Quitters, Inc.
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| Author | Stephen King |
|---|---|
| Country |  USA |
| Language | English |
| Genre(s) | Horror short story |
| Released in | Night Shift |
| Publisher | Doubleday |
| Media Type | Print (Paperback) |
| Released | 1978 |
Quitters, Inc. is a horror story by Stephen King, released in the Night Shift anthology. It was dramatized as a section of the film Cat's Eye starring James Woods and Alan King.
[edit] Plot summary
The main character, Morrison, is a middle-aged man who would like to quit smoking. A friend advises him to go to the Quitters, Inc. firm for treatment because they have already helped him quit. The firm is said to have a 98% success rate with their clients and guarantees that none of them will remain a smoker. In fact, it was founded by a gangster who had died of lung cancer and left all of his money to the noble cause of saving others from smoking. That is why once a person has enrolled for treatment, he may no longer smoke -- or else...
Morrison soon finds out about the brutal tactics used by Quitters, Inc., which include electrocuting (non-fatally) his family members if he is caught smoking a cigarette, and that these electrocutions would get more intense, and eventually include him, if he continued to smoke. Morrison's counselor even reveals what happens after the ninth infraction, which would result in the breaking of his retarded son's arms. The counselor, Donatti, states that if he commits a tenth infraction, he would become part of "the unregenerate two percent" and then places a gun on his desk. "But even the unregenerate two percent never smoke again. We guarantee it."
With some difficulty, Morrison is able to quit, with only one slip. His wife is subjected to the "treatment" but, since she also wants Morrison to not smoke, she forgives him. Morrison, however, now must deal with other aspects of the firm's brutal tactics. His counselor gives him a prescription for some diet pills, and tells him that if he does not lose the weight he has gained as consequence of quitting smoking, then his wife's finger will be cut off. Morrison loses the weight, but realizes that the friend who sent him to Quitters, Inc. has not been so lucky...
