UPDATE?!
... I AM NOT DEAD! THIS STORY LIVES ONNNN!
But yeah, I'm way busy with school and grades and national tests ans stuff, sorry ;; I can't even promise to update more often ;A;
Also, this chapter is short, but I feel I might have improved by taking a break for a while.
AND GUUUUUYS! I JUST REALIZED THAT I WROTE MARCH 32ND IN LAST CHAPTER IN THAT THING IN THE BEGINNING! WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL ME?! I AM ASHAMED I WILL NEVER WRITE THAT THING IN THE BEGINNING AGAIN ;A; !
Chapter ten
Dib should never have mentioned the lack of rain on this planet, because the next day a violent storm unleashed all its wrath or the poor planet taking them all by surprise.
"Everyone who doesn't want to walk to their doom stay inside", was miss Bitters' simple orders. Dib disagreed.
"But Zim's out there! I've gotta get him", Dib said and hurried towards the door before Bitters could stop him. "Computer, open the door!" he shouted while running.
A wind, strong enough to push him back into the ship by several meters and a handful of leaves hitting his face together with water that attacked his skin like tiny needles, greeted him. He grit his teeth and made his way outdoors.
Bad idea. Out there were branches flying past him and unimaginable speeds, together with their table, chairs and clothes that had hung outside drying.
"Zim!" he screamed but couldn't even hear himself over the howling wind. He covered his face with one arm while trying to see through water-stained glasses. "ZIM!" His feet sank into the muddy ground when he tried to walk towards Zim's nest. Then felt something grab his arm and drag him inside before he could react.
"Computer, close the door and don't let Dib open it!" Bitters said," and Dib, I only got paid to save your life once, so next time you might want to reconsider your actions." For a few heartbeats, he was speechless, and stood panting and dripping in front of the older woman. Then his stance slopped.
"Yes, Ma'am", he sighed. He didn't actually want to go out there again, really. Still, he thought about Zim, who was out there, in that horrible weather. His light body would probably be blown away by the strong winds. Dib made a pained grimace. "I'm just gonna take a shower", he mumbled and dragged himself towards the showers. On his way, he bumped into the ever-go-lucky Keef, who was smiling from ear to ear.
"Oh, hello, Dib! Geez, you're soaked? Did you go out in this weather? Dude, have you seen this kick-ass storm?! What a turnout, I was starting to begin thinking that it never fell an ounce of rain on this planet! That would've been cool, like a vacation paradise ... though isn't really a beach at all ..." the ginger kept on talking as he followed Dib to the showers. There, he still kept on talking as he too undressed beside Dib and they took different showers. Dib didn't listen. His mind was still going through different ways Zim could die in the storm.
After the shower Dib sat down in his lab chair and stared at nothing in particular. He hadn't known Zim for more than a few months, but he'd become attached to the alien. Zim was basically what he'd dreamed about as a kid, before life in outer space had become common knowledge and everyone started taking aliens for granted. Plus Zim was interesting to study. And his friend, oddly enough. After all, they spent most of their days together doing stuff, ranging from teaching each other stuff (either with Zim learing to use transmitters or Dib learning how to build waterproof nests) to exploring (Well, Zim had seen everything already, but Dib still hadn't) to just arguing or discussing stuff (often quite loudly, to most people's dislike).
It wasn't until dinner when Gaz came and demanded that he eat that the moved, stretched and left the lab. They ate a weird mix of leftovers in complete silence, aside from the rain hitting the ship and the wind howling. Dib had his brows together in thought, not paying his surroundings much attention. After that he excused himself and said that he was going to bed early.
While laying in bed and listening to the storm, he decided that as soon as the storm had settled a bit, he'd go out and look for Zim.
He waited for three long days before the storm slowed down to a light drizzle. Finally he could pull on a coat and go out into the drenched world outside.
"Come back quickly, I don't think it's over yet", Zita said.
"I'll be fine", he answered with a half-smile and hurried out before the rain would get worse again.
His boots sank deeply in the now very deep mud and small water puddles from where he put his feet. The ground was covered in leaves from the trees, some branches and even a fallen tree. Their stomped path had become a water-filled trench, so he decided to walk beside it. He called for Zim but no one answered.
The teen walked to the alien's nest but found that the storm had washed it away.
"Zim! Are you here?" He called. Not a sound, except for the ever-dripping rain. He turned around and went to the lake. It was several meters higher than usual. He called for his friend, though not expecting an answer.
"Hmmm, if I was an alien stuck in a horrible storm, where would I hide..." he asked himself, " are there any caves or something nearby...?" He attempted to walk around the lake, but soon the mud reached to his knees and he had to turn around. It was the same the other way. And now, the drizzle had become heavier sighed and returned to the Piggie while calling a few more times.
When he was back, the wind had returned and he was shielding himself with one arm. The doors opened for him and he stepped inside.
"Any luck?" Gaz asked as he walked past him.
"Nah", he said," though everything is flooded!" She hummed, hair covering her face as she played her game. Dib kicked off his dirty boots and shrugged off his jacket. Chucking the jacket in the heap of dirty clothes, he went to his bed and laid down. He listened to the wind's increased howling and hoped that these kinds of storms were normal and Zim had everything under control.
"You better not be dead, Zim", he murmured.
It rained for five more days before it stopped abruptly, just like that. The crew walked out for the first time in an eternity, and smelt the fresh, still moist air. The Piggie had sunk into the much muddier ground and it was hard to walk around. There was a generous amount of water covering the ground.
Dib grunted as his pants soaked in less than three minutes. Wearing boots was no use, as they were too short, so he took them off and threw them into the ship before they'd get stuck in the mud and thus be gone forever. Walking barefoot wasn't comfortable, but better than having his boots filled with water.
"I don't know how you can stand touching the mud! With your feet!" Gretchen whined refusing to take off her shoes. Dib shrugged with one shoulder.
"Maybe cause I'm a man", he half-joked.
"Oh yeah because you are so VERY manly, Dib", Zita said, each word drowned in sarcasm. Dib considered pushing her into the water as a joke, but didn't. That was a little too mean.
"Oh you bet I am!" he said instead and flexed his muscles. Okay, so he wasn't very muscular (or manly?), but hey, they were just fooling around anyway.
"I think you're very manly, Dib!" Keef said encouragingly.
"Thank you, Keef", Dib said. He turned forward. Dib looked up almost expecting Zim to appear from the trees above. He didn't. A little line formed between his eyebrows as he frowned. The thought that storms like this might be common and he was fine soothed a bit. He might be hiding in a cave or something until recently when the raining ended. He'd come sooner or later. Still.
"You know, Dib, You could just go ahead and look for him", Zita said after a silence.
"Yeah. I'll do that", Dib nodded. Maybe he shouldn't expect Zim to come here, after all. The bug only did that when he wanted something. Or when his boredom took over. Dib made his way through the mix of mud and water and started to understand why Zim preferred the trees.
At least the water wasn't cold, actually it was kind of warm. He would have loved to bathe if not for the mud that rose with his every step. As he left the group of people behind him, he became aware of the jungle itself. It was quiet save for his splashing footsteps. Not uncommon around here, but paranoia was a thing and Dib looked around nervously. Was it too quiet? Shouldn't there at least be some bugs buzzing around? He took a breath and kept on walking.
"Zim?" He called, both to make some sounds and to make sure Zim wouldn't miss him if he was close by. Silence answered his calls once again.
He guessed that he had walked for maybe an hour before the first sounds of other life met him overall. A few nervous bugs, the size of his head, crawled out from a fallen tree and spread their wings. They buzzed past him, probably looking for food or something. Dib stopped and looked at them go. His camera laid forgotten in the lab where it was of no use. He had been stupid for not bringing it.
After that, the forest seemed to wake up from after the storm altogether. He even saw some foreign fish in the water. Cool, he hadn't known there was fish on this planet! But, no matter how long he looked, he couldn't find Zim. Or any other Irken, for that matter. The latter was probably for the best, he hadn't even brought a knife!
TBC
This didn't turn out the way I wanted but I'm tired of editing
/Saga