The Mad Gasser of Mattoon

The Farthest Reaches

You wake up early one sunny September morning. As you're on your way down to the kitchen you stop into each of your kid's rooms to make sure they are up for school. You make their lunches and pack their bags as they run downstairs and out the door to catch the bus, but not before giving you a hug and kiss. A list of errands mark your calendar, so you set off. Your back in time to see your kids dropped off and then not much later, your husband walks in after a long day of work, happy to see you and the kids. Dinner is made and you all sit around the kitchen table discussing how everyone's day went. As today comes to a close, everyone gets ready for bed. You tuck in your children and give them a kiss goodnight. As you drift off to sleep, any worries you had today, slip away. Suddenly, you wake up. It's the middle of the night and your husband is awake, coughing and gasping for air. You lean over and before you can say anything, you too begin to endure the same symptoms. Your throat starts to burn and gets worse with every pronounced cough. Your eyes burn in sync with your throat and water profusely, making it impossible to keep them open so you can stay aware of your surroundings. You both fall onto the floor. That's when you notice your body doesn't want to respond. With each passing second, you become increasingly paralyzed, but how? You both panic as the two of you lay on the floor, convulsing and struggling to break the binds of this phantasm of immobility. You two stare into each other's eyes wandering... if this... is it. Puzzled, that thought starts to make it's exit as you slowly regain feeling throughout your body. Once movement is achieved, you crawl towards the phone and call the police. By the time law enforcement arrives, you and your husband are feeling completely fine besides the slight burning that was left in your throat. Once you could traverse the house, you immediately check on your kids to see if they are alright. They were more than alright though, because somehow they never knew what was happening, let alone being held hostage by some unseen power. The cops take your statements and investigate the house but find no evidence for what took place just hours ago. Once they leave, your neighbor arrives at your front door wandering why the cops made an appearance. As you retell your fateful encounter, your neighbor gasps and then proceeds to tell a story... about how she was attacked the night before in the same manner. Interestingly, there was one detail about her story that you couldn't claim for yours, and that was the ghastly figure, dressed in all black, that was seen trying to get inside their home.

REFERENCE LINKS:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mad_Gasser_of_Mattoon- The Mad Gasser of Mattoon

https://web.archive.org/web/20070927210235/http://www.eiu.edu/~localite/coles/mattoon/gasser/Mrs%20Cordes%20Burned.htm– Cordes Family Attack

https://web.archive.org/web/20070927210105/http://www.eiu.edu/~localite/coles/mattoon/gasser/First%20Victims%20Article.htm– Kearney Family Attack

https://web.archive.org/web/20060925063855/http://www.eiu.edu/~localite/coles/mattoon/gasser/Location%20of%20Gas%20Attacks.htm– Location of “Gas Attacks”

https://www.scribd.com/document/94995818/Maruna-Mad-Gasser-of-Mattoon- The Mad Gasser of Mattoon – Dispelling the Hysteria book by Scott Maruna