Chapter Text
After a series of introductions, everyone had moved to the upstairs living area. The first reason for this was that the windows had been blacked out and Rupert had flipped the breakers so it was the only room able to be lit in the house. This was mostly to keep hostile groups from making camp in the building but also meant that Rupert had the upper hand in an attack, he could see in the dark after all.
The second was the space heater, it was unnaturally cold at night even when Bill allowed summer. It was the warmest part of the house without the risk of drawing attention with chimney smoke.
Rupert had put on an electric kettle and was making some kind of stew with bits and pieces of people’s rations. It smelled surprisingly good. Dib called it “Stone Soup” and it was apparently a specialty of Dib and Rupert’s old group, before they all got separated. The bear tasted it and asked Dipper off-handedly, “What are you all doing out here anyways? Most of the area’s been picked clean mechanical wise, so you can’t be scavenging.”
“We’re looking for my twin sister, Mabel. We came from Gravity Falls, in Oregon.”
Rupert choked on a piece of meat in surprise. Dib laughed and thumped his back, “Yeah, we hiked a ways.”
“I’ll say you have, hell of a walking holiday! You’re in what was Nevada, according to my road map here and some road signs this was the suburbs of Carson City. You think she’s out here?”
Dipper replied, “Luz got a lead from a guy who said he saw a bubble floating over the highway while he was evacuating. It sounded like it was here but now I’m not sure…”
Rupert went very still.
Dib nudged him with his shoulder, “You okay?”
After a long moment, the bear asked, “Was the bubble pink with a shooting star on it?”
Dipper’s heart started to beat faster and everyone else’s gaze was now fixed on Rupert.
“Yes.”
Rupert turned down the heat and looked at Dipper, “I saw it for the first time a week or so ago, closer to the Sierra Nevada. Didn’t think much of the thing, stayed away from it actually. The land shifted around a lot underneath, would occasionally spit something nasty out like a Ghom or a giant centipede-”
Sasha snapped, “Get to the point!”
Anne swatted at her friend unsuccessfully and hissed, “Sash! Don’t be rude!”
“I’m not I-”
Rupert held up his hand for silence then continued, “A couple of days ago I was collecting some dandelion leaves nearby and the bubble broke. Not popped, cracked so violently I thought it was a gunshot. Two figures fell out and I ran to try to help somehow, I know a little magic, but the land switched right as I stepped on it. They fell into the Unknown I think, there was a lake, lots of mist. Then I got sent to the edge of the city and had to hike back in the dark. I’ve been looking for thin places to try and find the two people but the Unknown is finicky. I’m guessing one was your sister?”
Dipper nodded, unable to speak. Luz squealed and hugged him and Anne put her hand on his shoulder encouragingly.
Hunter spoke up, “We can go look in the morning, it’s not safe this time of night” he looked at Rupert and asked, “Can you take us to the spot?”
“Absolutely I can. Let’s eat and sleep, we’ll go first thing tomorrow.”