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Dib had started at the secondary school a year late. After he and his sister had moved for their father’s work, he could no longer go to his old school.
He missed his old school, and he missed Zim. But he still kept in touch with the alien and once a month he would catch a bus down to his old home-town and he and Zim would spend the weekend together in the large, purple, oddly shaped house that the alien called home.
When he moved to the new school he had expected to be much like his old one. People still made fun of him so in that regard nothing had changed, but this school was much bigger and the teachers didn’t spend their lessons drawling on about how the world would soon end or about how everyone on the planet was doomed. Dib much preferred these lessons to the ones that Ms Bitters taught.
He had gone to the school for a month now and he still hadn’t made any friends, but he didn’t mind, he was used to spending time alone. So everyday he would sit in the school library with a book on aliens or cryptids in his hand and he would read and read and read. And he had always read alone. But one day as he researched the ‘Wow! Broadcast’ a boy with messy brown hair and a cap came and sat next to him.
The boy had brown hair that fell in his face, covering his forehead. He wore a dark blue hat with a pine tree in the center and he wore an orange shirt and blue hoodie. He had a thick notebook in his hand and he clutched onto it like he was scared to lose it.
Dib stared at him from the corner of his eye but pretended to be focusing on his book. He looked up slightly and saw a girl with long brown hair and star ear-rings grinning at the boy. Dib had seen her around the school, she was popular but not because she was snobby like all the other popular kids, but because she was always smiling, always friendly and always willing to lend a hand, she looked identical to the boy next to Dib and Dib realised rather quickly that the girl was the strange boy’s sister. She put up her thumbs and the boy smiled nervously.
“Hi.” The boy said. Dib looked up at the boy.
“Um...hi?” He replied. The boy took a deep breath.
“What are you reading about?” He asked. Dib closed the book quickly, he didn’t want the boy to laugh at him.
“Oh...it’s nothing, just a hobby.” The boy looked at the book and his face lifted as he caught a glimpse of the cover. Dib bit his lip, great, the only possible friend he could have had is going to think he’s a weirdo.
“Is that a book on cryptids?” The boy asked. Dib didn’t answer. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to embarrass you. It’s just...I’m a fan of cryptids myself.”Dib looked up and smiled.
“Really? Which one is your favourite?” Dib asked. The boy smiled.
“Mothman. Definitely, although I quite like Fresno Nightcrawlers.” The boy replied. Dib grinned.
“Same! I’m Dib by the way. Dib Membrane”
“Hey! Your dad’s that science guy right?” Dib nodded. “I'm Dipper Pines.” The girl with the colourful jumper let out a small squeal. “And she’s my sister Mabel.” There was a pause.
“So have you ever seen anything strange?” The boy laughed.
“You wouldn’t believe me if I told you.”
“Yeah? Well my best friend is an alien soldier from the planet Irk, try me.” Dipper’s eyes widened.
“Seriously?”
“Yup. Genuinely true, he wears a wig and contact lenses as a disguise and once I saw Bigfoot using the belt sander. Try me.” Dipper laughed, but it wasn’t a mocking laugh that Dib was used to, it was a laugh that told Dib that Dipper found what he had said interesting.
“Ok, well, it started when Mabel and I went to spend the summer with our Grunkle Stan…”
*****
Dib walked to the door of the old shack with a sleeping bag and a rucksack and of course his alien-hunting suitcase.
His heart was hammering in his chest. The ‘Mystery Shack’ was surrounded by dense woodland, he and Dipper had become good friends and so, that summer, Dipper had invited Dib to stay in Gravity Falls with his sister Mabel and his Grunkles Ford and Stan. He knocked on the door.
Dipper was slumped on a chair in the living room, searching through his journal. But when he heard the knock on the door he leapt to his feet and rushed to open it.
“Dipper! Your friend is at the door!” Mabel called.
“I got it!” Dipper called back as he opened the door. Dib was standing at the door, he was wearing a big black coat and a blue shirt with a grey, robot-like face on it and in Dib’s hand, clutched tightly in his fist was a suitcase with a sort of eye printed on the front.
“Hi, Dipper!” Dib exclaimed.
“Hi! Would you like to come in?” Dipper said, taking a step away from the front door to allow Dib inside. Dib took a step in and the floorboards creaked. “Yeah, just ignore the floorboards, the building is pretty old.” Dib and Dipper chuckled.
“So...what’s the plan exactly?” Dib asked.
“Oh right! So we can put up a tent in the back and then go into the woods when it gets dark, is that ok?” Dipper said. Dib smiled.
“Sounds good!”
*****
Putting up the tent wasn’t super hard, but it wasn’t easy either. After fumbling around with long bendy poles and crinkly fabric for half an hour, the tent was finally up. The next twenty minutes was spent listening to BABBA, Dib never used to listen to this type of music, but after spending every day with Dipper and having to listen to him humming the melodies during school projects Dib had listened to BABBA and in a week he was hooked.
For dinner they ate pizza and garlic dough balls and the rest of the evening was spent laughing, telling scary stories and telling one another about the crazy adventures they had had.
“I once saved everyone in my class from getting trapped in a room with a moose.” Dib said. Dipper’s eyes widened and he giggled.
“A room with a moose? Really?”
“Yeah! It didn’t sound too bad to start with but then it started eating walnuts and I knew I had to save everyone from that horrible fate.” Dipper laughed loudly.
“My sister’s first boyfriend ended up being a bunch of gnomes!” Dib chuckled heartily.
“Oh! Did you know that in space, banishment is working in a food court for the rest of your life.” Dipper narrowed his eyes.
“That can’t be true.”
“No, I swear it is! Zim escaped from there before he came to Earth!” They continued to tell these strange stories until they deemed it dark enough to venture into the woods.
They put on their shoes and both grabbed a torch and the cryptid and ghost hunts had begun.
*****
Trees stood on either side of them like guards in a castle. The peculiar, eye-like carvings in the trees made them feel as though eyes were watching their every move and Dipper’s skin crawled slightly as he imagined the way he had been watched a few summers previously. Weeds and thorns grew over the grass like hands shooting from the emerald ground, manifesting and consuming anything that got in their way. Before them was an endless tunnel of darkness that threatened to swallow them whole.
They walked through the forest, treading quietly and being careful to try and not scare away anything that could be living behind the shrubbery.
The first thing they did was just walk around the woodland, creeping past the tall wooden soldiers, it was too bright to see cryptids still.
But rather soon, the sun rolled behind the trees and the hunt had officially begun.
Dib and Dipper grinned at each other, the light from the torches reflecting off of Dib’s round glasses making them look like shimmering moons.
“Ready?” Dipper said. Dib nodded.
“Ready.” Dib replied. They began to walk slowly through the dense woodland. The light from their torches reflecting off of the glossy, emerald leaves that sat in large clusters, like creatures huddling together for safety. There was nothing other than a dark void behind the trees, no signs of life.
But every now and then, in the distance birds would spring from their nests cawing frantically, their wings beating so aggressively as they flew away that you could hear them pushing against the wind around them from a mile away. And the sound of leaves rustling and twigs snapping would make the boys' hearts jump and skip a beat and they would feel a sudden rush of scared adrenaline.
But it wasn’t just the ominous foliage that sent chills down their spines. Scattered through the forest were random objects and materials. They stumbled across worn away wooden swings creaked and groaned as the wind pushed against them. A green bench that sat in the center of a clearing, it was like it was watching something in the distance, staring into the cluster of thorns before it with wariness and warning. Old newspapers littered the ground, old sheets of paper that were covered in filth and dirt, the edges were starting to rot away retreating into the soil beneath it.
“Do you know what a wendigo is?” Dipper asked.
“Yes.” Dib replied, his heart beating in his chest.
“Is it true that cannibals turn into Wendigos? That greed allows the spirit of a Wendigo to enter a person?” Dib furrowed his brow.
“Yes...why?”
“I heard there is a cannibal pit here…” Dib’s eyes widened.
“You what?”He hissed.
“I heard that there was a cannibal pit and the only reason the cannibal got caught is because he tripped and fell into the hole with all his victims’ bodies.” Dib shuddered.
“And you think that he might have turned into a wendigo?’ Dipper shrugged. “Well...do you know where this pit supposedly was?” Dipper nodded.
“Yeah, it’s not too far from here...should we check it out?” Dib took a deep breath then nodded.
“Yeah.”
Dipper led the way. They walked in single file down the hardly visible paths. Mud and dirt clinging to the soles’ of their shoes. Their hands clutched the torches tightly like they were the only things keeping them safe in the shrouded darkness around them.
A loud rustling filled the silence. Dipper and Dib both froze, their throats dry. They stood for a moment in the ominous silence that enveloped them like a snake trapping its prey.
A loud shriek filled the air.
A chill ran down the boys’ spines and they felt goosebumps run up their arms. They looked at each other with wide frightened eyes.
“What was that?” Dipper whispered.
“I don’t know…” Dib replied.
There was another shriek, this one more shrill than the last. Another one followed that. Dib’s first thought was that maybe it was a child playing, but there was no way that that sound was human. Dipper thought that maybe it was the sound of two foxes having a fight, but it didn’t sound like any sound he had ever heard a fox make either. The sound was shrill, like the scream of a banshee, it was long and tortured and it rang through the trees like an alarm or siren.
“That can’t have been a fox, right?” Dipper whispered. Dib shook his head.
“No way…” Dipper inhaled. “Come on, the pit is just down this path.” He began to walk away. Dib took one last glance at the foliage around them, wincing, trying to catch a glimpse of the creature that had made the blood-curdling sound. But he saw nothing. He didn’t hear anything either, everything was dead silent. There was no longer the sound of foxes padding through the trees or birds nesting for the night. Now it was silent, so silent that it made Dib squirm. He stood for a second longer before chasing after Dipper.
*****
“This is the spot.” Dipper said. It wasn’t a pit like Dib had expected, but rather a piece of land where the soil was softer. The ground up to this point had been hard and muddy, but here it was soft and you could almost bounce on it.
“So, what do we do now?” Dib asked.
“Well, I know it’s kinda stupid but I have this pendulum thing.” Dipper reached under his shirt and pulled out a small diamond of amethyst attached to a long silver chain. “We could maybe talk to the ghosts, only if you want to though.”
“Let’s do it!” Dib exclaimed in a whisper.
“Really? Cause we don’t have to if you don’t want to, ok?” Dib shook his head.
“No, I want to.” Dipper smiled and took off his hat in order to remove the pendulum. He held it in his hand and put his hat back on, then he held the chain outward and let the amethyst dangle.
“Show me yes.” Dipper said, the pendulum began to swing violently in a circle. He grabbed it and stopped it moving. “Show me no.” The pendulum began to swing side to side. Then he nodded at Dib, urging him to start asking questions, Dib’s eyes widened.
“Is this the cannibal pit?” He stammered, nervously. The pendulum swung in a circle.
“Yes.” Dipper said. “If you feel uncomfortable let me know so we can stop, it might mean that something is wrong.” Dib nodded.
“Do you know if there are any...supernatural creatures...here at all?” Dib stuttered. Once again it swung in a circular motion. Dipper looked at Dib with wide eyes.
“You don’t think the screeching was…?” He trailed off and Dib nodded.
“It must be.” Dib answered.
“Is the creature a Wendigo?” Dipper asked, the pendulum spun violently. Dipper’s heart skipped a beat. “Goodbye.” He said loudly before scrunching the amethyst in his hand and shoving it into his pocket.
“So the screeching really was a-” Dib began, but another shriek filled the air, it was louder than the first one and Dib saw the bushes behind Dipper rustling and shaking...something was behind them but it was too dark to see what lurked behind the shrubbery. “D-Dipper...there’s something behind you…” Dipper’s heart skipped a beat. He turned.
It rose from behind the bushes like smoke from a fire. It rose to fifteen feet tall, a white deer skull took the place of its face, giving it black, sunken eyes that stared at Dib and Dipper. It’s skin was thinly spread across his bones making it seem like there was none at all. If it wasn’t for the light blue tint of the flesh then the creature would have seemed to be nothing more than a skeleton. Under its neck was a thick tuft of black fur that covered the creature's shoulders like a shawl. Ontop it’s head long, stick-like antlers truck from the skull.
For a moment no one moved. The boy’s just stared at the creature with wide, terrified eyes. Then slowly the Wendigo lowered itself. It crouched on the ground with it’s legs splayed in a wide crouch and his hands digging into the floor. It was so boney that they could see it’s spine sticking in between its pointed shoulders.
Slowly, the skull split open revealing row upon row of jagged teeth, drenched in blood and meat.
The creature screamed and shrieked before lunging at the boys. They ran too, snapping out of their terrified trances, their hearts hammering in their chests, adrenaline rushing through their veins. They didn’t stop running and they didn’t look back, they could hear the creature’s feet thumping against the floor as it ran and every few seconds it would shriek again.
Dib jumped behind a bush, pulling Dipper with him.
“Don’t move.” He whispered. “They can sense movement.” The boys crouched behind the shrub panting, they could hear their hearts beating in their chests.
“We can’t keep hiding here.” Dipper whispered. Dib frowned. Then his eyes fell on a large pile of sticks. He smiled.
“Do you know how to make a fire?” Dib whispered. Slowly, Dipper reached into his bag, trying to make as little movement as possible and pulled out a small pack of matches. “Ok, I need you to set fire to those sticks.” Dib said. Dipper shook his head.
“The Wendigo will see me if I move.”
“Then you’ll have to be quick.” Dib said. “This is the only way we are gonna get out of here, we have to try.” Dipper took a deep breath and his shoulders tensed. He nodded and slowly made his way to the sticks.
He could see the Wendigo out of the corner of his eye, prowling along the floor, moving and scuttling like an insect. Dipper’s breath was shaking and so were his hands.
He held out the matchbox and slowly removed a match. He ran it across the edge of the box...nothing happened. He tried again, the match snapped.
“Damn it.” He cursed under his breath. He pulled out another match. The Wendigo was beginning to turn, it would see him for sure.
He ran the match across the box again and just like before it snapped.
The Wendigo was beginning to prowl toward him, his hands were shaking violently.
“Please work…” He whispered. He ran a third match along the box and this time it caught light. He lowered the flames to the sticks and slowly caught fire to them.
He could feel the Wendigo’s breath on him. He could smell the foul, wretched, sour smell of rotten flesh emanating from the creatures lips. He forced himself to be still, every instinct was telling him to run, but he couldn’t. If he ran now he would not escape. His eyes began to sting from tears as he felt the edge of the Wendigo’s skull brush against his cheek. He bit his lip, his whole body tense. He couldn’t move. He couldn’t move. He couldn’t move.
All of a sudden the fire began to roar.
The creature shrieked and fell backward, hissing and screaming as the flames licked around it. Dib jumped to his feet and grabbed Dipper, who was almost frozen in fear.
They ran as fast as they could and didn’t stop until they reached their tent.
They jumped in and closed the entrance of the tent.
They lay down on the floor of the tent, breathing heavily, adrenaline tingling in their fingertips.
Dib began to laugh. The nerves and fear finally escaping him in the form of hysterical giggling. Dipper laughed too.
“We HAVE to do that again some time.” Dib laughed.
“Absolutely!” Dipper chuckled in response.