A lone television blares from the middle of a room.
"Today, on Emergency Vets..."
"We interrupt regular programming for the following breaking news."
A man sits behind a news desk, his hair brown and immaculately styled by a team of professionals, hands folded over a small pile of papers. "I'm Barry Downing, and this is PGTV Breaking Coverage. Good evening. We have just received information on the latest epidemic rapidly spreading throughout the population. We go now to Sandra Whorton, reporting live from Riverside Psychiatric Hospital."
An image of a middle-aged woman, dressed in a red business suit, holding a camera appears on the television. She is standing before the sign for the hospital, the words "Sandra Whorton" and "Riverside Psychiatric Hospital" appear at the bottom of the image.
"Thank you, Barry. I am standing here, outside of Riverside Psychiatric Hospital where an increasingly large number of people have been admitted, with more arriving every day. The illness these people suffer from is something the doctors here have started calling 'Stir Crazy', and it is spreading at an increasingly alarming rate."
Image flashes of people in straight jackets sitting in a room, awaiting their room assignments, looking extremely calm despite the illness they suffer.
"Stir Crazy isn't detected until the infected has taken drastic measures in an attempt to escape it. Typical signs one may see in oneself, if infected, are a feeling of the walls closing in, a lack of space, an almost desperate need to get out even if it isn't possible."
Image of a woman in a room, seen through bars, attempting to destroy her bed. Her yelling and screaming is unheard due to the voice over.
"All of those admitted here have gone so far that they have destroyed their homes, claiming the walls were too close and they had to break out. With one exception."
A picture of Barbara Stanton flashes on the television.
"I spoke to an orderly by the name of John Winters. He had witnessed one of the patients act out so violently, it resulted in a death."
Image changes to Sarah Whorton standing with John Winters, outside the hospital. The words "John Winters, Orderly at Riverside Psychiatric Hospital" appear on the bottom of the image.
Sarah speaks into the microphone, "Mr. Winters, tells us what you saw." She holds the microphone. out in his direction.
"Well, I had taken Mrs. Stanton to the observation room, as she was to be interviewed by her husband, Dr. Stanton. His caseload had been transferred to some of the other doctors, as this was the newest development in the epidemic he was to consider it a priority. He was supposed to know it was his wife, but I don't think he read her file. I gave him her file!" John Winters is obviously getting upset.
Sarah reaches out and puts a hand on his arm, in a reassuring manner. "It's alright, Mr. Winters. No one blames you for what happened. Please, tell us what happened in the observation room."
John takes a deep breath and lets it out slowly, attempting to calm himself. "Alright. Dr. Stanton was seated across from his wife, questioning her about what she had done. She told him she had removed the occupants of their home, so there would be more room as the walls were closing in."
He begins to wring his hands together, "He asked how she'd removed them, and... and... she said she chopped them all up and froze them! He was shocked and from what I could see, in very great pain. He leaped across the table and grabbed the collar straight-jacket she was in, yelling 'How could you?? Those were our children!' You wouldn't believe what she said to him then!"
"What did she say, Mr. Winters?"
John Winters is looking very pale as he describes the events he saw and heard. "She, Mrs. Stanton said 'Stir Crazy.' And then she tore free of her bindings, all sudden like. I couldn't get there in time! She was too fast, it happened so fast!"
"What happened?"
John's eyes widen in fright as he recalls what happened next, his voice hoarse. "She killed him. She just reached up and snapped his neck! Like a twig! Before I could knock her out. It's my fault Dr. Stanton is dead, I wasn't fast enough, but I didn't know she was that strong!"
"Thank you, Mr. Winters."
Image returns to Sarah Whorton standing in front of the Riverside sign, alone. The words "Sarah Whorton" and "Riverside Psychiatric Hospital" once again appear on the bottom of the image.
"Well Barry, as you have just heard, apparently this Stir Crazy epidemic also increases one's strength to alarming amounts. It also increases one's violent tendencies, which one would normally not act upon. Dr. Bradley Stanton paid the ultimate price when his wife, Barbara Stanton, broke free of her restraints and killed him."
Split screen image, Barry Downing in the newsroom on the right and Sarah Whorton outside the hospital on the right. "Can you tell us what has happened to Mrs. Stanton, now?"
"She has been put in solitary confinement here at the hospital, where she is under twenty-four hour supervision. She is also being heavily medicated to try and stem her need to act upon the violence. Six orderlies accompany one doctor every time, when it is time for her medications."
"Has there been any word on whether this increase in strength has affected any of the other patients admitted over the last ten days?"
"No , apparently they were admitted before the next phase of the illness took effect."
"Thank you, Sandra. That was , reporting live from Riverside Psychiatric Hospital."
Image returns to just the newsroom, with Barry Downing sitting behind the news desk.
"Well folks, as you can see, the Stir Crazy epidemic is spreading fast, and it's cause is yet unknown. The medical team at Riverside is doing everything they can to find the cause, and a way to cure it before it spreads to the population as a whole."
"I'm Barry Downing, for PGTV Breaking News. Good Evening." He smiles as the image fades to black.
"We now return you to your regular programming."
"Next time, on Emergency Vets..."
A beam of light shines down on the television from above. The room no longer stands. All around is the remains of the house the television once was a part of.
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