TW: Mention of dead animals
Jerome sat back on the bench, a blank expression crossing his face. It was hard to tell if he was breathing right now or not, his pupils dilated as he stared at both Y/n and Bill in silence. He looked at a loss for words, his heart racing in his chest. Demon. Did Y/n just say that Bill was a demon? Was it actually possible, could it be true?
Norah's glasses had slightly slipped off her nose, her jaw dropping as she couldn't understand or come to terms with what Y/n was saying. Why were they claiming this man was some sort of demon? And they were also saying that some invisible barrier surrounded the town as well? This was absolute nonsense, this was absurd. None of this could actually be true. What kind of joke was Y/n trying to pull now?
Vox had been silent this whole time, more of a listener than a speaker. Up until these words spilled from Y/n's mouth and then they couldn't help but join in on the conversation. At least join in long enough to break the silence and snap Jerome and Norah out of their thoughts. "...What?"
"Exactly- What?! Have you finally lost it?" Norah quickly cut in after Vox had spoken up, snapping out of her thoughts and speaking what she was thinking.
Jerome snapped out of it as well, this bright smile forming on his face as he slammed his hands on the table and had his eyes glued onto Bill. "Is it really true? Are you really a demon?! What is the difference between a regular demon and a dream demon? Do you have powers?! Why were you reincarnated into a human body? Why are you here? Oh my gosh, I have so many questions!" He just continued to ramble on, this excitement filling in his soul as he quickly picked his camera up and began taking pictures of Bill.
Bill was... utterly confused as to why Y/n just spilled all that information to these three teens. He looked at Y/n, trying to ignore the camera in his face. "So we're just telling anyone everything about me, is that it? I thought the whole purpose that I couldn't go to anyone else was because they wouldn't believe me when I said I was a dream demon?"
"No one else will believe you, but these three will. And they'll help us figure out how to take down the barrier," they spoke softly to the demon, crossing their arms in a proud manner while Bill just groaned in annoyance. Y/n looked back at the three, smiling gently towards them. "I haven't lost it yet, Norah. I'm being 100% serious. I know you don't believe me, and that's okay I didn't expect you to. But I wouldn't tell you this unless I was certain that this was all fact. And believe me- I saw it with my own eyes, this guy really cannot physically leave this town. Something... strange, something magical is keeping him stuck here. It's insane but also incredible. And I really, really do need your help to figure this out. All of your guys' help."
There was a moment of silence amongst the three, looking between one another as though they were communicating with their eyes. Bill thought this might be the dumbest idea yet, even dumber than the piggyback ride idea. He was going to trust these three teenagers to free him from his imprisonment within this town? There was no way. There was absolutely no way they would be able to figure out the equation. He could understand how Stanford Pines did it but three teenagers from Mercy, North Carolina? He was doomed to stay here for the rest of his life.
"I'm SO in!" Jerome exclaimed, jumping up and bouncing in excitement. "So is Vox! They're in too!"
"Well, that's two in," Y/n said, looking over at Bill with a confident smile.
"Seriously?" Bill asked, really not expecting this to go well at all whether they decided to help or not.
Norah kept her arms crossed, looking up at Bill skeptically. She really didn't believe this, not a single bit. It wasn't possible, she knew logically that it couldn't be possible. And she wanted to prove just that- that Bill was a fraud and he wasn't actually some sort of 'dream demon'.
"Do you have proof that this 'barrier' actually exists? I want proof that he can't actually leave," Norah stated as she stood up and snapped her attention onto Y/n.
Y/n simply smirked, glancing over at Bill whose face instantly fell as he knew exactly what Y/n planned to do to prove that he was incapable of leaving this town.
"Oh no."
"Oh yes, yes I do have proof. Simply get in the car and I'll show you three," Y/n grinned from ear-to-ear, going to grab Bill's injured arm that had the bandages wrapped around it, digging their fingers a bit into his wound before dragging him towards the car once more. He yelped when they dug into the wound, following after them with a look of displeasure. Jerome went to grab Vox's hand and gently help them off the bench, going to follow Y/n with Norah right behind the two.
They all made it to the car, the three teenagers moving to sit in the back while Bill took his spot in the passenger seat once more and Y/n took the driver's seat. Once the car was started and seatbelts were buckled, they drove off back to the town line.
Jerome sat in the middle, bouncing up and down in excitement at the thought that he was currently sitting in a car with an actual demon. He couldn't believe it- after years of trying to prove the supernatural existed, fate decided to just hand him over a demon just like that! He hoped he would be able to ask all his questions and have them answered. There was so much he wished to know, wanting to know if there were more than just demons out there and where he would have to go to find other supernatural beings. He was trying not to fanboy too much, wanting to not make a fool of himself right in front of the demon.
Norah was on the right side, right behind the so-called "demon" with her arms crossed and eyes narrowed. She didn't believe any of this in the slightest. It sounded like a bad joke to her. She never once was fooled by myths, legends, and fairytales as a child. She grew up on reading science and history books, believing in what she knows rather than the possibilities of what could be. So the idea that there was some sort of barrier keeping demons trapped inside of Mercy sounded absolutely absurd to her. Maybe this was some sort of horrible nightmare that she needed to wake up from to escape back into reality. She actually tried a few times to pinch herself in the car to see if she could wake herself up, but nothing happened.
Vox sat patiently on the left side of Jerome, remaining silent as they looked out the window and watched the town pass by as they drove on. They didn't have much to actually say about all of this, keeping their thoughts to themselves. They could sense how excited Jerome was, though, and was really glad he was so happy. They have been trying to help Jerome find evidence of the supernatural and prove that it was real for a while now and were glad they had finally gotten lucky and had evidence of the supernatural practically dropped in their lap. It was really exciting, overall. But they could also sense that Norah was not having any of this and was only coming along to once again prove to Jerome that there was no possible way that the supernatural or anything paranormal could actually exist. Maybe today Norah will be the one proven wrong, however, and let Jerome finally have a win. Their friend group was definitely interesting.
They continued the drive in silence, up until they got to the point where Y/n and Bill had discovered the decaying animals in the middle of the road the night before. As they passed this area, however, it looked as though the carcasses had been removed from the road. They had still been there that morning when Y/n and Bill had passed, but now they were gone. That wasn't the only difference as there were now two police cars parked on the side of the road. Both of the cars were empty; the cops that had driven them here were now standing deeper within the woods, examining it in curiosity. It's not everyday they see an entire portion of the woods suddenly die overnight. Did this have something to do with the power outage that happened last night within the town? It seemed highly unlikely both of these events were just a coincidence, but the cops had no clue what could have happened here.
The three in the backseat could see the cops as well as the trees that were in the woods looking as though they had been dead for decades. But they knew these woods, they knew that these woods were full of life and energy, so to see it in this state shocked all of them. They weren't expecting it in the slightest. How much of the area was killed off? Was it just the plants or were the animals in this particular area of the woods dead, too? Jerome lifted his camera up, beginning to take pictures of it.
"What happened...?" Norah whispered, staring at it curiously.
"I/Bill happened," both Bill and Y/n said in unison, which caused the entire backseat to freeze up and fall silent for a moment.
"...I'm sorry? How would-... How is it possible? No, no that's not- How would he have caused this?!" Norah argued, glaring at the back of Bill's head.
"I'm not sure exactly how I did it, I just remember waking up, walking out of an empty lake, and finding out that everything around me was dead. I assumed it had something to do with my reincarnation, a life for a life situation. In order to bring me back, I needed to take the life and energy from something else. I'm not sure how else to really explain it."
"Woah," Jerome's eyes seemed to light up hearing this, "so cool!"
"He's lying, Jerome. There's no way he caused this. Just like how there is no possible way he is a demon who has been reincarnated into a human body. It's just not possible, so don't let him fool you like he's fooled Y/n," Norah quickly said, glancing over at Jerome before turning to look at the back of Bill's head once again.
Jerome frowned, hugging his camera slightly to his chest while Vox placed their hand on his shoulder in an attempt to comfort him. Bill simply rolled his eyes, getting fed up with Norah's lack of belief in him. Y/n continued the drive in silence, knowing they'd soon prove all of this to be true in a matter of minutes.
When they finally arrived, Y/n slowed down before they got too close to it, staring at the sign that read they were 'Now Leaving Mercy'. They glanced over at Bill who seemed incredibly annoyed and was already trying to push himself as far back as he could go against the seat he was in. They chuckled, gripping the steering wheel tighter.
"Ready to do this again?"
"I hate you. You're enjoying this too much. You think it's funny to see me in pain, don't you?"
"I find so much joy in this. Now, you three, hold on tight-"
"Wait, what? Why- AAAAAAAA!" Jerome started to ask only to hold onto his seat belt tightly with one hand, his other hand outstretched over Vox to make sure they were alright as the car suddenly sped up at full speed.
And then suddenly the car came to a sudden stop like they had hit something. Y/n, Norah, Jerome, and Vox were all jerked forward in their seats while Bill's face smashed up against the invisible barrier once again.
Norah snapped her head up, wondering if Y/n just pulled a brake check on them only to lean forward and realize that their foot was still on the gas pedal, they were still trying to go full speed ahead... but the car refused to move forward. She then heard Bill yelling out in anger, turning to place her attention on him next only to freeze as she witnessed what was happening before her. This man's face was pressed up against nothing and yet his cheek was squished in like it was pressing against a solid surface. Then there was the fact this pink, rippling glow was coming off of him and spreading out. As it did this... it really did almost look like there was some kind of... invisible wall. She didn't- She couldn't make sense of it. With a shaky hand, she reached her arm out to go past Bill's face in an attempt to feel the wall that Bill was pressed up against, but her hand just went through like nothing was there. But something was there. And the only reason she couldn't make contact with it was because she was human... and he was a
"Demon. ...Y-You're really a demon..." Norah whispered, frozen in place with her arm still stretched out.
"Oh great- We've convinced her! Now BACK UP! This HURTS!" Bill growled, his cheek squished against the barrier as he continued to try and push himself off of the barrier with no luck so long as Y/n continued to drive forward at full speed.
Y/n simply smirked as they were successful in showing the demon who was in charge here as well as showing Norah that the barrier really does exist. They slammed their foot on the brakes, putting the car in reverse and backing up slowly. Bill gasped once he was no longer sandwiched between the invisible wall and his seat, leaning back and letting a long exhale escape while placing a hand on his chest. He glanced at the human in the driver's seat with a glare, knowing there could have been other ways of proving the invisible barrier. He could've just walked forward and hit it, had one of the kids try to pull him across, but no- this seemed to be the more fun way of proving their words to be true.
"See? Invisible barrier. We can all go through it, except for Mr. Cipher over here," Y/n said as they put the car into park, looking back at the three in the backseat.
Jerome's eyeballs were practically popping out of his head as he stared at the two before flapping his hands in a happy manner. "It's true! It's true! You're a demon! The supernatural is real- I-I was right! I was right all along! Ya hear that, Norah?! I was right!"
"I-... yeah. ...Yeah, you were," Norah muttered, in shock at the moment as she remained completely still with her arm still outstretched. How... was this possible? "I don't under-.... understand how, but-... This doesn't make any sense.."
"Witness it and weep, Raindrop: demons really do exist- I and the barrier really do exist, and the pain my rib cages are experiencing right now from being crushed against said barrier can vouch for me- like OW- Did you have to be so aggressive?!" Bill growled at Y/n before clutching his chest and doubling over in his seat.
Y/n merely just shrugged, not really caring for the pain that Bill was currently feeling at the moment. Their focus was on the teens in the back, making sure they were all on the same page right now. "So you all believe me now?"
"I've believed you since the very beginning!" Jerome exclaimed, bouncing in his seat. He then paused, looking over at Vox who looked at him and gave a small nod. "Vox did too! They believed in you from the beginning also!"
"I know you two did. Norah?"
"I-... Yeah, yeah I-... I do believe something strange and hard to explain is happening here. I don't understand it myself... Maybe if I were to run some tests on Bill-"
"I refuse to be a lab rat for some pathetic meatsack! No- end of discussion!" Bill quickly interjected, lifting his head up a bit and hissing at the teens.
"Meatsack? Interesting- is that what demons call us humans?" Jerome asked, quickly taking out his phone to write that down in his Notes App.
"Hey- all of you, focus. You can have time to question the demon later and no, there will be no testing on the demon."
"I have a name-"
Y/n chose to ignore Bill and continue speaking over him, "What I need from you three as of right now is a confirmation whether you plan to help us out or not. We need to figure out how to take down this barrier so the demon can leave and be free to do as he pleases. I thought if anyone would be able to figure this out and keep Bill being a demon a secret, it would be you three. ...Will you help us?"
The three weren't quick to answer right away, sitting in thought as they considered what it was exactly Y/n was asking from them.
Bill remained hunched over, his breathing slowing a bit as he tried to ignore the pain in his chest at the moment. It was very interesting to note how he used to find the idea of pain so hilarious when possessing bodies from time-to-time. He figured if he ever had a physical body of his own, he would still believe obtaining any form of pain would be a hilarious experience. But now that he did have a body of his own, he was no longer laughing. This hurt. How weak was he at the moment? He felt so fragile in this body, it was sickening. With the amount of power and strength he had within his being, he thought it would soften the blow of any damage to come to him. But something was strange... something was off. When they made the deal last night, he took notice of the fact that a blue flame never engulfed their hands to seal the deal, no matter how hard he tried to summon said flame. What was that about? And now he was as weak as any other human on this stupid planet, no longer finding pain to be a laughing matter. Why was he so weak- was it because this body was still fresh? Maybe it took time for all of his strength to finally return. It's not like he ever went through the reincarnation process before now. He slowly lifted his hand, resting it against the bandage on his arm and gently began to rub it. This was all so weird, he needed to find a way to fix this and regain all his strength and power quickly before the human began to realize just how vulnerable he was at the moment. Maybe they're already beginning to realize it the more times he gets thrown against the barrier walls.
"Why... are we wanting him to leave town, exactly? What's the end goal here if we do end up helping?" Norah finally spoke up, even if she did look a bit off right now as her entire world seemed to be crashing down on her at this sudden realization that there was more out there than she could possibly begin to understand.
Y/n hesitated to answer, glancing over at Bill before turning their attention back onto the three teens. "The end goal is to get a demon out of our town so he can return to whatever home he came from. It's a win-win situation: we get rid of a demon that could very well risk the lives of the people in our town and in turn he is returned to his- er... friends and family and leave our world be. That was the deal I made with him, after all."
They were lying right through their teeth, but it wasn't like they were about to tell these three that they were freeing the demon just so he could go and take over the world while leaving their small town alone. They wouldn't agree to that, these three would rather keep him trapped here under surveillance than let him escape. Norah, Jerome, and Vox would rather risk their own lives than the safety of the world, but all Y/n could think about was protecting these three as well as the rest of their friends that lived in this town. They could care less what happens outside of the town lines so long as their town remained safe. It's not like Bill showed any signs of harming them at the moment, but they weren't about to risk it. He may seem weak today but by tomorrow he could be at full health ready to burn everything in his sight to the ground. They already saw what he did to the trees and woodland creatures, and all Y/n could imagine was seeing the people they knew and cared for in place of those animals.
So lying seemed to be the only option right now. Besides, a little sob story that Bill was missing his own home and family might be just what they need to get the three of them on board with this plan. Y/n knew these three, they had a good heart. In the end, Y/n knew they'd want to help get a lost soul back home where he belongs.
"I'm sorry- a deal? You made... a deal with a-.... a demon?" That was all Norah seemed to be focusing on, looking at Y/n like they were some alien from another planet because at this point she couldn't recognize them. They were messing with demons, making deals with them- this wasn't how she thought her morning would turn out.
"He... He has a family he's trying to get back to...?" Jerome's eyes widened before his expression began to change. It was this look of determination beginning to spread across his face as he stared ahead at Y/n and then turned to look over at Norah. "We have to help him! We have to! It's not fair to keep him separated from his family, we have to get him back home! Or- we have to at least try and see what we can do!"
"...Are you serious-"
"Deadly." Jerome's voice grew stern for the very first time, causing Bill to snap out of his thoughts and turn back to see what they were discussing now.
Norah felt like all eyes were on her now. Was she the last person who needed to make up her mind and decide whether she planned to help them or not? She glanced over at Vox who had remained silent this whole time, but even they seemed to be in agreement with Jerome that they needed to help. Why did she get the funny feeling that it would always be two against one in any situation they would find themselves in? Letting out a soft sigh, she looked back over at Y/n and after a moment she gave a slow, hesitant nod.
"Okay... yeah, we'll... I guess we will at least try... ...we'll try to help."
"Great! Thanks, ya'll. You have no idea how much I appreciate your help here," Y/n spoke softly, glad this all worked out in the end.
There was an agreement that what was said in that car stays amongst the group of five. They would not discuss who Bill was to anyone, let alone the fact that he was a demon who was trapped inside this town. Y/n planned to come up with some sort of story as to why Bill was here and who exactly he was but decided that that would be a problem for future Y/n to figure out. Norah, Jerome, and Vox wanted to get to work on studying the invisible barrier right away so they all got out of the car and decided they would walk back home later on in the day so Y/n and Bill weren't forced to stay and wait around for them. They didn't mind, these three normally just walked everywhere anyways so it wouldn't be a problem for them. Jerome and Norah had so many questions they wanted to ask Bill but Bill refused to answer anything today, too sore from getting rammed into the barrier so many times. So, maybe another day.
Eventually Y/n and Bill made it back to the human's place, going inside and taking a breath.
"Wow... that actually worked," Bill muttered, holding his bruised-up chest and looking over at Y/n.
"Of course it did, I knew it would. And now we play the waiting game from here until they figure out the equation that will take down that barrier." Y/n went to remove their shoes before heading towards the kitchen. "You hungry?"
As if on cue, Bill's stomach made a strange sound which caused him to clutch it and wince in pain. Hunger pains? Was that something he'd have to deal with now, too? He growled, glaring at the back of their head while his feet began to move and follow after them. He didn't say anything, but from the sound of Bill's hungry stomach Y/n could already tell the demon needed to get some food in him. They ended up making two tuna fish sandwiches, one for him and one for themselves. Though with how fast Bill ended up devouring and falling in love with the first one, Y/n handed over their sandwich to Bill and just went to grab some (f/snack) out of their pantry for them to snack on.
Progress. They made progress today. How long would it take to finally get Bill out of this town? They had no idea. But at least some progress was being made. That's all that really mattered. Soon they'd figure out a way to take down the barrier. Soon Bill will be free to venture off into the world and do whatever it was he pleased.
Freedom wasn't too far away from his grasp now. It was only a matter of time.
Wr dqvzhu wkh suhylrxv fkdswhu'v txhvwlrq: Bhv. Dssduhqwob lw lv.
Chapter 7: Sunday, July 24th, 2002