Phantom Falls

7: Bandages

The above artwork does not belong to me.

Wendy, Soos, and the Pines ran outside when they heard a loud crash.

"What is that?" Dipper shouted as he saw movement in the woods. Something was glowing faintly, but it was being pulled away. He could see some freshly damaged trees straight ahead.

The six of them ran over to investigate. A piercing scream ripped through the air.

Dipper pushed through a tangle of branches to see some horrible creature with its mouth clamped onto Phantom's foot. The ghost boy was being dragged across the ground, his fingers gouging the dirt. Green and red blood was covering the ground, painting the broken trees.

"Phantom!" Mabel cried. The creature looked up at them.

"The Pines twins," it growled around Phantom's leg. "And the author, along with all of your stupid little friends. Get out of here, before I tear you apart!"

Dipper drew in a breath. "The shape-shifter? But we froze you!"

Phantom's scream resounded through the forest as the shifter clamped down harder. The ghost weakly lifted a hand, turned, and shot some sort of green energy at its eyes.

It howled in agony, dropping his foot. The boy scrambled towards the Pines' group. His breathing was labored, like his chest hurt.

The creature hissed. "I'm not interested in you humans. Give me the boy. He is dead anyway."

Dipper looked down at Phantom's thin form. The ghost looked weak, but very alive. "Go away," he rasped. "I'll- I'll turn you into a Popsicle!"

Although no one else understood the threat, the shifter snarled in dismay. The ground began to freeze outwards from the ghost's hands, and it backed unwillingly into the forest.

"He'll get you soon, halfa," it threatened. "He knows you better than anyone. He'll get you soon." With a flick of its tail, it morphed into a pterodactyl and flew away.

Soos gave a low whistle. "Well, that was unnerving."

Phantom tried to get up, but he stumbled. Dipper caught him. He was worryingly lightweight.

"We have to get him back to the Shack!" Dipper yelled. Everyone hopped into motion.

"No . . ." the ghost murmured. "Don't do that . . ."

Dipper readjusted his grip. "Dude, you're bleeding everywhere. Uh, is the green stuff blood, too?"

Phantom nodded, looking sick. "Great," Dipper muttered. "You've lost twice as much blood as I thought."

They carried him down to Grunkle Ford's lab. He weakly protested the whole way. "Just leave me outside . . . I can take care of myself . . . Where are we?"

Mabel tried to shush him. "You'll be fine, Phantom. Just relax, okay?"

They finally got him down the stairs and laid him on a table. He was nearly unconscious. Grunkle Ford pulled off the top half of the black hazmat suit and the boots he was wearing. He quickly cleaned and wrapped the bite on his leg and ankle area.

Ford moved on to the rest of Phantom's injuries. There were deep puncture wounds on his chest and shoulders from the creature's claws, as well as two broken ribs, torn skin on the back of his neck, and cuts all over his body.

Stan whistled softly. "How is he even alive?"

Ford looked up. "That's a really good question, Stan. He has a heartbeat, is bleeding some human blood, and can breathe. He's a ghost. How come he's not already dead?"

There was a silence as everyone realized that he had a point. How did a ghost get broken bones?

"Is he even really a ghost?" Wendy asked.

"Well, yes. He has a glowing aura, is full of ectoplasmic energy, and bleeds part ectoplasm. He's definitely a ghost, I have no doubt. But he's also . . . not."

Ford leaned in closer. "Maybe if I looked at a blood sample . . ."

Phantom's eyes snapped open, making everyone stumble back. They hadn't realized that he was still awake. "No, don't do that," he murmured. "Don't . . . don't . . ." He passed out for real this time.

Ford calmly tended to the rest of the boy's injuries, looking as if he'd made up his mind about something. "He should be okay," he told the rest of the group. "I'll keep an eye on him. He should probably have some space."

After a few moments, they started leaving. Mabel glanced at her brother. "Are you coming, Dipper?" she asked.

He shook his head. "Not yet. Grunkle Ford, what are you going to do?"

Ford glanced up. "Well, he looks a little dehydrated, so I suppose I'll have to get him some fluids, and-"

"No, Ford. Are you going to take a blood sample?"

The twins looked at him, their gazes unwavering. Ford sighed. "Yes, I am. I have to know what he is."

"But Grunkle Ford, he asked you not to!" Mabel protested.

Ford pulled off his rubber gloves and threw them in the trash. "Yes, but aren't you curious? Why wouldn't he want us to know? What would make him keep that from us when we saved his life?"

Dipper's eyes hardened. "He doesn't owe us anything! Not when saved Mabel and I from that dog."

The author's expression matched Dipper's. "Kids, what if he's something we've never even heard of before? He could be the key to endless discovery! The shifter wasn't trying to kill him, it was trying to bring him to somebody."

"That shouldn't matter," Mabel insisted. "He said no, so we don't do it!"

There was a brief pause. "Dipper, Mabel, how about this?" Ford pulled a sterile needle from his medical supplies. "I'll take a sample and have my computer analyze it. I'll put the results on a data stick and give it to you. When he wakes up, we'll ask him if we can look at it. If he says no, we'll destroy the stick. Deal?"

Dipper eyed his great uncle suspiciously. "For real? You won't even glance at the data?"

Ford held out his hands. "Nope, I promise. I'll even shake on it."

The twins glanced at each other. Mabel was still hesitant, but she figured it would be the only way to appease Ford. "Deal," they said in unison. They each shook a hand.

Yo readers! If you want to read another great DP/GF fanfic, go read Ethereal by annsmarie. You'll like it, I promise.