The Above || Completed

18 Storm Clouds

We didn't make alcohol in the Above the way that people on Earth did. There was always a certain area of cloud that wouldn't stop raining here in the Above. We used storm clouds to make alcohol. Now, as thunderstorms produce lightning, that was what was used to ferment the wisp of cloud that they'd taken. Obviously, lightning way up here is far more intense so it definitely has different properties from what it would have on Earth. Let's think of it this way: Our lightning was insanely supernatural and Earth's was -well, natural. Another method that was often used because humans kept polluting the air, was taking acid rain clouds instead of neutral storm cloud extracts to produce alcohol. Somehow, these drinks turned out far more potent.
Thanks, humans. We owe you one.

Anyway, that whole process was beside the point. If Stadler was drunk, it would be easier to get him out of my way. My eyes scanned the ground at his feet for whatever bottle he'd been drinking out of -made of ice crystals by talented craftspeople. Fortunately, I spotted it sitting at the corner of the shed, glistening in the light of the stars. I finally had an idea.

When Stadler wasn't looking, I jumped behind a bush not far from where I was standing. A thorn as white as snow and about the size of a bullet grazed my side, causing me to bleed. Though I didn't necessarily notice, I was more focused on getting Aeron out of the tool shed. I snuck behind the white shrubs surrounding the shed until I was finally concealed by its shadow. Now, I inched along the walls of the shed and stood with the bottle at my feet. Letting out a breath, my fingers closed around it and I took a look at Stadler. He was giggling to himself, muttering incoherently.
Yeah, this guy was undoubtedly intoxicated.
And his back was facing toward me, too. I could not have asked for more advantageous circumstances.

I stepped out of the shadows into plain sight. I was about to raise the bottle to smash against Stadler's head but he turned around and stood there, looking at me with no recognition whatsoever. It was kind of creepy. He honestly wasn't the best looking guy out there. His looks were quite... detrimental?
"Who're you?" he said, his words slurred and his voice breaking like that of a thirteen-year-old boy.
"No one," I replied simply.
He moved closer to me. The stench of alcohol only intensified. It was nauseating. I almost gagged.
"What're you doin' here?" he inquired, a small, drunken smile forming on his lips.
I fought the urge to scowl at him. "Nothing."
At this, Stadler burst out laughing, as though it was the funniest thing in the world.

Once Stadler was done laughing, I sighed and moved towards him, meaning to knock him out more to shut him up than to get Aeron out. Come to think of it, I could hear Aeron chuckling from within the shed the entire time. I managed a subtle kick against the door to keep him quiet.
"I think I know you from somewhere, Miss," Stadler said suddenly.
"No, you don't know me. But I have the displeasure of knowing you," I spat before I could stop myself.
He chortled aggressively once again. "You're feisty."
"And you're the most cliché security guard I've ever met," I muttered.
I almost screamed when Stadler came at me, wrapped his arms round my knees and heaved me over his shoulders.
"Put me DOWN!" I shrieked.
"Sorry, can't do that. Gotta take you to Robertson," he slurred, punctuating it with a hiccup.

This made me panic just enough to swing the bottle in my hand and send it crashing into his head. His body crumpled beneath mine and I fell so hard that I nearly had the wind knocked out of me. Not to mention the shock of pain that hit my side, where the thorn had grazed me. Blood stained my shirt where I'd been cut, though it was nothing compared to the blood pooling on the floor next to Stadler's head. The bottle had probably cut him when it broke.
He'll probably have the worst hangover ever once he wakes up.
I inhaled deeply and stood up. Right, now to break Aeron out of his wooden, torn up prison.

"Nice job, Maddison, you riled him up real good," Aeron yelled from inside.
I grunted disdainfully. "I should've broken that bottle over his head sooner."
"Oh? And ruin the fun?" I could almost see Aeron pouting with a look of mockery in his eyes.
Admittedly, it was cute.
"Do you want to get out of there or not, Cornelius?" I said pointedly, laughing thereafter.
"HEY!" he shouted indignantly. "Where did you hear that from?"
I just laughed.

^^^

!!Author's Note!!

Hehe, Cornelius...☺️😂
Who else loves my Aeron's middle name as much as I do?

Just to give you some insight on the reason the Above's setting is based in the clouds, I'm going to get a little deep with you.

But first, the title pretty much fits so that could be a contributing factor, lol.

My vision belongs to the dreams most of us probably had when we were little. We would dream of sitting on a cloud way up in the sky and how it would be so comfy that we'd eventually decide to live in the clouds forever.

Then Science came along and kicked our asses.

But in a way, I guess we're living in storm clouds. We're tossed and turned in torrential bursts of rain and wind in our lives. Lightning strikes mercilessly. And sometimes there's just a silence so mighty that our hearts begin to thunder to fill it.

We lead these uniquely tumultuous lives.

Within us there are storms, making us storms within a storm.

You could say our dreams of living in the clouds came true anyway.

💙