WEBVTT Kind: captions Language: en 00:00:00.350 --> 00:00:05.400 The rattlesnake strikes, sinking its fangs through the furryv carapace of the tarantula. 00:00:05.400 --> 00:00:09.440 It writhes briefly on the golden sands, then goes limp. 00:00:09.440 --> 00:00:14.690 The desert is a brutal place - Here, it’s eat or be eaten. 00:00:14.690 --> 00:00:18.710 A man walks down the street in a remote desert landscape, a pack on his back. 00:00:18.710 --> 00:00:23.390 The sun dips down over the horizon, a welcome reprieve from the heat, but bringing its own 00:00:23.390 --> 00:00:25.060 new threats. 00:00:25.060 --> 00:00:30.960 The dangers of the day may be gone for now, but the dangers of the night are just beginning. 00:00:30.960 --> 00:00:34.290 As he walks, he hears a strange sound behind him. 00:00:34.290 --> 00:00:39.730 He turns, and by the dim light of the moon, he sees a mound of sand advancing toward him, 00:00:39.730 --> 00:00:43.840 as if l blown by a storm, but there is no wind blowing. 00:00:43.840 --> 00:00:49.940 Frightened, he tries to run, but the dune gains on him until he is completely submerged. 00:00:49.940 --> 00:00:55.079 After a moment, the sand disperses, revealing nothing left but a skeleton. 00:00:55.079 --> 00:00:59.410 The dune travels off into the distance, disappearing from view. 00:00:59.410 --> 00:01:02.120 The desert is an unforgiving place for a traveler. 00:01:02.120 --> 00:01:06.299 The days are hot and dry, baking you with the relentless heat of the sun. 00:01:06.299 --> 00:01:10.860 The nights are cold, and just as inhospitable as the desert’s wild inhabitants come out 00:01:10.860 --> 00:01:13.750 of hiding, ready to attack any perceived threats or invaders. 00:01:13.750 --> 00:01:19.550 The year is 1908, and a cavalry troupe on their way back to base are getting a crash 00:01:19.550 --> 00:01:23.260 course in just how brutal the Arizona desert can be. 00:01:23.260 --> 00:01:27.280 The trip has taken longer than anticipated, and their horses are growing sluggish from 00:01:27.280 --> 00:01:31.080 thirst, trudging slower and slower through the dust and sand. 00:01:31.080 --> 00:01:35.580 The soldiers’ eyes sting from the sun, the sweat, and the lack of proper sleep. 00:01:35.580 --> 00:01:39.479 They need a place to hang their hats for the night, to have a hearty meal and a tall glass 00:01:39.479 --> 00:01:43.900 of water, and maybe something stronger, too, after all this trouble. 00:01:43.900 --> 00:01:48.579 As if in answer to their prayers, the men suddenly spotted a faded sign for a town further 00:01:48.579 --> 00:01:49.909 down the road. 00:01:49.909 --> 00:01:53.330 Only one mile left to Fredericksburg, it said. 00:01:53.330 --> 00:01:55.579 They would be able to reach the town by sundown! 00:01:55.579 --> 00:01:59.750 A welcome reprieve from sleeping on the ground and watching their supplies dwindle day by 00:01:59.750 --> 00:02:00.800 day. 00:02:00.800 --> 00:02:06.320 The mile seems to stretch on forever, but they persist and reach their oasis, the town 00:02:06.320 --> 00:02:08.270 of Fredericksburg. 00:02:08.270 --> 00:02:12.310 They aren't exactly expecting a welcome parade upon their arrival, but they're still shocked 00:02:12.310 --> 00:02:15.260 by how tepid a reception is waiting for them. 00:02:15.260 --> 00:02:19.370 Here they are, members of the army cavalry, and no one comes out to greet them, or even 00:02:19.370 --> 00:02:22.750 to see who the strange men in uniform on horses might be. 00:02:22.750 --> 00:02:26.610 As a matter of fact, the men don't see anyone at all. 00:02:26.610 --> 00:02:28.410 Not one single soul. 00:02:28.410 --> 00:02:32.860 They stop in the middle of the town square, climbing down from their horses, and call 00:02:32.860 --> 00:02:35.510 out, shouting at the top of their lungs. 00:02:35.510 --> 00:02:40.550 Still, no doors fling open, no windows are cracked, and no one comes to see what all 00:02:40.550 --> 00:02:42.360 the commotion was. 00:02:42.360 --> 00:02:46.380 The only evidence that anyone was ever there at all is the buildings themselves, and a 00:02:46.380 --> 00:02:49.170 few hand-written signs posted throughout the area. 00:02:49.170 --> 00:02:54.379 The signs are all in German, and none of the soldiers can speak enough German to read them. 00:02:54.379 --> 00:02:58.629 If they could, they would probably leave the town as quickly as possible, hop on their 00:02:58.629 --> 00:03:01.930 horses and gallop away until it vanishes from view. 00:03:01.930 --> 00:03:03.019 But they can't. 00:03:03.019 --> 00:03:04.370 So they don't. 00:03:04.370 --> 00:03:08.870 One of the men suggests that the town is abandoned, that it's become a ghost town. 00:03:08.870 --> 00:03:12.580 The more they see of the town, the more they think he might be right. 00:03:12.580 --> 00:03:16.269 The buildings are all still in good condition, but there is no one inside. 00:03:16.269 --> 00:03:20.819 It's as if the entire town got up one day and decided to leave it all behind. 00:03:20.819 --> 00:03:24.640 Then, it sat untouched until the cavalry came. 00:03:24.640 --> 00:03:28.170 So, one of the other men wonders, what should they do? 00:03:28.170 --> 00:03:30.439 The plan doesn't have to change, another one suggests. 00:03:30.439 --> 00:03:34.480 A night's sleep in an abandoned town is far better than another night of setting up camp 00:03:34.480 --> 00:03:36.400 and sleeping on the ground. 00:03:36.400 --> 00:03:40.430 Near the edge of town, they find a tavern, and an adjoining hotel. 00:03:40.430 --> 00:03:44.860 There may not be any staff or other lodgers, but there's a stable for the horses, plenty 00:03:44.860 --> 00:03:48.300 of beds, and a few unopened bottles behind the bar. 00:03:48.300 --> 00:03:50.030 That's more than enough for the night. 00:03:50.030 --> 00:03:55.129 So, they tie up the horses, have a few drinks, sing a few drinking songs, and settle in for 00:03:55.129 --> 00:03:59.640 what is sure to be the best sleep they've had in many, many days. 00:03:59.640 --> 00:04:04.829 They're so exhausted, and so relieved to find shelter, that they don't stop for one moment 00:04:04.829 --> 00:04:09.270 to wonder what might have caused the residents of Fredericksburg to abandon their homes all 00:04:09.270 --> 00:04:10.790 at once. 00:04:10.790 --> 00:04:13.540 Ghost towns don't come out of nowhere, after all. 00:04:13.540 --> 00:04:15.760 Ghosts have to be made. 00:04:15.760 --> 00:04:20.880 But exhaustion is a powerful thing, and the allure of a soft, if dusty, bed is hard to 00:04:20.880 --> 00:04:24.930 resist when one's bones are aching and eyelids are growing heavy. 00:04:24.930 --> 00:04:31.710 So, instead of asking questions, they sleep, a deep, blissfully ignorant sleep. 00:04:31.710 --> 00:04:36.020 A few hours later, one of the men suddenly wakes, jolted from slumber by a horrible, 00:04:36.020 --> 00:04:37.580 high-pitched neigh. 00:04:37.580 --> 00:04:40.990 One neigh quickly becomes a chorus, as more voices join in. 00:04:40.990 --> 00:04:41.990 The horses! 00:04:41.990 --> 00:04:43.310 Something's wrong! 00:04:43.310 --> 00:04:48.020 He jumps out of bed and runs down to the stable, expecting to see a rattlesnake, or a coyote, 00:04:48.020 --> 00:04:51.060 or perhaps a thief who snuck into town to loot the empty houses. 00:04:51.060 --> 00:04:56.380 What he finds is far more disturbing than he ever could have anticipated. 00:04:56.380 --> 00:05:01.090 The horses are in a state of sheer panic, stamping their hooves and tossing their heads 00:05:01.090 --> 00:05:04.009 back, eyes rolling wildly in their sockets. 00:05:04.009 --> 00:05:08.000 As he attempts to find the source of their terror, the man realizes that there are fewer 00:05:08.000 --> 00:05:11.000 horses in the stable than there were when the men went to bed. 00:05:11.000 --> 00:05:13.330 Did the others somehow escape? 00:05:13.330 --> 00:05:18.770 He turns to inspect the stable, and sees seven piles of clean white bones where there once 00:05:18.770 --> 00:05:20.319 were horses. 00:05:20.319 --> 00:05:22.720 One pile of bones for each missing horse. 00:05:22.720 --> 00:05:26.110 It's impossible, but he's looking at it with his own eyes. 00:05:26.110 --> 00:05:30.259 Something was in here with these horses, it attacked, and it devoured them whole and left 00:05:30.259 --> 00:05:32.389 only the bones behind. 00:05:32.389 --> 00:05:34.760 What sort of creature could have done this? 00:05:34.760 --> 00:05:37.080 None that he wants to meet, that's for sure. 00:05:37.080 --> 00:05:40.259 There isn't anything in the stable anymore, no threat that he can see. 00:05:40.259 --> 00:05:44.780 He needs to get back inside and warn the rest of the men, before whatever did this decides 00:05:44.780 --> 00:05:46.540 to come back. 00:05:46.540 --> 00:05:49.780 The other soldiers aren't thrilled to be woken up in the middle of the night, and they're 00:05:49.780 --> 00:05:53.410 even less thrilled when they hear the wild story of what the man saw down there in the 00:05:53.410 --> 00:05:56.980 stable, but still, they've never seen him so afraid. 00:05:56.980 --> 00:06:01.699 So, they reluctantly pull themselves out of bed, and some of the less bleary-eyed men 00:06:01.699 --> 00:06:04.690 agree to join him in investigating the situation. 00:06:04.690 --> 00:06:08.220 While they head down to the stable to look for potential danger, the rest of the men 00:06:08.220 --> 00:06:11.639 roll back over in bed and close their eyes. 00:06:11.639 --> 00:06:14.830 No use losing sleep over a situation that's as good as handled. 00:06:14.830 --> 00:06:19.050 They'll take care of the snake or the would-be thief or what have you, and come morning, 00:06:19.050 --> 00:06:20.650 it'll all be fine anyway. 00:06:20.650 --> 00:06:23.640 Down at the stable, the horses have calmed down. 00:06:23.640 --> 00:06:27.940 Whatever preyed on the seven horses reduced to bone, it's gone now. 00:06:27.940 --> 00:06:31.380 But even though the horses have stilled, the soldiers do not feel comforted. 00:06:31.380 --> 00:06:34.580 There is still the mystery of what could have done this. 00:06:34.580 --> 00:06:37.960 They were afraid of what they might find when they came down to investigate, but finding 00:06:37.960 --> 00:06:40.849 nothing is somehow worse. 00:06:40.849 --> 00:06:44.889 They were only asleep for a matter of hours before the horses started screaming. 00:06:44.889 --> 00:06:49.199 What manner of beast or man could have done away with seven horses in that time? 00:06:49.199 --> 00:06:53.100 There isn't an animal they can conceive of capable of feeding so efficiently. 00:06:53.100 --> 00:06:58.199 Sure, a wolf can kill quickly, but to kill seven times in a row without a sound, without 00:06:58.199 --> 00:07:03.240 a fight, and to clean the bones of any speck of meat, all without being caught...It seems 00:07:03.240 --> 00:07:06.500 like the work of something beyond the natural world. 00:07:06.500 --> 00:07:11.430 One of the more superstitious soldiers, pale and trembling, suggests that the abandoned 00:07:11.430 --> 00:07:15.300 town must be haunted by a vengeful and hungry spirit. 00:07:15.300 --> 00:07:19.840 It demanded an offering in exchange for their trespassing here and took the horses as a 00:07:19.840 --> 00:07:21.270 sacrifice. 00:07:21.270 --> 00:07:25.530 The others laugh at him, but secretly they're just as frightened as him. 00:07:25.530 --> 00:07:29.250 They're supposed to be brave in the face of the unknown, but it's the dead of night in 00:07:29.250 --> 00:07:33.580 a town with no people, and something is eating the horses. 00:07:33.580 --> 00:07:38.250 Meanwhile, back in the hotel, many of the other men struggle to get back to sleep. 00:07:38.250 --> 00:07:42.230 They're exhausted, the remnants of sleep still clouding their eyes and weighing down their 00:07:42.230 --> 00:07:47.180 heads, but the insistent nervous pounding of their hearts is keeping them awake. 00:07:47.180 --> 00:07:51.770 They are suddenly acutely aware of the complete silence that surrounds them. 00:07:51.770 --> 00:07:55.710 In the dark, they can't hear anything but their own breathing, quick and shallow. 00:07:55.710 --> 00:07:59.430 Then, suddenly, another sound breaks through the quiet. 00:07:59.430 --> 00:08:02.740 It's a soft sound, like a tide rushing ashore. 00:08:02.740 --> 00:08:06.879 Sand on sand, the flow of something, a gentle scraping sound. 00:08:06.879 --> 00:08:08.169 What is that? 00:08:08.169 --> 00:08:10.060 Could it be the wind? 00:08:10.060 --> 00:08:12.750 It doesn't sound like any wind they've ever heard. 00:08:12.750 --> 00:08:16.250 For one thing, it's coming from inside the building. 00:08:16.250 --> 00:08:19.720 For another, it's getting closer. 00:08:19.720 --> 00:08:23.220 One curious soldier climbs out of bed to seek out the source of the noise. 00:08:23.220 --> 00:08:26.820 He opens the door to his room, squinting to make out shapes among the shadows. 00:08:26.820 --> 00:08:29.810 At first, he thinks the hotel must be flooding. 00:08:29.810 --> 00:08:35.709 Something is pouring into the hall, spilling across the floor and flowing closer and closer. 00:08:35.709 --> 00:08:40.870 But as it approaches, he sees that it isn't water at all: it's sand. 00:08:40.870 --> 00:08:44.769 He can't see where it's coming from, or how it came into the building in the first place, 00:08:44.769 --> 00:08:46.230 but that doesn't matter. 00:08:46.230 --> 00:08:50.420 It's slowly filling the building, and, more importantly, it seems to be headed straight 00:08:50.420 --> 00:08:51.420 for him. 00:08:51.420 --> 00:08:55.260 Instinctively, he jumps back into his room, slamming the door shut to block the flood 00:08:55.260 --> 00:08:56.390 of sand. 00:08:56.390 --> 00:09:01.300 But he didn't account for the crack under the door, and as he watches, the sand begins 00:09:01.300 --> 00:09:03.820 spilling into his room from beneath the door. 00:09:03.820 --> 00:09:07.740 It moves as if it were alive, creeping across the floor toward him. 00:09:07.740 --> 00:09:11.430 He scrambles backward, jumping onto the bed to avoid the tide of sand. 00:09:11.430 --> 00:09:18.000 Still, it advances closer and closer, piling up until it can reach him there. 00:09:18.000 --> 00:09:21.040 There is no doubt about it, this is no ordinary sand. 00:09:21.040 --> 00:09:25.740 It isn't just filling the room at the urging of gravity or some sort of indoor storm. 00:09:25.740 --> 00:09:30.130 It's deliberately creeping, advancing...hunting. 00:09:30.130 --> 00:09:32.709 He glances around the room, desperate for a means of escape. 00:09:32.709 --> 00:09:34.600 But there's nowhere to run. 00:09:34.600 --> 00:09:39.290 The only way out is the door, blocked by the ever-increasing tide of sand. 00:09:39.290 --> 00:09:43.860 It rises to the height of the bed, spilling onto the mattress and preparing to engulf 00:09:43.860 --> 00:09:44.860 him. 00:09:44.860 --> 00:09:48.579 He isn't certain what will happen to him when it does, but he's looked death in the face 00:09:48.579 --> 00:09:51.740 enough times to recognize it on sight. 00:09:51.740 --> 00:09:56.320 The sand is covering his feet now, climbing up his legs, ready to cover his body and swallow 00:09:56.320 --> 00:09:57.510 him whole. 00:09:57.510 --> 00:10:02.769 He opens his mouth to scream, and sand pours through his lips, filling his throat and lungs. 00:10:02.769 --> 00:10:07.810 He collapses onto the bed under the weight of the assault, and he disappears. 00:10:07.810 --> 00:10:11.100 One of the sleeping soldiers wakes to the sound of a scream from the next room. 00:10:11.100 --> 00:10:15.750 He goes to sit up, but finds his arm is strangely heavy. 00:10:15.750 --> 00:10:19.330 He looks over, and is shocked to see that his arm is covered with sand. 00:10:19.330 --> 00:10:24.360 And the sand is moving, undulating on his arm like a swarm of tiny creatures. 00:10:24.360 --> 00:10:29.930 He tries to shake them loose, but for some reason, his arm feels paralyzed. 00:10:29.930 --> 00:10:33.740 With his other hand, he swipes at the sand, brushing it away as quickly as possible to 00:10:33.740 --> 00:10:35.110 reveal the arm beneath. 00:10:35.110 --> 00:10:38.769 When he can see it, he wishes he couldn't. 00:10:38.769 --> 00:10:42.850 Bone, a skeleton hand poking out from beneath the sleeve of his nightshirt. 00:10:42.850 --> 00:10:48.100 He flies into a blind panic, stumbling out of bed, his bone arm dangling useless at his 00:10:48.100 --> 00:10:50.760 side, and fumbles with the doorknob, desperate to escape. 00:10:50.760 --> 00:10:57.120 But the sand is relentless, already swarming around his feet and weighing them down. 00:10:57.120 --> 00:11:01.690 Before he can take a single step out of the room, the swarm of sand overtakes him, and 00:11:01.690 --> 00:11:04.620 he is buried in a living grave. 00:11:04.620 --> 00:11:09.710 Throughout the hotel, once thought to be abandoned but now clearly occupied by something hungry, 00:11:09.710 --> 00:11:13.740 the men flee their rooms, abandoning belongings to the flood of sand. 00:11:13.740 --> 00:11:19.190 As they run, they see more and more sand pouring into the halls like waves and waves of water 00:11:19.190 --> 00:11:20.430 ready to drown them. 00:11:20.430 --> 00:11:24.540 They pull on their boots to protect their bare feet, and sprint as fast as their legs 00:11:24.540 --> 00:11:28.920 will carry them, jumping and weaving around the piles of sand to avoid being eaten until 00:11:28.920 --> 00:11:30.440 they make it outside. 00:11:30.440 --> 00:11:35.220 There, the other men have begun to prepare the horses, the horrified screams from inside 00:11:35.220 --> 00:11:40.010 having served as a pretty clear indication that it is time to take their leave. 00:11:40.010 --> 00:11:44.240 As they mount their horses and prepare to flee, they realize that four men are missing 00:11:44.240 --> 00:11:46.079 from their ranks. 00:11:46.079 --> 00:11:50.250 One soldier suggests that they run back inside, perform a rescue mission and try to recover 00:11:50.250 --> 00:11:51.780 the missing four. 00:11:51.780 --> 00:11:57.230 But it is obvious that no one wants to step foot back into that sandy den of death. 00:11:57.230 --> 00:12:02.350 They don't want to leave any men behind, but the choice is between four men, and all of 00:12:02.350 --> 00:12:03.350 them. 00:12:03.350 --> 00:12:06.930 The sight of another wave of sand pouring through the hotel's door makes up their minds 00:12:06.930 --> 00:12:11.730 for them, and they climb onto their horses, some riding two men to one horse, and gallop 00:12:11.730 --> 00:12:13.949 out of Fredericksburg, into the night. 00:12:13.949 --> 00:12:19.399 The four men lost to the sands will never be seen again, joining the rest of Fredericksburg's 00:12:19.399 --> 00:12:20.399 ghosts. 00:12:20.399 --> 00:12:25.220 Though it wouldn't be classified for many more years, these unfortunate men had encountered 00:12:25.220 --> 00:12:28.770 the deadly appetite of SCP-165. 00:12:28.770 --> 00:12:34.850 SCP-165's organic component resembles a typical parasitic mite, each instance of which is 00:12:34.850 --> 00:12:39.699 seven hundred and fifty micrometers in length, with eight legs and a genetic structure similar 00:12:39.699 --> 00:12:41.630 to that of a house dust mite. 00:12:41.630 --> 00:12:45.480 The main difference between these organisms and the dust mites they resemble is their 00:12:45.480 --> 00:12:50.500 hermit-crab-like tendency to attack grains of sand to their backs for an as-of-yet unknown 00:12:50.500 --> 00:12:51.560 purpose. 00:12:51.560 --> 00:12:55.970 The creatures travel as a colony, numbering in the hundreds of billions, or even trillions, 00:12:55.970 --> 00:12:58.910 giving the appearance of a large dune of sand. 00:12:58.910 --> 00:13:04.920 In spite of their tendency to move as a pack, SCP-165 instances do not cooperate with one 00:13:04.920 --> 00:13:05.920 another. 00:13:05.920 --> 00:13:10.149 Instead, they act in competition with each other, fighting over food with an insatiable 00:13:10.149 --> 00:13:11.490 appetite. 00:13:11.490 --> 00:13:16.430 Much like mosquitoes, these mites detect their prey by sensing carbon dioxide and sugars 00:13:16.430 --> 00:13:17.430 in the air. 00:13:17.430 --> 00:13:22.540 Once this prey has been sniffed out, the mites will use their legs to climb over each other, 00:13:22.540 --> 00:13:26.110 rolling toward their target until they have enveloped it. 00:13:26.110 --> 00:13:32.220 The bite of SCP-165 releases a numbing chemical toxin, similar to the toxins found in mosquito 00:13:32.220 --> 00:13:33.610 and flea bites. 00:13:33.610 --> 00:13:38.149 The subject will be unable to tell that millions of mites are biting at their flesh until it 00:13:38.149 --> 00:13:43.930 is far too late, the swarm stripping them down to the bone in minutes. 00:13:43.930 --> 00:13:48.050 This numbing effect works so well that some victims have been completely devoured in their 00:13:48.050 --> 00:13:51.140 sleep without ever once waking up. 00:13:51.140 --> 00:13:57.449 The SCP-165 mites are nearly invulnerable, resistant to all but the deadliest pesticides. 00:13:57.449 --> 00:14:02.400 They do, however, avoid heat, seeking shade whenever available and being the most active 00:14:02.400 --> 00:14:03.400 at night. 00:14:03.400 --> 00:14:06.759 They show a preference for large sleeping prey. 00:14:06.759 --> 00:14:11.570 This dislike for heat, and apparent vulnerability to it, is the most useful method for containing 00:14:11.570 --> 00:14:13.040 the mites. 00:14:13.040 --> 00:14:18.380 While investigating the initial discovery of SCP-165 by the SCP Foundation, I discovered 00:14:18.380 --> 00:14:20.380 an addendum to the official file. 00:14:20.380 --> 00:14:25.360 Though some portions had been redacted for, I presume, security purposes, I was able to 00:14:25.360 --> 00:14:28.470 piece together the most relevant information. 00:14:28.470 --> 00:14:32.279 From what I can surmise, the United States Government has been aware of the existence 00:14:32.279 --> 00:14:36.300 of SCP-165 for at least 80 years. 00:14:36.300 --> 00:14:41.389 The mites were first discovered in Fredericksburg, Arizona, a forgotten town formerly populated 00:14:41.389 --> 00:14:43.520 largely by German immigrants. 00:14:43.520 --> 00:14:48.370 This town is also, I must note, located in the Tule Desert near the Goldwater Air Force 00:14:48.370 --> 00:14:49.730 Bombing Range. 00:14:49.730 --> 00:14:54.650 Fredericksburg was founded in the late 1800s, and by 1908, it had become a ghost town. 00:14:54.650 --> 00:14:59.320 Its sudden, strange emptiness was discovered by a passing cavalry troop, who quickly discovered 00:14:59.320 --> 00:15:02.860 that there was a reason for the disappearance of Fredericksburg's inhabitants. 00:15:02.860 --> 00:15:05.310 This much, I essentially already knew. 00:15:05.310 --> 00:15:09.600 What I didn't know, however, is that the United States Government attempted to exterminate 00:15:09.600 --> 00:15:11.950 SCP-165 in the late 1950s. 00:15:11.950 --> 00:15:17.190 In fact, this goal is attributed to the creation of a bombing range in the area, though I was 00:15:17.190 --> 00:15:19.750 unable to officially confirm this. 00:15:19.750 --> 00:15:24.149 The bombing range, and its subsequent use, was able to successfully reduce the population 00:15:24.149 --> 00:15:30.199 of SCP-165, however, the explosives were insufficient to completely eradicate the threat. 00:15:30.199 --> 00:15:35.670 So, in the late 1980s, the SCP Foundation opted to intervene and deploy a ground cleanup 00:15:35.670 --> 00:15:37.700 and extraction team. 00:15:37.700 --> 00:15:43.709 Mobile Task Force Epsilon-9 (aka "Fire Eaters") was dispatched to Fredericksburg to extract 00:15:43.709 --> 00:15:47.699 and contain SCP-165 by any means necessary. 00:15:47.699 --> 00:15:53.199 Upon entering the decrepit town, the task force was met with an ominous sight: vacant 00:15:53.199 --> 00:15:57.680 buildings lined the streets, left in disrepair but otherwise untouched. 00:15:57.680 --> 00:16:02.800 The only sign that life was ever there at all was the bones, animal and human alike, 00:16:02.800 --> 00:16:05.060 littering the dusty ground. 00:16:05.060 --> 00:16:09.009 One MTF member spotted a sign, hand-lettered in German, reading: "Vorsicht vor dem kriechenden, 00:16:09.009 --> 00:16:11.770 hungrigen Sand (FOR-ZISHT FORE DEM KREESH-ENDEN HOONG-REEGEN ZANT)." 00:16:11.770 --> 00:16:16.280 Though he didn't speak German, one of his fellow task force members did, and translated 00:16:16.280 --> 00:16:17.450 it for the others. 00:16:17.450 --> 00:16:20.930 "Beware the creeping, hungry sands." 00:16:20.930 --> 00:16:26.950 With this ominous warning in mind, MTF- Epsilon-9 advanced into a nearby house to investigate. 00:16:26.950 --> 00:16:31.110 There, they found the floors completely covered with mounds of sand. 00:16:31.110 --> 00:16:36.089 The untrained eye might just assume that this was ordinary sand, but the task force knew 00:16:36.089 --> 00:16:37.529 better. 00:16:37.529 --> 00:16:42.410 These were instances of SCP-165, hiding from the heat and sunlight beneath the shelter 00:16:42.410 --> 00:16:44.089 of this roof. 00:16:44.089 --> 00:16:48.580 At the first sign of movement, their suspicions were confirmed, and the MTF members produced 00:16:48.580 --> 00:16:55.029 their flamethrowers, assaulting SCP-165 with blasts of fire until the movement ceased. 00:16:55.029 --> 00:16:59.709 These measures proved highly successful, melting the sand to glass and repelling whatever mites 00:16:59.709 --> 00:17:00.960 were not trapped inside. 00:17:00.960 --> 00:17:07.020 A living dune made up of four metric tons of SCP-165 was contained and transported to 00:17:07.020 --> 00:17:08.209 ABC Area-14. 00:17:08.209 --> 00:17:13.829 SCP-165 is contained in a facility at Armed Bio-Containment Area-14. 00:17:13.829 --> 00:17:20.480 SCP-165 is considered to be a contagious, pathological organism, and so containing it 00:17:20.480 --> 00:17:24.600 requires the highest sterilization and quarantine procedures to be followed. 00:17:24.600 --> 00:17:29.390 There are microwave field generators placed around SCP-165's containment area in order 00:17:29.390 --> 00:17:31.840 to restrict the movement of the dune. 00:17:31.840 --> 00:17:38.380 Once every nine days, the mass of SCP-165 is to be fed at least 750 kilograms of live 00:17:38.380 --> 00:17:39.510 cattle. 00:17:39.510 --> 00:17:44.270 Attempts to feed the entities via pre-slaughtered food sources have proven ineffective. 00:17:44.270 --> 00:17:47.990 For whatever reason, they prefer live prey. 00:17:47.990 --> 00:17:51.830 Unfortunate for the cows, but the ethics committee has proposed that they be sedated prior to 00:17:51.830 --> 00:17:55.419 feeding time, in order to minimize potential suffering. 00:17:55.419 --> 00:17:59.850 We tend to associate sand with discomfort, whether it's intruding on a day at the beach 00:17:59.850 --> 00:18:05.039 and wedging itself into the most inconvenient crevices, or sticking to anything and everything 00:18:05.039 --> 00:18:06.820 placed in its vicinity. 00:18:06.820 --> 00:18:11.120 As someone once said, it's coarse, it's rough, and it gets everywhere. 00:18:11.120 --> 00:18:16.780 But, if SCP-165 ever breaks containment and spreads to other parts of the country, or 00:18:16.780 --> 00:18:21.600 even the world, it could do much more harm than some simple irritation. 00:18:21.600 --> 00:18:24.110 That is, if it isn't already out there. 00:18:24.110 --> 00:18:29.419 The mites feed so quickly, so efficiently, it's possible they're dwelling in other sandy 00:18:29.419 --> 00:18:32.270 areas, and just haven't been discovered yet. 00:18:32.270 --> 00:18:35.380 How many small desert towns have they picked to the bone? 00:18:35.380 --> 00:18:37.770 How many beachside communities have been decimated? 00:18:37.770 --> 00:18:43.250 I can't say for sure, but I can say this: next time you take a trip to the shore and 00:18:43.250 --> 00:18:48.060 decide to feel the sand between your toes, make sure to look down from time to time. 00:18:48.060 --> 00:18:50.950 Just to make sure your toes are still there. 00:18:50.950 --> 00:18:55.460 Check out the Dr. Bob Patreon and become a junior researcher today! 00:18:55.460 --> 00:18:59.710 Now go and watch another entry from the files of Dr. Bob, like "SCP-913 Mr Hungry!"