The Demons Hope

7

Noises.
Lots of it
Talking, voices that sounded worried.
He slowly sat up, his face throbbing slightly as he flinched.
It hadn't healed all the way yet, but at least it wouldn't scar.
That was good to know.
"Orin, is that you?"
The small demon peeked in, ribbons loosely hanging from his horns.
"Yes, master. I'm sorry if we were loud, we weren't trying to wake you."
Cato only gave a wave of dismissal, getting to his feet.
"You're fine. Have you checked on Mabel lately?"
Orin gave a nod, looking to his left outside the door.
Maphis popped in his head in.
"Yes Master! Bill untangled the spells on her, she woke up about an hour ago."
Cato gave a slow nod, intertwining his fingers together as he thought carefully.
He hadn't wanted to do this but...
"Begin the original plan. It seems my idea hadn't worked."
He stood, grabbing his white silk cape hanging from his bed post.
Pulling it around, he clipped it over his shoulders and headed for the door.
"Make sure Idris knows what will happen if any harm comes to her."
Maphis gave a nod, scrambling down the hall and out of sight.
"Orin, keep me updated on Mabel's condition and whereabouts. There's one last step Bill hadn't anticipated yet."
Orin gave a nod, scrambling the other way.
"Gertrude!"
The taller servant appeared by him in a wisp of smoke.
"Yes?"
He gave a soft sigh, giving her a soft smile.
"Your friend will be coming home, don't worry."
A smile spread on her face before she hugged him tightly.
"Oh thank you, thanks you!"
Her excitement was clear as daylight.
"I'll get her bedroom ready! Do you think she still likes her white room? Or should I do some investigating to find out more?"
Her rambling trailed off as she headed off down the hall.
Cato watched her disappear from view before he turned away.
There was something he needed, it was a vital part of his plan.

Mabel knelt in the garden, hat blocking the sun from her face as she examined he flowers.
"They're dying. Bill! Have you been watering them?"
"You're being stalked by a crazy demon and you're worried about dying flowers?"
She glared at the demon standing by the door.
"I'll take that as a no."
She stood, heading past the porch and towards the hose.
One hour ago, she'd woken up from a full twenty-four hours of sleep.
Bill had said it was her demon blood cleansing her body of the spells.
She yanked on the hose, grumbling when a tangle showed itself.
Having to untangle that would be a pain.
"Mabel, you good?"
She nodded with a sigh.
"Hose is tangled."
Bill snickered.
"Even that thing is telling you to leave the flowers alone."
She growled, whirling and stomping past him.
"I'll worry over the dumbass if he shows his face again."
"Mabel! It's only been a day, he's bound to be planning something new!"
She whirled on him, making him stumble as they were just an inch apart.
"And when he makes his next move, I'll be waiting! Why are you so scared?!"
Bill scoffed.
"I'm not scared!"
"Yeah right! There's a reason you didn't want me going there in the first place!"
"Of course I didn't! He's been trying to get Mabeline back for years!"
"So you're afraid I'll choose to go with him?"
Tension was rising fast, the two yelling as Dipper peered from the front door.
"No, I'm afraid I'll lose you all over again!"
Silence fell as Bill took a step back. He could feel his own despair already beginning to form once more.
"I've already lost Mabeline, and I've accepted I can't bring her back. But if I lost you... I'll have lost everything..."
He quickly turned away, palm pressed to his eye, the other tucked in his pocket.
"Were you...going to go with him?"
"I..."
She had thought about it, thought about taking that outstretched hand to learn the truth.
"Wanted to learn the truth...and he was going to do it. He said...you never would."
A snort in reply, the yellow demon turned back towards her.
"Of course I would, but it's a mass genocide site. It's why I never mentioned it nor took you. It...shocked even Mabeline."
That was why Cato had said that.
"He'd said...you'd only done it to stay powerful. That was why you'd massacred all of them. A until only eleven were let."
He raised an eyebrow.
"There's only ten of us."
Confusion settled on her mind.
"Cato said eleven."
Neither said anything for a moment before Bill finally waved a hand in dismissal.
"Another lie he told then."
Although he stated it a lie, doubt lingered on the edge of his mind.
Was there an eleventh?
Though now that he thought about it, he remembered Dipper.
"Alright, just another lie. Bill...?"
He looked to her once more.
"Yes Mabel?"
Hesitation, then she opened her mouth to speak again.
"Can...can I see the site?"
Take her to see the very thing he'd loathed?
As much as he wanted her to trust him...he shook his head.
"I can't..."
"Why not?"
Now it was his turn to hesitate. He didn't want her turning on him, it'd give Cato the upper hand.
"...demons don't decay when they die, they have to be burned. I couldn't burn them without the nightmare that infected them being set free. So...they're still there. For sake of the last of the dream demons..."
He lifted his head slightly, gaze resting on the gathering clouds.
"I can't let them rest in peace."
A raindrop hit her forehead, several more joining it before Dipper called from the porch.
"Mabel! Someone wants a commission!"
She looked to Dipper who stood, waving her work phone in the air.
She glanced to Bill who just gave a sigh, turning and heading for the porch.
Rain was coming down harder now, making Mabel grumble and rush for the porch as well.
"Thanks Dipper." Taking the phone, she headed inside.
"Mabel's Sweaters, what can I do for you?"
There was mumbling on the other side, words she couldn't understand.
"Hello?"
More mumbling but now she could make out enough to figure out they were chanting.
"What are you-"
A shock went through her head, phone slipping from her grasp and hitting the ground.
Her vision went pure black, making her stumble back and throw both hands out.
One caught an arm, the other a wall.
"Mabel! Can you hear me!"
A voice broke through silence, her vision beginning to return.
"Mabel?!" 
She managed a nod finally, panting heavily as she looked for her phone.
"They-they were chanting something, and then-a shock of some sort."
Dipper found the device, scooping it up and pressing the power button.
"Dead."
She would hear the pouring rain now, slowly catching her breath as she looked to Bill.
"I-I couldn't make out anything they were saying. But I-I think when they finished it some sort of shock through my ear. I couldn't hear or see anything."
An attempt to kill her?
Bill sighed heavily.
"I haven't heard of any spell like that. Don't worry, they probably won't be doing it again."
She slowly nodded, heading for the closest chair which happened to be the kitchen table.
Neither had any idea what that was, but maybe Ford did.
Once Mabel was seated, Bill turned and headed for the vending machine.
Dipper caught him.
"I thought you didn't like going down there?"
He shook his head.
"I don't, but maybe Ford had something on whatever happened. Stay up here with Mabel, please."
Dipper nodded as the demon punched in the code and headed down the stairs.
There, in place of that portal he'd tricked Ford into building so many years ago, was shelves upon shelves of information.
Years worth of gathering.
Hopefully he had something.