Hand of Death

A brilliant but ethically conflicted scientist who develops a powerful paralytic-hypnotic nerve gas for the military, hoping to spare soldiers from suffering. His obsession with perfecting the formula leads him to push forward despite warnings. After a lab accident, the gas mutates him, revealing the cost of unchecked ambition and forcing a desperate confrontation with the consequences.

Alex's girlfriend who recognizes the project's danger and moral implications. She voices concern about potential harm and questions the justification of the research. She becomes involved in the antidote effort and pleads for Alex to surrender to authorities.

Alex's colleague who assists with the project and later participates in antidote research. He is drawn into the moral dilemma and works to contain the crisis, representing a pragmatic, collaborative response to the scientist's downfall.

Alex's mentor and a lead researcher who helps develop an antidote. He becomes a key ally in trying to cure the mutated scientist, but is killed by the very actions he helped unleash, illustrating the fragility of scientific authority when ethics fail.

A lab assistant who touches Alex and dies as a result, his death triggering the rapid escalation of danger. His fate underscores the immediate risk to those in close proximity to the experimental work.

A little boy on the beach who almost discovers the mutated scientist, his innocence highlighting the threat faced by bystanders. His near encounter emphasizes how far the danger can reach beyond the lab.