He didn't know how long he had been in this room. He had all but forgotten anything but the peeling white paint of the concrete walls and the cold hard floor he sat on. He could hear the voices of a guard and his doctor outside his door. He'd come to recognize them, though these particular two had only been with him a short while. Or had they? He wasn't sure.

There was a third voice. A woman. His eyes flickered, as if coming to life, but quickly dimmed again. Her voice was thin but had an edge like broken glass. It reminded him of something but, no matter how hard he tried to rouse his sluggish mind, he couldn't remember what and in that moment, he felt as if he'd lost something important.

Keys jangled and the door unlocked with a hollow clang. The blue eyes of the doctor peered through the circular glass window, no bigger than a fist, before he pushed the door open and stuck his head through. Victor didn't move. The doctor stepped fully into the room, moving slowly and keeping a steady eye on him.

“Victor?” No response. “Victor, I have someone here to visit you. Is that okay?” Victors mind struggled a moment to comprehend the words before giving up entirely. He gave no signs of interest, or even awareness, in the doctor's presence. The doctor frowned, his small mouth turning down at the corners like a frustrated child, before beckoning to someone behind the door.

A mahogany-haired girl stepped forward tentatively, her eyes downcast. She was accompanied by a low buzzing emanating from plugs jammed in her ears. The plugs were connected by a wire to a small black box she clutched to her chest like a cross. The buzz got louder for an instant and then died completely as the doctor plucked the plugs from her ears and pulled the box out of her hands. She gasped at the jarring silence.

“I'm sorry, Lexy, you can't bring this in,” he said, reassuringly, “You'll be fine. See if you can get....anything.”

“But, James, I--” That voice, timid and piercing. Victor's mind rolled like a sleeping dragon. “I can't. It's too quiet.”

“It's just a little while. I'll be right outside if you need me.” He squeezed her arm and, glancing warily at Victor, slid out of the room. The big metal door shut with a clang.

They were alone, Victor and the girl. She pressed her back to the wall, her brows knotted in fear. Not of Victor, exactly, but a more generalized kind, like the room itself was out to get her. Her eyes darted over the room, clinging to every detail. A chip of paint on the floor, a ball of dust in the corner. Finally, they landed on him.

He could feel her eyes raking over him. It was as if his skin was on fire. She studied his dingy white jumpsuit and his wildly unkept hair, soiled where it brushed the floor. The smell of her was almost more than he could bear and yet the fog in his mind was unbroken.

“H-hi. My name is Alexis,” she stammered. Oh, God, that voice. If only he could remember. “They tell me you've been here a long time.”

She paused, waiting for a reaction. She sighed and slid down to the floor. “I was in this once. Not in solitary, but in the hospital. I'm sick, too. I'm better than I was, though. I don't have to stay in the hospital anymore. I can't imagine what it's like to be in solitary. Just you and the silence. I can't stand silence.”

Victor's eyes flickered, this time holding onto a bit of life as she spoke. The dragon turned and growled groggily as it struggled to awaken.

“I hear voices, you see. In the silence. That's why I was in the hospital. They couldn't really do anything for me, though. I just carry around a music player. Drowns them out. It's quiet in here though.” She cocked her head to the side, listening to the room with surprise.

“I think that's why James asked me to come. Because, maybe the last thing either of us needs is another doctor.” She leaned forward, her face suddenly full of empathy. “I know you're scared, locked up in there with your demons. Maybe we can help each other with the monster inside.”

Monster. The dragon in his mind sprang to life. Frightening images of violence and destruction flashed behind his eyes, only he wasn't frightened. His breathing quickened and his hooded eyes pulled open ever so slowly. He felt himself covered in blood. His blood. Soaked in it. Choking on it.

In a burst of motion that sent Alexis flying to her feet, Victor doubled over coughing violently. He gasped and sputtered, pitching forward on his elbows.

“James, help!” Alexis screamed, pounding her fists against the door. “He's choking!” She could hear James and the guard struggling with keys as she launched herself the three steps to Victor's side.

“Don't, Lex! Stay away from him!” James shouted through the door as he fumbled with the lock, but she was already on her knees beside him. She reached out to touch his shoulder and he turned on her, throwing her to the ground and pinning her beneath him. His sharp features were twisted with rage and something else. Excitement?

Alexis screamed and struggled against him, but he was unmovable. The skin of his hands was burning hot against her bare wrists. As the tumblers fell in the lock and the door pushed open, a stillness fell over Victor and his expression changed. His grip loosened and he lowered his body close to hers. His breath was sweet, faintly metallic and unnaturally hot.

James and the guard rushed in and pulled Victor off of her, but not before he whispered something in her ear. He fell back in an exhausted heap, landing in a position not unlike the one he started in. His eyes dimmed and his breathing slowed. The dragon was asleep once more.

James pulled a shaken Alexis from the room and locked the door behind him. He looked her up and down for injuries and, finding none, attempted to throw his arms around her but she pulled away.

“Are you okay?” he asked, brushing past her rejection.

“Yeah, I'm fine.”

“He's never done that before,” he said, running his hands through his straw-colored hair, “What did he say to you?”

Alexis frowned and lowered her eyes. She plucked her MP3 player from James' pocket and jammed the plugs in her ears. She turned the volume up as her head slowly filled with whispers.

“'I am the monster.'”