A/N: Wow, Pirate Monkey, you sure updated soon! NOT! Sorry for such a long wait! I have my reasons on my bio, but they're not good enough. I apologize for being lazy and going on the computer when I wasn't supposed to. (That led to restriction for over a week) Finally, after two months, I finally finished the fifth chapter! Enjoy after I write a quick note to one of my reviewers.

Ashsema: According to my beta-reader, who knows a lot about mental illnesses, Dib is suffering mostly from dementia. I did plan for him to be schizophrenic, though.

Dib watched as those around him waited impatiently for him to break the silence. The only sounds heard were Dib's trench coat shuffling when he moved and the strong wind violently shaking the trees outside.

"I like it when you're speechless," grinned ZIM. "You don't have anything to say!"

Gaz rolled her eyes. "That's the same thing, stupid!" 

"I know that, inferior-" ZIM stopped when he noticed Gaz's threatening stance. She gave ZIM a death glare while clenching her fists tightly. She growled.

ZIM gave a nervous chuckle and stepped away from Gaz. She smirked in pleasure. ZIM cleared his throat, "As I was saying, you seem so pitiful when you have nothing to say. I win when you do that, you know!"

Dib shook his head and looked away as if he had not heard the alien's words. He sighed heavily. "No you don't," he murmured quietly, yet not soft enough to escape the deceased's ears (or antennae, for ZIM's sake).

"You do lose when you're speechless," Zita confirmed, her eyes set on watching Dib's every move. "You can't defend yourself. What if your lawyer was speechless in court? The opposing side would win, and you could even lose your life."

"They wouldn't kill me," Dib reassured himself, then became fearful. "Would they?"

"They're talking about it, you know," Keef taunted him.

"They?" Dib stood up and eyed Keef suspiciously. "Who's they?"

"Them," replied ZIM, trying to frighten Dib.

"The people that talk about the case before it's presented to court, you idiot!" Gaz informed Dib.

"Oh," Dib remembered. "They can't kill a sixteen year old! That's just…cruel…"

"You hypocrite!" Zita shouted, pointing her figure in Dib's direction. "YOU killed four teenagers from ages fifteen to sixteen! Plus, you killed your mom and dad, not to mention they were INNOCENT!"

"Step-mom," Dib corrected.

Gaz marched over to Dib angrily and slapped him in the face. Dib felt it, strangely. Isn't that interesting? I just got injured by a dead person…

"QUIT IT!" she roared, eyes burning with rage. "You're so focused on being right. Guess what?! You AREN'T in this case, nor will you ever be!"

Dib rubbed his cheek.

"Have you ever noticed how people try so hard to be cool?" Dib asked Gaz while walking home one day. "They just pick on random people and try to be cooler than…than…" He paused. "...Sliced cheese!"

"Yeah," Gaz agreed in a low tone. "Interesting analogy you have there. Sliced cheese. That's a new one."

Dib glared at Gaz, who was too occupied with her Game Slave to notice. Dib was partly thankful for this, for if she had noticed, she might have given him an all out beating- if he was lucky.

Ignore her. You're right about those 'cool' people.

"Oh, no…" Dib mumbled quietly. "Not again." His sister eyed him suspiciously and shook her head.

"Maybe Kya is right," Gaz commented. "You DO need some kind of therapy."

"Kya's talking about putting me in therapy?!" Dib asked, once again angry.

"Yeah," Gaz replied casually. "She's been discussing it with Dad."

Dib looked down with a disappointed look. "She thinks I'm insane too, huh?"

"Everybody does. They always have. Plus, Kya heard you talking to the walls," Gaz explained, eyes still glued to her game.

You're not crazy, they are!

Dib winced and tried to ignore the voices. "She did?" He asked. "Do you think I'm crazy?"

"Ever since I heard you freaking out in your room," She said.

"Right. That." Dib remembered the incident. "I'm fine. I was just practicing for my oral report." He tried to make up a decent excuse.

"Whatever," Gaz said, rolling her eyes. She bit her tongue as she focused on her game once again.

Dib said nothing more as he walked. Voices kept on echoing in his ears, though nothing could be seen.

You loser.

Insults now? "Please," he pleaded as quietly as he could. "Please stop. Not now!"

Gaz paused her game and looked toward him. "What now?"

You're just a pathetic, little wimp.

"No," he murmured, forgetting Gaz was at his side. "Stop."

"Uh, Dib?" Gaz waved her hands in front of his face. "Who are you talking to?!"

"No one," came the uneasy reply.

"O…kay…"

No one cares about you. They all want you to die.

Dib's breathing was getting heavier by the second. His head was spinning. Terrified, he tried to keep on walking. Get in the house, Dib, he said to himself. You're almost there.

THEY'RE the ones who should die!

The voices were sounding vengeful now. "No," he murmured again.

Gaz jerked Dib backwards. "If you do not quit this immediately, I will surely see to putting you in one of those insane asylums!" She let him go. He staggered forward.

"Okay," Dib tried to grasp onto reality. What is WRONG with me?! He wondered. I can't be insane; I'm supposed to save the world! I'm the only one that can! If I can't, who will?

Dib's heart was pounding. He tried his best to regain his composure and saw his house come into view. He encouraged himself to keep on going. Almost there…

He ran up the driveway, into the door, and up the stairs as fast as he could. He tripped over one of the stairs and fell. Quickly, he stood up and went inside his room. He slammed the door and fell on his knees. Breathe Dib, breathe…

He let his body drop completely on the ground. And then, darkness.

"The voices," Dib recollected. "They, they tormented me. They wanted me to go insane and kill people and myself. It's their fault!"

"Once again," Zita sighed. "No one, or in this case, no invisible head voice thingy, made you do this. It's all on your own. You keep trying to place the blame on something other than yourself! But the thing is: YOU did this, not anyone else. Others may have encouraged it, but YOU took the action. YOU killed us. Understand?"

Dib looked at the floor once again. "I guess." He rubbed his foot against the ground.

"You guess?" Gaz mocked him. "You look like a little kid avoiding to accept that what he did was wrong. Is that what you are, Dib? A little kid?"

"No," he replied.

"You sure are acting like one!" said Keef.

"From what I have observed," stated ZIM, obviously getting a kick out of tormenting his enemy. "You do remind me of those small maggots of your race."

"Do you know what you are, Dib?" asked Gaz.

"You're a murderer, Dib."

"You're a nutcase."

"You're a shame to the Earth."

"Everyone will look down on you with hate and contempt. They'll spit at the very mention of your name," said Zita as an evil grin formed on her thin, pale face.

"Everyone will be rooting for your downfall, not your succession. They'll be pleading that you'll be locked away forever," laughed ZIM.

"Our families will wish for your death. You'll experience a hate you've never felt before. Shame will haunt you day by day, as you're stuck with no life in this new, horrid life that you brought yourself into," Keef taunted.

"Everything you've wanted to do will not be achieved. Everything you've wanted to be…you'll never be that. Instead of fame and honor, you'll receive detestation and disgust," said Gaz.

"Everything you were is no more…"

A/N: Isn't this a nice little ending for the fifth chapter? Hopefully, I'll continue soon. First, I shall write the next chapter of Desperation, and then, write the sixth chapter of this. Have a nice day and review if you wish!