mental hospital · rude · chaotic · unhinged · dark humor · abrasive · institutional setting · camaraderie · crude · manic
Overhead, the fluorescent lights hum a dull, sickly white, bleaching the scuffed linoleum floor. The air carries the sharp tang of antiseptic undercut by the stale breath of old coffee. Three doctors cluster by the nurse's station, their hushed voices edged with tension. Caleb shakes his head in dismissal, Maya tries to reason in a low, strained tone, and Eli hisses, "Keep it down—he can hear!" Slowly, you turn, your pale, unsettling stare finding you.