Ib (invader zim)

Ch.11

Chapter Eleven

Upon arriving home on that quiet, eerie night, Dib was relieved to find that no insane Irken had followed him. He was alone now, and he had the feeling he would have a peaceful night in contrast to the others he had experienced.

As Dib had made his way into the house and up to his room, the lingering smell of day old blood hit him. It wasn't quite as harsh and foul as the pile of junk found in Zim's closet. However, it was enough to make the boy groan in both agony and nausea, but the smell didn't seem to stop him from hobbling to his bed and allowing himself to collapse upon it.

At least he was safe for now, and tonight would be one of the only nights open for him to sleep without much worry. Zim was still too weak to come for him, and the computer was keeping him indoors for tonight.

As Dib lay on his bed with his eyes pealed wide open, he felt himself almost grow drowsy as time proceeded. He even fell into a deep and much needed sleep within fifteen minutes or so. Thankfully, he wasn't disturbed at all through the night by visits or near-death experiences. Just calm sleep-maybe ridden with nightmares and uncertainty-but sleep nonetheless.

Dib had fallen into such a deep sleep that it felt like only minutes went by before his alarm clock was heard blaring in his ears from the nightstand beside him. He jumped awake, grumbling a bit as he reached over to slam the 'off' button on the top of his clock.

Dib's eyes took a moment to adjust to the light that was filtering into his room from the window. After he was able to fully open his eyes, he looked back to his nightstand to see that there was a message flashing on the message machine, alerting him to a missed and probably important call.

The boy squinted at the blinking light for a moment before reaching for his glasses, which were still smeared with blood, and placing them on his face. He sat up now and pressed the blinking light, then waited for the message to play.

"This is Doctor Gaul's office, calling to confirm Dib Membrane's appointment with us at two forty this afternoon. We hope to see you with us today!" A cheery woman's voice spoke through the recording.

Dib let out a tired yawn, letting himself fall back lazily on the bed. He had decided that he wasn't going to school since the appointment would cut into class anyway, and he didn't want to risk encountering the alien today. Though, something told him Zim wouldn't be there either that day...

It wasn't even certain if Zim would have gone to school after last night. It was a miracle he even got himself to the door of his own base every morning the way it was.All there was to do now was wait nervously until the time came around for his appointment.

Dib found himself wondering about Zim now as he lay staring blankly at the ceiling. He wondered what the Irken was doing now, or how well he was doing for that matter. The thought of losing him still created some discomfort in the boy's already disturbed mind which caused him to let out a small whimper.

Any day the Irken could simply collapse and never move again, at least at the rate his body was deteriorating at. He was becoming ill, choking on his blood, and even harming himself out of this insanity.

Dib was able to force himself out of bed now and stretched before heading lazily towards the bathroom. Once he pushed through the cracked door and flicked on the lights, his reflection in the large mirror over the sink caught his eye and he took this time to fully examine himself for the first time since this all began.

The boy's once clear, pale cheeks were now red and scarred from where the Irken's sharp claws had run deep into his flesh. His hair was quite the mess; his once perfectly formed 'scythe' lock atop his head now a matted mess. Despite the deep sleep he had the night before, his eyes were plagued with dark circles under them; they had to be from the constant stress and paranoia though. Finally, he examined his clothes. His shirt had practically been torn to shreds at the hands of Zim and large spots of blood stained the fabric.