Nightmares and Invasions

Hi, everybody! I've got a new story here! Normally, I take a single character and retell the story from their perspective, but this time, I thought I'd change it up. This is an original storyline with characters from the show Invader Zim. We'll go through the first person perspectives of Dib, Gaz and Zim, and whose perspective it is is stated at the top of the chapter.

Now that Christmas is over, Zim has come up with a new plan: to get Dib out of his way. He has accused Dib of being insane, sending him straight to the Crazy House for Boys. Dib has to struggle to keep his mind intact while Zim rejoices in the fact that Dib can no longer bother him. While Dib is locked up, Gaz is enjoying her newfound quiet time, but she can't shake the feeling that something is wrong.

Trigger warnings: The only real trigger warning is servere depression, and there's this one scene that involves a sensory deprivation tank, so it's kinda torturey.

Other than that, I hope you enjoy!

Chapter One: Dib

"He's an alien! Why can't you all see that?" I shouted. I lost count of how many times I had yelled those same words months ago, but it doesn't matter. They had to believe me. Sooner or later, Zim would reveal himself.

The entire class collectively groaned and slouched in their seats, Miss Bitters stared us all down with contempt, and Zim just looked at me, smirking while resting his elbow on his desk and supporting his green head with his clawed hand. "How many times must I say this, Big Head? I am a normal human worm baby," he taunted.

"Yeah, Dib!" someone from the class shouted.

"Get off the desk!"

"Believe it or not, but actually learning something would be better than this!"

I was about to just shrug it off and obsess about it later like I always do, but then Zim suddenly sat up, his smirk disappearing from his expression before returning again. Only it was ten times deeper and ten times more mischievous than before.

Zim rushed up onto his own desk and pointed one of his long, clawed fingers towards Miss Bitters. "Old Bat Teacher!" he called even louder than me. "I invoke the Crazy Card!"

"Are you sure, Zim?" she questioned, though it sounded more like a statement than a question-the same way all of her questions sound. Her long, black-clothed arm slithered under her desk and opened a drawer. "We only get three Crazy Cards a month. Do you want to use it on Dib?"

Zim slunk back down into his chair, not taking his beady eyes off of me. "I'm sure, Miss Bitters. I've put up with Planet-Sized Head Dib and his accusations long enough. There was even a documentary that questioned his sanity," he announced in his annoyingly high pitched voice.

I had only spent a few hours in that asylum last time, and I never wanted to go back. Granted, most of the time, I was trapped inside and alternate dimension that my own mind created, but still. That only made it worse.

"Very well, Zim," Bitters agreed.

I jumped off of my desk as our shadow of a teacher approached me, Crazy Collar in hand. I backed away from her, but she only advanced faster and faster. I turned from her and ran. Luckily, I'm younger than her by...a lot of years, I'm sure, so I have more endurance. I can keep this up longer than she can. But she was still faster than I expected, and running in circles around the other students while they cheered and Zim laughed maniacally was getting me nowhere-literally and figuratively.

As Bitters' cloaked form loomed over me, I ducked down and slid under Zim's desk and to the door. "Hey!" Zim shouted after me. "Watch where you're sliding, Earth thing!"

I stopped for a split second and turned back to him and the rest of the class. "See! If Zim is human, why would he call a fellow human an 'Earth thing'?"

Bitters materialized in front of me and thrust the Collar towards me, but I ducked under her reach and took off down the hall. I didn't get far before something hit me in the back of my neck with enough force to push me to the ground. Whatever hit me wrapped around my throat like a relentless snake. I reached up to try to pry it off, but it was cold and hard, and the blinking red light coming from below my range of vision told me that they had gotten the Collar onto me. It wouldn't be long until they came to cart me off again.

"Don't bother running anymore, Dib," someone suggested. I easily recognized the voice as Miss Bitters. I turned around to find her standing above me with her arm out and the entire class behind her. She must have thrown the Collar. I had always suspected that there was something supernatural about her, too. Who on Earth could throw this thick, heavy and unbalanced thing with enough accuracy to get it onto someone's neck? "I think I'm not just speaking for the class or the school, but practically the entire city when I say that we've had enough of your insanity," she continued.

Zim came out from behind her as the students cheered. He folded his arms and stared at me with one of the most smug looks.

I grumbled as I got up again. These Collars contained a GPS tracker, so it wasn't like I could hide, and these people had resources that outmatched mine a million to one, so I couldn't run either. I could resign to this or fight. When I fought the last time, it didn't make a difference, but it was still better than resigning myself to them.

A window shattered, and a door burst open, sending shards of wood and glass in every direction. People in armored suits closed in on me from every side. They poured through the broken window and door and marched up the hallway. They all grabbed for me at once, but I ducked away, keeping myself just out of their reach.

I backed up further and further until I ran into something. Something with clawed hands that dug into my skin forced my arms behind my back. "Here. I'll help you!" Zim offered loudly before lowering his voice to speak just to me. "See you never, Dib," he spat.

It was obvious that he had planned this, but him practically admitting to it didn't make me any less angry.

I shouted as they grabbed me and dragged me away from the class and out of the school. Zim's evil laughter echoed even outside. I struggled against them as they forced me into another white straight jacket, but they were much stronger than I was. They wrestled me into the jacket and threw me into the back of their van. I landed on the cushioned floor, and the door slammed closed behind me. I struggled to get myself to stand up again, and after a minute or so, I managed to right myself. Only to be thrown to the floor again as the van started to move.

I was bumped around the entire van for what seemed like hours. It felt like whoever was driving this thing was driving rough on purpose. My dad had called me crazy enough that part of me grew worried that he'd actually send me away like this, so in a fit of midnight paranoia, I had worked out a way to get out of a straight jacket. I never thought that I'd have to use it, but it did come in handy during the whole alternate-universe-based-off-my-imagination thing. I had plenty of opportunity to get out of this jacket the last time, but the van wasn't stable enough. Every time I got to my feet to get out of it, I was thrown back down to the floor or into a wall. "Hey! You think you could drive a little smoother? I'm getting tossed around like a rag doll in here," I requested.

"We're not going to let you work your way out of that thing and escape like last time, Dib," one of the people up front responded.

Great. So they're going to be on high-alert when it comes to me this time. I might not have an opportunity to escape. Especially if they keep driving like this.

After what felt like an eternity of flailing around as I tried to work my way out of this jacket, the van finally stopped. As soon as everything settled, I got to my feet and started to make progress on the jacket. I had gotten the sleeves undone so that my arms weren't strapped to my sides anymore. I tried to worm my way out of the rest of it, but the door was thrown open before I could.

I gasped and froze as they laid eyes on me. I could fight them better because my arms weren't restrained, but my hands were still tied together. There wasn't much I could do because I'd basically just be waving my sleeves at them like a child in pajamas that were too big for him.

After a few seconds of hesitation as they tried to figure out how I was working my way out of this thing, one of the drivers charged at me. He was so large in stature that he barely fit inside. He reached for me, but I dropped to the floor and scrambled forward as best as I could. I got past him and rolled out onto the ground. I forced myself up and started to run, but I was grabbed from behind and dragged back towards the van. People in lab coats surrounded me and others held me down while they re-secured the straight jacket I had undone.

I struggled against them, but it was no use. They held firm and dragged me into the Crazy House for Boys. Once inside, they strapped me to a bed and wheeled me quickly down the darkened hall. I didn't have the strength to push against the straps that were keeping me secured to the bed and the straight jacket all at once, but I couldn't give up. I didn't know what they would do to me if I stayed here.

By the time they had brought me to the same evaluation room as last time, my muscles were so exhausted that I couldn't fight anymore. They attached the electrodes to my head and displayed my brain waves on monitors for the council that was surrounding me on the level above. They could see how panicked I was if not from looking at me, then from looking at those monitors. That wasn't good. I had to calm down and appear normal so that they would let me go.

I took deep breaths to try to calm my racing heart as the same man who asked me questions last time approached the bed I was strapped to. "Dib, this is your second visit with us. Last time, you claimed that one of your classmates was an alien from outer space. Do you still believe this?"

Of course I did. How could I not? There was too much evidence. I wanted to explain it like I always do, but I forced the words down. I couldn't say anything. If I told the truth, they would keep me here for who knows how long, and if I lied, I would get caught. These people were psychologists, psychiatrists and everything in between. It would be easy for them to catch me in a lie.

"The silent treatment this time, Dib?" the same man said, turning to the monitors. "You're smart. Smart enough to recognize that you need help, I hope. You'll do no one any good by staying quiet."

I held my ground and said nothing.

"No matter," the man sighed as the turned back to me. "We bought the child you accused here to testify."

The man looked upwards into the blinding lights, and I followed his gaze, watching as Zim came out of the darkness. My hands fisted in resentment, and my heart rate and breathing accelerated again.

"It is true, brain doctor!" Zim agreed. "Dib," he spat my name, "has been accusing me of being an alien since I had arrived on this planet-I mean in this town! And he did so again today, standing upon his desk and yelling it to the sky!"

"No, I didn't!" I yelled back, straining to prevent the council from listening to him. A small shock from the electrodes around my head made me hiss.

"Dib," the doctor with me began, "the electrodes shocked you because you lied. Therefore, for the second time, we declare you crazy, and you shall remain here either until we determine that you are cured or for the rest of your life."

"What?" I exclaimed. I thought I did it right this time. I stayed silent, but Zim. "No!" I yelled as I was wheeled away again, taken deeper in to the Crazy House than I have ever been with Zim's laughter echoing after me.

I hope everyone liked the first chapter! I have several chapters already written-though the story isn't completed-so I should update fairly regularly until I run out of chapters. I hope to see you soon for chapter two!