A/N: I've been avoiding . At first I couldn't figure out why. I know now. My first reason is because of sleep. I upload my stories at night (EST) when I'm supposed to be asleep. Even now I'm tired, but for a different reason. My other reason is more… psychological, I guess. But I don't want to bore you. Anyway, this one-shot is related to my MaBill story (which is currently a WIP). So, enjoy.

How much do we really need light?

This question has been running through my head for a few days now. Some sort of commotion broke out downstairs. It lasted long. Too long. The Shack then went quiet. And dark.

I retreated upstairs to the bedroom when they first showed up. I'd only gotten a glimpse of the creatures before I fled. They were large, and dark, with fangs. I didn't dare look into any of their eyes. There were said to cause madness.

I had discovered an object under the floorboards a few weeks prior, after having to replace them. It's shape was reminiscent of a crystal ball, and inside it was some sort of oil.

I looked into the journal. It's official name was unknown, but it was dubbed the Blood Lamp. Only 3 of them were known to exist in Gravity Falls. To activate it, you need a great amount of blood, hence the name. It only works once.

So there I was, sitting in the dark, clutching the lamp to my chest. Why didn't I just activate it? It was better than sitting in the dark. Hell, anything's better than sitting in the dark. I hate the dark. It's a phobia of mine.

My brother, back when he still talked, said that achluophobia wasn't the fear of being in the darkness, rather that it was a fear of the unknown. So why didn't I light the lamp?

As the hours melted into days, I realized, it's not about not knowing. It's about not wanting to know. I don't want to go downstairs and see the aftermath. I wanted to stay up here, pretend everything was alright, that Dip and I were just playing a game of hide-and-seek. One that went on forever, since he was always terrible at this game.

The attack happened at night, right before bedtime. I had went downstairs to get some water. A glass for me, and a glass for my brother. I never saw him drink the water, but it was always empty when I returned later. The Mystery Shack lurched to the side. Then again. And again. Then the creatures came.

I found out the next day that the entire building had been cast into some sort of black void. I could've helped. Wendy, Stan, Soos, they're all gone. If they were still alive they'd have gotten me. Right?

I should've gone to check on Dipper. It's too late now, surely there's something up in the attic waiting for me. I don't want to know. I should. I know I should. It's my job to check on Dipper. And I can't let him down.

I stood up. Or, I tried to. The gravity was... off. It didn't seem heavy enough. I got up again and tripped over something sharp. I felt blood trickling down my left leg. I was soon aware that I was still holding the unlit lamp in my hand.

Why don't I just light the lamp?