Chapter 1: Who is Owen Coleman and why is he significant?
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So thank you so much for being here. We seriously couldn't do this without you. Let's get into the episode. Some content may be unsettling for some listeners. Listener's discretion is advised. The Midnight Mystery presents National Emergency, Season 1, Episode 6, The Facility.
Not again. Not this room again. Three times. Three emergencies. How is that even possible?
Mr. Coleman?
Who are you?
Special Agent Sarah Chen, Federal Emergency Response Division. Thank you for coming in voluntarily.
Did I have a choice?
Everyone has a choice, Mr. Coleman.
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Chapter 2: What choices does Owen face regarding the federal research facility?
So, what am I? Some kind of magnet for these things?
I don't know. That's what I'm trying to determine. Worldwide, we've documented only 47 cases of individuals experiencing three or more emergency events. You're number 48.
What happened to the other 47?
39 are deceased. Five are currently in secure research facilities. Three are unaccounted for. They went off the grid before we could reach them.
And... you want to put me in one of those facilities?
I'm not here to take you anywhere against your will, but yes, eventually we will need to discuss that option. But first, I need information.
What do you want to know?
Do you have any family history of unusual events? Anything that might be considered paranormal or unexplained?
No. My parents were normal. Divorced when I was twelve, but that's not exactly unusual. My dad left town. I haven't heard from him in years. My mom passed away three years ago. Nothing weird about any of it.
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Chapter 3: How does the town react to Owen's presence after the emergencies?
Do you feel drawn to certain places or people? Any unexplained compulsions or urges?
Drawn? What does that even mean?
Some survivors have reported feeling pulled towards certain locations or individuals shortly before an emergency occurs, like an instinct.
No, I don't feel drawn to anything. Except maybe away from people. Everyone I get close to ends up dead.
Is that how you see yourself? As dangerous?
Three emergencies. My wife is gone. 23 kids are gone. Jim is gone. How else am I supposed to see myself?
As a survivor.
Is that what I am?
Yes. And that makes you valuable. Whether you realize it or not, Mr. Coleman, you have information. Your experiences, your survival. They could help us understand these events. Help us save lives.
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Chapter 4: What evidence is there of vandalism related to Owen's situation?
Yes. Being cursed implies he's causing this somehow. He's not. He's just... He's just in the wrong place at the wrong time. Three times in the wrong place? Yes, three times. And it's destroying him. You should see the guilt he carries. The way he looks at me like he's afraid I'm going to be next. Are you afraid of that? Being next? Sometimes. But not because of Owen. Because of the emergencies.
They're random. They could happen to anyone, anywhere.
Ms. Park, are you aware of what's happening in town? The community's reaction to Mr. Coleman? You mean the parents blaming him for their kids?
Yes. I was at the town hall. I heard what they said.
It's escalated since then. What do you mean? There was another town meeting last night. Unofficial, but over 200 people attended. About Owen? About removing him from the community for the safety of the town.
That's insane! He's not dangerous!
They don't see it that way. They see a pattern. Three emergencies. Three incidents where people close to him have died or disappeared. They're scared. Oh, so they're turning into a mob? That's the answer?
Miss Park, when was the last time you were at your house? Yesterday. Before the town hall. I haven't been home since the emergency happened. Why?
Your house was vandalized last night. After midnight, based on the police report. Someone spray-painted your garage door, broke several windows, left threatening notes on your doorstep. Local police have the scene documented.
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Chapter 5: What does Agent Sarah Chen reveal about emergency survivors?
Three events in such close proximity, the statistical probability is... I don't care about statistics. I care about Owen. He's a person, not a data point. And as a person, he needs protection. From the emergencies. From the town. From himself. What do you mean, from himself? You said he barely sleeps. That he paces at night, that he thinks he's cursed.
Miss Park, those are signs of someone who's breaking down. Someone who might make desperate choices. You think he's going to hurt himself? I think he's in a dangerous mental state. And I think he needs help that you can't provide. I can take care of him. I've been taking care of him. And now your house is vandalized. Your safety's threatened. How long before it gets worse?
How long before someone does more than break windows? What are you saying? I'm saying you care about him. I can see that. But caring about him isn't enough to protect him or yourself. The facility I'm talking about, it's not a prison. It's a research center. He'd have his own room, privacy, medical care. And most importantly, he'd be away from the public. Away from danger. For how long?
As long as it takes to understand what's happening to him. Weeks. Maybe months. And if he says no? Then I can't guarantee his safety, or yours. The town is turning on him, Miss Park. It's only a matter of time before someone does something they can't take back.
You're asking me to convince him to go. I'm asking you to think about what's best for him, and for you. He's my best friend. I can't just... I can't just send him away.
Sometimes the best way to protect someone is to let them go. Can I see him before any decisions are made? Not yet. I still need to speak with Detective Hutchins. But yes, you'll have time to talk to him. Then we're done here? Yes. Thank you for your cooperation, Ms. Park. And I'm sorry about your house. Are you? Or is this just part of your investigation? I'm sorry.
No one deserves to be threatened in their own home.
Agent Chen, do you really think the facility will help him? Or are you just trying to remove the problem?
I think he needs answers. And so do we. Whether the facility helps him or not, I don't know. But I know staying here will destroy him, one way or another.
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Chapter 6: What options does Owen have to ensure his safety?
You've been looking for connections, similarities.
Yes.
And what have you found?
Nothing conclusive. Every emergency is different. Different directives, different outcomes. The only pattern is that there is no pattern.
You don't believe that.
No, I don't. I think there is a pattern. We just don't understand it yet.
Tell me what you found.
Other drivers have reported incidents. Strange occurrences before emergencies. Feelings of being watched. Equipment malfunctions, but nothing concrete. Nothing that predicts when or where an emergency will occur.
You mentioned other drivers. What about the previous bus driver? The one before Owen Coleman?
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Chapter 7: How does Owen feel about being a potential threat to others?
Understood. Understood.
You want to take him to a facility.
We want to understand what's happening to him and potentially use that understanding to save lives.
You mean lock him up and study him like a lab rat?
I mean provide him with protection and resources he doesn't currently have. You said yourself he's desperate, Detective, that he thinks he's dangerous. How long before that desperation leads him to make a terrible decision?
What kind of decision?
The same kind Jenkins made. Isolation, or worse.
You think he's suicidal?
I think he's carrying more guilt than any person should have to bear. And I think without intervention, that guilt will consume him.
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Chapter 8: What ultimatum does Owen receive regarding his future?
Everyone near me gets hurt. This isn't your fault, Mr. Coleman. Isn't it? Three emergencies.
My wife. Twenty-three kids. Jim. And now Lisa's house is destroyed because of me.
Because of scared people making bad choices. Not because of you. Mr. Coleman, you're not safe here. Neither is anyone associated with you. Lisa, Detective Hutchins. The longer you stay, the more danger they're in.
So I should just leave. Run away.
I'm offering you an alternative to running. There's a research facility. Federal. Secure. We study emergency survivors there. Try to understand the phenomenon.
You want to lock me up?
I want to give you options. And safety.
Safety? In a government facility? Studying me like a lab rat?
Studying you like a person who's experienced something extraordinary. A person who might have answers we desperately need. We have resources, medical staff, psychologists, experts who've been studying these events since they began.
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