The Stiff Sibling - A Gravity Falls Fan Fiction

Chapter Three- Skepticals

The twins have made it into town and are heading over to Toby Determined's building.
"Hey, Toby! We need your help," Dipper greets as they walk in.
"My, my, my! Look what the dog dragged in," Toby gets his notepad out, knowing there's always something interesting going on with those two. "What seems to be the meaning of this pleasant visit from you two?"
"We wanna know—have you seen any...zompires around here?" Mabel asks, narrowing her eyes dramatically.
"Exactly, we—wait. We didn't decide on that," Dipper notes. "But anyway. Have people complained about, I don't know...a strange man that looks human but is pale and kinda green with eyes that may occasionally glow red? Oh, and has claws?"
Toby is silent.
"And has also probably been attacking people?" Dipper presses on.
"Right...well, I have gotten a few complaints, but unfortunately it doesn't match your exact description..." he sighs, rubbing his hands together.
"What do you mean? It must have something in common with my case, or else you wouldn't have mentioned you got complaints at all!" Dipper asks, rubbing his chin like a detective.
Mabel nods her head in agreement as she makes "skepticals" with her hands.
"Because...the complaints were nearly identical to yours, only there hasn't been a report about a man. It was about a woman. And a teen boy. And a little girl, and a young boy. The genders and ages have been random and varied, the symptoms consistent. But no...a man has not been reported...till now," Toby answers, sweating profusely.
Dipper is uncertain whether Toby is sweating in excitement at the prospect of actually having a real news story, or out of fear of this growingly dangerous situation.
Either way, Dipper realizes what this means, and flashes a grave look at Mabel, who shrugs.
"Alright. Thanks for your input, Toby," Dipper nods. He limps out as casually as he can with crutches.
Mabel shoots one more suspicious glare in Toby's direction before she backs out the door and trips down the steps.
"...What does that mean?" Mabel whispers after she recovers.
"It means whatever that guy was is spreading somehow! That means it's probably contagious..." Dipper says, taking the journal out of his vest.
"Oooh...and by the look you're giving me, I'm guessing that's not too good."
"What do you think?" Dipper stops so he can jot down this new information on the sticky note he previously stuck to the page about The Undead.
"Awe, c'mon! It can't be too bad if the town is still out and about minding their own businesses!" Mabel spins around with her arms out.
They see the area that is normally bustling with townsfolk now looks like a ghost town.
Dipper gulps, and then shakily breaks the silence.
"...You know what? Maybe we should go home and look on the actual news channel."
Mabel nods vigorously in reply.
Dipper drops one of his crutches and grabs Mabel's hand, hurrying them back to the shack.

The siblings burst into the shack and are immediately greeted by Soos.
"Hey dudes, looks like on the news channel they coincidentally just started talking about some strange man that looks human but is pale and kinda green with eyes that may occasionally glow red. And he has claws and has been attacking people. You might wanna check it out."
Dipper widens his eyes at Soos in amazement. Then he grabs Mabel's arm and leads her into the living room, his journal still in his other hand, ready to take note of any new information they may receive.
"We have recently discovered that many people in secluded areas like bathrooms, forests, and other places where you would be found alone, have been attacked by a strange man that looks human but is pale and kind of green with eyes that may occasionally glow red. He also has claws, and has been attacking people," the lady on screen says. "This is the reason for the strange sickness that has started spreading among the citizens of Gravity Falls."
"These guys are all surprisingly accurate, right?" Mabel nudges Dipper who is staring at the newsfeed in awe.
"Therefore, we suggest you stay indoors and with other people," the lady continues. "If you live alone, you may want to move back into your mom's basement. Goodnight."
News music plays as the lady shuffles her stack of pages, and Stan turns off the TV.
Then Wendy walks into the room.
"Hey, doesn't that sound exactly like what Dipper told you attacked him?" she asks Stan, munching on popcorn.
"...What? A vampire-zombie? Really? I'm sure this is just another crazy virus goin' around that's gonna fade away soon," Stan grunts, standing up. "It's not the first time somethin' like this has happened in Gravity Falls."
Dipper frowns and looks at the floor as Stan leaves the room.
But when no one is looking, Stan peeks back into the living room.
He examines Dipper's bandaged leg from a distance, a worried expression covering his face.