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167
The Status Civilization
·
Robert Sheckley
56
Barrent
sat
up.
"What
happened?"
he
asked.
Doctor
Wayn
shrugged
his
shoulders.
"It's
hard
to
tell.
Perhaps
you
were
prone
to
circular
reaction;
and
sometimes
the
drugs
aren't
absolutely
pure.
But
these
things
usually
don't
happen
more
than
once.
Believe
me,
Citizen
Barrent,
the
drug
experience
is
very
pleasant.
I'm
sure
you'll
enjoy
it
the
second
time."
Still
shaken
by
his
experience,
Barrent
was
certain
there
would
be
no
second
time
for
him.
Whatever
the
cost,
he
was
not
going
to
risk
a
repetition
of
that
nightmare.
"Am
I
addicted
now?"
he
asked.
"Oh,
no,"
Doctor
Wayn
said.
"Addiction
occurs
with
the
third
or
fourth
visit."
Barrent
thanked
him
and
left.
He
passed
Arkdragen's
desk
and
asked
how
much
he
owed.
"Nothing,"
Arkdragen
said.
"The
first
visit
is
always
on
the
house."
He
gave
Barrent
a
knowing
smile.
Barrent
left
the
Dream
Shop
and
hurried
home
to
his
apartment.
He
had
a
lot
to
think
about.
Now,
for
the
first
time,
he
had
proof
that
he
was
a
willful
and
premeditated
murderer.
Chapter
Nine
Being
accused
of
a
murder
you
can't
remember
is
one
thing;
remembering
a
murder
you
have
been
accused
of
is
another
thing
entirely.
Such
evidence
is
hard
to
disbelieve.
Barrent
tried
to
sort
out
his
feelings
on
the
matter.
Before
his
visit
to
the
Dream
Shop
he
had
never
felt
himself
a
murderer,
no
matter
what
the
Earth
authorities
had
accused
him
of.
At
worst,
he
had
thought
that
he
might
have
killed
a
man
in
a
sudden
uncontrollable
fit
of
rage.
But
to
plan
and
perform
a
murder
in
cold
blood....
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