The X-Files s02e24 Episode Script
Our Town
We don't have to be out here.
It's not like you're still in high school.
We can go to the motel.
Uh-uh.
I wouldn't want anyone to see us.
No one would see us.
It's a small town.
George! Come on, George.
What made you change your mind? I don't know.
You're persistent.
- The squeaky wheel gets the oil, right? - I guess.
What's wrong with here? I can set the blanket down - Not yet.
- Why not? Because, you have to catch me first.
Aw, come on, now! You don't want me to chase after you, do you? Paula! Paula? Paula? Where are you? Son of a bitch! I don't know, Scully.
The man's vanished.
He hasn't been seen or heard from in ten weeks.
Don't you see what they're doing here? They're wasting our time.
They're sending us on a wild-goose chase.
- Chicken chase.
- What? George Kearns was a Federal Poultry Inspector assigned to Dudley, Arkansas, home of Chaco Chicken.
I'm not questioning the legitimacy of the case, just their motives in assigning it to us.
Doesn't it bother you that they're trying to undermine your work? They may think they are, but on the night George Kearns disappeared, a woman on the I-10 saw a strange fire in an adjacent field.
Yes, I read that report.
She claims she saw some kind of fox fire spirit.
I'm surprised she didn't call Oprah as soon as she got off the phone with the police.
Folk tales dating back to the 19th century from the Ozarks describe people being taken away by fireballs.
- It's supposed to be the spirits of massacred Indians.
- Those are only legends.
Most legends don't leave behind That photo was taken by police where the woman claims to have seen fox fire.
This could've been made by anything.
A bonfire.
I thought so too, until I remembered this.
A documentary I saw in college about an insane asylum.
- It gave me nightmares.
- I didn't think anything gave you nightmares.
I was young.
They, uh, they took They, uh, took me away.
Th-They took me away.
The fire demons.
The fire demons wanted their pound of flesh.
But, uh, I'm too fast for 'em.
You can't let 'em kill you.
You can't let 'em kill you.
Oh, no.
Don't let them kill you.
That's no way to get to heaven.
No, sir.
- No, sir, that is That is no way to get to heaven.
- His name was CraytonJones.
He pulled off the road on May 17, 1961 to take a nap.
They found him three days later so deranged by what he'd encountered that he had to be committed.
The police found his car on the I-10, in the middle of Dudley, Arkansas, home of Chaco Chicken.
What's this, Mulder? That's a witch's peg.
Staking it into the ground is supposed to ward off evil spirits.
Can I help you folks? - I'm Sheriff Arens.
I saw you back at the turnoff.
- We're with the F.
B.
I.
I'm Special Agent Mulder, this is Agent Scully.
We're investigating the disappearance of George Kearns.
I'm happy to help you, but I'm not sure how much there is to investigate.
A man is missing.
We didn't find evidence of criminal activity.
Since no body turned up, we went ahead and filed a Missing Persons' Report.
Why didn't you mention this witch's peg in your report? Because these hills are filled with witch's pegs.
The old hill people cling tight to their superstitions.
- What about this scorched area? - Illegal trash burn.
I keep handing out the citations, they keep doing it anyway.
It's cheaper to pay the fine than haul it to the dump.
So you don't believe it's fox fire? Fox fire's nothing more than a ghost story about swamp gas.
I don't know what y'all thinking, but George Kearns was passing through town ever since he got here six months ago.
- How do you mean? - Never did fit in.
Not at the plant, not even in his own home.
No big secret that Kearns stepped out on his wife every chance he got.
Did he have many chances? Let's just say George is the type of man you'd expect to go chasing some sweet young thing out of town.
- Is that what his wife thinks? - Push comes to shove, I'm sure she does.
But you're welcome to ask her yourself.
My husband had a character that leaves something out.
I always knew that about him, but I didn't have the sense to do anything about it.
I guess he saved me the trouble.
You're fairly certain that he left you for somebody else? George left me a long time ago.
Right around the time I turned 40.
Leaving town was just a formality.
- Do you have any idea who he might be with now? - No.
And I don't want to know, either.
This inspection report.
Your husband was about to file it with the Department of Agriculture the day before he disappeared.
- I don't know about that.
- He never discussed his work with you? He never told me, and I never asked.
He cited several major health violations.
He was going to recommend that the plant be shut down.
I told you, I don't know a thing about what went on in the plant.
Did your husband receive any threatening phone calls or anything unusual in the mail? Sure, there were hang-ups.
But I always thought it was one of his girlfriends.
I'm gonna give you my phone number.
If your husband tries to contact you, get in touch with me.
Or if you can think of anything else.
Come on, Paula, let's go.
This is Jess Howe.
He's the floor manager here.
- These people are with the F.
B.
I.
- You're here about George Kearns, right? There's a possibility that his disappearance may have something to do with a report he was about to file with the Department of Agriculture.
Ever since he got here, George has been trying to shut us down.
He cited multiple violations.
I know he did, believe me.
I had to answer to every one of them.
Was there any merit to his claims? Let me show you something.
Paula, you okay? This is where George worked.
Not a chicken leaves this plant without first passing through the Inspector's Station.
We've been operating here 50 years without any trouble until George came along.
- He really did threaten to shut the plant down.
- He tried.
But three other inspectors consistently give us top marks.
Here.
See for yourself.
The only problem this plant ever had was George.
Problem enough to do something about? If you're suggesting any kind of unsavoriness, anything's possible, but you've got to understand about George.
He had a bone to pick with everyone, even the Federal Government.
- What are you talking about? - He filed a big Worker's Compensation suit.
Claimed he was getting terrible headaches from his job.
Line hypnosis, his lawyers called it.
I read about that.
It's caused by high-speed, repetitive activity.
I will not deny that a lot of chickens go through here every day, but we've always operated within federal guidelines.
- What happened to his lawsuit? - It was dismissed just a few weeks before he disappeared.
What's that? Oh, that! Feed grinder.
Chops up bone and tissue.
Any part of the bird we can't package, we process, use as feed.
- Chickens feed on chickens? - I know it doesn't sound too appetizing.
But it is nutritious, and it cuts down on costs.
The meat is cooked, mixed with grain.
No reason to let all that protein go to waste.
- Excuse me.
I've got a shift change.
- Hi, Sheriff! Logan.
You ready to admit they've sent us on a fool's errand? The fool that persists in his folly will become wise.
Whether Kearns skipped town or somebody killed him, this case could've been handled by any agent out of the Kansas City office.
I'm not so sure about that.
Let him go.
We're Federal agents.
Everyone stay calm.
Don't hurt him.
Just tell us what you want.
Don't get excited.
Calm down.
Stay calm.
We don't want anyone to get hurt.
We can talk this thing out.
Why don't you give me the knife? You okay? - Do you have any idea what might have prompted her attack? - None at all.
No recent complaints or strange behavior? Paula has always been one of our best employees.
Stable, well-liked.
I can't imagine what brought this on.
How about you, Dr.
Randolph? Do you have any ideas? If you're done with me, I've got work to do.
Come by tomorrow, let me take a look, make sure it's not infected.
Sure.
Uh, Paula came by last week complaining of persistent headaches.
She had suddenly started getting irritable, unable to sleep.
Were you able to determine the cause? I'm just a staff physician here.
I don't treat anything more difficult than a hand injury, so I'm out of my depth when it comes to psychiatric matters.
You didn't find anything physically wrong with her? I sent her to County for a brain scan and then an E.
E.
G.
Both came back normal, so I assumed that her condition was stress related.
- Could it be line hypnosis? - I'm not qualified to make that diagnosis.
But you can tell us whether George Kearns came to you with any similar complaints.
They presented similar symptoms, yes.
- How did you treat them? - I treated them both with pain medication.
Codeine.
I think an autopsy on Paula Gray would clarify things.
I'm afraid I can't authorize that.
You'd have to speak with Mr.
Chaco.
- Why? You're a physician.
- Yeah.
But Mr.
Chaco was Paula Gray's grandfather and her legal guardian.
Mr.
Chaco? Feeding these chickens helps me clear my mind.
They're perfect creatures, you know.
We eat their meat, their eggs, sleep on pillows stuffed with their feathers.
Not many people I know are as useful as these chickens.
We're sorry to disturb you.
We realize this is a difficult time for you.
You want to conduct an autopsy on my granddaughter.
Why? You think Paula had some kind of disease that made her act that way? That's what we're hoping a postmortem will determine.
Thought your business here was George Kearns's disappearance.
It is, but we suspect that might have something to do with what happened to your granddaughter.
- How? - We're not sure yet.
It's possible they may have both suffered from the same neurological disorder.
When I came here after the war, Dudley was just a patch of dirt.
I built that plant, and put my whole family to work there.
We made this town one of the biggest chicken processors in the nation.
We couldn't have done that with troublemakers and layabouts.
I assume you're talking about George Kearns.
Men like George Kearns don't build things.
They tend to tear 'em down.
Then you're aware of his recommendation to close down your plant.
You know, Living a long life is a mixed blessin'.
You spend your youth trying to build something for yourself, and your family, and your community, only to watch it all taken away from you at your old age.
Still, I'm not ready to die just yet.
You go do your autopsy on Paula.
I want to know what happened to my granddaughter.
I think we've got something here, Mulder.
- Take a look at this.
- What am I looking at? It's a specimen from Paula Gray's brain.
She suffered from a rare degenerative disorder called Croitsfelt Yakob disease.
It's characterized by sponge-like holes in the brain tissue.
Why didn't they show up on any of her charts? Short of an autopsy, it's a very difficult disease to diagnose.
Outside of a textbook, I've only seen infected tissue once.
Back in medical school.
- Could this be the reason she attacked Jess Howe? - Absolutely.
Victims of Croitsfelt Yakob suffer from - progressive dementia, severe seizures.
- Is it fatal? This girl would've been dead in a matter of months.
Except that Paula Gray was no girl.
This is her personnel file.
Check it out.
It says here Paula Gray was born in 1948.
Which means that this woman, Chaco's granddaughter, was 47 years old.
There's gotta be some kind of mistake.
Let's find out.
Her birth certificate should be on file at the Seth County Courthouse.
Who knows? This could turn out to be even more interesting than fox fire.
The odds that Paula Gray and George Kearns had the same disease are practically nonexistent.
Croitsfelt Yakob can be hereditary, but it's not communicable.
That two unrelated people in the same small town would contract the same rare disease A lot more likely than Paula Gray being three years shy of her 50th birthday.
Look out! Call an ambulance! I'll try to get the driver out.
This is Federal Agent Scully.
I'd like to report an accident on County I just got off the phone with Dr.
Randolph.
He said this driver had the same symptoms as Paula Gray and George Kearns.
You're saying this is a third victim of Croitsfelt Yakob? You just got through telling me that two cases would be statistically impossible.
They would be.
I just came up with a sick theory, Mulder.
- Ooh, I'm listening.
- You saw the feed grinders at the plant.
What if somebody put George Kearns's body in there? Croitsfelt Yakob is a proem disease, which means it could've been passed on to the chickens, and anyone who consumed them.
- So anyone eating chickens out of Dudley would be at risk? - It's possible.
Sometimes in England they'll incinerate cattle to keep them from passing mad cow disease onto people.
But chickens from Dudley are shipped all over the country.
If what you're saying were true, we'd be seeing an epidemic, not just a few local cases.
Sheriff? What's wrong with this water? Runoff from the plant.
Chicken litter, mostly.
Some blood and parts from the birds.
Was this river searched after George Kearns disappeared? Are you kidding? Talk about a needle in a haystack! I'd like it dragged as soon as possible.
Why would you want to do that? See what's in there.
That's a filthy job, and I don't want to do it unless I know what you're looking for.
Hopefully nothing.
If you don't want to do it, I can get my men down here to do it.
I'll do it.
Mulder It's just a hunch.
If George Kearns didn't just run off, if he was murdered for that inspection report, then his body's got to be somewhere.
We closed the spillway, and the water level dropped.
- They came up with it almost immediately.
- Did you find Kearns? Maybe you better see for yourself.
Sheriff Arens is outside.
They're still pulling bones from the river.
So far I've been able to isolate nine distinct skeletons.
This one belonged to the late George Kearns.
- How do you know? - The pin in his femur.
According to his medical file, Kearns broke his right leg four years ago.
What about the others? I'll need more sophisticated equipment to be certain, but I estimate some of these bones are as much as 20 or 30 years old.
All of them share one strange detail.
- They seem to have lost their heads.
- Well, besides that.
The older bones show signs of decay and surface abrasion like you'd expect.
But for some reason, all of them, even Kearns's, are smooth and buffed at the ends.
It's almost like they've been polished.
It could be from the erosion from the water, but That water had hardly any current.
This level of erosion wouldn't be confined to just the ends of the bones.
- Any theories? - Maybe.
Sheriff? - Doris.
- Is it true? Just tell me.
- I want you to listen to me.
- They found him, didn't they? We brought up quite a few remains at the river, and George's were among them.
I'm really sorry.
It's gonna be all right.
Don't worry.
We'll take care of you.
Doris? - Dee, is that the new schedule? - Yep.
All right.
Why do I get the feeling you're not here to check up on my neck? - They found bones in the river.
- I know, I heard.
Did you also hear that Clayton Walsh came down with the symptoms? That's four.
It's getting worse with every day that goes by.
Someone has to tell Mr.
Chaco.
He knows what's happening.
He's just not doing anything about it.
- Maybe I should talk to him.
- You can try.
I will talk to him.
He'll listen to me.
And if he doesn't? I had Danny run a check on all missing persons last seen withing a 200 mile radius of Dudley.
In the last 50 years, Judging from forensic evidence, I'd say the same person or persons was responsible.
It may have been the work of some kind of cult.
I think the good people of Dudley have been eating more than just chicken.
You think these people were eaten? Look at these bones.
They've been polished at both ends, suggesting they were boiled in a pot.
Anthropologists used similar evidence to prove cannibalism among the Anasazi of New Mexico.
Then Paula Gray may have contracted Croitsfelt Yakob by eating George Kearns.
That could begin to explain her youthful appearance.
What are you talking about? Some cannibalistic rituals are enacted with the belief that they can prolong life.
Cannibalism is one thing, but increasing longevity by eating human flesh Think about it.
From vampirism to Catholicism, whether literally or symbolically, the reward for eating flesh is eternal life.
I don't know how it works, but we both saw Paula Gray.
We never confirmed the date of birth.
The records at the courthouse will tell us how old she really is, and if anybody else in Dudley is lying about their age.
You coming? You gotta do something about what's happening, Mr.
Chaco.
People are getting scared, don't know what to make of things.
They're losing their faith, is what it sounds like.
It's gettin' hard to hold on to, the way things are going.
Three more have gotten sick.
I lost my granddaughter in this, Jess, so don't tell me what we're up against! I said I'll handle it.
I know you - Yes? - I need to see Mr.
Chaco.
Hello, Doris.
I can't do this anymore, Mr.
Chaco.
- I can't keep lying.
- It's all right.
Jess told me what happened.
- You have nothing to worry about.
- They're gonna think I did it.
No, they won't think any such thing.
- But I did.
- No.
- I helped.
- He was no good, Doris.
- He had no values.
He didn't fit in here.
- But he was my husband.
That was a price you had to pay.
You knew that from the beginning.
- What if those F.
B.
I.
Agents - Ah-ah.
This town wasn't built in a day.
It's not about to fall apart in a day.
You're a part of us now.
And we're gonna take good care of you.
I want you to go home, get some rest.
You've got a funeral to go to.
This whole thing will blow over soon enough, and you'll wonder what all the fuss is about.
I'm sorry.
That's all right.
We all understand, Doris.
Good night.
Yeah, she'll be fine.
- She's not stable.
- She's one of us now, part of our town.
Unless we do something about it, there won't be any town left to speak of.
No! Once we start turning on ourselves, we're no better than the animals.
It's the F.
B.
I.
We should be worrying about.
They're the real problem.
Someone's been playing with matches.
It smells like a recent fire.
I bet it's no coincidence it only hit the birth records.
You think someone was expecting us? Mulder.
It's Doris Kearns.
I'm in my house.
I need to speak with you right away.
- Are you all right? - I'm afraid for my life.
- I'm afraid he'll kill me.
- Who? - Mr.
Chaco.
- All right, Mrs.
Kearns.
Stay in the house and lock the door, and don't answer until Agent Scully gets there.
- Where are you going? - To take Chaco into custody.
No.
Mrs.
Kearns? Mrs.
Kearns? Mrs.
Kearns! - Is Mr.
Chaco in? - I'll see if he's still awake.
I'm sorry.
- But Mr.
Chaco is unable to see you now.
- Do you know what's in here? - I wouldn't know.
- Can you open it? I don't have the key.
What do you think you're doing? Scully.
- Scully, Chaco's not here.
- Yeah.
Mrs.
Kearns is missing too.
Someone's been here.
The power's been cut, and the back door was open.
But her car is still out back.
Chaco must've taken her.
Scully? Scully! Scully! What happened? Scully, you there? You all right? Scully! Answer me! Scully! What have you done here? I warned ya! I said not to touch her.
Doris Kearns was one of us! Who's behind this? Why didn't you listen to me? It's the outsiders we have to deal with.
- Not one of our own! - We'll deal with them all.
Look at yourselves! Look at what you've become! This isn't faith anymore, it's just fear.
You've turned us into an abomination! You brought in the outsider who made us all sick.
Once you turn on yourselves, it's over! Once you turn on yourselves, it's over! How long before it's any one of us? Any one of you? That's not your problem anymore, Mr.
Chaco.
No! No! Kill me and you kill us all.
- Latch it.
- Got it.
Bring her over.
Get down! Are you hurt? You all right? People, stand away from your workstations! Pending further review, the Chaco Processing Plant has been closed by the U.
S.
D.
A.
So far, no evidence of contaminated chicken has been discovered.
Though it remains unknown how many citizens participated in the ritual activity, 27 have become fatally ill with Croitsfelt Yakob disease.
What is known is that a transport plane carrying Walter Chaco was shot down in 1944 over New Guinea.
Chaco was the only survivor of that crash.
According to naval records, he spent six months with theJale, a tribe whose cannibalistic practices have long been suspected, but never proven.
Naval records also show that Walter Chaco was born in 1902, making him 93 years old at the time of his death.
As of this date, his remains have yet to be found.
It's not like you're still in high school.
We can go to the motel.
Uh-uh.
I wouldn't want anyone to see us.
No one would see us.
It's a small town.
George! Come on, George.
What made you change your mind? I don't know.
You're persistent.
- The squeaky wheel gets the oil, right? - I guess.
What's wrong with here? I can set the blanket down - Not yet.
- Why not? Because, you have to catch me first.
Aw, come on, now! You don't want me to chase after you, do you? Paula! Paula? Paula? Where are you? Son of a bitch! I don't know, Scully.
The man's vanished.
He hasn't been seen or heard from in ten weeks.
Don't you see what they're doing here? They're wasting our time.
They're sending us on a wild-goose chase.
- Chicken chase.
- What? George Kearns was a Federal Poultry Inspector assigned to Dudley, Arkansas, home of Chaco Chicken.
I'm not questioning the legitimacy of the case, just their motives in assigning it to us.
Doesn't it bother you that they're trying to undermine your work? They may think they are, but on the night George Kearns disappeared, a woman on the I-10 saw a strange fire in an adjacent field.
Yes, I read that report.
She claims she saw some kind of fox fire spirit.
I'm surprised she didn't call Oprah as soon as she got off the phone with the police.
Folk tales dating back to the 19th century from the Ozarks describe people being taken away by fireballs.
- It's supposed to be the spirits of massacred Indians.
- Those are only legends.
Most legends don't leave behind That photo was taken by police where the woman claims to have seen fox fire.
This could've been made by anything.
A bonfire.
I thought so too, until I remembered this.
A documentary I saw in college about an insane asylum.
- It gave me nightmares.
- I didn't think anything gave you nightmares.
I was young.
They, uh, they took They, uh, took me away.
Th-They took me away.
The fire demons.
The fire demons wanted their pound of flesh.
But, uh, I'm too fast for 'em.
You can't let 'em kill you.
You can't let 'em kill you.
Oh, no.
Don't let them kill you.
That's no way to get to heaven.
No, sir.
- No, sir, that is That is no way to get to heaven.
- His name was CraytonJones.
He pulled off the road on May 17, 1961 to take a nap.
They found him three days later so deranged by what he'd encountered that he had to be committed.
The police found his car on the I-10, in the middle of Dudley, Arkansas, home of Chaco Chicken.
What's this, Mulder? That's a witch's peg.
Staking it into the ground is supposed to ward off evil spirits.
Can I help you folks? - I'm Sheriff Arens.
I saw you back at the turnoff.
- We're with the F.
B.
I.
I'm Special Agent Mulder, this is Agent Scully.
We're investigating the disappearance of George Kearns.
I'm happy to help you, but I'm not sure how much there is to investigate.
A man is missing.
We didn't find evidence of criminal activity.
Since no body turned up, we went ahead and filed a Missing Persons' Report.
Why didn't you mention this witch's peg in your report? Because these hills are filled with witch's pegs.
The old hill people cling tight to their superstitions.
- What about this scorched area? - Illegal trash burn.
I keep handing out the citations, they keep doing it anyway.
It's cheaper to pay the fine than haul it to the dump.
So you don't believe it's fox fire? Fox fire's nothing more than a ghost story about swamp gas.
I don't know what y'all thinking, but George Kearns was passing through town ever since he got here six months ago.
- How do you mean? - Never did fit in.
Not at the plant, not even in his own home.
No big secret that Kearns stepped out on his wife every chance he got.
Did he have many chances? Let's just say George is the type of man you'd expect to go chasing some sweet young thing out of town.
- Is that what his wife thinks? - Push comes to shove, I'm sure she does.
But you're welcome to ask her yourself.
My husband had a character that leaves something out.
I always knew that about him, but I didn't have the sense to do anything about it.
I guess he saved me the trouble.
You're fairly certain that he left you for somebody else? George left me a long time ago.
Right around the time I turned 40.
Leaving town was just a formality.
- Do you have any idea who he might be with now? - No.
And I don't want to know, either.
This inspection report.
Your husband was about to file it with the Department of Agriculture the day before he disappeared.
- I don't know about that.
- He never discussed his work with you? He never told me, and I never asked.
He cited several major health violations.
He was going to recommend that the plant be shut down.
I told you, I don't know a thing about what went on in the plant.
Did your husband receive any threatening phone calls or anything unusual in the mail? Sure, there were hang-ups.
But I always thought it was one of his girlfriends.
I'm gonna give you my phone number.
If your husband tries to contact you, get in touch with me.
Or if you can think of anything else.
Come on, Paula, let's go.
This is Jess Howe.
He's the floor manager here.
- These people are with the F.
B.
I.
- You're here about George Kearns, right? There's a possibility that his disappearance may have something to do with a report he was about to file with the Department of Agriculture.
Ever since he got here, George has been trying to shut us down.
He cited multiple violations.
I know he did, believe me.
I had to answer to every one of them.
Was there any merit to his claims? Let me show you something.
Paula, you okay? This is where George worked.
Not a chicken leaves this plant without first passing through the Inspector's Station.
We've been operating here 50 years without any trouble until George came along.
- He really did threaten to shut the plant down.
- He tried.
But three other inspectors consistently give us top marks.
Here.
See for yourself.
The only problem this plant ever had was George.
Problem enough to do something about? If you're suggesting any kind of unsavoriness, anything's possible, but you've got to understand about George.
He had a bone to pick with everyone, even the Federal Government.
- What are you talking about? - He filed a big Worker's Compensation suit.
Claimed he was getting terrible headaches from his job.
Line hypnosis, his lawyers called it.
I read about that.
It's caused by high-speed, repetitive activity.
I will not deny that a lot of chickens go through here every day, but we've always operated within federal guidelines.
- What happened to his lawsuit? - It was dismissed just a few weeks before he disappeared.
What's that? Oh, that! Feed grinder.
Chops up bone and tissue.
Any part of the bird we can't package, we process, use as feed.
- Chickens feed on chickens? - I know it doesn't sound too appetizing.
But it is nutritious, and it cuts down on costs.
The meat is cooked, mixed with grain.
No reason to let all that protein go to waste.
- Excuse me.
I've got a shift change.
- Hi, Sheriff! Logan.
You ready to admit they've sent us on a fool's errand? The fool that persists in his folly will become wise.
Whether Kearns skipped town or somebody killed him, this case could've been handled by any agent out of the Kansas City office.
I'm not so sure about that.
Let him go.
We're Federal agents.
Everyone stay calm.
Don't hurt him.
Just tell us what you want.
Don't get excited.
Calm down.
Stay calm.
We don't want anyone to get hurt.
We can talk this thing out.
Why don't you give me the knife? You okay? - Do you have any idea what might have prompted her attack? - None at all.
No recent complaints or strange behavior? Paula has always been one of our best employees.
Stable, well-liked.
I can't imagine what brought this on.
How about you, Dr.
Randolph? Do you have any ideas? If you're done with me, I've got work to do.
Come by tomorrow, let me take a look, make sure it's not infected.
Sure.
Uh, Paula came by last week complaining of persistent headaches.
She had suddenly started getting irritable, unable to sleep.
Were you able to determine the cause? I'm just a staff physician here.
I don't treat anything more difficult than a hand injury, so I'm out of my depth when it comes to psychiatric matters.
You didn't find anything physically wrong with her? I sent her to County for a brain scan and then an E.
E.
G.
Both came back normal, so I assumed that her condition was stress related.
- Could it be line hypnosis? - I'm not qualified to make that diagnosis.
But you can tell us whether George Kearns came to you with any similar complaints.
They presented similar symptoms, yes.
- How did you treat them? - I treated them both with pain medication.
Codeine.
I think an autopsy on Paula Gray would clarify things.
I'm afraid I can't authorize that.
You'd have to speak with Mr.
Chaco.
- Why? You're a physician.
- Yeah.
But Mr.
Chaco was Paula Gray's grandfather and her legal guardian.
Mr.
Chaco? Feeding these chickens helps me clear my mind.
They're perfect creatures, you know.
We eat their meat, their eggs, sleep on pillows stuffed with their feathers.
Not many people I know are as useful as these chickens.
We're sorry to disturb you.
We realize this is a difficult time for you.
You want to conduct an autopsy on my granddaughter.
Why? You think Paula had some kind of disease that made her act that way? That's what we're hoping a postmortem will determine.
Thought your business here was George Kearns's disappearance.
It is, but we suspect that might have something to do with what happened to your granddaughter.
- How? - We're not sure yet.
It's possible they may have both suffered from the same neurological disorder.
When I came here after the war, Dudley was just a patch of dirt.
I built that plant, and put my whole family to work there.
We made this town one of the biggest chicken processors in the nation.
We couldn't have done that with troublemakers and layabouts.
I assume you're talking about George Kearns.
Men like George Kearns don't build things.
They tend to tear 'em down.
Then you're aware of his recommendation to close down your plant.
You know, Living a long life is a mixed blessin'.
You spend your youth trying to build something for yourself, and your family, and your community, only to watch it all taken away from you at your old age.
Still, I'm not ready to die just yet.
You go do your autopsy on Paula.
I want to know what happened to my granddaughter.
I think we've got something here, Mulder.
- Take a look at this.
- What am I looking at? It's a specimen from Paula Gray's brain.
She suffered from a rare degenerative disorder called Croitsfelt Yakob disease.
It's characterized by sponge-like holes in the brain tissue.
Why didn't they show up on any of her charts? Short of an autopsy, it's a very difficult disease to diagnose.
Outside of a textbook, I've only seen infected tissue once.
Back in medical school.
- Could this be the reason she attacked Jess Howe? - Absolutely.
Victims of Croitsfelt Yakob suffer from - progressive dementia, severe seizures.
- Is it fatal? This girl would've been dead in a matter of months.
Except that Paula Gray was no girl.
This is her personnel file.
Check it out.
It says here Paula Gray was born in 1948.
Which means that this woman, Chaco's granddaughter, was 47 years old.
There's gotta be some kind of mistake.
Let's find out.
Her birth certificate should be on file at the Seth County Courthouse.
Who knows? This could turn out to be even more interesting than fox fire.
The odds that Paula Gray and George Kearns had the same disease are practically nonexistent.
Croitsfelt Yakob can be hereditary, but it's not communicable.
That two unrelated people in the same small town would contract the same rare disease A lot more likely than Paula Gray being three years shy of her 50th birthday.
Look out! Call an ambulance! I'll try to get the driver out.
This is Federal Agent Scully.
I'd like to report an accident on County I just got off the phone with Dr.
Randolph.
He said this driver had the same symptoms as Paula Gray and George Kearns.
You're saying this is a third victim of Croitsfelt Yakob? You just got through telling me that two cases would be statistically impossible.
They would be.
I just came up with a sick theory, Mulder.
- Ooh, I'm listening.
- You saw the feed grinders at the plant.
What if somebody put George Kearns's body in there? Croitsfelt Yakob is a proem disease, which means it could've been passed on to the chickens, and anyone who consumed them.
- So anyone eating chickens out of Dudley would be at risk? - It's possible.
Sometimes in England they'll incinerate cattle to keep them from passing mad cow disease onto people.
But chickens from Dudley are shipped all over the country.
If what you're saying were true, we'd be seeing an epidemic, not just a few local cases.
Sheriff? What's wrong with this water? Runoff from the plant.
Chicken litter, mostly.
Some blood and parts from the birds.
Was this river searched after George Kearns disappeared? Are you kidding? Talk about a needle in a haystack! I'd like it dragged as soon as possible.
Why would you want to do that? See what's in there.
That's a filthy job, and I don't want to do it unless I know what you're looking for.
Hopefully nothing.
If you don't want to do it, I can get my men down here to do it.
I'll do it.
Mulder It's just a hunch.
If George Kearns didn't just run off, if he was murdered for that inspection report, then his body's got to be somewhere.
We closed the spillway, and the water level dropped.
- They came up with it almost immediately.
- Did you find Kearns? Maybe you better see for yourself.
Sheriff Arens is outside.
They're still pulling bones from the river.
So far I've been able to isolate nine distinct skeletons.
This one belonged to the late George Kearns.
- How do you know? - The pin in his femur.
According to his medical file, Kearns broke his right leg four years ago.
What about the others? I'll need more sophisticated equipment to be certain, but I estimate some of these bones are as much as 20 or 30 years old.
All of them share one strange detail.
- They seem to have lost their heads.
- Well, besides that.
The older bones show signs of decay and surface abrasion like you'd expect.
But for some reason, all of them, even Kearns's, are smooth and buffed at the ends.
It's almost like they've been polished.
It could be from the erosion from the water, but That water had hardly any current.
This level of erosion wouldn't be confined to just the ends of the bones.
- Any theories? - Maybe.
Sheriff? - Doris.
- Is it true? Just tell me.
- I want you to listen to me.
- They found him, didn't they? We brought up quite a few remains at the river, and George's were among them.
I'm really sorry.
It's gonna be all right.
Don't worry.
We'll take care of you.
Doris? - Dee, is that the new schedule? - Yep.
All right.
Why do I get the feeling you're not here to check up on my neck? - They found bones in the river.
- I know, I heard.
Did you also hear that Clayton Walsh came down with the symptoms? That's four.
It's getting worse with every day that goes by.
Someone has to tell Mr.
Chaco.
He knows what's happening.
He's just not doing anything about it.
- Maybe I should talk to him.
- You can try.
I will talk to him.
He'll listen to me.
And if he doesn't? I had Danny run a check on all missing persons last seen withing a 200 mile radius of Dudley.
In the last 50 years, Judging from forensic evidence, I'd say the same person or persons was responsible.
It may have been the work of some kind of cult.
I think the good people of Dudley have been eating more than just chicken.
You think these people were eaten? Look at these bones.
They've been polished at both ends, suggesting they were boiled in a pot.
Anthropologists used similar evidence to prove cannibalism among the Anasazi of New Mexico.
Then Paula Gray may have contracted Croitsfelt Yakob by eating George Kearns.
That could begin to explain her youthful appearance.
What are you talking about? Some cannibalistic rituals are enacted with the belief that they can prolong life.
Cannibalism is one thing, but increasing longevity by eating human flesh Think about it.
From vampirism to Catholicism, whether literally or symbolically, the reward for eating flesh is eternal life.
I don't know how it works, but we both saw Paula Gray.
We never confirmed the date of birth.
The records at the courthouse will tell us how old she really is, and if anybody else in Dudley is lying about their age.
You coming? You gotta do something about what's happening, Mr.
Chaco.
People are getting scared, don't know what to make of things.
They're losing their faith, is what it sounds like.
It's gettin' hard to hold on to, the way things are going.
Three more have gotten sick.
I lost my granddaughter in this, Jess, so don't tell me what we're up against! I said I'll handle it.
I know you - Yes? - I need to see Mr.
Chaco.
Hello, Doris.
I can't do this anymore, Mr.
Chaco.
- I can't keep lying.
- It's all right.
Jess told me what happened.
- You have nothing to worry about.
- They're gonna think I did it.
No, they won't think any such thing.
- But I did.
- No.
- I helped.
- He was no good, Doris.
- He had no values.
He didn't fit in here.
- But he was my husband.
That was a price you had to pay.
You knew that from the beginning.
- What if those F.
B.
I.
Agents - Ah-ah.
This town wasn't built in a day.
It's not about to fall apart in a day.
You're a part of us now.
And we're gonna take good care of you.
I want you to go home, get some rest.
You've got a funeral to go to.
This whole thing will blow over soon enough, and you'll wonder what all the fuss is about.
I'm sorry.
That's all right.
We all understand, Doris.
Good night.
Yeah, she'll be fine.
- She's not stable.
- She's one of us now, part of our town.
Unless we do something about it, there won't be any town left to speak of.
No! Once we start turning on ourselves, we're no better than the animals.
It's the F.
B.
I.
We should be worrying about.
They're the real problem.
Someone's been playing with matches.
It smells like a recent fire.
I bet it's no coincidence it only hit the birth records.
You think someone was expecting us? Mulder.
It's Doris Kearns.
I'm in my house.
I need to speak with you right away.
- Are you all right? - I'm afraid for my life.
- I'm afraid he'll kill me.
- Who? - Mr.
Chaco.
- All right, Mrs.
Kearns.
Stay in the house and lock the door, and don't answer until Agent Scully gets there.
- Where are you going? - To take Chaco into custody.
No.
Mrs.
Kearns? Mrs.
Kearns? Mrs.
Kearns! - Is Mr.
Chaco in? - I'll see if he's still awake.
I'm sorry.
- But Mr.
Chaco is unable to see you now.
- Do you know what's in here? - I wouldn't know.
- Can you open it? I don't have the key.
What do you think you're doing? Scully.
- Scully, Chaco's not here.
- Yeah.
Mrs.
Kearns is missing too.
Someone's been here.
The power's been cut, and the back door was open.
But her car is still out back.
Chaco must've taken her.
Scully? Scully! Scully! What happened? Scully, you there? You all right? Scully! Answer me! Scully! What have you done here? I warned ya! I said not to touch her.
Doris Kearns was one of us! Who's behind this? Why didn't you listen to me? It's the outsiders we have to deal with.
- Not one of our own! - We'll deal with them all.
Look at yourselves! Look at what you've become! This isn't faith anymore, it's just fear.
You've turned us into an abomination! You brought in the outsider who made us all sick.
Once you turn on yourselves, it's over! Once you turn on yourselves, it's over! How long before it's any one of us? Any one of you? That's not your problem anymore, Mr.
Chaco.
No! No! Kill me and you kill us all.
- Latch it.
- Got it.
Bring her over.
Get down! Are you hurt? You all right? People, stand away from your workstations! Pending further review, the Chaco Processing Plant has been closed by the U.
S.
D.
A.
So far, no evidence of contaminated chicken has been discovered.
Though it remains unknown how many citizens participated in the ritual activity, 27 have become fatally ill with Croitsfelt Yakob disease.
What is known is that a transport plane carrying Walter Chaco was shot down in 1944 over New Guinea.
Chaco was the only survivor of that crash.
According to naval records, he spent six months with theJale, a tribe whose cannibalistic practices have long been suspected, but never proven.
Naval records also show that Walter Chaco was born in 1902, making him 93 years old at the time of his death.
As of this date, his remains have yet to be found.