The 31 Days of October

October 2nd; Thursday

7:35 a.m.

Dib and Zim stared at the stuffed dog in mild shock. Hours and hours passed, into the wee hours of the morning. Zim was the first to recover.

"I'M GETTING THE CAMERA DIB-"

"WAH! NO!" Dib tackled Zim and they spent several minutes rolling around Dib's room, smashing things and slapping at each other like sissies. Gaz walked by the doorway, still fuming about the loss of her level 72 victory. She glanced in the room and saw the stuffed dog ripped open on the bed. Her eyes widened in horror.

"Dib. . ." she growled slowly. Dib stopped dead in his fight with Zim. He suddenly shook with terror. He knew that note in Gaz's voice.

"Y-yeah, Gaz?" Dib tried to smile but it fell flat and he looked like he was about to be shot in the face several times.

"Why. . . is Mr. Foopy. . . on your bed. . . with his INSIDES RIPPED OUT?!" Gaz's eye twitched dangerously and Zim and Dib both involuntarily cowered back from her.

"I don't know!!" said Dib frantically. "We came in, and he was just THERE! I SWEAR I DON'T KNOW HOW! DON'T HURT ME!"

Gaz growled like that of a jungle animal, and pounced on Dib. Zim whistled casually, and edged out of the room.

"Good-bye, Dib! And, thanks for the candy!"

"What?!" Zim munched on the chewy-chocolate candy, and closed the door. Dib screamed, and crawled towards the door, before being pulled back to the ground by Gaz.

Zim walked down the staircase, grinning. GIR was sitting on the couch with a giant bowl of chocolate and butter, munching away noisily. Zim caught the sight of the small, black camera, and the picture sitting nearby.

"Ha! What a fool, thinking he could hide the camera from me!"

"But," GIR said with a shrill cry, "you thought it was--"

"NO I DIDN'T! Come! Our work here is done!" He grabbed onto one of his nubby paws, and dragged him out the back door. The horrible mixture of butter and chocolate oozed all over the couch.

Upstairs, Gaz walked out of Dib's room, grasping onto the pitiful remains of Mr. Foopy..

"If you speak of this to anyone...I WILL KILL YOU!"

Dib only squeaked in responce. Alas! He failed at keeping a photograph of Zim, once again! And he didn't even need to sneak into his own body this time. He stood up, dusted himself off, as if the whole fight was a daily routine.

"You're victory won't last for long, Zim!" He shook an angry fist.

"SHUT-UP!"

Dib trudged downstairs, not looking forward to the approaching schoolday. He muttered to himself and rubbed his eyes a bit, then saw the buttery, chocolatey mess everywhere. It was all over the couch, the floor, the television, the stairs, the ceiling. . . MAN, Dib hated that robot. He laid a paper towel over each blob of grease and walked out the door towards the Skool.

As he headed up to the entry way, a cloud of black smoke appeared next to him. As it dissolved, Gaz appeared from within it. She glared menacingly to Dib then continued to her first class. Zim dashed in at the last second, and Ms. Bitters appeared as the bell rang. The entire class sat down, ready to obey.

"Today, students, we will be learning the horrible slaughtering in the Boston Massacre--"

"Ms. Bitters!" Dib's hand was raised high. Ms. Bitters stared at Dib's hand for almost a minute, and he slowly sunk down into his seat.

"Dib?"

"Well...Didn't only five people die--"

"SILENCE!" She slammed a long pointed on the edge of her desk, shaking the classroom. She pointed at a red-headed boy in the front row.

"You--LEAVE!"

"What did I do?"

"Your face disgusts me!" The floor dropped below the kid's desk, before a new one elevated from the ground--one much brighter and shinier.

Ms. Bitters went on about how supposedly millions were killed in a supposed attack by the British. Dib kept his eyes on Zim, who seemed to be paying more attention to a small gray computer in his hands.

"Yes! Perfect." Dib's eyes narrowed.

After the disturbing example of one of the killings (Rice Crispies!), the bell rang, and the students were dismissed to lunch. As usual, Dib was quick to get his lunch tray, and sit at a table near his sister. Zim sat by himself, still fumbling with the computer.

"Hey, Zim!" He froze. Keef had suddenly appeared in front of him at the table. Zim blinked.

"I thought I got rid of--I meeean," Zim's eyes darted. "I thought you...moved away! To a far away place!"

"Oh, no!" Keef smiled. "Sure, my brain was a little messed up, but I'm all okay now!" His head popped off, spun around in the air, and landed back on his shoulders.

". . . Fascinating." Zim quickly turned his head back down and worked furiously at the small computer. He was quickly interrupted again by Keef.

"SAY, ZIM. . . I been wonderin', since I, y'know, didn't move and stuff, you wanna be best friends again? Huh? HUH?!" Keef grinned disturbingly wide. Zim drew back a bit from the frightening sight.

"Eh. . . EHH. . . THANK YOU for the generous offer, human moose beany, but I'm currently not- OW!! HEY!" Zim had been smacked in the back of the head by a flying baked potato. He turned around and saw Dib grinning with satisfaction. Zim's eyes narrowed.

"DIB THINGY!"

"YOU'LL NEVER TAKE EARTH, ZIM!"

"YES I- Y- ye- oh, forget it." Zim turned back to Keef and went back to work, entering some sort of data into the computer. "Hmm. . . HMM!"

Keef, meanwhile, was looking suspiciously from Zim to Dib. His look was darkening all the while.

"KEEF, you have been terrible company but thank you anyway I must go." Zim stood up and marched away. He smacked Dib in the side of the head while walking by. Keef actually SNEERED. The boy SNEERED. Can you imagine Keef SNEERING? He was THAT mad. I mean. . . COME ON! That's really PISSED!

Keef watched Dib rub his overly-large head then get up and walk away. Walk away with his stupid TRENCHCOAT and his stupid GLASSES and his stupid. . . uh. . . TRENCHCOAT. . . Keef's hands closed around his carton of milk and squeezed, his fury mounting. Oh, no, Dib would NOT be taking away his best friend. Keef and Zim had been best friends FOREVER. The carton of milk exploded, and, after shrieking in horror and shock, Keef got up and left, muttering to himself, "Zim is MY best friend, DIB. . . and nobody can take him away. . ."

to be continued...