Room 104 (2017) s03e03 Episode Script
Itchy
1 [MUSIC PLAYING.]
MAN: OK.
Here we go.
Hello.
Hey, Dr.
Blake! It's me.
Ya know, Craig.
Uh, I've just arrived at the hotel you recommended, and I gotta tell you, man, it's a Ooh, it's definitely what we talked about.
It's great.
It's great for our purposes.
It's Yeah, let me show you.
Here we are.
Room 104.
You know, it's pretty blank and boring, but most importantly, it's clean.
You know, and I took your advice and I removed all the bed covers, so this is clean, um, what else did I do? I removed all the soaps, so those are all new soaps.
And that's me! Hello, Dr.
Blake! [LAUGHS, CLEARS THROAT.]
I wiped down all the surfaces with bleach too, so yeah.
Uh well, as you can see, not much has really changed on my body since I saw you on Wednesday for the checkup and the more blood work.
Let me see if I I don't want to clog up your inbox with unnecessary stuff, Dr.
Blake, but I just want to take a little moment to thank you.
Thank you, man, for taking me back on as a patient.
You know, it's funny, but after all these past ten years or so of seeing all these big-time specialists for my condition, whew, fuck GPs, internists, um dermatologists, psychiatrists, blah blah blah blah blah blah, it feels the most right coming back to you, ya know? You've been treating me since I'm five years old, right? Is that it? Boy, you've always been there for me.
Even more so than my parents sometimes.
So Well, enough of that, though.
Enough of that.
Enough of that.
No pity parties here.
So here we go, yeah, let's do this.
Forty-eight hours, no clothes [INHALES, EXHALES.]
no bad foods, no chemicals, just Craig.
[LAUGHS.]
Away from my apartment and my environment and anything that could be causing a reaction.
Yeah, so let's see how we do this.
OK? High-five, brother.
[LAUGHS.]
Bye.
I'll talk to you soon.
Thank you, bye.
[FLIPS SWITCH.]
Hey, Dr.
Blake.
Sorry to bug you again, but I wanted to show you something while I'm still in the bath.
- [WATER SLOSHING.]
- I've been continuing with the bleach baths, ya know, just a tablespoon, as they generally recommend.
Just in case, to keep everything sort of at bay, you know.
And it's weird, but I'm feeling, like, the rash is somehow reacting to the bleach or something.
Here, why don't I show you.
Look.
It's almost like the rash, like, bubbles up or something? I don't know.
I just thought I'd send it along, just in case.
I think when you've been living with something as long as I have, you start getting, um, a little bit desperate for a cure.
So I figure, why not? This is crazy, but, um, I'm just gonna say it.
There's something I haven't told you that I feel like I should 'cause I think it's important.
A few years ago when I was seeing my third Third psychiatrist, shit The German guy, yeah, um I had this notion, this It was very quiet, it was from deep inside, and it was like a like a feeling like a bad feeling, like there was something really wrong with me.
But lately it's been coming back, this I don't know how to describe it, it's like, um I feel like something happened to me when I was young, maybe.
Like a deep physical or emotional wound of some sort that I've suppressed.
And that maybe it's coming back in the form of this rash? - [WATER SLOSHING.]
- [LAUGHS.]
I don't know, it might be nothing, but I guess when you're living with something like this for such a long time, you start getting really desperate You do Looking for a cure, and you hope that anything's gonna crack I already said that, didn't I? [LAUGHS.]
I'm so sorry, I promise I'm gonna stop wasting your time now, but I just wanted to check in.
So I'll talk to you later.
Bye.
Hey, Dr.
Blake.
Just a quickie here, um I realize I haven't given you a sort of wider angle of my entire body, so I'm [SHIVERS.]
so I thought I'd put it down on video just for the sake of thoroughness, I guess.
Fuck.
As you can see, it's still slowly, um, spreading and, you know, doing its own thing, um I'm trying not to freak out.
[FORCED LAUGH.]
And definitely I'm a little sad, a little scared too, but I'm hopeful.
I'm hopeful that you and I are gonna beat this thing.
We got this, right? So for tonight, I'm just gonna get a good night's sleep and keep it on the positive, and we'll see what tomorrow brings together So [STAMMERS.]
I'm sorry.
I guess you've seen everything already, so you don't care.
Bye, Dr.
Blake.
Oh, boy.
Uh, I'm so sorry, I know it's late.
Dr.
Blake, I just had a dream, and I think it's important, I can feel it's important.
It's like I think it relates to the rashes somehow, along the lines of what I was talking about in the bathtub before.
[BREATHING HEAVILY.]
Oh, my God, I don't know how to It was like I was in this, like, place, I was in this place, this this, like, dark, it was musty, like, earthy-smellin' place, it was like a cave or like a lair of some sort.
Man, and it there were these beings all around me, right? Like, I could feel them I couldn't see anything, it was dark, but I could hear them, I could feel them.
They weren't human, they were more like animals or like ghosts or something like And I knew that they needed me.
Like, I felt like they like I was part of some sort of plan or something.
But I didn't feel safe.
I I felt like Like they were gonna hurt me.
They started closing in and getting closer and closer, but I was I was a little boy in the dream, but it was taking them so long to, like, get close, yeah, it was like years, it felt like years, 'cause I started growing up.
Like, right there, I And one of them was about to step into a shaft of light, I could just feel him, just Bam! Fuck! I w I woke up.
You know? [BREATHING HEAVILY.]
Holy Dr.
Blake, something's happening.
I can feel something opening up inside of me, something that's like Boy, this could be big, huh? I'm gonna I'm gonna try to, ya know, try to go back to sleep, see if I can learn more, but, I, uh Good night.
I'll check back in when Hey, Dr.
Blake.
Man, so, I couldn't go back to sleep, obviously, you know, it's just doot-doot-doot-doot! But that's OK, that's OK, 'cause, um, I realized that this dream must be reflecting something real from my childhood.
Something real, you know? It's too vivid.
So I'm gonna call my mom and see what's up.
- [LINE OUT RINGING.]
- Hello? - WOMAN: Hello? - Mama! Hi! It's me, it's Craig.
- I know it's you, honey.
- Good.
Hey, listen, Mom, real quick, I wanted to ask you a few questions, but before I get into all that, I wanted you to know that I'm recording this Facetime, OK? I'm gonna record you.
So, if that's OK with you.
Wait, what? You're recording me? Just the conversation, in case something interesting pops up, for the questions, for posterity, - is that OK with you? - OK, Craig, sure.
First question, OK? And just answer, don't think about it too much, just answer me, OK? Um did you ever take me somewhere that was dark when I was a kid, like a or earthy-smelling, like a cave? Did you ever take me to a cave? - What are you trying to ask? - I don't wanna say too much, 'cause I don't wanna put any answers in your mouth, but basically I'm wondering if, um [FLUTTERING LIPS.]
if something happened to me when I was a kid, if something weird happened to me that you can remember, like, anything out of the ordinary, uh, I don't want to say threatening, but traumatizing, something that you don't want to tell me.
Craig, honey, I promised myself that I wouldn't argue with you anymore.
- Then don't.
- You spending all this time alone, thinking about this stuff You know it's not good.
You know I'm not gonna stop until I find the answer.
- Right? I'm not gonna do that.
- Yes.
OK? So can we just please cut the routine and get to it? - Do you mind if we do that? - Sure, Craig.
Sure.
Yeah, let's do it, OK? Great.
Thank you, Mom.
So, did we ever take a trip or a vacation or something We never had money for anything like that.
We took a few small trips to the lake, we would visit your Aunt Marisol, we went camping once.
We would visit the city to look at colleges for your sister.
Wait, what was that? What'd you say? - What? - You said a camping trip? - I don't remember a camping trip.
- Of course you remember that trip.
No, I don't remember a camping trip.
Why would I Craig, we've talked about this before.
Mom, we haven't talked about it.
[PANTING.]
H-How old was I? I don't know.
Maybe four or five? So I was little.
OK.
OK.
Um Jesus, I don't remember any of this.
OK, maybe I talked to Jenny about it.
No, it's fine, doesn't matter.
Just tell me more about it.
Tell me more.
Well, your father and I, we were We weren't having our best times then.
I was very distracted.
You were distracted.
OK.
And, um, Jenny made a friend and ended up staying the night in their tent.
So Jenny was That's interesting.
That's good.
Uh-huh.
Let's see.
Oh.
Your father and I, we got into a fight, and I Well, one of us yelled, and I was worried, because I was worried that you might have heard us, 'cause you were in the tent next to us, alone.
OK, so wait.
So I was alone and Jenny was gone.
- Is that right? - Yeah.
And actually, I forgot all about this part until you mentioned it.
I came back to the tent to check on you, and you weren't in the tent.
What does that mean? What do you mean? I wasn't Now I remember it.
I got scared 'cause you were gone.
I remember that.
And - I was gone? - Yeah.
I got your father, and we got our flashlights, and we looked all around for you - So I was gone-gone.
- Yeah, you were gone, and we couldn't find you - How was it that - We were really scared, 'cause it was a small site, - surrounded by big woods - Whoa, who, whoa, Mom You couldn't have gone far, but How is it that you're just remembering this now? - This is a huge deal! - I don't know.
I was gone? I disappeared as a kid? I haven't thought about this in years.
A lot of things have happened to me, I don't obsess over every single one of them like you do.
It's OK.
Just stay with me.
This is good, Mom.
What happened next? - What happened? - I guess, well, I I think you you were We couldn't find you, and and then we did.
W-What do you mean? Where'd you find me? I don't know! We looked around, you weren't there.
We came back to the tent, you were back.
- Did I say where I was? - No.
Did you ask me? Did you bother to ask me? I don't remember.
It was late.
Your father and I were fighting, we just went back to bed.
OK, OK.
Wow.
Wow, OK.
W-What else? Anything else? No.
Nothing.
That was it.
- Just - I I'm coming! - No, Mom, listen.
- Listen, honey, I gotta run.
Please, please, before you go, what's the name of the place? - Do you have the name? - I don't know.
It's probably closed down now.
It was one of those stupid places that were popular in the '80s when everybody was all into aliens.
What? A-Aliens.
Yeah, you remember.
It was right around the time E.
T.
came out.
All these places sprung up advertising that you could see flying saucers from their campgrounds and stuff.
What's the name of the city, Mom? - I don't know - What's the name of the city? - Calm down.
Calm down.
- No.
Tell me.
State.
Do you remember the state? Give me information, Mom! Oregon.
Somewhere around there.
- Oregon? Where in Oregon? - Southern Oregon.
- Southern Oregon?! - Over there! I don't know! Great! Great! This is good, Mom! This is great! Thank you! Thank you so much! Thank you, Mom.
[PANTING.]
Holy [PANTING.]
I gotta Please excuse me, Dr.
Blake, I gotta I gotta go.
It Ho ho! Wow.
Hi, Dr.
Blake.
[EXHALES.]
I think I found the place.
I think so.
It's got the most consistent craft sightings in the continental U.
S.
, and I was there during the most popular time, right? And that's when I disappeared and suddenly, mysteriously popped back up? Ya know? What? Right? [EXHALES.]
This is insane.
This is insane, but, um, I feel that after all the tests I've been through and all the research I've done, this the most insane answer I think is the correct one.
Ya know? I was abducted by aliens.
And something happened.
Ah I don't know what, I and this cave from my dreams is very clearly a suppressed memory.
You see? It was a real memory.
It was making its way back to me, first in the form of all those little illnesses when I was a kid, and then for the past eight years in the form of this The form of this rash.
I can feel it just lifting out of me, man, this this darkness inside of me, it just As soon as I got it, it was just like [IMITATES EXPLOSION.]
You know, and it's only been an hour, but look.
Look.
Look! I swear, I think it's already clearing up.
I swear.
I think I just needed to face it.
Yeah, to to like transcend whatever experience it was and to say it out loud, to say, yes, I was abducted by aliens, and maybe maybe I was probed or ha! Traumatized or whatever it was, but I don't care, I forgive you, you know? I I forgive you! And I'm moving past it! OK? I'm ready to begin my life again, man, my normal, just like pain-free, rash-free, super regular sort of life, you know? [LAUGHS.]
I just feel like living again.
I want to enjoy myself.
I want to I want to dance, is what I want to do! Wait.
I I got this.
Let me find a good Oh.
Oh, OK.
Here it is.
Ready? You make me want to dance - I love this song, man! - You make me want to Oh, Dr.
Blake, I wish you were here with me to celebrate, you know? It's been such a long journey, and you've been right there with me every step of the way, man.
You're my partner, you know that? You're my dance partner! Ha! I'll go! Go, Dr.
Blake! [LAUGHING.]
Whoo! [FOOTSTEPS SHUFFLE.]
[CLATTER.]
[CLATTER.]
[FLIPS SWITCH.]
[ELECTRICAL HUMMING.]
[CRAIG BREATHING HEAVILY.]
Yeah.
[PANTING, SNIFFLING.]
Hey, Dr.
Blake.
Uh as you can see, the rash has progressed more quickly and more painfully than it ever has.
I don't know why.
[QUIETLY.]
Oh, fuck.
Didn't change anything differently, I didn't [GAGS.]
I didn't do anything differently, I just went to bed, I went to bed excited about the new stage, and I woke up a few hours later with this shit.
This.
I'm upset, you know? And I'm gonna let myself be upset, and I'm gonna forget about the being-positive thing for just a second, because I I think I need to go on instinct.
I think I need to go bigger.
And my instinct is saying "bleach.
" And that's exactly what I'm gonna do.
It's like that Malcolm Gladwell thing "Blink" he talks about.
I'm blinking on bleach, Dr.
Blake.
[SNIFFLES.]
So I'm gonna go bigger, 'cause this situation is just not sustainable, it's just not.
It's not.
Yeah.
Let's go big on bleach.
See what happens.
Uhh! Uhh! Uhh! Uhh! [CRYING OUT.]
[SCREAMING.]
[CONTINUES SCREAMING.]
[LOUDLY WHIMPERING.]
[CRYING.]
[CONTINUES WHIMPERING.]
[SNIFFLES.]
[SOBBING.]
[SNIFFLING.]
[EXHALES.]
Dr.
Blake, um I think I'm I'm coming to the end of something here.
My God, I think I'm going insane.
Thank you for everything, 'cause you've been wonderful.
But I'm done.
[TAKES DEEP BREATH.]
I'm done.
Hey, Dr.
Blake.
Um, I don't know how to start saying what I have to say to you, but, um I'm just gonna jump right into it.
I went out for a last meal and I ate all the things I'm not supposed to eat, all of 'em.
[LAUGHS.]
It was delicious.
No, seriously, it was so good.
So good.
[SIGHS.]
Then I went to a hardware store and I bought myself some rope.
A lot of supporting devices, too.
And I had every intention of hanging myself this morning.
The funny thing is, I didn't bring my phone on this little adventure of mine.
[BLOWS AIR.]
It's so silly, but the little things don't really matter when you're about to die, and I just didn't even think about it.
But when I got to my hotel, I, um, had a message on my phone from somebody very special to me.
Very special.
And I wanna play that for you, if that's OK.
MAN: Hello, Craig? This is Dr.
Blake.
I just received all your messages.
I apologize for not getting back to you sooner.
I've been trying to carve the weekends for the grandkids.
[CHUCKLES.]
I love my babies.
Anyhow, I tried calling a few times and you didn't pick up, so I'm leaving you this message now.
And I'm sure you can hear the excitement in my voice, so I'm hoping this message catches you before you do anything "rash.
" - [LAUGHS.]
- [LAUGHS.]
I know this has been a difficult time for you, so let's end it right now, shall we? I have just received your blood work.
You have an official diagnosis.
You have an extremely rare disease called Hertzinger's Syndrome.
It is first presented as a weakened immune system, i.
e.
, your childhood, and if not caught, it often progresses into a thickening of the blood and presents in a form of small, oddly shaped rashes that can cover the entire body in extreme cases.
The bad news is, if I had caught this when you were younger, I could have saved you years of suffering and frustration.
I apologize to you from the depths of my soul for that error.
It's OK.
I know I cannot give you those years back.
The good news is, this disease is 100% curable.
You will receive three shots, a series of blood transfusions, and a rather stiff 90-day antibiotic treatment.
- [LAUGHING.]
- Your symptoms will start to dissipate within a week.
It is 6:15 a.
m.
my time.
- [COUGHING.]
- By the time you receive this, I will be on the road to your hotel room, the one we discussed.
Room 104, was it? I will administer the first of the shots and I will have the antibiotic treatment with me.
We'll start your blood transfusions later today.
I figured, why waste any more time? One last thing.
I was very concerned about your last video, and it's very important that you don't lose hope.
I'm very proud of you for holding on all these years.
Your life has had a greater impact than you will ever know.
You're very special.
- [KNOCK ON DOOR.]
- [SNIFFLES.]
[CRYING.]
Dr.
Blake? MAN: It's me! [CRAIG SOBBING.]
Yes, yes, it's time.
It's definitely time.
Come.
Come.
Lie down.
[CRAIG COUGHS.]
[FLIPS SWITCH.]
- Now, this is the first of the shots.
- OK.
I warn you, it will be painful.
- That's OK.
- Your body will feel like it's fighting the medication.
But just think: quite soon, you won't have to deal with any of this anymore, OK? OK, Dr.
Blake.
- [SHARPLY DRAWN BREATH.]
- That's good.
Good boy.
I That wasn't too bad.
Dr.
Blake [GRUNTING, CHOKING.]
[GASPING.]
[SQUEAKING, GRUNTING.]
[GURGLING.]
I want to thank you for taking care of my babies for me.
[CHOKING, GRUNTING.]
[SQUISHY SOUNDS.]
[GASPS.]
[EXPLOSIVE NOISE.]
[DR.
BLAKE CHUCKLES.]
Ahh.
[LAUGHING.]
I have been waiting a long time to see you.
Oh! Ah! [LAUGHING.]
Almost 35 years.
Ahh.
Say, "Bye-bye, Daddy.
" Ahh.
[EXHALES.]
[FLIPS SWITCH.]
MAN: OK.
Here we go.
Hello.
Hey, Dr.
Blake! It's me.
Ya know, Craig.
Uh, I've just arrived at the hotel you recommended, and I gotta tell you, man, it's a Ooh, it's definitely what we talked about.
It's great.
It's great for our purposes.
It's Yeah, let me show you.
Here we are.
Room 104.
You know, it's pretty blank and boring, but most importantly, it's clean.
You know, and I took your advice and I removed all the bed covers, so this is clean, um, what else did I do? I removed all the soaps, so those are all new soaps.
And that's me! Hello, Dr.
Blake! [LAUGHS, CLEARS THROAT.]
I wiped down all the surfaces with bleach too, so yeah.
Uh well, as you can see, not much has really changed on my body since I saw you on Wednesday for the checkup and the more blood work.
Let me see if I I don't want to clog up your inbox with unnecessary stuff, Dr.
Blake, but I just want to take a little moment to thank you.
Thank you, man, for taking me back on as a patient.
You know, it's funny, but after all these past ten years or so of seeing all these big-time specialists for my condition, whew, fuck GPs, internists, um dermatologists, psychiatrists, blah blah blah blah blah blah, it feels the most right coming back to you, ya know? You've been treating me since I'm five years old, right? Is that it? Boy, you've always been there for me.
Even more so than my parents sometimes.
So Well, enough of that, though.
Enough of that.
Enough of that.
No pity parties here.
So here we go, yeah, let's do this.
Forty-eight hours, no clothes [INHALES, EXHALES.]
no bad foods, no chemicals, just Craig.
[LAUGHS.]
Away from my apartment and my environment and anything that could be causing a reaction.
Yeah, so let's see how we do this.
OK? High-five, brother.
[LAUGHS.]
Bye.
I'll talk to you soon.
Thank you, bye.
[FLIPS SWITCH.]
Hey, Dr.
Blake.
Sorry to bug you again, but I wanted to show you something while I'm still in the bath.
- [WATER SLOSHING.]
- I've been continuing with the bleach baths, ya know, just a tablespoon, as they generally recommend.
Just in case, to keep everything sort of at bay, you know.
And it's weird, but I'm feeling, like, the rash is somehow reacting to the bleach or something.
Here, why don't I show you.
Look.
It's almost like the rash, like, bubbles up or something? I don't know.
I just thought I'd send it along, just in case.
I think when you've been living with something as long as I have, you start getting, um, a little bit desperate for a cure.
So I figure, why not? This is crazy, but, um, I'm just gonna say it.
There's something I haven't told you that I feel like I should 'cause I think it's important.
A few years ago when I was seeing my third Third psychiatrist, shit The German guy, yeah, um I had this notion, this It was very quiet, it was from deep inside, and it was like a like a feeling like a bad feeling, like there was something really wrong with me.
But lately it's been coming back, this I don't know how to describe it, it's like, um I feel like something happened to me when I was young, maybe.
Like a deep physical or emotional wound of some sort that I've suppressed.
And that maybe it's coming back in the form of this rash? - [WATER SLOSHING.]
- [LAUGHS.]
I don't know, it might be nothing, but I guess when you're living with something like this for such a long time, you start getting really desperate You do Looking for a cure, and you hope that anything's gonna crack I already said that, didn't I? [LAUGHS.]
I'm so sorry, I promise I'm gonna stop wasting your time now, but I just wanted to check in.
So I'll talk to you later.
Bye.
Hey, Dr.
Blake.
Just a quickie here, um I realize I haven't given you a sort of wider angle of my entire body, so I'm [SHIVERS.]
so I thought I'd put it down on video just for the sake of thoroughness, I guess.
Fuck.
As you can see, it's still slowly, um, spreading and, you know, doing its own thing, um I'm trying not to freak out.
[FORCED LAUGH.]
And definitely I'm a little sad, a little scared too, but I'm hopeful.
I'm hopeful that you and I are gonna beat this thing.
We got this, right? So for tonight, I'm just gonna get a good night's sleep and keep it on the positive, and we'll see what tomorrow brings together So [STAMMERS.]
I'm sorry.
I guess you've seen everything already, so you don't care.
Bye, Dr.
Blake.
Oh, boy.
Uh, I'm so sorry, I know it's late.
Dr.
Blake, I just had a dream, and I think it's important, I can feel it's important.
It's like I think it relates to the rashes somehow, along the lines of what I was talking about in the bathtub before.
[BREATHING HEAVILY.]
Oh, my God, I don't know how to It was like I was in this, like, place, I was in this place, this this, like, dark, it was musty, like, earthy-smellin' place, it was like a cave or like a lair of some sort.
Man, and it there were these beings all around me, right? Like, I could feel them I couldn't see anything, it was dark, but I could hear them, I could feel them.
They weren't human, they were more like animals or like ghosts or something like And I knew that they needed me.
Like, I felt like they like I was part of some sort of plan or something.
But I didn't feel safe.
I I felt like Like they were gonna hurt me.
They started closing in and getting closer and closer, but I was I was a little boy in the dream, but it was taking them so long to, like, get close, yeah, it was like years, it felt like years, 'cause I started growing up.
Like, right there, I And one of them was about to step into a shaft of light, I could just feel him, just Bam! Fuck! I w I woke up.
You know? [BREATHING HEAVILY.]
Holy Dr.
Blake, something's happening.
I can feel something opening up inside of me, something that's like Boy, this could be big, huh? I'm gonna I'm gonna try to, ya know, try to go back to sleep, see if I can learn more, but, I, uh Good night.
I'll check back in when Hey, Dr.
Blake.
Man, so, I couldn't go back to sleep, obviously, you know, it's just doot-doot-doot-doot! But that's OK, that's OK, 'cause, um, I realized that this dream must be reflecting something real from my childhood.
Something real, you know? It's too vivid.
So I'm gonna call my mom and see what's up.
- [LINE OUT RINGING.]
- Hello? - WOMAN: Hello? - Mama! Hi! It's me, it's Craig.
- I know it's you, honey.
- Good.
Hey, listen, Mom, real quick, I wanted to ask you a few questions, but before I get into all that, I wanted you to know that I'm recording this Facetime, OK? I'm gonna record you.
So, if that's OK with you.
Wait, what? You're recording me? Just the conversation, in case something interesting pops up, for the questions, for posterity, - is that OK with you? - OK, Craig, sure.
First question, OK? And just answer, don't think about it too much, just answer me, OK? Um did you ever take me somewhere that was dark when I was a kid, like a or earthy-smelling, like a cave? Did you ever take me to a cave? - What are you trying to ask? - I don't wanna say too much, 'cause I don't wanna put any answers in your mouth, but basically I'm wondering if, um [FLUTTERING LIPS.]
if something happened to me when I was a kid, if something weird happened to me that you can remember, like, anything out of the ordinary, uh, I don't want to say threatening, but traumatizing, something that you don't want to tell me.
Craig, honey, I promised myself that I wouldn't argue with you anymore.
- Then don't.
- You spending all this time alone, thinking about this stuff You know it's not good.
You know I'm not gonna stop until I find the answer.
- Right? I'm not gonna do that.
- Yes.
OK? So can we just please cut the routine and get to it? - Do you mind if we do that? - Sure, Craig.
Sure.
Yeah, let's do it, OK? Great.
Thank you, Mom.
So, did we ever take a trip or a vacation or something We never had money for anything like that.
We took a few small trips to the lake, we would visit your Aunt Marisol, we went camping once.
We would visit the city to look at colleges for your sister.
Wait, what was that? What'd you say? - What? - You said a camping trip? - I don't remember a camping trip.
- Of course you remember that trip.
No, I don't remember a camping trip.
Why would I Craig, we've talked about this before.
Mom, we haven't talked about it.
[PANTING.]
H-How old was I? I don't know.
Maybe four or five? So I was little.
OK.
OK.
Um Jesus, I don't remember any of this.
OK, maybe I talked to Jenny about it.
No, it's fine, doesn't matter.
Just tell me more about it.
Tell me more.
Well, your father and I, we were We weren't having our best times then.
I was very distracted.
You were distracted.
OK.
And, um, Jenny made a friend and ended up staying the night in their tent.
So Jenny was That's interesting.
That's good.
Uh-huh.
Let's see.
Oh.
Your father and I, we got into a fight, and I Well, one of us yelled, and I was worried, because I was worried that you might have heard us, 'cause you were in the tent next to us, alone.
OK, so wait.
So I was alone and Jenny was gone.
- Is that right? - Yeah.
And actually, I forgot all about this part until you mentioned it.
I came back to the tent to check on you, and you weren't in the tent.
What does that mean? What do you mean? I wasn't Now I remember it.
I got scared 'cause you were gone.
I remember that.
And - I was gone? - Yeah.
I got your father, and we got our flashlights, and we looked all around for you - So I was gone-gone.
- Yeah, you were gone, and we couldn't find you - How was it that - We were really scared, 'cause it was a small site, - surrounded by big woods - Whoa, who, whoa, Mom You couldn't have gone far, but How is it that you're just remembering this now? - This is a huge deal! - I don't know.
I was gone? I disappeared as a kid? I haven't thought about this in years.
A lot of things have happened to me, I don't obsess over every single one of them like you do.
It's OK.
Just stay with me.
This is good, Mom.
What happened next? - What happened? - I guess, well, I I think you you were We couldn't find you, and and then we did.
W-What do you mean? Where'd you find me? I don't know! We looked around, you weren't there.
We came back to the tent, you were back.
- Did I say where I was? - No.
Did you ask me? Did you bother to ask me? I don't remember.
It was late.
Your father and I were fighting, we just went back to bed.
OK, OK.
Wow.
Wow, OK.
W-What else? Anything else? No.
Nothing.
That was it.
- Just - I I'm coming! - No, Mom, listen.
- Listen, honey, I gotta run.
Please, please, before you go, what's the name of the place? - Do you have the name? - I don't know.
It's probably closed down now.
It was one of those stupid places that were popular in the '80s when everybody was all into aliens.
What? A-Aliens.
Yeah, you remember.
It was right around the time E.
T.
came out.
All these places sprung up advertising that you could see flying saucers from their campgrounds and stuff.
What's the name of the city, Mom? - I don't know - What's the name of the city? - Calm down.
Calm down.
- No.
Tell me.
State.
Do you remember the state? Give me information, Mom! Oregon.
Somewhere around there.
- Oregon? Where in Oregon? - Southern Oregon.
- Southern Oregon?! - Over there! I don't know! Great! Great! This is good, Mom! This is great! Thank you! Thank you so much! Thank you, Mom.
[PANTING.]
Holy [PANTING.]
I gotta Please excuse me, Dr.
Blake, I gotta I gotta go.
It Ho ho! Wow.
Hi, Dr.
Blake.
[EXHALES.]
I think I found the place.
I think so.
It's got the most consistent craft sightings in the continental U.
S.
, and I was there during the most popular time, right? And that's when I disappeared and suddenly, mysteriously popped back up? Ya know? What? Right? [EXHALES.]
This is insane.
This is insane, but, um, I feel that after all the tests I've been through and all the research I've done, this the most insane answer I think is the correct one.
Ya know? I was abducted by aliens.
And something happened.
Ah I don't know what, I and this cave from my dreams is very clearly a suppressed memory.
You see? It was a real memory.
It was making its way back to me, first in the form of all those little illnesses when I was a kid, and then for the past eight years in the form of this The form of this rash.
I can feel it just lifting out of me, man, this this darkness inside of me, it just As soon as I got it, it was just like [IMITATES EXPLOSION.]
You know, and it's only been an hour, but look.
Look.
Look! I swear, I think it's already clearing up.
I swear.
I think I just needed to face it.
Yeah, to to like transcend whatever experience it was and to say it out loud, to say, yes, I was abducted by aliens, and maybe maybe I was probed or ha! Traumatized or whatever it was, but I don't care, I forgive you, you know? I I forgive you! And I'm moving past it! OK? I'm ready to begin my life again, man, my normal, just like pain-free, rash-free, super regular sort of life, you know? [LAUGHS.]
I just feel like living again.
I want to enjoy myself.
I want to I want to dance, is what I want to do! Wait.
I I got this.
Let me find a good Oh.
Oh, OK.
Here it is.
Ready? You make me want to dance - I love this song, man! - You make me want to Oh, Dr.
Blake, I wish you were here with me to celebrate, you know? It's been such a long journey, and you've been right there with me every step of the way, man.
You're my partner, you know that? You're my dance partner! Ha! I'll go! Go, Dr.
Blake! [LAUGHING.]
Whoo! [FOOTSTEPS SHUFFLE.]
[CLATTER.]
[CLATTER.]
[FLIPS SWITCH.]
[ELECTRICAL HUMMING.]
[CRAIG BREATHING HEAVILY.]
Yeah.
[PANTING, SNIFFLING.]
Hey, Dr.
Blake.
Uh as you can see, the rash has progressed more quickly and more painfully than it ever has.
I don't know why.
[QUIETLY.]
Oh, fuck.
Didn't change anything differently, I didn't [GAGS.]
I didn't do anything differently, I just went to bed, I went to bed excited about the new stage, and I woke up a few hours later with this shit.
This.
I'm upset, you know? And I'm gonna let myself be upset, and I'm gonna forget about the being-positive thing for just a second, because I I think I need to go on instinct.
I think I need to go bigger.
And my instinct is saying "bleach.
" And that's exactly what I'm gonna do.
It's like that Malcolm Gladwell thing "Blink" he talks about.
I'm blinking on bleach, Dr.
Blake.
[SNIFFLES.]
So I'm gonna go bigger, 'cause this situation is just not sustainable, it's just not.
It's not.
Yeah.
Let's go big on bleach.
See what happens.
Uhh! Uhh! Uhh! Uhh! [CRYING OUT.]
[SCREAMING.]
[CONTINUES SCREAMING.]
[LOUDLY WHIMPERING.]
[CRYING.]
[CONTINUES WHIMPERING.]
[SNIFFLES.]
[SOBBING.]
[SNIFFLING.]
[EXHALES.]
Dr.
Blake, um I think I'm I'm coming to the end of something here.
My God, I think I'm going insane.
Thank you for everything, 'cause you've been wonderful.
But I'm done.
[TAKES DEEP BREATH.]
I'm done.
Hey, Dr.
Blake.
Um, I don't know how to start saying what I have to say to you, but, um I'm just gonna jump right into it.
I went out for a last meal and I ate all the things I'm not supposed to eat, all of 'em.
[LAUGHS.]
It was delicious.
No, seriously, it was so good.
So good.
[SIGHS.]
Then I went to a hardware store and I bought myself some rope.
A lot of supporting devices, too.
And I had every intention of hanging myself this morning.
The funny thing is, I didn't bring my phone on this little adventure of mine.
[BLOWS AIR.]
It's so silly, but the little things don't really matter when you're about to die, and I just didn't even think about it.
But when I got to my hotel, I, um, had a message on my phone from somebody very special to me.
Very special.
And I wanna play that for you, if that's OK.
MAN: Hello, Craig? This is Dr.
Blake.
I just received all your messages.
I apologize for not getting back to you sooner.
I've been trying to carve the weekends for the grandkids.
[CHUCKLES.]
I love my babies.
Anyhow, I tried calling a few times and you didn't pick up, so I'm leaving you this message now.
And I'm sure you can hear the excitement in my voice, so I'm hoping this message catches you before you do anything "rash.
" - [LAUGHS.]
- [LAUGHS.]
I know this has been a difficult time for you, so let's end it right now, shall we? I have just received your blood work.
You have an official diagnosis.
You have an extremely rare disease called Hertzinger's Syndrome.
It is first presented as a weakened immune system, i.
e.
, your childhood, and if not caught, it often progresses into a thickening of the blood and presents in a form of small, oddly shaped rashes that can cover the entire body in extreme cases.
The bad news is, if I had caught this when you were younger, I could have saved you years of suffering and frustration.
I apologize to you from the depths of my soul for that error.
It's OK.
I know I cannot give you those years back.
The good news is, this disease is 100% curable.
You will receive three shots, a series of blood transfusions, and a rather stiff 90-day antibiotic treatment.
- [LAUGHING.]
- Your symptoms will start to dissipate within a week.
It is 6:15 a.
m.
my time.
- [COUGHING.]
- By the time you receive this, I will be on the road to your hotel room, the one we discussed.
Room 104, was it? I will administer the first of the shots and I will have the antibiotic treatment with me.
We'll start your blood transfusions later today.
I figured, why waste any more time? One last thing.
I was very concerned about your last video, and it's very important that you don't lose hope.
I'm very proud of you for holding on all these years.
Your life has had a greater impact than you will ever know.
You're very special.
- [KNOCK ON DOOR.]
- [SNIFFLES.]
[CRYING.]
Dr.
Blake? MAN: It's me! [CRAIG SOBBING.]
Yes, yes, it's time.
It's definitely time.
Come.
Come.
Lie down.
[CRAIG COUGHS.]
[FLIPS SWITCH.]
- Now, this is the first of the shots.
- OK.
I warn you, it will be painful.
- That's OK.
- Your body will feel like it's fighting the medication.
But just think: quite soon, you won't have to deal with any of this anymore, OK? OK, Dr.
Blake.
- [SHARPLY DRAWN BREATH.]
- That's good.
Good boy.
I That wasn't too bad.
Dr.
Blake [GRUNTING, CHOKING.]
[GASPING.]
[SQUEAKING, GRUNTING.]
[GURGLING.]
I want to thank you for taking care of my babies for me.
[CHOKING, GRUNTING.]
[SQUISHY SOUNDS.]
[GASPS.]
[EXPLOSIVE NOISE.]
[DR.
BLAKE CHUCKLES.]
Ahh.
[LAUGHING.]
I have been waiting a long time to see you.
Oh! Ah! [LAUGHING.]
Almost 35 years.
Ahh.
Say, "Bye-bye, Daddy.
" Ahh.
[EXHALES.]
[FLIPS SWITCH.]