Chapter 8

Now that the deed was done Dib backed away from the fall point and stumbled over to the pipes Amanda had directed him to. He went over her last words in his mind. Find her daughter and run. The thing was that there were a few females among the group. It would take a bigger clue than you two met the first night. That was quite vague. Well there was that one brunette girl but how could she have came from Amanda she looked nothing like her at all. She had freckles and brown eyes, Amanda had fire red hair and pale gray eyes. Unless she looked more like her father. Which was very likely. He was swinging away, dodging corridors on his makeshift crutches. The dining hall was up ahead and he had to warn the others of their fates if they stayed any longer. A sharp pain came from his gut and he winced, stopping in his tracks for a second to catch his breath. He had the battle scars to prove what would happen. He was pretty sure the needle had even sucked up the remaining air in his lungs because he could barely take a breath. It could very well be the surgery as well. That robot had taken his bladder. Which reminded him, how was he still alive? Then he remembered it wasn't very vital, he needed it but not to live. People get their bladders replaced all the time except he had nothing in the cavity of where it used to be. A few seconds later he continued on and burst through the dining hall doors.

All eyes were on Dib who had blood all over his lab coat, his goggles were smeared with blood and his face had a few smudges as well. Everyone just thought he was a hard worker when they saw him.

"Let's go, Dib!" one of the workers shouted out and everyone joined in to congratulate the boy.

Dib backed away and shouted to get their attention, "LISTEN!"

Everyone quieted down and focused their attention on Dib.

"We need to get out of here and fast. The WINner is planning to kill you all and turn you into weeniers. You've got to believe me. If you don't I have proof." Dib prepared to open his lab coat.

"No, the WINner would never do that, it's bad for business." one person commented.

"Others don't know, that's why he doesn't want us sharing secrets about the factory. He subducts you and straps you to this table where it lifts you and stabs you with a huge needle that expands once it gets inside your body. After that a robot takes out your bladder! Here, I'll show you!" Dib lifted his lab coat and showed the swollen staples that kept his skin down. Everyone shrieked and averted their eyes.

"We need to get out of here now before his guards find out that we know." Dib screamed, "Also raise your hand if your mother's name is Amanda?"

The brunette girl about his age stepped forward and looked up at him, "Yes?"

"You're coming with me." Dib jumped down from the podium and held her hand as he dashed out the doors, "Follow me!"

The confused people followed him through the doors and and out into the main factory, it was still working away even though no-one was there to manage it. This confused Dib because while they were eating last time the factory had shut-down already. Now he was worried.

"Keep on your toes, people. One of them can get you at a moment's notice." Dib warned.

That's when the lights went out and only several dim lights snapped on. The workers broke out into screams, surrounded by darkness in the factory they used to feel safe in.

Dib calmed them down, "Sh! Everybody be quiet they're going to hear us, be as silent as you possibly can."

The group shut-up gradually and he didn't move until every single last person was quiet.

"Okay, we're about to enter the warzone. Keep with the group and don't stray away. We'll make it to the front doors and flee. Don't go back to your home, they'll find you there. Leave town. Don't look back, this is about survival." Dib set out the plan for them to follow. He turned to the girl at his side and asked her name.

"I'm Emma. How did you know my Mom's name?" Emma asked.

Dib looked down and put a hand on her shoulder, "I'll tell you once we escape."

Emma nodded and ran beside him as he kept the pace on his crutches. The group was behind him, using the clicks of the metal against the floor as their guide. Dib's blood-stained lab coat was flying behind him like a white wave of a red sea. His right foot was pounding against the tiled floor of the factory in loud, heavy footsteps while his left was hovering in the air, tenderly bumping against the bars.

As they were running a scream rang out from the crowd and Dib stopped in his tracks, turning around to see what or who made the noise.

"Who's there? Show yourself!" Dib screamed in a deadly voice ready for anything. He wasn't going to get Amanda's daughter hurt in any way.

Emma clutched Dib's arm and lit up the room with a lighter. Dib looked at her questionably. Why did she have a lighter in the first place?

Emma rolled her eyes and nudged him, "Relax, it's my boyfriend's."

This only made Dib wonder even more but he snatched the lighter from her hand and waved it over the area he had heard the scream. Nothing seemed to be there besides a crowd of nervous spectators. He turned back around and was about to leave when another scream sounded from above. Now that he heard it more clearly he noticed it wasn't a scream but a screech like that from a bat. In a split second Dib was being carried upwards towards the gears. He dropped the lighter out of surprise, but before the light disappeared he saw the disgusting face of a half-human half-bat mutation as they soared to the ceiling of the factory dodging wires and huge metal gears.

"Dib!" Emma called after him raising a hopeless arm at him. She then took off running directly under them, "Let him down now!" She grabbed a boomerang from her boot and threw it as hard as she could. She heard a satisfying screech from the creature and heard Dib scream as he was dropped from its arms. Emma stood in the spot she thought he would fall to, preparing herself for the force it would bring. He was feet away when another of the creatures swept down dangerously close to Emma and snatched up Dib for itself.

Emma stomped her foot, "Oh Come on!" and began running again. She had lost her boomerang thanks to the first throw so she had nothing else to disorientate this next one. She looked around for some sort of object that she could hurl at the bat-human. She then noticed one of the workers still had their toolbox with them from their repair job. She ran up to him and begged him for one of his hammer. He obliged and handed her the tool. She then threw her arm back and positioned the hammer in her hand. She narrowed her eyes and positioned them directly on the flying creature. This was her last chance, she thought, then threw the hammer directly at its head. With a deafening screech it released Dib and fell down with him. Emma outstretched her arms towards Dib's fall and dove forward to catch him. Dib landed in her arms, inches away from the ground. He breathed in rapidly, scared out of his wits.

Emma hugged him close a few more seconds before fetching his crutches and helping him up. Dib smiled towards her, "Thanks. I owe you one."

She shook her head,"Naw, no you don't. Now c'mon if you wanna get out of here alive."

Dib nodded and turned back to the crowd gathered behind him, wide-eyed and terrified. "Unless you want that to happen to you, I advise we get going again." he said to them.

The group all agreed and ran once again, across the factory floors. Dib could see the front doors fast approaching and he stepped out of the way, letting his co-workers pass in front of him and Emma. Emma looked at him, "What are you doing?"

"Before we leave I have to shut-down this factory for good. Give me your lighter!" He held out a hand.

"I-I don't have it anymore. You dropped it remember?" Emma searched her pockets for anything else. She then snapped and turned to Dib again, "I've got another one in my jacket up in the dormitories."

From behind them they heard a blast go off, when they turned their backs they saw half of the crowd on the floor either dead or dying.

"Dib! We've got to go now!" she tugged on his arms and forgetting about Dib's broken ankle, dragged him to the stairs. He shrieked in pain at every step and begged Emma to stop but she refused to and continued up the flight of stairs. They made it to the dorm halls and Emma turned and flew down the A Hall where her room was. Finally they made it there and Emma dropped Dib's hand causing the boy to tumble to the floor. He hugged his leg close, fresh tears in his eyes. "Couldn't you at least grab my crutches?"

"Look, there's a nurse's station right down the hall. Run down there and get you some real ones." she handed him the lighter, "Good luck."

With those final words Emma once again flew down the stairs and onto the main factory floor following after the others who were still alive. Another blast went off below Dib and the force sent him backwards. Fire blew up from the hit site and climbed its way to the dorm hall. Dib was trapped now that the stairs were a lit so he looked down over the ledge and made a very grave decision; he was going to jump. Another blast erupted directly behind him, he sucked in his breath and jumped down 10 feet below. He landed on his wrists and rolled around on his back a few times before stopping himself. He got up, lighter still surprisingly in his hand, and ran down the hall, passing by the butchery that was set on fire possibly from the blasts. 'Well,' he thought, 'no need for the lighter anymore. This place is going to burn down by itself.' He started towards the front doors when suddenly an invisible force knocked him back.

"I'm not through with you yet, mehahahaha." a familiar voice snickered and then faded as if were nothing at all.

"Zim?" Dib looked around and behind him he saw a completely unharmed Irken alien standing before him, radiating with life.

"Not quite. I'm his downloaded holographic protector of this factory in case he were to ever be deceased." the hologram circled around him.

Dib glared at it nonetheless, "It doesn't matter what you are, I'm going to beat your sorry butt either way."

Zim's hologram laughed, "I'm not finished. It seems you are the reason that my creator is dead. And he programmed me to kill you in any way possible. So, no it won't be my sorry butt getting beaten," he pulled out a button, "It's yours."

The walls beside Dib opened up and revealed the large open sea. Wind rushed inside and blew so hard that several machines were ripped from their holdings and thrown into the ocean. Dib watched in horror as the factory tilted, finally breaking from the fire damage. He slid to the floor on his stomach as he grabbed onto a bar with dear life. The hologram simply walked over and looked down at him with the same unforgiving ruby eyes of Zim, smirking maliciously.

"I told you it'd be you." Zim's hologram glitched slightly and disappeared.

Dib moaned and held onto the bar even tighter as the rest of the factory fell below him. He looked up and with an eye's blink the largest machine of them all; the cooker, was heading his way. He screamed and closed his eyes expecting impact and it came, hard and shaky. The force shook him clean off the bar he was holding onto and down into the mid-air headed straight for the roaring waves. He noticed he was standing on top of the grinder block below the huge cooker. He thought of an idea and fast. He had to react now or die regretfully. With a leap of faith he clung onto the holds of the cooker and swung himself to safety on the cliff beside him.

The cooker, the grinder, the whole factory collapsed into a fiery heap of molten wood, plastic, and metal.

Suddenly Emma's voice broke through the large crashes and he looked to his left where the girl he was supposed to save was covered in blood from falling debris. Dib looked up at her helplessly and within an instant clung his arms around her neck, embracing her.

"I'm so glad you're safe." Dib smiled.

Emma grinned back, then it disappeared into a slight frown. "Now.. what about my mom?"

Dib looked away unable to tell her the harrowing news, "She.. was killed by Zim."

"Zim? What's a Zim?" Emma asked him.

"Someone..." he looked above at the smoldering factory, "That you don't have to worry about any longer." he hugged her again and she hugged him back, confused but delighted to see him again. An outbreak of sirens sounded suddenly in the distance.

Dib looked at Emma, "But how?"

"Well you would think they would investigate a huge fire like this." Emma pointed out matter-of-factly.

Dib nodded and stared back at her, "True."

A hoard of ambulances, firetrucks, and police cars came onto the scene all shouting orders at each other to tend to the living and take care of the dead. Dib looked at Emma again.

"You're... you're head." he stammered, wiping away some of the blood.

"I'll be fine, Dib. We need to get you to the hospital." Emma said and started running. Halfway to the ambulance she collapsed onto her knees, face-first onto the grass.

Dib shouted in horror, "Emma!"

One of the first-responders headed over to Emma's body and picked her up shouting for an open ambulance. They found one and she was placed onto the hard white bed. Dib followed after them hoping to be able to ride with her. They allowed it and soon Dib and Emma were headed to the hospital.

As they drove away Dib heard a loud crash and turned around in his seat. The last of the factory had broken down and now left only small parts on fire slowly melting away. Dib breathed in and out unevenly and laid down on the long seat he was given. His head was spinning and the room was beginning to get dark. Dib tried to call out to someone but he couldn't as he fell to the floor. Before he was completely out her heard a nurse call for some help and her voice faded from his hearing as he passed out from the trauma.