Nobody Forgets Bill Cipher

Pallid With Shock

These past hours have been an absolute nightmare. I feel as if the weight of the entire world has collapsed upon me, crushing me until I can't feel anything but emptiness.
Mabel and Pacifica have never left my side. Dipper wanted to be with us as well, but his head was causing his so much pain that he had no choice but to sleep.
A town announcement has been sent out to tell that it's safe to return to everyone's homes. Yule's family must be sick with worry about him. I'm sure he just left without telling them. At this point, I wonder if the two of them will show up here before we even start to leave for their place. We plan to go shortly. My mind is mad with guilt and grief and worry.
The Society left right before the ambulances came. They left with goodbyes and condolences. Sil walked up to me without words and snipped the chain off my neck, forever severing my ties with them. Dan, however, slipped me his phone number, as I know he will be leaving the Society now. I will need to rebuild a new relationship with him though, as I will be erased along with his memories of the Society. Well... perhaps he and his family will remember a bit about me...
We are all startled by sharp and rapid knocks on the door, as we have been home for a little while. I look at the girls with a dead eye and ask, "Do you think...?"
Mabel nods, dread pooling in her eyes. "Yes. I think it's them."
Ford, who has been in the room with us while Stan has been explaining everything to Soos and Melody, says to us, "If you kids need help, I'm here for you. Don't hesitate to look to me if you need me to start speaking for you."
I am the one to trudge to the door, trying not to let my feet drag. Mabel and Pacifica still cling to my side. My hands can barely grip the doorknob, but I manage to pull the door open.
Yule's mother, Mrs. Shields, is a mousy brown-haired woman with deep brown eyes. She's not incredibly tall, perhaps a little less than five and a half feet, whereas Yule stood an inch shorter than me at 5'9". Mrs. Shields looks absolutely worried thin, terrible bags under her eyes, so that she looks much older than she actually is.
Next to her is her older son, Tyler. His hair is darker then hers, his eyes a bit lighter, making him look very similar to Yule, though about four inches taller. Yule tells me their father was a tall man, explaining his brother's height. Tyler lacks dimples, though, differing from Yule. He does not look happy right now, more like worried and frustrated.
    Mrs. Shields looks me dead in the eye and asks frantically, "Do you know where my son is?"
     Caught in the moment, I am at a complete loss for an answer. How can I possibly break it to her? "I-"
     "Yule!" she emphasizes with urgency. "Where is he? He ran off last night right before the evacuation announcement. I- I didn't even notice he was gone until then! He took the car and I could only assume the worst. I thought he must be with you."
     "He... was with us," Mabel says quietly, looking down.
     "Please tell me you guys weren't near the people who were fighting those criminals who set up those explosions," Tyler looks at us intently.
     "Criminals? Explosions? That's what they told you?" I ask, surprised they staged a cover-up.
     "Well, it is kinda close to the truth," Pacifica murmurs.
     "No, we just assumed that's what was going on. Nobody was able to give a clear explanation," Mrs. Shields tells us, then narrows her eyes. "Do you all know what happened?"
     "I don't suppose you know of the weird things that happen in Gravity Falls? Or have heard of Weirdmageddon?" I ask them softly. "I know you moved here after that time."
     "We're not deaf," Tyler snickers, but then his face darkens. "What happened last night?"
     "Dream demons," I answer carefully, trying not to fall apart. "There was a temporary inter-dimensional tear, kind of like Weirdmageddon. It's an incredibly long story, but you need to know. To spare you the details, they are insane, and they were here. They wanted to kill me and hurt everyone else if they could, so I had to go and fix things myself. You see, we had problems with them back in Weirdmageddon. My friends here came, too, by their own choice, because long story short, though it wasn't their fault, they were involved, too."
     "You aren't telling me Yule came with you..." Mrs. Shields' eyes twitch with fear as she covers her mouth with her hands.
     "I begged him not to," I tell her, willing myself not to break down. "I didn't want him to get hurt. I- I could never forgive myself if that were to happen... but he came anyway." I look her square in the eye and tell her, "He saved my life. And in doing so, he saved everyone else. Certainly everyone with us, but perhaps many others living in Gravity Falls."
     "Yule... what?" Confusion and fright sparks in her eyes.
     "I'm so sorry," I choke over my words, my chest feeling tight again. He's gone. He's really gone. "He didn't make it... he was hurt... way too badly..." Mabel and Pacifica squeeze my hands in comfort, while I find myself unable to look away from Yule's brother and mother, who are pallid with shock.
     "Are you saying...?" Tyler's voice is barely a whisper, his eyes wide with horror.
     "He's dead," Mabel squeaks out, her eyes filling with tears.
     "I'm so sorry," Pacifica adds, brushing away her own forming tears. "The hospital right outside of Gravity Falls sent the ambulance early this morning."
     Yule's mother gives an outcry of unspeakable pain and collapses against Tyler, who is barely able to keep her upright in his own shock.
     Mrs. Shields begins to heave sobs, dry, ugly cries, but still heartbreaking, nonetheless. Her oldest son, now her only son, rubs circles on her back as his brows furrow with so many emotions of his own. He looks at us and says with a husky voice, "We have to leave."
Supporting most of his mother's weight himself, Tyler turns and shuts the door behind them.
I can hear their sorrow from my place inside the house, and they eventually start their car from where Yule parked it early this morning. I guess he left the keys in the ignition.
I promptly collapse on the floor as silent sobs of my own wrack my body. I'm so tired...
Mabel and Pacifica quietly join me, and we lay there on the floor in each other's embraces.