The world was a lot less... wasteland-like than you were expecting. Everything looked normal. As normal as it ever did when you were in Gravity Falls.
Birds sang from their perches in the huge trees that lined the road. People were walking around and chatting, nobody even glancing towards the group of people that had just appeared in the middle of the street. Out of the corner of your eye, you could see those insufferable gnomes sneaking around behind the restaurant. Nothing was amiss.
"You know," Mabel finally said. "I was really thinking we were going into another Weirdmageddon type thing. This just looks like our town. Mostly."
"It could be a trick," Dipper said, his eyes darted around like he expected something to jump out at any moment. "Bill may just be wanting us to feel comfortable before he attacks us."
"Or maybe he got bored and left," Mabel offered.
"C'mon now!" Bill complained in your head. "Cut a guy some slack. I can hardly be in your head and out there at the same time. I'm not an all-powerful demon you know! Wait..."
Ford holstered his weapon and turned to look at the mansion on the hill. "You said that your cousins live up there?"
"Yes," you answered but Bill stopped you from saying anything else.
Will spoke up so suddenly and from so close that it startled you. Although your body didn't move an inch. "It's odd," he said. "We're here and the ties of my deal have reappeared but it's almost as though, they're weakened."
You stiffened. "How's that possible?" Bill spat. He was quick to try and change the harsh tone but it was a little late. "I mean... you said they couldn't be broken."
"I know," Will muttered, his gaze turning away from yours and his voice returning to a small whisper. "I don't understand it either."
Your heart ached. You had worked so hard at getting him to trust you and Bill was going to ruin it. The dream demon in your head scoffed at you. The longer he spent in your thoughts, the greater your anger became.
"Something's definitely wrong," Ford muttered. "And to find out what, we're going to need to go up to that house."
"It's a trap," Stan said immediately. "You know it is."
"But do we actually have a choice here?" Ford asked. "We could look around the town for a while but I can tell you right now we won't find anything. We'll take as many precautions as possible but it's not going to be possible to avoid it."
As you started walking up towards the house, the four Pines started talking about plans. They were being smart about this. Wanting to avoid confrontation and danger. And the entire time, Bill was humming in your mind and laughing at how it wasn't going to work.
And you couldn't tell them.
You were interrupted in sending mental waves of hate when Will moved to walk alongside you. "Are you okay?" he asked in a hushed tone. The others were too absorbed to notice anything. "You're a little –"
"Why does it matter?" Bill interrupted snappishly. "Maybe I've just gotten tired of all of this. Maybe I want to go home and never come back to this town. And maybe I'm angry with you for getting me into all this mess!"
Will turned away from you immediately, but you didn't miss the flash of hurt in his eyes. "I didn't –"
"Do anything? No. And that's exactly the problem! If you had done something... if you had acted like a proper demon, then Bill wouldn't have chosen this dimension to ruin!" Bill snarled and the gleeful triumph that coursed through you nearly made you ill.
You were forced to pick up the pace and leave Will behind, not even being able to look back and see the damage that Bill had caused.
Mabel opened her mouth to speak when you started walking next to her but the expression on your face clearly said enough and she lapsed into silence.
"Didn't know humans could feel so much hate," Bill muttered.
"Believe it," you snarled at him, knowing it would sound a thousand times more threatening if you got to say it out loud. "What has Will done that has made you dislike him so much?"
"Exist," Bill said. He laughed. "He's not a real demon yet he calls himself one. You're going to meet my friends soon enough and then you'll understand."
"What friends?"
But you didn't get any answer. Bill just laughed and the sound echoed in your head. For as long as you lived, you would never forget it.
Soon enough, the mansion loomed in front of you. There was no movement to be seen. The birds had fallen quiet as soon as you had gotten close enough. It felt unreal. If you had been creeped out upon arriving the first time, it was nothing compared to what you felt now.
"Are there any other entrances in?" Dipper asked.
"No," Bill answered sharply. He sent a threatening look in Will's direction before anybody could see. "This is our only way in."
"The Northwest manor has a secret passageway in," Mabel piped up. "They're technically the same building, right? Maybe you just don't know about it."
Bill made a headache-inducing sound similar to grinding one's teeth. Initially you thought he had done it out loud because Will flinched a little but nobody else reacted. "There's no time to be wasted," Bill told the others. "We can't go digging around in hopes there's a secret passage."
Before anybody else could respond, he marched forwards and shoved the door open. It didn't make a sound but the temperature alone was enough to send chills down your spine.
"It's cold," Mabel said, shivering. "Don't they have heating?"
You didn't know what she was talking about. You didn't feel cold at all. If anything, it felt almost humid.
As silently as possible, everybody followed you into the abandoned passages. Everything was in its place; from the ornaments to the huge painting of Dipper and Mabel that hung central in the entrance hall. It was all spotless and clean, as always. It was wrong.
But you couldn't tell anybody that.
Bill had a destination in mind and he was getting impatient at the slow pace. He kept urging the others on, telling them that he knew where they needed to go. You desperately tried to get a warning to them but it didn't help at all.
Dipper was waiting for you. You expected him to be.
When you walked into the large dining room, he was standing against the one wall. He was bored out of his mind. You were the only one that didn't startle upon seeing him.
"Took you long enough," he muttered and with a flick of his wrist, your allies all went flying into a wall. Blue chains snapped into place around their wrists; you and Will the only ones left free.
Bill laughed and this time, the sound was heard by everybody. He reached up and took the glasses off your face. He threw them into the fireplace and walked over to where Dipper was standing. Just like you, your cousin had a black haze hanging around him.
"Will!" Dipper barked. "Why didn't you make sure they returned sooner? Were you planning on trying to escape?"
The demon's entire body went rigid and he bowed his head. "No," he whispered. "I would never."
"Damn right!" Bill said, his real voice sounding out alongside yours. "I have eyes everywhere. Nobody could escape from me and my friends."
"Who will be here soon," Dipper ordered harshly.
Bill spun on him and snarled, "Watch yourself child. I may have agreed to work with you but I am not under your control. I could kill you at any time."
Dipper scoffed. "You should have chosen a more intimidating body if you wanted to scare me." He paused. "Is my cousin still in there?"
"Yep," Bill said happily.
Dipper's eyes narrowed. "Why didn't you remove them from the body?"
Bill huffed. "I don't have to justify myself to you. I suppose you could say my sadistic tendencies tend to take over from time to time."
For a second, the two were locked in a staring contest of sorts before Dipper broke away. He snarled an order at Will to follow him and swept out of the room, slamming the door behind him.
"Touchy, touchy," Bill muttered. "As for you four, I do believe Miss Gleeful is anticipating you."
After he teleported them away, Bill groaned and sat down in a chair. Then you could sudden control your body again.
You jumped up, preparing to run but your leg was on fire. You collapsed to the ground, shrieking in pain and clawing at your jeans. Your skin was melting. The room went dark and your body curled up into a ball before it all disappeared without a trace.
"Piece of advice," Bill hummed from somewhere in your head. "Moving without me giving you permission causes that."
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