"Hey Zim." Gaz says as she opens the backseat car door. He smiles calmly at her and gives a small wave. He's taken the garishly large sunglasses off, and pulled his hood down, but the peachy concealer still remained, making his red eyes stand out even more.
"Hey."
"Did you get Gir under control?" Gaz climbs into the backseat, peering over the front seat to catch a glimpse of Gir.
"I make him sleep." Gaz nods in understanding, having just seen for herself Gir's motionless form. The driver's door opens, Dib steps into the car and begins to fiddle with the wiring to get it to start.
"I want to ask you something, Zim." Gaz says. Zim's gaze lazily slides over to Gaz.
"Yes?" Gaz holds the bifold map of America out for Zim to take. In one slow and smooth motion, he gently takes and unfolds the paper. He looks at the paper for a few seconds then looks back up at Gaz.
"What is this?"
"It's a map, you idiot." Dib speaks up, still fiddling with the wires. "Never seen a map before?" Surprisingly, Zim simply frowns.
"I did not know word." He shrugs.
"Anyway," Gaz continues. "This is a map of America, that's the country we're in. It's a small part of Earth. Understand?"
"Yes? I do not know what country is."
"Uh, a country is… you know what? We'll translate with Gir when he wakes up. Just know that we are in a country, and it's called America, okay?" Zim nods.
"Cool, so here's the deal. Dib wants to go to this town here," she points on the map. "And I didn't really want to go, because I think it's a dumb idea, but I made a deal with him that if he gets to pick a place, I get to pick a place." She shifts her finger down the map to point at New Orleans.
"Yeah." Dib scoffs. "Look at how out of the way that is! I think it's a huge risk to travel that far." Zim shakes his head.
"No, it is good to…" He frowns, seemingly unable to find the words. "It is good to…" He puts his hands together and moves them back and forth, like a snake.
"To weave?" Gaz guesses as Dib finally gets the car to start.
"Yes? It is good to move. Army can not find us."
"Cool, well anyway…" Gaz blushes. "I made part of the deal be that you get to pick a place too. Where do you want to go?" She gestures to the map. Zim's brow furrows in thought as he focuses on the map, scanning the landscapes and border lines. He laughs to himself, and looks up at Gaz.
"I do not know! I do not know this… America." He gestures at the map in a sort of playful frustration, smiling at Gaz.
"Well then, just pick anywhere! Between here, and there!" Gaz points to where they are currently, and at Los Angeles. Zim stares at the map, his brow furrowed. His eyes scan the page, and after a few more seconds, decides on a location.
"Here. I want to go here." Gaz stares at his finger on the map, not saying anything. She takes in a deep breath, and speaks.
"Uh, you want… to go there?" She laughs.
"Yes? Is this no good? I can pick one more…"
"No, no! This is fine. More than fine even." She laughs again, light and airy, like the sound just escaped.
"What? What did he pick?" Dib asks. Gaz snorts, and gets up to lean in between the front seats and shows Dib the map.
"Hey! I'm driving here!"
"There's a red light coming up. Seriously, you're going to love this!" The car lurches to a stop, and when Dib gets a look at the map, he explodes into laughter.
"Are you serious? There?" He laughs more. "Does he know what he picked?" Gaz snickers as she sits back in her seat.
"Nope! But I'm not going to let him change it." She turns to look at Zim, who's strangely avoiding eye contact, his cheeks darkening with a blush. Strangely, he avoids eye contact.
"I- I'm sorry, Gaz I-" He stutters. Gaz exhales a breathy laugh.
"It's okay, Zim! The place you picked is just fine, I promise." He blushes more, and turns to look away.
"I, uh-"
"I promise." Zim nods, making eye contact for just a second, before turning away again.
"So, where we going?" Dib grins, glancing back towards Zim and Gaz.
"Point Pleasant, West Virginia, home of the mothman!"
"The… what?" Zim mouthed the word 'mothman' to himself in confusion.
"You don't know about mothman?"
"Of course he doesn't, Dib." Gaz rolled her eyes.
"Oh, yeah, well then let me tell you!"
"Please don't." Dib ignored her, and continued, grinning in excitement as he drove.
"It all started in 1966, when these guys in a cemetery saw a figure fly over their heads! This was the first sighting of the creature known as mothman. Not a very interesting sighting, sure, but it gets better! After a few days, two couples were out driving, and said they saw a large grey flying man, with huge wings and glowing red eyes!" Dib tried to make his voice lower, as if he was telling a ghost story. He removed his right hand from the wheel and waved it around for emphasis as he spoke.
"This is a… human?" Zim asked.
"No! It's called a cryptid, and… a lot of people say cryptids aren't real and call me crazy, but you're kind of a cryptid and you're here, so I'm sure mothman is too!"
"Excellent reasoning, Dib."
"Gaz, don't start. It won't hurt to at least take a look!"
"I do not trust your judgement." Zim muttered, crossing his arms and looking out the window, his leg bouncing with restlessness. Dib frowned, and looked into the rearview mirror.
"Come on, don't gang up on me here! We each got to pick a place, and I picked here. Just indulge me, okay?"
"Fine." Gaz sighed as Zim nodded.
"Great! Anyway, the sightings continued as time went on, famously around this place called the TNT area, and…"
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"Can we camp out near the TNT area? I promise we won't camp near any actual TNT." Dib broke the silence of the car, having long finished his rant on the history of mothman. They were nearing the small, sleepy, town, only a mile or so away now. A few signs pointed to different camp sites and exits coming up, and they needed to decide on a location to sleep for the night that was far away from people.
"I don't know Dib, isn't that awfully touristy?" Gaz murmured as she studied a map of Point Pleasant that they had picked up at a rest stop a few miles back. Dib waved his hand loosely in the air.
"Not at all! The mothman festival happened a few weeks ago, so the town is pretty much empty now. Besides, we'll make sure to camp far away from where anyone might see us." Gaz raised her eyebrows, and shot a look at Dib.
"You better be sure." He smiled nervously and nodded.
"I'm sure." Gaz turned back to her map, looking for places to eat, get food, and that damn museum Dib kept going on about. A few more minutes of silence in the car, and Dib made a turn onto a quiet road named Main Street. They had officially arrived.
The town was remarkably quiet, almost to an eerie extent. Simple brick buildings lined both sides of main street, old and dusty, with only some housing shops and restaurants. Faded, old fashioned advertisements were painted on the sides of some of the buildings, advertising for flour companies long gone and the like. The car Dib drove ambled slowly down the road, as he and his passengers gazed out the windows to observe the town. The shops looked worn down and quiet, but not closed. On the left, a building was labeled as the Mothman Museum, and Dib smiled and pointed excitedly at it.
"Look! There it is! We have got to check it out!"
"Whatever you want, Dib." No sooner had Gaz said that, the famous statue of Mothman came into view, nestled on a small concrete island in the middle of the road in all its shiny, silvery, glory.
"And the statue! I wish I still had my phone and could take a picture-"
"I'm not sorry for getting rid of the phone, and you know why." Dib pouted, turning his gaze away from the statue and back to the road as he continued driving slowly through the town. Soon, the buildings started to spread out as the main drag ended, and Dib picked up speed, satisfied at having scoped out the town, now wanting to find a place to camp. They drove, the forest covered mountains in the distance passing by slowly as they went further into the wilderness, near the supposed home of the mothman.
After driving for what felt like miles on a winding gravelly road, Gaz felt that they had gone far enough to be safe, and started to scope out a good place to camp for the night that they were in Point Pleasant.
"Look, there's a small clearing there. I think that will work, what do you think?" She said. Zim nodded in approval at the idea, and the Subaru pulled off the road, and rolled into the clearing, pulling to a gentle stop. The three of them got out, leaving Gir in the passenger seat, still in his sleep mode, and they began to pull out the tents.
"Zim, Dib, can you guys set up the tents while I unload the rest of the stuff?" Gaz grabbed the sleeping bags, tucking them under her arm, and Gir's leftover waffles in the other hand. "I have a horrible feeling Dib is gonna want to stay a few nights to 'investigate', so we might as well get comfortable."
The clearing is small, with not much room to work in, so Dib and Zim unfold both the tents close to each other, and get to work hammering the stakes in. As they work, Gaz sets up a fire pit, clearing away dry leaves and making a circle of rocks to protect from an accidental forest fire. As Zim gets his first two supports up, he takes a step backwards to admire his handiwork, and accidentally jabs Dib in the back with his elbow.
Gaz finishes arranging the campfire, and goes to find twigs to make a fire, lost in her own thoughts. She blushes to herself as she finally takes the time to realize that she was snuggling so tightly with Zim this morning... But she shakes away the thoughts of what that might mean. However, the image of Zim's face so close to hers keeps replaying in her mind. She scolds herself, and calmly whispers to no one in particular.
"The only reason I sleep in his tent is to help him with his nightmares. That's all." She frowns, as the thought of the nightmares draws her mind to what may be causing them. He said he killed his own father, though she doesn't really know why, but maybe that's what he dreams of? Hell, with the sort of life she feels he may have led, it could be anything. Maybe the dreams have something to do with that scar on his neck? She's been wanting to ask about it for a while now, but never found the right moment. Her curiosity burned inside her, but she didn't want to upset Zim by asking.
"Cut that shit out Zim!" Dib's irritated voice breaks her out of her train of thought, and she looked back towards the tents.
"Cut what out?" Hissed Zim. The two of them stood face to face, fists clenched, faces twisted in annoyance and anger. Dib lifts his arms and shoves Zim.
"You know what I'm talking about!"
"Do not touch me." Zim snarls, shoving back.
"I can do whatever I want!" Dib shouted as he pushed Zim back.
"Is that what you think?"
"Guys, cut it out!" Gaz yelled, but they ignored her. Zims eyes narrowed, and he shoved Dib again, this time pushing so hard that Dib fell backwards, right onto the white styrofoam box of Gir's leftover waffles.
Zim stood over Dib, his fists still clenched in anger, but Dib's face went slack as he realized what he fell on. He rolled off the crushed box, and looked at it in horror. Zim's face relaxed as the realization came to him too, just as Gaz caught up with them in the clearing
"Shit." Dib muttered.
"What the hell are you two doing?" Gaz sighed as she dropped her kindling on the campfire. Dib pointed numbly at the smashed box.
"I crushed Gir's waffles." He said quietly.
"Yeah, I can see that."
"No good." Zim whispered to himself. Gaz stared at the two of them, thinking about the different ways she could yell at them for being idiots when the realization clicked, and her face went slack.
"Oh, shit. You crushed his waffles."
"He pushed me!" Dib pointed at Zim.
"You push me!" Zim takes a threatening step closer to Dib.
"Guys guys! Let's not start this stupid fight again, okay? Zim, how long do we have until Gir wakes up?" Zim glanced over at Gaz, his eyes narrowed in thought.
"A hour? I think?"
"Okay. We just need to get more waffles. I don't think Gir will care, but if your bickering becomes the cause of me having to deal with a toddler style temper tantrum, I will end you both."
Dib shifted nervously on his feet, and looked at his sister.
"…Guess we'll have to get more waffles then." Gaz nodded, and gestured for them to follow her as she turned back towards the car.
"Yep. Okay, everyone get in the car, let's go save our future eardrums."
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"What is this name?" Zim asked as they pulled into the parking lot. Luckily for a group of people trying to stay under the radar, it was near noon on a tuesday, and the store seemed to not be busy. Zim pulled his hoodie up as Gaz touched up his makeup.
"It's called a supermarket. They sell food mostly, but some have other things as well. This one is an Aldi, so it mostly sells food. Hopefully they have some frozen waffles or something."
"Do these… supermarket have different name? Why Aldi?" Dib laughed as he unbuckled his seatbelt. Gaz ignored him and continued patiently.
"It's like a type of supermarket. There are lots of Aldis, and Walmarts, and Targets, but they're all owned by different people, so they're different from each other." She nods to herself as she observes her makeup work, satisfied with the apparent human-ness of Zim. She hands him the sunglasses, and a bit of tape, and helps him put them on. Once Zim was ready and humanized, the trio got out of the car, covering Gir with a spare blanket so he didn't get stolen.
"Do we need a cart?" Dib asked as they walked towards the store.
"Nah, we're just here for waffles. Besides, do you even have a quarter?" He paused in his steps and began rummaging in his pockets.
"I'm pretty sure I do…"
"Dib, we don't need a cart. It's fine."
"Oh." He pulled his hands out of his pockets, jogging a little to catch up with the other two. They entered the store, the chill of the air conditioned space making the late september weather seem warmer by comparison. A few shoppers mingled around, and the trio slowly began to amble their way through the store. Zim began to slow down and trail behind Dib and Gaz, trying to observe the packed scene before him. He reached into his sweater pocket, and pulled out a few sugar packets he had discreetly swiped from the diner and absentmindedly ate them as he walked.
"Gaz, what is this?" Zim stopped near the end of the produce section, and looked confused at the selections. She turned on her heel to see what he was looking at, and realized that it was going to be a long shopping trip.
"Those are grapes. It's a type of fruit, like apples. You like apples, remember?" He nodded, and looked up at Gaz, with a smile on his face.
"Baby apples."
"I mean, not really, but eh, close enough." She shrugged, and turned back to walk forward and find waffles.
Zim circled the produce, curiously observing the different fruits and their variations. His fingers twitched and he fidgeted in place as he struggled to read the labels adorning the metal shelves. Having felt satisfied in his observations, he took a step back, and continued down the aisle he had been walking down, not looking ahead of him, just side to side at the aisles full of unknown foods and snacks. Just past the produce was a huge section full of cookies and sweets, and he stopped dead in his tracks, the thick smell of sugar hitting him like a wall. His mouth watered as he took a closer look at the baked goods, and he turned to ask Gaz if they could get some, only to see that she was not there. His happiness turned to panic as he frantically began to look around, and could not see her.
"Gaz?" He whispered, not wanting to draw attention to himself. No response.
"Gaz?" He tried again, and felt the eyes of a few passerby looking at him. His stomach dropped, and he knew that wasn't good. He tried to back up against an aisle wall, desperately trying to blend in and turned to walk quickly away. He turned a corner, and almost ran right into Gaz. He stopped a foot in front her, and she caught him by the shoulders and looked concernedly into his face.
"Zim? What's the matter?"
"I couldn't find you." Her eyes widened in surprise, and she slid her hands down his arms in a soothing gesture.
"Oh. I was just in the next aisle, Zim."
"I'm sorry."
"No it's okay! I guess I just have to try and keep track of you." She laughed.
"What we need to be keeping track of is where the hell the waffles are." Dib grumbled.
"Shut up, Dib." She rolled her eyes and then returned her gaze to Zim.
"How about… Okay so there's this thing called a call and response. I say something, and you say something back. It's always the same thing though. Does that make sense?"
"No."
"Well… Let's still try this. From now on, if you ever get lost, I want you to say 'Marco', and I'll say polo, and you'll follow the sound of my voice, and I'll follow the sound of yours." Zim looked confused but he nodded, wanting to make Gaz happy.
"Say Marco." Gaz prodded.
"Marco?"
"Polo!" She smiled. "Do you get it?" His fingers twitched and he nodded slightly, looking more sure of himself now.
"When I can not see you, I say Marco... listen for Polo and I find you?" He said slowly.
"Yeah, it's easy, I promise." She whispered, running her hands back up his arms.
Dib shifted awkwardly on his feet and called out to them. "Can we go get those waffles now?" Gaz quickly removed her hands, seemingly just realizing what she was doing, and blushed.
"Yeah." She said, and the trio turned to walk up another aisle, in silence. This aisle was full of household items, and Zim's eyes widened as he gazed upon all the kitchy gadgets and little decorative doodads. He paused to observe a box advertising a panini press, and wanted so badly to look inside the box and take the appliance apart. He bent down to look at the appliances on the lower shelves, and Gaz cleared her throat. Looking up at her, he was confused that her face was still red, but ignored it.
"What?" He asked. She looked away from him, but gestured for him to follow her.
"Come on, stupid, I don't want you getting lost again." He followed her, trying hard not to get distracted by all the interesting human household items. He fished another sugar packet out of his pocket, and continued to trail Dib and Gaz. Turning another corner, the three of them finally reached the freezer section, and Gaz walked down the aisle, slowly scanning the products and signs until she found what she was looking for. She sighed, and placed her hands on her hips in frustration.
"They're out. Now what?"
"You're kidding. They're out of waffles?" Dib went to peer through the glass as well, and Gaz rolled her eyes.
"What, you don't trust me? They're out." Dib pushed his glasses up his nose, and tapped his chin in thought.
"You know, I saw a waffle maker back in that home goods aisle-"
"We have nothing to plug a waffle maker into, Dib."
"-And a small, camping generator. Super cheap too. If we get that, and some waffle mix, we can make endless amounts of waffles for Gir." Gaz looked like she was going to argue, then thought to herself, sighed, and nodded.
"That's… not a bad idea." She mumbled. Dib beamed, and pointed back to where the home goods aisle was.
"Sweet! Let's do it." Dib marched off in the direction he pointed, with Zim and Gaz following his confident stride. However, they went in a slightly different direction, passing the baking aisle, and Zim could smell it again, stronger this time. Sugar. Lots of it. He stopped, and looked for it, wandering into the aisle, he struggled to read the signs and tried to find it purely by scent. And there it was. A pallet, full of bags of sugar. He hungrily stared at the display, and picked up a bag of sugar, feeling the weight in his hands. He knew he wanted this more than the cookies, and when he turned once more to ask Gaz, she was not there.
Immediately, the same panic as before began to rise, but he pushed it down, struggling to remember what it was that Gaz had said. Taking a step in the direction that he had walked in, he called out, hesitantly.
"Marco?" He waited a few seconds, and then with an enormous wave of relief, a response came.
"Polo!" Gaz's voice rang out over the background sounds of the supermarket, his antennae lifting under his hoodie, trying to snap in the direction her voice came from. He smiled, and called again, taking steps forward.
"Marco!" Quicker this time, her voice filled the air.
"Polo!" She was closer now. Zim walked faster, and called out one more time.
"Marco!" As soon as the word left his lips, Gaz rounded a corner, and smiled when she saw him.
"Polo." She whispered. Her eyes fell to the bag of sugar in his hands, and she laughed.
"Are you serious? Do you want that?" He stared at her blankly for just a second, then nodded. She rolled her eyes and waved for him to follow her.
"Come on then, Dib's lining up in the checkout. We got waffle mix, a generator, and a waffle maker. We can get you some straight sugar too, weirdo."
As they walked down to the checkout, she reached out to take his hand in hers. Zim glanced down at it and softly smiled, tightening his hand around hers in return.