AN: Well I have no idea where this came from, but here's the Stranger Things AU nobody asked for.
The lab lights flickered around her as she stood, breathing heavily. Tears streamed down her face as she looked around her.
"What have you done?"
She flinched at the voice behind her. Papa. He was here.
"You killed them." She said, her voice flat. The lights above her exploded. "You said my family abandoned me." She looked up at the pale, white haired man in front of her. "You lied."
He didn't even flinch. "You're being emotional." He said. "It's not good for you."
"No." She backed away, lifting her chin up in defiance. "You killed my parents. You used me." She was shaking. The ground around her cracked. "You want me to hurt people. You hurt people."
Papa sighed, his expression seemed disappointed. Tapping his ear, he murmured. "All units be advised, Subject 43 is unstable and violent." She lifted her arm. Papa rose off the floor and was thrown back against the wall. He slid down, looking dazed. She walked forward, glaring down at the man cowering at her feet. He'd always seemed so strong and powerful. He was none of those things now.
"My name." She growled, wiping the blood that was trickling down her nose. He flinched back. "Is Ginny."
Then she was running. Running far and fast. Away from the lab. Away from the men with the stun guns. Away from Papa. She needed to get far. Far away. She needed to make sure that nothing like this would ever happen again. A feeling rose up in her chest. It was similar the power she'd been using for years, but it was new powerful and strange. She was scared, but she also knew that it would help her. She could hear the soldiers coming. They were shouting, grouping. She gave in. There was a flash and she was pulled. Everything went white.
Chief Mike Lawson grunted as he drove home from work. It was quiet because nothing ever happened in Hawkins Indiana. Huddling down in his jacket, he shivered against the cold evening air. The days were getting shorter and soon snow would be coming. The end of September heralded the end of warm nights. The sun sank behind the trees that were silent, devoid of all bird song.
Mike's frown deepened. That was strange. It was too early for them to have gone south. Shaking his head, he rolled his shoulder, focusing on the road ahead. He was really miserable if he was thinking about the birds to distract him.
"Chief." His radio crackled.
Mike picked up the radio, pressing the on button. "Yeah."
"Are you coming?"
Damn. He winced. He'd completely forgotten that Blip had invited him for dinner. It wouldn't take too long to turn around and go back into town. He was just about to reply when a large white light almost blinded him. Cursing, he slammed on the breaks, the car skidding off the road and falling into a ditch. He clambered out. The car seemed fine, it hadn't hit anything. He turned, glaring at the light. A figure was standing on the road.
"Hey." Mike shouted, striding up, ready to give them a piece of his mind. "What the fu..." He froze. The figure was a woman. She was thin, wearing only a hospital gown, her hair shaved into a buzz cut. She looked up, her face pale beneath her brown skin, eyes hollow and blood dripping out of her nose. She was young. Mike could tell she wasn't more than 25.
She swayed, her limbs shaking, clearly unable to support her weight. Mike rushed forward, catching her as she fell. She shivered as he held her. Looking around he wondered where she'd come from. Taking off his jacket, he wrapped it around her and picking her up. She had no id, that much was clear. Putting her in the passenger seat of his truck, he paused to look at her. There were marks on her arm that looked like needles. There were two more on her head on her temples. She was clearly a patient, maybe she'd escaped from a hospital.
He frowned. There were no mental hospitals in Hawkins and he knew the local hospital well enough to know they wouldn't perform electroshock therapy; Evelyn wouldn't allow it. They were close to the government lab, but as far as he knew they were doing soil studies.
"Mike." The radio said, pulling him out of his thoughts. "Lawson where are you?"
Blip. Mike pressed the intercom on his radio. "Sorry, my car went off the road. I've got a Jane Doe here. I need you to run any missing persons on young women, black, approximately age 20 to 25." He let go of the button, glancing back at the mystery woman. "I'm going to the hospital with her-"
There was a rush of static. Mike looked down at the radio, hitting it against his palm in annoyance. Stupid thing was always going out.
"No hospital."
He jumped, looking over at Jane Doe. She was still shivering, but her eyes were open and they were clear.
"Look lady." Mike said. "I know it doesn't sound fun, but you clearly need help." He turned his key in the ignition and backed up the car. The car moved forward back into the ditch. He frowned and tried again. The key flew out of the ignition and into Jane Doe's hand. He gaped at her. She clutched the key and wiped away a small drop of blood from her nose. Mike gaped.
"No." She said. "Hospital."
She'd scared the bearded man.
She knew that, but she wasn't sure where she was and if he took her to a hospital Papa might find her.
He'd find her and they'd bring her back. She'd be punished and they'd force her to the bad place.
"Okay." The bearded man said. "No hospital. But you need." He paused, clearly afraid of angering her. "You need to get checked out and food." He held out his hand. "Can I have my keys?"
Ginny looked at her hand. She could always take them back if he lied to her. She looked up at him. "Are you lying?"
He blinked before shaking his head. Ginny hesitated before holding out her hand. He took the keys, staring at her arm. Specifically the numbers on her wrist. Ginny pulled her arm back, pressing it against her stomach. She pulled the jacket closer around her, looking at the road ahead of her.
He was staring at her, not turning on the car.
"Did someone..." He hesitated. "Did someone hurt you?"
"Yes." She said.
He turned the keys, the car rumbling. He backed the car up and put it back on the street. He looked at her. "I'm going to my house." He said. "No hospital."
"No hospital." Ginny echoed. The car moved forward. She looked out the window. She'd been allowed to see pictures of trees, cars, and streets and she remembered them from...from before, but she never thought she'd see them again. Pressing a hand to the glass, she felt the cold on the outside. It was so different from the cold of the lab. This was real.
They drove further into the trees, finally he turned off into a side street. The road was smaller, twisting and turning into the darkness. He stopped in front of a square with a door. Ginny tilted her head, looking at it.
"It's not much." He mumbled, his face turning red. She opened the door, stepping out. The ground was cool against her feet. There was a large amount of water next to the square. She walked to it. "Wait." He said. "It's cold."
She ignored him, dropping the jacket on the ground and stepped into the water. It was cold, the ground slimy and making squelching noises as she walked forward. She looked up at the sky, seeing white dots. She'd never seen colors like the ones that were painting the sky. She opened her arms, breathing in. Tears rolled down her face as she let out a noise. She didn't know what it was, but it felt good. She was free.
