0 0 1 ━ [ 𝘚𝘵𝘦𝘷𝘦 𝘏𝘢𝘳𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘵𝘰𝘯 ]

𝟓𝟎𝟎𝐊 𝐁𝐎𝐍𝐔𝐒 𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑

The rough fall brought One back to consciousness, her spine tingling from her hips to her head as she sat up with a sharp gasp. Her wide eyes stared up at the gray sky above her and her hands groped the damp ground beneath. She dug her fingernails into the dirt like roots, trying to firmly plant herself in this reality as memories of another reality flashed forward in her mind.

"Oliver."

"I'm sorry."

The power.

Blue then white then...

Black.

She had thought she was dead. She was certain she was dead. There's no way she could have survived destroying the Mind Flayer, destroying the Upside Down...two things that didn't feel real but she knew to be true...but here she was. Alive, albeit barely.

With a groan, One pushed herself to her feet and stumbled into her surroundings. A ragged cry escaped her dry throat as her eyes landed on the familiar wooden structure before her, the structure she had called home for what had only been a week but felt like a lifetime. Hopper's cabin.

With the front door locked in her sights, One tried to run but she only made it two steps before she found herself back in the dirt and snow. She ignored the exhaustion and the pain that rippled through her body as she tried again, and again, and again, each time falling back to her knees, but still getting up every time, until she was finally there.

With a firm grip and a blinding smile, One braced herself for Eleven's and Hopper's hugs as she turned the knob, but was surprised when she was met with resistance. The smile on her face quickly faded as she jiggled the door knob to no avail, even trying so hard as to lean her shoulder against the door and push her weight against it, but nothing worked. The door was locked.

Confused, One glanced towards the driveway where Hopper parked his truck and was even more confused to find that it was gone. They must be at work and school, or running errands, or...One's mind filtered through all the possible excuses, but none seemed to settle her queasy stomach.