The Lemon Meringue Boy

Part 18

I reached the elevator and got on. As I listened to the hum and creak of the rusted gears, I thought back to the first time I saw Bill. I had no idea who or what he was, only that he was extremely dangerous. I remembered him shooting a hole in my chest and laughing about it. I remembered him jamming forks up and down my arms and using my body like a human slinky. Why was I helping him? I should tell Ford. He'd know what to do. But... his solution would be to kill Bill again. I wasn't stupid. I'd read the pages from the journal, where he talked about the Nightmare Realm and the possessing and the haunting of his dreams.

 Deep down I knew that Bill probably deserved a life in limbo. I just...I just couldn't bring myself to let it happen. As much as I hate to admit it, Bill was right. Humans are weak. The vending machine swung from the wall and I stepped out. Then again, I did have an advantage. When Ford was approached by Bill, he had no idea of how evil he really was. I do know. I won't let him manipulate me.

 I was so lost in thought that I bumped right into a green flannel shirt and fell on my backside. I looked up with a start to see Wendy smirking down at me. I had forgotten that she and Soos were staying over until Stan and Ford got back. I had prepared for little resistance from a few girls hung over with junk food. 

"Need a hand there, buddy?" I let Wendy help me up and brushed crumbs off my pants.

 "Let me guess. You're up here because of those sounds, too?" I looked at her and cocked my head.

"Sounds?"

"Yeah. The ones in the basement. I thought for sure that's why got you up. I was just about to go investigate. Probably some raccoons in the vent again. I got my axe, so that should take care of 'em." My heart was racing, pounding against my ribs. The basement? She couldn't go to the basement! She couldn't be down here! I tried to keep an even tone, to no avail. I was sweating like a faucet. I gulped.

"No, I didn't hear anything I was just getting some water I'll be going back down in a sec so I'll see what I can do about him. Raccoons! I mean the raccoons I meant the raccoons." I laughed uncomfortably as my heart did some spectacular calisthenics in my chest. There was a long drawn out pause as I caught my breath. Wendy looked at me like I was a math equation she was trying to figure out.

"Okay Dipper, I'll leave it to you. Just... try to get some sleep okay?" she turned and walked away. I'd worry about her thinking I had major issues later. The coast was clear now. For a while at least. I had to get Bill out of the house.

When I got to the basement the first thing I noticed was that Bill was gone. The second thing I noticed was that he didn't get far. I found him scrabbling at the rungs of a vent grate, trying to reach a window that was slightly ajar. 

"Bill!" I whisper-shouted. "What are you doing?!"I didn't wait for his excuse. I grabbed him by the arm and pulled him off the ground.

"Look, right now our main move is to get as far from here as possible and that won't happen if you wake the entire house. Now shut up and follow me." 

There it was again. Total compliance. Normal Bill would have never let me talk like that and say nothing. Sure, he gave me some dirty looks, but he was silent about it. Then again, "Normal Bill" could teleport and shoot holes in my chest and materialize screaming heads from thin air. "Normal Bill" wasn't trapped in a void for an entire year. "Normal Bill" didn't know how to be human. "Normal Bill"...wasn't normal.

 I looked back and watched Bill stumble up the stairs. The more I thought about it, the more I thought that this was a better punishment than the void. He wanted to treat people like helpless animals he can bend to his will? Now he was the helpless animal. I grabbed Waddles' "Genuine Pig Brand Tether" and led Bill up the elevator, out of the house, and into the woods.