Return, to the Scene of the Crime - Chapter 26
Playing human again, Alcor makes it longer than he usually does. He's in college now, juggling classes, family, a curious vampire, and a strange, increasingly sinister web of mysteries weaving themselves around him. Without his omniscience to guide the way, he'll have to work hard to get to the bottom of this before it spirals out of control.
Thank you so much to @biplet for beta reading this chapter! You can find her awesome stories here (I highly recommend Portal Fantasy!)
See most updated version on Archive of Our Own.
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A white car pulled up outside the forest.
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Scream. What an inadequate word for the awful sound Dipper heard that day. It passed through him like a gunshot; he and his Mom both whipped around to stare in horror into the shadowy path that lay before them.
âWh-what was that?â Mal started. âWeird, did you- hey, wait!â
But Dipper and his mother took off running. Swearing under her breath, Mal stumbled to follow.
Through the trees. Through the bushes. Dipper saw his Mom running beside him in flashes, but another, louder scream echoed out and he couldnât focus on her, couldnât focus on anything but the next step. And the next. And the next and the next and the next and-
âGet away from me!â
That voice, that was Marsh! She was closeâhis heart was beating so fast it burned but he forced himself faster, faster!
âIâm warning you, get away! Get AWAY!â
Come on, man, come on!
But just as he was coming up to a thicketâ
BANG!
It was just as deafening as the first time he heard it. Dipperâs blood went cold; he didnât remember tripping, but suddenly he was on the ground, hands splayed out in front of him, breath coming fast and hard and yet somehow still not enough.
EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE
ShoutingâDipper could hardly hear it over the ringing in his ears. He was struggling to stay in the forest; suddenly all he could think of was Marshâs apartment, Harryâs voice, the gun pressed against his- no! Focus: he had to get up, he had to help!
Marsh was in trouble! Think about Marsh, think about Marsh!
BANG-vmmm!
Another gunshot; it seemed to whizz right over his head, and Dipper⊠Dipper felt all the courage he thought he had come up against pure, base, animal survival.
He didnât try to get up. In blind terror, he scrambled to bury himself in the thicket, his heart pounding in his ears, one thought on loop drowning out everything else.
He didnât want to die. No, he didnât want to die. He didnât want to die, he didnât want to die!
One day, with all the knowledge in the universe, Dipper would look back on this moment and know exactly what happened. Heâd know his Mom didnât spot him buried in the branches; all she knew was heâd ran out ahead of her, and there were gunshots, and there wasnât a thought in her mind but getting to him as fast as she could.
Heâd know this, but that was later. This was now, and all he saw in a fog of panic was a flash of shoes, a rustle of bushes, and one, final, terrible sound.
BANG-BANG!
Dipper didnât know how long he huddled here like a rabbit in its den; it couldâve been a hundred years, or a couple seconds. The next thing he knew was another set of shoesâthey slowed to a stop in front of him, and he thought: Malâs shoes.
âMom! Dipper!â Her voice had a desperate edge to it, and the shoes turned to face him. âWh-Dipper! What are you doing in there?!â
âI-I-â Dipper started, but in one movement she reached in and yanked him out.
âWhereâs Mom?â
âI donât- I, I-â
âPlease!â Marshâs voice tore through the air, just behind the thicket. âPlease, please just leave me alone! Just leave me ALONE!â
Malâs head snapped up. âWhat the hell is heâŠâ she muttered, almost unconsciously, then gripped Dipperâs shoulders. âCome on!â
Dipper didnât have time to protest; branches dragged at his legs as he tried to stop them buckling under him. Then they burst into a clearing, and his whole world narrowed to two things:
âNo! Donât come any closer!â
The trembling barrel of Marshâs gun pointed right at their faces, and-
âMOM!â
The back of their Mom as she lay in the grass, curled into a little ball. Her sweater had roses on it. It wasnât like that this morning, why did it have roses on it?
Why did it have roses on it?
Mal ran to her, but-
BANG-BANG!
The shots went low; dust kicked up in front of them, and Dipper heard a cracking past him as they ricocheted into the trees. Mal dove for the ground and held her hands up as Marsh turned the gun on her.
âI said donât move, Collins!â Marsh screamed right at her. âSt-stop chasing me, just leave me alone!â
âMarsh?!â Dipper started, and gulped when the gun switched to him. âWhat are you doing, i-itâs us! Marsh, itâs us!â
âPut the gun down! Itâs not real!â shouted Mal, and then: âTake off the bracelet!â
The bracelet? Somewhere in the terror of the situation, Dipper caught sight of something red on Marshâs wristâa ribbon?Â
But it was like Marsh hadnât heard any of that. Her face was a rictus of terror as she started backing up, squeezing the gun ever-tighter.
âStop coming closer!â She screamed, even as Dipper and Mal stayed frozen. âI said, stop! Stop! STOP!â
And Mal covered her head, and Dipper tensed up, and-
Click.
Marsh blinked. Then she jumped back, scrambling to clear the magazine. Mal took her chance; arms outstretched, yelling like a madman, she charged Marsh and tackled her to the ground. The gun went flying out of her hands, and the two of them wrestled together on the grass.
And Dipper stood there. Eyes wide, heart pounding, dread rising like bile in the back of his throat. It felt like swimming in molasses to move,but he forced himself to turn, and to look at his mother.
She was wearing a red sweater now. Rolled onto her side, one hand clutching her chest, she struggled to rise, and the sight of her⊠suddenly this wasnât a dream anymore.
âMom,â he breathed, then louder: âMOM!â
He stumbled as he rushed to her; his leg burned, mustâve scratched it in the thicket. Falling to her side, his hands trembled over her chest. There was so, much, blood. He didnât even know where sheâd been hit.
âOh my god,â he tried to press down, and recoiled when she gasped. âSorry, sorry! I- oh, my god. Oh, my god!â
What was he supposed to do?! Ambulance, ambulanceâphone!
He dove for his pockets and nearly launched it out of his shaking hands. The screen stuttered on his bloody fingers and he just tapped harder and harder and harderâwork, work! It had to work!
âCome on, come onâwhat? No!â The call didnât go throughâno signal. âNo, no, no, no, no, no! Please! Please!â
A touch on his arm. Dipper flinched; looking away from his phone, his eyes landed on his motherâs hand⊠and then he looked at her. He looked at her, at her warm smile on blue lips, at the dimples on her paling cheeks, at the glittering shine in her eyes as she stared up at him, unblinking, like she wanted to remember every detail of this moment.
And Dipper knew why. His vision blurred as he shook his head. âNo, Mom. N-no, come on.â His throat was getting tight. âJust hold on, okay? I-Iâll find something, Iâll find, IâllâŠâ
Her hand reached slowly up, and cupped his cheek, her thumb gently brushing the tears away. Then it rose higher, and swept his hair to the side.
With dimming eyes, Eva Quicksilver gazed at the starry birthmark on his forehead. Peace flowed over her face, draining out all the tension, all the worry, and she mouthed something he couldnât decipherâsomething like a prayer.
Then her hand relaxed, too. It started to slip from his face before Dipper grabbed it.
âNo, Mom! No, no, no, donât-!â He shook her; her half-lidded eyes lost their focus, and stared past him. âMom! Wake up, Mom! MOM!â
But it was too late.
Dipper knew what corpses looked like.
He closed his eyes, and pressed her hand into his face as the sobs started to wrack his body.
And all that time, Mal had been watching. Watching, her wet eyes flickering between shock and horror and a growing, terrible rage. All she could hear in her ears, drowning out everything else, was this neverending, godawful, unbearable cackling laughter. Her breath was coming fast; a tear splashed her cheek and she jumped, rubbed it furiously.
Racked the pistol, and turned to face the figure slowly rising from the grass.
âWhat have youâŠâ Her voice cracked, and she swallowed it down. âWhat have you done, Khady?â
Marsh was holding her head; sheâd taken a punch, and her world was still spinning. âMalâŠ?â Then she tried to jump to her feet. âCollins! Mal, heâs-â
âWhat are you talking about?â Mal stuffed the bracelet into her pocket. âHarryâs not fucking here, you shot my fucking Mom!â
âWhat? No. No, I saw him!â Marshâs eyes landed on the scene in the grass; she blinked, shook her head. âNo, thatâs not- he was charging me! He had a knife, I-â
âShut UP!â And when Marsh opened her mouth she thrust the gun right in her face. âAdmit it, you shot her! You did this! YOU!â
âWhoa, Mal-â
âYOU DID THIS TO HER!â Mal was shaking with rage. âYou killed my fucking Mom! Sheâs dead because of you, SAY IT!â
âMal, I-I swear-â
âFUCKING SAY IT!â
Marsh stared down the barrel of the gun, her eyes as wide as saucers. âIâŠâ she started, in a very small voice. âI killed your Mom. Iâm so⊠Mal, I donât know what to say. I-Iâm so sorry, I didnât mean-â
âYeah, yeah, tell it to a fucking judge!â Mal gestured around the bright clearing. âLike anyoneâs going to believe you. Tell me, how the hell did you mistake my Mom for Harry? Huh?â
âI-I⊠he was there! We got split up, a-and he was chasing me through the forest-â
âNo, you ran off on your own.â Mal nodded to herself. âYeah, you ran off on your own, and we were coming to help you when you just started shooting around like a maniac!â
âNo! I-â
âAnd now my Mom is dead, and itâs all your fault! Youâre a murderer, a FUCKING MURDERER!â
Marsh kept shaking her head, but her wild eyes were darting around the scene; her breath was coming faster and faster and her hands came up to grab at her chest.
âNo, no, no, no,â she shook her head. âNo, no, no, I-I couldnât, I couldnât have, I- no, no, no!â
Mal curled her lip in disgust. She could see Dipper rising to his feet, so she lowered the pistol and left Marsh hyperventilating on the ground.
âDipper- whoa, shit, Dipper!â She spied a red stain on his leg before he stumbled into her arms. âSit down, dude, youâre bleeding!â
It was like he didnât even hear her. âMal, sheâs⊠I couldnât⊠what are we gonna do?â He clung to her. âDad, heâs still at home, he doesnât-, oh my god, oh my god, sheâs dead! Sheâs dead!â
âC-calm down!â Mal hugged him backâbut only for a moment, and she sat him down on the ground. âLetâs all just calm down, o-okay? Let me think.â
âI couldnât get any signal,â he kept on babbling as she rolled up his jeans; there was a little hole in his calf, weeping red. âI really tried, Mal, I- what are we gonna do? D-do we go for help? I can run, I can run out of the forest, I can drive-â
âStop it,â Mal gritted her teeth as the laughter only rose. âShut up. Just shut up.â
âSheâs right,â said a quiet voice. âYouâre in no condition to move.â
Dipper looked up, and Mal followed his gaze; Marsh had walked over. She stood a distance away, hugging herself, her eyes trained on the ground just in front of their mother.
And as they watched, she took a deep, shuddering breath. âIâll go for help.â she said. âThere should be signal in the parking lot, Iâll call the police and⊠tell them what happened.â
Mal blinked. âWhat?â She jumped to her feet. âYou canât do that, theyâll arrest you!â
âAs they should, IâŠâ Marshâs jaw trembled for a moment before she clenched it. âYouâre right. It doesnât matter what I thought I saw, itâs my responsibility to know what Iâm shooting at and I⊠Iâve done something, unforgivable. Iâm so, so sorry, Iâm so sorry.â
Dipper gazed at her. âWhat happened, Marsh?â
âI donât know. I-I donât know how to explain it.â She couldnât look him in the eyes. âBut Iâm gonna make this right, okay?â
Mal was watching this with widening eyes. âWait, wait, hang on!â she said, jumping to her feet. âLetâs not- l-letâs think about this, alright? Do you have any idea whatâs gonna happen if you go to the police?â
âOf course I do.â
âBut-! But, haha, letâs not pretend youâre âmaking anything rightâ, Khady. Is going to the police gonna bring her back?â She pointed at their motherâs body, and stepped closer when Marsh looked away. âNo, seriously, think about it!â
âMal?â Dipper raised an eyebrow. âI donât⊠what are you saying?â
âIâm saying, Iâm sayingâŠâ She reached out, and clamped a hand down on Marshâs shoulder. âWeâre her friends! She fucked up bad, but do we really, do we want her thrown in jail? Do we want her kicked out of college? Do we want to put her face all over newspapers, âKhady Sall, cold-blooded murdererâ? I-I mean, shit, theyâre probably gonna try and link her to Gemma!â
Marsh shuddered at the thought, but still she frowned. âI donât get where youâre going with this. I killed your mother, who cares about my fucking degree?â
âYouâre not-! Youâre not getting this, Marsh.â Mal bared a dangerous smile. âSheâs. Already. Dead. But youâre still fine! Whatâs the point in going to jail for this, okay, f-for a mistake! It was a mistake!â
âWhat are you even suggesting? We hide the body, orâŠâ Marsh looked into Malâs eyes, and she recoiled. âOh, no, no. Look, Mal, Iâappreciate?âwhat youâre trying to do for me-â
âHide the-?!â Dipper felt the bile rising in his throat. âMal, you canât be serious. Please tell me youâre not serious.â
But Mal didnât dare to look at him. âWeâre giving you, an out.â She spoke slowly, carefully, staring Marsh down. âWe can just put this behind us, okay? It already happened. No one else is going to believe this was an accident; this is the only option for you.â
And the forest was dead. Silent. Marsh stood there for a moment⊠and then she looked Mal in the eyes, and put a hand on her shoulder.
âYouâre⊠youâre grieving, Mal, I⊠youâre just saying things, I get it.â She tried for a smile. âYouâre a good friend, but please, donât worry about me, okay? I did it, I deserve what happens.â
Mal stood there, absolutely still, as Marsh heaved a sigh.
âItâs for the best,â she continued, and her eyes finally met the body on the ground. âI couldnât live with myself if I tried to cover this up.â
And Mal⊠Dipper couldnât see her face, but he could see something pass over her, a full-body flinch, and then she started breathing, hard. Her shoulders shook, her nails dug into her palms as she squeezed them into white-knuckled, quivering fists.
Dipper couldnât see her face, but Marsh could. âMal?â she asked, stepping back. âWhatâs-â
And then Mal struck. Like a snake in the grass her fist came up so fast Dipper hardly saw itâsuddenly, Marsh was splayed out on the ground, and Mal drew back her leg-
âFUCK YOU!â -and drove it into Marshâs ribs and raised it again. âFUCK YOU FUCK YOU FUCK YOU YOU STUPID FUCKING, ARE YOU STUPID, ARE YOU FUCKING STUPID?!â
Dipper heard a sickening crack; eyes bugged out, he raised his hands. âStop, Mal! Stop!â
âYOU THINK YOUâRE BETTER THAN ME? YOUâRE RUINING THIS, YOUâRE FUCKING RUINING THIS!â
She wasnât stoppingâoh my god, she wasnât stopping! Dipper tried to get up, but his leg folded on him; he dove for her foot and held on with all his might.
âArgh, let go, let-!â Stumbling back, Mal glowered down at Dipper. âWhoâs side are you on, huh?! She killed our Mom!â
âYou said it was an accident!â Dipper stared at Marsh as she groaned and hugged herself. âWhat are you doing, Mal? You couldâve killed her!â
âKilled her, huh? Killed her?â Trembling with fury, Mal drew the pistol again. âShe says itâs an accident, of course she would!â
âMal-â
âYou seriously believe her? Youâre gonna let her manipulate you like this?!â
She pointed the pistol right at Marsh, who cried out and tried to get away. She got a step before crumpling back to the ground, coughing and holding her hands out in front of her. Dipper couldnât believe what he was seeing.
âMal, stop!â
âWe donât need her. Sheâs too stupid to follow the plan, we donât need her!â Mal cocked the pistol. âI donât know what Iâm doing, okay, Iâm, Iâm not thinking straight! She pushed me to this, she shot my Mom, she shot my Mom!â
Dipper didnât even know who he was talking to right now, but he could feel it all coming to a head. He had to do something nowâhis leg wouldnât move, but he was wrapped around hers, and he did the only thing he could think of.
An awful smile was creasing Malâs lips now. âLike you said, you did it, huh?â She loomed over Marsh. âYou deserve what happ- augh!â
Dipper sank his teeth into Malâs shin, and held on tight. She jerked her leg up, stumbled, and fell backwards. Once she was on the floor he felt her hands prying at him.
âOw! Augh, let me go, youâre hurting me!â Her fingers pushed into his mouth. âLet⊠me⊠go!â
Forcing his jaw down, Mal managed to get out; she scrambled backwards, one hand clamped around her leg.
âUm, ow!â She glowered at him, limping to her feet. âWhat the hell, Dipper! Do I need a fucking rabies shot?â
But Dipper just stared up at her, and the fury in her face was shifting to something else.
âThe bracelet,â Dipper said, barely above a whisper. Mal set her jaw. âYou said, take off the bracelet.â
Mal didnât respond. She looked away, trying for a dismissive shrug, but there was too much tension in it. Dipper had a terrible feeling in his stomach.
âY-you said itâs not real,â his ears were ringing. âWhen Marsh was-, you said âitâs not realâ, what did you mean by that?â
âI donât-, I donât know what youâre talking about.â
âMal-â
âI didnât say that, I-I didnât say anything like that! You must be misremembering, or, or-â She wrung her hands, working herself up. âI donât even know what you mean by that, what are you even saying? Sheâs my Mom too, do you think I wanted this?! Honestly, whatâs wrong with you, Dipper!â
She sounded so upsetâsounded, he thought. But suddenly, with Marsh sobbing on the ground next to him, there was a performance to this, an uncanny hollowness that made the hairs on the back of his neck stand right up.
âDipper?â
But the worst thing was, it wasnât a new feeling at all. It was so, sickeningly familiar, and he didnât know what to say, he didnât know what to think.
âWell? Say something!â
Who was he talking to?
Then, a twig snapped. Footsteps, coming closer. The question echoed in his mind as he saw the blood drain from Malâs face; whirling around to look at the sounds, she hesitated, then hid the pistol and quickly called out:
âHelp! Over here, we need help!â And she shot Dipper a pale smile. âThank god, someoneâs coming!â
The bushes rustled before them. From the darkness, a small figure stepped into the sunlight-
âOh, shit,â Mal drew her pistol.
-and threw off her hood. Dipperâs eyes widened, and a million thoughts raced through his mind as he saw a face he wasnât sure heâd ever see again.
âYou need help, huh?â Lucy Ann bared no smile in her teeth. âNo, Mallory, youâve done enough. Put the gun down.â
âThe vampire,â Mal breathed. She crossed in front of Dipper. âStay back. I-Iâll protect you!â
âOh, fuck off!â Another voice from the shadows; Xiaofan tore into view. âWhat have you done this time?!â
âWhat have I-â Mal pointed the gun at her. âWh-who the hell are you?â
âYou know damn well who I am.â Xiaofan narrowed her eyes at Dipper. âYour sisterâs a murderer. Ask her what happened to Gemma.â
Murderer. Dipper recoiled at the word, and he could see Mal shake her head.
âWhat are you talking about?â She risked a glance down at him. âDipper, I donât know what theyâre talking about.â
âThen you shouldnât care if we explain, right? Dipper,â Lucy Annâs voice softened, and she put her hands up. âI know whatâs being said about me, I⊠Iâm sorry I left the way I did, I shouldnât have done it like that. But you know me! You know I never wouldâve done that.â
âHe knows you?â Mal snorted dismissively. âIâm his sister. Dipper, Iâm your sister. You honestly think I wouldâve done anything to Gemma?â
Dipperâs head was spinning. âIâŠâ
âThatâs not all youâve done,â sneered Xiaofan. âYou framed me! Asked for my address the same night I got arrested, how do you explain that?â
âYou think I-â
âWith the stolen jewels your little Collins buddy made off with!â Xiaofanâs laugh was bitter as lemons. âYou like mysteries, Dipper? The only mystery I see is how sheâs gotten away with it for so long!â
âNo,â He shook his head. âNo, thatâs-â
âCrazy, you're right!â Mal was backing up. âTheyâre coming for us, Dipper. We gotta get out of here!â
She had a hand on his shoulder, her grip warm and vicelike and familiar and alien. The two of them were inching ever-closer, pausing every time Mal switched the gun on them.
Behind him, Marsh was groaning. Mal dug her nails in.
âSt-stop it! Not another step, Iâm warning you!â She turned the gun on Marsh, and both of them froze. âOr else!â
Dipper blinked. âMal!â
âBluffing, obviously,â she hissed through her teeth. âPlease, just trust me, Dipper. Thatâs all you need to do.â
âWha- Uh, hello?!â Xiaofan waved her hands. âWhat more proof do you need? Do we look like the bad guys, here?!â
And they didnât, they really didnât. But what was the alternative? That all this time, all this timeâŠ
(âShe set you up to this, didnât she! She wants to cut me out of the fucking deal!â)
(âI havenât really solved the case, have I?â)
eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeâŠ
(âYou're being really paranoid, Mal. Xiaofan wouldn't do that.â)
(âDid you call Gemma Friday?â)
EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEâŠ
(âMarsh, meet my sister, Mallory.â)
(âSee you soon, Gemma.â)
(âYou knew about the book?â)
(âWhy canât we just talk anymore, Mal? Why canât you just stop for once and actually talk to me like a real person!â)
EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE-
âHey.â
And in the midst of all of this, a gentle voice cut through the noise. Lucy Ann wore such a sad smile.
âDipper,â she said. âLook at me, okay? Do you want to know the truth?â
He looked into her eyes, and his face started to crumple. âI-I donât understand,â he said. âThis is crazy, this is- sheâs my sister!â
âI know, and Iâm sorry. Iâm so sorry.â
âI just- how do I-I know I can trust you? Everyone, everyoneâs lied to me!â He held his pounding head. âI donât know who to trust anymore.â
âTheyâre getting in your head, Dipper.â Malâs grip tightened. âTheyâre trying to split us apart! Look at me, Dipper. Do you honestly believe Iâm some kind of complete monster?â
Dipper couldnât look at her; he shook his head.
âI donât, IâŠâ
âHey, Dipper.â Lucy Ann cut in. âI get it, youâre sick of people lying to you. I did it too, and Iâm sorry. No more, okay?â
And she started to draw something out of her pocket. Xiaofan glanced back, and her eyes widened as she recoiled-
âNo more,â she repeated, with a summoning circle in her hands and a blade pressed to her palm. âItâs time for you to remember everything.â
âWhat are you- stop!â
âSheâs gonna-!â
And before his eyes Lucy Ann sliced her palm, slapped it onto the paper, andâŠ
âŠand?
The forest stood still, everyone frozen in horror, as Lucy Ann drew her palm back. She gazed down at the absolutely bloodless opening with a growing bewilderment.
âWhat the hellâŠ?â She muttered. âWell, thatâs not-â
Then, in one unnatural wave, dark blood rushed out of her cut, wrapped around her wrist, and pinned her to a tree. The paper fluttered out of reach; Xiaofan took half a step forward, and then jumped back.
âWhat the-?â Something red was climbing her cloak, strands hooking onto her arms and tying her down. âWhat the fuck?! Lucy Ann, what have you done!â
âThisâaghâthis isnât me, this isnâtâDipper!â
âWhatâs going on?!â Dipper struggled to get to his feet, but Mal kept him down. âMal? What is this?â
Malâs face was deathly pale. She opened her mouth⊠but another voice answered for her.
âWell, well, wasnât that a close one!â It boomed from every direction, cold and loud and gleeful. Everyone but Mal flinched and tried to cover their ears. âSagar, Sagar, long time no see! You are a tricksy one, arenât you? Just as much a pain in my side as the day you broke up my cult in Cyrene.â
The blood around her wrist seemed to squeeze, and she let out a cry of pain. The voice just cackled.
âNot that I hold a grudgeânoo, I would never! Iâm not one for all this âritual sacrificeâ business, anyway. I mean, really, why let a bunch of pathetic little humans have all the fun?â Then the ropes around Xiaofan pulled taut, and brought her to her knees. âOh, but speaking of humans, my apologies! Iâm letting Sagar have all the credit, arenât I? Where are my manners?â
Xiaofanâs eyes were wide and shining with terror. She tried to speak, but blood ran into her mouth and she gagged and coughed.
âXiaofan,â the voice crooned, stretching out the syllables. âYouâre the one who hid this from meâwell, more Gemma, but sheâs not around to accept my congratulations, is she? What a shame,â it sneered. âI daresay I wouldâve let your little plan play out if Sagar hadnât forced my hand at the end there. And now, no oneâs ever going to know what really happened to your friend. OrÌÍ tÌÌ€ÌČĂŽÌ Ć·Ì§ÌÍÍÌÍoÌĆ.â
âMal! W-we gotta do something, Mal!â Dipper saw the blood starting to run towards him. âMal, Mal!â
âHmmâŠâ The closer the blood got, the more Dipperâs head started to throb. It slowed as he held his head, and receded. âNo, that doesnât work, does it. Ah, well. It looks like youâve already got this one, partner.â
Malloryâs hand on his shoulder⊠Dipper tried to brush it off, but it didnât move. âMal,â he said, looking up at her, begging her to meet his eyes. âMal, whatâs it talking about? Youâve got nothing to do with this, right? Right?â
âNothing to do with this? Hah!â The voice barked a laugh. âWell, thereâs no use for subterfuge now, is there? Little murderer, why donât you introduce me to your brother? Iâve always wanted to meet your family!â
âI-â Malâs voice was tight. âNo. No. Donât make me.â
âMal?!â
âAww, thatâs not very polite of you, is it?â It tutted to itself. âItâs nice to meet you, heh, âDipperâ. You can call me Ianitor.â
âIanitor?â Lucy Ann started thrashing to break free. âOh shit, oh shit, oh-â
Another loop of blood caught her other hand. âYou wound me, Sagar, itâs almost like youâre not pleased to see me! I may be the Lord of Murder, Demon of the Bloody Hands, the Muse and Refuge of the Damned, but I have feelings too, you know!â
Something was moving past them; Marsh, groaning and making furrows in the dirt with her fingernails, was dragged to lie between Lucy Ann and Xiaofan.
âBesides,â Ianitorâs voice oozed with malice. âIâm not the one whoâs going to kill you three. She is.â
And all eyes, wide and horrified, turned to Mallory. She didnât meet any of them; she curled into herself, clutching the gun to her chest.
âWhat are you doing?â She murmured. âThis isnât what I wanted. Th-this wasnât the deal!â
Dipper grabbed her leg. âMal? Mal, this is insane. This isnât you!â
âOhhh, âthis isnât you!ââ Ianitorâs voice rang out loud and mocking. âI really am impressedâafter everything heâs seen today, youâve still got him wrapped around your little finger! Youâre an excellent liar, and Iâll tell you a secret.â His voice lowered. âYou can even lie to yourself. This isnât what you wanted? Hah! This is what it was all leading up to, my friend, letâs not pretend you saw some magical happy ending where you quietly settled down in that funeral home. Youâre a mÌÍŹá»ÌÌÇčÍsteÌÍrÌœ, but youâre not an idiot.âÂ
Mal was breathing fast, her hands trembling as she turned the gun over in her hands.
âNo, the only thing youâre upset about is that I let some people peek behind the curtain. Oops.â A cackle. âI guess Iâm a liar, too, whoâdâve guessed? But hey, they donât have to live to tell the tale, and I can make sure you never have to think about Dipper again.â
Dipper felt cold fear lance through his heart. Xiaofan was throwing herself madly against her restraints⊠to no avail.
âHe hates you, Mallory. Thereâs no going back; everyone who sees you, hÌ«ateÌĄÌsÌÌÍ you. Youâve got to get better at hiding that, and you will. Iâll help you.â
Malloryâs trembling jaw set. She took a deep breath⊠then slowly raised the pistol, and pointed it at Xiaofan.
âNo!â Dipper grabbed at her leg. âNo, Mal, donât! You canât!â
âOh, but you can. You already have, over and over and over again. Youâre doomed. You ruin people, thatâs who you are. Thatâs all you are.â His voice was so soft, so soothing. âNow, my friend, do what you do best.â
âNo, no, no, no, no!â
But Dipper couldnât stop her this time. Her finger hooked on the trigger, and the tremors stilled, and with this dead-eyed, hollow, haunted look, Mallory Quicksilver began to squeeze.
Then it came from all around. Like the ringing in Dipperâs ears, but deeper, a building roar that emanated from the forest, a thundering that shook the very ground they stood on. Mal blinked; she glanced to the side, just for a moment⊠and that was enough.
The trees began to shake, birds fled their roosts, and then just as they had before, a storm of deer burst from the thicket. They swept past Lucy Ann, Marsh and XiaofanâDipper couldnât see them, but he could see a set of lowered antlers and sharp hooves coming right for them.
He didnât have time to duck before they were on himâover him. Missing his nose by inches, the great stag rammed Mal and sent her flying.
eeÍeÍeÌ eáșčÌeeeÍeÌÌŁeâŠÌș
And his head began to pound. With wide eyes he looked through the stampede and saw a different struggle; something blue and fiery and antlered, locked in combat with a blackness. And the blackness was winningâit snarled and thrashed and pressed down as the herd thinned-
âAlcor!â
But Dipper heard a name, and turned his head. Lucy Ann! She was sprinting through the stampede, coming for him, holding something high above her headâa paper?
âNO!â the blackness roared; Ianitor reached for her, but the antlered figure dragged him back, and
and she slapped Alcorâs circle
right on his chest.
âWha-?â Dipper breathed. He looked at her as a terrible pain began to split his forehead. âWhatâagh!âwhat have you done? No! Stop it! STOÌ«ÍP IÍT!ÌČâ
âSorry, man, this is gonna hurt,â Lucy Ann gave him a sad smile. âIâm here, okay? Iâm here.â
And she pulled him into a hug as his world began to dissolve. Flashesâblood, candles. Terrible things, and at first he recoiled from them but they kept coming, blood kept dripping on his hands and suddenly these werenât images, they were memories, they were memories and oh stars, who was he, what was he?
And then, and then⊠he knew.
He knew everything, and Dipper Quicksilver was no more.
EÌÌÌÌEÍÍÍÍ„EÍȘážÈÍEÌĄÍÍÍEEÌłÌEÌÌÍE̱ÍÍźÍ EÌĂÌÌŹÌÌEÍEÌșÌȘÌ«ÌÌŸEÌ€ÌÌÌÌEÌĄÍÌÌŸÌÌEÍźÍÍŁEÌžÌEÌÌEÌÍźÍEEÌąÌȘÌŒÌŹÍŻÍ«ÍEEÌ͚̟ÌÌEEÌÌŸÍÍÌÍ
âAlcor? Hey, Alcor! You with me?â
Alcor. He woke up in her arms, blinking tears out of his eyes. Because he knew, he knew, oh stars, he knew. He looked up, his great wings unfurling, and he met Malloryâs horrified expression from across the clearing with one of his own.
Oh, no, Mizar. He looked at her, at the blood on her hands, the blackness in her soul. What have you done?
âOh dear.â Ianitorâs voice was suddenly much more timid. âWell, Mallory, Iâm off to enjoy my last few moments of existence. Good luck!â
And he blipped out of existence; Alcor wanted to follow him, wanted to grab him and tÍÌŸeaÌžÍrÌ„Ì hÌ°ÌŹÍiÌ·ÌmÌÌÍ lÌÍŻÌÈmÌÌÍĄbÍÌŹÍ fÍroÍŹÍmÌÍÌ lÌĄÌ«Ìī̈́ÌmbÍÍ̈́⊠but he couldnât take his eyes off of her. He couldnât believe this, he just couldnât believe what he saw in her.
âDipper?â Mallory backed up; the gun was in her hand, and she threw it away. âIs thatâis that really you?â
He didnât know what to say. He just stared, stared as the deer formed a circle around her, braying and shaking their bloody antlers.
âWhatâs going on? I-I donât understand, I- Dipper! Dipper!â
He just stared, as a figure materialised beside him. The Woodsman was smaller than he remembered, a ghostly boy with freckles on his cheeks, and a blade in his back, and hands, so many guilty hands hanging from his antlers.
The Woodsman, gripping his hatchet, started forwards, and Alcor just stared.
âWhat are you-?â Malâs face blanched, and she backed up until she hit the circle of antlers. âNo! No, no, no, I didnât- Iâm sorry! Iâm sorry, Harry, please, d-donât- DIPPER! Dipper, HELP!â
But he just stared, stared until the deer closed ranks around Mallory, and he could see no more.
âŠ
That was a lie.
He was Alcor, now.
He saw everything.

















