The man almost didn't care anymore, but simple thoughts provoked him to continue. It's not like where he was, was a big surprise anymore. He knew exactly where he was and he had been trapped here for who knows how long. He had no way of telling what time it was, what day it was, or where he was in the world. He kept walking along the desolate road, but the lack of water began to eat away at him. He collapsed onto the soft, mushy ground, which almost comforted his fall.

"Gotta get…somewhere." The man muttered to himself. "Can't…let…"

The man slapped his face, but it didn't help him very much. He knew he had to escape. If he didn't, whatever was down there would kill him. He forced himself to his feet, trying desperately to find something, anything that could help him out of the place he was in. This goddamn place was going to get the best of him. He knew it was going to, there was no way out. He felt like saying goodbye, but there was no one there. The man accepted his fate, he knew there was no way out. Even if he did find a way out, who would find him? With what he was wearing, there would be no chance for someone to save him.

As these thoughts ate away at the man, he soon heard a loud crackling noise. No, it couldn't be, that goddamn thing followed him. Whatever it was, he couldn't let it take him. But he wouldn't go down a coward. He turned to face the crackling noise and realized exactly what it was. It was enough for him to get up and fight. He stood up, his parched throat feeling like sandpaper. He didn't care, he began running towards the noise. The noise was coming from an object coloured black and orange. The man heard the thing behind him roar and heard its footfalls as it rushed after him. He jumped through the orange/black hole and ended up in the exact same place that he had been before. However, it was different somehow, less dark and mushy. The ground felt hard this time.

"Ha, I beat you!" The man yelled, regardless of his parched throat.

He looked at the orange hole to see it closing. However, something seemed off. It didn't seem right. Why would a portal open now? Despite how long he was down there? Either someone knew he was, or he came across a portal by chance. Before he could continue, he heard footsteps and they were headed towards him. He didn't even bother to get up and look at who or what it was. His head simply laid on the hard ground, staring up at the night sky. The footsteps stopped in front of the man. The man looked up at the figure, which he didn't recognize. The voice that came afterward was very calm and almost compassionate.

"Sir, are you ok?" The woman asked, concerned for the man's health.

Before the man could respond, he was out cold. He knew this was it. He knew there was no going back home. No going back to his daughter. No future for him; it's not like she loved him. He even asked her, but she didn't seem to understand.

The next thing the man knew, he was awake in a hospital. He shook his head as he awoke; his parched throat seemingly gone. The man found himself changed into a hospital gown and attached to an IV tube. Was it his dumb luck? No, it couldn't be. He knew he was dead, what other possibility was there?

A doctor entered the room that the man was resting in. The man knew that he recognized the doctor, he knew exactly where he was. Why else would he being seeing the same damn doctor? The doctor looked at him and smiled.

"Welcome back!" The doctor said, raising his arms in the air.

"Dr. Owens? Where am I?" The man asked, concerned.

"Well, not in the upside down, I can tell you that much. But, what I can tell you, is that not much has changed since you…well…left. We've been monitoring you ever since you…disappeared." Dr. Owens replied, smiling.

The man looked at Owens with anger. "You just left me down there?! With those goddamn things?!"

Dr. Owens raised his hand. "Take it easy. I guess I over exaggerated. What I meant was, we knew you went inside after the explosion. You're body wasn't anywhere to be found and we knew what that meant. We tried to follow you, but your tracks disappeared after a while. We soon were able to get a portal open, but only for a few short moments. Hah! Looked like it worked."

"So, where am i? Hawkins Lab?" The man asked, sarcastically.

"Actually, you're not too far off. Maybe not Hawkins Lab, per say. But definitely better than that place. We don't torture kids here. This is a replacement lab, not in the same place, but we're using it as such. We still need to monitor the upside down, I'm sure you could understand that." Dr. Owens replied.

"What happened when I was gone?"

"Well, Will Byers and his family moved away, but aside from that, not much. It's been pretty quiet around here actually."

The man immediately lowered his head in sadness. He never got to say goodbye to Joyce, not after the explosion. She turned away, but he didn't expect to survive jumping into the upside down, but somehow he did. She never knew what happened to him. But El, he had to find El, tell her that he loved her and that he wants to keep her safe and make her Eggo's whenever she was upset.

"What about Eleven? Is she ok?" The man asked.

Dr. Owens simply stared at the man for a moment. Not saying a word.

"What happened to her?" The man asked, calmly.

Dr. Owens sighed. "Listen, she moved away with the Byers family, but I don't know why. All I know is she's living a few towns over. I don't know where exactly though. But listen, Jim, you need rest. The last thing you need to do is get out. I promise you that you'll only be in here for a day and then you can go, ok? You don't have to see this ugly face any more than you have to." The doctor said, smiling.

Jim smiled back. At least he was honest and at least El was safe. Dr. Owens began walking towards the door.

"I'll see you later, Jimbo. I've got quite a few things I need to do, so, you know…"

Jim nodded and Owens closed the hospital door. Jim breathed a sigh of relief, but one of sadness as well. Joyce…he couldn't say what he truly felt. Even though she knew well enough already. Jim turned to face a mirror in his room. His mustache had been overshadowed by his beard, which had grown back drastically, completely disgruntled. He knew the person in the reflection. Jim Hopper. Jim Hopper was back in the real world.