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IT WAS HALLOWEEN NIGHT, andfour had not expected to be back in hawkins, but here she was. for the past four years, she had been running from her past. after she had reached michigan, she made a pact to start over. she was going to find someone to live with and try to move on with her life.
now, she had run out of money, she was scared out of her mind, and the woman providing for her had threatened to kick her out. she figured the last place left to go was back. no matter where she went, she felt followed by her past, and hawkins was the only place she could go to confront it.
she had hopped off the bus, paying the bus driver the last few cents she had. she began walking, kids running down the streets and sidewalks with bags full of candy. she soon entered the forest, trying to find a clear walking path to who knows where. all of a sudden, her mind was blurred.
she had entered the void. while four was fully able to control her abilities, she had never experienced this kind of thing before. she had never gone into the void without trying. she had no clue what she was doing here.
"hello?" she shouted, trying to search for something, anything. she heard quick gasps for breath somewhere, and she began following the noise. "who are you?" she yelled again. the only response she got back was the gasping. she found a small boy, his knees against his chest. she placed her hand on his arm but he did not look at her. he kept his head turned over his shoulder, like he was looking for something. she tried to look where he was looking, but there was nothing. what was she not seeing?
she tried to shake him, but the boy's body began disappearing into the void. she looked around, staring at her empty hands now. she immediately snapped back to reality, trying to regain her mobility. she began walking again at a faster pace, finding an empty bench. she sat, beginning to reconsider returning, and figuring out her next course of action.
after an hour or two, the streets began to clear out. the sun had set about an hour ago, so the only people she saw walking now were teenagers. as she began to lay down on the bench, two black cars pulled up towards the bus stop. she sat up, staring at them. she didn't recognize who they were, but something in her gut was telling her to get out of there.
even with that gut-wrenching feeling, her body wouldn't move. fear was stopping her, and she knew this wasn't going to end well. as the car doors opened, a woman in a long black trench coat and another tall man climbed out. papa.
four felt it in her chest the most. that overwhelming feeling before the hyperventilation. she couldn't believe papa was here. she had convinced herself he had died with everyone else in the lab. but then again, she never found eleven's body either. two large men stepped out of the second car, guns holstered on their hips.
"hello, four." papa spoke, stepping towards her. four didn't know where to go, she was frozen in fear. "it's been a long time." she did not move, her breath quickening. "why don't you come with me?"
she tried to collect her breath, getting out one word, "no." dr. brenner chuckled at this.
"you are the same, four. but you must come, i insist." he replied. four reached out her arm, the two guards dropping to the ground. the woman in the trench coat grabbed her gun, aiming it towards four. papa clicked his tongue. "we don't have to make this difficult."
four stood, tightening her fists. "i am not going." she stated. the guards began to stand back up, and papa gestured for them to make their move. she moved her hand towards the woman, causing the woman to be slammed into the car so hard that it knocked her unconscious. the guards began creeping closer, four throwing them over the car and removed their guns from the holsters. she then faced papa, who looked ashamed.
four made her final move, lifting papa into the air and holding him there for a couple seconds. he began gasping for air. once it felt right, she let him go, and then bolted.
four had never run so fast in her life, so fast she totally forgot to grab her backpack with her before darting off. she ran all through the woods until she reached an empty street. most houses had their lights off, but one did not. four slowed her pace, walking up the driveway and in front of the door. she rang the doorbell and knocked, anxiously checking her surroundings.
a small boy with curly hair and a hat on opened the door, looking up at her with wide eyes. he was not expecting a tall girl with a bloody nose and a tattoo that said 004 on her wrist to show up at his door.
"holy shit." he spoke, giggling a little internally. "who are you?" he then asked.
"four." she responded, pointing at her wrist. he grabbed her wrist and pulled her inside, checking outside first for an all-clear, and then shutting and locking the door. the house was silent.
he walked her down the hallway into the bathroom. "um, this is my bathroom. if you want, you can sleep here. i can put a pillow and a blanket in the bathtub."
"okay." she responded.
"oh! i'm dustin, by the way. my mom is sleeping right now, but she cannot know you're here." he explained. four nodded slowly while dustin ran into his room, bringing back a pillow and a blanket, as promised.
he watched her as she climbed into the tub. "so.... do you have powers?" he asked. "i mean, i have this friend el who has powers and the same tattoo as you-" dustin covered his mouth with his hand immediately once he realized what he was saying.
"el?..." she furrowed her eyebrows. dustin nodded. "eleven?"
"do you know her?" he asked. four nodded. dustin sighed. "you look super tired. get some sleep, and i'll figure out what to do in the morning."
"okay." four nodded, sliding under the blanket. dustin turned off the bathroom light, shutting the door behind him. four struggled to fall asleep. not only could she stop thinking about her encounter with papa, but she couldn't get out of her mind the interaction she had in the void. four could tell that something was wrong here, seriously wrong, she just had to figure it out. eventually, her mind became exhausted, so she closed her eyes and fell asleep.
