Chapter Text
The ground crunched under Eleven's bare feet as she made her way through the woods. Next to her stood her brother, their hands clasped together tight. The boy next to her stared at the ground, trembling. They had just left the bad place, and he was still shaken from their escape. Eleven squeezed his hand tighter in reassurance, and he managed a wobbly smile in return.
The two continued to walk for while, their steps slow and cautious, both remaining dead silent. They didn't want to be discovered, after all. Soon, the trees began to part and Eleven felt a tug on her sleeve. She stopped and looked at her brother, who pointed in the direction of a building. Outside, a large man carried out a bag before returning through the door he came from.
Keeping a tight hold on her brother, Eleven followed after him. The door opened with a soft creak, and the children stepped inside. The first thing Eleven noticed were the smooth floors; they felt much better against her feet than the sharp sticks and rocks of the forest. The second was the soft sound of music playing, something she wasn't quite familiar with. The third, and most important, thing she noticed was the smell of food.
Eleven crept through the room silently, briefly taking in her surroundings before peeking around the door frame. The man from before was speaking with two other men, laughing occasionally. The smell was coming from the next room over, so she made to move towards it.
However, a tug at the back of her gown stopped her. Eleven looked over her shoulder at her brother, who shook his head frantically. Eleven understood immediately; he was afraid of the men. With a gentle smile, she tugged on his hand and snuck through the double doors, leading to the other room.
Inside, the smell of food was much stronger, and it made Eleven's mouth water a little. It had been a while since either of them ate, and she was looking forward to finding something. She took a couple of steps forward, looking around the larger room and the objects within it. What really caught her attention, however, was a basket of fries sitting on the counter.
Quickly, the two kids made their way over and set upon the small basket of food like rabid wolves. There wasn't a lot, but it didn't matter; getting any food in their stomachs was a huge relief. In fact, they were so caught up in eating, that they hadn't realized they were spotted until it was too late.
"Hey!"
Eleven's head snapped up and she saw the man from before staring directly at them. He looked angry. Instantly, Eleven made a run for it, her brother following behind after grabbing the basket.
"Come here!" The man bellowed, quickly giving chase after the children. They didn't make it very far, as the man grabbed her brother's shoulders roughly, making him yelp in fear as he dropped the fries. "You think you can steal from me, boy?" The man snapped.
Instantly, Eleven pushed her way in front of her brother, holding onto him protectively. The man's eyes widened at this, brows pushing together in confusion. "What the hell..." he murmured.
Eleven felt her brother trembling in her arms, his hands tightening their grip on her sleeves as the two of them stared at this man in fear. Their expressions made the man's gaze soften, and he backed away slightly, keeping his eyes on them for a few moments.
Finally, he sighed and gestured for the two of them to follow. "Alright, come on," he said, beginning to walk away. However, neither child moved, staying rooted place. Seeming to realize this, he stopped and turned back around. "Hey, it's alright. I'm not gonna hurt you," he said gently, "I just wanna get you some food and new clothes."
Eleven and her brother exchanged glances before hesitantly following after him.
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After changing into two oversized shirts, Eleven led her brother back into the kitchen where the man was busy preparing their food. As they rounded the corner, he spotted them and gave a small smile. "It'll be a few minutes before it's ready. So you two should wait in the dining area."
Eleven felt her brother tense next to her and she shook her head. "It's alright," the man quickly replied. "I've already closed up shop for today. So no one will bother you."
Eleven hesitated for a couple of moments before she eventually nodded, taking her brother's hand and leading him into the dining area. It was much larger than the other two rooms and filled with tables and chairs. Not really thinking about it, Eleven picked a random one and sat down in one of the chairs, her brother sitting next to her and waiting.
It didn't take very long for the man to come out, carrying two baskets of food. He placed them down on the table before sitting in the chair across from the siblings, raising his brows slightly as they once again began to scarf down their meal.
"Jeez, did your parents forget to feed you?" He asked. Neither child responded, too focused on their meal. "Is that why you ran away?" Once again, no response.
There was silence for a couple of moments before the man tried again. "Did they hurt you?" He asked. "You went to the hospital, got scared, ran off, then wound up here? Is that what happened?" Once again he didn't get a response, though Eleven did pause in her chewing and stared at him for a couple of moments.
The man sighed and reached across the table, pulling the food away from the two of them. Eleven's brother reached forward a little, letting out a small whimper. The man's face pinched with sympathy. "Don't worry, I'll give it back. You just need to answer a few of my questions, alright? I'll even let you have some ice cream after."
The two kids stared at him silently. "Alright, let's start off easy." He stuck his hand forward. "My name is Benny. Benny Hammond." Eleven stared at his hand silently, confused. Slowly, he reached forward and she flinched backwards. "Hey, it's alright. Look, like this." Gently, Benny grabbed Eleven's hand with his own, much larger one. He then shook up and down. "Nice to meet you," he said. "And you are?"
Eleven continued to stare, still not saying a word. She didn't know who this man was, but she really didn't trust him. Her brother refused to even look him in the eye, instead staring at his own hands. Her attention was brought back to the man when he turned over her wrist. Quickly she ripped her arm back, holding it close to her chest.
"Eleven? What does that mean?" He asked. Eleven still refused to answer. "Come on," he gently prompted. "What does it mean?"
Still, she stayed silent. "No," she finally said. Benny's brows raised in amusement.
"Well I'll be damned, you actually speak," he joked. "No? No what?" This received no response, and he sighed. "Alright, fine. No more food then." He then grabbed the two baskets, about the stand up.
Eleven heard her brother begin to whimper again and she panicked and reached forward. "Eleven," she said quickly, catching his attention. Her brother looked over at her, eyes wide.
Benny paused and looked down at her. "Yeah. What does it mean?" He asked, confused. She pointed at herself.
"Eleven."
Benny nodded slowly. "Alright then." He then turned to look at her brother. "What about you?" He asked. The boy said nothing, shrinking under the man's gaze. Slowly, he turned his head to look at Eleven, eyes questioning.
Without a word she reached forward and took his wrist, showing it to Benny. On the boy's thin wrist was a sequence of numbers similar to her own; 012.
"Twelve?" He asked, to which Eleven nodded in response before dropping her brother's arm. Benny nodded. "Alright, here you go," he replied, pushing forward the baskets. They both immediately dove back in, making Benny chuckle. "Take it easy. Don't make yourselves sick."
With that, he got up and left the two of them to finish their meals. Once the sound of his footsteps faded away, Eleven looked up at the fan, frowning at the obnoxious squealing sound it made. Her gaze hardened and she stared intently at the rotating blades until they eventually stopped with a small sputter. With a satisfied smile, she went back to her food.
It only took them a few minutes to finish, and they soon found themselves sitting on the kitchen counter with a large tub of ice cream sitting between them.
Eleven had never had ice cream before, so she was surprised at just how cold it was when it first went into her mouth. However, the sweet flavor soon overrode that, and she officially decided that this 'ice cream' was amazing. One look at her brother showed he was thinking the exact same thing. With a spoon still in his mouth, he turned to look at Eleven, face bright and hazel eyes sparkling.
Benny chuckled as he watched the children eat. "Man, you really like that ice cream, huh?" He mused, glancing at the two of them. Eleven paused mid bite and nodded her head, smiling little.
"A smile looks good on you," he said, making Eleven's brows scrunch up slightly in confusion. "You know, a smile." Benny's lips turned up in demonstration, and Eleven couldn't help but mimic it. He then turned to her brother, who sheepishly smiled as well.
It didn't last long, however. It instantly dropped at the sound of knocking on the front door. Eleven and her brother whirled around sharply, all traces of their good moods gone. Benny frowned at this. "It's alright," he said, "I'll make them go away." He then walked out of the kitchen and towards the door.
Eleven's brother watched him go before hesitantly turning back to the ice cream, pushing a small spoonful in his mouth. Eleven herself, however, remained on high alert, keeping her eyes locked on Benny's back. Just past him in the open doorway, she could barely make out another person; a woman. The two of them were talking faintly, so she couldn't make out what they were saying.
Soon, Benny stepped aside, leading the woman into the restaurant. Eleven frowned at this; he had said he would make her go away. Slowly, she reached over and tapped her brother's arm, and he turned, now watching the two adults.
What they did not expect, however, was for the woman to pull out a gun and shoot Benny directly in the head. They both flinched as the kind man fell dead onto the floor, blood spurting from his wound.
Eleven leaped off the counter, quickly dragging her brother along with her. The two sprinted back the way they came, hoping to make it to the backdoor they had entered from. However, their path was blocked by two men. They both pulled out guns, aiming at the two children.
Eleven skidded to a stop, shoving her brother behind her. One of the men stepped forward, keeping his gun aimed right at her. She looked around frantically, searching for anything that could be used as a weapon. To her right, there was a large container of silverware; that would do.
Eleven honed in on it, making a large number of utensils float out of the box. The man stepped back at this, eyes widening. The other man tightened his hold on his gun. "Stop now," he ordered.
Yeah, like she would listen to him. With a flick of her head, the barrage of silverware flew forward, slamming into both guards and knocking them off their feet. Eleven didn't stick around to see what happened, sprinting out of the back door and back into the woods as quickly as her legs could carry her.
She yanked her brother along, silently urging him to keep up as they sprinted through the woods, running and running nonstop. Only after it started to grow dark did they stop to rest.
Under the cover of darkness, their pace slowed to a walk. Eleven frowned at ground as she continued forward, guilt tugging at her heart. It was her fault that nice man had died. If she hadn't been with him, then maybe he would be ok.
A drop of rain pulled her out of her thoughts, and she looked up. Another fell onto her face. Then another, and another. Before long, it was pouring. Eleven quickened her pace once more, hoping to find some shelter. Thunder boomed in the sky, making her and her brother flinch. Eleven reached out and held her brother's hand, squeezing it to comfort both him and herself.
Hands clasped together tight, the siblings continued their walk through the dark, stormy woods. Eventually, the trees parted and Eleven could faintly see light pouring from another building. Instinctively, she moved toward it.
Her brother quickly made his way to the door, eager to get out of the rain. He fiddled with it slightly and it soon swung open, revealing a rather cozy looking room. He turned back, smiling proudly at his sister.
Eleven returned the smile and made her way inside, relieved to be out of the rain. She looked around the small space, her eyes traveling from wall to wall. Her brother seemed rather intrigued by a table right in front of them, with multiple papers and figures stacked on top. What caught Eleven's attention, however, was the couch tucked against the right wall.
She poked her brother's arm, gesturing towards the couch with a smile. The boy grinned and ran over, jumping onto the soft surface eagerly. Eleven quickly joined him, just as enthusiastic. However, once she was on the comfortable couch, exhaustion finally hit her.
Her eyes drooped slightly, sleepily, though she still shivered from the wet clothing still clinging to her body. Her brother scooted over, pulling a blanket off the back and draping it over them. Eleven smiled, wrapping her arms around her brother and pulling him close. Perhaps they would be safe for now.