If I Was There With Ghost Stan

1

Again, all credit for the original AU (and the original version of this story) go the thesnager on tumbler... this is almost the same as their original story, except I've changed it here and there... and everywhere... Enjoy!

3rd pov
Stan Pines was happy.

His old body was pleasantly sore after spending the afternoon breaking things with the kids. They had impressed him with how quickly they'd been able to scale the fence outside of Mayor Cutebiker's mansion as they fled the crime scene. He wasn't sure who'd called the cops on them, though he was pretty sure it hadn't been Tyler. Stan was certain he'd seen the new mayor watching them from his window and excitedly cheering them on, unmindful of the damage to his property they were causing. If Stan had to guess, he suspected it was probably some nosy neighbor. The Northwests lived up in that part of town, didn't they?

Well, no matter. The Pines had been long gone before the sirens reached the house and by tomorrow it would be forgotten. Still, better safe than sorry. Stan had taken the precaution of parking a little ways away from the Shack, at a clearing in the woods he used when he needed to lose someone who might be following them. The walk home would help the twins wind down before bed anyway.

At the moment, Dipper and Mabel were walking a few feet ahead of Tammie and himself, talking quickly and quietly between each other about something Stan couldn't make out. Tammie wasn't particularly interested in what they were talking about, and Stan decided not to eavesdrop. Let the little knuckleheads have their secrets... The two just walked behind them and enjoyed the night air.

Stan's peaceful mood was interrupted, however, when that night air was shattered by a distant growl.
"What was that?" Dipper asked.
"Trouble, probably." Stan said. Tammie smirked a dangerous grin. "Probably a beast that doesn't know who not to mess with."

Stanley glanced in the direction of the noise. It had sounded pretty far away...but the creatures in this forest could travel fast and he didn't want to take any chances. He placed a hand behind each of the twins and gently shoved them forward. "Let's pick up the pace a little, huh?"

"I wonder if it's whatever's been leaving those strange tracks outside the Mystery Shack..." Dipper said, craning his neck backwards in hopes of catching a glimpse of it.

"Maybe it's a werewolf." Mabel chimed in, bizarrely cheerful about the idea. "A shirtless werewolf!" Tammie rolled her eyes. "Doubt it." "Eugh." Stan frowned. "You kids get way too excited about this sort of thing. Come on, get a move on."

The kids complained a little as Stan continued to push them forward. He was starting to feel the hairs on the back of his neck stand up. Maybe it was nothing. Maybe he was being paranoid...he knew not everything in these woods was dangerous. But it always seemed to be the dangerous ones that came out at night.
"It didn't even sound that close-" Dipper protested. "It's probably miles away, or-"

The ground shook with a second deafening roar. This one seemed to come from all around them, stopping them all in their tracks.

"...Or right behind us." Dipper said.
"Run!" Stan shouted. "Move, move, move move move!"

Dipper and Mabel didn't need more encouragement than that. All four of them went running back to the shack. As they ran, a huge, broad-backed creature emerged from the forest. It loped behind them on six limbs, abnormally fast for a thing its size.

Stan didn't get a good look at it in the moonlight, but despite it's mutated form and giant proportions something about it seemed insect-like. It was covered in yellow and black zig-zag patterns. What really caught Stan's eye was the stinger sticking out of its back, easily the size of a harpoon.