WARNING: Blood and gore, the faint of heart should NOT read further than this sentence.
Chapter 1
No-one really knew about the white buiding. In fact, not one person acknowledged it. The white building once was a booming factory for auto parts for rockets. The government eventually shut it down when funds for space travel became too overbearing. Along with NASAPlace the old factory was shut down for years and still are yet to claim back the lot. Story says that the factory still works and that they had creepy stuff going on inside. Screams of terror, cries of help, the usual scary story nonsense. But that all stopped when a little-known company bought out the small building that hung on a cliff over the roaring ocean waters. Soon, the company had booming business. They sold weeiners. The city descibed it as nothing they've ever tasted before. Stocks and shelves started filling market places with the new product. It didn't take long for the word to get out about them. They factory bought out Deelishus Weenie within a week of being discovered and was soon replaced by more marketplaces since the owner refused to make it a chain restaurant. They said they were already running out of ingrediants. Many people reported to the factory upon request to help with the problem and the next day, the factory was selling even more weeniers. The name of the beyond successful factory was WIN Meat Corporation. WIN lived up to it's name and soon in every household was their meat products. What people didn't know was the dark secrets beyond the peeling white walls of the factory. Only choice people believed each other that they could have sworn they heard screaming coming out the chimneys of the factory. No-one believed these people however and they were shunned for insulting WIN. Every night the factory's lights dimmed down and supposedly the machines stopped churning. The owner was a young man who claims to have added a different, more exotic ingrediant to the tasty snack meat and that's all he's ever said. No-one has seen the owner nor do they know his name so they call him WINner. Everyone bought in to the factory's innocent facade.
Chapter 2
After a night spent in the city jail Dib returned back to the all too familiar classroom he grew to hate. He found out that everyone had heard where he had been. Almost all the kids knew and they gave him strange looks when he stepped through the door. His return was unceremonial; he had been publicly escorted by the police, two of them. Dib, already humiliated, was unpleased to find that they hadn't even picked up his papers or fixed his binder. It remained untouched and scattered everywhere. He sat down at his desk, miserable and wallowing in self pity.Dib was already in a deep depression caused by his father and sister's disappearance. The two of them were gone in the morning when Dib returned froma chupacabra hunt that stretched a little too longer than expected. He blamed himself for their capture. If he had been there maybe he would have been able to stop the person or people that took them. He knew what it was for though and he was unhappy to see that once again the strange little factory had taken away something near and dear to him. When the volunteers ran out the workers would go out at night and capture random people as forced workers. Everyone said that no harm was done to them at all. That it was just necessary protocol taken to acquire more workers. Everyone believed them and soon were expecting to be taken away. Dib really wondered how it felt to be woken up by strangers and dragged out of his house. His sister, Gaz would never react to any form of capture, she was unfazed by anything. But his father was the world-known Professor Membrane who everyone loved and cherished, and it seemed as if those fans had turned a blind eye to his disappearance.
Mrs. Bitters was no where to be found. Normally the teacher was at the front of the classroom barking odrders but today there was no teacher.
While the class waited for some instruction they chatted vigorously about Dib and what had happened yesterday, They acted as if he wasn't even there. All the while Dib found himself sinking lower and lower in his seat, wishing to disappear. At least, he thought, Zita was gone. She would have made the situation ten times worse. However, Jessica still sat in the same room who was equally as bad as Zita, possibly even worse. The only difference between the two was that Jessica was a blonde and that was about it.
"Did you hear where Dib went last night?"
"Dib you know his freak sister and dad are missing?"
"I think he didn't even bother to save them."
"Yeah, but yesterday he was going all crazy over it."
"Maybe because he knows they're on to him."
A collection of whispers came from all around the room, all directed at Dib.
Finally, the slap of a wooden sick against a desk rung from the front of the room and instantly everyone silenced.
"Good morning, Ms. Bitters' students. I am Amanda Sterling, a worker from WIN Meat Corporation Factory."
Every face in the class turned into a smile, a few students cheered. Then came the questions.
"Do you get to see the WINner everyday?"
"How do you make the weeniers?"
"What type of machines do you use?"
"Okay everybody, calm down. There will be plenty of time for questions." Amanda tried to reason with them.
Again, everyone was quiet.
"A few months ago we found out that we were running out of ingrediants for our weeniers. So we launched the WIN Factory Visitation Program. Anyone who wanted to work at the Factory for a short amount of time were able to make that dream come true. Today, I am here for the same reason. We have once again run out of workers and the WINner decided we would hunt for more responsible persons able to take their place. It works like this. One of you guys will have the honor to work alongside myself and other co-workers, working for the great WINner! And making your favorite weeniers as well. So, what do you say, are you all in?"
Excited cheers and loud 'yes'es exploded from the students.
"Well then first thing's first which of you have been vaccinated for all known diseases?"
A few hands shot up leaving the others looking worried.
One boy rose his hand, "Uhhh, is that important to work at the factory?"
"Yes, you will be surrounded by a lot of other people and if someone gets sick all of us get sick." Amanda pointed out.
Groans of disappointment sounded from around the classroom.
"This is it? Only you five?" Amanda scratched her head with her gloved hand.
The five, including Dib, looked at each other, some in surprise and others to glare.
"Okay, which of you five have at least 1 high skool credit?" she asked.
Two of the hands sunk down.
"We need smart people manning our machines, not jokers." the worker informed.
Another hand lowered.
"Two of you are left. Let's see who the lucky person will be."
"Both of you; call out your current grade."
"A."
"A."
Dib looked at his oppenent. He was going against the Letter M who was exceptionally smart for the class's standards.
"Very well then, your age."
"14."
"14."
"Your... social reputation."
"Bad."
"Good!"
The Letter M was beaming, he knew he was going to win against the weirdo. Dib looked down solemnly.
Suddeny Amanda walked over to Dib and laid a hand on his shoulder, "Welcome to the team, Dib Membrane." she smiled.
The entire class gasped at the news. Dib, the freak, was going to work at the city-famous, WIN Factory.
Chapter 3
The following night Dib was sent home with a letter informing him on what and what not to bring. He was surprised to see that almost everything was contraband.
Things not to bring
NO cellphones, computers, or anything tha you can communicate with
NO spare clothes (a uniform is provided for you)
NO valuable items (they will be taken)
NO watches or time devices (you will be on our time)
NO jewelry
NO toiletries
NO sharp objects (for the safety of others)
Things to bring
ONE metal item
ONE food item
ONE bottled drink
ONE writing pad
ONE pencil
ONE pen
Nothing else will be permitted to bring you. We want you to pack lightly. You'll only be here for a few weeks.
Sincerly, WIN Meat Corporation Factory Worker Amanda Sterling
Dib walked through the empty kitchen and over the cabinets. There was nothing but pest control. He checked the fridge and found a case of bologna. It was made by WIN. He stored it in his backpack. Maybe the leader favored kiss-ups. Along with the bologna he found a bottle of Poop and put it in with his writing pad, pencil, and pen. Now he just needed to find a metal item.
Well there was a lot of metal items just not small ones. Then he remembered the tool box that he kept in the garage to fix Tak's spaceship. He snatched up a hammer and tossed it in on top of the rest of his stuff. He left his watch, computer, and devices locked up in his room as instructed.
Now he waited for them to take him.
Hours later he heard a truck move down the street and towards his house. He slung on his backpack and waited for them to slow down. But they didn't. They kept going at the same barreling rate. They were going to miss him.
"Hey!" he waved, "Slow down!"
Suddenly he found himself being grabbed then dragged towards the speeding truck. As they ran behind the open behind they swung Dib forward into the wooden floor.
'Well," he thought, 'That was a nice warm welcome."
He looked up at the barely surprised faces of his soon-to-be co-workers.
"Hey, kid. Get up. We didn't select you to lay around." a gaurd barked at him then thwacked him with a wooden stick.
Dib got to his knees and stumbled on his feet to a seat on the side of the truck. He noticed the roof was a worn tarp. They roped back the tarp to open up the back again for another person. This time he was one of the others looking down at the newbie barely fazed.
The newie was a young girl about his age. She was still face down on the floor. Soon the gaurds woud yell at her. Dib reached out a hand to the girl but it was kicked away by the huge boots of a worker.
"No physical contact with workers of the opposite gender." he informed Dib with a hiss.
"What's up with you lazy kids? Get up, girl!" he struck the stick on his legs. She yelped and shot up like a bullet. Instantly she was seated across from Dib, making no eye contact with anyone.
The ride to the factory was tiresome and long. No one could even guess how long they had been under the tarp roof. A few were asleep only to be snapped awake by a worker. Dib could tell the senior workers were getting tired of baby-sitting himself and the others. If somebody yawned; a tap to the mouth by the stick. Stretching was also consenquenced and basically movement of any sort ended up with a hit from the wooden weapon. Dib found himself perfectly still for the rest of the trip.
Finally, after what seemed like hours the truck jerked to a stop and trough the tarp sides he could hear the ocean; the rumored location of the factory. Rumor confirmed, he guessed.
"Alright everybody. Listen up. We're only say this once."
"You aren't here to have fun, you're here to work. To experience what we go through on a daily basis. This isn't a summer camp so stop treating it like one. Now line up in front of that gate over there." the worker pointed.
The tired crowd dragged their feet along as they lined up, single file, to the gate.
"Pick up the pace people!" he shouted in his commanding voice. He acted as if he were the leader but he was more than likely not him. He was like a mall cop. Too proud of his position to notice how unimportant he really was.
Dib waited outside the gate with the rest of the group taking in the huge building before him. Its paint was chipping, the lock on the front doors were rusty like the chains and the seach lights were busted. Seems like a shabby place. Dib promised himself not to judge until he saw the inside. But he had to admit, the security was poor. The only security there seemed to be were the workers. Maybe they nagged trespassers to death.
In the dead of the night the roar of an engien started and to their surprise was moving the iron gate.
"Now take out your metal item and place it under the scanner. Only real metal will pass." the worker informed.
Dib took out his hammer and was the first to get his scanned. It passed with a breif alert as a green light blinked above his head.
"Move along, kid, you're holding up the line."
Dib mocked him under his breath as he walked throughto the other side of the gate.
Eleven people later and they were on their way to the entrance.
Another alarm sounded and the huge doors seperated apart and slowly slid open to reveal a booming factory filled with intricate machinery. One part was blocked off so he couldn't see what the machine did but he could make out the grinder, the cooker, and the slicer. Weenier after weenier poured out from the opening and was packed in their natural juices.
It was too dark to see anything else but he would make out several gaurds because of the dim lighting refracting from their goggles.
"Each of you will be assigned to one of the four dorm halls. There will be no sharing of rooms nor any visitors allowed. Only yourself or one of us can go inside your room. It has the necessary toletries and your uniform is folded on top of your bed. You are to wear it at all times so we can keep track of your attendance. Go to sleep immeadiatly after changing. You have a long week ahead of you." and with those final words the naggy gaurd disappeared.
Dib hoped to never see him again. He hoped he would see Amanda soon so that he wouldn't feel so alone and to find out where his sister and father were.
He was in D-15 so he walked down the D Hall and unlocked his door with the pass he was given. He dropped his backpack on the floor and picked up his uniform. It was a long button-up labcoat, goggles, rubber gloves and a pair of simple black rubber boots. He went into the bathroom, changed, and went into hsi new bed. He could have sworn it was a rock.
"Well better get soem sleep." he turned over and closed his eyes.
Dib was soon fast asleep on the tiny twin bed.
Innocently dreaming while inside a factory of nightmares.
Chapter 4
The following morning Dib woke up groggily, his head ached from the solid pillow he was supplied and his legs were sore from the rocky surface of his bed. It took him a few moments to realize he was not in his home any longer but in the factory. He couldn't tell if it was either morning or night since there were no windows, none in the halls either. But there was a clock so he found out he had woken up too early, unless the factory started their work at 5 in the morning. Then came from the door a knock.
Dib rushed from out under the covers and towards the wooden door, opening it seconds later.
"Yes?" he croaked in a broken voice.
"Good morning. Get cleaned up and meet us out here by 5:30. Get going, kid." A straight-faced worker informed him.
Dib woke up at that statement. "5:30? How can I do that?"
"That's not our problem son. Just be out here." The worker turned around and left for the other room.
When Dib looked at the clock he saw that it was already 5:05. The worker had wasted the precious moments he had to get ready on time. He wasn't going to waste anymore just standing there so he headed into the bathroom and undressed for a shower. Another knock came to the door and he shouted over the steamy and loud water that he was in the shower. The door opened and without a second thought the worker came into the bathroom, and addressed Dib.
"Are you crazy?! Do you people know anything about privacy?" Dib folded his towel around himself and wiped away his drooping scythe from his face.
"We're all humans here. You need to learn how to be more mature with things. You have 15 more minutes, you'd better hurry up." The worker looked Dib up and down then stormed out of the bathroom, slamming both the doors shut.
Dib stared blankly at the bathroom door, disturbed and surprised at the visit. He was now paranoid of taking a shower in the facility, especially if people were going to walk in on him. It was violating and awkward to look at someone in the eye when you were pouring the soap on a washcloth.
Shrugging the experience away as much as he could he continued with his shower and finished a minute later, rushing himself out of his limits to keep within the time he was given.
He got dressed into the button-up lab coat, black boots, gloves, and goggles. The goggles were tinted a gray hue, the lab coat was wrinkled obviously from being folded so many times, and the boots and gloves barely fit his feet and arms. They were twice the size of them and were very uncomfortable. He wondered what the gloves were for. Was he going to be curing the meat? If he was he might vomit. He had no idea what was in those weeniers. It could be pig guts and fish liver for all he knew. He enjoyed eating them but had no intentions of making them. He hoped they would assign him to a machine of some sort.
He finished getting ready at 5:15 and rushed out into the hall to see the whole rest of the group ready and wide awake. Some of them were chatting vigorously and others were drinking coffee. He felt like the last person to make it out of the locker room at gym class. Meekly, he walked over to the worker and tapped her on the shoulder.
"Excuse me ma'am I"- Dib was cut short when his hand was grabbed roughly and twisted sideways. He cried out in surprise and pain.
"Don't you know the rules boy? No physical touch with the opposite gender." She growled in his face, still holding his hand captive.
"I'm sorry, and no, no-one has gone over the rules with me. I'm new here." Dib explained.
"I've heard that story thousands of times before, you don't think I would know that, shorty?" the worker, released him. Dib rubbed his wrist in discomfort.
"Go over there to get your nametag and get your blood taken." She pointed to a slender male who was waiting by a door, needle in hand.
Dib blinked and walked over to the man, "She said for me to come to you." He pointed back at the female worker.
"Of course. Sit down in that chair over there and let's get started. Shall we?" the man gestured to a mint-green chair in the small room, right next to a desk filled with tubes of blood. In big letters were the words, worker samples. He felt a pit in his stomach as his felt the pinch of the needle enter his skin and suck up the blood in the vein the doctor had chosen. Or at least Dib thought he was a doctor.
After taking his blood the doctor inserted the tube inside a computer and suddenly a full profile and picture of Dib popped up on the screen. "Can you verify your name for me?"
"Dib Membrane." He responded.
"Okay. Here's your nametag." A gold-plated disk was handed to him with his first name in black lettering.
Dib pinned the tag to the fold on his lab coat and walked back over to where the rest of the group was. He sat down on one of the empty lounge chairs in the hallway until a whistle blared through the air, interrupting everyone's conversations.
"Okay, men and women let's file out!" Amanda shouted and marched beside Dib, trying to talk to him, "Dib. Psst. Dib. It's me, Amanda."
"Amanda?" Dib smiled, "Boy am I happy to see you!"
"Good to see you too, kid. You ready for your first day on the job?" she asked.
"I'm pretty ready. Just, when am I going to get to see Dad and Gaz?" he asked, curious.
"I already checked for them. They never made it here. The workers said that they both escaped before they could get here. Your Dad and sister are out there somewhere, just not here." Amanda smiled to Dib.
"So, now I'm stuck here for two weeks with no-one but myself?" Dib groaned.
"You never know, you might meet someone new." Amanda winked.
Dib stopped walking at stared at Amanda, what did she mean by that wink.
He didn't get much time to ponder on it as they arrived at their destination. They were on a ledge hovering above a large pot of meat. The steam rising from it blew past Dib's face making him feel extremely hot under the thick material of his lab coat. He pulled on his goggles over his eyes to protect them from tearing up. It made the experience much more bearable.
Dib was the only quiet one amongst the anxious and excited crowd. The whole group loved WIN Meat Corporation. They only hope that they would be allowed to see the great leader of the factory. As he waited, Dib looked around at took in everything. For one, it was sweltering hot in there added with all the body warmth of the crowd. It had the vaguest scent that was putrid and smelled very strongly as soon as he entered the building.
Suddenly an alarm blared as the gears stop churning and the packaging ceased. Everyone straightened up and wondered silently why everything was shutting off. Then appeared a small podium on top of the small ledge before them. One wrong step and whoever was going to stand up there would be done for. A small hooded figure walked up to the podium and lifted the hood; revealing dirty, matted black hair. Dib could have sworn he saw that hair style before.
He paid his attention back to the being and noticed that upon his eyes were huge, smeared goggles. They also wore a lab coat that was stained almost everywhere with... sauce? On his short fingers were black gloves and on his feet; enormous, industrial-sized boots with equally large buckles that weren't even strapped. This person was obviously a hard worker. But the way he always had a crooked smile and the dark hood he wore told a whole other store.
"Good evening," came a familiar voice to Dib, "Ladies and gentlemen alike."
Dib could have sworn he heard that voice before, but it was lost on his mind.
"Welcome to the WIN Meat Company Factory. For the rest of your miserable days you will work here, diligently. Those who don't pertain to this rule will be dealt with. Anyways, it was decided a month ago that we were running out of workers due to... difficulties." the short man twitched. It was then when Dib noticed his pale, sickly green flesh. He was getting closer to remembering the owner of the voice.
"Your group has volunteered as capable workers in their place. Under one condition; you need to learn how to man the machine in more ways than one." he chuckled.
The WINner stepped down from his podium and faced the crowd personally, "Through these following 14 days you will learn how to operate our machinery the right way and handle the very job you are assigned. Some of these jobs require a strong gut but I know my loyal WIN lovers will cooperate."
The crowd nodded, minus Dib who continued to stare at the WINner strangely. He still listened however and wondered what he meant by 'a strong gut'. Maybe the meat smelled?
"With that said my fellow loyal co-workers will hand you your folder that explains the job you will be working on for these weeks. I hope you will see that everyone here is very important to the process of making these delicious weeniers. Now, without further ado, I will leave you to your posts. Thank you and I will see you at closing time."
With those final words the WINner left behind the closed black curtain.
Everyone breathed for the first time after seeing the important figure then chattered loudly about how excited they were to see him face-to-face. All Dib could think of was where had he heard that voice before.
Chapter 5
Dib was handed a small manila folder filled with papers. He looked around and saw that everyone was receiving one. ‘These must be our job folders’ he thought to himself and opened up the folder. The first thing that fell out was a picture of his face followed by lab work and other papers like them. He turned all the way to the back and found a piece of paper that read ‘The Rules’.
He rolled his eyes and mumbled, “I sure would have needed this before.”
Reading through the list thoroughly he found himself thinking that he was in skool again. The rules were like the normal rules; no fighting, no horseplay, no eating outside of the dining room, no alcohol, no cigarettes, and absolutely no joking around. The other rules were interesting and were mostly deemed unnecessary by Dib. No talking about your job with others, no talking about the factory when released, no telling of the secret ingredient, no skipping work, and no running around the grinder.
What he couldn’t understand was why he couldn’t talk about the factory when he got out. In fact, he was looking forward to rubbing his experience in his classmates’ faces. There was nothing really to hide anyways. It was like any other factory; loud and steamy. What about it did they not want outside people to know? Then he remembered the cloaked part of the factory. Maybe there was something back there they didn’t want people to know about. He sure hoped he would be a part of the crew to see the mysterious facility.
Dib placed the sheet back in his folder and pulled out a packet labeled ‘Butcher’. ‘Oh great’ he thought he would be chopping up pig guts and fish liver then. He grimaced at the thought and swallowed the vomit building up in his throat. A job is a job and besides, like the WINner said, he would have to “man” the machine. How bad could it be?
After everyone was assigned their job a bull horn blew and the factory came to life. The gears hanging above their heads were churning away and he could hear the grinder from all the way in the back.
Its continuous stomps echoed throughout the air.
Dib took out the map he received from the folder and followed it to his post. When he arrived he was upset to find it was no-where near the darkened portion of the factory. The Butcher post was an assembly line of 5 workers on each side hacking at a single piece of meat until it was in bite sized pieces. The hard part was that the meat, whatever it was, was stuffed inside a bag so only the crunch of bones breaking signaled they did their job right. Dib picked up the large, sharp blade and began chopping in a rhythm pace with the others. The work was tiring and messy because of the occasional splatter of blood from the animal. Dib was disturbed to find that the blood was still warm. By the end of the work day he came to a conclusion. Whatever was in that sack was still alive when they hacked at it. It was not a good realization to find out with his already sickened stomach.
Soon dinner came and the men and women were reported to meet at the dining hall for a full course meal with the WINner. It was their reward for working hard during the day. Dib, however, was not hungry in the least and not at all interested in eating. All he wanted to do was take off his dirty lab coat and curl up in bed but bedtime wasn’t until after dinner and if you didn’t eat dinner you didn’t get to go to bed until everyone was already asleep. So Dib stuffed down as much as he could without bile rising up in his mouth and drank plenty of the water that was served with the meal. He didn’t even touch the Poop cola in fear of it being too much for his gut. He was doing fine until the WINner called him out from across the table.
“Hey, Dib, why aren’t you eating? We specially prepared this dish for you to eat. Aren’t you hungry?” the WINner asked in a drawling voice.
“No, sorry, sir. I have a stomach-ache.” Dib said as an excuse.
“Oh, we have medicine for that. Doctor, fetch this boy some Pyolilethrin. I don’t want him to miss out.” The WINner snapped to the doctor who was waiting by his side for an order. In a blink he was gone for the medicine. After a while the WINner settled down and continued eating his own food. He seemed to not enjoy it, Dib noticed, since he kept downing a container of what looked like cough syrup and breathing unevenly. Or maybe he was sick. But that couldn’t be right, the WINner couldn’t be sick, especially if the workers can’t. He wished to ponder on this further but the doctor returned with a pill in a cup and a pitcher of water.
“Take one of these and soon you’ll feel better around the end of dinner-time. Spare me by eating little by little a bit of your food please. I don’t want WINner to be disappointed.” The doctor whispered in Dib’s ear.
Dib complied and swallowed the pill with a glass of water. Slowly he started picking at his food and listening to the WINner share stories about different accidents he’s had with the machines and workers. It was not a very good topic for people who were stuffing their faces but those, unlike Dib, were unfazed.
The WINner was telling a story about how one worker named Genie had gotten his finger caught under the grinder and that his finger had to be amputated because the bone structure was completely messed up. He described in full detail how it went and what they did and what tools they used. The WINner didn’t know it but he was telling a scary story. Some of the workers were caught up in every word he was speaking and other’s tuned out to save their stomach.
A short high whistle sounded as the lights dimmed and the factory machines discontinued their work. The night guards went instantly to their posts on the high podiums looking below at the factory grounds. The search lights rotated around the building in a continuous pattern, looking out for any form of danger.
The WINner clapped his hands together and smiled crookedly at the group of workers, “I’m afraid to say that dinner time is up. Please take your trays to the garbage disposal and leave any silverware you used on the table for the cooks to pick up. Don’t forget that lights go off at twelve and I will see you bunch in the morning. Oh, and Dib?”
Dib turned around to look at the WINner, “Yes, sir?”
“May I speak with you for a moment?” he gestured his hand to where he was standing.
Dib swallowed the lump in his throat and walked over to the WINner. He feared the worst.
“How is your stomach now, boy?” the WINner asked in his annoyingly high-pitched and raspy voice.
“It’s fine, sir. I’m good now. Thank you for the medicine.” Dib bowed slightly.
“No need for curtsies, Dib. We’re all men here. How else would you have gotten into this place? Certainly not from being proper.” The WINner took out a glass.
Dib looked at the glass and then at WINner. Suddenly the short figure took out a long bottle of liquid.
“I thought no alcohol was allowed, sir?” Dib grew more nervous.
“Oh this? Silly, Dib. This is just something that I made. Absolutely no horrible alcohol in it.” The WINner smiled innocently.
“I want to give a toast to you, Dib. For being one of the first skool-aged kids to make it into the factory.” He poured out a glass of the substance and handed it to Dib while pouring himself some.
Dib swirled the liquid in his glass in a circular motion, “Gee, I didn’t think you celebrated these types of things.”
“Of course I do. I celebrate all my workers. You are admittedly more special however.” He grazed a single gloved finger over the rim of the glass.
Dib blushed under the darkness of the factory’s dim lights, “Thank you sir.”
“ A toast to being so amazing!” the WINner declared loudly.
“Cheers.” Dib said and they toasted, then drank the hazy liquid.
Dib felt a sudden rush and then felt lightheaded.
“Hey, WINner?” he slurred groggily.
The WINner chuckled darkly, “Yes?”
“Is it supposed to make you feel light-headed?” Dib asked.
“Let me check,” he held the bottle up to his face and raised it above his head, “Yes.”
Dib couldn’t take a breath as the cold glass of the bottle collided with his head. Glass shattered around him and his vision blurred as he drifted from excruciating pain to no feeling at all.
Chapter 6 Part 1
Amber eyes slowly blinked as they opened from a troubled sleep. His head was pounding mercilessly and his stomach was in a knot. He couldn't remember what had happened, but he was sure it was not good.
A low chuckle came from his side followed by a purring voice, "Good morning, Dib. Sleep well?"
Dib turned to his side to face his approacher. He was startled to see that it was the WINner.
"WINner?" Dib croaked, "Where am I?"
The WINner snickered lowly once again and answered, "In my office. Don't fret, you're only here for a little while."
Dib started to sit up when he was snapped back onto a cold metal surface. He groaned and winced. What was that?
He then tried to lift his hands but they were bound by rubber straps, as were his ankles, arms, and legs.
"Hey! What's going on?!" he shouted now in a defensive mode, furiously tugging at the bounds.
Seconds later bright white lights flashed on and a machine was whirring up. A large arm-like machine started towards Dib as the bed he was laying on lifted him upright. Soon he was hanging from his binds high above the office floor.
"What's that?! What are you going to do to me?" Dib shouted from his high post.
WINner chuckled darkly and looked up at Dib's terrified, pale face, "What I should have done years ago." He then burst into a hearty laugh of malevolence. His deep, throaty roars echoed all around Dib as the machine in front of him turned slightly and washed a green light over him. After taking a scan, a large needle appeared from the opening of the machine and slowly inched its way towards Dib.
"I hope you're not afraid of needles, Dib." He spat his name as if it were too sour candy.
Dib looked away from the machine, anywhere but the wretched thing. It was a foot away from his flesh and he could feel the coldness of the needle's head. He struggled at the rubber straps ferociously, tugging as hard as he could until he heard a snap. The pointed tip of the needle was only inches away as he heard another snap come from his binds. One false move and the needle would puncture his skin. He tried once more and screamed as he fell downwards, the needle scarring his nose and lip. Blood flowed from the wound. The machine jerked forward and it hit the metal of the table. Dib watched hanging upside down by his ankles. He used his hands to unstrap his feet and hung there by clutching the straps for dear life.
To his horror the needle ejected itself from the bed amd started downward for Dib. He was done for if he didn't jump now.
Dib screamed in terrible pain and anger. The needle injected itself deeper into his spine and broke right through it causing a sickening crack to sound from his body.
He screamed in even more agony as the needle enlarged and began sucking out blood from his bloodstreams. The loss was so quick and intense that he instantly became lightheaded and passed out, letting go of the strap and falling to the floor below. He landed with a loud thud that shook the surrounding area. The WINner walked over to the body and kicked it.
"Out cold," he grunted unhappily, "That means even more waiting."
He dragged Dib's body by the shirt collar and disappeared behind the black curtain.
Chapter 6 Part 2
For the second time Dib was awoken from an unconscious spell. This time, however, the pain had multiplied. He felt it all over his body and it all was centered from somewhere on his upper back. He tried his best to touch the spot and found it was a huge hole opened up. The needle had ripped through his skin and spine. He couldn't move an arm or leg as he laid feeling defenseless. Then the memories came back to him, the WINner had lured him with a toast to his admission. The drink was some type of sedative. Then he had hooked him up to some bed, and that horrible machine... was the cause of his pain. It had inserted itself into his back and tried to suck out all his blood but he fell before they could even collect a gallon. He still felt light-headed from the blood it had taken from him and definitely still felt the pinch of the needle. It wasn't your typical hospital needle, no; it was at least an inch wide and 3 inches long.
Dib sat up on the new surface he was laying on. It was lined with bloody white tissue paper. The substance was dripping still so that meant whatever happened here, happened recently. It was caked on the headboard and sides of the table. There was single light over him and other lights lined up in a row on either side of him. Each light had a person under it, he was horrified to find. They all looked as dazed as him; something told Dib that he wasn't the first subject to the machine.
While he was taking in the scene a small white robot went over to his bedside and draped a white cloth over him, same was for the other people surrounding him. They were short, oval-headed white robots spotted in a crimson substance.
Dib stared pleadingly at the robot as it took out a pack of scalpels, knives, and other medical tools. The spindly white fingers placed themselves over a long scalpel and directed it over Dib's stomach area. Without a second's notice the robot plunged the tool directly through his flesh. Blood oozed out as the robot continued going in and out, cutting a perfect square of his flesh. Dib was in so much shock and agony he couldn't belt out a scream. He just lay, crying and staring up at the ceiling. The robot ripped off the remaining cut of skin bringing a reaction out of Dib who gave a short but loud scream of pain. With the skin gone it revealed his intestines, kidneys, and various other organs. All his organs were pumping fast because of the rush of misery washing over him. The robot then took a sharper looking scalpel and dug into the connection from his kidneys to his bladder. Blood and urine burst from the opening, finally bringing a blood-filled scream from Dib's lips. With five more agonizing slices at the connecting organ finally the bladder was cut free. Dib's screams combined with the other screams in the room. He couldn't say a single word while others were crying for help. A room full of pain was where he was in. The robot reached inside the cavity and ripped out the bladder from its holding. Dib watched in utter stunned silence as his bladder passed by his vision. He was shaking in intense pain as the robot took the scalpel and placed it on the table next to them. It replaced the skin to his cavity and used staples to put it back into place. Each pump was like a knife to the gut again and again. Finally after felt like hours, the robot stopped and wheeled itself away.
Dib sat, breathing hard, taking in shuddering breaths. Every single breath he took caused unnecessary pain.
The robot returned to collect its packet of tools. The lights shut off all across the room and darkness enveloped him. Suddenly he felt himself being picked up and carried somewhere. He was placed onto a moving surface that was headed towards a distant light. His vision was blurred by his own blood; it was dripping from the un-sturdy seams of his stapled gut. The metallic staples added to the overwhelming scent of shed bodily fluids. The light moved closer and closer until he made it out in the open. He noticed the bright lights and came to the conclusion he was out in the main factory. From his high point he could see his co-workers working down below. He prepared to scream at the top of his lungs for help when a gloved hand clutched around his mouth.
"No-one will hear you, Dib." A voice came from behind him.
He turned and saw the WINner, smirking evilly as he released his face.
"You! You wretched little jerk! What the hell are you doing killing your own workers!" Dib screeched in fury.
"Dib. Dib. Language, you filthy human. Don't die with dishonor." WINner chastised him.
"Filthy human? Zim!" It was all coming back to Dib. Before WIN Factory existed Zim had disappeared. He first stopped going to skool, then leaving his base, and finally stopped plotting altogether. Zim had gone MIA as far as Dib was concerned. Now he realized what he was up to all along. This was his master plan and he was about to execute it.
Dib screamed in anger, "You stupid green moron! I knew you were behind this whole thing!" And that little puppet of yours; Amanda! She probably lied to me about my father and sister…" Dib drifted off sadly realizing what this meant.
Zim smirked, "It's what you believe Dib. No-one escapes my factory."
Dib felt hot stinging tears come to his eyes, "You-you monster! You coward and idiot! I hope you die by falling into the grinder!"
He hadn't even noticed but he was feet before the grinder. Its loud thumps shook the conveyor belt.
"Be careful what you wish for, Dib. I hope you don't mind but I think I'm going to speed things up a little." Zim walked over to a lever and pushed it forward. The conveyor jerked then sped up tenfold. Dib hollered in shock and watched as the grinder was fast approaching. This was the end and he knew it. That huge block would stomp his head right in and then game over.
Meanwhile a familiar laugh was heard behind him as they cried out death threats.
The grinder was a large block of graphite that when you put somebody under it would smash it to bits. In Dib's case it would smash his bones to bits. And he was getting ever closer to it.
Its thumps were becoming deafening and he watched in horror as one by one the rest of the workers ahead of him were crushed under its mighty weight. He was next and the grinder was not slowing down for anything.
Dib made it to the top of the steep slope before the drop and fell down the flight headed straight for the machine.
Chapter 7
Dib ran right smack into the grinder, causing him to fall backwards; disorientated. However the grinder still snagged his foot and with a deafening slam crushed his ankle bone. He screamed long and pain-filled. Tears poured from his eye as he clutched his leg in desperation. Then he looked up. The grinder was over his head, stuck in mid-air. Sirens sounded and he heard a yelling voice.
"Who shut off the grinder?!" Zim's angry stomps were heard from above him on a metal walkway up at the top. "Who dares disrupt my factory line?"
Dib heard a different pair of feet running, even faster than Zim's. He could tell by their loud stomps that the person was a worker and the only worker that had access to the upstairs stairwell was... "Dib," a female voice called, "Get moving!"
"Amanda?" Dib looked up and saw the back of her curly red hair bouncing away from his vision; she turned and showed her gray eyes, "Go!" But Dib couldn't move. His ankle was broken and every breath he took caused him a pinch in the chest. He then heard Zim's footsteps get closer so he got to his foot and began hopping away Zim stopped a few feet behind him and smirked, now walking slowly. Dib gasped and hopped even faster. Zim ran after him and clutched him by the throat. Dib gagged and clawed at Zim's grip frantically. Zim was unforgiving; he pulled him to the edge of the conveyor belt. Below him was the cooker, whose sharp blades were still churning the meat. Zim's goggles were removed when he looked up at him; a wild strawberry eye stared back at him as a single violet contact cracked from wear.
"Why… are you wearing… your disguise?" Dib croaked between breaths.
Zim loosened his grip, "What kind of question is that?"
"Why… are you… wearing your disg… uise?" Dib persisted.
"Why must you know, Dib?" Zim searched his eyes for any sign of escape, there was none?
"Just… a question."
Zim shoved Dib up against a pole, "There's no reason."
Dib hung silently in Zim's grip, waiting for an acceptable answer.
"Fine. Fine! I decided to keep it on, okay?" he admitted.
"Why?" Dib's breathless question sounded.
"It reminded me." Zim glared at the ground.
"Of what?"
Zim just kept his head down then raised it, his eyes forming a death glare, "Why I started this whole thing."
He released Dib and the boy came falling down to his knees. He was given a second to breath until a large boot kicked him in the rib-cage. He fell onto his back and groaned. "You pathetic little thing. I should have killed you when I had the chance." Zim kicked him again, knocking him back a few feet. "You thought you and that wretched worker could escape?" Dib shook his head but the alien didn't notice or didn't care because he kicked him once again. Dib's head was hanging over the edge, his scythe drooping directly over the cooker.
"Dib look at you, you're so desperate. Desperate to live the life you know you hate. If I were you I'd be glad to die." Zim crossed his arms.
'Don't let him get to you!' Dib's head screamed
"Think about it, did your family ever really love you?" Zim asked him, walking over to his side.
"Yes, Gaz didn't show it but she… no never mind, she hated my guts. But Dad! Dad always dragged about me being his… poor insane son…" he drifted off.
"See what I mean? Must I go further?" Zim gestured towards him.
"Agent Darkbooty liked me!" Dib said.
"Agent who?" Zim turned.
"You heard him, Agent kissyourbuttgoodbye!" Amanda cried out as she jumped down to the conveyor belt. She landed right on top of Zim who was groaning from under her.
"Say goodbye you big green snot." Amanda brought out a shotgun and pointed it in his face.
Dib stared in shock, watching the scene unfold before him.
His startled expression changed when he heard a low chuckle come down from below him.
"You honestly think that a puny Earth weapon can damage my superior body?" Zim smirked.
Amanda fired; shooting Zim in the arm. A surprised scream came from the small figure. He looked down to see his arm bleeding out a green substance.
"I always did wonder what color your blood was." Dib looked at it in wonder.
Zim clutched his injured arm and struggled to hold down a groan. "You're going to die for that." He then charged for Amanda. She didn't jump out of the way in time; Zim pushed her off the conveyor belt.
Dib screamed out, "Amanda!"
From under them they felt an un-nerving grasp going from bar to bar. Amanda was climbing her way back up. She hopped over the railing, breathless but alive.
"So you survived?" Zim turned her way, "You're just too stubborn to cooperate. Guess I'm going to have to do it by force!" he took out an Irken gun and shot at Amanda's stomach.
She screeched and flew backwards, clutching what wasn't annihilated by the laser. Blood was soaking through her lab coat and it was going fast.
Dib rushed over to her and shook her, "Amanda! Are you okay?"
Amanda opened her eyes and looked up at Dib, "Dib. Run. Run and find my daughter. You saw her on the first night. Run as fast as you can."
Dib looked down at his broken ankle, "I-I can't my ankle…"
"You see those two pipes over there?" Amanda gestured towards them.
Dib turned his head and spotted them, "Yeah."
"Rip them out and use them as crutches. Now, go." Amanda pushed him away.
Dib looked down, hurt, at her, "But what about you?"
"I'll be fine. Meet you… on the other side."
"What do you mean by-"he stared down at her gray eyes as they closed shut. Her lips relaxed and her body became heavier.
"No. No no no. NO!" Dib cried out in a mix of sadness and anger.
Zim, a few feet from him, lay laughing.
Dib turned to him, his eyes glowing with malice. He stormed over to the fallen alien and took hold of his shot arm. Zim tried to yank it back but Dib's grip was harder, built by pure hatred and his arm came clean off. Tendons, muscles, and blood came from the open wound.
Zim screamed in searing pain, howling and clutching his shoulder blade. "Dib! You filthy… pig! You dare do this to Zim?!"
"And so much more." Dib answered back confidently. He then proceeded to kick Zim back as he did to hmm. The Irken bent over and coughed up blood.
"What do you think you're doing?" Zim shouted to the human. But he wasn't listening, he kicked him again. "Stop this this instant or I will-"another kick. His head was hanging over the cooker.
Dib said seven words of ironic proportions and stomped on Zim's spooch, "What I should have done years ago. " With a final kick Zim was sent head first into the burning boiler pot. Dib could hear his screams of terror from down below, staring down at the terrified alien with no compassion or regret in his eyes.
"Dib!" Zim called his name but was cut off when a slicer got a hold of his torso and cut it clean open. After that no more words came from Zim's mouth.
Chapter 8
Now that the deed was done Dib backed away from the fall point and stumbled over to the pipes Amanda had directed him to. He went over her last words in his mind. Find her daughter and run. The thing was that there were a few females among the group. It would take a bigger clue than you two met the first night. That was quite vague. Well there was that one brunette girl but how could she have came from Amanda she looked nothing like her at all. She had freckles and brown eyes, Amanda had fire red hair and pale gray eyes. Unless she looked more like her father. Which was very likely. He was swinging away, dodging corridors on his makeshift crutches. The dining hall was up ahead and he had to warn the others of their fates if they stayed any longer. A sharp pain came from his gut and he winced, stopping in his tracks for a second to catch his breath. He had the battle scars to prove what would happen. He was pretty sure the needle had even sucked up the remaining air in his lungs because he could barely take a breath. It could very well be the surgery as well. That robot had taken his bladder. Which reminded him, how was he still alive? Then he remembered it wasn’t very vital, he needed it but not to live. People get their bladders replaced all the time except he had nothing in the cavity of where it used to be. A few seconds later he continued on and burst through the dining hall doors.
All eyes were on Dib who had blood all over his lab coat, his goggles were smeared with blood and his face had a few smudges as well. Everyone just thought he was a hard worker when they saw him.
“Let’s go, Dib!” one of the workers shouted out and everyone joined in to congratulate the boy.
Dib backed away and shouted to get their attention, “LISTEN!”
Everyone quieted down and focused their attention on Dib.
“We need to get out of here and fast. The WINner is planning to kill you all and turn you into weeniers. You’ve got to believe me. If you don’t I have proof.” Dib prepared to open his lab coat.
“No, the WINner would never do that, it’s bad for business.” one person commented.
“Others don’t know, that’s why he doesn’t want us sharing secrets about the factory. He subducts you and straps you to this table where it lifts you and stabs you with a huge needle that expands once it gets inside your body. After that a robot takes out your bladder! Here, I’ll show you!” Dib lifted his lab coat and showed the swollen staples that kept his skin down. Everyone shrieked and averted their eyes.
“We need to get out of here now before his guards find out that we know.” Dib screamed, “Also raise your hand if your mother’s name is Amanda?”
The brunette girl about his age stepped forward and looked up at him, “Yes?”
“You’re coming with me.” Dib jumped down from the podium and held her hand as he dashed out the doors, “Follow me!”
The confused people followed him through the doors and and out into the main factory, it was still working away even though no-one was there to manage it. This confused Dib because while they were eating last time the factory had shut-down already. Now he was worried.
“Keep on your toes, people. One of them can get you at a moment’s notice.” Dib warned.
That’s when the lights went out and only several dim lights snapped on. The workers broke out into screams, surrounded by darkness in the factory they used to feel safe in.
Dib calmed them down, “Sh! Everybody be quiet they’re going to hear us, be as silent as you possibly can.”
The group shut-up gradually and he didn’t move until every single last person was quiet.
“Okay, we’re about to enter the warzone. Keep with the group and don’t stray away. We’ll make it to the front doors and flee. Don’t go back to your home, they’ll find you there. Leave town. Don’t look back, this is about survival.” Dib set out the plan for them to follow. He turned to the girl at his side and asked her name.
“I’m Emma. How did you know my Mom’s name?” Emma asked.
Dib looked down and put a hand on her shoulder, “I’ll tell you once we escape.”
Emma nodded and ran beside him as he kept the pace on his crutches. The group was behind him, using the clicks of the metal against the floor as their guide. Dib’s blood-stained lab coat was flying behind him like a white wave of a red sea. His right foot was pounding against the tiled floor of the factory in loud, heavy footsteps while his left was hovering in the air, tenderly bumping against the bars.
As they were running a scream rang out from the crowd and Dib stopped in his tracks, turning around to see what or who made the noise.
“Who’s there? Show yourself!” Dib screamed in a deadly voice ready for anything. He wasn’t going to get Amanda’s daughter hurt in any way.
Emma clutched Dib’s arm and lit up the room with a lighter. Dib looked at her questionably. Why did she have a lighter in the first place?
Emma rolled her eyes and nudged him, “Relax, it’s my boyfriend’s.”
This only made Dib wonder even more but he snatched the lighter from her hand and waved it over the area he had heard the scream. Nothing seemed to be there besides a crowd of nervous spectators. He turned back around and was about to leave when another scream sounded from above. Now that he heard it more clearly he noticed it wasn’t a scream but a screech like that from a bat. In a split second Dib was being carried upwards towards the gears. He dropped the lighter out of surprise, but before the light disappeared he saw the disgusting face of a half-human half-bat mutation as they soared to the ceiling of the factory dodging wires and huge metal gears.
“Dib!” Emma called after him raising a hopeless arm at him. She then took off running directly under them, “Let him down now!” She grabbed a boomerang from her boot and threw it as hard as she could. She heard a satisfying screech from the creature and heard Dib scream as he was dropped from its arms. Emma stood in the spot she thought he would fall to, preparing herself for the force it would bring. He was feet away when another of the creatures swept down dangerously close to Emma and snatched up Dib for itself.
Emma stomped her foot, “Oh Come on!” and began running again. She had lost her boomerang thanks to the first throw so she had nothing else to disorientate this next one. She looked around for some sort of object that she could hurl at the bat-human. She then noticed one of the workers still had their toolbox with them from their repair job. She ran up to him and begged him for one of his hammer. He obliged and handed her the tool. She then threw her arm back and positioned the hammer in her hand. She narrowed her eyes and positioned them directly on the flying creature. This was her last chance, she thought, then threw the hammer directly at its head. With a deafening screech it released Dib and fell down with him. Emma outstretched her arms towards Dib’s fall and dove forward to catch him. Dib landed in her arms, inches away from the ground. He breathed in rapidly, scared out of his wits.
Emma hugged him close a few more seconds before fetching his crutches and helping him up. Dib smiled towards her, “Thanks. I owe you one.”
She shook her head,”Naw, no you don’t. Now c’mon if you wanna get out of here alive.”
Dib nodded and turned back to the crowd gathered behind him, wide-eyed and terrified. “Unless you want that to happen to you, I advise we get going again.” he said to them.
The group all agreed and ran once again, across the factory floors. Dib could see the front doors fast approaching and he stepped out of the way, letting his co-workers pass in front of him and Emma. Emma looked at him, “What are you doing?”
“Before we leave I have to shut-down this factory for good. Give me your lighter!” He held out a hand.
“I-I don’t have it anymore. You dropped it remember?” Emma searched her pockets for anything else. She then snapped and turned to Dib again, “I’ve got another one in my jacket up in the dormitories.”
From behind them they heard a blast go off, when they turned their backs they saw half of the crowd on the floor either dead or dying.
“Dib! We’ve got to go now!” she tugged on his arms and forgetting about Dib’s broken ankle, dragged him to the stairs. He shrieked in pain at every step and begged Emma to stop but she refused to and continued up the flight of stairs. They made it to the dorm halls and Emma turned and flew down the A Hall where her room was. Finally they made it there and Emma dropped Dib’s hand causing the boy to tumble to the floor. He hugged his leg close, fresh tears in his eyes. “Couldn’t you at least grab my crutches?”
“Look, there’s a nurse’s station right down the hall. Run down there and get you some real ones.” she handed him the lighter, “Good luck.”
With those final words Emma once again flew down the stairs and onto the main factory floor following after the others who were still alive. Another blast went off below Dib and the force sent him backwards. Fire blew up from the hit site and climbed its way to the dorm hall. Dib was trapped now that the stairs were a lit so he looked down over the ledge and made a very grave decision; he was going to jump. Another blast erupted directly behind him, he sucked in his breath and jumped down 10 feet below. He landed on his wrists and rolled around on his back a few times before stopping himself. He got up, lighter still surprisingly in his hand, and ran down the hall, passing by the butchery that was set on fire possibly from the blasts. ‘Well,’ he thought, ‘no need for the lighter anymore. This place is going to burn down by itself.’ He started towards the front doors when suddenly an invisible force knocked him back.
“I’m not through with you yet, mehahahaha.” a familiar voice snickered and then faded as if were nothing at all.
“Zim?” Dib looked around and behind him he saw a completely unharmed Irken alien standing before him, radiating with life.
“Not quite. I’m his downloaded holographic protector of this factory in case he were to ever be deceased.” the hologram circled around him.
Dib glared at it nonetheless, “It doesn’t matter what you are, I’m going to beat your sorry butt either way.”
Zim’s hologram laughed, “I’m not finished. It seems you are the reason that my creator is dead. And he programmed me to kill you in any way possible. So, no it won’t be my sorry butt getting beaten,” he pulled out a button, “It’s yours.”
The walls beside Dib opened up and revealed the large open sea. Wind rushed inside and blew so hard that several machines were ripped from their holdings and thrown into the ocean. Dib watched in horror as the factory tilted, finally breaking from the fire damage. He slid to the floor on his stomach as he grabbed onto a bar with dear life. The hologram simply walked over and looked down at him with the same unforgiving ruby eyes of Zim, smirking maliciously.
“I told you it’d be you.” Zim’s hologram glitched slightly and disappeared.
Dib moaned and held onto the bar even tighter as the rest of the factory fell below him. He looked up and with an eye’s blink the largest machine of them all; the cooker, was heading his way. He screamed and closed his eyes expecting impact and it came, hard and shaky. The force shook him clean off the bar he was holding onto and down into the mid-air headed straight for the roaring waves. He noticed he was standing on top of the grinder block below the huge cooker. He thought of an idea and fast. He had to react now or die regretfully. With a leap of faith he clung onto the holds of the cooker and swung himself to safety on the cliff beside him.
The cooker, the grinder, the whole factory collapsed into a fiery heap of molten wood, plastic, and metal.
Suddenly Emma’s voice broke through the large crashes and he looked to his left where the girl he was supposed to save was covered in blood from falling debris. Dib looked up at her helplessly and within an instant clung his arms around her neck, embracing her.
“I’m so glad you’re safe.” Dib smiled.
Emma grinned back, then it disappeared into a slight frown. “Now.. what about my mom?”
Dib looked away unable to tell her the harrowing news, “She.. was killed by Zim.”
“Zim? What’s a Zim?” Emma asked him.
“Someone...” he looked above at the smoldering factory, “That you don’t have to worry about any longer.” he hugged her again and she hugged him back, confused but delighted to see him again. An outbreak of sirens sounded suddenly in the distance.
Dib looked at Emma, “But how?”
“Well you would think they would investigate a huge fire like this.” Emma pointed out matter-of-factly.
Dib nodded and stared back at her, “True.”
A hoard of ambulances, firetrucks, and police cars came onto the scene all shouting orders at each other to tend to the living and take care of the dead. Dib looked at Emma again.
“You’re... you’re head.” he stammered, wiping away some of the blood.
“I’ll be fine, Dib. We need to get you to the hospital.” Emma said and started running. Halfway to the ambulance she collapsed onto her knees, face-first onto the grass.
Dib shouted in horror, “Emma!”
One of the first-responders headed over to Emma’s body and picked her up shouting for an open ambulance. They found one and she was placed onto the hard white bed. Dib followed after them hoping to be able to ride with her. They allowed it and soon Dib and Emma were headed to the hospital.
As they drove away Dib heard a loud crash and turned around in his seat. The last of the factory had broken down and now left only small parts on fire slowly melting away. Dib breathed in and out unevenly and laid down on the long seat he was given. His head was spinning and the room was beginning to get dark. Dib tried to call out to someone but he couldn’t as he fell to the floor. Before he was completely out her heard a nurse call for some help and her voice faded from his hearing as he passed out from the trauma.