It took a rather large amount of self-coaching for Dib to peel himself away from the wall, and let go of the coat stand he was holding. Somehow, it didn't seem like those two actions were really going to help at the moment. Not when there seemed to be nothing to hide from… so far. He swallowed a little. What now? Go in further, or stay put? Neither option seemed to appeal. Burrow under the floorboards? Nah, there were probably more unspeakable things hiding in the building's foundations. The teen's fingers twitched, aching to grip the weapon tight again. Common sense snapped at them that it was a stupid idea. Survival instincts demanded why common sense had to be so damn sure about everything. Dib told his brain to shut up and THINK OF SOMETHING.
And nothing came, because his brain was too numb to answer.
So he walked forward.
The creature lurking within the walls stiffened, feeling the soft vibration of footsteps and the sudden appearance of a new chemical signature in the air. Its eyes narrowed as it ran the signature through its memory bank, finding one very clear match. A human. Human visitors were rare here, and those few foolish ones who entered, maybe once or twice in a year, could be easily frightened off when they heard the resident's fearsome sounds, thinking they were faced with some large, very angry possum. With three very sharp claws.
Huh… it could have sworn there was something overlooked. Something mightily familiar about the stench of hyooman tainting the air. A further investigation had to be made, and with that the creature hoisted itself gracefully onto a shelf, and from there made its way up high. The stench was overpowering, and with a sudden jolt, something clicked in the observer's memory, a long, long relationship of slander and abuse, pain and torment, fierce competition, and a deep, twisted relationship that few people would probably experience; and most would call insane. That should have been the foremost thought in his mind, if he hadn't at that moment received a strong electrical surge up his spine, and every thought of his was suddenly programmed to Enemy Alert! followed by All defences down – RUN LIKE HELL!
There was no mistaking the skittering of mechanical legs on a ceiling beam. As odd as that may sound. All rational thought suddenly abandoning Dib, he took off at a sprint, chasing down the elusive sound that always remained a few steps ahead of him. It was quite a rush of excitement he got, having been anxious and uncertain (scared? Not a chance!) just a few seconds before. Then barely a few seconds of mindless chasing later, the noise faded away completely, leaving a bewildered young investigator, hot on the trail, to come to a sudden standstill.
Ahead was the famous seminar room. Not that Dib himself had ever attended a lecture in there, he'd just crept quietly up to the rotting door, hanging slightly ajar, and took a peek into what was most certainly something out of a child's nightmares. Just the gloomy, curiously delinquent feeling that seemed to come with the silent, brooding chairs and tattered rugs was enough to send a brave man running. And in the corner of the room stood the centrepiece of all this unpleasantness; the massive hulk of the grandfather clock. How it had continued to run this long, no one really understood; of course, Gaz's theory was possession by a demon, and Dib had always been too frightened of the room to prove her theory.
Now he stood on the edge of his toes, teeth digging into his lower lip as he hovered on the brink between proceeding into the room, and running away in the most valiant way possible. He'd convinced himself it wasn't the actual room he was afraid of, but now he was so close to finding what was most probably the alien who had died three years ago, suddenly the idea seemed less appealing than he'd ever dreamed of. Maybe it was just the unnerving setting, and the fact that the wind was still howling up an orchestra outside, but the teen was beginning to doubt himself. He'd never heard Zim make such noises as he'd heard the other day, and the way the alien had pursued him while remaining invisible brought back unpleasant memories of having his lungs stolen and replaced with a cow toy. If indeed it actually was the same Irken he knew…
The mad impulse to flee subsided as quickly as it had hit him. Forcing himself to stop, he leaned up against a vertical beam, panting as he tried to recollect his breath and his thoughts, and recalling what had just happened, the creature stuck his long tongue out in revulsion. Tallest damn this broken PAK for telling him to run, when all his life he had fought! But what if the human was armed? You've got no weapons, except for a few spindly legs. The less popular part of his brain spoke up, and he slapped it into silence.
Of course he could handle it. The repulsive smell told him exactly who he was dealing with, and almost on automation, the alien began to laugh. Harsh cackling reverberated through the walls, growing gradually louder and more intense. Why was he laughing? Who knew, but perhaps it was the sheer irony that of all the humans to finally discover his amazing hiding place, it just had to be the Dib.
Dib could have sworn he heard a soft noise, causing the bare rafters above him to tremble a little. The teen cocked his head and stood tall, attempting to stretch his neck out in hopes it might possibly make him hear better. A harsh chuckle exploded from the shadows, and it was just about then that Dib practically fell over, a stupid smile slowly spreading across his pale features, for he knew exactly whose laugh that was.
Bugger all, he thought. Maybe the alien would try to capture or kill him, or chase him out in a rage. Who cared; somehow it didn't seem to matter. A kind of calmness had settled inside him. He was going to see Zim again. Albeit being an enemy, at least the obnoxious Irken was a familiar face, and Dib felt a little less frightened for the fact. A little less alone.
Catching his breath, Dib quietly pushed open the door to the seminar room.