She was walking but fast, she had to be careful, her boots were pounding the pavement, making little clicks which echoed through the empty buildings. The pavement she ran on was no longer the smooth sidewalk that she remembered walking on to and from school with her face shoved in her game slave. It was no longer the sidewalk she remembered walking on, listening to her brothers rants and raves about big foot and alien invasions.
'Alien invasions,' Gaz grinned wryly as she thought, 'I remember how stupid it had all seemed, Zim was an alien, yes, but he'd been so naïve he was close to harmless. I never would've thought he'd be able to take over the earth. Now, it's too late.' Not only was she surprised about Zim conquering the earth, she was also hurt and felt deceived. She remembered how she had taken everything for granted, not that she really had much to take for granted- an idiot, annoying brother, a blowhard dad, who barely knew they'd existed, and one friend, who wasn't exactly a friend. However, she did kind of miss Dib's annoying voice, he didn't talk much now, unless it concerned Zim and how he was going to destroy him. She also missed her game slave, although she didn't let anyone know.
'But all of that was a long time ago, or was it?' Gaz didn't slow as she calculated in her head, 'The armada had only been here for around 3 months, which had seemed like forever. Zim had been on Earth for about 4 years before he proved himself to the tallest and it had taken the armada about a year to get here. So it had all begun about 5 years ago, speaking of which it was almost her birthday, she would be 17.'
But that didn't matter now, Dib needed his equipment. Gaz slowed as she neared her house, it still pained her to see her now destroyed neighborhood. She slunk into the house and stalked quietly into her father's lab, even though he was gone she felt that he was still there making sure they didn't enter. She walked cautiously down the broken steps. Dib wanted his lasers and numerous other items he hoped would help them with destroying the Irkens.
Of the surviving humans who liked to call themselves rebels, Dib was by far the most qualified to be their leader. He had already gotten used to barking out orders every which way, which was why she was here in the first place. As she filled the bag Dib had given her, she thought to herself.
One thing that she was still shocked by was the fact that the Irken's ranked by height, it was no wonder that Zim had been so excited during his sudden growth spurt when they were in middle school. She finished getting everything and anything that seemed useful and left the lab. But before she left the house she went up the stairs to her room, and pulled something out from a drawer in her desk. It was a small, thin box; about 4 inches long, 3 inches wide, and 1inch deep. She opened it to reveal some photographs; she tossed the first few aside and grabbed a couple of the other ones, and slid them into her pocket. She put the box carefully back into the drawer knowing that each time she left here she might never see her home again. Quietly, she snuck back out of the house and onto the street.
It was eerily quiet, but it had been since they invasion began and Gaz was almost used to it. When the invasion had started a lot of the older people were killed deemed useless by the Irkens, the youngest were put into Irken classes with the shortest to grow up knowing the Irken's traditions and ways of living. The more stubborn kids and young adults were captured and taken as slaves; some of the more obstinate ones were simply killed. Gaz and Dib had managed to escape and go into hiding, being the first to know of the Irkens, they had been prepared, (or at least Dib had).
It was no surprise that Zim had attacked their house first. She could just imagine the look of anger and loathing on Zim's face as he realized Dib had yet again escaped him. She was sure Zim was going to find them if it killed him, and if she had her way that's exactly what would happen.
It was dark out, nighttime was the safest time to go out, but even under the cover of darkness you could still not be sure you'd make it to your destination without being seen. Dib had wanted someone to go with her but she convinced him (with the threat of being torn from limb to limb) to let her go by herself. It was always nice to get away from the crowded hideout and just let herself walk around lost in her thoughts.
She sighed as she past her old school, she was almost to the hideout. Stopping to look at the abandoned school, she wondered if it would've been different if she hadn't stopped Dib from killing him, the one time Dib had actually had the upper hand during one of their many fights. The day was vivid in her memory, one of the many memories that chose to engrave themselves within her already, haunted mind.
Dib and Zim were locked in another one of their countless battles. Gaz watched disinterestedly, her game was off, a rare moment indeed. Soon the heat of the skirmish had escalated. Dib had one of his many lasers and was shooting it wildly, his trench coat was torn and his glasses had a few cracks in them. A scowl was apparent on his face as he narrowly missed being shot at by Zim's own, more powerful laser. Zim laughed maniacally, one of his antennae looked broken and when he laughed he winced, making him stop. To the far right of them, G.i.r. could be seen running in circles, picking flowers and yelling something about cupcakes. Gaz felt the corner of her mouth twitch into a small smile, but turned her attention toward the two fighters. Dib fired again and the shot hit Zim's leg, making the alien drop to the ground. Dib, surprised by his lucky shot, rushed to where Zim lay, and kicked the laser away. Zim lay curled up, clutching his leg, which was mangled, already covered in blood. Dib walked up until his feet were parallel with Zim's shoulder and raised his laser pointing it at his head.
"Finally, I will rid humanity from your slimy pathetic existence." Dib stated in a menacing voice, trying not to look surprised by his luck. Gaz watched intently, her eyes widened in panic. Dib wouldn't really do it, would he? The click of the laser convinced her and she jumped off of the bench that had held her. Racing forward, she situated herself between Dib and Zim. Dib stepped back, surprised by her sudden appearance.
"What are you doing?!" Dib asked loudly and indignantly, "I need to destroy the alien!"
"You can't!" she said, panicking.
"Why the hell not?!" he growled, starting to side step her. Zim was watching the encounter, trying not to look interested.
"I-I can't stand seeing someone die." Gaz replied, trying to look sick to the stomach and innocent at the same time. Dib faltered, he wanted to kill Zim but if it bothered Gaz, he couldn't traumatize her. Dejectedly, he lowered the gun, giving Zim a heated stare and turned swiftly away, pulling Gaz with him. She turned, looking back at Zim, who stared back, a look of confusion on his face. But Dib turned a corner and she switched her gaze to what was in front of her.
She shook her head, nothing could change the past, what mattered was the future and how Zim would die, pay for his betrayal and lies. She continued on her way, glancing around making sure that no one was following her, a rule that was vital to the surviving twenty people of their group.
Their revolts against the Irken Empire were somewhat pitiful, their first attack was downright embarrassing. They'd been armed with regular Earth guns and nothing more, Gaz had been equipped with a plain pistol. Dib had begged for her to stay hidden but stopped when she threatened him. Their numbers at the beginning were around fifty, most of them teenagers. The youngest was 14 and the oldest 27. The Irken's they fought tallied around one hundred, all of them armed with Irken lasers. The rebels had attacked first, but it didn't take long for the Irken's to gain the upper hand. About ten of the people had been captured, around twenty were killed, and the last twenty retreated. Since then they'd strategized a bit more and had succeeded in two other attacks with few casualties.
She reached the hideout and went inside Bloaty's Pizza, she crept toward the trapdoor and walked down the steps to the basement. She heard a few mumbled conversations that floated up the stairs and made sure to close the hold all the way. She shifted the heavy bag on her shoulder, before continuing the rest of the way. The room was relatively small, especially for twenty people, only around 16 by 16 feet. In the corner was a bunch of boxes and containers holding food and water, all around the room blankets, sleeping bags, and quilts with the lumps of people's bodies. In the far corner, there were a couple partitions, which allowed people to change, the closet thing to privacy and hygiene anyone got. Off in another corner there were crates, boxes, and various other objects which were used as chairs, placed in a circle around a small contained fire, where a few of the older people were talking.
Dib was sitting, shoulders slumped, next to an eighteen year-old boy, Kyan. Gaz walked up behind them, careful to avoid the sleeping forms, and deposited the bag next to Dib. She sat on his other side, on a crate, leaning against the wall.
"You made sure no one followed you?" Dib asked, while he searching through the bag. Gaz glared pointedly when he looked up because she hadn't answered.
"Good, Bri hasn't come back yet, I'm a bit worried." Dib stated, mentioning a sixteen year-old girl, who had gone looking for food and water.
"She'll be fine." Gaz said reassuringly, before closing her eyes.
"Hey, Gaz-" Dib said, he stopped as he looked up and saw that she was sleeping. He picked up a nearby blanket and covered her with it, "Good night, Gaz." He said softly before going back to the weapons on the bag.
'Alien invasions,' Gaz grinned wryly as she thought, 'I remember how stupid it had all seemed, Zim was an alien, yes, but he'd been so naïve he was close to harmless. I never would've thought he'd be able to take over the earth. Now, it's too late.' Not only was she surprised about Zim conquering the earth, she was also hurt and felt deceived. She remembered how she had taken everything for granted, not that she really had much to take for granted- an idiot, annoying brother, a blowhard dad, who barely knew they'd existed, and one friend, who wasn't exactly a friend. However, she did kind of miss Dib's annoying voice, he didn't talk much now, unless it concerned Zim and how he was going to destroy him. She also missed her game slave, although she didn't let anyone know.
'But all of that was a long time ago, or was it?' Gaz didn't slow as she calculated in her head, 'The armada had only been here for around 3 months, which had seemed like forever. Zim had been on Earth for about 4 years before he proved himself to the tallest and it had taken the armada about a year to get here. So it had all begun about 5 years ago, speaking of which it was almost her birthday, she would be 17.'
But that didn't matter now, Dib needed his equipment. Gaz slowed as she neared her house, it still pained her to see her now destroyed neighborhood. She slunk into the house and stalked quietly into her father's lab, even though he was gone she felt that he was still there making sure they didn't enter. She walked cautiously down the broken steps. Dib wanted his lasers and numerous other items he hoped would help them with destroying the Irkens.
Of the surviving humans who liked to call themselves rebels, Dib was by far the most qualified to be their leader. He had already gotten used to barking out orders every which way, which was why she was here in the first place. As she filled the bag Dib had given her, she thought to herself.
One thing that she was still shocked by was the fact that the Irken's ranked by height, it was no wonder that Zim had been so excited during his sudden growth spurt when they were in middle school. She finished getting everything and anything that seemed useful and left the lab. But before she left the house she went up the stairs to her room, and pulled something out from a drawer in her desk. It was a small, thin box; about 4 inches long, 3 inches wide, and 1inch deep. She opened it to reveal some photographs; she tossed the first few aside and grabbed a couple of the other ones, and slid them into her pocket. She put the box carefully back into the drawer knowing that each time she left here she might never see her home again. Quietly, she snuck back out of the house and onto the street.
It was eerily quiet, but it had been since they invasion began and Gaz was almost used to it. When the invasion had started a lot of the older people were killed deemed useless by the Irkens, the youngest were put into Irken classes with the shortest to grow up knowing the Irken's traditions and ways of living. The more stubborn kids and young adults were captured and taken as slaves; some of the more obstinate ones were simply killed. Gaz and Dib had managed to escape and go into hiding, being the first to know of the Irkens, they had been prepared, (or at least Dib had).
It was no surprise that Zim had attacked their house first. She could just imagine the look of anger and loathing on Zim's face as he realized Dib had yet again escaped him. She was sure Zim was going to find them if it killed him, and if she had her way that's exactly what would happen.
It was dark out, nighttime was the safest time to go out, but even under the cover of darkness you could still not be sure you'd make it to your destination without being seen. Dib had wanted someone to go with her but she convinced him (with the threat of being torn from limb to limb) to let her go by herself. It was always nice to get away from the crowded hideout and just let herself walk around lost in her thoughts.
She sighed as she past her old school, she was almost to the hideout. Stopping to look at the abandoned school, she wondered if it would've been different if she hadn't stopped Dib from killing him, the one time Dib had actually had the upper hand during one of their many fights. The day was vivid in her memory, one of the many memories that chose to engrave themselves within her already, haunted mind.
Dib and Zim were locked in another one of their countless battles. Gaz watched disinterestedly, her game was off, a rare moment indeed. Soon the heat of the skirmish had escalated. Dib had one of his many lasers and was shooting it wildly, his trench coat was torn and his glasses had a few cracks in them. A scowl was apparent on his face as he narrowly missed being shot at by Zim's own, more powerful laser. Zim laughed maniacally, one of his antennae looked broken and when he laughed he winced, making him stop. To the far right of them, G.i.r. could be seen running in circles, picking flowers and yelling something about cupcakes. Gaz felt the corner of her mouth twitch into a small smile, but turned her attention toward the two fighters. Dib fired again and the shot hit Zim's leg, making the alien drop to the ground. Dib, surprised by his lucky shot, rushed to where Zim lay, and kicked the laser away. Zim lay curled up, clutching his leg, which was mangled, already covered in blood. Dib walked up until his feet were parallel with Zim's shoulder and raised his laser pointing it at his head.
"Finally, I will rid humanity from your slimy pathetic existence." Dib stated in a menacing voice, trying not to look surprised by his luck. Gaz watched intently, her eyes widened in panic. Dib wouldn't really do it, would he? The click of the laser convinced her and she jumped off of the bench that had held her. Racing forward, she situated herself between Dib and Zim. Dib stepped back, surprised by her sudden appearance.
"What are you doing?!" Dib asked loudly and indignantly, "I need to destroy the alien!"
"You can't!" she said, panicking.
"Why the hell not?!" he growled, starting to side step her. Zim was watching the encounter, trying not to look interested.
"I-I can't stand seeing someone die." Gaz replied, trying to look sick to the stomach and innocent at the same time. Dib faltered, he wanted to kill Zim but if it bothered Gaz, he couldn't traumatize her. Dejectedly, he lowered the gun, giving Zim a heated stare and turned swiftly away, pulling Gaz with him. She turned, looking back at Zim, who stared back, a look of confusion on his face. But Dib turned a corner and she switched her gaze to what was in front of her.
She shook her head, nothing could change the past, what mattered was the future and how Zim would die, pay for his betrayal and lies. She continued on her way, glancing around making sure that no one was following her, a rule that was vital to the surviving twenty people of their group.
Their revolts against the Irken Empire were somewhat pitiful, their first attack was downright embarrassing. They'd been armed with regular Earth guns and nothing more, Gaz had been equipped with a plain pistol. Dib had begged for her to stay hidden but stopped when she threatened him. Their numbers at the beginning were around fifty, most of them teenagers. The youngest was 14 and the oldest 27. The Irken's they fought tallied around one hundred, all of them armed with Irken lasers. The rebels had attacked first, but it didn't take long for the Irken's to gain the upper hand. About ten of the people had been captured, around twenty were killed, and the last twenty retreated. Since then they'd strategized a bit more and had succeeded in two other attacks with few casualties.
She reached the hideout and went inside Bloaty's Pizza, she crept toward the trapdoor and walked down the steps to the basement. She heard a few mumbled conversations that floated up the stairs and made sure to close the hold all the way. She shifted the heavy bag on her shoulder, before continuing the rest of the way. The room was relatively small, especially for twenty people, only around 16 by 16 feet. In the corner was a bunch of boxes and containers holding food and water, all around the room blankets, sleeping bags, and quilts with the lumps of people's bodies. In the far corner, there were a couple partitions, which allowed people to change, the closet thing to privacy and hygiene anyone got. Off in another corner there were crates, boxes, and various other objects which were used as chairs, placed in a circle around a small contained fire, where a few of the older people were talking.
Dib was sitting, shoulders slumped, next to an eighteen year-old boy, Kyan. Gaz walked up behind them, careful to avoid the sleeping forms, and deposited the bag next to Dib. She sat on his other side, on a crate, leaning against the wall.
"You made sure no one followed you?" Dib asked, while he searching through the bag. Gaz glared pointedly when he looked up because she hadn't answered.
"Good, Bri hasn't come back yet, I'm a bit worried." Dib stated, mentioning a sixteen year-old girl, who had gone looking for food and water.
"She'll be fine." Gaz said reassuringly, before closing her eyes.
"Hey, Gaz-" Dib said, he stopped as he looked up and saw that she was sleeping. He picked up a nearby blanket and covered her with it, "Good night, Gaz." He said softly before going back to the weapons on the bag.