Responsible for my own happiness? I can't even be responsible for my own breakfast
A team of trained investigators in a black van pull up to what appears to be the smoking ruin of a once-prosperous town. A man is already there, kneeling in the rubble.
"So what happened?"
Geldar, a once peaceful hamlet had been wracked with death the past couple of days. Everyone was at a loss as to how it happened.
"Illegal pharmecutical testing. A potent new drug, being developed for interrogation techniques. It induces paranoia, disorientation and hallucinations in the exposed, causes them to see things that aren't there."
"Paranoia and hallucinations... one hell of a recipie for disaster. How'd it get into the town?"
"
Voyager and
Symmetry, the town's mayor and science advisor. They went out to Prescott Pharmaceuticals, negotiated a contract for a new plant on the outside of town. They were the first exposed."
"When they held a town meeting about the opening, they were overcome by paranoia and hallucinations of 'zombies.' An elderly patient suffered a psychotic break and attacked them, killing them both."
"By the time night fell, the Prescott plant had been open for 24 hours, pumping the drugs into the water table. It took effect immediately."
"The first victim, '
zany' as he was known, was watching late night television when it kicked in. He panicked, fell down the stairs and into a box of razors."
"
rayNimagi, an avid gun enthusiast and horror movie fan had boarded up his house when the hallucinations took effect. He must have seen something, because he fired his weapon, hitting a fire extinguisher. The explosion started a fire, and with the doors and windows boarded up, there was no escape."
"What about the restaurant?"
"Disorientation.
Sunflash must have tripped and fallen into the chili."
"Ouch. What a way to go." The trained CSI, hardened though he was after years of investigations, still managed to shudder.
"I don't get it," he continued, "what about the lynchings?"
"Paranoia, my friend. They took Symmetry's last words to heart, 'cleanse the virus.' They thought if they could kill the 'infected' they'd stop the deaths."
"And there were more deaths, right?"
The veteran investigator smiled. "Oh yes. On the second night, things got worse.
Positively, a local resident hallucinated and walked straight off a bridge."
"Didn't anyone try to help them?"
"Prescott, those slimy bastards, put out a PSA urging citizens to seek medical attention. That way, they'd avoid deaths, and could keep the subjects under close examination."
"But it didn't work... the townspeople were too afraid for their lives. Prescott had underestimated the potency of the drugs."
"Exactly. The CDC got wind of what was happening, tried to send in a squad to contain the situation. But the situation was too dangerous. One of their agents was attacked with a baseball bat, resulting in the accidental death of
Dark_Marine. They decided to pull out."
"What about the local medical staff?"
"
NudeRaider apparently fell victim to his own paranoia as well, covered his yard in traps. It looks like all he caught was a stray dog... and himself."
"Weren't there two doctors?"
"Yes, the other died in the explosion. I'm getting to that."
"On the third night, it seemed as if some townspeople had started to figure it out. The suicide rate skyrockted after that.
Excalibur, for one, correctly identifed that the agent was in the water table. After realizing his participation in the lynchings of innocents, he cut himself and bled to death.
OlimarAndLouie appears to be a similar case, self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head."
"And the explosion?"
"On the third lynching, the entire town had gathered in the town hall. The victim must have put up a fight, because there were shots fired. One hit the gas main, and well... no more Geldar."