A/N: So I just posted the first chapter yesterday, and so far I've had next to NO SUPPORT! Thanks to Invader Johnny, who has SO FAR been the ONLY one to review and follow this story! Invader Johnny's been supportive for all my IZ works. (If you review, I'll put your name on here too...)
I'm going to post another chapter now, much more action-packed than the last one, and Chapter 3 will be even better! It just gets more exciting from here. Hopefully, now that I'll have two chapters up, you guys might actually LOOK at this story.
Please Review, Follow, Favorite, whatever. It would be GREATLY APPRECIATED because I DID put some work into this.
So here it is…
Chapter 2: Level Zero – Part One
Dib moaned and stood up. He looked around and spotted Zim on the ground a short distance away from him. Zim wasn't wearing his disguise anymore, which Dib thought was strange, but after quickly surveying that there was no one else around Dib decided that Zim's lack of disguise didn't really matter. After all, there was no one to expose him to.
Dib walked over and kicked the alien in the side. "Zim, get up," he said. The alien grumbled and shook his head, struggling into a standing position.
He looked around. "Where are we?" Zim asked. Dib looked at the surroundings too. It was a plain brown rocky environment with a completely black sky, and yet both boys could see their surroundings clearly.
"What's the light source?" Dib wondered. Zim didn't answer him, but also didn't admit that he didn't know.
A short distance away there was a hill that stood out from the rest of the area, which was completely flat except for a few boulders and the brown dead grass that stood up. Zim started for the hill, Dib close behind him and looking around nervously.
They made it to the top of the hill and looked down at the land beneath them. It was a cemetery, with rows and rows of gravestones, all cracked and covered in moss. A few dead trees stuck up here and there and the cemetery was surrounded by a six-foot-high black-metal fence with spikes chiseled at the top and curving, bending metal designs. Dib shuddered again.
"Did Gaz finally send us to that Nightmare World?" Dib wondered. "I don't remember her threatening that this time."
"Don't be silly," Zim said. "That's preposterous. Let's just see what's beyond the cemetery. We can head to the small wooden building," Zim said, pointing at a wooden shack on the other side of the cemetery. Zim started down the hill and Dib stumbled after him.
"Hey, Zim, maybe we should just go around the cemetery," Dib said as Zim approached the black fence.
"Why? It will only take longer if we go around," Zim said.
"I don't know. I mean, that cemetery is pretty spooky."
"Nothing scares the ALMIGHTY ZIM!" Zim laughed as he pulled out his PAK legs. He used them to walk easily over the fence and retracted them once he was on the other side. Dib sighed.
"Well fine, Zim, but I'm going to go around."
"But what if there's ghosts here?" Zim asked tauntingly. Dib considered.
"Well, it does look like the kind of place that would have ghosts." Dib gave in and decided to go through the cemetery. He walked over to one of the dead, leafless trees and climbed up. Once he was up he walked across a branch that reached over to the other side of the fence and jumped down into the cemetery.
Zim was already walking away, so Dib ran to catch up to him. They proceeded in between the rows of gravestones that protruded from the mounds of dirt. Dib stepped aside as a grave interfered his path, but Zim, having no knowledge of respect for the dead, walked right over the grave. Dib shook his head, never thinking that it could cause much harm, only that it was disrespectful. If only he'd known, Dib might have stopped the alien.
As soon as Zim had trampled over, the whole cemetery began to shake. The boys froze and wobbled with the effort of not falling down as the ground shook beneath them. Suddenly, from every grave in the cemetery, pigs began to rise. They floated up out of the dirt like ghosts, blood dripping from their snouts. Zim gagged, completely disgusted by the repulsive display.
Dib's eyes widened in shock. Somehow, he thought this looked familiar… and yet it was impossible. He'd never been in a situation quite like this before!
A few of the pigs attacked, knocking the boys over. Dib rolled back into a standing position and kicked a couple of the demon pigs back as they tackled him. Zim hadn't been as graceful when he fell to the ground, the pigs swarming him. He screamed for a moment, then remembered that he didn't have to disguise himself. There was no one else around. He could use all the Irken training he possessed to win without fear of exposing himself. Zim smiled, then grimaced under the weight of the pigs.
Dib fought off pigs and glanced over to where Zim was still swarmed. Dib thought for a moment that he might be dead and they may be feeding on his alien flesh, but when the pigs suddenly started to vibrate Dib pushed the thought aside. Zim suddenly burst out of the pile, pigs flying in different directions as Zim's outstretching PAK legs forced them off with tremendous force. Zim crouched into a fighting stance before lifting himself into the air on his spider legs. The mechanical limbs lashed out and struck the flying pigs as they advanced on the alien. Unfortunately, for every pig that Zim destroyed, three more would arise from the grave.
Dib screeched as he was suddenly tackled to the ground again, having been distracted by Zim's efforts. Dib clawed at the pigs to little effect. He looked up to Zim for help, seeing no other option, and realized that Zim was making a hasty retreat.
"ZIM, WAIT!" Dib called out. Zim didn't turn around, clearly not caring enough to stop and save the Big-Headed human. Dib thought quickly, then called out again. "ZIM! I know where we are!" The alien stopped in his retreat, but didn't turn around. Dib winced as a pig bit his arm, resulting in some oozing blood. "Zim! If you want to escape, you'll need me!" Zim growled deeply, like an angered animal, before turning and lashing out with his PAK legs at the pigs on top of Dib.
Before Dib could even stand, Zim leaned forward, gloved claw hands grasping Dib's arms, and lifted Dib away from the ground. Dib felt air swoosh past him as he was carried at a quick pace across the cemetery on Zim's PAK legs. With the added weight, Zim had to keep all four extra legs on the ground at all times to keep them up, which meant he couldn't spare an extra two to defend himself. He winced and let out a small gasp as a pig caught his antenna, snapping it. Dib looked up as he heard the snap and sharp intake of breath from the alien. Dib was stunned by the level of composure Zim managed to keep after having his most sensitive appendage snapped.
They quickly made it to the fence, only receiving a few more scratches from the pigs on the way, most of them being inflicted on Zim as Dib hung from the alien's grasp and was better protected by the metal legs moving quickly around him.
They made it to the fence and slowed down while trying to climb over due to the fact that Zim had to raise himself higher to keep the dangling Dib from getting caught. "Stupid Earth-Monkey," Zim said under his breath, cursing the fact that he needed Dib to tell him where they were.
Dib glanced up at Zim when he whispered the insult. Dib was surprised to hear an undertone of pain.
They made it over the fence and fell forward as one of Zim's PAK legs caught on the metal. They fell to the ground, Zim retracting the metal appendages to keep them from breaking, and to conserve his energy. Using them for such a long period of time and to fight with such force and quick movement was quickly very taxing on his small Irken body. Indeed, the prejudice towards small Irkens did begin with the fact that very few small Irkens could fight at all with their PAK legs because of the strain. It's why Zim didn't use them more often in his battles against Dib, on top of the fact that they would blow his cover.
The boys landed on the ground and quickly stood, whipping back around to face the fence and expecting the pigs to fly at them. To their relief, the pigs stopped at the edge of the fence and floated back to their graves.
A/N: I just Pre-Ordered the new Invader Zim comic. Super psyched about that.
PLEASE REVIEW… or something. (-.-) Just a thumbs up, down, half-way?