Chapter Seventeen

(Dipper)

I shakily awoken from the dream I was having while falling in asleep in the car. My forehead was sweaty and I was shaking. It was night time and we're still driving.

Tom was on the wheels while Dennis laid slumped in the passenger seat, I could tell he was just exhausted. I sighed a sat up, my mind still hazy and ripe from being ripped away from sleep like that.

"Hey Dipper buddy, you awake?" I heard Tom whisper softly. "Y-Yeah hey" I whispered back.

"How did you sleep? You were making weird noises but I didnt want to wake you" he said. "Yeah, I uh, I was having a n-nightmare. It was really intense so it caused me to wake up."

"Oh no, do you wanna talk about it?" Tom asked thoughtfully. I smiled at his act of kindness and thought why not, "yeah let's do it."

"Well, the dream basically started in kind of a dark place you know, the air felt toxic and it was hard to breathe" I explained, my hand subconsciously reached my throat.

"I was looking for you guys all over the place, buildings would pop up and I would look inside but you were no where to be found" I felt my heart become heavy and my throat a little dry as I continued to recall.

"Everytime I would find you guys, you would disappear into thin air like you were never there in the first place" I swallowed the lump in my throat.

"It repeated over and over until I finally found you guys one last time, slumped over my dead body.." I paused. "Aw buddy" Tom began.

"Eating it" I finished

"What?" he asked alarmed

"You guys were eating my body, tearing into me like I was a delicious meal." Tom eyes looked into mine with pity. "I'm sorry you had to go through that dream buddy, we would never leave you ever." he said firmly.

"You're stuck with us now, and we cant let anyone else hurt you ok?" he smiled fondly at me. That calmed my thumping heart down as I returned his warm smile, humming in response.

We continued driving in a peaceful silence just enjoying the company. Dennis began to stir in his sleep before he woke up with a foggy look in his eyes.

"Mm hey guys" Dennis said in a voice deeper then his usual one. "H-Hey Dennis, how'd you sleep?" Tom asked with a rising blush on his face.

Dennis smirked as he and I could both see the blush on Tom's face despite the darkness surrounding us and the car. "I slept good, are you ready to sleep?" he said looking behind us to make sure the other group was still following.

"Yes, I've been dosing off so much I swerved the car a few times while you guys were sleeping" he chuckles. "Yeah, come I'll signal them" Dennis sticks his hand out of the window and waves them to stop.

I heard the tires of our friends car screech a little before stopping. We all get out of the car and meet Daniel and the others half way. "How are you guys holding up?" Dennis says as he stretches with a yawn. "As good as we can hold up in the zombie apocalypse" Jean's sighs rubbing the sleep put of his eyes.

"How long do you think its gonna be before we will get to the next city?" Daniel asked. "Wherever or whatever it is, I hope it doesnt take long. I'm hungry we and need to get more food to rationalize" Klancy says.

"Yeah I agree, were running low, it turns out we didnt have as much as we thought when we first checked back at the other city" Tom says.

"Alright, what do you guys say we head back on the road? I'm ready to get to the next place as fast as possible" Dennis says.

Everyone agrees and start heading for their cars, Once we reached ours Tom switched places with Dennis. Tom plopped in the passenger seat with a sigh as he smiled cheekily to himself, "finally I can catch some Z's" he sighed crossing his arms and sinking into the seat.

Dennis smiled at Tom, a look of admiration was crossing his face. I can tell he feels something for Tom strongly.

Dennis makes himself comfortable in the drivers seat as hes signals the others to start driving. "Alright, let's hope we actually get somewhere huh?" he said looking back at me and over at Tom.

Tom and I both nodded before relaxing into the comfort of the car

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I wope up stiff, the sun was beaming like always right into the car. We weren't moving and I didnt here any noise.

Panicking, I sat up and immediately looked around for Dennis or Tom. I was in a city, it looks slightly beaten but most of the buildings were intact.

I calmed my beating heart once I saw Dennis and Tom just a few feet away from the car talking to the others.

I got out of the car a little more eagerly then I meant to, rushing to their side and feeling safe again. Everyone stopped talking once they saw me, Dennis and Tom smiled.

"Hey buddy, sorry I didnt wake you" he said scratching his neck.

"I-its fine, what's going on where are we?" I asked noticing the weary looks the others were giving me.

"Uh, were in some kind of humongous city at the end of the state. We think their might be a city here-" Jean interrupted Dennis, "and you're not invited to come along with us freak" Jean spat out.

"One of you is enough" he said firmly. Dennis glared at Jean like his eyes were daggers and got ready to pounce.

"Jean watch your fucking mouth before I replace it" Dennis spat venomously. Jean back up with his eyes widened and averted his gaze, embarrassed to have showed fear.

"W-what? I dont understand why are you saying that?" I asked beginning to panic. "Its because you're crazy just like Dennis and we cant have another hazard in the group" Klancy spat.

"I-I dont understand.." I said, tears falling from my eyes as I felt helpless and overwhelmed.

The others began to argue and bicker, Dennis pushed me behind his back when Jean made a violent gesture towards me.

I stopped paying attention to what they said, the world around me began deafening as a new feeling took over my body. My tears long dried up, I clenched my hands and felt a blinding heat surge all over my body.

I was angry, very angry that I've been mistreated my entire life up until this point, I'm taking a fucking stand.

"SHUT UP!" I yelled silencing everyone with surprise.

"I'm so SICK and TIRED of having EVERYBODY treat me like shit!" I stomped.

"I've done NOTHING to you guys, and I've even PROTECTED you from zombies, why are you acting like I'm some kind of rabid beast?" I backed up.

"Dipper buddy woah, it's ok calm down" Dennis reached for me, I smacked his hand away and jumped back.

"NO" I screamed, "no.." as quickly as the anger came it was far gone. Everyone was staring at me with either fear, or pity.

"Cmere Dipper, I'm sorry" Dennis said opening his arms, I ran into them and began crying harshly, I couldn't be angry like that for long it was too much.

"Now do you see what I mean? Both of them are dangerous" Jean said crossing his arms.

"JEAN SHUT THE FUCK UP" both Tom and Dennis yelled, succeeding in shutting his mouth. "All of you are cruel pieces of shit, weve helped you, protected you, befriended and even pitied you but you still treat us like monsters" Dennis spoke.

"Were not gonna sit here and just take it alright? I'm done, were done. You fuckers are on your own" Dennis finished.

We began walking back towards the car having a stare off with the others, Dennis set me into the back seat and smiled at me, I smiled weakly back.

His face turned serious as he stood back up and walked over to the group. "If you ever try to sabotage us like that again, I will drive my sword so far up your ass maybe you'll be come a "freak" like us" he threatened.

He then walked back over to the car and sat inside the drivers seat, turning the ignition and wasting no time dusting off.

"You ok buddy?" Tom asked me, "yeah, thank you Tom. You too Dennis, you guys always stick up for me and I'm grateful for that" I said fondly.

"Yeah no problem buddy, we'll always be there for you" Dennis said, "now we just gotta find a house" Dennis sighed.

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