It was like this ever since she got put into that dreaded solitary confinement room.
She would aimlessly stare out through the circular window, her eyes gazing upon the infinite amount of stars that decorated the pitch black sky. The planet Earth was right below, the giant rock of ocean water and survivable land…survivable up until the nuclear apocalypse that happened 353 years ago, to this day.
The remaining survivors of the human race resided on a spaceship, Hawkins spaceship.
Earth was just a distant memory to its inhabitants up until researchers said that Earth could become livable again, a long 300 years after the apocalypse, most likely more.
The girl removed herself from her window, brushing a strand of her shoulder length ombre hair behind her ear. She sat back down on the ground, relaxing her shoulders and pulling her knees to her chest. She didn't believe a word of those researchers; she assumed they were instilling false hope onto everyone else. The view of Earth was unimaginably beautiful though. It was a shame she probably wouldn't get to step foot on that planet in her lifetime.
Her light brown eyes absently trailed off from the sole window in the room to the locked metal door in front of her. Her boredom was getting the better of her once again. If she wasn't staring outside or doodling on the concrete walls, she would keep her eyes on that tightly secured entrance.
She narrowed them, putting forth all of the concentration she could muster. Her eyebrows were lowered and she kept her pupils focused on the sealed bolt. She slowly extended her arm out in front of her, her hand trembling.
She wanted to loosen the lock.
If she did open it, she was sure authorities would catch her in no time since she was on a spaceship after all, but the satisfaction of breaking out for the first time would be a huge middle finger to them. It would give them the idea that she was a force to be reckoned with.
She knew she didn't deserve this treatment. Locked up like an animal just for being born with telekinetic abilities was more than unfair.
Suddenly, the door burst open, the loud noise causing her to instinctively back away.
Her eyes went round and her lips were parted at the sight in front of her. For a second, she thought she managed to overcome the potent sedative they would administer to her on a daily basis but instead, several guardsmen in uniforms with guns strapped to their holsters broke in.
"Prisoner 11, face the wall."
Her lips suddenly trembled, not in fear, but in anger.
"What's going on?" She managed to say.
"We're not here to answer questions. Stand up and face the wall," One of the men repeated.
Much to her dismay, the girl, referred to as prisoner 11, stood up and did as told.
"Hold out your right arm," He ordered.
Prisoner 11 froze, a midst of confusion entering her mind.
"Your arm, prisoner 11," He repeated, an impatient lilt to his voice.
She gradually brought out her arm, her hesitance and suspicion not leaving her. She felt her heartbeat race when she felt something tight being secured around her wrist. She darted her eyes to the right, noticing a thick metal bracelet around it. Before she could start to muster up any worst possible case scenarios, she felt the guard aggressively swivel her around and push her towards the open door.
They reached outside her cell, to the main prison room. Prisoner 11 saw the familiar rows of cells stacked on top of each other. Through the darkened corridors, she saw light emit out of the opened solitary rooms. She could hear the usual commotion of the prisoners, their raucous voices drilling through her ears and echoing against the walls of the giant space. What was different was that other uniformed guards were dragging them out of their cell rooms, for the same reason she got dragged out. Some were resisting more than others.
Was this it?
Was this the culling?
Those questions abruptly entered her mind.
Her fear skyrocketed, it feeding into her initial assumptions. They were going to do a sweep of all the prisoners.
She had no idea what came over her, but panic overtook all the rationality she had left. The prisoner instantly jerked her elbow backwards, striking the guard behind her in the stomach hard. When she felt his grip on her loosen, she tried hitting him again, but another guard restrained her. She jerked her head back, crying out in pain when she could feel him twist her arms.
"Let go of me! Let go of me!" The girl cried.
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"Jane! Don't fight them!"
The girl, Jane, saw a familiar face barrel her way through the armed men. It was a woman with long, messy blond hair that was loosely tied down – she wore ordinary civilian clothes unlike the many guardsmen she wormed her way through. Jane tried to remove herself from the tight holds the men had her in to get to her but they didn't budge.
"Mom, Mom! W-what are you doing here? It's not safe–"
"Jane, listen to me," The woman said, her hands on either side of her daughter's shoulders.
"You have a minute, Ives," One of the armed men said.
"They're killing us, aren't they? We're running out of oxygen so they have to kill off prisoners to make up for that–"
"No, no. Jane, they're not killing anyone today," Ives interrupted, in a calmer voice, "They're sending you to Earth."
Jane's eyes were unmoving, her mother's words rendering her speechless. It was too unbelievable in her own right. All of the premonitions she's had about Earth's survivability and the fate of the human race in respect to that were immediately shut down with her mom's last sentence. She stood frozen, arms restrained and all, waiting for her mother to continue…to explain further.
"They're sending you down, to test whether the planet is survivable. They're giving you guys a second chance at life. You guys get to be the first in 353 years."
She could feel her eyes water at this realization. Whether it was excitement or betrayal, she didn't know what to feel. She lowered her head, blinking her eyes several times to clear them. Getting locked up in a room for the mildest of crimes, some inmates eventually being executed after an initial review, enraged her. The president and his council were very strict on population control due to limited oxygen and supplies on the spaceship, but it was still inhumane to her.
However, her long awaited dream of stepping foot onto Earth was now a possible reality.
That meant she had to say goodbye to her mother. Hopefully, this wouldn't be her last one.
"Jane, you'll be okay. We'll be with you guys every step of the way," Ives said, noticing her daughter's quiet sniffle. Jane often was very resilient, she hid her negative emotions, feeling like she would burden the ones closest to her if she showed them.
"Okay," Jane quietly said, her voice weaker.
She quickly brought her daughter into a firm hug in which Jane returned.
"I love you, Mom."
"I love you too, Jane."
Not long after she felt a needle imbed at the side of her neck. Her eyesight immediately became blurry as she lost her balance, dropping to the ground.
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Jane snapped her eyes open the moment she heard loud whirring sounds. Her entire body was warm and she felt an immense amount of dreariness. She saw dozens of other prisoners carefully buckled in seats; inclining her head, she saw some of them strapped to the edge over top of her and those across from her. To her surprise, all of them were young civilians around her age, give or take a few years. She briefly looked downwards and saw that she herself was strapped to a seat as well.
They were inside the dropship, ready to head for earth.
The rowdiness of the other passengers momentarily distracted her before she took in the appearances of the ones near her. Perpendicular from her, she saw an older male with ginger hair shaped into a mullet. He had an intimidating presence; someone not to mess with or get on the bad side of. The boy was speaking to a group of equally menacing boys around him. Unfortunately she listened in on their conversation, among the many others that were going on.
"…cause if it weren't for that son of a bitch Hopper, I wouldn't have to sneak my ass out in here for my sister," He said.
"Fucking wannabe sheriff," Another boy next to him added, he had short blonde hair with a thinner build, "He'd probably suck Ted's dick if he could earn that title."
A chorus of laughter was heard among the group. Jane lowered her head, trying to drown out their voices. They weren't helping her nerves one bit.
"Well, the more people he can catch for the pettiest crimes, the closer he gets to it," The ginger haired guy continued.
"Honestly, I'm glad we're leaving Hawkins. They never cared about us; good riddance to them," Another male in the group said.
"We're probably going to die before we even land, Steve. Don't get your hopes up," The blonde one said, a sneer on his face, "This whole trip is a death sentence."
"Whatever, Bowers."
"Don't fucking call me that, Harrington."
Jane's stomach tightened when she could hear a few whispers here and there about her. Being known as one of the few resident telekinetics on the spaceship earned her the gossip. Known for being trapped in solitary confinement for months at a time without much interaction with anyone else except for her mother also piqued the interest of people.
She saw the lights around them dim.
Her heartbeat quickened and the loud chatter around her suddenly turned into quiet murmurs.
The whirring of the ship became louder, the engines masking the noise of the passengers.
"Is this it?" She could vaguely hear someone say.
"…Y-y-yeah right to our d-deathbeds," Another guy said to the first person.
Jane's breath hitched when she saw a screen light up in front of her. It was the president of Hawkins himself, Ted Wheeler.
"Prisoners of Hawkins, I have an announcement to make," He said, "You've all been given a second
chance. As president, it is my hope that you see this as not just a chance for you, but a chance for all of us, a chance for mankind itself."
Everyone's attention was on the screen, some people not even noticing that the ship began its descent.
"Hey there's Ted Wheeler's son!" Jane heard someone shout near her, "Your father can rot in hell!"
Her eyes were glued shut, her lips tight, barely registering the voice. All of her concentration was placed onto Ted's important words and the uncontrollable shaking of the dropship. She could feel her stomach drop as it kept on descending. She didn't want to know how fast they were going.
"…We have no idea what is waiting for you down there. If the odds of survival were better, we would have sent reinforcements," Ted continued, "We want you all to know that we're sending you because your crimes have made you expendable."
Jane's breath shuddered, her knuckles were turning white at how tight her grip was on the arms of the seat. Some of the other passengers seemed to be in the same state of distress as she was, some unable to contain their rapid and shallow breathing, someone quietly chanting, "We're going to die," and a few others not moving an inch at the sheer terror that they felt.
On the other hand, some were treating it as some sort of sick joyride.
"…The drop site has been chosen carefully," Ted's voice rang through her ears, "Mount Mirkwood. It was a military base built underground before the last nuclear war. It was stocked with perishables and other important supplies that can sustain 300 people max up to two years."
"Remember, your first objective is Mount Mirkwood. You must locate those supplies immediately if you want to survive."
Jane made sure to remember those last words of Ted's.
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"Hey, speak to me. Distract me or something."
Jane opened her eyes and turned to her left, just now taking notice of the boy who was seated beside her. He had friendly brown eyes and wavy raven black hair that framed his face. He looked to be one of the prisoners that were her age, pale skin with a tall and lanky build that marked the growth spurt of a boy in his mid-teens. She didn't recognize him among the many others she was with, but she couldn't avoid the kindness in his voice, it was something she needed after being locked up her whole life.
The boy shut his eyes for a second as the dropship shook, the roaring sound of the ship getting louder as their descent into Earth continued.
"Okay," Jane finally spoke, keeping his eyes on him. She was just as frightened as he was, sweat forming on her temples, "What's your name?"
"Mike Wheeler, short for Mike," He replied, before facing her, "What's yours?"
Jane's eyes were unblinking for a second, just now realizing that Ted Wheeler's son was right next to her. To her defense, she didn't know him by looks alone. Being isolated in a small room for the majority of her life did that to her, save for a few visits from her mom and rare trips to the outside.
"I…I- t-that's the first time someone has asked me that in ages," She finally said.
Mike bit his lip, now looking ahead.
"Because everyone in this ship knows who you are?"
"Yes," Jane grunted as the ship's descent went down faster, she tried her hardest to ignore all of the alarmed voices of the other prisoners around her, "I-I thought you'd just refer to me as E-Eleven, prisoner Eleven, or…or even telekinetic Eleven."
"Well, I want to know what you'd like to be called," Mike said.
"Before we probably die?"
"We won't die," Mike reassured.
Jane squeezed her eyes back shut as she squirmed in her seat; the warmth of the ship was rapidly increasing. She could see sparks emitting out of the corners, the outside of the ship beginning to burn.
"El, short for Eleven."
"…It's nice to meet you, El."
Jane felt a rare smile creep on her lips, however short it was.
"Why did you get sent down with us?" Jane said, her voice quieter, "Your father–"
"–Did what he had to do," Mike interrupted, not wanting to explain further, "Let's leave it at that."
Jane nodded, a bit perplexed by his answer, but didn't want to make this situation more uneasy than it was. She winced, the shaking getting more and more unbearable.
"Mike, don't stop talking," She said, needing his distraction.
"Okay," He immediately replied; he asked the first question that came to mind, "Why did you decide to nickname yourself after your prisoner number?"
Jane looked at him, noticing the genuine interest in his voice.
"...Because it's kind of my mark," Jane said, "That's…that's who I've been my whole life. Trapped inside–agh!"
Jane felt the ship suddenly lean frontwards, causing herself to jolt forwards against the strap of her seat. The walls of the dropship trembled as they got weaker, white sparks flashing around the corners and the dim lights above them rapidly blinking. There was smoke emitting from the walls. It looked as if the ship could give way at any second.
Jane tried ignoring the yells of the other passengers, but she couldn't.
She didn't want her last few seconds alive to be on a burning ship speeding towards Earth. Her goodbye to her mom wasn't enough, she truly didn't believe she would see her again the moment she was knocked unconscious. She wanted the comfort of adequate closure, but without it, the idea of death scared her more than anticipated.
She didn't want to die.
She took in a deep breath, waiting for the inevitable.
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She could feel her heartbeat aggressively push against her chest, the adrenaline and anxiety not leaving anytime soon. Her face was drenched in sweat, the edges of her dyed hair sticking to the side of it.
She snapped her eyes open, breathless when she saw the other passengers, just as stricken as she was. Some of them sported injuries, stray debris hitting them on the way down. The smoke from the harsh landing made the air around them thick and warm. She could barely breathe through it.
She grunted, a nagging pain on her forehead. She touched it, almost grimacing when she saw fresh blood on her fingers. She turned and saw Mike, leaning forward on his seat. His movement was slow and a trickle of blood went down over his cheek.
"…Mike–"
"I'm okay, just a bit taken aback," He interrupted, facing Jane, "…We survived at least."
Jane lowered her head, a small chuckle escaping her lips.
"You're bleeding."
She raised her eyebrows, her attention back to her injury. She gave Mike a glance over, a bruise on his temple and blood escaping it.
"You're bleeding," Jane said, her mouth curving up into a smile. She was rather amused at this boy's obliviousness to his current condition.
"Let's hope Mount Mirkwood has enough first-aid kits if we get out of here."
"Yeah," Jane quietly said, a solemn tone to her voice. To her own admission, she didn't believe they would make it out of this ship, the radiation soaked air outside knocking them dead the minute they opened the entrance.
Her attention returned to the other passengers.
Many of them were causing a ruckus, complaining about the rather rough landing they had. Mike ignored those who were speaking ill of Ted Wheeler, those directing their anger towards the President – the one responsible for forcing them into this mission.
She took notice of the ginger haired boy with a mullet who immediately unstrapped his seat, minutes after they landed. He looked at his surroundings, some other passengers were unmoving, nervousness entrapping whatever else they felt. Some of the others were already up, but they weren't taking any steps further.
"What are you idiots waiting for? Let's go," The boy said aloud.
He was about to press the lever that would open the trap ship entrance.
"Wait! Don't!" Jane interrupted before she could think.
The older gave her an exasperated look, the side of his lips forming into a sneer.
"Well, well, well…the infamous Eleven actually joined us on this journey. It's the first time I've seen her out of her cell in months."
Jane's heartbeat rose, her grip tightening on the edge of her seat. She glared daggers at the ginger haired boy.
"Shut up, Billy."
Jane's eyebrows rose at Mike's chilling voice.
"It's okay, Mike," She said, placing a gentle hand on Mike's shoulder. Mike gave her a sympathetic look before retreating back to his silence.
"It's El, by the way," She continued, her soft voice calmer than anticipated, "We don't know if the air outside is survivable. It could be toxic."
"Then we're dead anyways," A girl with long waist-length red hair behind Billy spoke up. Her arms were crossed.
"Max–"
"What?" Max interrupted Billy, the annoyance on her face very apparent. She quickly assumed the boy would tell her to simmer down and let him do the speaking or something else typical of a smothering older brother.
"Do you want to do the honors?" Billy asked. Max's expression softened from one of irritation to one of anticipation. She gave her older brother a rare smile.
"Okay," She said, giving him an eager nod.
Jane loosened her hold on her seat, watching Max step towards the lever that would cause the entrance to open. They would see what the surface of Earth looked like for the first time in person.
"Are you guys ready?" She said, her voice louder.
She could hear a few jubilant cheers among the nervous murmurs. Everyone closely watched her as she made way for her towards the lever. She took in a silent breath, clutching the handle.
"…Here goes."
That was when she pulled down the lever.