𝐙𝐄𝐑𝐎 - 𝟎𝟎𝟏 𝐅𝐀𝐍𝐅𝐈𝐂 ✔️

after zero

It was a strange place, this town called Hawkins.

A labyrinth of windy roads, simple people and faded buildings. This world, old but new and yet twice as foreign, was a sight nothing could have ever prepared you for. Not Alex, Papa, or even 001 and the stories he tried to fill your head with.

The three of you ambled down the road for hours. You, 001 and 010–who had still been by your side at that point.

You promised yourself you would manage. You could make do with the life you were given. After the childhood you had endured, the life you were still living, you could do practically anything.

The feeling never ceases to amaze you. The one that fills your bones and lifts your heart when you admire nature. Your head cranes to gaze up at the bushy tops of trees and your lungs intake the raw, crisp air around you. The earthy smell of dirty floods your nostrils, the chirp of a bird reaches your ear. Gulp after gulp after gulp, it was never enough.

And what a feeling it was, to be thirsty
for something you had never once had a taste of. To be given the luxury of experiencing something, you had never once experienced. Or maybe you had.

You supposed everyone had a life before they found themselves in Papa's lab, but it was easy to tell that whatever yours had been was gone. The memories with it vanished. You don't remember your first steps, your family, your life. Your life was with 001 now, as it had always been. Only now, you were both in charge of it.

Thinking of this brought you peace despite the cloudy day. No cars were on the road, as if the people knew their world was tainted with outsiders. Trespassers. The weather was thick and warm, making the air cling to your skin in a sticky kind of way. Your clothes were dirty, and though entirely healed, 001's button-up was splattered with blood.

You must have been a horrid sight, the three of you. 010 had dark rings under his eyes, a shaved head, and sunken cheeks. Not to mention, he was still in his hospital gown. You didn't want to know what you looked like, in your blood-stained uniform. The red against the white like insanity against the sane and whatever brink you balanced on was beginning to crack. Maybe it already had.

You were falling, but not to your doom. Doom was like darkness. Familiar and dangerous and captivating, but also pretentious. There was nothing left of you to take. It would have better look giving up on you and finding another victim.

001 led you on with confidence in his steps. He held his head up high and his back straight with that impeccable posture he had. As if today was any ordinary day. None of you spoke, none of you had to. Your tongue was dry and cracked, so even if you wanted to, it would be nothing more than a croaky mess.

You do not know how long the three of you walked. After what felt like a century, the three of you stopped to rest, discarding your blood-stained shirts in the secluded forest. 010 had no choice but to continue on in his gown, but at least it was clean of red.

001 did not speak much, but his eyes stayed alert. He scanned the woods and the road and turned his head at the chirp of a bird or the scamper of a squirrel across the road. The look in his eyes was all-knowing, the speed in his steps was ultra sure. As he had said before, he certainly knew this place.

Somewhere, in the blur of it all, you had found your way in front of a house. There was a lot of walking, hitchhiking, and asking around involved. In fact, it had taken the whole day. Not very many people had been willing to talk to you. Oftentimes, they scoffed and walked past you with just one glance. They thought you were crazy. They were right.

The house you stumble upon is the house you come to call home. When you find it, it's abandoned. It's once grand and noble stature worn from age and neglect. The navy wood had lost its battle against rain and snow, now left a faded grey, and the windows were boarded with planks. The Victorian house seem to freak at the slightest blow of wind.