Wayfarer [Bill Cipher x Reader] [REVISED]

Chapter Sixteen: Ready to Go

A small whirlwind of preparations began. As you drove from Lubbock to Austin, from Austin to Dallas, and then from Dallas to Alton, the two of you chatted, forming a vision of the event: the two of you would pop in, have a look around, see if you could get a few ghouls to appear, and then pop back out, none worse for the wear, with a handful of fun memories as souvenirs. Fun and easy, right?

Or so you thought until you actually arrived.

Gravel crunched under your wheels as you drove down the trailhead, easing the car into a quiet spot underneath some trees. With a thump, you swung the door shut as you hopped out and surveyed your surroundings.

A stiff breeze whipped up around you as you stood there, gazing out upon the woods, the hairs on your arms beginning to stand up. You rubbed your arms as around you, the leaves on the trees swayed slightly in the breeze, a slow, steady swing of the pendulum back... and forth, back... and forth above the gnarled bark. Dry brush clawed the sky in thickets around the parking lot, and nearby, the bridge let out a drawn out creeeak in the wind. Besides your car, only gravel filled the small clearing, crimson light glinting on its dull edges as the sun surrendered to the void.

Despite your earlier excitement, you couldn't help but shiver a little and stand there, pausing, as you examined the top of the bridge. In the vermillion waning, the bridge seemed to... shift. Draw itself up, as if preparing for a confrontation, its tresses cloaking themselves in shadow as the day waned.

Now that you were really thinking about it, was being out here really a good idea? After all, there was no one else around, and these thick, tangled woods didn't exactly feel inviting. What if you got lost? What if something found you?

You gulped and shuddered. "Well," you found yourself saying, "it sure does look different than it did on TV."

"Oh, absolutely!" Bill said. He stretched, yawning, before settling back into an easy stance, his features drawn upwards by a playful grin. "Muuuch better in person, lemme tell you that."

"Really? You like it?"

"Sure I do! I mean, look at this place," he said, gesturing to the trees. "Some good old-fashioned spooky woods, right outta the Brothers Grimm. If we wanna be spooked, well, we sure came to the right place."

You pressed your lips together. "Yeah, but like... don't you feel kinda weird being out here in the woods alone? I mean, there's not exactly a lot of people around... " You glanced around.

"No. Why would I?" he asked. "I mean, isn't that the point of this place?"

"Yeah, well, maybe it wasn't the best idea for us to come out here." You glanced down at your feet, shifting your weight. "I mean, it doesn't seem the safest, you know?"

"Psssh! Safe-schmafe," he replied, waving your concerns away. "We're not here to be safe. We're here to have fun. Now, c'mon, don't be such a party pooper. Let's go!" He began to walk towards the bridge, waving at you to follow him.

You took a step forward and then stopped. Now, yes, judging by what had happened to Jim and Joe, it seemed to be the perfect place for a little jaunt... But was it really? Was it? The thicket of trees pressing in, the lack of people... Was it worth the risk?

You planted your feet and sighed. "No," you said, shaking your head.

Bill stopped to give you a look. "No? No?" he repeated. He inhaled sharply. "After you were just raring to go?"

You sighed and squeezed your eyes closed. "I'm sorry, it's just... being here in person is way different from seeing it on TV, you know?"

"Hey, look," Bill said, folding his arms. "If those two softies on that show—Jim and Joe, or whoever—can make it through these woods for a coupla hours, so can you. I mean, you're not dumb enough to get freaked out over some silly Ouija board message, right?"