Dipper could feel Bill's ominous presence behind him as he trudged through the forest, his head hung in defeat. The sun had set long ago and the only lights that could guide him in the gray world were emanating from Grunkle Stan's lantern in front of him and Bill's floating figure behind him. The triangle had tried to speak to him a few times, but Dipper had ignored each of his attempts. He wasn't dead, Dipper refused to believe it. He had to be having some sort of out of body experience, yeah. That was exactly what was happening.

Mabel had fled from the forest after Dipper had fallen from the tree tops and made her way back to the Shake. The boy with the birthmark had tried to fall back into his body just like he had when Bill had possessed him, however his efforts proved unfruitful. Unable to do anything else, Dipper followed his sister back and watched as she told their great uncle what had happened.

Mabel had taken the lead in their little search party leading Stan and Soos through the dark woods toward the small creek where Dipper's body lay and the boy hated the fact that he could do nothing but watch. Not to mention that he had an interdimensional pain in the ass following his every move.

"Going to see your dead body, I have to admit this is morbid, Pine Tree. I like it." Bill chattered behind him.

Dipper rolled his eyes and pushed on through the darkness following the glow of the lantern. The light threw shadows against the trees making the night even more daunting. He let out a small sigh as he shoved his hands into his pocket and stared down at his feet that made no sound as he stepped on twigs and leaves. As far as he could tell no one beyond Bill could see him, which was increasingly frustrating as he refused to speak a single word to the demon. When he touched any of his family Dipper was filled with a cold unpleasant feeling and in return those he touch would become overwhelmed with grief. After coming to that realization he decided it would be best to keep his hands to himself.

Lost in his thoughts, Dipper didn't even notice when the group in front of him stopped. He walked straight through Mabel and cursed at himself as she let out a muffled sob.

"He's over there." She whispered, pointing toward the sound of water flowing.

Once Dipper got control of his shaking, he watched as Stan briefly placed a comforting hand on his twin's shoulder and disappeared over the steep incline toward the bank. Staying rooted where he was beside his twin sister, Dipper watched the light disappear as he held his breath.

"Waiting for a miracle?" Bill asked as he crossed his arms behind his pointy head. "I can tell you it's not going to happen, kid. You're as dead as a doornail. Quit holding your breath, you don't need it anymore."

Dipper again ignored him and watched as Stan's figure once again appeared. His great uncle had the lantern attached to his belt as a figure was held carefully in his arm. The old man looked up to them, his face masked in shadow, but Dipper could have sworn he saw a single silver tear roll down his face as he shook his head in the smallest of motions.

"Aw, little dude…" Soos mumbled as he stumbled toward Stan.

Mabel remained where she was, her head hung and gasps coming from her as she furiously whipped her nose with the sleeve of her torn sweater. Dipper felt his stomach drop out from under him. This wasn't real. He was dreaming, he hit his head in the fall and at any second he would wake up in the Shack and Grunkle Stan would be laughing at him.

But the only laughing that was being done was from Bill. "Ah, humans, holding on to hope until the very end. I have to admit that it's not as amusing as it used to be. Are you going to continue to torture yourself by following them. Who'd of thought that an insignificant squirt such as yourself would leave such a big crater in their ity bity pathetic human hearts."

Dipper finally snapped. "Get out of my head! Leave me alone, you've had your fun, now let me wake up from this nightmare!"

Bill began to glow a red aura around his edges. "I have bigger fish to fry than to play around with puny human brains for sport."

"Then why am I in the Dream Scape?" He demanded.

The red slowly melted away and Dipper could have sworn that he heard a note of pity in the demon's voice, which infuriated him. "You continue to think you know everything, Pine Tree."

"Then where am I?" He seethed. "How do I get back to my body?"

"Nowhere." He said, crossing his legs and swinging his cane in wide arcs. "and you don't."

Dipper watched as Stan passed his still form to Soos and wordlessly shut his eyes. His skin was as white as snow, and his mouth was still open in a silent scream; the last moment of terror forever preserved on his face. He couldn't even pretend that he was sleeping peacefully. The body held so gently in Soos's arms was a monstrosity. It's limbs were bent and broken and it's clothes were torn and patched with blood. He didn't want that to be his families last image of him.

Stan shrugged off his jacket and placed it over Dipper's broken form, shielding him from Mabel's view. Shifting the body back into his arms he bowed his head and let out a great sigh. His great uncle was far beyond his glory days, but in that that moment Stan looked far older than Dipper had ever seen him. The weight of the world was crushing him as he dragged his feet back through the woods and toward the Shack, Mabel and Soos following somberly.

"You're just like your great uncle…" Stan whispered to the body in his arms. Dipper could see his journal stuffed into the man's back pocket. "This never would have happened if Ford was here instead of me… He knew how to handle this town.. I never meant… never wanted for this to happen…"

"Even old Sixer couldn't have stopped this." Dipper heard Bill chuckle, but he was too hung up on his Grunkle's guilt to question the demon.

"W- why is this happening…?" He whispered, unable to follow his family any farther. "I don't want to see this. Isn't there supposed to be some sort of light or great beyond or whatever?"

"You really think that?" Bill questioned, sounding mildly surprised

"This is the afterlife, isn't it…?" He asked softly, desperation ringing in his tone.

"Not everyone makes it to a better place, kid."

Dipper saw the last of Stan's light disappear and he was left alone in the black wood with the demon of nightmares. "I'm in hell?"

He jumped at Bill's sudden outburst of roaring laughter. "Life is hell, kid. If you ask me this place is much better. You lost your chances at ever seeing the Pearly Gates after you shook hands with me."

A sudden rage washed over Dipper as he snapped his head up to glare at the demon. It wasn't fair, how was he to know that making a deal for a stupid password would damn him for all eternity?

"So I'm supposed to wander around until everyone I know dies?" He snarled, stalking closer toward Bill. "I have to stay in this limbo until the world disappears and only I'm left?"

"I'd watch that temper, Pine Tree." Bill told him as his aura began to glow a light shade of red. "People who lose themselves here are never found again."

Dipper took several deep breaths and closed his eyes. Pinching the bridge of his nose, he sighed. "What do you mean? Where am I?"

"I told you, you're Nowhere. It's easy to let your emotions get the better of you here, and when your true face reveals itself, well things get pretty ugly." Bill jerked his thumb over his shoulder toward what looked like an eyeball with bat wings. It had a purple glow that engulfed it as it soared through the woods. "See that guy? He was a French painter. Offed himself so that his work would become famous, it didn't. He got so angry that he sprouted wings and took off."

Dipper gave Bill a strange look. "So he lost his humanity and now he's… whatever that is?"

"Can't say he had much humanity to begin with, he's French."

Shaking his head, Dipper didn't know what to think. It was a dream, it had to be. Bill was the demon of Nightmares after all. Yeah, this was the Dream Scape and Bill was playing with his mind. Dipper pinched his arm, but felt nothing. A strange empty hole was burning within him, like a part of him was missing.

"That's your soul's detachment from your physical body." Bill piped up, and Dipper's eye twitched. "You'll get used to it, unless you become one of those Phantoms. Then you just 'POOF' are gone without a trace, no more Pine Tree."

Dipper really didn't like the sound of that. From Bill's garbled way with words what the boy gathered was that if he couldn't hold on to what really kept him human, then he would wind up as one of the spirits that haunted the woods. As if reading his thoughts, Bill spoke up again.

"I can help preserve you, if you are willing to make a deal."

Okay, another chapter done. Please leave me some comments I really enjoy constructive criticism. I have this fear that I am not writing Bill correctly. I posted this chapter last night, but for some reason only half posted, so I took it down.

Please review!