Chapter Text
It was dark, as it always is inside the bath. The feeling of the salt floating around in the water became distant as the world seemed to disappear. Eleven opened her eyes to look upon the empty space. Papa had sent her to look for yet another strange person who was apparently dangerous and needed to be found.
She had been so accustomed to listening out for a man speaking a language she could not remember that she didn't realize when the distinctly human voices never came.
After all, Papa said too look for the thing that she had heard on accident. He stayed that it was looking for her. Calling out to her.
The strain on her mind was greater and it made her feel dizzy, yet she persisted. Putting even more effort into finding this thing that was supposedly calling out to her.
Something was there, she could sense it. Though it did not seem to know she was there, nothing ever did.
She looked around her and saw something that might have been what Papa had told her to find.
It looked like a hunched over silhouette off in the distance. It appeared to be a man? It was crouched over, shaking like an animal. Maybe he was scared...?
Usually, the people Eleven would find would be only a short walk away, but this thing took her minutes to be able to see fully.
As she approached, her mind came to the realization that what she was looking was not a man. It wasn't even human. Something about it felt wrong. Very wrong.
It was foolish of her to think this creature was human. The growling should have given it away.
Every part of her screamed at her to run. To flee. To escape. To beg papa to be let out. Something. Anything.
Yet, Eleven couldn't help but walk closer to the creature.
She circled around it like she did with all the people she had been told to find, as if the familiarity would make this seem more normal. More safe.
It did not work. Especially once the thing started growling. And even less when she realized that it wasn't shaking, it was eating.
The movements she mistook for fear were just the motions of the creature ripping another, smaller, and just as wrong and disgusting creature. The thing it was eating had wings that looked like a strange bird she had never seen before.
She watched on in horror as the creature started snarling and ripping the bird thing apart. Eleven felt sick watching.
She reached her hand out slowly towards the creature thinking just her touch would make the scene disappear, like it always had.
But nothing was familiar or predictable like she had wanted to wish. Predictable things aren't as scary. She remembers hearing someone say that once but couldn't place who.
Her hand was inching towards the creature and as she stuck out her index finger to poke it, she heard something. Someone. A girl?
She was yelling something while staring in Eleven’s direction. Eleven did not know what she was saying, she often didn't know what anybody she was meant to find was saying, but this girl sounded desperate and worried.
Eleven directed her attention to the girl rather than the strange creature and backed away from the creature. She would rather not watch it anyway; she never enjoyed the way her stomach churned when watching any sort of bloodshed, be it animal or not. She focused her attention on the girl as if it would make the violence beside her disappear.
She slowly walked towards the girl and noticed that the girl's eyes followed her exactly. Normally, the people would look often a random direction or just in front of them. Always looking through her but never at her.
When Eleven got close enough, she began circling the girl, taking note of everything she could. Papa said that even what a person is wearing is a very important thing to remember but try to remember what their face looks like most of all.
The girl had brown hair and brown eyes, similar to eleven’s own eyes, and she was wearing a black shirt with a pink jacket and a long red-ish pink-ish skirt. Eleven was never the best with colors. The girl also wore a hat with a funny face on it.
She looked back at the girls' faces and realized the girl had been looking at her with a very confused expression. The girl then began to say something. She paused for a moment. Then said another thing. Both sounded like questions, and Eleven simply wondered who she was asking them to.
After a moment or two, Eleven almost thought that the girl was talking to her (maybe she's like me?) But that wouldn't be right. Papa said that the only people like her were her brothers and sisters, and that they all lived in the lab with her.
But what if he lied? No, that's a silly thing to think about. But hadn't someone said that too?
Eleven was ripped from her thoughts as the girl suddenly thrust out her hand and grabbed her own.
“ねえ！私の声が聞こえる”
“What?” Eleven asked, as if finally realizing that this is an actual conversation. She simply stared at the girl in confusion when suddenly a painful feeling overtook her mind. It felt like static and sounded like it too. Her brain felt cloudy yet sharp at the same time. It was so painful that she felt like she couldn't move.
The girl, seemingly noticing this, put both her hands on Elevens shoulders and gave them a quick shake, Eleven only stood there, frozen in place and trembling.
The girl before her then put her hands around Eleven’s face and held it in a way that they could clearly see each other's eyes. The girl was saying something in a voice that felt like it was meant to be reassuring but scared itself. The girl had big brown eyes that seemed to know so much, and she couldn't help but feel like she has seen comforting eyes like that before. Eyes that held warmth despite not knowing what to do. Desperate but kind.
Those familiar and comforting eyes were suddenly torn from her and looked behind her and gasped. Eleven turned around and saw the strange creature from before just inches away, Face ripped open to reveal a flower like mouth.
The creature roared, and Eleven had half a mind to try and run away and another to simply touch the creature so that the illusion would disappear. She turned from the girl who seemed to be frozen in place and reached a hand out to the monster, touching its sickly skin before it could cause any sort of harm. The strange girl didn't seem to think the same and shouted something after her.
Screaming suddenly filled the endless space, and Eleven did not realize until her vision was covered in water and mouth full of air from an oxygen tank did she realize that it was her own.
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The only sound in the room was the beeping of machines, the click clack of keyboards, and breathing. Dr. Brenner looked at the sensory deprivation tank with mild confusion. This was the longest him and his men had to wait before any noises came over the speakers and radios scattered across the large room and observation deck.
Dr Martin Brenner stood among his men as he waited. But no man's voice screeched through the speakers like they usually did. Instead, a low growling emitted from the speakers, louder than before. It did not sound like any sort of animal one would expect. It snarled and growled as the sound of tearing flesh slowly followed the sick sounds.
Some of the men in the room seemed terrified, but not him. He has a feeling he knew exactly what the creature was.
The sounds grew louder as if it were getting closer before being interrupted by a shrill static sound that reached a pitch that most scientists in the room had to shield themselves from. The sound ended as soon as it began, yet the static still lingered.
Though this is not what the scientists concerned themselves with as a young girl’s voice suddenly sounded from the speakers, sounding everywhere yet nowhere at once.
“待って！気をつけて!”
The voice sounded frantic with a layer of static and strange sounds overlapping it. The growling and snarling suddenly faded, and the girl’s voice became the only prominent sound in the observation deck as all breath was held in anticipation and confusion.
“あ…あんたは誰ですか？”
“Make sure we have a recording.” Dr Brenner demanded, the first to break the silence. It was a feat in of itself for Eleven to have been able to reach men located in Russia, but even stranger that she would reach someone in Asia. Though the distance of the creature was probably farther than anything anyone would think of.
Where had she even been given this information? First, the strange growling of something all too familiar to the doctor and now someone new. Where had she even been given this girl's photo? How could she find her without knowing how to look for her?
“ここは一体どこですか？”
As the girl continued to speak, it suddenly hit him that this girl may be something dangerous. She could have something to do with the growling from earlier, and if so, then she would have to be monitored. When she spoke, she would pause for a moment, as if waiting for a response.
“ねえ！私の声が聞こえる” The voice sounded louder now, more desperate.
Number Eleven’s voice suddenly broke through the static, clear and cautious,
“What...?” She asked, as if she was also surprised to hear this girl.
It was silent for a few moments before a piercing noise interrupted the nearly one-sided conversation. What followed was the grating sound of static and piercing shrillness of the overlapping noises.
The sounds slowly died down, and it was quiet for a moment, but just a moment. For the sound of the growling suddenly became louder and louder before they felt the speakers pitch from the noise and spark. The speakers then cut out, and silence overtook the observation deck. But even that silence barely lasted, for quiet in Hawkins lab seemed like a rarity today at this hour.
Screaming suddenly erupted from the deprivation tank as Eleven began banging her hand on the glass in a desperate attempt to flee from the creature she had found within her mind.
Though maybe the creature wasn't too far. The lights in the lab flashed and flickered violently as cracks tore through the walls and up the ceiling. The alarms were triggered and the room was evacuated in a flurry of panic.
Among the panic of voices and stomping of boots. Brenner ordered his men to take Eleven out of the tank and readied the recording for later review. His mind drifted to what he deemed as the more important task at hand. Ask eleven what she had seen and who this mysterious girl was.
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The smell of pizza lingered in the Wheeler’s basement as a ten-hour campaign reached its abrupt intermission.
“Mom, wait, just twenty more minutes!” Mike Wheeler pleaded with his Mom.
“It's a school night Micheal.” The pleading attempt did not work, “i just put Holly to bed. You can finish next weekend.” Mrs. Wheeler spoke with a tired voice you would come to expect from a mother of three cleaning dishes late at night.
Mike, not taking any of this as reason, continued to plead his case.
“But that’ll ruin the flow!”
“Micheal-”
“I'm serious mom! This campaign took two weeks to plan,” He argued, sounded defeated and desperate. Then, as an afterthought “How was I supposed to know it was going to take ten hours?”
The innocence in his voice went unnoticed by his mother, “You’ve been playing for ten hours?” Sounding muddled.
Noticing that he was losing his case quite spectacularly, Mike turned to his dad for some sort of backup or support, who was busy grumbling over computer static.
Mike started “Dad, don’t you think that maybe 20 more-” His case was quickly shut down.
“I think you should listen to your mother.” Mr. Wheeler said, not really paying attention to whatever the argument was about.
The television he was fiddling with crackled with static and overlaying voices. Not that Ted would care. “Dang dumb piece of junk...” he mumbled to himself, giving the tv a good whack on the side, the easiest home remedy.
Mike turned back to his mom with a befuddled look on his face and stared for a moment in offence.
All this went unnoticed from the rest of the party downstairs, frantically searching for the die that decided their fictional fates.
“Oh, I got it!” Will exclaimed as he found the relic. He turned to Lucas “Does the seven count?”
“It was seven?” He questioned, sounding the slightest bit disappointed. “Did mike see it?”
Will shook his head.
“Then it doesn't count.” Lucas said pointedly, as if convincing his fellow party members to agree to this tiny lie that could barely be called a scheme.
The boys all turned to pick up their coats and bags and whatever snacks they brought to help get them through this ten hour campaign. This was before a sudden sharp crackling of static broke through their rush. The sound first seemed to come from their walkie talkies before it poured from the small radio that was also kept in the basement.
The sound only lasted for a moment, but it caught all their attention. They were still for a moment as they looked around at each other to make sure they all heard what just happened.
“uhm... Guys? What was that?” Dustin asked with a bit of uncertainty.
Lucas was the first to dismiss it.
“Nothing important, radios freak out all the time. Besides, our walkies are getting a bit old anyway.” He said with a resounded sigh.
Dustin, taking none of that, immediately jumped to the first conclusion he could think of other than faulty technology.
“Maybe its an alien!” He said with a sort of excitement expected from someone who reads too many comic books.
“Its not an alien” Lucas dismissed with a tone of disappointment. Will was busy focusing on finding out if the disappointment was placed at the lack of extra-terrestrials or the fact it was even suggested to be an option.
With the strange occurrence properly ignored and forgotten, the boys went upstairs to ready their bikes as Dustin grabbed the almost empty pizza box and headed upstairs. Not before asking if either Lucas or Will wanted any, with was meant with a resounding no from both.
As Mike met up with Will and Lucas in the garage to see them off, Dustin entered with a lovely conversation starter.
“There’s something wrong with your sister” he said, directing his words at Mike.
“What are you talking about?” Mike questioned, sounding resigned, as if he couldn't think of hundreds of things off the top of his head.
“She’s got a stick up her butt.” Dustin said, oh so eloquently.
“Yeah, it’s because she’s been dating that douchebag, Steve Harrington.” Lucas replied.
“Yeah, she’s turning into a real jerk.” Dustin uttered with something that sounded like a mix between irritation and disappointment.
Mike, eager to jump on the subject of slandering his older sister, quickly replied.
“She’s always been a real jerk.”
“Nu-uh, she used to be cool. Like that time she dressed up as an elf for our Elder tree campaign.” Dustin then began to start peddling his bike down the driveway.
“Four years ago!” Mike objected, shouting after Dustin.
“Just saying!” Dustin shouted back at him.
As the shouting ceased, Lucas rode off after saying a quick “later”
After watching the exchange for a few more seconds, Will decided to break the news to mike about their criminal activity.
“It was a seven.” Will said, hesitating. Mike turned to him.
“Huh?”
“The roll, it was a seven.” He said, as Mike gave him a confused look, “The Demogorgon, it got me.” Will shrugged his shoulders and looked towards the road.
“See you tomorrow.” He said before riding off into the dark. As Mike watched him go, his attention was quickly stolen by the flickering off the lights in the garage. Not thinking much of it, he turned off the lights, suspecting that they may have just been on for too long, and turned to go inside.