It was now 3:30 and Gaz was still sitting at the desk, feeling pretty confident. They'd been unable to get past the salt ring and by now she was becoming slightly confident. She held up the flashlight she'd brought with her to her mouth, humming a bit before beginning to sing mockingly in front of a glowering Hunter animatronic as GIR stood next to him, head slowly lilting back and forth.

"Don't speak! I know what you're thinking! And I don't need your reasons! Don't tell me cuz it huuurts!"

"Your voice is stupid. It fills me with indescribable rage." The Hunter mumbled darkly. GIR began to twitch. "We'll figure out a way past this salt ring. I promise you that."

"Oh, really?" Gaz said, giving him a big, shit-eating grin as she stuck her tongue out. "I don't think so. You could throw your sword, but then you'd just lose it, because I'd dodge it." She informed him with a dismissive wave of her hand. "Too bad you don't have an infinite number of daggers like the real Vampire Piggy Hunter has in the video games. But what else can you expect from a down-on-its-luck pizza joint animatronic?"

The Hunter's eyes were cold before a dark, sick look came up on his face. "GIR…go get the knives from the kitchen. All of them." He remarked. "If I can't hit her, I can at least make sure she can't monitor us anymore."

Oh. Shit. Gaz's eyes went wide. There were dozens of knives in the kitchen. He was going to try to hurt her any way he could. GIR saluted, waltzing off as Gaz glared back at the Hunter's face as he held up his sword. "And perhaps I'll start us off early! DODGE THIS!" He roared out. He didn't care if he hit her. He just wanted to try. Hours of being unable to scare her into submission had made him lose patience.

Gaz braced herself. He launched the sword through the air, Gaz twisting her body, snatching the blade by the hilt, swinging it about before bringing it down onto the floor, grinning triumphantly. She felt good. Real, real good. The Hunter's shocked expression on his face was just the icing on the cake. That stunned, stupefied look, as if he didn't believe it could be possible. But she'd done it. She'd grabbed his sword out of midair.

But now GIR had arrived with a bunch of knives, some of them clattering onto the floor with a KLAKKA-KLAK sound as the Hunter smirked. Gaz took up a position in front of the computer, holding the sword up like a baseball bat, gritting her teeth as the Hunter held up a large carving knife. "Prepare to become a blind little mouse, Little Gaaaaaz…" The Hunter whispered, launching it through the air. It sang as it soared, Gaz swinging the Hunter's blade. With a harsh KLANG, she knocked the carving knife into the wall, the Hunter tossing another knife at her as she swung again.

Left and right, up and down, she swung and swung the sword, and each swing seemed heavier and heavier as she struggled to keep up with the animatronics near-insane speed. His robotic body gave him a distinct edge, and he was not letting up. One knife went over her arm and she winched as it sliced through part of her uniform and arm, trying not to give him the satisfaction of letting out a cry before he launched another one. It struck her shoulder and she let out a gasp, reeling back, slamming slightly into the desk.

The Hunter's smile was sick. It was like something that had crawled out from under a rock as he launched another knife at her, but Gaz ducked, the blade stabbing itself into the wall across from her as he growled, GIR continually handing the Hunter more knives. He raised his arm to launch one off-

But then familiar spectral forms surrounded him, and the ghost children began leaping all over him, banging their little fists on his head, tugging at his arms, yanking GIR away, one using a butcher knife to slash at the Hunter's stomach, Gaz's eyes widening at the display. "Torque Smacky?!" She gasped out, seeing one of the ghosts as its face solidified into something more recognizable, Torque trying to saw through the Hunter's stomach with the butcher knife.

"I TOLD you guys Bloaty killed those kids! Bet you wish you'd listened to me now!" His ghostly form muttered, Zim's voice rising out of the Hunter.

"Stupid stink beasts! You're dead! Accept it! You're not getting out of here!" He snarled, trying to shove and kick and punch them back, the clock now reading 4:30 before GIR suddenly jumped on Zim's head, the other ghost kids stepping back as GIR whacked the Hunter again and again. "What are?!"

"Stop hurting Gazzy!" GIR's voice rang out, intermixed with Nicholas as he tried chewing on the Hunter's head. "Stop it, stop it, stop it!"

Somehow the ghosts had awakened GIR and Nicholas's spirit, Gaz realized as the Hunter reeled back, Gaz wiping her brow as they vanished into the darkness. Phew. Thank goodness for small mercies.

And then the vent began to bang and she suddenly heard the unmistakable sound of "Lil' Bloaty" chuckling as she whipped her head in his direction, the Vampire Piggy floating in midair as Minimoose's stolen body quivered with disturbing delight. "Heheheheheehehehehe! I have you all to myself."

Oh crap.

Gaz ducked, avoiding his swipe, little fangs popping out as he propelled himself at her, hooves sharp like razors as he twisted in midair. He shot back at her as she sliced at him, but he swerved out of the way, Gaz holding the sword up, gritting her teeth. That shoulder wound was jabbing into her like the hot knife wound it was, it felt like liquid fire stabbed into her and it was making it hard for her to hold the sword with both hands.

Then "Lil Bloaty" did slam into her, knocking her into the wall, making her gasp in pain as he snickered darkly. "I'll kill you!" He cried out, launching at her head. She ducked, crawling away, bounding back up just in time to knock him back with the blunt end of the sword. He struck the wall and bounced off it before glowering at her and diving at her anew, Gaz barely diving away as his fangs just barely missed her neck.

She needed to knock him back into the vent. She held the sword up, gritting her teeth, eyes narrowing. It had to be timed juuuuuuust right. If she didn't get it right-

He dove, and she swung. And it connected beautifully, knocking him right into the vent, making him bang about as he was sent flying back through it, Gaz quickly dropping the sword and grabbing hold of the vent cover as she slammed it back in. She took out the screwdriver she'd brought, snatching up the nails from the floor and began screwing the vent cover back on as she heard Minimoose making his way back towards her.

"You're not keeping me out that easily!" He hissed out.

"How'd you even get past the salt?"

Minimoose giggled a bit. "This body comes with a fan. Its old master had it installed to cool him off on hot summer days. In fact, now that I think of it…"

Gaz stiffened. Oh. Shit.

"Why waste time with this when I can just have Bloaty use me to get rid of that pesky salt in front of the door? I'll be seeing you reeeeaaal soon, Gazlene. Real soon." The Vampire Piggy hauntingly chuckled, Gaz quickly screwing the vent back in before heading back to the desk, looking at the cameras, bracing herself for the inevitable appearance of Bloaty.

Meanwhile, Dib was in Zim's house, flashlight held up as he waltzed through the old home of his former rival. If Zim wasn't around, there was probably some technology left that Dib could use to help his sister. Some kind of laser, some kind of defensive shield, anything at all. But Zim's house was an even bigger mess than he'd thought.

Cobwebs were in every single corner, every single light fixture almost swarming with spiders as dust motes floated about through the air like fairies. The television screen was playing endless static, the colors of the wallpaper faded and gone, the carpets half-eaten up by moths as they fluttered up past Dib's face. His eye was still covered up with bandages for the moment and he winced as he turned his flashlight towards the secret elevator that led down to Zim's lab.

But before he could go in, he noticed the basement door was open, and a large sign read "KEEP OUT: Especially YOU, GIR" over it. He raised an eyebrow up in confusion as he approached it, pushing the door open, some moths fluttering past him as he slowly made his way down the steps, the musky air harsh and foul as he waved his hand in front of his face. Ugh, it stank down here. He kept moving forward into the dark expanse, his flashlight the only light in the dark pit that was Zim's basement as it passed over what appeared to be an immense experimentation lab. There were…things floating in tanks. Things too disgusting and ugly to stare at for too long as Dib walked past them as quickly as he could, a large console connecting them all and-

What the? It couldn't be. But there he was. Skoodge the Irken was sitting in a chair at the far end. But he looked even more pathetic than usual. His skin was stretched over bone, his eyes almost utterly sunken, teeth looking like they hadn't been cleaned in ages as flies wafted around him. A single Luna moth fluttered about, landing on his head as he slowly, agonizingly turned, as if he was made of stone and every inch he moved was painful to pull off.

"What happened to you?" Dib asked.

"…I couldn't help him." Skoodge murmured. "…they were just…gone."

Dib's eyes went wide. Wait. Could it be?

"You…saw what happened to Zim and GIR and Minimoose?"

"We went to Bloaty's. It was just supposed to be…just a simple thing. Just burn it down. But it all went wrong. And I failed. I couldn't help." Skoodge shook his head back and forth. "I can't do anything right. I messed up even being an exile."

Dib looked with pity on the former Invader, approaching him. "Look, we're trying to kill Bloaty."

"You CAN'T!" Skoodge screamed out. "You don't think I didn't try?!" He roared out, his eyes becoming wild and furious. "I…I tried…"

It was supposed to be simple. Get in and burn the place down. Then GIR would stop asking to go there to play with Gaz, and it would annoy Gaz to no end. Better still, Skoodge had had the idea of framing Dib for it: they'd leave behind a pair of Dib's glasses they'd stolen as well as fingerprints on a gas can they were bringing.

As they slunk through the hallways though, something was off. A cold chill filled the air as Skoodge shuddered, wrapping his arms around himself, dropping the gas can momentarily as Zim stared back at him, raising an invisible eyebrow up. "What?"

"Is it me, or did it just get colder in here?" He asked of the shorter Irken, Zim frowning a bit.

"So it's slightly chillier. That means nothing to Zim!" Zim proclaimed, pointing upwards as Skoodge picked up the gas can-

Or rather, reached to do so but was stopped when he saw a spectral, ghastly grey ghost looking back at him. He reeled back, gasping as Zim blinked in surprise, the ghost looking them over.

"You should go." It said.

"Wait. I know you. The stuttering boy." Zim said, eyes narrowed. "Begone from Zim's sight. We have business here! Yes, VERY important business."

"He'll come for you."

"Who's he-"

THRAHK THRAHK THRAHK.

The air was now far, far colder. They shuddered, glancing about as horrific laughter filled the air and Skoodge looked left and right, Zim glaring angrily at the ghost. "What is going on?! Stop this right now!" He demanded, trying to punch the ghost in the face, his fist harmlessly flying through it over and over again, not realizing the form that was approaching from behind the ghost as Skoodge stared in horror, holding up a pointing claw.

"Zim?"

"Not now, I've almost got him!"

"Zim?!"

"Hold on, I'm-"

"ZIM!"

Zim finally looked up, and gaped at the sight before him as blood began to pool out of Bloaty's mouth as he grinned horrifically down at them. Zim let out a yelp, racing off with Skoodge as they made for the front door they'd come into, but the chain locks, which they'd taken off, had somehow been put right back on. Zim growled darkly, his PAK legs extending-

Only for one of them to be grabbed, and he was tossed through the air, slamming against the wall as Skoodge raced for the nearest chair, launching it through the air at Bloaty, the chair just bouncing off the layers of flat. Skoodge cringed as he then grabbed hold of a ketchup bottle, smashing it open like it was a bottle of beer and attacking the flabby thing as it reached to pick Zim off the floor. He tore at Bloaty, causing a tear to strip off, Bloaty letting out a surprisingly agonized howl, and Skoodge gaped in horror as intestines began to pour out…

From the upper body of a child that flopped slightly onto the floor, eyes staring uselessly up at Skoodge, lips slightly open as its lower body remained trapped within Bloaty.

Skoodge gaped. He had seen many awful things throughout his life. But he'd never seen something like this so close. Yes, he'd done pretty cruel things to the slaughtering rat people on Blorch, but this was a child, not a rat, and it was staring up at him, a fly landing on an eye that could never again see-

Bloaty backhanded him back, but with clearly far less strength than Zim had endured. Skoodge grunted a bit as he rose up, seeing Zim was now held up in the air, Bloaty reaching for his face. His fingers dug in, Zim's feet uselessly flailing about, PAK legs broken by the impact against the wall as a crunching sound began to echo through the air and-

And then both Zim and Bloaty were gone…and Skoodge was left alone with shadows and dust.

Dib blinked slowly, Skoodge bowing his head, his story finished. "I'm sorry." He finally got out. He'd never really had anything personal against Skoodge, the fat Irken had been more agreeable and civil than Zim had ever been, and now he seemed so…listless.

"I, GIR and Minimoose went there the next night. But when we heard Zim's voice, we thought-well…" He trailed off.

"It was the Hunter, wasn't it?" Dib wanted to know, raising an eyebrow up as Skoodge quietly nodded. "It tricked you into getting into a room with Bloaty?"

"Yes. They always trap you and then when Bloaty's there, then…" Skoodge trailed off once again.

Dib put a hand on the Irken's soldier. "Skoodge, listen. You've helped me more than you think." He told the former Invader. Because Dib now had an idea on how to stop Bloaty.

…

…

…

…Gaz braced herself behind the desk, hand at the ready near the lamp as she heard the familiar sound of Bloaty approaching as Minimoose's stolen body floated near the tubbish, hateful being as it gazed out at her. "Why hello, lil' Gazzy! Come give your ol' pal Bloaty a hug! You love Bloaty!"

"I did. And then you started murdering kids. I like you much less now." She said darkly.

Bloaty looked down at Minimoose as "Lil' Bloaty's" mouth opened up and a fan began to pop out, blowing at the collected salt that was in the doorway. "You shouldn't be so rude to Bloaty, Gaz. Bloaty only wants to give you a great. Big. HUG. And put you in a nice, warm suit. After all, it gets so cold here at night."

"I'll manage." She grunted. It was now 5 AM. She just had to last another hour. Keep talking, asshole, she thought to herself. Keep talking. Minimoose was about halfway done, which was problematic, but she could handle this.

A ring on her phone. She looked down at it. A text from Dib and her eyes widened a bit as she looked it over, then read it aloud. "Minimoose, Skoodge misses you and GIR and Zim."

Lil' Bloaty stopped, his stolen body quivering slightly. "Sk-Skoodge?" It said, its voice now more of a squeak. "…nyah?"

"He blames himself for what happened to you." Gaz went on, looking at the phone as Minimoose's possessed form began to quiver and shake. "Come home."

"…N…nyah…" Minimoose began to murmur, but suddenly its eyes glowed as Bloaty gave it a quick, dark glare, and it shook back and forth. "Y-You stop that! My name is Lil' Bloaty!" It snapped at her, resuming it's blowing, the fan popping back out as Gaz sighed slightly, hand reaching for the lamp.

Flick! On it went, as Bloaty's triumphant smirk at seeing the salt blow away faded, the runes popping up underneath the light's rays. He cringed, reeling back along with "Lil' Bloaty" as the runes glowed with a faint, otherworldly light and Gaz smirked a bit, arms folding across her chest. "You didn't think I'd bring another way to keep you the hell away from me? You're seriously dumb."

She then looked down at the rest of the text. "Bloaty's power comes from suit. Need to cut open somehow."

It was now 5:30. Bloaty gave her a dark glare, grinding his animatronic teeth together. "I will figure something out, Gazlene. Just. You.Wait." He promised coldly, stomping off as Lil' Bloaty floated after him, Gaz looking down at the sword the Hunter had left behind, along with the many, many knives. So. Cut Bloaty open, huh? There was no way she'd be able to get close enough to do that just attacking him outright. She'd have to plan this out. Be cautious. Prepare a trap that the kid from "Home Alone" would have been jealous of.

She knew how to beat him now.

And for once, she was feeling a real sense of hope about her job. For once, she was ending the night feeling confident and happy and smug. Feeling almost like, well…herself.

And then she saw the ghost children in the hallway as they stared at her, Nick's ghost waving softly before fading away, and she sighed. This wasn't the time to be feeling cocky. She had miles to go before she slept. This wasn't over until Bloaty was put down like the animal he was and those kids were freed.

Bloaty and his animatronics had been giving her hell for three nights straight. Tomorrow night, she was going to give them a taste of their own medicine. And they'd be downing it. With a spoon full of salt.