A/N: Here is chapter seven, after just two weeks from publishing the last. That's quite an improvement. Happy new year too. Let's hope 2012 is a good year.
Thank you for all your lovely reviews. They mean a lot to me, and you have such kind words :)
Disclaimer: I don't own IZ without a witty comment to explain why I do this time.
...
The garden gnomes sat still, or so it seemed, while they guarded the peculiar house of Zim. Their eyes would follow any passing pedestrian slowly like a predator watches its prey. For the unsuspecting citizen, they would either find themselves deeply disturbed by the slow-moving heads of the garden gnomes, or have the tip of their hair singed off by a laser when they stepped too close to the creepy house. But most of the time the garden gnomes were too faulty to work due to their crazy engineering.
A figure appeared on the horizon, approaching the house sluggishly. The garden gnomes zoomed in with their eyes to get a closer look at the life form.
They resumed their positions once their scanners verified that the creature was Zim: the green thing that supposedly owned the dwelling they defended.
Zim walked up the path, paying no heed to the rotating heads of his gnomes while he approached the door. Only one gnome kept its gaze on the front of the yard.
…
Somewhere in Zim's lair, monitors displayed various scenes of the outside conditions. Several showed an image of Zim walking up the path from three different angles, but one picked up on a blur of some sort, standing in-between the gap of the fence. It was hard to distinguish, as it kept shifting slightly.
GIR sat in front of the monitors as Minimoose floated nearby. His cyan eyes narrowed at the screen that picked up the feed. Then they widened in surprise.
He tapped one of his boomerang claws onto the screen, gasping and shouting, "What is it?!" in a sing-song voice.
By now, he would have run up to greet Zim at the door like a typical dog — despite the fact he wasn't a dog.
Instead, he was too engrossed by the scene before him. His eyes zoomed out of his head like a pair telescopes to get a closer look at the image.
Minimoose hovered close to the screen to inspect the blur, giving a small squeak. Translation: "I don't think it's anything."
"What chuuu say? It is something. Ooh, it just moved! Lookit go!"
"Why are you two down here? Master would want you both upstairs. I'm surprised he hasn't called yet."
"Shhh! we lookin' at the pretty blur. Aw, it's so cute," GIR said, clasping his hands.
There was a metallic hum, which was the sound of the computer inspecting the screen. "It's probably just a piece of dirt stuck on the lens."
"A piece of pooooo you say? I like poo! Hehehe!"
GIR ran out of the room in hopes of finding that piece of 'dirt' as he squealed for joy.
Minimoose and the computer stayed behind, of course. They weren't a dumb AI like GIR was.
"Why do you even hang out with him? You could do so much better."
Minimoose gave a simple squeak for an answer, which couldn't be translated into English or any other language, but his tone suggested that he really didn't know. GIR did technically own him...
…
Zim, after letting himself inside, slumped against the door and released the biggest sigh he ever made. It was surprising he had all that air inside him.
He had a throbbing headache due to his head pounding sessions on the wall earlier today. Why did he even do that? It didn't work like he thought it would, anyway.
She was there in the classroom... Well, he thought he saw her.
It was likely he imagined her there, since he didn't get that sick feeling in his gut. All he had felt was a strange build-up of insanity, which had taken over his mind like a virus takes over its host. It probably freaked the entire class out, but what did he care.
How disturbing it was to think he was even imagining her now. He really did have the roughest day of all the days he had spent on this little blue planet combined.
He walked over to the couch and collapsed face-first into a cushion. The cushion was really comfy as it soothed his aching head. His breathing was jagged at first, but it began to even by each second. This was the first time he had relaxed in hours.
He reached a hand to his wig, and threw it on the floor. Next, his antennae sprouted up like flowers in spring.
His mouth still burnt from when Ms. Bitters ripped the tape off his mouth. She could have done it gently, but Ms. Bitters and gentle don't really go together in one sentence.
He felt more relaxed now, trying to forget the events of the past couple of days.
His right antenna perked up to the humming of the elevator, and then he heard the clatter of cone-shaped feet. His headache returned with a vengeance.
The noise rushed past him on the couch. He never lifted his head, as he knew it was GIR. But after hearing what the robot had to say next, he could resist no longer.
"I hope it tastes like walnuts!" He ran out the door to the gnome nearest the fence.
Zim was confused. What tastes like walnuts? He couldn't see GIR, but his shadow danced across the lawn. GIR was licking the gnome as if it were ice cream, and not a secret camera/garden gnome.
He lifted his body up off the couch and walked towards the door; he still wore his human contacts, which made him look weird without the wig. So he grabbed his wig once again, and placed it on his head, carelessly. Now it looked like he was wearing a dead animal for a hat.
Zim stood at the door, and found GIR licking the eye of the gnome.
"This dookie tastes... like... invisible..." GIR said. Maybe because the dookie is nonexistent.
"GIR, stop licking that gnome this instant! You'll get your filthy... you know I'm really not sure what's actually in your saliva... Just get inside! You're out of disguise. The neighbors will get suspicious."
Zim looked across the street to see the legless man in his garden chair. Sweat dripped off the alien's face as he gave a nervous chuckle.
"Everything's fine here. Yep! Normal as can be... We're normal!"
Zim did a little Irish jig of some sort, just to prove how normal he was, and then dragged GIR back inside the house. He slammed the door next.
The man stared at Zim's door, very confused. "Mmm hmm?" he hummed.
Zim wiped the sweat off his forehead. "Phew, that was close. He was almost onto us, GIR!"
He turned around to find GIR swatting at flies that weren't there, and cupping them with his claws. Zim gave him a stern look, like a mother would give her small child who drew on the walls.
"GIR, listen to me very, very carefully. Never run out of the house without your dog suit on. The hyoomans will start to notice that something may just be a little off with us..."
"They will?!" GIR gasped, gripping his hands over his cheeks. "Oh well. Doo de doo doo doo!" He started to dance.
Zim shook his head and left him there to dance, deciding he wasn't worth the fuss. It just gave him headaches, anyway.
He noticed how hollow his stomach was at that moment, and realised he had not eaten in over twenty-four hours. It came as a shock. One of an Irken's favourite past times was to eat non-stop. That was why they had a number of snacking planets.
Zim ran into the kitchen to see if he stored anything good. He opened the cupboard doors, but all he found were peanuts, soap, waffle mix, and a jar of beetles (the jar poor Nick had to eat).
He stuck his tongue out, and tried to forget he ever saw the contents of that cupboard (what did he expect to find behind it? Narnia filled with snacks?)
Frustrated by the lack of food, he tried his luck with the fridge, and found a few things that were edible.
He ended up with an Irken poop soda, nachos, sandwiches, cake (and a lot of other food that would make this list too long), and walked into the living room. That amount of food was considered small on his home planet.
He switched the TV on. The current channel showed two people kissing. Zim noticed they had each other's tongues in their mouths. Disgusting.
"I'm trying to eat for Irk's sake!"
GIR walked over and sat next to Zim. He looked interested in the show, as he started making horrible kissy sounds.
Zim changed the channel before he was going to puke—since GIR wasn't making it any easier—to one containing gore, violence, and most importantly blood. This was more of his kind of thing, which helped him relax.
Unfortunately, all this food wasn't going to help him forget everything that happened. His eyes were bigger than his belly...
He nibbled on a nacho and chewed it very slowly, staring at the TV with a blank expression. Then he tried to swallow, but it felt dry as it went down his throat, despite the blob of cheese. So he opened his can of poop to help get it down. Maybe a nice fresh drink would help. No, it wasn't satisfying enough. Food lost all its taste and wonder.
He rose from the couch as all the food fell to the floor, but he didn't care. He just stared ahead at the wall.
His eyes filled with water, and then he finally broke down, slumping to the floor in a helpless green heap.
"Why?! Why is all this happening to Zim? I just want everything to go back to normal! I promised the Tallest I'd conquer this revolting planet, but now look at me. I'm a failure to the Empire... A big, fat failure!" He broke down again.
It was heartwrenching to watch. He just looked so pathetic that it hurt. It was uncharacteristic of him to cry and give in so easy, but it was just too much to bear. He was clueless about what to do in his current predicament. This was way beyond him now.
GIR looked upset over Zim's outburst, as his little robot face twisted with grief. He jumped off the couch and gently placed a hand over his shoulder.
"Don't cry, mastah. I'm here for you. Don't be sad..."
It was very sweet of him. GIR does have his good points beneath all that insanity.
Zim stopped suddenly, facing GIR with harsh, cruel eyes. It was such a deep contrast to the sweet and gentle moment they shared.
"Get your paw off me, GIR..."
The venom wasn't meant for GIR, personally, but the robot still looked sad.
Zim stood on his feet as his fiery personality rose back from the dead.
"What am I doing, bawling like some helpless smeet?! I'm an Invader, sent from the most powerful civilization in the entire universe, and I'm going to destroy this rock, even if I have to fight one of its ghostly inhabitants. This has gone too far now, GIR!"
He looked at the little robot dead in the eye. GIR started to back away from him. His sudden change made him nervous.
Zim returned his gaze to the wall, or whatever was the source of his darkest fantasies.
"I'm going to kill this little 'residual entity', and make it pay! I mean it this time. Then I shall return to my ghostless life, and finally conquer this planet! Mwahahaha!"
GIR, seeing nothing else to do, and having been quiet for far too long, decided to join in with Zim's evil laughter.
"Hehe! We gonna do what you just said. Yay!"
"We're destroying a ghost, GIR," Zim told him rather vexed, but that didn't stop the smile playing across his face. It felt great to say it. He almost believed it were possible.
"We is? Are we gonna be like them Ghostbusters?"
"No! This is real life. Not some stupid movie that you make me watch countless times!"
"Aw, but it would've been so magical..."
Zim decided to ignore him for the greater good.
"I'm going down into the lab now, GIR, and I'm doing this alone, without you. This is too much of a delicate situation, which you would just end up ruining with your presence, which will ruin… You're not involved, GIR, so stop pestering me!"
He turned on his heels, and made a move towards his lab, but then a loud knock on the door surprised him mid-step. Then he heard a familiar voice.
"Zim! I know you're in there! I can hear you talking to your stupid robot...
"I'm not stoooopid," GIR said.
... I'll find out what's up with you sooner or later, so there's no point in hiding. I'll scale the highest mountains, swim the deepest seas, and fly to... Oh, just come out already. I want answers, space boy!"
Zim faced the door in sheer shock. He knew he didn't imagine the sound of those gnome lasers outside in the yard before.
"It's the Dib! He's come back to probe me for answers. Noooooooo! GIR! Attend to the human. Tell him Zim is... I don't know, dying from rabies. I was attacked by a vicious dog today, so it's partly true."
"You mean the big-headed boy's come over to play? We can play house again, and I'm the baby!"
GIR ran to the door, while Zim hid behind the couch. He opened the door with open arms, but Dib only tried to barge through. Unfortunately, GIR attacked his head like a cat high on catnip.
"I missed you, Mary!" he squealed.
"Aaaargh! Get off my face!" Dib's girlish screams could be heard out in the yard.
Zim appeared from around the couch with a small smile. "Good job, GIR," he said proudly, grateful for his robot's erratic behaviour once again.
He stood up from his hiding place victorious, and dusted off his uniform since there were a million dust bunnies there. But then the room started to spin, and he froze mid-stride.
It grew quiet. He closed his eyes, knowing what to expect.
The sounds of GIR and Dib ceased. They were gone. Everything disappeared. The only thing that remained was the monkey portrait, now facing the other way...
The room turned grey and lifeless. Outside, mist pressed against the window. It was so cold. The chill swept against his body, making him shiver. He saw his breath hovering through the air like a ghost.
Where was he? This was a different place. He didn't belong here.
His back stiffened once he heard that heavy breathing behind his shoulder.
He didn't dare to turn, for he knew who it was. A cold sweat dripped from his forehead, twisting his spooch into a knot. He could feel the bile bubbling up inside like stew.
He felt her hand move over his face, as she brushed her fingers across his cheek. Her touch was cold like the tip of a knife.
How had he succumbed to this terror once again? There was no way he could go up against her now. She had supernatural powers beyond anything he could dream of. Why did he even think he could defeat her? She probably couldn't be destroyed. It was hopeless.
He listened to her squeaky breaths as they maintained perfect rhythm with his. Why was she even breathing?
It seemed like she was trying to get closer, but something prevented her. Zim didn't know what, but he was grateful. Anything to keep her at bay, even if just for a little while.
All she could do was press her fingertips lightly against his cheek. Her fingers were like feathers, but they still felt like knives to Zim.
He wanted it all to end. This couldn't last forever. Zim was trapped in an endless void of fear, but he wasn't alone. He had company...
...
Dib finally ripped GIR off his face, as it was getting difficult to breathe.
He threw him on the floor as he hit the ground with a metallic thud.
The boy was panting heavily, trying to regain composure before he busted through Zim's door.
GIR really took it out of him. His energy was all used up, as he needed to be ready for the alien. It was hard enough getting past the gnome field, but he did it anyway. It was getting too easy now.
GIR looked up sadly at Dib. Being thrown onto the floor wasn't very nice, especially as he just wanted to give him a hug. So he broke down into a tiny robot sob, sounding just like Zim before.
"Why?! Why doesn't big-headed boy love me? I thought we had a good thing... Mary?" he called out to Dib, even though it wasn't his stupid name. GIR broke down again.
Dib stared at the robot confused, and very unsettled. "Okaaay. I'm going to pretend you didn't just say all that."
He approached the door which was left ajar, and peered through the gap with caution.
Dib saw Zim in the middle of the room, facing his back to him. The TV showed some teenagers getting mutilated. It was a bloody mess.
The alien didn't move. He just stood still like a stone statue.
"Probably just some trick he's pulling."
He had to find out about Zim soon enough, since he was running out of time. His dad wasn't coming home for another hour, so he used his free time to get some answers from the alien menace.
Gaz swore that she would teleport rabid badgers—along with those weasels she promised—into his skull if he did not return. So Dib had to act fast.
The door creaked open, and he stepped inside. There was a pile of uneaten food on the floor, which Dib found odd, but not as odd as to what would happen next.
He noticed the house seemed off. Well, it did belong to an alien, so that much was obvious. But it was more off than usual.
Dib could feel that paranormal chill going through his spine: a chill that only comes around when something mysterious beckons to him.
Zim still wasn't moving, which was really starting to annoy him.
"Zim!" he called out. "Stop messing around! I'm not falling for your alien tricks. Standing there like some stupid statue won't stop me from getting answers!"
Dib stopped, looking at Zim with raised brows. He didn't think the alien could hear him.
"Zim?" he asked.
Dib could never explain what he saw at that moment, even as a grown man. It was beyond description. "Seeing is believing" was probably a true statement.
The air on Zim's left was enclosed with a line, and if he looked close enough, it almost resembled a silhouette of… something.
Dib was speechless. He couldn't think of what he was seeing, even in his profession. It should have been obvious.
He saw the shape move next as it rippled like liquid. What was it?
The room grew cold, so he tightened his coat around his body. He saw his breath, but that was impossible. It was warm out.
He felt a whirring inside his coat pocket, so he pulled out the device that created the sensation. It was a tool he bought from one of his magazines that detected all types of supernatural energy.
There was a gauge with an arrow, which could pick up on any strong force. Right now the arrow pointed to the maximum, as it nearly blasted off the dial. He felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand up on end.
Dib just stared at the dial completely dumbfounded. It never worked before. It may have once on Ms. Bitters, but she nearly smashed the glass with her scary energy, so he didn't bring it to skool often. But now it was working like it was supposed to, and it was picking up on something near Zim.
Dib looked at the entity, and then back at Zim.
"I don't believe it..."
He got his camera out and recorded everything. A broad smile stretched over his face. He was going to enjoy this.
...
Back in the world of Zim's nightmare...
The alien inched away as far as he could from that staring gaze. She was making it very uncomfortable for him, and he still wanted to throw up his nachos, but she did nothing else but stare. It seemed like it was the only thing she could do.
He tried with all his will to avoid her gaze. Making eye contact would be too terrifying. He remembered how lifeless and grey they were last time, and he wasn't so eager to look into them again.
He was still frozen in place. Was it fear, or was it her holding him down? Now he felt the bile rising to his throat, but he couldn't heave it out, and that made it all the more unpleasant.
The room grew colder, while she stood only a foot away. It was too close for comfort. Zim closed his eyes. She was getting nearer with each heartbeat.
He turned numb on his left. Her ice bit at his skin like frost-bite. He looked up at the ceiling, and noticed the icicles that hung down like crystal chandeliers. What was happening now? Why was she turning his base into an arctic nightmare?
He heard her wheeze when she opened her mouth. Zim flinched. Her breath was a white mist. Wasn't she dead? How could her body produce heat? But his mind didn't dwell, because now she was making some horrible sound.
Her breath smelled like blood and vomit. It made him want to retch again. She could do nothing more than make that helpless squeak, and Zim was triumphant. She was showing some form of weakness; he would have to take advantage quickly, before his chance passed.
He shut his eyes as her thick breathing went right through his head like a saw. Ice materialised on his uniform; he had never felt so cold. There was nothing he could do. He was probably going to freeze to death in this world. A tear fell from his eye, but it froze half-way down his cheek.
It all happened so slowly. He wanted nothing more than to make it stop. Was this what it came to? Him freezing to death in some horrible ghost world with this enemy? A frightful demon child whom he hated more than Dib, the humans, and everything else combined?
She had come back with a vengeance, and now she was returning the favour. Well, if he survived his death like she did, then he would make her suffer even more.
But he didn't expect to hear her speak next, which took him by surprise.
"Please? Will you help me?" Her voice pealed like a bell.
Zim opened his eyes and looked down at her. She stared at the ground timidly, almost as if she was too afraid.
She looked up, and fixed her eyes on his. Her eyes beamed bright and blue, which weren't grey and lifeless anymore. Her face lost all its haggardness. It was the first time he felt like he was looking at a real child.
"Would you... please?" she asked once more.
Her voice was sweet, but it only made Zim feel sick. It was strange hearing her speak, but he didn't care for what she had to say. He still hated her.
He looked her dead in the eye, which seemed to frighten her. Now she knew how it felt to be scared, and it made him glad.
"No." His voice was cold and flat.
He felt a sharp pang to the chest that he knew came from her, manipulating him again with her emotions.
The girl backed away, confused and frightened.
Zim felt the ice melting. He took his chance. She had weakened, and her power over him had dwindled.
He turned on her suddenly and expelled his PAK legs. He would slice her face off if she took another step. Though it probably wouldn't do much, he bet it would still hurt.
She staggered back with wide, fearful eyes. He couldn't help but notice the turn of events. Now she cowered against the wall. The fear was obvious in her eyes, which now attained a look of humanity. His taller height made him feel powerful in comparison.
She screamed and fell to the floor. Zim laughed. Things were finally looking his way.
...
Dib jumped once Zim snapped out of his trance, and attacked something unseen with his PAK's legs.
Things were getting interesting, so he kept his camera rolling. He was surprised when Zim said "no" just a moment ago. Who was he speaking to? Then another minute passed until he heard the ear-piercing screech of a child echo through the house. It brought a chill through his body, giving him gooseflesh.
Most people would be freaked out, but not Dib. He was going to catch something on camera, and who better to catch than Zim talking to… well, whatever he was talking to.
GIR ran into the living room. "Whazzat?" he said.
He saw Zim then and watched him confused. Not even GIR was that stupid to notice something off about his master.
"What's he doin? What's he doooooooin?"
Dib shoved him with his foot. "Go away."
GIR looked up hurt, and then ran outside blubbering like a baby again.
Dib rolled his eyes and continued to film Zim. The alien was about to speak.
...
Zim approached the little girl like something from her nightmare, as she huddled against the wall. Now she was avoiding his eyes, which burnt like fire.
"Not so scary now, are you?" he growled. "How does it feel to be afraid, like I was! I'm going to destroy your horrible existence for good, and with no empty threats this time! I have you right where I want you..."
She balled up once he moved closer, but then something stopped him.
He looked down at his feet. Ice was crawling up his legs and making its way to his face. The cold burnt like flames now. How could she still be doing this? She was weak, and he was strong. So why was he turning into an Irken ice statue?
His feet were frozen to the floor. He withdrew his PAK legs, and looked at her with a mixture of confusion, terror and hatred.
She looked up at him too, just as confused. She also grew a look of concern.
"I won't let you get away with this. If I die, then I'm coming back to haunt your restless spirit. I would make ten times the scary ghost you are!"
"Zim..."
A voice called out his name. He looked around the grey room, but no one was there. The ice was creeping closer.
"Zim," the voice called out again. He definitely heard it this time. It was coming from inside his head...
"Who said that?"
His eyes scanned the room, looking over every wall and surface. He had to have imagined it.
"You need to listen to me, Zim, it's very important. You're going to lose yourself to this cold world. It's not a good place to be, as many have succumbed and perished. Then they dwindle on the other side forever…"
"What are you talking about?"
"I haven't much time to explain. Your will is strong. You kept pushing me and her away, but now I've managed to get through this wall you've built."
"What wall is this you speak—?"
"Will you be quiet! She needs your help. The more you alienate her, then she will become an enemy in your eyes. That's why she comes with ice. She doesn't want to be that way, yet you've misunderstood her. She was never trying to scare you. She's just a lost child, Zim, alone and frightened…" the voice faded to the back of his mind.
Zim thought he almost saw the face of the creature that spoke to him. It was strange, as it left him speechless. Why was he hearing a voice inside his head? Was he some kind of maniac now?
He turned to look at the girl. She was huddled against the wall, shivering like a leaf. Was it because of him? She never met his gaze again, as a frozen tear sat on her cheek.
Maybe she was just a frightened child? All alone in this grey world of mist.
He shook his head. It was probably just some wicked ploy to make him give in to supernatural powers that wished to destroy him. She and that voice were working together to destroy what sanity he had left. But why was she crying?
He looked away at last, feeling a strange knot in his chest. He knew it wasn't coming from her this time, and that bothered him greatly. He would not give in to her; he wanted nothing more to do with her.
He noticed the ice started to thaw as he resisted the knot, warming up the cold bitterness of his heart. His heart and mind seemed to become two separate things now. He was losing the battle.
"I will never feel sorry for her…"
He faced her once again, but she had vanished. Where to? He felt sad and noticed with disgust.
Would she come back? Maybe this time she took the hint. She knew she wasn't wanted, and now she would never come back. It felt so final.
The ice melted to a puddle at his feet as his clothes were dry. Odd.
Next, something touched his shoulder, and he looked to see a disembodied hand. He screamed, trying to push the arm-less hand away, but then he heard a voice that he knew all too well.
"Zim! Wake up!"
The hand shook him vigorously, and he fazed out of that grey, lifeless room, and back into the world of the living.
The sudden brightness hurt his eyes. It was disorientating travelling from one world to the next, and so he threw up all over the floor, watching his stomach's contents spill out before him. There were carrots. Zim didn't eat carrots!
When he finished puking, he finally glanced up at Dib. A string of vomit dripped from his lips, making the boy grimace. Zim wiped it away with his gloved hand, looking very pale and waxy.
"What are you doing here?" he spluttered.
Dib waved his camera.
"Well, I think I've finally figured out what your problem is, Zim, and I got it all on camera... Your house is haunted! Would that explain the little ghost girl you asked me about earlier? I'll admit, ghost kids are real creepy... So tell me, are you being haunted by the spirit of a girl?"
Zim glared at Dib like he was something he wanted to vanquish. How dare he pry his big-head where it wasn't wanted.
"Aw, man! This is great! A ghost haunting an alien? Just think of the possibilities. I'll be… I'll be…" Dib trailed off, getting lost in his fantasies. Zim didn't share his enthusiasm.
"This is the goldmine of all paranormal hokum combined! Aliens and ghosts do exist. I was right, world!"
"Just get out of my house, Dib! Your hyooman smell is stinking it up."
Dib turned on him now, looking slightly demented. He was getting a little too excited.
"You wanna know what the best part is? I've got you on camera! Haha! Now everyone will know that you're an—"
"I was wearing my disguise, Dib-worm. All you have is me talking to myself on camera, which you would know all about, wouldn't you?"
"Well, yeah, I guess," Dib agreed, "but at least I've got your other secret. Once the world finds out about your haunted house, Zim, then experts from all over the world will come to visit, seeing that you're obviously an alien, and finally—"
"GET OUT!" Zim yelled, startling Dib. He pushed the boy towards the door.
Once he was shoved outside he looked back lost and confused. "Aren't you at least going to try to take the camera away?"
"No, I don't care. Keep it!" Zim slammed the door in his face.
Dib stood there, speechless. "That went better than I expected."
The boy felt strangely disappointed. He wanted Zim to put up a fight; he was just making it too easy for him.
Seeing no point in sticking around, he made to leave the yard, but turned around to face the weird house again. He didn't feel like celebrating now. Zim didn't care, so there was no true victory.
Whatever Zim saw in his trance must have really disturbed him. He was a changed Irken.
GIR was burying the remote to the TV. He looked up and waved.
Dib returned the wave—no harm in it after all—and finally left the yard.
Zim appeared at the window as he watched Dib walk down the street. He really didn't care about the footage Dib caught, since he had more pressing matters on his mind. Besides, Dib would end up losing it to an eagle again.
That's just how Dib was; he never had much luck, even when exposing him to the world.
His thoughts drifted back to the child. Had he been too harsh? He didn't think it was ever possible to be unnecessarily brutal, but he had made her go away. Shouldn't he be happy about that?
Something very deep down told him no, and that feeling returned to his chest again. It came with her face, so lost and frightened.
He gripped his skull as if to rip it in two, noticing his head throbbed whenever his thoughts lingered around her. He willed for them to disappear; he finally got what he wanted, she was gone. It was all about his mission again.
He looked at GIR outside the window, digging through the mud without his disguise on. GIR waved at him like a lunatic.
Zim ignored him, and turned away from the window to prepare for his new plans to conquer mankind.
But his thoughts still lingered around her.
A/N: Do you remember the angelic life form from Dib's dream? Keep that in mind.
Update: In 'The Wettening', when we're in Jhonen's apartment and he swallows the fish, you can see Zim's monkey portrait on the back wall, facing the other way, just like it does in the spirit world.
I guess GIR eats poo now. Disgusting. I have a hunch he has eaten poo in the show. In 'Planet Jackers', his mouth is covered in brown stuff when Zim meets him outside after visiting Dib. But it was probably just chocolate. So yeah...
The line where he says it tastes invisible was taken from Fredfredburger's line in the Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy. That one is really funny, and I could see GIR saying it too. They're so alike.~
Update: GIR is referring to the classic 1984 Ghostbusters and not the 2016 remake. I wrote this chapter at the end of 2011, five years before the remake. Any other Ghostbuster reference will always be the 1984 version.
I don't have much else to say... until next time. I may not be as quick to update, but we'll see.