Quite literal experiments, then. Skulduggery was almost disappointed to learn that even in unexplored alternate realities he knew nothing about, torture would still be an inescapable part of his life. So much else about this supposed hospital had been unique, but perhaps torture was simply too much of a classic to leave out of the equation.

But torture, he could handle. He'd been introduced to all sorts of creative torture meant to hurt even a skeleton in the last few years alone. The idea of torture meant far, far less to Skulduggery right now than the idea of getting sedated. He'd never been sedated before, and he imagined it wasn't fun.

"Well," he answered the boy after a moment, "I met a woman who said she was killed, and she insisted on coming here. That fountain," he added with a brief wave of his hand, "was not angelic, and it wasn't spouting water. I'm guessing the rest of this place tends to follow that example come nightfall. Why the pretense during the day?"

Actually, mentioning Yomi out loud made Skulduggery remember that he had been looking for a mirror on the way to this chapel. He made a mental note to find one later; a quick few minutes of practice might help him remember to blink more often and smile without looking eerie.