did he come so early?

The scientist put his bowl in the sink and walked down to the lab, still unsure of what to do.

* * *

Danny dragged himself into the shack. He needed to hang out with some friends, to de-stress. Ever since the shifter attack, he'd been jumping at every loud noise. He hadn't really relaxed at all.

Jazz had volunteered to drive him and Pacifica. His sister seemed to be acting a bit off, but he thought nothing of it. After all, understanding her different moods was like trying to navigate the Bermuda Triangle. Totally impossible.

The three of them walked into the kitchen. Stan was in boxers and a tank top, which made an interesting fashion statement, and the twins hadn't changed out of their pajamas.

"Danny?" Dipper mumbled, squinting his eyes. "I thought you'd want to stay home, after yesterday. "

He shuffled his feet a bit. "Well, no, I actually didn't want to be alone. My parents would've kept asking me questions if I'd stayed. I just want it to be like before, you know? When we were all just friends, before I got lost."

Mabel smiled, showing her braces. "Of course, Danny! Everyone's been so down in the dumps lately. We should play a game or something."

The halfa was relieved. Maybe everything could go back to normal. Maybe everything would be okay.

He smiled. "Let's just finish eating first, all right?" Dipper said through a mouthful of cereal. Pacifica laughed. She really had started acting differently after making peace with her cousin.

The five of them sat in the living room and played Monopoly for a while. Mabel was raking in the green. She was surprisingly good at strategizing. Dipper, however, was overthinking it and losing all of his cash.

"C'mon, Dipping Sauce," she grinned, "step up your game!"

They played for a little while longer. Pacifica was just huffing about landing on the jail square when there was a crash from outside.

"What was that?" Jazz asked aloud. Jeez, her voice must've been cracking or something, because it did not sound normal.

Wendy grinned. "Sounds scary. Let's go check it out."

The five of them ran outside, but they didn't see anything out of the ordinary, just the shadowy woods.

Danny wanted to leave. "C'mon, guys, this isn't such a good idea after the cat monster. Let's go back inside."

He started to trudge back. Wendy huffed. "Party pooper. I just want to walk over there." She punched him in the chest playfully.

Unfortunately, said chest was still healing. His ribs felt like they were on fire, and suddenly it hurt to breathe.

Dipper noticed his reaction. "Whoa, man, are you okay? She didn't hit you that hard."

"Fine," he wheezed. "I'm just . . . I think I broke a rib when I . . . fell out of that tree."

Wendy was immediately apologetic. "Dude, I am so sorry." She patted his arm. "Tell us next time!"

What Danny didn't yet realize was that she had also cracked a scab. He began to limp back to the shack, Wendy walking next to him as he used his crutches. She wasn't about to let him get hurt again.

It was then that Ford burst out of a trap door near the building, one of those ones that looked like it led down to a cellar. He was brandishing his pistol.

Jazz and Pacifica stared in shock. "Who are you?" the blond girl gasped.

Ford, who was standing outside the hole, froze. He glanced around. "Uh, hey kids. I thought I heard something. I didn't know you'd be out here, too."

Danny felt like he was going to have a heart attack. Why, Ford? Why did you have to come outside?

He placed a hand on his chest as the pain flared. When he pulled it away, green and red blood was smeared all over it.

The halfa looked down at his shirt. "No, no, no . . ." he mumbled. Blood was soaking through from his newly opened wound. So stupid . . . He had to get out of there, fast.

The scientist saw it first. His eyes widened, and Danny was sure he was going to facepalm. Wendy followed his gaze and sucked in a breath.

"Danny? Why are you bleeding?"

It was his worst nightmare. There was no coming back from this.

Ahahaha! I don't usually point this out, but CLIFF HANGER! Tell me, loyal readers, what do you think will happen next? What made that noise in the woods? What do Danny's and Dipper's nightmares mean? I want to hear your theories.
And please, don't forget to vote!