One sat on the linoleum floor with her back against her door, glazed eyes staring forward at the empty air before her. She was devoid of all feelings and senses, save her hearing. Her ears were alert for every footfall, every utter, every pen drop. This was her life now. Listening.

Lately she had begun to hear new sounds from the other side of her door: other children. She hadn't seen them, but she knew they were there. Papa had found more.

One ran her finger along the red and swollen lines on her wrist, tracing the new tattoo they had given her: 001. The screams of other children had told her that she was not the only one to receive the painful permanent marks. She wondered what numbers they had been tattooed with.

The clicking of shoes echoed down the hallway and One tensed as they got closer to her door. Would they stop? She let out an audible sigh when the clicks passed, but was caught off guard by an accompanied sound: crying.

One hated using her powers but her curiosity overwhelmed her and she decided to finally give her ears a rest and rely on a different sense for once: sight. She opened a small portal into the hallway and was met with the back of Dr. Brenner's white coat.

He was holding something in his arms but One had a difficult time seeing it from the position of her portal. Itching to get a better look, One closed the first portal and opened a second one closer to Dr. Brenner. She had opened it too close though and Dr. Brenner turned on his heel to face it when he heard her breaths coming from behind him.

One jumped back when his intense dark eyes flooded her view. But what was even more surprising than the look on his face was what was bundled up in his arms...

A baby.

One gasped as she fell through the portal, vibrations running up her calves as she dropped hard onto her feet. It was never guaranteed exactly how far off the ground her portals would open, it was a science she still had yet to master. This one had thankfully only been two feet but she had fallen out of one that had been seven feet off the ground once.

After a moment to collect herself, One's eyes darted around to get a feel for her surroundings. She hadn't pictured a specific place, she had just wanted to get out of Hopper's cabin. She felt ashamed of the danger she had put them through. They were nice enough to house, feed, and clothe her and how did she repay them? By having a monster nearly decapitate Hopper. It was best if she stayed away from them, for their safety.

She found herself in the middle of a dense wood. While she couldn't tell for certain, she had a strong feeling that she hadn't strayed as far as she had hoped. She would have opened another portal to find someplace a little more comfortable to sleep, but something told her not to leave so quickly.

She caught sight of a chain metal fence poking through the brush ahead of her and hesitantly stepped forward to investigate. The shiny silver seemed so strange among the dull brown and green colors of the forest. As she got closer she saw that the fence went on in a seemingly never-ending direction both ways. It went so far that it disappeared into the looming fog the night had produced. She looked up and found that the top of the fence disappeared into the fog as well.

She couldn't fathom a reason, but she felt drawn to touch the fence. Her head pulled back as her hand pushed forward and felt the cold metal, dotted with freshly frozen morning dew. The second her fingers touched the fence she jumped back like she had been electrocuted, even though she could tell the fence wasn't electrified. Something else had given her the shock: she knew that fence.

Her breathing and her feet both picked up as she began to run the length of the perimeter until she found what she was looking for. Rising out of the ominous darkness and into the faint light of the early morning was a building that she knew all too well. A building that had inspired her nightmares and scared her more than the Upside Down: the Lab.

One stood rooted to her spot in fear, her entire body frozen and her eyes wide. It was here. It had always been here. The earliest memory she could remember was from inside the Lab so she had never truly known where it was located. She was rarely permitted outdoors during her residency at the Lab and any glimpses of the outside world had been nearly impossible because windows were a rarity in the building. As far as she had been concerned, the Lab could have been on a floating island in the middle of space. But it was here.

And she was here. Why? Was this the reason that her portals had only allowed her out of the Upside Down here? To escape the monsters of that world for the monsters of this world? Was Papa lurking inside waiting for her to return? What kind of cruel joke was this?

One still couldn't find the ability to run but she needed to get out of there. Fast. She summoned a portal beneath her feet and let gravity do the work that her body had been unable to. The impact of hitting the ground knocked the motion back into her and she jumped to her feet.

A gray single-level house sat before her with a Ford Pinto and Ford LTD parked in the driveway. The dull, familiar woods beyond it told her that her portal had still managed to keep her close. She needed to be farther, much farther.

She envisioned California as she opened a portal but the view that greeted her from the other side was the arcade. Hawkins. She tried again, this time picturing Maine, but all she saw through the portal was the hallway behind Scoops Ahoy. Hawkins again. One screamed in frustration as she tried again and again and was presented with a different part of Hawkins every time. Why couldn't she leave this godforsaken town?

A golden glow from the porch suddenly lit up One's back and she turned to meet it. Illuminated underneath it was a woman in a shabby robe and slippers. "Hello?" she called into the twilight sky. "Who's there?"

One's face turned pale as she struggled with what to do next. The woman could clearly see her. Should she run? Should she try another portal? One was about to make a decision when somebody else joined the woman at the front door.

"Mom?" Will asked. "What's going on?"

"I-I'm not sure, honey, go back to bed," Joyce responded, patting Will's shoulder but keeping her eyes on One. A look of surprise flooded Will's face as he followed his mother's inquisitive gaze.

"One?" Will called out.

"Hi Will," One sighed, offering a small wave. Joyce looked between the two in confusion.

"Mom, it's okay," Will reassured her, resting a hand on her arm. "She's a friend. Her name is One." Joyce finally broke her gaze to look down at her son for a moment before returning her eyes to One.

"Honey, are you okay?" Joyce asked One. "What are you doing out here at such a late hour?"

"I-I don't have anywhere to go," One stammered, wrapping her arms around her body and looking down at the ground in embarrassment.

"Well, come in." Joyce waved to her. "Come inside, you can stay here for a little while and get some rest. You look exhausted."

After hearing the offer One took a small step back. Visions of the demogorgon closing in on Hopper and Eleven rippled through her mind and sent a shiver down her spine. What if it happened again? She didn't want to hurt anyone. But at the same time, she really did need a place to sleep...

"It's all right," Joyce called out, taking a few careful steps towards her.

One tried to move away but found that she was locked in place again. This time from fatigue rather than fear. By the time she had worked up a small shred of energy to move Joyce had already reached her. Instead of running she used that energy to mutter a single word: "Danger."

Joyce wrapped an arm around her and began to lead her inside. "We'll keep you safe, don't you worry. Now, let's get you inside and out of this cold." She didn't seem to quite understand the meaning of One's warning, but One didn't have the energy to correct her.

One followed weakly at her side, her eyes meeting Will's as she passed him on the way to the couch in the living room. As she sat down she felt her entire body melt into the yellow-and-white-striped couch. She was so tired. Her eyes became heavier and heavier and the last thing she saw was Joyce covering her with a blanket.

One night. She'd just stay one night.

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