parking lot

It was 2 o clock in the morning. Normal humans were asleep. Well, with exceptions of course but, by no means were any of them sitting in the middle of a Wal-Mart parking lot, in a beat up old Honda civic with a moronic alien who was currently having ‘an episode’. Dib wasn’t sure if, the episodes were happening more often or if he just had the privilege of knowing Zim well enough now to recognize when they were happening.

Dib rubbed his face, feeling stupidly proud of the stubble he felt there. It would be super annoying later. He needed some sort of caffeine if he was going to stay awake to dissect the alien’s thoughts. He felt kind of like a therapist, if he actually thought that those things worked.

A street lamp flickered ten feet away and the slightly damp ground reflected a sickly yellow color back up at the sky. It was warm out. Almost too warm. But, luckily, it was 2 o clock in the freaking morning and they had the windows rolled down. A mosquito flew near Dib’s ear. He smacked at it. Zim flinched.

“Okay so…” The human began, hoping his companion would start talking without much more prompting, since Zim was usually very prone to ranting. It was hard enough to get him to stop talking. Now, Dib was purposely trying to start it. “What’s up?”

Zim was shivering, barely noticeable by anyone but, Dib. “What?”

Dib’s eyes narrowed. “What? We’re in the middle of a Wal-Mart parking lot on a Thursday at 2 AM. You woke me up, you mumbled, you even squeaked a bit. I’ve had no caffeine in my system for over 8 hours and there’s a mosquito in my ear.” He smacked at it again. “Don’t act as if this isn’t weird.”

Silence, except for the stupid mosquito, the hum of flickering electricity and a old speaker playing dim early morning radio. Dib finally took the moment to get a look at the alien who was by all technicalities now, a earthian. But, that was something that neither of them really liked talking about.

Zim was pale looking, especially in fluorescent light. He was dressed in a shoddy disguise; a hoodie that probably came from the child’s area from some department store, a baseball cap and a pair of Gaz’s old pants that Dib had given him once she’d outgrown them.

Dib tapped the steering wheel of his new-old car and sighed out his nose. Sometimes time was all that was needed to coerce his nemesis…friend…person. It was just a matter of actual patience on his part. Unfortunately, when it came to Zim, patience was hard to find.

So ten minutes passed. Then ten more and a car had pulled into the lot, an old man had exited, went inside the Walmart, grabbed whatever it was he needed, paid for it and then hobbled all the way back outside and left.

Dib was actually beginning to nod off again, whenever he heard Zim speak. “They called me.” It was spoken in a very pathetic voice. It held a lot of emotions, that nearly seven years ago, Dib hadn’t been sure the alien could experience; fear, loss, joy, hope, anger, betrayal, and despair. The human sat up straight, blinking the sleep out of his eyes. The Tallest hadn’t called in…

“It’s been over a year hasn’t it?”

"A year, four months and 16 days.” Zim’s usually overwhelming voice was tinny.

“Uh.” Dib hesitated. “Yeah.” He’d been keeping count? That was sad. Sad and worrying. He’d known the little irken had taken the news bad but, Dib had kind of just assumed that he’d gotten over it since the Tallest had been well…terrible to him. And to the universe. It obviously was still preying on Zim’s mind.

Dib cleared his throat. “What did they say?”

Zim wasn’t looking at the human. He was looking out the window at the flickering light. “They uh just wanted to check up on me.” Dib raised an eyebrow. He knew better. He knew Zim better than that. The alien had a way of twisting the truth around so that it didn’t seem as terrible, so that he could continue to live in a little fantasy world where he was powerful and unafraid, where he wasn’t alone.

Dib sighed again. “Right. Look, Zim…” He glanced over at his…companion who had moved from staring out the window and was now looking down at his hands which were bare. He’s forgotten his gloves, Dib thought. That wasn’t…a good sign.

"Whatever they said to you…do you remember what we talked about? How they betrayed you? How they banished you here? Does any of that ring a bell? They aren’t going to call to check up on you, Zim. They aren’t benevolent or kind and they don’t care about y…they don’t care about anyone but themselves. They called for a reason. What was it?”

Zim fell silent again. Dib fought the urge to groan out of frustration. The irken was difficult. He was like a child. A destructive, annoying, dangerous child that was older than anyone on Earth. Who was part of a race of ancient and violent aliens. Who had bottled up tons and tons of rage and loneliness and…now sat in a desolate parking lot on an foreign planet, forced to call it his home…and without his proud uniform with an enemy. Who was probably the closest thing he’d ever had to a friend.

Dib once again felt a little voice whisper in his head that Zim was the closest thing he’d ever had to a friend as well. He shoved it aside. Not now. Not ever.

“Alright. Fine…” They didn’t have to talk about it now. Dib yawned against his will. “Why don’t we go? I need coffee and then we can play some violent video games, eh?” He tested the waters, watching for a reaction. Zim’s fists clenched.

A second more passed in which the irken seemed to struggle internally (with age old instincts against new found companionship) before he nodded, stiffly. Dib felt the smallest smile tug at the corner of his mouth before it got swept away in his own old instincts. Dib put the car in reverse and pulled out of the parking lot.