I DO NOT OWN STRANGER THINGS. TO THE GUESTS THAT HAVE REVIEWED THIS STORY, THANK YOU FOR READING AND KEEP REVIEWING. THIS CHAPTER CONTAINS SCENES OF ABUSE. READER DISCRETION IS ADVISED.

Spring City, Pennsylvania

The next day, Paladin was talking with Jacob when an alarm started blaring.

"What's going on?" Paladin inquired.

"New arrivals." Jacob replied. He and Paladin stood up to see a bus of new children and teenagers being brought into Pennhurst. As they got out, they were led towards Hershey Hall by several orderlies. As Paladin was watching, he felt a hand on his shoulder.

"Hey Paladin, Weitz wants you to help with the new arrivals." McLaughlin said. "Let's go." The boy was dragged over to Hershey Hall where the new patients were being processed. The five boys and four girls were all lined up as Schnapp was looking them over. Suddenly, Weitz himself walked into the room.

"Good day my children." He said. "These are a couple of our orderlies: Mr. McLaughlin and Mr. Schnapp. I am Alvin Weitz, the superintendent of this facility. To the outside world, I am a public servant. To the staff, I am the man who sings their paychecks, and to all of you children...I am God." All of the new recruits looked scared as Hell.

"Strip, every one of you." Schnapp ordered as the kids slowly removed their clothes. McLaughlin brought in a huge hose and began blasting the naked kids with a powerful jet of water.

"Be gentle with them." Paladin begged.

"You had your bath last night, Paladin." Schnapp snarled. "Don't make me give you another one." After five long minutes, the hose was stopped and the kids were given their hospital gowns.

"McLaughlin, take the girls upstairs to the female wing and Schnapp, take the boys to Q1." Weitz ordered as the kids were herded away; except for one.

"Please, I don't belong here." The girl said. "My mommy's gonna come for me any minute!"

"I'm sure she'll be here before I'm a minute older." McLaughlin mocked. Paladin reaches out and shoved the orderly.

"I think you should leave her alone!" He exclaimed. This earned him a punch in the face. Weitz walked over to the boy and tilted his chin.

"The orderlies don't care what you think Paladin." He assured him. "Neither do I...in fact, no one cares about you in general." Weitz walked a few steps away before Paladin stopped him.

"Eleven cares about me." He whispered as the superintendent stopped in his tracks.

"What did you just say boy?" He asked in disbelief.

"I said, Eleven cares about me." Paladin repeated as Weitz chuckled.

"And who, pray tell, is Eleven?"

"She's...someone that I know. I don't know who she is, or where she is; but she is out there somewhere and she cares about me." Weitz said nothing for a few moments as he stared Paladin down. Suddenly, he got a gleam in his eye.

"McLaughlin, Schnapp, hold him and lift up his gown." Weitz ordered as the two orderlies held Paladin up and lifted up his gown, exposing his bare back.

"Let me go!" The boy exclaimed as the superintendent loosened his belt.

"I want to try a simple experiment." Weitz explained. "We are going to put love to the test. I'm gonna beat you with my belt and while I do, I want you to cry out to your precious Eleven to come save you. The deal is, the moment she shows up, I will stop hitting you, OK?"

"Screw you!" Paladin shouted. Weitz wound up and brought the buckle of his belt down hard on Paladin's back.

"Ahhhh!" He cried out in pain as the hits kept coming and coming.

"Feels pleasant, yes?" Weitz snarked as he continued his assault. Paladin started to cry as his skin began to crack and bleed from the hard metal.

"Come on Paladin?" Weitz laughed. "How will Eleven know to rescue you if you don't cry out?" Paladin tried to hold it in, but eventually he could hold it in no longer.

"ELEVEN!" He screamed loudly. "PLEASE SAVE ME!" Sadly, Eleven did not come as the beating went on for half an hour. When it was finished, Paladin's back looked like hamburger meat and Weitz's belt buckle was covered in the boy's blood.

"I guess she doesn't care that much." The superintendent said in a mocking tone. "Shame, I was so looking forward to making her acquaintance."

"Maybe next time." Schnapp chuckled.

"You and McLaughlin show these patients to their quarters, and take Paladin back to Q1." Weitz said as he wiped the blood off his belt, put it back on and walked out of the room.

WILL PALADIN HOLD FAST TO HIS FAITH IN ELEVEN? CAN ELEVEN SEE HIM IN THE VOID? REVIEWS NEEDED AND APPRECIATED.