Back To Gravity Falls: Beware the Beast (Multiverse Crossover)

Attention: Welcome Wagon on the Air

Full chapter title:     Attention: Welcome Wagon on the Air (... with breaking news)

This title reference is reaaally vague so I'll go ahead and tell you it's an Independence Day reference.

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P.O.F.
The Bluebird B&B

After the story had run its course, Norman's brain was still absorbing the finer details when a question finally began to make its way to the forefront of his mind. He considered asking, but once he had decided, he was a moment too late-- the question went unanswered. (The sound of the bell dinging at reception forced Wirt to return to his duties.) Norman picked his cell phone up where he'd abandoned it on the coffee table earlier to hear their story; after turning on the screen, he noticed the story that Wirt and Greg had told him had taken the better part of an hour to tell. Seeing Dipper's text, Norman responded with a half-hearted forgiveness as his mind tried to wrap around the idea (no, the phenomenon) that was The Unknown. He didn't have the time to rehash his wounded feelings from earlier that morning.

--->From: Norman
<---To: Dipper

It's fine, talk to you a bit later.

He exhaled sharply, pinching his eyes much like he was fending off an impending headache, and frowned to himself as he itched a spot on his hand. Suddenly, he saw a fly crawling on the back of his right hand, and he killed it with a single quick slap of his left palm. A memory of his uncle suddenly resurfaced as he stared at the crushed fly, he took a moment to remember the feeling of tearing the book from the man's rigored hands as the flies had already begun crawling on him and buzzing about his corpse. The dry, parchment-like feeling of his uncle's discolored skin as the muscles around his knuckles and fingers already had begun to slough off beneath Norman's touch.

His stomach turned at the memory of the smell, causing him to gag involuntarily. Greg's cautioned touch of Norman's forearm made it obvious to the older boy that Greg could sense something was off. It made Norman feel weak, like he was a scared child again, just like he was during the Incident.

"You're remembering that day... aren't you, Norm?" Greg whispered, more to soothe Norman's nerves than avoid being heard.

Norman nodded, "I don't know if I told you about my uncle, but I had to take the book I needed from his body."

"But, that day, I thought you said he-"

"He was," Norman finished, sweeping the fly from his hand into the waste bin beside him; Greg understood the nuances of the tone and gesture, the boy's face simply took on a blank expression before he excused himself to play in his room, wise to Norman's need to be alone.

The cartoon had only a few minutes left, muted for Wirt and Greg to tell their story, but caught the edge Norman's eye when the colors suddenly changed from bleak greens and purples to flashes of red across the screen in a breaking news report. Norman scrambled to turn the volume up in time to hear the local newscaster. The camera footage showed a field surrounded by trees, with 3 blurred silhouettes with a large halo of red surrounding the corpses.

"This is not footage of last week's victims, viewers, but is actually another 3 cases of animal attack. To those of you watching, the Gravity Falls city council has issued a curfew in hopes to prevent more tragedies such as these, it takes effect immediately so no one is allowed outdoors after sunset. A statement issued by the sheriff's department orders that anyone who disobeys the curfew will be locked in holding overnight for their own safety. Please stay safe, everyone, and back to the weather."