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

Chapter 5

It's a Friday after school, I returned home and placed my school bag down. I took out the folder from my bag, a notebook and a pen from my school bag. The notebook was to take down the weird flashbacks I had of my own and of others, like Dustin and Max. I went to my cupboard and took out a smaller bag and a map of Hawkins I copied from the library.

My mother was out getting groceries so I was free to go anywhere. I picked up my skateboard and went out to follow the map that showed me a route to Hawkins Lab.

The path led to a forest so I picked my skateboard from the ground. I walked through the forest, following the map to the center. It lead to a fence and behind it was a huge grey building. It was abandoned and silent, the only sound being the crunching of the leaves under my feet. There were no cars or vehicles within the compound and there seem to be no people either.

I decided to scout around the Lab, away from that gate of the Lab. I hoped there were no spies around the area, and even if I did, I had a knife in my right shoe. I tried to make as little noise as I could.

As I was walking toward the back, I saw a cage near the fences. I walked toward it and touch it and it felt and looked familiar. Then I had sudden flashback.

I was probably 3 or 4 years old. It was one of the first experiments. I looked around and saw it was a room and there was a glass panel separating me from the scientists, holding clipboard and pens in their hands. Dr Brenner, who was also behind the glass signaled for me to start. I looked to my left and saw a monkey in a cage. It was screaming and jumping and shaking the cage. It made so much noise that it was scary and I almost cried. I inhaled and exhaled before concentrating on it. I used to my powers to manipulate it. The monkey immediately kept quiet and stopped moving. It sat quietly in the cage, even after I stopped using my powers on it. The scientists then took me back to the room with the other children.

Later on, I read one of the scientists minds and saw that they released the monkey back into the forest. A monkey could get released but a child had to be kept in rooms with no windows for years. The monkey was better off than the rest of us.

My flashback stopped and looked around. I looked up from where the cage was facing and saw it was a huge forest in front. The monkey is either dead or maybe alive as a very old one.

I walked along the fence again and came across a part of it which was very badly repaired. It was easy to spot not only because it was a different colour from the rest of the fence, but because it looked particularly weaker than the rest of the structure. I looked around the area and realised it was familiar. There was a faded track in front of the repaired fence that lead into the forest. The wires and the faded trail looked so familiar. Then another flashback hit me.

It was midnight, when the scientists had gone home and the children were supposed to be asleep. Another girl and I woke up and we creeped into the next room to wake two other kids up. One of them had snuck out of the room before bed to get a set of wire cutters and a key card from one of the rooms, as she had invisibility. We took our valuable items, like drawings and stuffed animals, and put it all in a bag. A girl was the first to walk out of the room. Her X-Ray vision allowed her to see which hallway the guards were guarding. She guides us out of the Lab and made it to one of the fences behind the Lab. The other girl cut a hole small enough that children like us could crawl through and we quickly crawled through. We looked back and saw that the Lab was still silent but we still ran through the forest. After a few seconds, an alarm was triggered and we saw cars exiting the Lab, their headlights shining bright. We sprinted as fast as we could until we reached the end of the forest which opened to the town. A girl, who was carrying the bag, said that we could not stay together or they will catch us easily. We all sadly agreed to split up and we gave each other one last hug before we went our separate ways. She kept the bag because we didn't have time to take our things before going.

The flashback stopped and I was left staring at the ground. I looked up to the door nearest to the fence and remember that that was the same door we escaped from. I remember all the panic and nervousness I felt while running out of the Lab. Four bald kids, in hospital clothing, finally free from the prison that was Hawkins Lab. It was difficult. We knew we were taking a big risk, but we would be worth it in the end. I smile to myself. The first time I outsmarted adults. I look up, I see the sun still high in the sky. I haven't been out long. I followed  the trail I made 10 years ago and ended up at a road in front of the arcade. I decided that maybe I should go to get some stress out. So I started skateboarding toward the arcade.