"Phoenix, stop!"
Phoenix inhaled out-loud and opened his eyes wide to stare at the dark door of his room. Through the darkness, his eyes were heavily dilated and thin rings of glowing gold. There was a dull ringing to ears and a tingling feel to his finger tips. His body ached but mainly in his shoulder blades and upper back. His eyes fell close, licking his dry lips when the voices began to hammer in his head. They were different this time, they singing angelically and cooing his name. He slapped his nightstand around till his felt his cigarettes, rolling onto his stomach and retrieved them. The ringing of his ears heightened, kicking his mind to flicker like a horror film in his head: He has shifted—by force. The lights, the humming. It all brought out the worse in him and he knew it. One second he was a person in a large room, next thing he was a large white and blue dragon in a small room. He could barely turn nor fidget nor happy when he used his vision to see through the wall to see the new girl, petrified by his new appearance.
"Why show us in our form?" Phoenix murmured, pulling a cigarette out. He quickly thought on Dozer's words about new protocol. "But to what end would benefit her by scaring the shit of her like this?" Where was the needles and strap down to a bed scenario he experienced. He grabbed the lighter off his bed, taking a few puffs and tossed it back. He exhaled to his hair and brushed the black veins in his forearms. Sedatives. Did I go too far? His mind flickered again, the sirens blaring in his ears and the lights flashed red as smoke to fill the room. He body numbed them, frowning at the bulged, intoxicated veins.
A soft throat clear his ears. He didn't move and only watched the lit tip of his cigarette, smirking at the smoke. "It's an honor." He took a drag, rolling his shoulders. As a result, he cracked a couple vertebrae's which caused to groan with satisfaction. He peeked over his shoulder and saw a man in a suit sitting half way in the shadows in the recliner in the corner. Phoenix took in the charcoal suit then the multiple thick rings on his long bony fingers.
"You're always on point." The man muttered. "Gave the new girl the scare she deserves."
"No one deserved that." Phoenix glanced back to his cigarette, rolling onto his back. He took a drag then to ash, "The kind of world you're making a dark Disney World, we're just your carnies who work for you."
"Not exactly." The man joined his hands. "You are more like the prizes that go home to the children."
Phoenix's lips thinned, not wanting to agree with him. He pulled his arm behind his head. "...Now what, disfigured Walt Disney?"
"You do nothing now. It's Nurse Joy's turn with her." The chair creaked as the man got up, now only knees and down visible. He started for the door, Phoenix not curious to look when the light from outside shined on his face as he stepped out. He was more phased by the thought of Nurse Joy doing her thing.
Nurse Joy was the one who did all the procedures for the Pyro Project experimentees, he had a feeling she always got a wicked kick out of people being pain. Phoenix wouldn't be surprised if she masturbated to the thought of it every night. He sat up and cracked his neck, listening to the fan. It was quiet out in the hallway which threw him off. No way everyone was asleep.
He pulled the blanket off and got to his feet, ignoring the stiffness to his back as he moved for the door.
At first, he cracked it and saw there was pot lights in the ceiling rather than florescent. "What the..." he opened the door and stepped out to the hallway. It mimicked a five-star hotel from the soft red carpet under his toes to the golden trimmed ceiling, he took a drag and dropped it back to his side when he saw a light at the end on the right. He checked the left to see a pair double doors passed a grated-guard wall, growing concerned. How many floors was there? He glanced back to the right and started walk.
Closer, he began to hear voices and laughter that it slowed his pace some what. He stopped in doorway and stared, taken back.
There was five people sitting around a poker table. One of the two girls noticed first and nodded to him, making the rest look. A guy with a aqua blue fohawk fade smirked and rested his arm on the back of his chair, "Ah, you're finally up."
Phoenix blinked, confused. "Excuse me?"
The guy next to him snort and both of the girls giggled, the guy with the fohawk smiled at them till they calmed down. When he glanced back to Phoenix, he looked him up and down then rose a brow. "You never heard of this floor, huh?"
"There's only eight of us, Mavy." One of the girls giggled.
The guy flipped her the bird then dropped it, scooting back and stood up. His body was tall and lanky, easily a good head taller than Phoenix when he walked over. He slipped his cards into his sweatpants pocket then held his hand out, "Welcome to the Midnight floor."