Oak Tree | BillDip

Chapter 23 - Physical

Dipper wanted to ignore them. He didn't really know them anyway, he'd just seen them around town. He tore his gaze away from the survivors and rested his eyes on the walls.

Those people were ones he saw during the mayoral debate, at restaurants, stuff like that. Dipper knew that the henchmaniacs love to gossip as much as they love to enact chaos—he just didn't know that they would gossip about him. It felt weird to him. How many other people know about him?

Bill listened to the demons who brought the humans in patiently beside him. A few moments later, Bill ordered, "Just put them away for now. We'll see what to do with them later."

Dipper looked at the citizens again. They were looking directly at him. Dipper snarled a bit.

You're not killing them, are you?

No. Not unless I give myself a reason to kill them. I'm not the monster you make me out to be, you know.

I don't—

Don't even deny it. Dipper slid his eyes over to Bill, who was lazily lounging his chin against a fist against the arm of his stone throne.

Dipper sighed and leaned against the back of the throne. He returned his attention back to the room. The henchmaniacs were finally socializing again.

Then the room exploded in purple light.

He hasn't seen that light since he and Bill were in Rome that one time and he recognized it all too well—

"Strange!" Bill hissed, immediately standing up from the throne. Dipper stood as well. Bill shoved Dipper behind him and Dipper wanted to slap him and say, I can protect myself! But before he could...

"Bill Cipher. Finally, I've been able to hang out with you after all these years!" Dipper panicked as he could not see Tad, as there was purple smoke surrounding him and Bill at all sides. Bill grabbed Dipper's arm hard. Dipper knew he meant well but he was too shaken to complain.

"You were banished to that cell in the Nightmare Realm for a reason!" Exclaimed Bill, lighting a fire in his hand and waving it around, hoping to find a way out of this purple abyss. "What do you want? I have nothing to give you."

"Him."

Dipper froze. Bill froze. The demon's grip tightened on his arm. "You're not getting him. No one owns him except himself."

"As I recall," the voice purred, "You own him."

"I don't own him," Bill talked fast. "That was just the deal." Dipper wanted to nod but his body stayed still.

"Good. At least I'm not stealing anyone's property..." Before Dipper knew it, his mind was being attacked. He cried out and fell to his knees, holding his head.

The wall—the wall. Tad couldn't and wouldn't get past his mental barrier. Dipper's brow scrunched up in concentration as he felt those claws trying to dig into his mind. So he sent out his own. His own larger, darker talons and drove it into Tad's without warning. Then he felt Tad leave his mind. Dipper sighed with relief.

"Seems like you taught him well."

Bill whirled around to Dipper and helped him to his feet. "Pine Tree," he said urgently. "I need you to run. I will teleport you out of here and you need to run as far away from the Fearamid as possible. I'll catch up with you later."