Catalepsia

Catalepsy is not a disease, but a symptom of a range of disorders such as epilepsy, schizophrenia and other conditions. Dr. Monasterio suffered from catalepsy, and his quest to find a cure was driven above all by a deep fear of being buried alive. His first major breakthrough was synthesizing a drug that induced cataleptic attacks, an advance that gave rise to his most famous phrase: “if it can be provoked, it can be cured.” After years of research he designed a treatment that worked on rodents, which he stressed with drugs and electric shocks, but confident and eager to reach the finish line, he jumped ahead to human trials without publishing his studies or seeking approval from the WHO. Suddenly everything collapsed and after the deaths of four patients, the remaining subjects abandoned the treatment, weakened and with serious aftereffects. Relatives of the victims went looking for Dr. Monasterio, but found no trace of the sinister figure until today, when he appeared as the subject of an obituary in the local paper. The doctor’s death in a closed coffin and almost in solitude has aroused the suspicions of a group of family members, who are determined to slip into the funeral parlor in the early hours—the room will be locked from midnight. In one hour the coffin will be taken to the cemetery. It’s time to find out whether Dr. Monasterio faked his death, or will pay for his sins in another life…