YESH I FINALLY UPDATE THIS! (does a happy dance) I've been really, erm, preoccupied. But if I get a ton of review for this I will update again because I already have the chappie after this done! So help me out and REVIEW, DAMMIT! (slams fist on the desk) I think I got a little carried away there... But you get the picture, right?

Diss-claimer: GOD I hate writing these things. They are annoying and make my head hurt. If the story is a FANFICTION, how can you own the characters?

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(Dib's POV)

The next day at skool was like every day. Ms. Bitters kept rambling on about the 'The DUMMIES GUIDE to Moose-Mating' or something. There was one thing, and only one thing that I noticed though; Zim wasn't there. I was starting to worry because he wasn't there the next two days, either.
Maybe he's sick or something.

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(Zim's POV)

Only one more day and my preparations are complete! I just have to find some weak inferior mind then I will be done! Maybe perhaps… Gaz? Yes, my plan is perfect!

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(Dib's POV again)

The bell rang for skool to be over, and kids poured out of the front door. Then all of a sudden, like it was meant to happen, rain started showering down everywhere. I stayed behind at the entrance with Gaz for a while. Kids in my class jumped in the air or in puddles singing the most annoying thing ever, 'We love rain! Yes we do! We love rain! Rain for me and you!' My mind again went to think about Zim. I wondered again if he was really sick or if he was just skipping skool like he does at least once a week now. More importantly- no one seems to care. It's almost as-if they were all brainwashed or something. Hmm...

...He can't go outside right now because his skin is allergic to the rain…. So I'll just have go to his "house" then for a few minutes to check up on him (Or more important, find out what he has been doing with all of his time), but I have to make sure I get home for dinner or I'll have to face Gaz… She must have known what I was thinking about and shouted to me as I started to walk off.

"Be back before nine, Dib! You don't need to stay at your boyfriend's house all the time!" I turned around, but strangely blushing, and questioned her. "W-what did you say?" Gaz sighed and retorted with an angry scowl, "I SAID, 'Be back before 9'!" I paused for a few seconds and looked at her. She wasn't laughing or anything; In simpler terms, she wasn't joking. I guess I was just hearing things…

"Okay, but--"

"Just GO, Dib! You can be REALLY annoying sometimes!" She swatted her hand at my face angrily, just like a cat does to a fly in the air that it might bat at all the time. "Fine! Have it your way!" (A/N: Hey I just noticed that that sounds like the Burger King slogan. Maybe Dib should be an advertiser, I think he would do well)

I marched right off into the rain and yelped. Who could honestly think the rain could be this cold? I only walked 3 steps out from under the roof of the skool and I was already shivering, despite the fact that I had my trench coat on. I quickly broke into a run to my house, since it was closest to the skool. I got up to the porch, dug out a key from one of my pockets, and unlocked the front door. (Dad has the master key to our house, but since he normally isn't ever home, I have a key to it too) I stepped inside and ran up into my room.

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I sighed in relief that I finally was out of the bone-chilling rain.

So cold and uncaring, like that one burglar who took mom away… I mentally slapped myself. I can't think about these kinds of things right now. I looked around my room... it was pretty messy. I'm a big neat-freak and all, but lately I haven't had any real time to clean it. Maybe I can just grab a few things and go over real quick. I peered out of my window. Now the rain started pouring harder, and the sky was pitch-black. I couldn't see anyone on the street or on the sidewalk anymore. "Interesting," I said to myself, but quickly my gaze averted to the house about a block away. There was no maniacal laughter to be heard and none of the lights in the house were on.

Where in the world IS everybody! No one seems to... I dunno, LIVE here anymore! I sighed again and went downstairs to find my flashlight and night-vision goggles. I quickly walked out the front door and into the street. It was still so... cold... out here... and the only way I could see anything was to turn on my flashlight. It made a faint "click" sound and flickered a few times, then finally turned itself on. I walked ahead, slowly, waving the thin beam of light frantically side to side. I then tripped over a rock and fell unceremoniously; face first into the pavement.

"OW! Dammit! How couldn't I have seen that?" Slowly, I got up from the ground. "Man! I sprained my ankle too! How can this get any worse?"

All of a sudden all the motion around me froze. The rain, the wind, everything, except for the darkness. Pure silence that even I paused at. A minute later a slight breeze picked up, carrying a thin trail of leaves. When the wind came by me the leaves whipped around me, simultaneously causing momentary blindness, and slight dizziness. I stumbled a few steps and then the slight confusion eventually wore off. But that wasn't all. Something tapped by shoulder from behind...I spun around and flashed my light everywhere. Whew. It was nothing. Why am I still jumpy though then? Stupid reflexes. Must have been just a leaf.

I got hit again, harder this time. Once again I quickly turned and flashed the narrow beam of light everywhere in front of me. Then I got clawed in the back, making me jump, and something wrapped around my neck. I tried to scream but couldn't. Shivers jumped up and down my spine and I felt... paralyzed… (I've never been so scared in my life!) The flashlight got yanked right out of my hand and I could hear a "click" sound.

Someone turned my flashlight off.

It's okay…. D-D-D-on-n-'t be sc-c-c-ared-d-d… Don't be scared… Don't be scared… 'OH GOD, WHO AM I KIDDING? THIS IS INSANE!'

More leaves whipped around me and a chilled wind shot straight in my face. I felt a bony hand claw my neck with the wind, adding to the pain. I tried to yell again, but at the time it was like someone stuffed my mouth with gauze. A small shriek managed to escape my lips, however, as I could make out a tall figure wrap its arm around my neck and start squeezing as hard as it could. (A/N: You should know what is happening here. But for the absolute dummies in the crowd, Dib is getting um, well, SUFFOCATED)

'First of all, how the heck can that person see me! Second of all, I'm going to probably die! Third, I am so scared I'm going to run away!' As soon as that thought came to mind, I managed to kick the person or whatever it was away from me and run off. Of course I put the night-vision goggles on so I wouldn't trip or something again. Just a little closer and I get to Zim's house...
All of a sudden the figure grabbed my wrist and pulled me back slightly.

"NO! YOU SAY THAT THIS IS INSANE, YET IT IS IN REALITY, YOU WHO IS! ...YOU CAN ENTER THIS 'NIGHTMARE WORLD' (1.) , BUT YOU CAN NEVER LEAVE ITTT!" I paused, very shocked. "What the…..?" I turned around to glance at the rasping person but as soon as I did, it let go of my wrist and disappeared. I turned back to face Zim's house; I was all alone again.
"Wow. Well, what ever that was is gone now…. Hopefully. So now, I…"

I walked a few more steps in the darkness. Zim's house finally came into view now. I broke into a desperate run. All the way leaves fluttered by and I could hear that same eerie screech, "You can't escape! Ever! Heed my warning! If you run away, you will die!"
I nervously leaped up to Zim's doorstep and opened the Mens' door.

(1.) No, it's not the same nightmare world that we all know that was in the "Halloween Special of Spooky Doom" episode. It's a lot worse, and it's not all in Dib's head. There will be more references to it later on that will also help explain what exactly it IS...

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"What?"

The door was unlocked. Funny, because he NEVER leaves it unlocked due to his little "privacy" issue. I stepped inside the unlit house. "Hello? Zim! Are you in here! ZIIIM?" I assumed that I screamed so loud, that neighbors might have thought a tornado alarm went off for a second. (A/N: Remember, he's not "all there", all the time) I managed to find a light switch and quickly flipped it. Unfortunately though, right when I turned it on the light bulb seemed to shatter. Glass (Or whatever a light bulb is made out of) shattered; scattering shards all over the floor. I heard a loud sound off in the distance and I ran into the closet, slamming the door shut. I sat down and tried to catch my breath.

'Oh god! I need Dad, or even Gaz right now!' I thought I would start crying; I was so scared. The front door creaked open and a strong wind closed it shut. "Oh please don't kill me! I'm too pretty to die! Please don't hurt me!" I could hear light footsteps walking over the glass on the floor. "Eh? Someone breaking in? CUUUUUUUURSE THEM!" I heard footsteps coming to the closet I was in. I started breathing harder and harder, leading to hyperventilation. Closer… Closer…C-clos...er---

"I NEED ANOTHER PSYCHIATRIST!! A NEW ONE!! FOR EVERY DAY," Was the last thing I shouted... before I passed out and the door opened, revealing…