When Sanity Is Lost: A ZaDr/Zim x Dib fanfic AU

Horrific Joke

[More-gore-than-usual warning] -I think

Dib left, then returned. He stepped out of the Pod and felt giddy to stand on the surface of an entirely different planet.  As before, finding Zim wasn't a challenge. He followed the trail of bodies and was soon upon Zim again. Zim paused and turned around as if he finally sensed him. 

Dib waved and approached, Zim seeming almost surprised to see him. "Why are you here? I thought I told that useless worm to keep watch of you." Dib held up his hands. He really didn't want anything bad to befall Mek. "It's not their fault, I ask that you leave them be," he said quickly. Zim frowned and then sighed, his PAK limbs retracting. 

"You didn't answer my question, Dib. Why are you here?"

Dib gulped. He sighed and decided to come clean. "I was watching you from a Pod and became intrigued. Everything I know is telling me I shouldn't, but-" Zim held out the spear he had been using, his face twisting back into a grin. "Well, I won't stop you. Let's see it." His tone was as sadistic as it got, and the two walked until coming across two of the vaguely human-like aliens huddled together under a rock outcropping.

Dib gripped the spear tightly and raised it awkwardly. Zim stopped him and showed him how to hold it properly.  Dib agreed it felt better in his hands this way and looked back at the two small creatures. Zim watched as Dib hesitated, his morality coming back to him.

-Dib's POV-

Why did I think this was okay? These people are helpless. I lowered the spear and gritted my teeth, looking away. "Nevermind, Zim. I can't-" I gasped as Zim's hands overlapped mine, which still held the spear. In a fluid motion, he, and therefore I plunged the spear into the closest creature. I could feel their flesh give way, and the subtle vibration of their bones grinding against the speartip. Their screams of agony echoed in my head.

Again, he had struck somewhere nonvital. My eyes were glued to the purple blood that spilled from the side of the creature. Zim twisted the spear slowly, widening the wound and earning more screams. 

I really did feel sick now, and it was all I could do to not throw up in the suit. I turned away and Zim let go of my hands, taking the spear from me and finishing the creature off, and silencing the screams.

I dropped to my knees, gagging and trembling something fierce. "Dib? What's wrong?" I heard Zim ask from behind me. I dared not open my mouth, knowing that if I did I'd hurl. Ultimately, I flopped onto my side and curled up in the fetal position, trying to take deep breaths.

Zim kneeled beside me, his expression laced with worry. "Come on, let's get you back to the ship," Zim said with an almost disappointed sigh. For whatever reason, His words made the feeling go away, and instead, anger began to rise up from the pit of my stomach.

"No way! Don't you start sounding all disappointed! I'm staying!" I shouted, getting back up to my feet. Zim gave me a condescending look as he too stood up, the look that just makes someone feel so worthless it was disgusting. "Don't act all tough when you couldn't even finish the job, let alone start it." Zim scoffed.

"Besides, I know you'll end up regretting it later, and then you'll find some way to blame me." Zim pointed the spear at me, purple blood oozing off of the tip of it. "Go back to the ship." He commanded.

As much as I didn't want to listen, I knew I was defeated. With a sigh, I nodded and turned around. The Pod was a distance away, but close enough. I began to walk off, kicking at the rocks while the screams of the second inhabitant started up. Were these creatures incompetent? They had plenty of time to run away while Zim was distracted, but they didn't.

I had to catch myself when I began thinking that perhaps these creatures deserved what they were getting. A community that can't even protect itself shouldn't be allowed to live. I stood at a standstill, staring at my feet. 

I shouldn't be thinking this way at all. A hand gripped my shoulder, startling me. I turned around to see Zim. "Why are you just standing here? I gave you an order!" 

"But you promised me, remember?" I said, and the look he gave me was priceless. "We are equals." I reminded him. "But I don't...want you to..." Zim started fidgeting and mumbling, then his expression hardened again and he stood up with an authoritative aura about him. "Do as you wish, Human." He said coldly before taking a knife out of a holster on his thigh and tossing it at my feet.

He turned and walked off, chuckling suddenly before his PAK limbs extended and helped him put distance between us. I looked down at the knife and picked it up, examining it for a moment before something caught my attention in my peripheral vision. 

I turned to see one of the inhabitants, bloodied and making awful sounds. This one looked very strange, though. Something about its body was... wrong. The noises coming out of it were a mix of screeches, hissing, and unsettling gurgly groans.

The thing leaped at me, giving me little time to dodge. It hit the ground and rolled, before shakily getting back to its feet. Its skin looked droopy, and its face was contorted, but it was hard to see as most of it was covered in dark purple blood.

It dropped to all fours and began to crawl towards me. This thing's bones were either made of jello, or it was different than the others. It lunged again and I had to roll out of the way. I landed on my side on a rather sharp rock, which I hoped hadn't torn the suit.

I called out for help, hoping Zim might show up, but that reality was crushed when the thing grabbed my ankle. Its grip was really strong, and I thought it would shatter the bones. I swung the dagger at it, though I barely grazed its cheek. Kicking at it I managed to get my foot away before standing and running.

To my horror, the Pod was no longer there.

I looked around only to see the creature, which contorted its body into something out of nightmares. The color drained from my face as the thing approached, squealing like a stuck pig. A wave of fear washed over me, and my legs refused to move. I held the dagger tightly, and it took all of my strength to hold it out in front of me.

"I-I'm warning you..! Stay away from me!" I shouted. The thing paused, then twisted its head upside down and smiled. There were no teeth, just a dark arch from which a gout of purple blood spewed out. Distorted laughter emanated from it simultaneously and my stomach churned.

Without warning it began a fast-paced scuttle towards me, the laughing becoming more high-pitched. Suddenly, it was as if only one thing mattered. I screamed bloody murder and plunged the dagger down into its head, well, chin. I raised the dagger up and repeated the process at least 20 more times until the thing fell and stopped moving. Blood covered the dagger as well as my hands.

I couldn't hear its laughter anymore, but my ears were also ringing from my own screams. I stood up and backed away from the limp body, only to watch in horror as it stood up as well, its head still twisted around, yet looking at me. The grin widened and then widened some more until the sides split. The horrible sound of flesh tearing made me sick again.

Blood and entrails spilled from the mouth and eyes, and then a robotic hand reached out of the darkness. My eyes widened and my breath fell short as I watched none other than Gir tear himself out of the mouth of the creature, which turned out to be no more than a suit of flesh.

I retched where I stood, collapsing as the horrid smell permeated my nose. Gir laughed, and to top it all off, so did Zim. His sadistic laughter rang in my ear from behind.

"What fun! Though it should have been drawn out more. I thought you could do better than that, Gir." Zim chuckled, scratching at his chest again. Gir was about to reply but Zim interrupted. "Anyways, Dib. What did you think? Was it a fun game?"

I gripped the dagger tightly, having half a mind to stab Zim for scaring me, as well as desecrating the poor alien's corpse like that. "It wasn't. I hated it." I huffed, wanting to take off my helmet as the smell of my own vomit was making me dizzy. "Aw, I'm sorry it wasn't to your liking," Zim said in a mocking tone.

"I just figured you wouldn't feel bad if say, the's filthy vermin were perhaps armed, or threatened your life. And you did it. You killed it where it stood, though it almost got you in the end." Zim spoke as if disappointed.