A New Girl // Stranger Things (after season 2)

Chapter 32

"I think two at a time was better," I said.

"What about three at a time? Four?", Eleven asked.

"I never tried. But it will be difficult," I said.

"We will try to supply you more strength," Kali said.

I nodded.

I put the water bottle down.

"Okay, I think I'm ready to go again," I said.

"004, 006, 007 this time?", Kali said, looking at the file.

"Sure," Eleven said, pulling the blindfold over her eyes.

Kali followed Eleven. I took a deep breath before I put the blindfold back on. We are back. I blinked and saw three figures appear. They were grouped near to each other but they weren't looking at each other, just staring off into the distance. I walked toward them and when I was close enough, I stretched my hand over them. I closed my eyes as I used my powers to enter their minds. I felt blood start to drop down my nose already. I felt my senses slip away from me, I couldn't hear anything, but I could still feel, at least. I barely heard murmuring from beside me, from Kali and Eleven. Then, I felt three people enter the medium. I couldn't open my eyes or hear much but they left a few minutes later. Once they left, I let go. I let go of my powers  and we left their minds.

Then, I slipped out of the medium and let go of Kali. I reached for my blindfold and pulled it off. Kali and Eleven followed seconds later.

"Are you okay?", Kali asked, watching me grab some tissues from the box.

"I'm fine now, my head just hurts," I said, wiping the blood dripping from my nose.

"We only got two more to go, 009 and 010," Eleven said.

"A few minutes, please," I said.

"Fine."

I opened the water bottle beside me and drank some water. I steadied my breathing. Once I felt better, I nodded at Kali and Eleven. They looked at each other and then, put on their blindfolds. I followed them and grabbed their hands.

We were back in the medium and on the final stretch. I blinked and turned around and saw two girls standing a distance away from us. I pulled Kali and Eleven towards them, then stretched my hand over them. I used the last of my energy to enter their minds. I heard murmuring from beside me, then felt two people enter the medium, then leave. Somehow, it was too much for me. Once they left, so did my energy. I was so tired I dropped my hands, then to my knees, I saw white spots then darkness, I couldn't tell if it was because the others disappeared or something but I couldn't wake up.

Next thing I knew, I woke up with something bright shining over me. My vision refocused and saw that it was a bright light. Then the rest of my senses came back, I felt a breathing mask over my nose and mouth and my hands were tied down. I looked down and saw i was wearing a hospital gown. Then, I saw a man wearing a face mask loom over me. This was deja vu. It brought me back to my Hawkins Lab days, when I was a child fearing for my life. I looked to my left and right and saw more people wearing hospital clothes and face masks, reminding me of the kids that were with me in the Lab. I tried to struggle out of the hospital bed I was tied down to.

"Let me go!", I screamed, but the mask muffled my voice.

This was too real, it wasn't a dream. I felt everything.

"Let me go! You can't do this to me again!", I screamed even louder.

I saw them rushing around for something.

"I told you this would happen," I heard someone say.

"LET ME THE FUCK GO!", I shouted even louder.

I felt my heart beat faster and my breathing quicken with every second.

I kicked and tried to wiggle myself out of the bed but I was stuck good.

"Calm down," the person above me said.

"NO! LET ME GO!", I shouted back.

"Denise! Calm down its me!", the man said, pulling down his mask.

I stopped struggling and looked at him.

"Hopper?"

"Yes kid, it's me," he said.

"What am I doing here? Why am I tied down? Who are these people? Why am I tied down? Where is Eleven and Kali? Where am i? Why-"

"You passed out after you contacted the kids. Eleven and Kali tried to wake you up but you didn't. They told me what happened and I took you to Dr Brenner, to make sure you didn't have brain damage. He had a group of trained doctor with him and was also ready with the steroids. Since you were weak, he wanted to try them on you but before he could you woke up. We tied you down because we didn't know if you were afraid of needles.", he explained.

"Well, I'm sorry for acting up. It's just... traumatizing."

"What is traumatizing?"

"Everything. It reminded me of the worst time of my life," I said, almost crying.

"Okay, I'm sorry. Anyways, Eleven and Kali are outside. I think Eleven also called the boys and Max."

"Dustin too?", I asked, more concerned then excited.

"I think so," he said.

Crap. I don't want him to see me like this. I feel like it would break his heart to see me so weak.

Then, a person came next to me with a syringe. I moved away from the syringe, or at least tried to.

"Calm down, it's the steroids," Hopper said.

That didn't sound convincing at all.

Though she had the mask on, I could tell it was a women doctor. But that didn't make me anymore comfortable.

"Relax," she said, holding the syringe.

I flinched when she touched my arm. But I stopped struggling, since Hopper was there to watch. She pushed the syringe in. And it felt like I was a child again. I remember getting countless injections against my will. The fact that the scientist dressed like doctors didn't help. In fact, they gave me a phobia of hospitals and doctors.

After I escaped from Hawkins Lab, I would refuse to go to hospitals. Even when I broke my arm once after I fell down during rollerblading. I refused to go to the hospital. My coach didn't know what to do with me so he called my parents and they drove me to the hospital, without telling me. When we got there, I was crying, not from the pain, but because we were at a hospital with people dressed in blue, wearing face masks and hospital gowns. It reminded me too much of Hawkins Lab. I struggled and tried to pull away from my parents and run out of the hospital and when the hospital staff tried to talk or get close to me, I either screamed or hid behind my parents. I did end up getting a cast but it was difficult to even get my arm x-rayed. In the end, my parents didn't bring me to the hospital again. My therapist, doctors and the person who checked on my arm had to come to my house, without their hospital gear. Though I have matured, the fear stuck with me.

The doctor finally pulled the syringe out after pressing the liquid into me. She put a cotton ball over the place she injected. She told Hopper to hold it for her as she walked away. I started to feel tired and my vision started to blur. I tried the fight the fatigue but Hopper told me to relax.

"Hopper, she injected something. I feel tired," I said, yawning.

"It's normal, go to sleep," he said in a suspiciously calm voice.

"Are you even Hopper? Is someone impersonating you? Hopper!"

"Yes, it's me. Dr Brenner told me it was make you sleepy..."

He continued to talk but I couldn't hear it. My body eventually gave into the tranquilizer and I fell back to sleep.