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    Lee Wilson
  • Lee Wilson
  • Author
  • 04/09/2025
  • 260 Words
  • 1,896 Views
  • 33 Comments
Stories posted in this category are works of fiction. Names, places, characters, events, and incidents are created by the authors' imaginations or are used fictitiously. Any resemblances to actual persons (living or dead), organizations, companies, events, or locales are entirely coincidental.
Note: While authors are asked to place warnings on their stories for some moderated content, everyone has different thresholds, and it is your responsibility as a reader to avoid stories or stop reading if something bothers you. 
This story is an original work of fiction. None of the people or events are real. While some of the town names used may be real, any other geographic references (school, events) are purely fictional. Any resemblance to persons living or dead is completely coincidental. This work is the property of the author, Lee R Wilson, and shall not be reproduced and/or re-posted without his permission. Story ©2025 Lee R Wilson.

The Last Boys in Clinton - Prologue. Prologue

It had been a breakthrough day at Mission Critical Labs, a chemical laboratory. The chemists in the Disease Prevention Unit had come up with a formula that was rapidly killing cancer cells in all of their animal subjects. Unfortunately, one of the sample units was not put away properly at the end of the day. The cleaning crew believed it to be trash. This seemed a safe assumption since Fraser McLaughlin had accidentally knocked one of the test tubes into a sink.

Patrick Towson saw it in the sink, opened it and dumped it down the drain. Leaving a brown residue, he turned on the water to wash it away. The compound interacted with the water, emitting an odorless gas. Patrick unknowingly inhaled some and was on the floor dying three seconds later. It took a few minutes before he actually died. The water continued to run. It was 7:05 PM.

That particular lab’s drainage shared its plumbing with the entire facility. Within minutes, more of the gas was escaping into the air all over the facility. The handful of employees that remained suffered the same fate as did Patrick Towson.

So did the next employee to enter the building later that night. Terrell Pfeiffer wanted to run one more test. He arrived at just before 8:30 PM. He opened the door, collapsed, then died in the doorway, preventing it from sealing. The town of Clinton, New Jersey was a ghost town in less than four hours. It took a bit longer to spread to the neighboring towns.

While my inspiration for this one was the prompt, I also have to give a nod to Stephen King's 'The Stand.' I tried to make this different, but there are similarities, namely Marie-Louise and King's Julie Lawry; in the sense that neither one is the most likable girl.
One subtle reference to John Steinbeck's 'Of Mice and Men' as well.
Copyright © 2025 Lee Wilson; All Rights Reserved.
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Stories posted in this category are works of fiction. Names, places, characters, events, and incidents are created by the authors' imaginations or are used fictitiously. Any resemblances to actual persons (living or dead), organizations, companies, events, or locales are entirely coincidental.
Note: While authors are asked to place warnings on their stories for some moderated content, everyone has different thresholds, and it is your responsibility as a reader to avoid stories or stop reading if something bothers you. 
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Anton_Cloche

One would hope that this undetectable gas rendered Patrick unconcious in that first 3 seconds and he did not suffer for a long as it took to him to die. And this held true for all the others. Otherwise this tale is dark, even for @Lee Wilson.

( Not a criticism, "Just the Facts", which is an uncommon rarity, along with common cents, and GF empathy). Not like HHS or CDC will rush experts  or a 🐛-free brainy scientist to find a solution.

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Lee Wilson
8 hours ago, Anton_Cloche said:

One would hope that this undetectable gas rendered Patrick unconcious in that first 3 seconds and he did not suffer for a long as it took to him to die. And this held true for all the others. Otherwise this tale is dark, even for @Lee Wilson.

( Not a criticism, "Just the Facts", which is an uncommon rarity, along with common cents, and GF empathy). Not like HHS or CDC will rush experts  or a 🐛-free brainy scientist to find a solution.

200.gif

Yes, we’ll assume the victims didn’t suffer.  Does anyone still work at HHS or the CDC? They might all have been fired by now. 😁

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