Original subtitles

These stories are inspired by the actual case files

of the Office of Scientific Investigation and Research.

You okay?

Neck's actin' up.

We got some weather comin'.

So, uh, no one's ever really said how he does it.

He uses bare hands.

He strangles them.

He tears them apart.

I know who you think you are.

And I know who some of the men think you are.

To me, you're just another prisoner.

There's a good reason I get the toughest cases.

You stay out of trouble, you won't have to find out why.

He that's might of the man, so that he die.

So that he die shall be surely but to death.

Wherein thou judgest another, thou condemnest thyself.

With what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged.

Emily Dickinson once wrote:

Let us go in, the fog is rising.

Fog has always had a mythic and disturbing quality.

Like darkness, it obscures and conceals

and thus it nourishes one of the primary tenets of human nature.

What we cannot see, we fear.

Hello?

Who's down there?

Somebody there?

Is that you, Harvey?

I thought you were going home, buddy.

Freeze! Don't move!

- Mark. - Don't take another step!

Have you lost your mind?

Harvey?

Case manager Connor Doyle, file number 559146.

At the request of the governor's office, we've arrived at Flat Rock Maximum Security Prison,

which has been shrouded in a mysterious fog for three full days now.

Inmates and guards are reporting a variety of unusual symptoms, including vivid hallucinations.

One incident has resulted in death.

Never had a shooting incident like this here before.

Sullivan's a good kid, the story makes no sense.

When did people first start reporting hallucinations?

Right about the same time the fog set in.

You ever seen anything like it?

No.

Is it always this stuffy in here?

Ventilation systems out.

Can't even open a window. The place completely clouds up.

Smells kind of weird too, doesn't it?

The hallucinations are pretty wide-ranging.

Everything from snakes and spiders to demons and monsters.

Physiological assessments indicate various symptoms,

including high blood pressure and shortness of breath.

But there's no evidence of hallucinogens.

Based on the examination of the environment, the temperature, the nature of the valley,

the current fog is not unnatural.

But it is unusual.

It is unusual.

In meteorological terms, it's known as a temperature inversion.

And in layman's terms?

The air near the earth is warmer than the air above.

And this is trapping gases and fumes that would normally be carried upwards away from the earth.

How long can that last?

These weather conditions have never lasted so long in one place before.

If there are any hazardous substances, they aren't at a level that'll pose any danger.

I am working on a detailed chemical analysis.

In the meantime, I'd like to arrange an interview with Officer Sullivan.

Why would I do it?

I didn't have anything with Harvey.

I can't believe he's dead.

When did you realize that you'd actually shot Mr. Kent and not Mishanka?

Look, I've been through all this a hundred times

and I've still got to go through it with the inquest.

If we can somehow validate your claim...

Can you imagine what would happen to me, a prison guard, if I had to go to jail?

If this was somehow caused by something beyond your control...

Like what?

For one, it's possible there was an unusual chemical compound in the fog.

That makes sense.

Practically everyone's been seeing things in the prison.

Maybe you should talk to Kozlov.

Victor Kozlov?

I'm Lindsay Donner of the Office of Scientific Investigation and Research.

What's this about?

We're investigating the reported hallucinations.

Look, you've got to get me out of here.

I understand, your application for transfer is being considered.

No, I must get out of here now.

Why?

Because if I don't, I'm a dead man.

Look, I've only got another year to serve.

I've got a life ahead of me.

He's here to kill me.

Who?

Mishanka.

Hedeon Mishanka.

Recently convicted for first degree murder.

Sentenced to die by lethal gas.

Back home in Russia

he worked for my family.

He took care of problems.

He was, you see, a hit man.

You're admitting your family was involved in organized crime?

What my family did was business.

They did what they had to do to survive, after everything changed.

But Mishanka was insane.

He didn't kill for money.

He loved it.

My father decided he was too big a risk.

So your father tried to kill him?

Yes.

In revenge, Mishanka massacred them all.

One by one.

Slowly.

So he could feel their fear.

I was the only one to escape.

And now you think Mishanka murdered someone and was intentionally caught and sentenced to death

just so he could get in here to kill you?

He doesn't care what you think or what I think.

He does whatever he wants.

He can go anywhere, do anything.

He is not a man.

He brought the darkness with him.

He's the Angel of Death.

He's a recent addition to Death Row.

I compiled a background profile on him after several inmates indicated that they felt Mishanka

was somehow responsible for what's been going on.

Nice upbringing.

Yeah, you get a pretty solid moral foundation when your father's an assassin for the KGB.

Mishanka admitted to over a hundred murders ?

He was only convicted on one count.

He ripped apart a 35-year-old woman with his bare hands.

Well, as you'll see in the file, his first name, Hedeon, means destroyer.

His last name, Mishanka, means godlike.

What's in a name?

Another inmate, Viktor Kozlov, knew him from Russia.

Calls him the Angel of Death.

I'll have Warden Bailey arrange for me to speak to Mishanka.

Connor, that's my job.

- You want to talk to this guy? - Yes.

We had this room redesigned last year

after one of our inmates threw a chair through the glass partition

and came within an inch of killing his lawyer.

Whatever you do, whatever he says or asks you to do, don't cross that line.

You'll be perfectly safe.

I'm not worried.

I would be.

It doesn't look so bad.

My name is Li...

Lindsay Donner.

Well, she introduced herself to several of the inmates during the interviews.

But Mishanka's had no contact with anyone.

How did you know my name?

Is that what you've gone through all this trouble to ask me?

I'm with a scientific research group.

We're investigating the fog that's surrounding the prison.

Fog?

I haven't noticed any fog.

You should try and get out more.

Have you had any visions or hallucinations recently?

I'm having one right now.

There's a rumor that you're responsible for what's been going on.

Why are you really here talking to me?

Is it because you think I can wave my hand and change the weather, put images in people's minds?

Or are you here just because you couldn't pass up another chance to face fear?

You're here because you're scared to death of me.

Some part of you thinks that I might just be able to walk right through these bars.

That's what you're about, Lindsay Donner.

You think you can defeat your fears if you can seek them out and face them head on.

You think if you can analyze and dissect everything that frightens you,

then your nightmares will go away?

I've seen lots of things that defy explanation.

And deep down they terrify you.

You can deny it, you can keep up your professional veneer,

but you can't change the truth.

Put me under your microscope.

It won't change what you'll find.

What will I find?

Then shall they see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory.

Hey!

Guard!

Get me out!

Face the back wall.

What's going on?

I'll let you out.

Just move away and follow procedure.

Face the back wall.

Case log update.

The fog has started to filter inside the prison.

The murder of prison guard Mark Sullivan has further escalated the tensions.

We are proceeding with extreme caution.

What the hell was Sullivan doing here?

He was suspended.

He shouldn't even have been here, forget being in uniform.

I don't think he was acting under his own control.

Look, Professor, I don't know what to do.

The guards union is threatening to walk out.

We're on the verge of a riot.

There's no safe way to evacuate these prisoners.

Chloride, cadmium oxide, sulfur dioxide and hydrogen sulfide

are all present in varying trace amounts.

Now these are all common pollutants found in manufacturing and industrial areas.

What's around here that would release those types of toxins?

Shadesco Chemical's not far from here.

They get a lot of large government grants for recycling.

And?

None of these pollutants are enough on their own to be causing hallucinations.

However, the effects of mixing these various irritants is still unknown.

Also, I found a compound I was unable to identify.

I need a bigger sample.

So it is possible that some combination of these toxins could cause the symptoms?

Yes.

We have known for a long time

that dark, dreary weather is a cause of depression and other psychological disorders.

Now that, combined with the added stress of Mishenka's presence...

You still feel he's somehow involved?

Well many of these men believe in the myth,

and we've all seen the power our belief system has when it comes to manifesting reality.

Lindsay, all we know right now is that the fog could be of a chemical makeup

that may be causing the hallucinations.

I'd like to talk to Mishenka again.

You didn't get much from her the first time.

I don't think I was prepared.

You have nothing to prove here, Lindsay.

I think that we should eliminate the possibility

that Mishenka is manipulating events using PK ability.

Talking to him won't prove he has PK ability.

What if I can get him to agree to brain mapping and DDP testing?

What makes you think he'd agree to that ?

Jack the Ripper cut the throats of his victims

and then ripped them open and extracted their intestines.

He actually sent authorities at the time body parts along with taunting letters.

More recently, Nikolai Dzhumagaliev, one of the most prolific serial killers in Russian history,

carved up his victims.

He then roasted their flesh and served it to unsuspecting friends.

Lindsay, what exactly is your point?

The single most common thread amongst serial killers is their desire to share.

Mishenka wants to talk.

He just doesn't want it to be easy.

What's your name?

Hedeon Mishenka

Do you know Viktor Kozlov?

I know who he is.

Yes or no, please?

Yes.

Are you planning to kill him?

I'd like to, if that's what you mean.

Yes or no?

Have you ever seen a brain-mapping reader like this before?

Lindsay?

- Door won't open. - Connor?

Lindsay?

The power's out in the entire prison.

The emergency lights will only last a half hour.

How do we unlock this door?

It's an electronic lock.

Look, your colleague should be safe in there.

You stay here.

I'm gonna go get backup.

Donnor, you okay?

Just get me out of here.

Mishenka is not registering on brain-mapping.

Okay ?

He's here.

He's on the side.

I can't find him.

I saw him walk through the bars.

He's gone.

Peter, try to get the backup generators working.

Where are you going?

To find Mishenka.

Coming with you.

Hey!

Help!

Hey, someone help me, please!

Help!

No!

No!

He's dead.

The morning after Hedeon Mishenka disappeared, the mysterious fog finally lifted.

However, no other connection was ever found between Mishenka and the fog.

Its chemical makeup was never fully determined.

We can only speculate that Mishenka merely took advantage of the fog using its cover to escape.

For now, he remains at large.

Doyle out.

Connor ? It's Lindsay.

Have you got a minute?

Mystery will always be associated with the incidents which took place at Flat Rock Prison.

Were these events the psychokinetic manifestation of a man some believed to be the Angel of Deathf

or merely the psychological and physical effects of a noxious fog?

When we are afraid we try to hide, we lock our doors and windows,

but what do we do if the fog and the fear find their own way in?

You say that every time I bring it up.

Look, I've been working on this project since six o'clock in the morning.

I just don't have the energy for a huge relationship talk right now.

So should I have my assistant phone yours up and set up a time?

What kind of a life is this?

We get home at 10 o'clock every night.

It's a corporate life in the 90s, Lauren.

No pain, no gain.

- What exactly have we gained ? - Careers, groundwork for the future?

Let's do something this weekend.

Like when we used to drive up to Vancouver, spend a little time together.

This must be as I've arrived already.

Here, take these before I get depressed.

Oh, *** must have blown.

Really romantic !

I think we'll ever get everything working in this house at the same time.

Oh, Adam, you know.

Hey, hey, hey.

Listen.

There's someone in the house.

You stay here.

Adam?

Adam !

Adam ?

Adam ?!

It's me, Lauren.

It's me.

What happened?

I don't know. I don't know.

Are you all right?

Oh, God !

What...

Haunted houses.

Anecdotes and research indicate that they are far more common than people care to admit.

Are these houses inhabited by the bioelectric residues of former residents,

or could these haunts reflect the existence of something else, something closer to home?

Whatever it was, I guess nearly ripped the door off with hinges.

I got a quote from a locksmith this morning.

Well, hopefully it's nothing more than a new lock.

Look, Lauren, please.

I've got to get to work.

Well, I guess we're lucky it wasn't worse.

What happened to the house, I mean.

Right, the house.

It's probably nothing more than a gust of wind.

Lauren, look, a tornado couldn't have done what happened to that door.

And what about the bright light?

Lauren, look, I saw something...

Lauren, come on, open the door.

Open the door. I have to get to work.

Lauren.

Lauren.

Lauren, come on.

Let me out of here.

Lauren !

Lauren !

Lauren, are you okay?

Lauren, what's going on there ?

Lauren !

That's all right.

It's okay, honey.

Case file number 810126, case manager Connor Doyle.

The investigation begins into the alleged anomalous kinetic activity

experienced by Adam and Lauren Cooke.

I've sent Donna ahead to expedite the background and archival checks.

OSIR psychologist Owen Williston will be conducting psychological assessments.

What else might be helpful?

I've dispatched one of our team to check on the property's history.

I'm sure we'll find out more when we see the house.

You just moved in?

Yeah, we've been there about a year.

It's a great place.

Lots of room, hardwood floor, safe neighborhood.

Just you and your wife living here?

Just me and Lauren, yeah.

How does she like the new place?

Oh, she's crazy about it.

I mean, what's not to like?

Buy the smallest house on the nicest street, Adam says.

Unfortunately, we bought when the interest rates were a lot higher

and before the real estate market started to cool off.

Now the mortgage is worth more than the house.

How are things between you and your husband?

Oh, they're fine.

I mean, we're both working hard.

The project he's spearheading eats up a lot of his time, but everything takes time.

Money and time.

Have things changed in the relationships since your marriage?

Well, everything changes.

I mean, I suppose there are some things that I miss about being single.

What's Sleeping Giant?

What?

The postcard says Sleeping Giant.

Oh, it's a band an old friend is in.

I see.

It's kind of like that a postcard.

Exciting, but disorganized.

I haven't seen him in years, back before I joined corporate America.

Has anything else out of the ordinary happened in the house?

Not really.

Adam has a tendency to turn things into projects.

I had an hallucination the other day when I fainted

and he seems to think that it's related to some phenomenon.

A hallucination?

From fatigue more than anything.

Blackout?

Can you describe what you saw?

Well...

It looked like a man...

... and...

... touched me.

And I could feel all of these strong emotions coming at me,

sort of overwhelming me.

And it got so intense at one point I didn't think I could take it.

But it wasn't frightening, it was...

... just...

... overwhelming.

How long have they been a couple?

They've been married for two years.

Before that they dated less than six months.

Was I the only one who detected a difference in their attitudes toward the house?

It's not unusual for newly married couples to go through a period of adjustment.

But preliminary psychological assessments on both are well within the norm?

Their physicals also came back clean.

No indication of a burn or shock.

Did environmental turn up anything?

No record of hazardous materials on adjoining properties.

So the phenomena could have originated not with the house, but with the new residents.

Background checks?

Lauren and a former boyfriend named Mark Zane

were convicted of marijuana possession some years ago.

Seems back then she ran with a slightly faster crowd.

Mark Zane, isn't he the one mentioned in the interview?

A musician, his band's playing here in Seattle this weekend.

Lindsay, follow that up, but don't let him know who you are yet.

Hello?

Hello?

Lauren, so you are alive.

Mark, oh my God !

Mark, hi.

So am I going to get to see you or what?

I don't know.

I've been kind of busy lately.

Come on, why don't you come down to the gig and I'll make you forget all about how busy you are.

Give me a break, Mark.

Exactly.

I'll put you on the guest list.

Listen, Lauren, I've been thinking a lot about you.

I'd love to see you.

Any night you can.

I don't know.

It's uh, it's weird to hear your voice.

Look, I gotta go.

So I'll see you soon, right?

I don't know.

Bye, Mark.

Biostats registering?

All readings normal.

Something's happening.

Start live video capture this.

Recording.

Adam !

Lauren ?

Lauren ?!

No, no!

So, was there anyone there?

Did your equipment register or anything?

We're still assessing the data.

Look, I didn't just imagine this.

Something was touching me.

I thought you people were supposed to be watching us.

We are, Lauren.

But in order to carry out a proper investigation,

we need to identify exactly what we're dealing with.

I'm not spending another night in this house.

Lauren, honey, wait.

I'll be upstairs.

Whatever it takes, Professor Doyle, find out what's happening and end it.

We are not abandoning this house.

No way, no way.

Mark?

Yeah.

Lindsay, Lauren Masters' friend?

We met a couple of years ago at the rib.

You were playing a gig there with your band.

Lindsay, oh yeah.

I think I remember now.

Your hair's different.

It's nice.

- How have you been? - Oh, pretty good.

You know, same old.

You heard she got married?

Lauren?

Al had practically introduced her to the guy.

Can you believe that?

In one moment we're walking hand in hand in Paris, in the next...

Must have hurt.

Well, in retrospect, it was partly my fault.

But still, I never figured her for the suburban type.

She always was pretty independent.

Well, people change.

You talked to her since?

Sure.

Yesterday.

For the first time since we broke up.

How'd it go?

You know, fine.

We'll always have Paris.

Hey, I have an hour before my set, and I'd love to buy you a drink.

Sure.

****

Is something bothering you, Lauren?

No, I'm fine.

I'm just a little tired, that's all.

Is that why you took the day off work?

Well, considering the amount of time I've put in lately, I think they can spare me.

Actually, I endorse mental health days.

We spend so much time working for others, sometimes we forget to take time for ourselves.

Do you enjoy your work?

Very much.

At times it tests my patience, but overall I find it satisfying.

How about you?

I don't know, sometimes it seems like a blur.

You know, it's like the day is over and there's still so much more to do.

Then why do you do it?

Because we have a mortgage and car payments

and long-distance charges and student loans and a $4,000 visa bill.

It's all groundwork for the future.

Is that the future you really want?

Oh, Lauren, I don't think you've met Lindsay Donner.

- You? - Hi.

Lauren?

Lauren?

Are you okay?

Lindsay's fine, but it could have been a lot worse.

What happened in there?

The phenomena manifested itself the moment Lindsay walked in.

Actually, the moment Lauren set eyes on her.

And they'd never met before.

That's right.

Though Lauren spotted Lindsay at a club downtown talking to Mark Zane,

and she may have assumed that Mark and Lindsay were together.

You're thinking Lauren's the focal point?

The periods of restlessness in her sleep coincided with the phenomena that Adam encountered.

Sounds like a form of involuntary psychokinesis.

Lauren is exhibiting contentious mental state.

She's angry and confused about her anger.

Perhaps that's why some of the aggression has been directed at herself.

Could be the focus for recurring spontaneous PK.

Just hang on a second.

Doyle?

Good, thanks.

That was a central lab.

Lindsay's on her way back here with the enhanced video footage from last night.

At first glance, it looks formless.

Seems almost human.

But when you magnify the image...

It looks like a woman's face.

Although it doesn't fit either of the descriptions we have for Mr. and Mrs. Cooke,

is it possible this whole thing could have been manufactured?

Something would have turned up in the lab analysis.

Perhaps, unconsciously, Lauren's forming another version of herself, a parallel self.

Why?

Because she hates who she's become.

And the anger she's been repressing is now making itself known.

In the form of erratic PK energy.

So whatever it is we're dealing with is being manifested by Lauren.

I think we'd better talk to Mr. Cooke.

RSPK, it sounds like some kind of a political organization.

It's recurrent spontaneous psychokinesis.

It's a psychological disturbance specific to and highly focused by an individual.

But I don't understand this.

Lauren's never had any psychological problems.

Well, maybe not on the surface, Mr. Cooke.

Is it possible she's repressing some emotional tension or anxiety,

maybe connected to the house or your marriage or both?

It could be the return of her old boyfriend

as acted as a catalyst for the release of subconscious...

What old boyfriend?

Mark.

Mark?

Mark Zane.

She doesn't give a damn about him.

In fact, she hasn't seen him since...

She saw him yesterday.

Really?

Look, there is nothing wrong with my marriage.

There is nothing wrong with my wife.

It's the house, for Christ's sake.

There's something in the house and it doesn't take a wristband to see that.

Mr. Cooke...

Oh, look, I'm sorry, I'm sorry.

I'll get Lauren on the phone.

She's working at home today.

You talk to her.

You'll see.

Where is she? She's supposed to be there.

Well, what do you think?

I told you, I'd think about it.

Mark, let's go, man.

We got to roll, all right?

Well, you don't have too long to think about it.

We leave in an hour.

An hour?

It doesn't give us much time at all.

That's...

Lauren, I just want you to know how happy I am to see you again.

Lauren, what's going on here?

Lauren, look, I've been thinking a lot about us.

I know this has a lot to do with me not listening to you, not realizing what you need.

But the point is, a house is just a house.

It's what you fill it with that makes it a home.

And I just want to say that, Lauren, I love you.

I would do anything for you, for us.

I miss you.

Adam?

Lauren?

I miss you, too.

Start live video.

Got it.

What...

What just happened here?

I'm not sure.

I think maybe it was me trying to tell us something.

I think that must have been what it was all along.

Where were you just now?

It doesn't matter where I was.

What matter is that I'm here.

Final case log, case file number 810126.

After conducting the full battery of termination procedures,

no further evidence of any unnatural phenomena has been recorded.

The source of the initial phenomenon itself remains undetermined.

We've theorized, however, that this apparition was somehow

a manifestation of Lauren Cooke's subconscious discontent.

We can only hope that the Cookes are able to remain happy.

Case manager, Connor Doyle, out.

Recurrent, focused, spontaneous psychokinesis,

an internal psychological mechanism,

which in file number 810126 manifested apparitions

specific to Lauren and Richard Cooke's life experience.

Their home wasn't haunted.

Their relationship was.

At last report, the Cookes are living happily in their home on Garden Street.

For Psi Factor, I'm Dan Aykroyd.

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