Catalepsia

Catalepsy is not a disease; it’s a symptom of a range of disorders like epilepsy, schizophrenia and other pathologies. Dr. Monasterio suffered from catalepsy, and his quest to find a cure was driven primarily by a deep fear of being buried alive. His first major success was synthesizing a drug that induced cataleptic attacks, a breakthrough that gave rise to his most famous phrase: “if you can provoke it, you can cure it.” After years of research he developed a treatment that worked on rodents, which he stressed with drugs and electrical shocks. Confident and eager to reach the end of the road, he began human trials ahead of schedule without publishing his results or seeking approval from the WHO. Suddenly everything collapsed: 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 a death notice in the local paper. The closed-casket death of Dr. Monasterio, and the near solitude of his funeral, arouse the suspicions of a group of family members who are determined to sneak into the funeral parlor after midnight, while it is closed. In an hour the coffin will be taken to the cemetery. Now is the time to investigate whether Dr. Monasterio faked his death—or whether he will pay for his sins in another life…