Never Trust Your Demons

43

"'Punk'?" Cipher scoffs. "You know, you'd be a little more intimidating if you two didn't make things-"
He's cut off as I hit his head with the hilt of my sword.
"Oh, shut it," I grumble, sheathing it once again, a scowl drawn onto my face as he falls to the ground, knocked out. I look down at Dipper. My face softens, tears stinging my eyes again. "Dipper..."
"Conifer, look at me." I don't move. Bill takes my chin, turning my face towards him. "Look at me," He says softly. "That isn't Pinetree. I know it looks exactly like him... but that isn't him," He wipes away my tears. "Pin-" He sighs. "Dipper is safe at home, going on his next crazy adventure with Mabel-"
"Oh my gosh, Mabel..." I gasp. "She's.... oh, this will shatter her!" I continue crying. "These two are inseparable! You saw how worried she was when he went missing!"
"I know, I know.... but she isn't your cousin either," He tells me firmly. "They're both-they're all okay. At home in your dimension."
"I know, Bill, I-" I collapse into his arms, unable to stop the tears. "I-it still hurts," I mumble into his shoulder.
"Then let's go. We'll follow through with the plan, leave, and figure out how to get home," He tells me. "So as soon as possible, you know they're okay."
After a second, I nod. "O-okay... let's do this."
I start out of the cabin.
"Wait  we're just going to leave this guy?!" He gesture to Cipher
"Yes. I could care less if he died right now," I growl.
Bill rushes after me as I make my way back below deck, finding the powder magazine.
"Make a trail of gunpowder leading to the barrels. I'll go keep watch and-"
"Done," I look down at a short length of the powder. It'll only take a few seconds to reach the rest.
"You're crazy. You-you can't be serious, we'd never make it off the boat in time!"
"Thank goodness for that, otherwise this'd never-"
"Now isn't the time! What'd you do. Memorize the movies?!"
"The crew's already on their way, and they'd have made it back in time to stop it if we have too much longer."
"But we-!"
"If you're so worried about making it off alive, why aren't we leaving?" I look down and see the trail lit.
"Darn it Bill!" I shout, running back up the stairs.
We've both just barely surfaced when an explosion throws us both of the ship.

I land in the water with a splash, quickly recovering from the shock. My lungs burn as I swim to the surface through the already abundant debris. I gasp for air as I break through the water.
"Bill?" I look around for him, hoping he's alright.
I nearly yelp in surprise as something brushes against my leg, but look down and see only the Mindscape's flag sinking slowly down. Suddenly I hear something that sends a chill down my spine, then a splash in the water. Turning towards it, I see a dark triangle slicing through the waves towards me. As soon as it gets close enough, I yank it out of the water, then turn to smack Bill with his hat.
"Who told you humming the Jaws theme was a good idea?!"
He laughs. "I did, and it was worth it," He pulls my up into the somehow still intact longboat.
I stare at the flaming remains of the Mindscape.
"I... I'm sorry Mabel..." I sigh. "I couldn't save him..."
"Hey," Bill taps my should. "Found something to cheer you up," He hands me a bundle of maroon cloth.
"Hey, my coat!" He unfolds it, putting it over my shoulder.
"And this."
Cold water splashes on my head as he places something on it.
"Hey! What was that-" I reach up to figure out what it was. "My hat!" A small smile grows across my face.
"Police Box has been reunited with her police box!" Bill pulls out the oars.
"It's a TARDIS."
He shrugs. "I call it what it is," He starts rowing to land.
A bullet whizzes past my face, and I nearly fall out of the boat in surprise.
"Ah!" I look in the direction it came from.
"Ah, of course, the crew," Bill sighs. "Forgot about them in our plan."
"So... time for improv?" I turn to him.
He nods.
"Whoa!" I fall back, actually falling out of the boat as we run aground. Bill climbs out of the boat, dodging more bullets.
"So now what?" I prop myself up, rubbing the back of my head.
He pulls me up. "Run."
We start up the beach, hoping to lose them in the fairly thick jungle. My leg screams at me to stop, but I ignore it and keep going.
"Not so fast!" I gasp at a way to familiar snarl. Bill stops, but I stumble forward, crashing into Captain Cipher.
"H-how?!" Bill exclaims as I tumble to the ground. "First of all, how'd you get in front of us, and second, how are you alive?!"
"I'm Captain Bill Cipher, mate," Cipher kicks me back down as I start to get up. "You can't expect a simple knock on the head to keep me down."
"But you blew up!"
The world seems to slow as Cipher draws his sword. Before I can realize what's going on, and before Bill does either, Cipher's sword slices at him, leaving an angry red slash across his chest. Bill grunts in pain as I sit there in shock. He stumbles back, staring in genuine terror at blood.
"Bill!" I run over. "Bill, you're an interdimensional demon! H-how...wh-why are you bleeding?!"
"I...i can't regenerate," He gasps out, wide-eyed. He looks to me. "Without a majority of my powers... I'm just like a regular human-" He doubles over in pain. "Unless we get home real soon, I might be as good as dead..."

I stand there as the reality of this sinks in. Bill... could die?!
"Look out!" He yells suddenly, pushing me aside. I watch in horror as another red gash is sliced into his back.
He collapses into the sand, groaning in pain.
"Your turn," Cipher growls. I quickly draw my sword, knocking away his swing.
My eyes narrow, something burning inside me. "You killed my cousin," I snarl. I can feel a force not quite mine surging through my blood as I drive the blade into his shoulder.
"Gah!" He groans, then pushes me back.
"If you think" I slash my sword across his arm. "You can also kill," I spin away from his attack. "The guy," My blade makes a gash in his chest, not unlike the one he just gave Bill. "That I like..." My world seems to go in slow motion as my sword plunges through his stomach. He lets out a cut off gasp. I hear my voice drop and grow menacing as I lean to his ear. "You've got another thing coming."
I yank the sword out, still glowering as Cipher collapses, all life gone from him.
I turn to his crew, coming back up on the beach. "Who's next?" I ask calmly, cracking my neck.
"Whoa..." I turn back to find Bill still laying on the ground bleeding, but also staring at me, stunned. "What... Police Box, what was that?" He doesn't sound horrified, just surprised.
When I look down, I realize what I've done. I drop my bloody sword, my legs folding under me as I once again become aware of my pain. "Oh... oh my gosh..." I look at Cipher. "I-i... I killed him," I gasp out. "I-i didn't want to do that..." I look at my hands, still unable to comprehend that I did this. I actually have the ability to end. Someone's. Life.
Those types of things come to you. In the back of your mind, you're aware you can do if, you know you could possibly do something.
You don't fully get it, though, until you actually do it. Then it his you like a truck that you might be stronger than you think.
Sometimes not in a good way.
I feels myself shaking, terrified of this newfound adrenaline.
"Police Box," Bill slowly props himself up, stopping and grunting in pain every few seconds. "Conifer, are you okay?"
I turn to him, feeling tears sting my eyes. I shake my head, unable to speak as I mouth the word, "No."
We sit there on the beach, me, crying and terrified, and Bill, dying but still trying to comfort me. Like the last two times I felt this anxious and confused, there's a bright flash of light, and we're back in a familiar place.