Home // A Stranger Things Story

.i

October 31st, 1983

I was back in that place again. I shook, both out of fear and the cold. I only wore a hospital gown. Rough, itchy, and slightly oversized. That was my signature look: lab clothes and a shaved head. Shoes were a luxury I thought I might never experience.

I only went there in my deep sleep, where I got so far into my own head that I was trapped inside my worst nightmare. 

It was strange. The first time I had traveled there I thought I had woken up. It's exactly like the lab, but it was freezing cold, and it smelled of death. Blue and grey vines covered nearly everything. Strange blue particles floated around my head, annoying me. No one else was here, and there was no way I could reach anyone, even in their head. There was no way out unless Papa woke me up, which took a lot of work. I had nicknamed it the Upside Down. I'm not sure why, but it felt right to me.

I thought at first it could be my secret hiding place, where I could be alone with no testing and no needles. But it's far too terrifying. I stayed as far away from there as I could, and I knew if I told Papa he would make me come here for experiments. Especially since I created it.

I sat on the edge of my bed, trying to keep myself from having a panic attack. The only sound audible was my heartbeat pounding in my ears. It was way too quiet. Until it wasn't.

I could hear low growling nearby, making me jump. I was supposed to be alone, and that thing did not sound very friendly. I couldn't reach its mind, meaning that it was definitely not a person. I pressed my back to the wall, thinking that if I pushed hard enough I would melt into the wall and disappear. I heard footsteps coming closer. My heart was beating so fast I thought I was going to explode. I silently sobbed, hoping someone would find me soon.

A silhouette of something unhuman appeared in the doorway and faced me. It was unnatural in every way. The sickly grey skin, the abnormally long arms, and the fact that it had no face and was taller than any person I've ever seen. I was frozen in my spot, praying it couldn't see me, when it's head opened up like a flower.

In that moment, I didn't care that Papa hurt me. I needed out, and as much as it hurt to admit it, I needed him. I closed my eyes and reached as far as I could. I hoped that if I was lucky, I could reach the upper world and get out. It didn't work. My head was pounding and I could feel blood dripping from my nose and ears. A drop of blood hit the floor and the monster let out a shriek. It charged at me, it's long fingers reaching towards my face. I screamed, squeezing my eyes shut and covering my head with my arms.

Suddenly I could feel hands on my shoulders and within a split second I was painfully yanked out of there. Papa sat on my bed, shaking me out of it. I felt heavy all over, and my head felt like it was swimming through honey. For a split second, I thought I saw genuine worry for me in his eyes. But I'm not stupid. I know he was only worried because I was a valuable weapon. He didn't care about my well being, only his own success.

"Seven. Seven! Can you hear me?" He was yelling.

"Yes, Papa," I mumbled weakly, trying to stop shaking. I blinked until I could see him clearly.

"Where were you?" He demanded. Wow. Thanks. Glad you're concerned about my safety.

"No." There is no way in hell I was going back there, especially for him.

His eyes darkened. "Tell me Seven." How does he know?

"No." I said, clearly this time. I'm not sure why I did, especially when I was vulnerable. I kept my face still, but my eyes were filled with fear.

His eyes narrowed, leaving mine to look at two guards behind me.

"No. No!" The guards grabbed my upper arms and ripped me off the bed. Blood rushed in my ears and I could faintly see black dots forming in the corners of my eyes from the sudden movement. "Papa!" I screamed and thrashed, but nothing worked. "Papa! Papa! Help!"

I was dragged through the hallway and into a much smaller room. It was made of metal, and the door was at least two feet thick. This room was specially made for me, but I saw from one  guard's memories that they used this for someone else sometimes. I continued to thrash but tried to find out more. I knew I was drained, and I knew it was stupid as hell, but I pushed myself further into his mind until I saw who it was.

She had the same tattoo as me, but it was different. She was 011.

I pulled myself from his thoughts and caught a glimpse of the door before the darkness consumed me.

May 5th, 1983

I blinked repeatedly, clearing my head and trying to wake myself up. My head throbbed and I was sore all over, like I had laid in the same position for too long. I groaned and tried to sit up. Once I did and my eyes adjusted, I realized that I was wet. I looked around and I was in the void, a physical version of the headspace. After a few failed attempts, I stood up shakily and looked around. There was no one there but me.

I felt like I was being stared at and turned around to face a girl that looked almost exactly like me. She had the same hospital gown and shaved head as I did. Her face was different, though. She had brown eyes, whereas I had one blue and one green.

I glanced down at her wrist, which confirmed my suspicions. It was Eleven.

I'd seen her in Papa's memories, but I had never met her before. When I looked up at her face again, I jumped slightly. She was looking at me. She saw me. No one ever sees me here. I opened up my mouth to speak but no words came out.

"How did you get in here?" I blurted, receiving nothing but a blank stare back. "Are you- are you like me?" Still no answer. I shifted my weight and tried to look as non-threatening as possible. I held out my wrist and pointed to the 007 that was permanently ingrained into my skin.

A felt a strange mix of emotions ripple from her. She was clearly terrified and looked almost guilty as she glanced at her own forearm. But at the same time, she was relieved, like she wasn't the only one. She felt strangely familiar to me.

"Sister?" She finally said, so quietly I almost didn't hear her. The word seemed foreign to her, as if she was testing it out.

I thought about it for a moment. I had no idea who my biological family was, or if I even had one. For once, there was someone that didn't want to hurt me. I smiled and nodded my head. "Sister."

She grinned at me and reached out to touch me but I stepped back. Her face fell and I looked down.

I didn't want to touch her because I was scared. Everyone I touch in this place fades away, and Eleven was different. I slowly reached my arm out, testing my boundaries. When I made contact with her arm, I immediately snatched my hand back. But she didn't fade. She stayed perfectly visible. I smiled so big my cheeks hurt. I enveloped her in a huge hug. From her body language, I could tell that she'd never been hugged before, like me. After a moment she hugged back, happiness flowing from her. For a moment, everything was right. I was safe. I had a family.

But I guess I should know by now that absolutely nothing in my life can go right.

I suddenly started to spasm in her arms, my body twisting and jerking in unnatural ways. My body felt like it was on fire and my head felt like it was going to explode. It hurt to move, to breathe, to do anything. Every memory from the Upside Down was forced into her head. I don't know how or why, but I was giving her full access to the Upside Down, and I couldn't stop it. Blood poured from my face and I screamed as loud as I could. I closed my eyes so tightly I could see colors under my eyelids.

No.

No.

No!

When I popped my eyes open I was in a hospital bed, still screaming. One thought kept running through my head. Why did I just give someone I care about access to a hell dimension?

Word Count- 1,525