#like i wanna sit down. and work on the puter. i can do that | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

saybees · 3 years

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I've been really struggling with food lately. There just isn't anything that interests me. I have a really hard time feeding myself simply because there isn't anything that I want to eat. If we weren't a half hour out of town I feel like it wouldn't be so much of an issue because I could just zip to the store and pick something up, but we are a half hour out of town and I just can't justify driving all the way to town for food like that. I'd be spending a lot of money if I got into that habit. I just can't figure out what to buy at the grocery store that I'm going to consistently want to eat. I'll go through phases where I'll eat a lot of something for a while and then get sick of it and not want to touch it again for ages and I've always been like that, but lately it's been quite a problem for me because I've been wanting to gain weight, but it's difficult to do that when I can't get myself to actually eat. I don't really have any "safe" foods that I can consistently turn to. I always get sick of stuff after a while, it's always changing.

It's especially hard when I'm home alone. Jon's been gone since Friday because he had a doctor's appointment in the one city and then another one in the other city, so he's been staying with his older brother this last weekend, he's back today, but I don't have the drive to make a meal for myself really. I need external motivation, I always have. I can't cook for myself, but I can cook for my partner or my friends. I can't keep the house clean for myself, but I can at least kinda keep up with it for my partner or if I have people coming over.

But yeah so I was kinda complaining about it to my new friend, Emily, and she kept trying to make suggestions and come up with solutions, which is kind, but also like I've already thought things through, there is no easy solution. She suggested I go for a drive and see where I find myself. I know exactly where I will find myself if I go for a drive. In the middle of nowhere because there is nothing around here. If I am going for a drive I had better be heading toward town, but, again, I'm not going to drive a half hour to town just to get food when I do have food at home, just nothing I want to eat. That isn't a good long term solution because I'll just waste gas and I'm too broke to be doing that. I appreciate where she was coming from, but I really didn't want help from her, I really didn't want suggestions, I just wanted to vent, because then I have to sit here and shoot them all down because, like I said, there is no easy solution to this problem and I've thought it through quite a lot.

I don't have freezer space to freeze anything and I certainly don't have space in my house for another freezer. There are absolutely no restaurants within a half hour of me There is a small store in town here, but everything they have is overpriced and/or expired, plus they really don't have much to choose from. I can't find anything that I will be able to eat when nothing else seems appealing. So while those suggestions are fine for someone that doesn't live in a tiny house in the middle of nowhere it really doesn't help me anything and I feel bad for shooting down every suggestion someone makes when they are just trying to help, but don't understand the entirety of the situation.

So yeah I know I'm underweight, but I am just unable to actually do anything about it. My shitty scale is busted, I think Puter might have done it, so I have no idea what I weigh, but I know it isn't good.

I'm still fuming over the conversation I had with the nutritionist I saw like two years ago. Her only advice to me was to just eat more. My problem being that I don't know HOW to eat more. I don't find anything particularly appealing and I don't have the energy, time, or money to make myself nice meals all the time. And then this woman has the fucking nerve to tell me that if I wanna get prego blah blah blah these are the vitamins I should take. I told her THREE times that I did not have any plans to have children, in fact I had plans to NOT EVER have children, and SHE KEPT FUCKING GOING. She goes, "Oh, but if you change your mind or whatever," LIKE NO YOU FUCKING POTATO IN A WET SOCK I WILL NOT BE CHANGING MY MIND. I can't fucking take care of myself and you think I can/should take care of a CHILD? I literally went to her to ask her how to properly feed myself because I wasn't able to, still fucking can't, and she was trying to convince me to reproduce out of nowhere, unprompted. When I told my counsellor, who worked with this lady because it's all part of the community health program, she just goes, "Oh yeah, that sounds like her. She's just like that," and brushes it off. I was massively bothered by it, but my counsellor just shrugged. And my counsellor is like 40 and purposefully childless! So I thought she would understand! Probably a good thing I don't talk to her anymore. There were other various things that bothered me.

But I've been having a really tough time with stuff and kinda wanna call community health and see if I can see a new counsellor because I really feel like I need that, but I'm worried the next person isn't going to be any better. So far I've had really shit luck dealing with my mental health in this community. Nobody fucking knows jack shit. Ugh, perhaps I should call them anyway and just give it a try. Couldn't hurt, right? I just need therapy and can't fucking pay for something legit, so this really is my only option. I wish those online therapy things weren't so expensive.

I've been too overwhelmed with everything. School sucks and I don't wanna do it anymore. Working sucks and I don't wanna do that either. The world is falling apart and I'm worried that I'm going to be here to watch humanity end. I'm terrified of dying and I'm terrified of everything going on right now. I try to avoid a lot of news stuff these days because it has been really bad for my mental health and makes me feel worse and worse. I just really hope that we can turn things around. I feel really hopeless and scared.

#personal text #this is long #don't even worry about it #everything is just a lot

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snappedsky · 6 years

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Fanatics 67

Skoodge is hiding something so Zim and Squee work together to find out what. Previous! Next!

Skoodge’s Secret

Zim arrives home from Skool. He walks through the front door and announces, “I’m home.”

“Masta!” Gir exclaims and shoots at him. Zim ducks and he flies over his head and crashes into the wall. Minimoose, hovering over the couch, simply squeaks.

Zim looks around as he goes into the kitchen. Somebody appears to be missing.

“Where’s Skoodge?” he asks.

Gir jumps up and shouts, “I made taquitos!” Minimoose just squeaks.

Zim rolls his eyes and looks at the ceiling. “‘puter!”

“What,” the computer answers with annoyance.

“Where is Skoodge?” he asks.

“How should I know?” it replies.

Zim growls with aggravation. Why are all of his minions so useless?

Skoodge comes home about two hours later. Zim is sitting on the couch watching TV when he walks through the door. He immediately jumps to his feet.

“Where have you been?” he snaps.

“I um was…grocery shopping…” Skoodge replies.

“But we don’t eat ‘groceries’,” Zim argues, “don’t play with me, Skoodge. You’ve been gone every day for the last week. Where are you going? I demand to know!”

“N-nowhere,” he says, clearly nervous. “It’s not important.”

He races away and disappears up the stairs. Zim stares after him, glowering.

The next morning at Skool, Dib, Gaz, Pepito, and Squee meet up at the boys’ lockers. Zim is already waiting for them.

“Alright, Zim, what’s this ‘big’ emergency?” Pepito asks.

“I’m glad you asked, Pepito,” Zim replies, “for the last week, Skoodge has been disappearing from the base and not returning until late. We are going to find out where he’s going.”

“Why?” Gaz asks.

“Because he won’t tell me why!” he complains, “and I demand to know! What if he’s conspiring against me?”

The others look at him incredulously.

“Wow, normally it’s Dib who’s screaming about crazy conspiracy theories in the morning,” Pepito says, “it’s nice to shake things up for once.”

“It’s not crazy,” Zim insists, “even if he’s not conspiring against me, he still refuses to tell me what he’s doing. He lives with me, he works for me, he’s not allowed to hide things from me.”

“You know, Zim, that sort of territorial obsessiveness is really toxic,” Gaz comments.

“She’s right,” Pepito nods.

Zim growls and looks at Dib. “Dib?”

“Sorry, Zim, but I agree with Pepito and Gaz,” he replies, “Skoodge is his own person. He should be allowed to do whatever he wants.”

Zim glowers with irritation.

“I’ll help you, Zim,” Squee shrugs.

“Huh?” they exclaim simultaneously.

“Really?” Pepito questions.

“Yeah,” Squee replies, “I mean, he’s got a point. If Skoodge is lying to him then he must feel guilty about whatever he’s doing. He might be in some trouble. At least if we look into it and it’s not bad, then there’s no harm done.”

“Oh, Squee, I always know you were my most loyal subordinate!” Zim chimes.

A rectangular device with an antenna and a gridded screen pops out of his PAK. The screen shows a series of small rectangles that might represent buildings and a little dot inside one of them. “I placed a tracking device in Skoodge’s wig this morning,” Zim explains, “this way we can track his movements.”

“Where is he now?” Squee asks.

“He still hasn’t left the house,” he replies, “but I’ll keep an eye on it and as soon as he does, I’ll let you know.”

“Okay,” Gaz rolls her eyes. “You guys have fun with your little mission. I gotta get to class.”

“Yeah, us too,” Dib says, “come on, Zim. You can watch your device during class.”

The morning passes quietly, with Zim and Pepito in their class and Dib and Squee in their class.

At lunch, they all meet up at their usual table along with Gaz and Kat- Tak’s human disguise.

“Squee,” Zim says excitedly as he squeezes in between him and Pepito. “Skoodge is on the move. He left about an hour ago and he hasn’t stopped.”

“Where’s he going?” Squee asks as he looks at the tracking device.

“Not sure but it looks like he’s heading to the South End,” he replies.

“Ooh, as someone who lives in the South End, that is not a good sign.”

“You know, what you guys are doing is really creepy,” Gaz comments.

“Duly noted,” Zim replies.

They all eat lunch while Zim and Squee keep an eye on the device. Skoodge’s dot moves steadily through the city at a walking pace. And then all of a sudden, it disappears.

“What!” Zim exclaims. He shakes the device and bangs the side but the dot doesn’t come back.

“Augh, we lost the signal!” he barks and tosses the device to the side. “That’s what I get for shopping at a military surplus store.”

“That’s human tech?” Kat scoffs, “don’t you have Irken or even Vortian?” “I’m all out,” he groans, “I used my last one on Dib.”

“What?” Dib questions.

“Great,” Squee sighs, “well, keep an eye on it, see if his signal comes back, and after Skool we can go to that area and have a look around.”

“Good idea,” Zim nods, “I’ll keep you posted.”

After classes, everyone gathers at their lockers to put their stuff away. Zim shows Squee the tracking device, which hasn’t changed since lunch.

“His signal still hasn’t come back,” Zim says.

“Okay, well, let’s go to that area and look around,” Squee suggests.

Zim nods and looks at Dib and Pepito. “You two still don’t want to come?”

“I still think it’s nothing,” Pepito shrugs.

“I don’t think it’s worth all this,” Dib adds.

“Suit yourselves,” Zim grunts, “come on, Squee.”

They leave Dib and Pepito at the lockers and head through the Skool.

“So how are we gonna get there?” Zim asks.

“I got a ride,” Squee replies.

Outside, Squee climbs into the passenger seat of Johnny’s car. “Hi, Nny.”

“Hey, Squee, how was Skool?” he asks.

“Not bad,” he replies as Zim gets into the backseat. “Is it okay if Zim comes over?”

“Uh sure,” Nny shrugs, “what about your other friends?” “Just Zim today,” he replies.

“So it’s a Zim and Squee episode,” he comments.

“What?”

“Nothing.”

Johnny drives them across the city to his house. The second he’s pulled over, Zim and Squee jump out of the car and start trotting away.

“I’ll be back later, Nny,” Squee calls back.

“Yeah, yeah,” he half-waves as he goes into the house.

Zim and Squee run through the streets, watching the street signs, searching for the area where Skoodge would’ve disappeared. They slow to a stop when they reach the general area.

“He must be around here somewhere,” Zim muses.

“These few blocks are all condemned,” Squee says, pointing at all the surrounding buildings with boarded up windows and cracked, weathered walls. “The only things going on out here are drug deals and teen murders.”

“Well, let’s see what Skoodge has to do with it,” Zim declares.

They explore the nearby streets, looking for Skoodge or anyone for that matter. It’s completely devoid of human life; only bugs and rats can be found.

“Alright, I was wrong,” Squee sighs, “the only thing going on out here is a vermin population boom.”

“Well, Skoodge still has to be around here somewhere,” Zim insists, “his signal still hasn’t returned.”

“Maybe he found the tracker and destroyed it?” he suggests.

“No, he’s not smart enough for that.”

They continue looking around for a few more minutes when Zim hears something.

“Voices,” he hisses.

“What? Where?” Squee questions.

Zim immediately shushes him and points at a nearby building. They crouch down and approach cautiously before peeking through a boarded up window.

Inside is a large group of about twenty pasty, tired looking adults. They’re all wearing weird, metallic looking jackets and some have tinfoil hats. They’re gathered around something and talking excitedly and simultaneously. But Zim and Squee can’t see what they’re looking at.

“They look like a bunch of UFO fanatics,” Squee comments.

“Yeah, I’ve dealt with their kind before,” Zim groans.

They start shuffling around as others try to get to the middle of the crowd. All of the movement allows the kids to get a look at their object of excitement.

“Skoo-!” Zim starts to shout but Squee claps his hand over his mouth and shoves him to the ground.

They lie still for a second to make sure they’re not in danger, then peek back into the window. Nobody seems to have noticed them.

Skoodge is out of his disguise and smiling uncomfortably while the people constantly ask him questions and talk to him. It’s obvious that he doesn’t want to be there, but nobody seems to care about his opinion.

“Ooh, when I get my hands on Skoodge I’m gonna…” Zim trails off, growling angrily as he flexes his fingers.

“Easy, Zim,” Squee says, “we don’t know the whole story. He might be here against his will. We should learn more before we start pointing fingers.”

Zim takes a deep breath. “Fine. Let’s call it a day for now. I’ll come up with a plan and we’ll meet at Skool tomorrow.”

“Okay,” Squee nods. They crawl away from the building before making a break for it. They don’t stop until they’re sure they’re safe.

“Do you wanna ride home?” Squee asks as they walk away.

“Nah, I’ll just walk,” Zim replies, “give me time to think. See you tomorrow.”

He releases his spider legs and leaps into the sky. They carry him across the rooftops until he disappears into the distance.

“‘Walk’,” Squee scoffs and walks home.

The next morning at Skool, Squee walks through the busy hallway to his locker. Zim suddenly grabs him and pulls him to the side.

“Oh, morning, Zim,” Squee says.

“I got a plan,” Zim says, getting right to the point. “We are going to send in a mole.”

Squee nods. “Now, just to clarify, you don’t mean like an actual mole animal, right?” “No, like somebody who can wear a wire and mingle with the UFO fanatics so we can hear what’s going on better,” Zim explains.

“Right, that’s what I thought. So who are we gonna send?”

“I’ll find someone,” Zim states, “and as soon as I do, we’ll head to the building.”

“Sounds good,” Squee nods.

“Until then, just go about your day as normal,” Zim orders.

The morning passes as it normally does. Neither Zim nor Squee tell Dib, Gaz, or Pepito about what they saw last night. But they don’t really ask.

At lunch they meet at their table, all except for Zim who is running late. They spot him walking in, following their classmate Bianca.

“I’m not helping you, you freaking weirdo,” she snaps, impatiently.

“Come on, it won’t be that hard,” Zim insists.

“No, I don’t have time and also I couldn’t care less about you and your stupid problems,” she huffs and walks away.

“Ah, you’re useless anyway,” he growls.

Squee leaves the table and approaches Zim. “You’re wasting your time, Zim. If we’re gonna send in a mole, then we’ll need someone who is veritable wet clay, that we can mold to our whims.”

“Right,” Zim nods, “fortunately, the cafeteria is full of such people.”

They look around at the many students clustered around the room.

“How about Keef?” Squee suggests, gesturing to the red head across the room who appears to be carving a smiley face into his mashed potatoes.

“No, I’ve had…bad experiences with him,” Zim says awkwardly, “how about Poonchy?” He points to their classmate, who is nodding mindlessly to everything his friends say.

“No, I think he had a crush on Pepito and now that we’re out as a couple he kind of resents me,” he replies, “how about Willy?”

Willy slams his face into his lunch and rubs it into the table, blowing bubbles.

“No,” Zim and Squee say simultaneously.

They keep looking around then Zim nudges Squee and points at their classmate Carl. He scoops up some mashed potatoes and misses his mouth completely, dumping them into his lap. He sighs with mild disappointment.

“Perfect,” Squee grins.

They approach him and lean against his table.

“Hey, Carl,” Zim smiles, “wanna help us with a little project?”

“Really? You want my help?” he asks surprise.

“Of course,” Squee replies, “when we thought about this problem we knew that you would be perfect for it.”

“Wow,” he breathes in awe. “Uh yeah, yeah I’ll help.” “Excellent,” Zim smirks. They grab his arms and hoist him up. “Let’s go.”

“Wa-wait, right now? It’s not to do with Skool? What about lunch?” Carl asks as they lead him away.

“Ask no questions,” Zim orders and they usher him out of the cafeteria.

“Hey, how are we getting over there anyway?” Squee asks.

“We’ll take Dib’s car,” Zim replies, “I got his keys.”

“How’d you get his keys?”

“I said ask no questions.”

They walk to Dib and Gaz’s house and get into the car, Zim in the driver’s seat and Carl in the back.

“Do you even know how to drive?” Squee asks.

“Of course,” Zim nods as he backs out of the garage. “It is so primitive.”

Along the way, Zim and Squee explain to Carl what he has to do. They tell him he has to convince a bunch of alien lovers he wants to join them and ask them about their alien. They tell him what to say, how to act. He seems to understand but it’s had to say with his blank expression.

They arrive at their destination within an hour and park a couple blocks away. They walk to the building and sure enough all of the alien fanatics are still there, along with Skoodge out of his disguise.

“Whoa, is that like a for real alien?” Carl asks.

“Uuuuhhhhh,” Zim and Squee say awkwardly.

“No, it’s just a kid in a costume,” Squee replies.

“Right, but they think he’s a real alien so you have to pretend like you do too,” Zim adds.

“Ah, okay,” Carl nods.

“Now, put this on,” Zim demands as he hands him a little, speaker-like device. “Just stick it under your shirt or something where no one can see it.”

Carl does so and Zim grabs a larger speaker-like device from his PAK.

“We’ll be listening the entire time,” Zim says.

“But what if they find out I’m like joking?” Carl asks.

“As long as you remember what we told you, you’ll do fine,” Squee replies, “besides, if anything goes wrong, we’ll be right here to help you.”

“Okay, you ready?” Zim asks.

Carl nods enthusiastically.

“Then get in there,” he orders.

Carl swings open the door of the building and marches in like he owns the place.

“If this goes south, we leave him,” Zim orders.

“Agreed,” Squee nods.

They crouch in front of the window and peek in, listening to everyone’s voices through the speaker.

“Hey, guys,” Carl says as he walks up to the crowd.

“Whoa, whoa, whoa, who’s this kid?” one of them says.

“I heard you guys were like big alien experts,” he explains, “I like love aliens. They are so sweet. So I was wondering if I could join you.”

“You ‘heard’ about us?” another one asks, “where would you have heard about us?”

“I have my ways.”

“Atta boy, Carl,” Squee nods approvingly, “be vague. They love that.”

The fanatics seem unconvinced and wary. They’re all standing around Skoodge, keeping him out of sight.

“Shouldn’t you be in school?” one of them asks.

“Pft, school,” Carl scoffs, “it’s just a method of brain washing perpetrated by the aliens that have taken root in the government.”

The fanatics nod and comment agreeably. Zim and Squee cheer silently.

“We taught him so well,” Zim grins.

“Okay, kid,” another says, “you like aliens? Well, we happen to have our own alien.”

“Really?” Carl questions, feigning surprise.

The group steps aside revealing Skoodge, who looks up at Carl with confusion and a little fear.

“Wow!” he exclaims, “where’d you find it?”

“It was trying to blend in with human society but it slipped up and we caught it,” the fanatic explains, “we have it coming here every day to talk to us so we can learn about its society.”

“Ugh, Skoodge really screwed up,” Zim hisses. Squee quickly shushes him.

“Really? Why don’t you try like dissecting it or something?” Carl asks.

“We want to, but it said its living with its leaders and if they found out it went missing, they would destroy the planet,” another fanatics replies, “so we have to keep our little meetings hidden.”

“Hey, alien,” another fanatics says, “this kid should be able infiltrate your base right? He’s shorter than we are.”

“Uh no no,” Skoodge replies, “h-he is still too tall.”

The fanatics all groan with annoyance.

“Skoodge really is in trouble,” Squee whispers, “he’s been forced to come here against his will. What should we do now?”

“I guess we should rescue him,” Zim grunts, “but there are a lot of them. Let’s retreat for now, get the rest of the team, and then we’ll come back for him.”

“Good idea,” Squee nods.

They start to inch away but stop when one of the fanatics says, “hey, kid. You wanna see something cool?”

“Yeah,” Carl replies.

Out of curiosity, Zim and Squee peek back into the window. He’s grabbed some kind of device from a bag. It looks like a pair of metal rods connected by wires to something like a car battery. He taps the rods together, making sparks of electricity.

“You should see how the alien reacts when we tap these against the pack on his back,” he says, smirking maliciously.

The others start snickering while Skoodge backs away, shaking his head. Zim and Squee blanch as they grab him to hold him still and the first fanatic approaches him.

He starts to tap Skoodge’s PAK with the rods when Zim’s spider legs rip through the boards on the window and he and Squee leap inside.

“Stop!” Zim barks.

Everyone looks at them with surprise.

“Who the hell are you two?” one of them asks.

“The Battalion,” Zim snarls, “and you’ve stolen something of mine.” “Zim!” Skoodge exclaim happily.

“He has the same green skin,” one of the fanatics point out, “he’s an alien too!”

“And that kid must be some sort of alien sympathizer,” another says, pointing at Squee.

“Or he’s brainwashed.”

“Am not!” Squee snaps.

“Either way,” the fanatics with the torturing device growls, “grab them.”

The fanatics charge the kids. Zim and Squee react quickly; Zim’s spider legs pick him up while Squee rolls out of the way.

“Whoa, look at his tech!” one of the fanatics exclaim.

“Quick gawking!” another barks, “take him down!”

They try grabbing his legs or climbing them but he keeps moving, stepping over them like ants. Meanwhile Squee easily dodges his assailants, jumping over them, ducking under them, or sidestepping them as they try to tackle him. He keeps moving through the room with his superior agility until he’s reached Skoodge. Then he slides across the floor and picks him before jumping to his feet.

“I’m so happy to you see you guys!” Skoodge cries as he hugs Squee’s head.

“I can tell,” Squee grunts then shouts, “Zim, let’s get out of here!”

“Right!” Zim nods. He starts to stretch a spider leg across the room for Squee to grab.

“No!” the fanatic with the torture device snaps. He throws one of the rods and hits Zim’s PAK head on.

The electric shock going through Zim’s body is nearly visible. He convulses as his spider legs go limp and he falls unconscious to the floor.

“Zim!” Squee cries.

One of the fanatics successfully tackles him, knocking Skoodge from his hands. They hold him down, pinning his arms to his back and pressing his face to the floor. He tries to shout but they quickly gag him with a cloth.

Amidst the chaos, Carl crawls away and disappears without anyone noticing.

Later at Skool, Dib and Pepito open their lockers to put their stuff away and get ready to go home.

“Have you heard from Zim or Squee?” Dib asks.

“No,” Pepito replies, “they’re not answering me.”

“Me neither,” he sighs.

“Should…should we be worried?” Dib doesn’t reply just groans uncertainly.

As they turn away, they spot Carl moving through the crowd.

“Hey, Carl,” Pepito calls as they approach him. “Weren’t you helping Zim and Squee? Where are they?” “Oh, yeah,” Carl says like he just remembered. “Things were getting a little crazy so I left.”

“Crazy?” Dib questions, “crazy how?”

“Well, they had like a weird device and Zim and Squee got all pissed and they start fighting so I-.”

“They’re in trouble?” Pepito snaps and grabs the front of Carl’s shirt. “They’re in trouble and you left them? You spineless twit! Where are they?”

Carl quickly tells them where Zim and Squee are. Pepito shoves him aside and he and Dib race through the Skool.

“How are we gonna get there?” Pepito asks.

“We’ll stop at my house and take my car,” Dib replies, “I got the key-.” He stops as he pats his pockets. “My keys! Ugh, Zim must’ve taken them.”

“It’s okay, my mom can drive us. We’ll just go from my house,” Pepito says.

They meet Gaz outside and tell her to follow them.

“Gaz, come on,” Dib orders.

“What’s going on?” she asks as she runs with them.

“Zim and Squee are trouble,” Pepito replies.

“Oh, those idiots.”

They try to act calm as they get into Pepito’s mom’s car.

“Hey, Mom,” Pepito says, “is it cool if Dib and Gaz come over?”

“Sure,” she replies, “but what about Squee and Zim?” “Uh, they’re gonna meet us somewhere.”

She drives them home across the city. Dib, Gaz, and Pepito are antsy the whole way. As soon as she’s pulled over, they jump out of the car and race away.

“Where are you going?” Pepito’s mom asks.

“Gotta take care of something,” Pepito calls back, “bye!”

They race through the streets, following Carl’s directions until they reach the general area. They spot a building with busted boards hanging off the window and peek through.

Squee is tucked into the far corner, his ankles and wrists bound and a gag in his mouth. There are two guys standing beside him, kicking him every time he tries to move.

Everyone else is gathered around Zim and Skoodge, both out of their disguises. Zim looks half conscious, his eyes glazed and drooping and his body limp. All of the fanatics are examining him freely, tugging at his clothes and antennae. He doesn’t look like he has the strength to fight.

Dib, Gaz, and Pepito gasp angrily and leap inside.

“Hey!” Dib shouts.

Everyone looks at them with surprise. Squee lets out a muffled noise of relief.

“Let our friends go,” he growls.

“Who are you supposed to be?” one of the fanatics asks.

Dib pulls on his shocker glove, Gaz slams her bat onto the ground, and Pepito lights his hands up with black power.

“The Battalion,” Dib snarls.

Pepito shoots a blast into the ceiling, causing some rubble to fall. Everyone screams with surprise as they clamber out of the way.

As soon as his guards are gone, Squee starts wrestling with his restraints and tries to free himself. Zim still isn’t quite right and falls limp to the floor. Skoodge stays near him and tries to rouse him awake.

Dib, Gaz, and Pepito do their best to fight off the fanatics. They’re startled from the explosion but they still outnumber the kids. Dib shocks them with his glove, Gaz beats them with their bat, and Pepito smacks them with his powered fists.

Dib manages to fight his way to Zim. He grabs him by his shoulders and shakes him.

“Zim! Zim, wake up!” he barks.

“Ugh, D-Dib?” he croaks.

Dib starts to smile with relief when somebody elbows the side of his head. He exclaims in pain as he falls to the floor.

“Dib!” Zim exclaims, completely conscious. He growls and jumps to his feet as his spider legs pop out.

One of the fanatics grabs the electrocution device. Zim starts trembling, his spider legs shrinking away.

“Zim, what’s wrong?” Pepito asks as he punches a fanatic in the stomach.

Zim hesitates then shakes his head and snarls, “nothing.”

Skoodge stares up at him with awe.

“Pepito, grab Squee!” Zim orders, “Gaz, help Dib! Everyone, get ready to leave!”

Pepito blasts a couple guys out of his way and hurries to Squee. He coughs and spits after Pepito takes out his gag.

“How’d you know we were here?” Squee asks as Pepito unties him.

“Carl came back to the Skool,” he replies.

“That little weasel,” he grunts.

Gaz hits some guys with her bat and kneels beside Dib. She hooks his arm around her neck and helps him to his feet.

“Ugh, I’m okay,” he groans, “a little woozy but I’ll be fine.”

They all hurry over to Zim and face off against the fanatics. Any that were knocked down are getting back up. The kids get ready for a fight.

Skoodge suddenly steps in front of them, his PAK opening up.

“Skoodge?” Zim questions.

“That’s enough,” he growls.

His spider legs stick out of his PAK and the ends come together over Skoodge’s head, pointing at the fanatics. They start glowing pink.

All of a sudden a giant beam fires from the legs. It blasts through the fanatics, the entire opposite wall, and then three more buildings after that, leaving behind nothing but dust.

The kids are completely speechless, their jaws hanging open as the beam fades away.

“Oops,” Skoodge squeaks, “I guess I didn’t lower the power as much as I thought.”

The kids close their mouth and look at each other with surprise.

“You know,” Zim says, “I kind of forgot that Skoodge actually conquered a planet once.”

They all leave the mangled building, sighing and checking out their injuries.

“Is everyone okay?” Pepito asks.

“Yeah,” Squee sighs, “just a couple bruises and scrapes thankfully.” “Those guys were weak,” Gaz snorts.

“What about you, Zim?” Dib asks, “you didn’t look so good before.”

“They got lucky,” he scoffs.

“Zim, I’m sorry,” Skoodge says. Everyone looks down at him with surprise. “A few days ago the wind blew off my wig and those guys all saw. I was so scared that somebody actually saw me without my disguise that I didn’t know what to do. I didn’t want you to be disappointed or angry with me so I didn’t tell you. But I shouldn’t have lied. I’m sorry.”

“Uh, well, I-,” Zim stammers.

Dib, Gaz, and Pepito look at each other then sigh.

“We’re sorry too,” Pepito says.

“We should’ve listened to you guys,” Dib adds, “you were right when you thought there was trouble. If we had all been together, then maybe you wouldn’t have gotten hurt and captured. I’m sorry.”

“Sorry,” Gaz mutters.

Zim shouts, exasperated, and throws his hands into the air. “Would everybody stop apologizing for five seconds! Nobody’s in trouble, nobody disappointed me, we’re all okay! So let’s just…get some ice cream or something.”

“Yeah!” everyone cheers.

A few minutes later, they’re sitting on the curb outside a convenience store. Skoodge is drinking a cup of soda, Dib is eating a sundae, Gaz is sucking a Popsicle, Pepito is licking a soft serve, and Squee is slurping a BrainFreezy. Zim is sitting between them, tapping his finger impatiently.

“There, is everyone happy?” he asks.

“Yup,” they chime.

“Good,” he huffs.

#Invader Zim #Invader Zim fanfiction #Johnny the Homicidal Maniac #Johnny the Homicidal Maniac fanfiction #IZ JtHM crossover #my art #my ocs

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