Man vs the Upside Down

This is my fifth glass of wine. 

Well, not exactly. 

If a random group of strangers gave you a glass of crimson red liquid that looked close enough to wine but you weren’t so sure, since you have no idea who the person giving you the wine is, do you take the cup? Of course you do, but you fake it.

When you’ve been drunk hundreds of times ,like me, drugged even, naturally you can act the part. I was born with a wine goblet in my hand after all. 

So when I was out in the cold, frigid Alaska wind, begging for anyone to take me in, I was thinking of wine. The rich, berry flavor salivates my taste buds. 

That’s why I physically hurt every time I have to hold back the urge to take a gulp of the sweet juice every time my four rescuers do, then throw it behind me when no one else is looking. Where does the wine go then? You are probably asking. Well, let me just say I hope my magic is up to date, because everytime I throw it behind my head, I hope it goes….. Someplace else. 

I’ll get to the “someplace else” part in a bit. 

Chinese guy who's currently slouched on the couch is blabbing something about it being the coldest night in centuries, reaching a low of negative 75. For the past hour it's been useless topics like these that make me tune out these people. 

My main objective is to get a gauge on everyone. 

As a whole, the group seems like they've been friends for a while, living up here in Alaska in harmony. They haven’t explained how they met or any of that nonsense, which I’m very thankful for.

I would like to not hear everyone's sappy stories, because it will make it better when they go. 

Now to get more specific about each person, starting with the Chinese guy. He obviously raises himself on a pet stool above all of his friends. None of the rest of these people seem to be annoyed by him in the slightest but I see right through this stuck-up bastard. He prides himself on his looks above loyalty to his friends and always has to make a comment on the subject at hand. 

Then leading to the brown skinned, naturally cute, girl beside him. But where the Chinese guy knows he looks good and thinks he's the most good looking of the group, Beauty isn’t aware of her natural beauty.

And spoiler alert, she’s most beautiful on the inside.

But back to my analysis, she’s best friends with the Chinese guy, or she could be his girlfriend.

Either way, she wears her emotions on her sleeve.  Her body has been angled toward him ever since we sat down. Which gives me an advantage. 

Well two, really. 

One, it gives me an insight into what kind of person brownie is, but my other advantage is that I have one less person who could possibly see me throw my painfully wasted wine behind me. Two, based on my judgment and her body language, she’s very loyal and is very attentive. That being said, she’s gullible and she doesn’t see who her best friend/boyfriend is deep down.

 A bastard. 

Excuse my language, I just hate people like the Chinese guy. Like who do you have to act all high and mighty for? We are in the most deserted regions in the world. 

He’ll most likely go first. 

Next up, we have a studious school boy. 

Without his moon glasses and intelligent mind, he would be nothing. He’s not like the brownie, unaware of her natural beauty or like the Chinese who prides himself on his looks. Studious boy knows he’s smart, above average, but doesn’t spit out random facts every time there’s silence. 

He could make it out alive, but if he has the knowledge, will he be brave enough to save himself?

Finally, we have the redhead freak. I mean, she definitely stands out against the white backdrop of Alaska, with her dyed red hair, striking black eyeliner and unnecessary accessories. Out of everyone here, this girl has been the hardest to analyze. And maybe she’s making herself closed off to me and the others for good reason , thinking she's keeping the curtain tight and well covering her true identity. 

Smart move, but I see right through her imaginary curtain. 

Redhead is sharp and focused and I can tell from her posture, very rigid and uptight and from the way she hasn’t talked very much, that she doesn’t trust anyone. 

Which I silently applaud her for. And why should she? She probably had been rescued like me and doesn’t trust a group of late teenagers. Or something happened and she was friends with this group, who knows. I don’t want to find out. 

Redhead is my pick of who will survive, but I can’t place my bet yet. 

Not until we began, which should be soon. 

“Heyyyy friends! Dooo ya’ll wanna plaay a game?” I interrupt whatever they were talking about, carefully choosing which of my words should be slurred, since I was supposed to have drunk five glasses of wine. I waver my eyes back and forth from different objects in the living room, actin like a drunk fool. 

I’m doing a pretty good job aren't I? 

Out of the corner of my eye I see Redhead lean forward, suddenly appealed to something besides small talk. 

“I don’t know man. Your pretty drunk-”

“I’m in. Anything other than sitting around like spoiled brats.” 

Dang I didn’t know redhead had it in her to say something out loud like that. I have to hold myself back from snorting as I catch a glimpse of shok than disgust on the Chinese’s face. Before he can say anything rude or start a useless fight beauty cuts in.

“Oh come one Feng. It can do us some good to have a little fun. And to welcome…what's your name?” 

“Conroy. And whaaat a beatiifulll name Feng isss. It means your like a phoenix! That’s coooool.” Its very hard to tell a lie while you're trying to act drunk. Good thing I’ve done it plenty of times before. 

Feng looks astonished that I know the meaning of his popular name. When you’ve been around the globe like I have, a few billion times, you get curious about people’s names and what they mean. 

“Well, Conroy, if this game you propose to us is anything like Dungeons and Dragons, I apologize to everyone in advance.” The studious boy says making Beauty laugh. 

“Oh you won’t hurt my feelings Boman. I’m not competitive when it comes to games.” Oh, sweet Beauty, I wouldn’t stay true to that commitment for my game of you vs. death. 

“Yeah, no shit. You just like to look available.” The redhead strikes again!

“Everyoneee sounds ready to play. Let's get this partttty on the roooad!!” I say as ethuciallyastically  and drunk as I can. Knowing it’s going to be everything but a party. 

With a rotation of my wrist and crack of my neck, all the while summoning the dark creatures that hungrily await us, I enter us into the Upside Down. 

My home.

We live in a universe that's basically a coin, one side up, where you're mostly safe, the other side facing down where anything evil can happen. 

I just happened to be in the mood to want to gamble people’s lives. 

Once the transition is complete, we end up underneath the frozen makeshift ship that we were sitting and chatting in earlier, surrounded by walls of packed snow with ledges and paths that all lead to the surface.

“What the hell man! What is this?” 

“Is this some kind of magic trick? It’s not a very good one?” I want to laugh in their sacred faces. Oh what fun I’m having. 

“It’s simply not a joke, but a game of hide and seek. You have five minutes to get back to your cozy ship hideout until the dragons come out of their caves. Time starts now. Have fun!” I don’t care if I don’t sound drunk anymore. Everyone of course doesn’t take me seriously except for redhead, my personal vote, takes off running in the direction of the steepest path. 

Smart kid.

“There’s no way there are real dragons down here! They're extinct, right? Your mentally insane man. And I’m definitely dreaming.” 

Well I knew the Chinese boy didn’t have a chance.

“What type of dragons are there?” Boman, studious boy, askss Technically I’m not allowed to explain anything else about the Upside Down to people, but what the heck? I don’t want anyone else except Feng to die down here. 

“There are only Remorhaz dragons down here.” I see the wheels turn inside his brain, since the creature is from Dungeons and Dragons and since he’s a master at that game, he should survive. 

Beauty stands close to Feng, looking way up, trying to get a look of where the ship hideout is. 

I pull up my magical timer, “four minutes left!” Redhead is surely already halfway to safety, and Boman hops onto a sturdy snow ledge.

“Come on Feng! All we could know is that there really are deadly dragons down here. Better be safe than sorry, as my mom always liked to say.” Beauty shakes Feng’s arm but he’s no budging. 

Stupid fool, trying to convince himself this can’t be real. 

“No. Once this guy gets tired of pretending to play this game, he’ll get hungry and try to take us all back up to the ship.” He acts as if I can’t whip up a full meal. Out of spite, I lace my fingers together behind my back and bring a chocolate milkshake to my lips. 

“Wha-I’m dreaming.” Is all Feng says as he stares at me. 

“2 minutes!” I call out to whoever can hear me. 

“Fine Feng. If you want to be like this. And yeah, maybe this is a dream. At least in this version of your dream, I hope you don’t die.” And with that, Beauty takes to a light jog up the opposite path the redhead took, glancing nervously at Boman. 

Poor, poor Boman. Just a few feet off the ground. 

“30 seconds!” I watch my breath cloud the air and tip my milkshake upside down to see if it will stick to the bottom. It does, it must be colder down here than above ground.

Then the crys start. 

One by one, the dragons make their entrance out of their caves in the cliffs. I fantanily hear ice cracking far above, and I pray it’s redhead. She has to fight. 

With a mighty blast and hungry cry for meat, the biggest Remorhaz dragon comes out of the clift not but a few feet away from me and Feng, who's chosen to sit on the icy ground. 

“What the he- '' He doesn't have time to even finish his language infested sentence as the huge creature takes one look at him and with its wings puffed out, its mouth closes around Feng. The creature’s wings flap in delight as its intistints take care of Feng. 

“Nice work.” I praise the king dragon, him bowing its head in thanks. He and I have built a trust in each other, something I never thought a dragon and a human could do. 

Boman leaps to ledge after ledge, just barely gripping the cold surface. I watch as a smaller dragon than the king, but still terrifying, opens its jaws below him, waiting for Boman to slip and fall into its stomach. 

He does. I’d rather describe how I could hear his helpless scream all the way down. 

I leave the devastating murder scene behind and sprint up the path Beauty took. About halfway to the top, I find her body, face down in the snow. Her arms are covered in the Remorhaz fang marks. 

Too pretty to eat, or they felt sympathy for eating her friends. Either way, the first time a Reorhaz dragon has ever spared a life. 

I pick her up, surprisingly lightweight, and make the hike back up to the hideout ship. Once I step back inside and feel the warmth surrounding me and Beauty I almost hug the redhead. She sits on the couch, drinking a hot beverage. 

“So, what do you think of my game?”