Ahriman is one of the Machine agents trying to control her. Ahriman is eventually killed by another patient, who had a fear of Keanu Reeves, based on his character in The Matrix. He tries to justify this by stating that, by ordering certain patients to commit horrific crimes-mass murders, bombings, random shootings-he can force legislation in order to make the world a 'better place'.ĭr. Ahriman establishes control, sending patients almost instantly into a detached state of consciousness by stating a name and then reading them a short haiku. The doctor has also programmed Skeet, which explains his inability to fully recover from drug use and distorted thinking. Ahriman orders Susan to commit suicide by slitting her wrists after discovering that she videotaped him having sex with her. Ahriman, a sexual psychopath who drugs and indoctrinates his patients, then either repeatedly rapes them or orders them to commit murders or suicide for his amusement.

The couple eventually discovers that they've both been progressively brainwashed and programmed to obey Dr.

From this point on, strange things begin happening to both Dusty and Martie, involving Skeet, Martie's autophobia, and hypnotism. When Dusty leaves Skeet at the rehab center, he notices a shadow lurking in his brother's room window. Later, her condition worsens, and soon she becomes afraid of pointed objects, although she is actually afraid of the harm she might cause with them. Martie suddenly develops a mysterious case of autophobia, fear of oneself, and returns home to find herself frightened by her own reflection. Dusty (who falls off the roof in an attempt to save Skeet, ends up saving both himself and Skeet) decides to take him back to rehab due to Skeet's actions. Skeet had been in Drug rehabilitation previously, and when he first appears in the story, he is high (apparently relapsed) and tries to commit suicide by jumping off a roof. Martie's husband, Dusty Rhodes, tries to help his brother Skeet, by providing employment in his painting business.

Martie Rhodes helps her friend Susan Jagger, who suffers from agoraphobia, attend visits to psychologist Dr.

False memory dean koontz summary