Hey! this chapter is pretty short, but I'm thinking of making more frequent shorter chapters so I can really get this story out. Thanks again to everyone that is continuing to read this :) I'll put a little note at the end about some of the stuff that's happening.

Liz stepped through the portal and into a luxurious room. Deep reds and dark hues accompanied by soft candlelight made it look like a romance novelist's dream. All that was missing was a canopy bed covered in rose petals. Demons. Liz shook her head.

Behind her she heard footsteps. "It took you long enough," Liz said a bit tartly. She was still pissed about her hair, despite the fact that the whole situation had saved them.

"That's not my fault," Dib said defensively, then when she didn't move he sighed, annoyed. "It's just hair, so sorry," he said not sounding the least bit sincere. "Stop being so ungrateful." His attitude was not gaining any brownie points and it was pissing her off a bit. Typical boy, having no idea what he had done.

She turned to face Dib. "Look at me," Liz pointed to her head. "Do you have any idea how long it takes to grow out hair to that length? It will be months before I can tame it again," Liz pouted and ran her fingers through the kinky locks.

"Can't you just will it longer? Or transform?" Dib crossed his arms and waved his hand around in little circles adding a silent 'or something'.

Liz scrunched up her face in utter confusion. "What?"

"Well," Dib inspected his hand a moment before side glancing at her. "It's not like you're human. It's perfectly reasonable to think that your kind can do something like that."

"Wh-at?" Liz felt a stab of pain in her chest. Dib was being highly insensitive. "D-Don't be stupid, Dib," Liz said trying to brush the comment off and forced a smile. He didn't mean it, she knew he didn't. "I'm fully human. That's a bit harsh."

Dib raised his eyebrows in surprise. "Did I hurt your feelings?" he scoffed then began laughing in earnest. "You're human enough to get hurt by words, yet not human enough where it counts," he laughed like it was the funniest thing he'd heard.

"What the hell, Dib?" Liz shouted, hurt but more angry. "You have the same blood in your veins too."

"Oh, no, no, no," Dib smiled and held up his hands. "I'm human, the bad blood in my ancestry is practically non existent, but you," he pointed at her. "All you have is demon blood in you. I bet you even have a demonic form, just like all the demons here."

"I'm a quarter human!" Liz protested. "And I was born this way," she slapped a hand to her chest. "I've never had any other form and I don't have weird powers. Sure, I'm a bit more proficient at inter-dimensional spells, but that's it, and you know it."

Dib grinned knowingly at her. "Just like a demon to lie. We both know what you're capable of when the facade drops. No human can bash in a skull like that with their bare hands. I bet in your blood lust you didn't even notice that your hands changed shape," Dib advanced towards her and Liz froze wide-eyed.

"T-That's not true," Liz frantically tried to remember, but the whole thing was a bit of a red rage-filled blur in her mind.

"Oh, it's true," Dib said and began circling around her eying her up and down. Liz did her best to turn with him and keep him in her sights. "It's just a matter of time before that paper mask you built up is torn away completely, then the world will see you for what you really are. I'm just surprised I didn't notice it until now." Dib stopped circling to stand in front of her. "I didn't have the chance to compare until I was brought here, but I can see it very clearly now. You are just like them."

Liz stared wide-eyed at Dib, tears filling her eyes. She couldn't clearly remember. Is it true? Her mind whispered and in the darkest parts of herself she feared the answer.

"Don't believe me?" Dib taunted. "Let's put the appearance aside for now. Let's just look at what's most important, the inside," Dib mocked maliciously. "You're selfish, Liz. You care for nothing but yourself."

"I care about my family," Liz countered, but her voice was a small whisper.

"Family?" Dib repeated raising one eyebrow. "You mean that group of criminals? The demons of human society? Or do you mean your blood-relations? How like a demon," Dib sneered "You only care about ones that could be considered a part of yourself. Your family shares your blood. It's the demon in you that makes you stick close to them. Of course, you've probably twisted that in your own head to make you believe you actually love them. But you and I know the truth, your blood is just drawn to itself.

"No," Liz whispered and Dib stepped behind her to speak next to her ear.

"You and your brother were especially close," Dib said making the word sound dirty. "He only cared about you and you only let him care about you. It wasn't until you were completely out of the picture that he was finally free. Free from you, free to escape your blood's curse. Unlike you, he had more human in him to fight away the evil. But with you around he couldn't live as a human, you made sure of that. Didn't you ever wonder why you suddenly became so sick that your brother had to give up everything to care for you?"

"I caught a disease," Liz mumbled uncertainly.

"Is that what you think?" Dib laughed loudly. "A disease? Hardly. You were just reaching the end of your maturity and your demonic blood was taking over. There isn't anything human in you. You only care about me because I have your brother's blood. Soon enough that tainted blood in you will take over and you'll come after me."

Liz stared at Dib. "I would ever hurt you."

Dib gave her a disgusted look. "That's not what I mean and you know it. Your brother is long dead, and good thing too. If he hadn't put you away it would only have been a matter of time before your blood sought him out. I should lock you away as well, soon enough your true nature will emerge and you'll try to ensnare me. It's only a matter of time, afterall...like father..."

"No," Liz whispered her eyes widening with horror. She wasn't like that monster. She would never...with her own family.

"...like daughter," Dib whispered in her ear.

"NO!" Liz slapped Dib across the face. His head whipped to the side. After a moment he slowly he turned his head back to look at her. Liz gasped and took a trembling step backwards only to have her legs give way. "No, no, no, no," Liz repeated. Along Dib's face were three long slashes.

"Monster," Dib hissed. "Demon."

"No!" Liz looked down at her shaking hands, they looked normal to her but what if they weren't? She didn't feel them become claws, but her palm was lacking that tingling sensation after slapping someone. What it if it was all true? "No," Liz whispered and gripped her head. "No. It can't be true."

"Oh, but it is," Dib said crouching down in front of her. She reached out and brushed her hand along the wounds, at her touch the skin knitted together and she pulled her hand back as if burned. "Do me a favor, Liz, and just disappear," Dib said in a soft voice. Liz felt her tears fall freely and she curled in on herself to get as far from his touch as she could. "Go to sleep and never wake up. If there is anything human left in you, you'll do this. Your existence is a mistake and if you live you will only bring me suffering. Just die, Liz. Die for me."

...Her vision began to darken...

This was the point where a bright light would come and banish the dark memory. Then she would feel that welcoming warmth surround her and bring her to blissful unconsciousness before the horrible dark drew her back into her nightmare. But the light had been becoming dimmer and dimmer each time. Liz was beginning to think that the light was just her hopeful thinking. She wanted that memory to be false. She didn't want to believe it, but after reliving it countless times it was becoming harder and harder to deny.

This time the light didn't come at all. Instead, a cold darkness took grip of her, pulling her up. She couldn't move, the darkness made her limbs numb. It surrounded her and its presence became heavier, until she could feel it wrap around her entire body, smothering her. She had to move, she had to. If she gave up she would die. And despite the lure of death, the promise of peace and the end of her eternal nightmare, there was something...just out of reach...something in a hidden part of her mind, it told her she couldn't die yet. It was that tiny spark left in her that fought desperately against the numbing darkness.

The rest of her wanted to give up, to just slip away. What was the point? Why continue? She had so little energy left, the darkness surrounding her was too heavy. There was nothing she could do to fight it, so why try?

Try, that small inner voice urged. Even if it's just a finger.

Liz didn't see the point, but if only to prove it was hopeless, she tried.

Her finger twitched...and the darkness exploded into light.

Liz opened her eyes. Everything was a blurry shade of pink. She was floating in something. Her mind then snapped awake: she was submerged and didn't have a breathing apparatus on. She was going to drown! Becoming fully alert, Liz flung her arms out and they hit a smoothed curved surface. She was trapped behind glass and the pink stuff was all around her.

On instinct she gasped pulling more of the thick substance into her lungs and throat. The sensation was so foreign and alarming that her brain never registered that despite her lungs being filled with the stuff, she was still receiving oxygen. So she panicked and wildly flailed until she felt the substance drain. Swimming up, her head broke the surface as the pink ooze level rapidly decreased.

It left her on the grated floor and her body did the logical thing and expelled the ooze from her lungs. Liz's eyes watered as her chest heaved and she vomited pink. Inhaling, sweet air filled her lungs. No longer in fear of dying she placed her hands out on the glass. She was inside a tube, a glass tube like some sort of...experiment.

Panic gripped her heart and Liz pressed her forehead against the glass prison. Her worst fears were confirmed. She was in a lab, trapped in a lab. Primal fear electrified all her senses and Liz slapped her hands against the glass. How long would she be trapped? Why was she trapped? How much air did she have left?

"Let me out!" Liz screamed and pounded against the glass. It was thick and there was no one around. She was trapped. No no no no no. Panic took hold of all rational thought and screaming she threw her full weight against the glass.

She heard a hiss and the glass began to lift. Liz threw herself to the floor and crawled out of the cage. The floor was cold and metallic. Lifting her head she saw tubes, wires, unfamiliar machines, test tubes, glasses and screens displaying unreadable data. Where am I? What happened? How...how long have I been asleep? The last question made her blood run cold. She had obviously been in some sort of suspended or sleeping state. But why? And How? By who? And for how long? She was afraid to know. Her nightmare, the memory of her experience at the Challenge, came to the forefront of her mind.

Her body began shaking and she crawled backwards away from the unknown equipment. Did Dib do this? Was he still alive? Or was this hundreds of years in the future? Was she going to be passed off to Dib's descendants again? Or were they going to do what should have happened to her long ago?

Fresh tears streamed down her cheeks. Liz hated herself because despite knowing she should, she didn't want to die. Her back hit the wall. There was nowhere she could run, but she had to get away. She couldn't face them now. She didn't want to die, but she couldn't stay. She was a monster, Dib had proven that to her.

"Lemme out!" she shouted. Someone would have to hear her. They had to let her go. She had to get as far away as possible. "LEMME OUT!" She couldn't be here. She had to run. To get away, as far away as possible. "LEMME OUT!" her voice sounded foreign to her own ears, high pitched and screechy... just like a demon.

She heard a voice, but couldn't process what it said. But someone must have heard her warning because she felt herself being lifted up and next she knew she was outside. The sun was blinding and Liz raised a hand over her face as she squinted. The house in front of her was oddly familiar and with a bolt of clarity she knew why, this was Zim and Skoodge's house. Or it used to be.

The once odd shaped and brightly colored building was a ghost of its former self. It was completely different, like an architect took the old dwelling as inspiration for a modern suburban ranch. It was still odd, but in an artsy way, which could only mean one thing, the Irkens were gone. The house was way too average looking for Zim and there was no way he would have changed it. The green invader was way too stubborn for that. Looking at the neighboring houses, Liz saw they were styled in a similar manner.

Liz choked back a sob. This kind of change could only happen after decades, maybe even centuries. The buildings looked so, nice, clean and elegant. A few houses down a car pulled into a driveway, it ran silently and smoothly. Upon further study Liz noticed that it was slightly hovering above the ground and had no exhaust pipe. A near hysterical giggle escaped her lips, it was the future, they had hover cars.

The question remained: how did she end up in the lab of Zim's once house? What happened to Zim? Skoodge? GIR? Mini Moose? Did time take them or did they leave Earth? She doubted Zim would have left his lab. That could only mean that they were dead, long dead and the Earth turned on without them.

Liz stood on shaky legs, belatedly noticing that her ankle was healed. Something must have happened. Somehow they survived the Challenge. Or I did. The chilling thought came to mind. She couldn't remember what exactly happened, but she hadn't expected to live. But here she was. Someone had placed her in Zim's lab. Maybe it was them, or maybe she did it to herself. Her dreams, her nightmares confirmed it. Somehow she had survived and maybe in a desperate act of her survival her demon blood tried to save itself. She must have created a portal back to Zim's lab and put herself in that tube either to revive or stop her demon blood from doing what Dib said it would...but, wait, that wasn't Dib who said those things. Was it?

A stab of pain pierced her head and Liz groaned as she stumbled a bit. Either way, her next step was obvious. She had to leave, to put as much distance between herself and this house as soon as possible. Witnessing strangers enter this house—even knowing it wasn't the same house—would kill her. She didn't want to see the proof. The truth was obvious, glaringly so. She had been left behind again and this time she was completely alone.

Stumbling away, tears blurred her vision. It hurt. It hurt so much. She couldn't even look at the house anymore. At first her legs were wobbly, not having been used in so long, but fueled by grief her body slowly gained speed. Not caring where she was going as long as it was far away, Liz ran.

She ran for what felt like hours. She ran until her lungs burned, her sides were on fire, and her legs were jelly. When her body finally gave way on her, Liz stumbled and her hand shot out to give her support. Bracing herself against a brick wall she panted and through tear burred eyes finally took stock of her surroundings.

She was in the city. Or at least a city. It was hard to tell if it the same one or a new one that was built over the years. But there was a familiarity about it. She hadn't ventured too far into the city, so she wouldn't recognize any of her surroundings, but here it wasn't clean and it wasn't new. If anything it looked broken, rundown and nearly abandoned. Boarded up windows and broken glass were common among the buildings and the few people she could spot weren't that different from what she'd expect to find in a place like this. A few people shuffled along, one pushing an old rusted shopping cart. She could see a few others huddled in old tattered clothes hiding in the shadows and trying to remain unnoticed. The seemingly abandoned buildings probably weren't and served as shelters for the homeless.

Liz smiled bitterly, she'd fit right in here. A street light flickered on above her and glancing up she scowled at it. She couldn't quite recall how the street lights looked before, but the rounded orb was not from her own timeline. Belatedly, she realized that the reason it turned on wasn't to mock her, but because it was dusk. She had no idea what season it was, or if there were still seasons, but it wasn't too cold. She still wore the long sleeved uniform Gunn had made for her for the Challenge. The Irken material hadn't suffered much damage and she was comfortable enough.

It wouldn't do to wander around in the dark. Normally, she wouldn't have a problem defending herself but in her exhausted state she didn't pose much of a challenge right now. Finding an empty ally, Liz hunkered down besides what could only be a dumpster, it sure smelt like one. She pulled a nearby trashcan in front of her to hide further and sat huddled down in the descending darkness.

However, despite how exhausted and worn she felt she didn't sleep. As soon as her eyes became heavy she snapped them back open, fears of somehow falling back into a coma keeping her awake. As the night stretchered on her mind began playing tricks on her, seeing movement in the shadows and sensing danger at every noise. When dawn finally came Liz groaned as she moved her stiffened muscles. After a few stretches she felt able to stand and, wrapping her arms around herself, continued down the street.

Something in her couldn't cope with standing still. She had to keep moving, though she felt no need to run anymore. In all honesty she didn't have the energy too. She felt a slight pang in her stomach announcing that it was empty, but Liz felt no desire to find food. She had no idea what had changed, if the food was something she could eat. The idea of interacting with normal people, people who belonged here repulsed her. Besides, she had no money and she wasn't desperate enough yet to find other means of sating her hunger. When her body could no longer survive without food, it would spur her into action, until then Liz felt no desire to do anything more than walk.

Her tired aching legs soon became numb and thankfully so did her appetite, after that first pang she did not feel hunger again. Fortunately, she felt very little except a numbing tiredness, but it did not prevent her from walking on. Her lack of sleep sapped her concentration and it took a great deal of energy to focus on walking without bumping into anyone or anything. She vaguely noted when she came into more populated areas of the city, but as darkness came once again she found an empty ally to hide in once more.

Similar to her first night sleep eluded her. Her own internal fears prevented her from relaxing enough to accept sleep, and with no movement to distract her brain it found ways to pass the time by inventing monsters in the darkness. This time she was sure she actually saw the shadows move and the noises of the city became much more sinister. When dawn came again, the shadows dissipated but it took much longer for Liz to muster the will to move. Rolling to the side her shin collided with the crate she hid behind. The sudden throb of pain infuriated her and with a sudden burst of energy she kicked the crate across the ally. The side broke from the strength of her kick, but it also hurt her foot too. She screamed at it startling a few people walking by the mouth of the ally on their way to work. Sensing their looks Liz sprinted down the ally and away from them. The burst of energy soon left her and she found a strange comfort in mindlessly moving forward.

Moments blurred together and it became impossible to think beyond moving her feet. Liz welcomed the numbing sensations in her mind. Sometimes she was aware of walking into people on the street, but gaining enough concentration to focus on their words was impossible. Instead she just plotted onward, her eyes stuck to the few feet of cement in front of her. She refused to look, to see what other changes had occurred. Her mind blocked out all conversations until the low hum of people's voices became an odd white noise.

On the third night he appeared. Huddled down once more in a dark corner Liz was more apprehensive as she couldn't find something to place in front of her. Instead, she stared at the building across from her and the shadows the moon cast down. It was in one of these shadows that Dib appeared.

It took her a moment for her to realize that she was staring back into another set of eyes, and once she did they vanished into the darkness. Much more alert and panicked Liz's eyes darted around until she found him sitting in the shadows once more. He was huddled in the dark, mirroring her position. His face was darkened in the night but even in the dim lighting she could clearly see the three slash marks on his cheek, his lips pulled back into a sneer and though he made no sound Liz knew what word he whispered: demon.

Liz screamed and fled into the darkness. She ran until her body couldn't anymore and she collapsed in another ally. Her eyes darted around looking for him and it appeared she was safe. However, a few moments later she felt a pricking along her neck and again the shadows moved to make his form.

Demon. The voice said making Liz curl into a protective ball. She shut her eyes tightly, but nothing attacked her. Peeking out she thought he was gone, but he formed in the corner of her vision and every sound of city began to whisper and chant that one word to her. She was taunted and haunted all night long and this time when the sun rose again, its light was not enough to vanquish the shadows. Liz stumbled out of the ally and melted into the crowd hoping that Dib would leave her alone, but his voice echoed in her mind and it felt like everyone was staring at her like they knew. Somehow they all knew. They knew she wasn't human. Fear gripped her anew and she ran from the crowded streets.

Breaking into the outskirts of the city she found a bridge built over a river channel that held very little water. The shadow Dib haunted and terrorized her, but he wouldn't kill her. He wanted to torture her, she knew that with an unshakable certainty. People were another matter. They wanted her dead. They knew she didn't belong. They were all out to get her, to kill her. She had to hide. She had to hide and keep away from people. So she huddled down under the bridge her hands gripping her greasy and dirty hair until her knuckles turned white.

It was in this state that the real Dib found her.

Now you all know what happened to Liz at the Challenge. Poor girl had some deep rooted skeletons pulled out of her closet. I'm hoping her breakdown makes sense. Dib and her have two very different types of strength. Unlike Dib, Liz never really had to face her deepest fears alone before where Dib had always been facing his troubles alone. If there are any questions feel free to ask :) Also if the weird paranormal-seeming stuff at the end seems odd look up the effects of sleep deprivation, that shit is serious, yo. Not getting enough sleep can mess you up.