Simon Smoke let out a groan of frustration as he heard the nightmare critters argue who was the toughest one to get through the manor and the murder monkey's hotel. Mollie Macaw was tinkering with her plane for the on hundredth time, humming a merry tune which was causing Simon's eye to twitch. Doug was looking at his tablet, probably thinking about what nightmare to have next. Simon decided to put his foot down. "All this noise is giving me a headache!" he complained. "I am going somewhere quieter!" Simon looked at the portals and decided to venture into one. "Hmm, eeny, meeny, miny, moe, that's the way that I will go." He picked a random portal and walked right through without telling anyone where he was going.
Bierce, on the other hand, noticed. "What does that little toy think he's doing?" she muttered to herself.
Simon stood in a parking lot and saw a hospital building right in front of him. "A hospital, eh? Maybe they might have some medicine for my headache!" The sliding glass doors opened and he stepped inside. He was amazed by the neon lights and the nurses with the paper bags on their heads. The music was captivating. The statue of the nurse holding a crystal heart was shiny. He noticed a few nurses dancing and swaying to the music going, "Uh-huh, oh yeah!"
"Mm, this must be where the cool guys go for therapy!" Simon chuckled to himself. He strutted over to the desk, smootheed his scales, leaned on it and said with a smile and a wink at the nurse at the desk, "Finally, a place with some class. Those other Critters were giving me a migraine with all that 'who’s the scariest' nonsense. I assume you have a VIP suite for a dragon of my caliber? Something with a view of the chaos?"
The nurse tilted her head and giggled, ""Oh, a new patient! And such a... sturdy one. We don't get many dragons in the ward. You look like you've been carrying a lot of stress, dearie."
"Being the 'cool one' of the group is a full-time job, babe. The name’s Simon. Simon Smoke. I’m sure you’ve heard of me? Popularity follows me like, well, smoke." Simon chuckled arrogantly.
"Oh, we’ve heard the heartbeat of every man who wanders in here, Simon. You're just in time for your evaluation. Please, follow me." The nurse led him down a hallway, lit by neon lights. He found himself in a room with windows. He saw several nurses doing their dance. "Like what you see?" she asked.
"Oh yeah!" Simon grinned at the mesmerizing display. He continued on to follow her. He dusted his shoulders as he walked through the sterile hallway. "I knew she was just excited to see a smoking hot dragon dude. A bit touchy with the needles, sure, but she's leading the way to the VIP lounge now." he said to himself.
"Right this way, Mr. Smoke. We have a special 'Stress Relief Chamber' prepared just for you. A dragon of your... stature... deserves total isolation from the common rabble." she gestured him inside a room.
"Finally! Someone who speaks my language. Total isolation, high-end service, and maybe a mirror? I need to make sure my scales are still shining." Simon said with a puff of smoke.
The room was full of flickering monitors and a very comfortable looking chair. "Oh, we have plenty of mirrors in the Examination Room, Simon. Why don't you step inside? The doctor will be with you shortly to... open you up... to new possibilities."
He heard a familiar voice. "Oh, Simon... you really are a sucker for a pretty face, aren't you? Even one hidden behind a surgical mask. Do try not to get too comfortable in the Power Room." Bierce warned.
Simon walked in with his hands behind his head. "Jealousy doesn't suit you, Bierce. Just because I get the royal treatment—hey, why are the lights turning red?"
The nurse replied, "The doctor is ready for your surgery, Simon. We're going to start by removing that oversized ego."
Simon tugged at the locked door. "Hey! The door’s stuck! And why is the floor starting to vibrate? This isn't a massage chair! This is—!" Simon saw the danger in the room now. He acted quickly. "Treatment? Sweetheart, I’m the one who gives out the burns around here. This 'VIP room' is a dump!" With a deep inhale, Simon released a concentrated stream of Dragon Fire. The steel lock glowed white-hot, then slumped into a puddle of molten slag. He kicked the door open, stepping out into the hallway with a cocky grin, smoke curling from his nostrils.
"Oh... a 'difficult' patient. You're refusing your initial dose, Mr. Smoke? That’s very... naughty of you." the nurse criticized.
"Difficult? I'm the impossible, baby! Now, show me to the exit before I turn this whole wing into a barbecue pit."
"Now, now... if you don't like the Examination Room, perhaps you’d prefer the Advanced Therapy Ward? It’s much more... spacious. It’s where we handle the high-energy cases like yourself." the nurse replied as she led him down the hall towards another room.
Bierce started to speak in his head again. "He’s got some fire in him! Too bad the Nurses are experts at putting out 'inflated' personalities. They're leading you to the Second Zone, Simon. Watch your step—the floor isn't as solid as it looks."
"Please, follow us to the Surgery Theater. If you won't take our pills, we’ll just have to use a more... invasive method to fix that temper of yours. We promise, you won’t feel a thing once we’ve removed your brain."
"Surgery Theater? Sounds like a stage. And I do love a captive audience. Lead the way, ladies, but keep those 'props' away from the fabric!" Simon smiled now feeling wary. As Simon follows them deeper into the hospital, he doesn't notice the Reaper Nurses behind him pulling out their stunning pills and preparing to cloak.
Bierce shouted, "Simon! Use that pea-sized dragon brain of yours for once! They aren't taking you to a stage, they’re taking you to an operating table! Look behind you!"
Simon looked behind him. "What? They’re just... wait, where’d they go? They were just there a second ago."
The hallway behind him was empty. The only sound is the rhythmic, metallic clack-shhh, clack-shhh of roller skates echoing off the tiles, growing faster and louder from every direction.
"They’ve cloaked, you idiot! They’re invisible! If you don't get out of that hallway now, the only 'opening night' you’ll have is when they open your chest cavity! Run!"
Simon decided to cool the air. "Alright, look, I get it. You ladies have a 'process.' But the vanishing act? A bit much for a simple check-up, don't you think?"
The reaper nurse said in a slightly hurt tone, "Vanishing? Whatever do you mean, Mr. Smoke? We were simply preparing the room. You're being very uncooperative. It’s almost as if you don't want to get better."
"Oh. Right. Preparing the room. See, Bierce? They’re just professionals. You’re the one getting all worked up." Simon's ego began to recover, blinding him to the nurses' malice.
Bierce shouted in an frustrated way, "Simon, you absolute bird-brain! Look at the floor! Look at the saws! They are gaslighting you! If you follow her into that next room, you aren't coming back out in one piece!"
"Chillax, Bierce, I know what I'm doing." Simon snorted.
The reaper nurse took him to another room. "Please, Mr. Smoke. We’re giving you one last chance to take your treatment seriously. If you keep resisting, we’ll have to restrain you for your own safety. Now, come along. The doctor has such a special 'rearrangement' planned for your scales."
"Oh, a manicure! I like the sound of that!" He heard what sounded like Bierce facepalming herself. "Listen, ladies, I got a busy schedule so let's make it quick."
"Of course we will." the nurse said in an upbeat way, rubbing her hands together.
Bierce whispered in a worried tone, "Simon, you big oaf, the minute those doors close, they won't be playing 'clueless' anymore. They'll be playing 'dissect the dragon.' Get out of there!"
The room he entered was full of hissing smoke and an uncomfortable looking chair. The nurse said in a smooth yet clinical voice, "Sit here, Mr. Smoke. The Doctor will be in shortly to administer your 'personality adjustment.' Just wait until this timer reaches zero. Don't move... it would be a shame to ruin such a pretty toy before we even begin." She pointed to a large, glowing red digital clock on the wall: 0:30... 0:29...
"Thirty seconds? Please, I’ve kept fans waiting longer than that for an autograph. Just tell the Doc to make it quick. I have a reputation to maintain." he kept up his cool guy act. The Nurse bows her head politely and skates out, the heavy steel door clicking shut with a finality that makes the room feel much smaller.
Bierce yelled in fury, The Nurse bows her head politely and skates out, the heavy steel door clicking shut with a finality that makes the room feel much smaller.
Bierce yelled in fury, "You arrogant lizard! Look up! That isn't a waiting room, it's a Decontamination Chamber! When that timer hits zero, the floor vents are going to flood this room with neurotoxin and the ceiling needles will drop!"
Simon glanced up, seeing thousands of jagged, rusted needles vibrating just above his head. "Wait... those aren't luxury showerheads? And why is the air starting to smell like... vinegar and death?"
0:15... 0:14...
Simon felt his bravado vanish in a puff of smoke (no pun intended). "Okay, okay! The joke’s over! Open the door! I’m not even sick! I’m a dragon! I have a very healthy immune system!"
"Patience, Simon. We're just clearing out the impurities."
"Impurities? What impurities?" Simon demanded.
"Male pride." The nurse said gleefully.
0:05... 0:04...
As the timer hit 0:01, Simon doesn't wait for the "treatment." He lunges off the chair, his claws digging into the floor tiles as he slams his shoulder against the door. It didn't budge. "Shoot!" Simon gasped. "Dr. Harley Sawyer's traps were not as sophisticated as this!"
Bierce hurriedly told him. "The vents! Use your fire on the ventilation shaft! It’s the only way out before the gas fills your lungs!"
With a roar of pure panic, Simon unleashes a blast of white-hot dragon fire into the ceiling vent, melting the grate. He scrambles up into the ductwork just as the room below is flooded with a thick, green fog and the needles slam into the chair where he was sitting.
Simon said to himself. "Right. New plan. Finding the exit. And when I find that nurse, I’m leaving a very one-star review!"
Simon next heard a voice that sounded deeper and much meaner. "You’re fast for a stuffed animal... but the Hospital is a very large place, Simon. And the Nurses never lose a patient."
"Must be that Malak guy that Bierce talks about." Simon said to himself.
Simon scrambled through the cramped, dusty ventilation shaft, the sound of his claws scraping against the metal echoing dangerously. He dropped down through a loose grate, landing awkwardly in a large, dimly lit Storage Ward filled with empty gurneys and rows of jagged surgical tools. Standing in the center of the room, blocking the only exit, is the same Reaper Nurse from before. But the "clueless" act is gone. "You are a very unruly patient, Simon. We offered you a peaceful transition. We offered you mercy. But men like you always have to make things difficult."
Simon shook his head. "Nuh, uh, I was asking you to cure my headache, not remove my head altogether! Now stay back! I'm warning you, this fabric is flame-retardant, but your uniform definitely isn't!"
Malak ordered, "No more games. TEAR HIM APART!" The Nurse suddenly cloaked, vanishing into thin air. The only thing Simon could hear is the high-pitched whine of the saw and the shhh-shhh-shhh of skates circling him in the dark. Simon only chuckled. He was used to the dark of Playtime Co. where seeing with one's own eyes was impossible in the deeper bowels of the toy factory. He used his draconic senses to find out where the nurses were. "You think the dark is your ally? Sweetheart, I am the thing that bumps in the night. You're just a nurse with a noisy pair of shoes." The Reaper Nurse lunged from her cloak, her saw whirring toward his neck, but Simon didn't even flinch. He pivoted on a plush heel, his heavy dragon tail sweeping out like a club and slamming into her midsection, sending her crashing through a row of metal gurneys.
Bierce this time sounded impressed. "Oh, look at that! The lizard has some spine after all! Don't stop to admire the wreckage, Simon—the Elevator is at the end of the hall."
"Copy that." Simon followed Bierces instructions for once. Simon bolted. He didn't just run; he uses his wings to provide bursts of speed, skidding around corners as more Nurses decloaked. Every time a nurse tries to block him, he exhales a blinding flash of Dragon Fire, not to kill, but to create a wall of heat that forced them to veer off-course. He reached the heavy Zone 3 exit doors. With one final, powerful shove, he bursted through and slammed into the elevator just as a dozen syringes thud into the closing metal doors. As the elevator doors groaned open at the Ring Altar, the air turns thick with the smell of medicine and decay. Simon didn't find an easy exit; he found a massive, bloated figure blocking his path.
"Who's that?" He eyed the enormous nurse who's legs were fastened to a wheelchair.
"That's the matron. She is the one who runs the facility. Watch your step now." Bierce replied.
The matron spotted Simon and yelled, "Get that slippery serpent!"
Simon managed to "slip" by, zig-zagging around the room causing the nurses to crash into each other. He ran through the walls with circular saws bursting out of the floors. "Blades in the walls, blades in the floor—does anybody in this dimension just use a rug?!" Simon saw his chance and snatched the ring piece. "Got it, Bierce!"
"Nice job, Simon, you are finally coming to your senses. Now get to the garage, Simon! The ambulance is fueled and ready for a 'patient transfer'! If you can reach the bay, you can get out of this ward for good!"
"Got it." Simon sees the flickering red and blue lights of the Ambulance idling at the far end of the bay. The Matron is right on his tail, her wheelchair's engine revving like a chainsaw.
"You... haven't... taken... your... MEDICINE!" the matron roared.
Malak shouted with rage, "YOU’RE NOT FINISHED, TOY!"
"Don't want your medicine, lady!" Simon snorted. With a desperate burst of speed, Simon lunged toward the back of the moving ambulance. He caught the rear handle with one clawed hand, swinging his stuffed body onto the back step just as the Matron’s saw carved a massive gash into the metal bumper behind him. Simon climbed on top of the ambulance as the vehicle swerved into the highway.
Two Nurses launched themselves from the side of the road, landing with a heavy thud on the ambulance roof. Simon breathed fire at them, singing their dresses. They both fell off the ambulance, and right in the direction of the matron. "Two for one!" Simon smirked.
"We've had enough of you!" a nurse shouted as she climbed aboard the ambulance. Simon used his tale to slam her off the ambulance.
"I told you ladies... I’m the hottest thing in this dimension! Literally!" Simon Smoke boasted. That nurse fell in the path of the matron, causing her to tumble and hit the pavement. Simon felt his ego swell from his victory. Once the ambulance stopped, he made a dash to the exit. He made it to the lobby with dozens of reaper nurses, armed with their syringes.
"There he is, let's go get him!" one of them shouted. Simon dodged, swung his tail, and breathed fire at the nurses. He ran around the room to get them to skate into each other and then made a run for the exit.
"Look at him go! Most mortals are terrified of the Hospital, but you’re treating it like a personal gym!" Bierce commented.
"I regularly work out at Playtime Co., lady." Simon flexed his muscles. He made a dash to the parking lot and found the portal. He ran through and appeared in Bierce's ballroom. Doug, Mollie, Bierce, and the Nightmare Critters stared at Simon as he strutted across the room towards Bierce. He held the glowing Ring Piece like a cheap carnival prize. "Catch, lady. Found this gathering dust in that basement you call a hospital. Consider it a gift from the most popular dragon in the building." He tossed it to Bierce and she caught it.
Bierce remarked with a sharp laugh, "A gift? More like a miracle. I didn't think a stuffed toy with that much ego could fit through the vents, let alone survive the Matron. But a piece is a piece. You’re far more useful than you look, Simon."
Mollie Macaw stared in shock, "You have the courage of a barnstormer!"
"You ain't scene crazy yet!" Simon gloated.
Baba Chops was fuming at Simon's audacity. "Unbelievable! You waltz into a High-Security Ward, play tag with some Reaper Nurses, and come back with a shiny trinket? Simon, you have a brain the size of a grape!" she stomped her hoof.
Simon blew smoke rings in her face. "Sorry, Baba. I can't hear you over the sound of me being a legend. Maybe if you spent less time being a cranky sweater and more time being 'cool,' you'd get a shard too."
Raby Baby, on the other hand, was so excited to have an exciting new story to gossip about. "Oh, Simon! This is juicy! Did you really see the Matron? I heard she hasn't had a 'visitor' stay for less than an hour in decades! And the Nurses—did they really try to give you a sponge bath? Tell me everything! I need the details for when I talk to the Nightmare Critters later!"
Simon puffed up his chest. "Babe, the details are simple: They wanted me, they couldn't have me, and I wrecked the place on the way out. It’s the hottest story in the Hospital, literally."
Doug Houser decided to lecture Simon about his daring do. He walked toward the stuffed dragon and said, "You think this is a game, Simon? You think Malak is just some grumpy landlord you can annoy for a laugh?"
Simon leaned against a pillar and picked his teeth, "Whoa, take a breath, Houser. I got the shard, didn't I? Bierce is happy, the Nurses are crying, and I look fantastic. Besides, I relieved you of some work so now you have how many more ring pieces to go?"
Doug's eyes narrowed, "You’re an idiot. You wandered into Torment Therapy without a plan, without a Tablet, and without telling a soul. If those Reaper Nurses had pinned you down, Malak wouldn't have just 'cured' you—he would have used your soul as a battery for the next nightmare. You didn't 'win'; you got lucky because they were too surprised by your stupidity to aim straight."
"Hey, I handled the Matron just fine—" Simon began.
"The Matron doesn't forget a face, Simon. Especially one that humbles her. You’ve just put a massive target on all our backs. Next time, stay in the Ballroom and leave the shard hunting to someone who actually understands the stakes. You're not 'cool,' you're a liability." Doug stated.
"Oooooh, the tension! 'Liability' is such a big word, don't you think?" Raby Baby whispered to Baba.
Baba grunted, "Finally, the human says something sensible. If that dragon brings the Nurses back here, I’m kicking him into the pit myself." Simon huffed a small, annoyed puff of smoke, clearly stung by the lecture but too proud to admit Doug is right.
Simon gave Doug a comeback. "Liability? Please. While you’re in there playing hide-and-seek with your little tablet, I’m giving the Matron a makeover she didn't ask for. You call it luck; I call it having a personality. Maybe if you smiled once in a while, the Reaper Nurses wouldn't be so eager to 'fix' you."
Doug said, "You are going to get yourself killed one day, little dragon."
Bierce replied with a feline grin, (Watching the exchange with an amused, feline grin) "Now, now, Doug. Take it easy on the little fire-breather. Simon might be a walking ego, but he just brought back a Ring Piece while you were still double-checking your laces. He’s proven himself quite... expedient... for our little cause."
Doug pointed at Simon, "Never walk into a Nightmare Realm without telling anyone where you are going again!"
"Whatever you say, bro." Simon smirked.

End of Chapter