Very Much Like a Nightmare

Originally Aired: May 25, 1950 Suspense #386, "Very Much Like a Nightmare," follows Bryce McClane, an office worker returning to his job at the Nugent building after recovering from the flu. Still exhausted from working all night on an assignment, McClane relies on pills from his pharmacist Hermie to stay awake through the long day, despite warnings from his girlfriend Catherine Warren about the dangers of taking such medication. He also carries sleeping pills to counteract any side effects. As McClane navigates his foggy, sleep-deprived day, he notices something odd: elevator operator Eddie mentions picking up a sandwich for Mr. Ferris from Circussian Brothers Importers, but when McClane asks Ferris about it, both Ferris and the glamorous Miss Dupree deny the conversation ever happened, leaving Eddie visibly upset. When McClane nearly falls asleep during an important conference with his boss Gilman and client Mr. Fisher, he realizes he needs another dose of his stay-awake pills to finish one last urgent assignment. As exhaustion clouds his judgment and strange inconsistencies pile up around him, McClane's routine day begins transforming into something far more sinister—something very much like a nightmare.