U.G.L.Y (2 page)

    
A
new
drug
company
emerged
just before the first wave
that
claimed
to
have
the
ultimate
solution
for
depression,
anxiety,
bi-polar
disorders,
and
all
the
other
behavioral abnormalities
that
had
crept
into
the
human
experience by
the
beginning
of
the
21
st
century.
Unu
Gallilum
Lithium
Ytirlum
(U.G.L.Y)
was
advertised
as
the
doorway
to
a
happier
life.

     A
pharmaceutical
corporation
, F
allecimiento
LLC.
which emerged out of
South America
,
had
begun
advertising
this
drug
before
ever
getting
approval
from
the
U.S.
Food
and
Drug
Administration.
Clinical
trials
were
not
completed
but
doctors
and
patients
were
lining
up
for
information and getting on waiting lists to be the first to try it.
Even
more
influential
was
the
impact
this
drug
had
on
the
medical
research
field,
not
because
of
the
promised
euphoric
effects of the drug itself,
but
rather
its
unique
delivery
method.

    F
allecimiento
LLC, had enlisted the use of H-Pylori, a common stomach bacteria, to deliver the drug into the digestive system of a patient. T
his
concept
became popular in research community after it had been adapted to delivering a drug that had a high profit potential, vindicating the work done by an earlier researcher who had been experimenting with using it as a delivery method for  anti-viral
medications. E
ventually
this interest would result in a
modified
bacteria
that would
carry
U.G.L.Y
into
the
digestive tract
of
an
emotionally
ailing
patient.
The
drug
itself
wasn't
in
question
with
the
FDA, clinical trials showed a success rate that was better than any other drug trial in history.
I
t
was
the
delivery
method
that
was
still
being
studied.

    
Interest
had
grown
in
testing
the
potential for the delivery
and
biologists
all
over
the
world
were
eager
to
work
with
the
bacteria. What hadn't been considered however was how a contaminant would affect the biological delivery platform. Contamination of a batch of U.G.L.Y with a fungus would initiate a symbiotic evolutionary event. Leading to the end of the human race.

2
.

-Breakdown-

     Two years before the initial outbreak I had entered the most difficult period in my life. It all began with a single event that lead to a complete breakdown initiated by a reaction to prescription drugs. I was having a heart attack
, or at least I thought I was.
In the years before my breakdown I had been working at an IT security firm and spent more waking hours at work then at any other aspect of my life. One spring day I leaned over my computer, stressed, in a daze, and my chest began to flutter and cramp. I was terrified, I left work and drove myself to the hospital, feeling real panic for the first time in my life.

     I remember staring at an EKG printout.

Name: Stevens,
Duncan
. H

age: 37 Sex: Male

Results of EKG: heart rate nominal, nothing to indicate cardiovascular event.

     I began to carry the fear of heart failure from then on even though there was nothing wrong with me besides being continuously stressed out and scared. The weeks following brought one catastrophic event after another. First a
car
accident, then
a
death
in
the
family.

    
Each
event
took
more
and
more
out
of
me
.
In time I learned that my heart was fine. It
wasn't
the
first
time
I
had
felt
a fluttering sensation in my chest
but
it
seemed
different
this
time
and
I
got
scared.
Inevitably it t
urned
out
my
stomach
had herniated
and
acid
reflux
was causing spasms
.
A
fter
weeks
of
doctors
visits
and
coping with
having
the
living
shit
scared
out
of
me, My psyche was damaged and I began to fall apart.

     I can clearly remember knowing I had no reserve left. If something more were to happen I knew my life would collapse.
In
hindsight
I realize it
wasn't
Amanda's
fault,
but
for
a
while
I
had
blamed
what was happening to me
on
my
wife.
  I was feeling pressure to keep pushing forward even though I knew I needed to stop.

    
I caved into the pressures of my marriage. In
order
to
make
Amanda
happy,
and
in
the
hopes
that
my
kids
would
be
in
a
good
clean
city
that
was
free
of
too
much
crime
and
had
good
schools, I agreed to move.
I
gave
up
on myself entirely
.
My days were long,
commuting
up
to
five
hours
daily
and
continuing the
pursuit
of
a
graduate
degree.

     I believed I was doing it for my family but by now I was just numb
.
I
needed
to
stay
competitive
in
order
to
continue
driving
my
salary
up.
I
understood it
was
necessary,
or
as
Amanda
put
it
“we
were
screwed if I didn't”.
At
one
point
I
held
two
jobs
that
both
entailed
a
great
deal
of
stress and long hours.
This all put me over the edge and I turned to my doctor for help. I was losing control, melting down on a regular basis.
This
lead
to
the
doctors
visits
,
prescriptions,
and
then
side
effects began.
U
ltimately
my
body
began
shutting
down.

    
One
particular
drug
that
was
heavily
prescribed
and
a
lesser
version
sold
over
the
counter
was
one
controlling
stomach
acid, Proton Pump Inhibitors (PPI).
S
ide
effects
were
noted
as
relatively
minor
and
in
very
few
cases,
severe
but
the
percentage
was
very
small.

     I
ended
up
being
in
that
small
percentage
and
entered
into
the
worst
nightmare
I
had
ever
imagined.
The
pills
began
causing
rapid
heart
rate,
chest
pains,
stomach
cramps,
exceptionally
high
anxiety,
and
eventually
led
to
episodes
of
complete
panic.
It
was
like
being
trapped
in
my
own
mind,
terrified all the time.

    
Then
tranquilizers
were
added
to
the
toxic
mix
and
in
a
very
short
time
I
went
from
having
difficulty
controlling
myself
to
complete
loss
of
control.
I
thought
that
the
only
way
to
stop
the
agony
and
terror
was
death.
I didn't
plan to kill myself
but the thought crossed my mind when I would react to the drugs as
almost
a
necessity. I needed the pain to stop.

Once I understood what was causing the problem I began to detox myself and started on the longest road I have ever traveled. The first days were the worst, I felt death everywhere. I was afraid to even move for fear of inducing a stroke or seizure.