The X-Files

Hello?

Hello?

Who is that?

Are you Ghouli?

No.

You are. No--

I'm not, I swear.

That's what Ghouli would say. You're trying to trick me.

Look, I can prove it. Just stay where you are. I'll come find you.

Not if I find you first.

GIRL 1; No! Aah! GIRL 2; Ugh.

Most people believe there are two states of consciousness:

sleep and wakefulness.

But there is a third state, hypnagogia...

...characterized by dreamlike visions and strange sensory perceptions.

It was in this borderland that I found myself frozen on a stranger's bed.

What the hell is going on?

Sounds like sleep paralysis. REM atonia.

Did you hear hissing or buzzing? Did you feel an electric current running through your body?

No, it was different, Mulder.

I mean, after the initial jolt of fear, I felt compelled to follow the dark figure.

Dark figures are usually meant to be avoided. Where was it leading you?

There.

That's the same boat.

That's an open X-file, Scully.

Chimera.

"Dreams are today's answers to tomorrow's questions."

That's a quote from Edgar Cayce. He was called The Sleeping Prophet.

Like you, he received visions in a hypnagogic state.

He believed those visions were messages sent. He also believed in the lost city of Atlantis.

Another reason to love the guy.

You've been receiving visions through seizure. Maybe this is an evolution of the form.

No, but you're onto something, Scully, I'm sure of it.

We're being followed. Since the airport.

Detective Costa. Agent Scully.

Agent Mulder. Pleasure.

So the victims and the perpetrators were two female high school seniors.

Different schools, no past criminal history. They were good students.

We talked to their families and checked their social media.

No indications that the girls knew each other before the attack.

Crime scene photos indicate that the wounds were made with a sharp blade.

We found two knives at the scene. They cut each other up pretty bad.

What's the condition of the girls now? Both lost a lot of blood.

The one, Brianna Stapleton, was a millimeter away from having her carotid artery severed.

Both girls are unconscious in the hospital, but doctors are confident they'll pull through.

Who reported the attack?

Anonymous 911 call. Didn't leave a name.

But the voice was male, and sounded panicked.

Forensics has a complete workup with pictures and measurements...

...but this was left otherwise untouched.

There's no blood leading to or from the spot where they were discovered.

Seems like once they started, they were gonna finish.

Hmm.

Mulder, the way they attacked each other indicates an extreme emotional response.

It suggests that they did know each other.

If they didn't know each other, that response could be an indication of extreme fear...

...like a lizard brain thing.

Either way, this meeting was surely not a coincidence.

All right. Okay, thanks.

Hey, guys, there was one other thing.

The EMT said that he heard something when he was treating the victims.

He said that the girls asked him if he found Ghouli.

Is that Ghouli with an H?

It looks typical. The teeth, the mucous.

Ghouli probably feeds on human flesh. Yawn.

The site's only been active for the last couple of months.

Mostly fan fiction.

This is my problem with modern day monsters. There's no emotional investment.

You know, like Frankenstein or the Wolf Man.

Not only did they inspire bowel-clenching fear, but there was pathos.

Frankenstein, he was afraid of fire and he just wanted a friend. You know?

There's a lot of money to be made in scaring people.

Maybe the girls were manipulated to attack each other in order to goose traffic.

Most of the stories are written by an @Rever.

Oh. The girls have regained consciousness. We can talk to them at the hospital now.

Bob. Double shot cappuccino, extra foam.

Thank you. No worries, buddy.

Bob?

Like I wanted to explain "Fox" for the millionth time.

Ghouli's real.

I saw it. It was closer than you are to me. I was scared. I had to defend myself.

The thing was an inch from my face.

So close, I could smell its breath.

It had rows of sharp teeth, and this goo was dripping from its mouth.

What did it smell like, its breath?

Like...cinnamon.

And how did you find this Ghouli? I fell into this hole into its lair, I guess.

I heard something jump down, and when I turned around, it was screaming.

What about Brianna Stapleton? I didn't see anybody else.

She was on the floor, next to you. Also injured.

I don't know any Sarah.

Okay? All I saw was Ghouli.

So how did you know to go to the ferry? You're gonna think I'm crazy.

I had a dream. But it wasn't a dream.

It felt real, like I was really living it. At first it was scary because I couldn't move.

Like I was in bed, but it wasn't my own bed.

Someone was next to me. I couldn't see him. It was a dark figure.

And I jumped out of bed and chased him.

It wasn't even my own house.

I would run through the hallways and try to get to the living room to get outside.

I would just end up back inside again. Like a maze.

Where no matter which door you open, you end up in the same place.

Was there something you were supposed to see?

A souvenir. Yeah. You shake it and it snows.

What was inside your snow globe? A ferry.

Everybody knew where it was.

Kids would get stoned on it in the summer. Not me.

Have you ever experienced a dream like that before?

Kind of. My boyfriend and I did this fun house thing at the fair.

You have a boyfriend?

I'm not supposed to.

My parents don't approve.

They're really lame, but he's cool.

What's his name?

Jackson Van de Kamp.

Jackson Van de Kamp.

The sleep paralysis, the labyrinth, the snow globe. You share the same story.

And the girls apparently the same boyfriend. Jackson Van de Kamp.

Scully. I know.

Mulder, it has to be a coincidence. No, it's not. You were sent here.

We are meant to be here. We gotta find out where this kid lives.

I feel like I'm gonna fall off a cliff.

Mulder, this is the house in my vision.

The door's open.

Scully.

All right, so you said you heard three shots?

Murder-suicide.

Jackson Van de Kamp killed his parents.

When he heard you and Scully break into the house...

...he realized he was gonna get caught and killed himself.

That's a rather convenient explanation.

The kid had two girlfriends who tried to kill each other.

There's something dirty in the water. The back door was open.

Maybe he left it open. I don't think you worry about those details...

...when you're looking to commit murder-suicide.

I mean, you were here. There was nobody else when he killed himself.

I appreciate your expertise, but I think you're trying to answer questions nobody is asking.

I appreciate your input.

Scully?

Scully?

Scully?

This is his room. I recognize it from my dream.

You were right, Mulder. Whoever he is, he wanted me to be here.

Look.

Birthday, Halloween, vacation.

Baseball.

It's a whole life.

It's full. And still cold.

Odd choice to crack open a can of soda before you decide to kill your parents.

Look at this.

The Pick Up Artist: Memoirs of a Wolf in Sheep's Clothing.

At least he had his priorities straight.

He was troubled. Maybe even schizophrenic. He was seeing a psychiatrist.

Clozapine. That's an antipsychotic, and Diazepam is to treat seizures.

They were prescribed two months ago, and they're still full...

...so he was off his medication.

I have grave doubts about what appears to have happened here, Scully.

Aha. Malcolm X.

"The future belongs to those who prepare for it today."

Was that his hero?

We don't know that that body is William, Scully.

Mm.

Malcolm Little took the last name X...

...because he wouldn't take the slave name given to his ancestral family.

Was Jackson's identity so adrift...

...that he couldn't see himself as being a part of a family?

Is that why he killed his parents and then himself?

Why would he call you here just to see him die?

I need to get proof of his identity, Mulder.

I need answers.

I'll get you one.

Who are you with, and why are you following me?

Take it easy. Nobody's following you. We're just curious onlookers.

We saw the police cars. Something bad happened here.

What agency are you with?

Judging by your crappy rental car, I'm guessing the DOD.

You make a lot of assumptions.

I also assume it's no coincidence you're here on the night the Van de Kamps are killed.

Wow. Three bodies. What a tragedy.

Yeah.

Keep cracking wise. You have no idea my state of mind.

I don't know if you are who I think you might be.