The X-Files (1993–…): Season 2, Episode 24 - Our Town - full transcript

We don't have to be
out here, you know.

It's not like you're still
in high school.

We can go
to the motel.

Mm-mm.

I wouldn't want anyone
to see us.

No one would see us.

It's a small town.

George...

Come on, George.

Why'd y'all change
your mind anyway?

I don't know.



You were pretty persistent,
I guess.

Squeaky wheel gets
the oil, right?

I guess so.

What's wrong
with right here?

I can just set the
blanket down and...

Not yet.

Why not?

Because...

you have to catch me first.

Aw, come on, now.

You don't want me
to chase after you, do you?

Paula!

Paula?

Paula?



Where are you?

Son of a bitch!

I don't know, Scully.
The man's vanished.

He hasn't been seen
or heard from in ten weeks.

Come on, Mulder, don't you
see what they're doing here?

They're wasting
our time.

They're sending us on some
kind of a wild goose chase.

Chicken chase.

George Kearns
was a federal poultry inspector

assigned to Dudley, Arkansas,
home of Chaco Chicken.

I'm not questioning
the legitimacy of the case,

just their motives in
assigning it to us.

I mean, doesn't it
bother you at all

that they're trying to undermine
your work?

Oh, they may think they are,

but on the night
that George Kearns disappeared,

a woman on the I-10
saw a strange fire

in an adjacent field.

Yes, I read that report.

She claims that she saw
some kind of a foxfire spirit.

I'm surprised
she didn't call Oprah

as soon as she got off the phone
with the police.

Folktales dating back to
the 19th century from the Ozarks

describe people being taken away
by fireballs.

It's supposed to be the spirits
of massacred Indians.

Those are only legends, Mulder.

Well, most legends don't
leave behind 12-foot burn marks.

That photo was taken
by state police in the field

where the woman claims
to have seen foxfire.

This could have been made
by anything-- a bonfire.

I thought so, too.

Until I remembered this.

It's a documentary I saw
when I was in college

about an insane asylum.

Gave me nightmares.

I didn't think anything
gave you nightmares.

I was young.

No...

they, uh... see, th-they took...

they, uh...

they took me away...

they took me away, this--
the fire demons.

The fire demons...

the fire demons wanted
their pound of flesh,

but, uh...

I'm too fast for them.

They cannot kill you.

See, you can't let them
kill you.

Oh, no.

No, don't let them kill you,
don't let them kill you.

That's no way to get to heaven.

No, sir. No, sir.

That is... that is no way
to get to heaven.

His name
was Creighton Jones.

He pulled off the road
on May 17, 1961

to take a nap.

They found him
three days later,

so deranged by what
he'd encountered

that he had
to be committed.

The state police found
his car on the I-10,

right in the middle
of Dudley, Arkansas,

home of Chaco Chicken.

What's this, Mulder?

That's a witch's peg.

Staking it
into the ground

is supposed to ward
off evil spirits.

Can I help
you folks?

I'm, uh,
Sheriff Arens.

I saw you back
at the turnoff.

We're with the FBI.

I'm Special Agent Mulder.

This is Agent Scully.

Were investigating the
disappearance of George Kearns.

Oh, well, I'm happy to help
you with whatever I can,

but I'm not sure how much
there is to investigate.

Well, Sheriff,
a man is missing.

Well, we didn't find any
evidence of criminal activity,

and since no body turned up,

we just went ahead and filed
a missing persons report.

Why didn't you mention
this witch's peg in your report?

Because these fields are
filled with witch's pegs.

Lot of these
old hill people

cling tight to
their superstitions.

What about
the scorched area?

Illegal trash burning.

I keep handing out
the citations,

they keep doing it anyway.

It's cheaper to pay the fine
than haul it to the dump.

So you don't believe
it's foxfire?

Sir, foxfire's nothing more than
a ghost story about swamp gas.

Listen, I don't know
what y'all are thinking,

but George Kearns

was passing through town

ever since he got here
six months ago.

- How do you mean?
- Never did fit in--

not at the plant,
not even at his own home.

It's no big secret that Kearns
stepped out on his wife

every chance he got.

Did he have many chances?

Let's just say
George is the type of man

you'd expect to go chasing
some sweet young thing

out of town.

Is that what his wife
thinks happened?

Push comes to shove,
I'm sure she does.

But you're welcome
to ask her yourself.

My husband had a character

that leaves something out.

I always knew that about him,

but I didn't have the sense
to do anything about it.

I guess he saved me the trouble.

So you're fairly certain

that he left you
for somebody else.

George left me
a long time ago.

Right around the time
I turned 40.

Leaving town
was just a formality.

Do you have any idea
who he might be with now?

No.

And I don't want
to know, either.

This inspection report--

your husband was
about to file it with

the Department of Agriculture
the day before he disappeared.

I don't know
anything about that.

He never discussed
his work with you?

He never told me,
and I never asked.

Well, he cited
several major health violations.

He was going to recommend
that the plant be shut down.

I told you, I don't know a thing

about what went on
in that plant.

Did your husband ever receive

any threatening phone calls
or anything unusual in the mail?

Sure, there were hang-ups.

But I always thought
it was one of his girlfriends.

I'm going to give you
my phone number.

If your husband
tries to contact you,

I want you to get
in touch with me.

Or if you can think
of anything else.

Come on, Paula, let's go!

This is, uh,
Jess Harold.

He's the floor
manager here.

Jess, these people
are with the FBI.

Oh, you're here
about George Kearns, right?

Well, there's a possibility
that his disappearance may have

something to do with a report
he was about to file

with the Department
of Agriculture.

You got to understand

that ever since he got here,

George has been trying
to shut us down.

Well, he cited

multiple violations.

I know he did, believe me.

I had to answer to every one.

Was there any merit
to his claims?

Let me show you something.

Paula, you okay?

This is where George worked.

Not a chicken leaves this plant

without first passing through
the inspector's station.

We've been operating here
for 50 years

without any trouble with the
USDA until George came along.

So he really did threaten
to shut the plant down.

Oh, he tried, but we got
three other inspectors here

who consistently
give us top marks.

Here, see for yourself.

No, the only problem
this plant ever had was George.

Problem enough
to do something about?

If you're suggesting
any kind of unsavoriness,

I guess anything's
possible.

But you got to understand
about George, he had

a bone to pick with everyone,
even the federal government.

What are you
talking about?

Well, he filed a big worker's
compensation suit--

claimed he was getting
terrible headaches from his job.

"Line hypnosis"
his lawyers called it.

Yeah, I read about that.

It's caused by high-speed
repetitive activity.

Well, we'll not deny
that a lot of chickens

go through here every day,

but we've always operated
well within federal guidelines.

What happened
to his lawsuit?

Well, it was dismissed

just a few weeks
before he disappeared.

What's that?

Oh, that...
feed grinder.

Chops up bone and tissue.

See, any part of the bird
we can't package,

we process, use as feed.

Chickens feed on chickens?

I know it doesn't
sound too appetizing,

but it is nutritious,
and it cuts down on costs.

The meat is cooked
and mixed with grain.

No reason to let
all that protein go to waste.

You'll have to excuse me.
I got a shift change.

Hi, Sheriff!

Logan.

So, Mulder,
are you ready to admit

they sent us on a fool's errand?

If the fool would persist
in his folly,

he would become wise, Scully.

Well, whether George Kearns
skipped town

or somebody killed him, this
case could've been handled

by any agent under
the Kansas City office.

I'm not so sure about that.

Paula!

Let him go.

We're federal agents.

Everyone stay calm.

Don't hurt him.

Just tell us
what you want.

Don't get excited.

Just calm down.

Stay calm.

We don't want
anyone to get hurt.

We can talk this thing out.

Why don't you
give me the knife.

You okay?

Do you have any idea

what might have
prompted her attack?

None at all.

No recent complaints
or strange behavior?

Paula has always been
one of our best employees--

stable, well-liked...

I can't even begin to imagine
what brought this on.

What about you, Dr. Randolph?

Do you have
any ideas?

If you're done with me,
I got work to do.

Come by tomorrow,
let me take a look.

Make sure
it's not infected.

Sure.

Uh, Paula came by last week

complaining of
persistent headaches.

She'd suddenly started
getting... irritable,

unable to sleep.

Were you able
to determine the cause?

No, I'm just
the staff physician here.

I don't usually treat
anything more difficult

than a hand injury,
so I'm a little out of my depth

when it comes to
psychiatric matters.

You didn't find anything
physically wrong with her?

Sent her to County

for a brain scan and an EEG.

Both came back normal,

so I just assumed that her
condition was stress-related.

Could it have been
line hypnosis?

Like I said, I'm not qualified
to make that diagnosis.

But you can tell us
whether George Kearns

came to you
with any similar complaints.

They presented
similar symptoms, yeah.

How did you treat them?

I treated them both
with pain medication-- codeine.

Well, I think
an autopsy on Paula Gray

would clarify things.

I'm afraid I can't
authorize that.

You'd have to speak
with Mr. Chaco.

Why? You're a physician.

Yeah, but Mr. Chaco
was Paula Gray's grandfather

and her legal guardian.

Mr. Chaco?

Feeding these
chickens

helps me
clear my mind.

They're perfect creatures,
you know.

We eat their meat, their eggs.

Sleep on pillows

stuffed with
their feathers.

Not many people I know
are as useful as these chickens.

I'm sorry
to disturb you, sir.

We realize this is
a difficult time for you.

You want to conduct an autopsy
on my granddaughter.

Why?

You think Paula
had some kind of disease

that made her act that way?

That's what we're hoping
a postmortem will determine.

Thought your business here was
George Kearns' disappearance.

It is, but we suspect that might
have something to do

with what happened
to your granddaughter.

How?

We're not sure yet,

but it's possible
they may have both suffered

from the same
neurological disorder.

You know,

when I came here after the war,

Dudley was just a patch of dirt.

I built that plant

and put my whole
family to work there.

We made this town
one of the biggest

chicken processors
in the nation.

We couldn't have done that with
troublemakers and layabouts.

I assume you're talking
about George Kearns.

Men like George Kearns
don't build things.

They tend to tear them down.

Then you're aware
of his recommendation

to close down your plant.

You know, living
a long life

is a mixed blessing.

You spend your youth

trying to build
something for yourself

and your family
and your community,

only to watch it all
taken away from you

at your old age.

Still... I'm not ready
to die just yet.

You go do your
autopsy on Paula.

I want to know what happened
to my granddaughter.

I think we've got
something here, Mulder.

Take a look at this.

What am I looking at?

It's a specimen
from Paula Gray's brain.

She suffered from a rare
degenerative disorder

called Creutzfeldt-
Jakob disease.

It's characterized
by the formation

of sponge-like holes
in the brain tissue.

Why didn't this show up
on any of her charts?

Well, short of an autopsy,

it's a very difficult disease
to diagnose.

Outside of a textbook, I've only
seen infected tissue once,

and that was
back in medical school.

Could this be the reason
she attacked Jess Harold?

Absolutely. Victims
of Creutzfeldt-Jakob

suffer from progressive
dementia, severe seizures...

Is it fatal?

This girl would have been dead
in a matter of months.

Except that Paula Gray
was no girl.

This is her personnel file,
Scully. Check it out.

Says here
that Paula Gray

was born in 1948,
which means

that this woman--
Chaco's granddaughter--

was 47 years old.

There's got to be
some kind of a mistake.

Let's find out.

Her birth certificate
should be on file

at the Seth County courthouse.

Who knows, Scully?

This could turn out to be even
more interesting than foxfire.

The odds that Paula Gray
and George Kearns

had the same disease
are practically nonexistent.

Creutzfeldt-Jakob
can be hereditary,

but it's not communicable.

That two unrelated people
in the same small town

would contract
the same rare disease is...

A lot more likely
than Paula Gray

being three years shy
of her 50th birthday.

Mulder, look out!

Call an ambulance.

I'll try to get
the driver out.

This is
Federal Agent Scully.

I'd like to report an
accident on County A-7.

I just got off the phone
with Dr. Randolph.

He said this driver
had the same symptoms

as Paula Gray
and George Kearns.

You're saying
this is a third victim

of Creutzfeldt-Jakob?

You just got through
telling me

that two cases would be
statistically impossible.

Well, they would be.

I just came up with
a sick theory, Mulder.

Ooh, I'm listening.

You saw the feed
grinders at the plant.

What if somebody put George
Kearns's body in there?

Creutzfeldt-Jakob
is a prion disease,

which means it could have
been passed on to the chickens

and, in turn,
anyone who consumed them.

So anyone eating
chickens out of Dudley

- would be at risk?
- Well, it's possible.

You know, sometimes in England,
they'll incinerate cattle

to keep them from passing
mad cow disease on to people.

Yeah, but chickens from Dudley

are shipped all over
the country.

If what you're saying were true,
we'd be seeing an epidemic,

not just a few local cases.

Sheriff?

What's wrong with this water?

Runoff from the plant.

Chicken litter, mostly.

Some blood and parts
from the birds.

Was this river searched
after Kearns disappeared?

Are you kidding? Talk about
a needle in a haystack.

Well, I'd like it dragged
as soon as possible.

Why would you want to do that?

See what's in there.

Well, listen,
that's a filthy job,

and I don't particularly
want to do it

unless I know
what it is you're looking for.

Hopefully nothing.

Look, Sheriff,
if you don't want to do it,

I can get some of my men
down here to do it.

I'll do it.

Mulder...

Oh, it's just a hunch.

I mean, if George Kearns
didn't just run off,

if he was murdered
for that inspection report,

then his body's
got to be somewhere.

We closed the spillway,
and the water level dropped.

They came up with it
almost immediately.

Did you find Kearns?

Maybe you better
see for yourself.

Sheriff Arens is outside.

They're still pulling
bones from the river.

Well, so far,
I've been able to isolate

nine distinct skeletons.

This one belonged
to the late George Kearns.

How do you know?

The pin in his femur.

According to his medical file,

Kearns broke his right leg
four years ago.

What about the others?

Well, I'll need

more sophisticated
equipment to be certain,

but I estimate that
some of these bones

are as much as 20
or 30 years old.

All of them share
one strange detail, though.

Well, they seem
to have lost their heads.

Well, besides that.

The older bones
show signs of decay

and surface abrasion,
just like you'd expect,

but for some reason
all of them, even Kearns's,

are smooth and buffed

at the ends.

It's almost like
they've been polished.

Well, it could just be from the
erosion from the water, but...

No, that water
had hardly any current,

and this level of erosion
wouldn't be confined

to just the ends of the bones.

Any theories?

Maybe.

Sheriff?

Doris.

Is it true?

Just tell me.

Doris, I want you
to listen to me.

They found him, didn't they?

Well, we brought up
quite a few remains

at the river
this afternoon,

and George's
were among them.

I'm sorry.

Listen, I'm really sorry.

- It's going to be all right.
- No... no!

Don't worry, Doris,
we'll take care of you.

Doris?

Hey, got a
new schedule?

Mm-hmm. Yep.

Let me see.

Why do I get the feeling
you're not here

to check up on my neck?

They found bones
in the river.

I know. I heard.

Did you also hear
that Clayton Walsh

came down with the symptoms?

That's four.

It's getting worse with
every day that goes by.

Someone has
to tell Mr. Chaco.

He knows what's happening.

He's just not doing anything
about it.

Maybe I should talk to him.

You can try.

I will talk to him.

He'll listen to me.

And if he doesn't?

I had Danny run a check
on all missing persons

last seen within a 200-
mile radius of Dudley.

In the last 50 years,

87 people have
disappeared near here.

And judging from
the forensic evidence,

I'd say the same person
or persons was responsible.

Then it may have been

the work of some kind
of a cult.

Scully, I think that
the good people of Dudley

have been eating
more than just chicken.

You think these
people were eaten?

Look at these bones.

They've been polished
at both ends,

suggesting they were
boiled in a pot.

Anthropologists have
used similar evidence

to prove cannibalism among the
Anasazi tribe of New Mexico.

Well, then Paula Gray may have
contracted Creutzfeldt-Jakob

by eating George Kearns.

That could begin to explain
her youthful appearance.

What are you talking about?

Some cannibalistic rituals
are enacted

with the belief
that they can prolong life.

Cannibalism is one thing,

but increasing longevity
by eating human flesh...

Well, think about it, Scully.

From vampirism
to Catholicism,

whether literally
or symbolically,

the reward for eating
flesh is eternal life.

I don't claim to
know how it works,

but we both saw
Paula Gray.

We never confirmed the date
of birth on her personnel file.

Maybe the records
at the courthouse

will tell us how
old she really is

and if anybody else in Dudley
is lying about their age.

You coming?

You got
to do something

about what's
happening, Mr. Chaco.

People are
getting scared.

They don't know what
to make of things.

They're losing their faith
is what it sounds like.

It's getting hard
to hold on to,

the way things
are going.

Three more have gotten
sick since yesterday.

I lost my granddaughter
in this, Jess,

so don't tell me
what we're up against.

Now, I said I'll handle it.

I know you...

Yes?

I need to see
Mr. Chaco.

Oh, Doris?

I... I can't do this
anymore, Mr. Chaco.

I can't keep lying.

It's all right.

Jess told me what happened.

You have nothing
to worry about.

They're going to
think I did it.

No, they won't think
any such thing.

But I did.

No.

I helped.

He was no good, Doris.

He had no values.

He didn't fit in here.

But he was my husband.

That was a price
you had to pay.

Now, you knew that
from the beginning.

But those FBI agents...

Ah-ah.

This town wasn't
built in a day.

It's not about
to fall apart in a day.

Now, you're a part
of us now,

and we're going to take
good care of you.

Now, I want you to go home,
get some rest.

You've got a funeral to go to.

This whole thing will
blow over soon enough,

and you'll wonder
what all the fuss is about.

I'm sorry.

That's all right.

We all understand, Doris.

Good night.

She'll be fine.

She's not stable.

She's one of us now,
part of our town.

Unless we do
something about her,

there won't be any town
left to speak of.

No!

No, once we start
turning on ourselves,

we're no better
than the animals.

It's the FBI
we should be worried about.

They're the real problem.

Someone's been
playing with matches.

Smells like
a recent fire.

I bet it's no coincidence
it only hit the birth records.

You think
someone was expecting us?

Mulder.

It's Doris Kearns.

I'm in my house.

I need to speak
with you right away.

Are you all right?

I'm afraid for my life.

I'm afraid he'll kill me.

Who?

Mr. Chaco.

All right, Mrs. Kearns,
I want you to stay in the house

and lock the door,
and don't answer the door

until Agent Scully
gets there.

Where are you going?

Take Chaco
into custody.

No.

Mrs. Kearns?

Mrs. Kearns?

Mrs. Kearns?

Is Mr. Chaco in?

I'll see if he's still awake.

I'm sorry,

but Mr. Chaco is
unable to see you now.

Do you know what's in here?

I wouldn't know.

Can you open it?

I don't have the key.

What do you think
you're doing?!

Scully.

Scully, Chaco's not here.

Yeah.

Mrs. Kearns is missing,
too, Mulder.

I think someone's been here.

The power's been cut
and the back door was wide open

when I got here,
but her car is still out back.

Chaco must have taken her.

Scully? Scully?!

Scully, what happened?

Scully, you there?

You all right?

Scully!

Answer me!

Scully!

What have you done here?!

I warned you!

I said not to touch her!

Doris Kearns
was one of us!

Who's behind this?

Why didn't you listen to me?

It's the outsiders
we have to deal with,

not one of our own.

We'll deal with them all.

Look at yourselves!

Look at what
you've become!

This isn't faith anymore.

It's just fear.

They've turned us
into an abomination.

You brought in the outsider
who made us all sick.

Once you turn on yourselves,
it's over.

How long before
it's any one of us?

Any one of you?

That's not your problem
anymore, Mr. Chaco.

No.

No.

Kill me...

...and you kill us all.

Latch it.

Bring her over.

Are you hurt?

Mm-mm.

You all right?

Listen up, people!

Stand away from
your workstations!

Let's go!
We're moving it out!

Pending further review,

the Chaco processing plant
has been closed by the USDA.

So far, no evidence
of contaminated chicken

has been discovered.

Though it remains unknown
how many citizens participated

in the ritual activity,

27 have become fatally ill
with Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease.

What is known
is that a transport plane

carrying Walter Chaco
was shot down

in 1944 over New Guinea.

Chaco was the only survivor
of that crash.

According to Naval records,

he spent six months
with the Jale--

a tribe whose
cannibalistic practices

have long been suspected
but never proven.

Naval records also show
that Walter Chaco

was born in 1902,

making him 93 years old
at the time of his death.

As of this date,

his remains
have yet to be found.

I made this!