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Kind: captions
Language: en

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A young man is with a group of 
friends eating lunch in their  

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college cafeteria. His friends are 
talking and laughing, but they soon  

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notice that the young man has hardly said 
a word. He seems distracted by something.

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Sitting a few tables away is a young woman. 
She’s eating by herself, and in fact the whole  

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table around her is empty. As he stares, one of 
the young man’s friends leans over and tells him  

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to snap out of it, that the young woman he 
is staring at is weird, and he’s better off  

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leaving her alone. The young man doesn’t 
think she looks weird. In fact he thinks  

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she looks nice. Plus he’s seen her in one of his 
classes and she doesn’t seem strange, just shy.

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The young man’s friends watch as he gets up from 
his table and goes to sit across from the young  

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woman. She seems surprised when he tells her 
“hi,” as if she doesn’t know what to say back.  

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The young man tells her that he’s seen her in 
his anatomy class and introduces himself to her,  

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extending a hand. After a brief moment, she 
returns his handshake, she’s seen him in the  

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class too. The two start talking, having one of 
those awkward first conversations that happen  

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with someone you like. They talk a bit about 
their class - they both find it very difficult;  

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about their majors - both pre-med; and 
where they live - he on campus, her off.

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The young man needs to get going to his 
next class, but he asks if she wants to  

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study together some time. She seems hesitant, 
but then agrees to at least exchange phone  

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numbers. The young man walks away from 
the table with a big smile on his face.

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That night, the young man is studying in his dorm. 
His roommate asks him if he wants to come with  

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him to a party, but the young man tells him no, he 
has a big test coming up and needs to focus on it.  

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His roommate leaves and he checks his phone for 
the hundredth time that night… still no messages.  

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Just as he sets it back on his desk though, 
it chimes. There’s a text, and it’s from her!  

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“This stuff is really hard. Do you 
want to study together?” The young  

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man is excited. Of course he wants to study 
together. Where? Her apartment? Great! The  

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young man doesn’t waste any time, grabs 
his jacket and his books and heads out.

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It’s starting to snow lightly as he bikes to her 
apartment which is a couple miles off campus.  

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He’s feeling a little nervous as he locks up 
his bike and walks to her door. He knocks and  

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the door opens. There she is, the young woman, 
looking just as nice as she did in the cafeteria.

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The young woman shows him into her apartment. She 
offers him a glass of wine before they sit down  

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and get to studying. In between quizzing each 
other on the human circulatory system, the two  

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chat, getting to know each other a little better. 
Eventually she tells him that she has something  

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she needs to ask him. She wants to know if he 
thinks she’s weird. The young man is taken aback  

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and answers no, not at all. She tells him that she 
knows it sounds stupid, but when she was younger,  

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a rumor went around her school that she was some 
kind of witch. She didn’t know if maybe someone  

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from her childhood was still spreading that 
story around. The young man hadn’t heard that,  

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but he wanted to know why someone would think 
that? Because you do dumb stuff when you’re a kid,  

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she tells him. You read about a ritual 
in an old book and try it just for fun.  

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Nothing happens of course, but don’t tell anyone 
that you tried, or you’ll never live it down.

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They look outside and the snow has really 
started to fall. It’s getting late too. Does  

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he want to stay the night? The young man would 
love to, the bike ride back to campus will be  

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much easier in the morning. She tells him to 
wait just a minute and goes into her bedroom.  

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The young man is nervous, he’s never been in 
this kind of situation before, if it even is  

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a situation at all. He’s never had a girlfriend, 
or even kissed a girl before. Could tonight be the  

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night? The bedroom door opens and the young 
woman comes out… with blankets and pillows  

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for the couch. She tells him to make himself 
comfortable and she’ll see him in the morning.

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The young man is disappointed, but what 
did he expect? She just wanted someone  

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to study with. It was dumb of him to 
think that she might like him just  

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because he had a little crush on her. 
Maybe they’ll be great friends though.

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The young man lies on the couch and watches 
the snow fall outside. It’s so peaceful and  

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quiet here, not like the dorm where someone 
is always making noise. He watches snowflakes  

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pass by the window as his eyes start 
to grow heavy and he drifts to sleep…

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What was that? The young man jolts up. He could 
have sworn her heard something. He listens,  

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but now there is only silence. He lies back down 
and closes his eyes, it must have been a dream.  

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No, there it is again! A popping noise. 
Then more sounds… snapping and ripping,  

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like moist meat squished and torn. What 
is going on? The young man gets up off  

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the couch and looks around. It sounds like it’s 
coming from the bedroom. Her bedroom. The door  

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is closed though and there don’t appear to be 
any lights on. But the strange sounds continue.

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The young man doesn’t know what’s happening 
in there, but he feels extremely nervous.  

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He takes a step towards the door and the 
noises stop. What should he do? Will she  

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be mad if he knocks? But what if something 
is happening in there? What if she needs his  

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help? He has to risk it. He needs to check 
that everything is alright. The young man  

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knocks lightly on the door… No response. 
He knocks a little harder. “Hello? Are you  

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okay?” Still nothing. Is he really going 
to do this? His heart is pounding. He  

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grips the doorknob and slowly twists it, 
cracking the door open ever so slightly.

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It’s dark in her room, a small 
beam of moonlight coming through  

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the frosty window is the only source 
of light. He opens the door a bit wider  

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“I hope it’s okay if I come in” he says 
“I heard something and...” the young man  

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freezes in terror. Lying there in the bed, 
illuminated by the moonlight, is the girl,  

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but not the whole girl. It’s just her body. 
Her head has been ripped off at the neck. 

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Unfortunately this student will never get ahead 
in his anatomy class, because even something as  

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innocent as a study date can turn bad quickly 
when your partner is the strange and dangerous  

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creature which many refer to as the Penanggalan, 
but is better known to SCP Foundation as SCP-1060.

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SCP-1060 is the designation given to the 
human female, both body and head included,  

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who answers to the name Adilah. 
In interviews with the subject,  

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she has reported her age as being 22 years 
old, and she is fluent in the Malay language,  

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with some additional proficiency in Malaysian 
English, which is a form of English that,  

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unsurprisingly, combines elements 
of British English and Malaysian.

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The subject has told interviewers that 
she is trained as an obstetrics nurse,  

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also known as an OB, a type of nurse that 
specializes in helping to care for women  

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and fetuses during pregnancy, labor, and 
childbirth. It would seem at first glance,  

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that SCP-1060 is a completely normal young 
woman, and that is true, but only during the day.

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At night, SCP-1060 undergoes some… rather strange 
changes to her physiology. In the evening,  

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roughly 80 minutes after SCP-1060 has fallen 
asleep, her head and certain internal organs  

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including her heart, lungs, liver and the majority 
of her digestive system will physically detach  

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from the rest of her body. This occurs with 
a sudden jerking motion that rips from the  

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head and organs from the body, leaving a 
large, gaping hole in the subject’s neck.

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The now detached head and trailing organs will 
begin to levitate through a process that has  

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to be explained by SCP Foundation researchers. 
They will begin to float around the room they  

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are in as other physical changes take place. The 
subject's tongue will increase in size to roughly  

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22 centimeters in length and will begin flicking 
at the air much in the same way that a snake does.  

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The subject’s upper and lower canine teeth 
also increase in both size and sharpness,  

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all the while the body her head was 
once firmly affixed to will remain  

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lying in the same position 
as when the head detached.

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If there is food present, SCP-1060 will use its 
dangling intestines as a sort of prehensile limb,  

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lifting the food with its guts up into its 
mouth where it will tear at it with its razor  

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sharp teeth. Once it has finished feeding, the 
disembodied head will dip its exposed organs into  

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a tub of rice wine vinegar. Exposing the organs 
to the vinegar has an immediate effect, causing  

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them to shrink in size such that they will then 
fit into the exposed neck hole on the waiting,  

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headless body and can be stuffed back into the 
body cavity. The head then appears to seamlessly  

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reattach itself to the body, the tongue and 
teeth return to their normal size, and no  

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signs remain that the head of this body was just 
floating around of its own volition moments ago.

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SCP-1060 claims to have no knowledge that any 
of this takes place, insisting that she sleeps  

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quite normally. Her complete unawareness 
of her condition has led her to be very  

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insistent that she be released from Foundation 
containment, and frequently requests that she  

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be allowed to contact her family members. So 
far both of these requests have been denied.

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A head that rips itself from its own body at night 
and flies around with its exposed organs dangling  

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beneath it is an extremely unsettling image, but 
this is only the tip of the iceberg when it comes  

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to what makes SCP-1060 truly horrifying. Just 
as the many Malay legends and myths describe,  

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this creature's favorite foods are children 
and unborn fetuses carried by pregnant women.

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The Foundation learned this fact in a particularly 
unsettling incident, which has been designated  

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SCP-1060.01A. During this incident, a researcher 
who was in her second trimester of pregnancy  

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entered the containment chamber of SCP-1060 while 
it was engaged in its night time cycle behavior,  

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in order to refill the basin of vinegar that 
would allow it to return to its complete  

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human form. Despite not having previously 
shown aggressive behavior towards staff,  

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as soon as the researcher entered the chamber 
SCP-1060 immediately flew at her. It used  

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its dangling intestines to restrain 
the researcher and… well the results  

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were not pretty, and sadly neither the researcher 
nor the fetus that she was carrying survived.

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Following this incident, the containment 
procedures for SCP-1060 were updated to specify  

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that members of staff who are pregnant 
or suspect that they may be pregnant,  

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are not allowed into the containment 
chamber during its night time cycle.

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While the origins of SCP-1060 and just how this 
young woman came to possess these anomalous  

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properties are unknown, there are numerous 
tales, most originating from Malaysian folklore,  

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that describe a creature that is quite similar. 
Known as the Penanggalan, it is a creature akin  

00:10:21.000 --> 00:10:26.040
to a vampire, though with one key difference, 
this monster chose to become what it is.

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Malaysian myths tell of a method some women use to 
become Penanggalan, where they will meditate while  

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taking a ritual bath in vinegar. Their entire 
body must be submerged except for their head,  

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and through a black magic process, they 
gain the ability to have their head detach  

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from their body and turn into something that 
looks quite similar to SCP-1060. Some modern  

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interpretations of the legend describe it 
not as a choice, but as a curse, or as the  

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result of breaking a demonic pact, but they all 
have the same result for the woman in question.

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As SCP researchers continue to look into this 
bizarre, and quite dangerous anomalous entity,  

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she is kept contained in a humanoid observation 
and detention cell at all times in Site 33.  

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While she is in her complete human form during the 
day, she is given food from the on site cafeteria,  

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but during her night time phase, she is provided 
with 0.8 kilograms of human placental material,  

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and she is to have access to a basin that contains 
at least 4 liters of rice wine vinegar. The lack  

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of knowledge about just what this anomaly is, 
and the threat it poses to certain populations,  

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has lead to it being classified as Euclid, 
and though progress has been slow, it is hoped  

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that one day it will be better understood, and 
perhaps once it is, Adilah can finally go home.

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“Who are you talking to?” The young boy 
spins around, surprised to find his father  

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standing behind him. The boy seems nervous and 
hesitant to answer, but after being asked again,  

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he admits to his father that he was talking to 
the lady in the fountain. The boy’s father is  

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confused, the lady in the fountain? That’s 
right, the boy explains that she is nice,  

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just like mom. He thinks the woman 
in the fountain may even be his mom.

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The father sighs. He takes the boy’s hand 
and leads him back inside the house where  

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the father is hosting a small get together. One 
of the father’s guests asks if things are okay,  

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and he tells her that everything is fine. He’s 
just worried about his son. It has been a very  

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difficult year following the death of his wife. He 
tells her that he’s afraid he might be developing  

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behavioral issues, as he watches the boy staring 
out the window at the fountain in their backyard.

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Later that week in school, the children are 
supposed to be drawing pictures of their  

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families. The teacher moves from child 
to child, checking on their progress,  

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and stops at the boy. She wants to know what 
he’s working on. The boy explains that it is  

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a drawing of him, his dad, and his mom who lives 
in the fountain. The teacher doesn’t understand,  

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his mom lives in the fountain? “That’s right” the 
boy tells her. The fountain in their backyard was  

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her favorite place in the whole world. His 
mother had told him that it was a magical  

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place and was the reason they bought the house. 
After she died, he heard a voice coming from the  

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fountain. It doesn’t sound like his mom, but he 
knows it’s her. She lives in the fountain now. 

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The father thanks the teacher for calling 
and promises that he’ll talk to his son.  

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He’s very sorry that the other children are 
frightened by the stories about a woman in  

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their fountain and he’s going to make sure 
this whole business comes to an end for good.

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That night, as he is putting the boy to bed, 
he tells him that he knows he misses his mom,  

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but he needs to stop with all of 
these claims about a woman in the  

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fountain and as much as he misses her and 
wishes that his mother could come back,  

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he needs to realize that she’s gone and not 
coming back. The father kisses the boy on the  

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forehead and tells him one more time that there 
will be no more stories about the woman before  

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tucking him in for the night. As soon as his 
father is gone though, the boy gets out of bed,  

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creeps to his bedroom window that looks down 
on their backyard, and stares at the fountain.

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He watches as reflections dance on the 
rippling water. The water goes oddly still,  

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until a hand that appears to be made out of water  

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seems to emerge out of the surface 
of the fountain… and waves at him.

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The father leaves the bathroom and glances 
in to check on his son before heading back  

00:14:09.780 --> 00:14:15.000
to his bedroom. He bolts upright when it dawns 
on him that his son wasn’t in bed. He runs into  

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the son’s room and pulls the blankets off the 
bed but no one is there. He frantically calls  

00:14:19.560 --> 00:14:24.300
for his son and looks around the room, when he 
sees something. He hurries to the window where  

00:14:24.300 --> 00:14:29.640
he watches as his son walks towards the fountain. 
But what really has his attention is the woman,  

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translucent and shining under the moonlight, 
beckoning for the boy to approach her.

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The father rushes downstairs and out 
into the backyard where his son is  

00:14:38.520 --> 00:14:42.960
in an embrace with the watery woman. He 
is terrified but his fatherly instincts  

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take over and he sprints to the fountain 
and rips the boy away from the creature.  

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As he pulls the boy back from the 
fountain, he watches as the solid,  

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watery figure of the woman appears to turn back 
into a liquid and collapses into the fountain.

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The father brings the boy inside 
the house. He doesn’t understand  

00:14:58.620 --> 00:15:03.300
what’s going on but the father just keeps 
repeating that he’s okay, he’s safe now.

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The next day, the father is on the phone with 
their local priest. He knows how crazy this  

00:15:08.760 --> 00:15:12.840
sounds, but the police didn’t believe him, 
and he didn’t know where else to turn. The  

00:15:12.840 --> 00:15:16.020
priest tells him not to worry, that he 
will be there soon to take care of it.

00:15:16.020 --> 00:15:19.560
The priest arrives at the house with 
two assistants and tells the father  

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that it would be best if he and 
his son leave. The boy is crying,  

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pleading with them not to hurt the nice woman 
in the fountain. The father has to struggle  

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to restrain his son, but eventually 
is able to get him out of the house.

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Once they’re gone the priest turns to 
his assistants. He takes off his shirt  

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to reveal a tactical vest underneath 
emblazoned with the SCP logo as his  

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assistants do the same. “Time for 
containment” he says as they head  

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out into the backyard towards the fountain 
and the anomalous creature that lives there.

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Hi! I’m Dr. Bob. And this is SCP-054, 
also known as… the Water Nymph.

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SCP-054 is the designation that the SCP Foundation 
has given to an anomalous entity with some very  

00:16:02.520 --> 00:16:07.620
strange properties. Made up of 9 liters of what 
appears to be completely normal spring water,  

00:16:07.620 --> 00:16:13.800
SCP-054 most often appears in the form of 
a female humanoid, but it is capable of a  

00:16:13.800 --> 00:16:19.260
variety of forms such as other humanoids and 
simple geometric shapes. It is unknown just  

00:16:19.260 --> 00:16:23.940
how it is capable of taking and holding these 
shapes, or how it moves around once it does so,  

00:16:23.940 --> 00:16:29.160
since all tests performed so far have 
failed to show any thermal, electromagnetic,  

00:16:29.160 --> 00:16:33.360
biological, or other phenomenon present in 
its body that could explain its abilities.

00:16:34.020 --> 00:16:39.300
Whenever SCP-054 enters a body of water, 
it will become indistinguishable from the  

00:16:39.300 --> 00:16:43.560
surrounding water, and it appears that it must 
fully submerge itself on occasion in order to  

00:16:43.560 --> 00:16:47.580
replenish its full volume, which is constantly 
being reduced through normal evaporation.  

00:16:48.180 --> 00:16:52.680
Water that has evaporated off of the anomaly 
has also been collected by the Foundation,  

00:16:52.680 --> 00:16:57.060
and it too is indiscernible from regular 
water and exhibits no special properties.

00:16:57.060 --> 00:17:03.540
After its discovery, SCP-054 was moved to 
Site-08 for containment where additional  

00:17:03.540 --> 00:17:07.680
research and study of the creature could 
take place. Its special containment cell  

00:17:07.680 --> 00:17:11.460
was made watertight, and equipped with 
a specialized climate control system,  

00:17:11.460 --> 00:17:14.760
as well as an ornate fountain 
filled with fresh spring water.

00:17:15.360 --> 00:17:18.300
Surprisingly, the entity 
seemed to enjoy its new home,  

00:17:18.300 --> 00:17:21.900
and appeared happy to interact with 
Foundation researchers, guards,  

00:17:21.900 --> 00:17:26.340
and maintenance staff, frequently mimicking 
their forms often in a playful manner.

00:17:26.340 --> 00:17:31.380
While at first, 054 would retreat back to its 
fountain when it wasn’t interacting with staff,  

00:17:31.380 --> 00:17:34.800
as time went on, it seemed to 
grow more and more comfortable,  

00:17:34.800 --> 00:17:38.820
and eventually came to spend almost 
all of its time outside of the water,  

00:17:38.820 --> 00:17:42.600
though it would still always return back 
to the safety of the fountain and disappear  

00:17:42.600 --> 00:17:46.200
into the water when attempts were made to 
extract samples directly from its body.

00:17:46.200 --> 00:17:51.060
Though it avoided having its water drawn, 
it was through a variety of different tests  

00:17:51.060 --> 00:17:57.480
by SCP researcher Dr. Seskel that much of the 
Foundation’s knowledge of SCP-054 was gained,  

00:17:57.480 --> 00:17:59.460
though whether the methods researchers used  

00:17:59.460 --> 00:18:02.880
to acquire this information were 
appropriate is up to you to decide.

00:18:03.600 --> 00:18:10.920
In a test dubbed the “Water Loss Experiment”, 
SCP-054 was denied access to water. As a result,  

00:18:10.920 --> 00:18:17.220
its shape changed, with 054 becoming more compact, 
most likely in order to reduce its surface area  

00:18:17.220 --> 00:18:21.780
as much as possible and reduce the rate of 
evaporation that occurred. For the first few  

00:18:21.780 --> 00:18:26.700
days after access to water was removed, It would 
happily greet anyone who entered its containment  

00:18:26.700 --> 00:18:31.560
cell, which may indicate that it was attempting 
to charm staff into providing water. When  

00:18:31.560 --> 00:18:36.660
after a few days its water supply was still not 
turned on, it stopped acting especially cheery,  

00:18:36.660 --> 00:18:40.860
perhaps realizing that its happy disposition 
was doing nothing to advance its cause.

00:18:41.700 --> 00:18:47.520
In an Extreme Temperature Test, researchers were 
authorized to experiment with subjecting SCP-054  

00:18:47.520 --> 00:18:53.100
to temperatures below zero degrees celsius. The 
entity became more and more lethargic as the  

00:18:53.100 --> 00:18:58.200
temperature in the testing area was lowered, 
and it eventually froze completely. Ice chips  

00:18:58.200 --> 00:19:03.000
were collected for study, but analysis revealed no 
abnormalities or differences from standard water.

00:19:03.720 --> 00:19:08.460
The opposite test was also performed, and the 
temperature was raised to 95 degrees celsius,  

00:19:08.460 --> 00:19:14.340
just shy of the 100 degree boiling point 
of water. 054 became very aggressive  

00:19:14.340 --> 00:19:18.240
as the temperature approached the upper 
threshold at which water can remain a liquid,  

00:19:18.240 --> 00:19:23.280
and it attempted to escape the testing enclosure. 
Researchers noticed that following this test,  

00:19:23.280 --> 00:19:27.180
the entity became increasingly resistant 
to being moved from its containment cell  

00:19:27.180 --> 00:19:31.020
to the testing area, likely fearing that 
the researchers intended to do it harm.

00:19:31.560 --> 00:19:37.560
SCP-054’s memory was tested as well, and it 
proved very skilled at solving puzzles and  

00:19:37.560 --> 00:19:43.140
navigating mazes. Researchers initially had 
an issue with motivating 054 to participate,  

00:19:43.140 --> 00:19:48.300
but Dr. Seskel discovered that the anomaly was 
quite responsive to the use of electrical shocks.  

00:19:48.300 --> 00:19:53.640
The researchers would often push 054 too hard 
in these tests though, and soon found that  

00:19:53.640 --> 00:19:57.540
they would need to give it a 48 hour rest 
period between any strenuous experiments.

00:19:57.540 --> 00:20:03.480
The final test performed was meant to gain some 
insight into how SCP-054 maintains its form,  

00:20:03.480 --> 00:20:10.020
by seeing how it reacted to a Hydrochloric acid 
solution. It unsurprisingly resisted this test,  

00:20:10.020 --> 00:20:12.420
and the temperature in the 
testing area was lowered to  

00:20:12.420 --> 00:20:15.900
just above freezing in order to 
try and control its behavior.

00:20:15.900 --> 00:20:21.900
This did not prove to be enough though. SCP-054 
fought back against Dr. Seskel and his research  

00:20:21.900 --> 00:20:27.060
assistant, seriously injuring both of them and 
necessitating a halt to the test. In fact all  

00:20:27.060 --> 00:20:32.280
testing on SCP-054 was stopped following this 
incident, as it appeared to develop an extreme  

00:20:32.280 --> 00:20:36.480
mistrust of males, who made up the majority of 
the staff who had been performing the tests.

00:20:37.140 --> 00:20:43.980
Following this attack on the Foundation staff, 
SCP-054 was classified as Euclid. However once  

00:20:43.980 --> 00:20:48.600
the tests ceased and 054 no longer had to come 
in contact with the research staff who were in  

00:20:48.600 --> 00:20:52.200
charge of the experiments, there was 
a span of over five years without any  

00:20:52.200 --> 00:20:57.840
further incidents. Following this period, 
SCP-054’s rating was downgraded to Safe,  

00:20:57.840 --> 00:21:03.180
and now seems willing to begin participating in 
experiments once again, though now all tests fall  

00:21:03.180 --> 00:21:08.160
under the purview of Biology Unit E7 and the 
use of only female personnel is recommended.

00:21:08.760 --> 00:21:14.880
Though classified as Safe, caution must still be 
maintained when working with SCP-054. Maintenance  

00:21:14.880 --> 00:21:18.780
personnel are required to wear Chemical Suits 
when working inside the containment area,  

00:21:18.780 --> 00:21:24.000
and must spend ten minutes in a special drying 
room once they exit to ensure that 054 has  

00:21:24.000 --> 00:21:28.320
not somehow managed to cling to any part of 
them. In the event of a containment breach,  

00:21:28.320 --> 00:21:32.160
the entire enclosure is to be flushed 
with liquid nitrogen to freeze the entity.

00:21:32.880 --> 00:21:37.680
Is the Water Nymph an example of the SCP 
Foundation going too far? Containing a  

00:21:37.680 --> 00:21:42.480
harmless anomaly who appears happy and benign 
until harm is done to it? Or is this simply  

00:21:42.480 --> 00:21:46.380
the price we must pay in order to further 
our knowledge of anomalies, and potentially  

00:21:46.380 --> 00:21:51.600
stop a dangerous threat to humanity. The 
answer to that question… is up to you.

00:21:52.200 --> 00:21:54.480
A young woman steps onto her bathroom scale.

00:21:54.480 --> 00:21:59.340
She holds her breath and squeezes her eyes
shut, afraid to see the results as she listens

00:21:59.340 --> 00:22:00.180
to the dial spinning.

00:22:00.180 --> 00:22:03.840
When it slows to a stop, she opens her eyes
and looks down.

00:22:03.840 --> 00:22:05.520
She balks at the result.

00:22:05.520 --> 00:22:07.440
150 pounds!

00:22:07.440 --> 00:22:09.180
That’s unacceptable in her eyes.

00:22:09.180 --> 00:22:12.000
She steps off the scale 
and examines her reflection 

00:22:12.000 --> 00:22:13.200
in the full-length mirror.

00:22:13.200 --> 00:22:17.760
In truth, her weight is far from out of control,
but when she looks at herself she can’t

00:22:17.760 --> 00:22:22.560
help but see flaws – the subtle ring of
pudge around her middle, the way her butt

00:22:22.560 --> 00:22:27.000
sticks out just a little too far for her liking,
the very faint thickness around her cheeks

00:22:27.000 --> 00:22:28.980
and chin that hint at her history of snacking.

00:22:29.580 --> 00:22:32.940
As she leaves the bathroom, she reflects on
her situation.

00:22:32.940 --> 00:22:34.140
Of course, she’s gaining weight.

00:22:34.140 --> 00:22:35.400
How could it be any other way?

00:22:35.400 --> 00:22:39.840
For the last two years, she’s been in lock-down
during a pandemic and she’s barely left

00:22:39.840 --> 00:22:40.260
her apartment.

00:22:40.260 --> 00:22:45.000
She let her gym membership lapse and instead
of cycling to work, she’s instead taken

00:22:45.000 --> 00:22:46.560
the easy way out by just driving.

00:22:46.560 --> 00:22:49.740
And it’s not like she gets much exercise
in her free time either.

00:22:50.520 --> 00:22:54.840
During these last two years of isolation,
she’s mostly stayed in and watched television.

00:22:54.840 --> 00:22:59.160
She’s discovered a particular love for trashy
daytime talk shows and court dramas.

00:22:59.160 --> 00:23:03.180
Intellectually, she knows that they’re the
equivalent of junk food, but, at the same

00:23:03.180 --> 00:23:05.700
time, there is a certain mindless charm to
them.

00:23:06.300 --> 00:23:10.800
She would be embarrassed to admit it to any
of her friends, but she does enjoy just turning

00:23:10.800 --> 00:23:12.840
off her brain and absorbing some silly talk 

00:23:12.840 --> 00:23:15.780
show about professional stunt 
dwarves or Satan-worshipping

00:23:15.780 --> 00:23:16.620
furry juggalos.

00:23:16.620 --> 00:23:19.980
That sort of entertainment has been a boon
to get her through the tough times.

00:23:20.700 --> 00:23:22.800
Nevertheless, it’s time to make a change.

00:23:22.800 --> 00:23:25.680
She promises herself that she’s going to
get into shape.

00:23:25.680 --> 00:23:29.580
Today, instead of vegging on the couch, she’s
going to make an effort.

00:23:29.580 --> 00:23:34.080
She’s going to go out and get some exercise
and, she tells herself, she’s going to watch

00:23:34.080 --> 00:23:36.540
those extra pounds melt away right before
her eyes.

00:23:36.540 --> 00:23:39.180
She hopes that her old gym clothes will still
fit her.

00:23:39.180 --> 00:23:43.140
After all, she’s definitely put on some
extra weight since her last trip to the gym.

00:23:43.140 --> 00:23:47.940
After rummaging through her drawers, she finds
what she’s looking for – her spandex gym

00:23:47.940 --> 00:23:49.080
shorts and sports bra.

00:23:49.080 --> 00:23:53.040
She quickly changes her clothes and is relieved
to see that, although they might be a little

00:23:53.040 --> 00:23:55.500
snugger than she would like, they still fit
her pretty well.

00:23:55.500 --> 00:23:56.580
That’s a good sign!

00:23:56.580 --> 00:24:00.480
She probably won’t even have to work very
hard to get herself down to her ideal weight.

00:24:01.140 --> 00:24:03.540
“It’s all a matter of willpower,” she
tells herself.

00:24:03.540 --> 00:24:06.540
“I was fit before, so that means I should
be able to do it again.

00:24:06.540 --> 00:24:08.700
All I have to do is avoid temptation.

00:24:08.700 --> 00:24:12.840
I’ll just have to make sure I stay active
instead of watching trash TV all day.

00:24:12.840 --> 00:24:15.180
After all, I don’t want to rot my brain
too much.”

00:24:15.180 --> 00:24:19.500
On the first day, she actually does an admirable
job of sticking to her plan.

00:24:19.500 --> 00:24:23.940
She cycles to work, enjoying the fresh air
and the reassuring post-workout burn in her

00:24:23.940 --> 00:24:26.100
legs that let her know that she’s making
progress.

00:24:26.880 --> 00:24:29.280
She throws away all the junk 
food in her refrigerator 

00:24:29.280 --> 00:24:31.800
and goes shopping for healthy 
fruits and vegetables.

00:24:31.800 --> 00:24:35.520
And, most important of all, she limits her
television time.

00:24:36.180 --> 00:24:41.160
She knows that trashy TV is probably her biggest
addiction, even more than junk food, so she

00:24:41.160 --> 00:24:42.240
needs to be careful of that.

00:24:42.840 --> 00:24:45.780
On the second day, though, she notices something
strange.

00:24:45.780 --> 00:24:50.280
She starts off with a simple, healthy breakfast
– just some granola and a glass of juice.

00:24:50.280 --> 00:24:54.840
It’s barely enough to satisfy her, but she
knows that she has to make sacrifices if she

00:24:54.840 --> 00:24:56.340
expects to actually lose any weight.

00:24:56.940 --> 00:24:59.640
After breakfast, she decides to go out for
a jog.

00:24:59.640 --> 00:25:03.240
As she’s out on the street, she’s overcome
with sudden hunger.

00:25:03.240 --> 00:25:05.400
Of course, that’s to be expected.

00:25:05.400 --> 00:25:09.180
She’s on a diet now, so it’s going to
take some time to adjust to these smaller

00:25:09.180 --> 00:25:09.600
meals.

00:25:10.140 --> 00:25:12.780
She puts her hand to her rumbling stomach
and grimaces.

00:25:12.780 --> 00:25:14.940
She’s never felt THIS hungry before!

00:25:14.940 --> 00:25:18.780
If she didn’t know better, she would think
that she hadn’t eaten for a week with the

00:25:18.780 --> 00:25:19.800
amount of pain that she’s feeling.

00:25:20.580 --> 00:25:24.480
In fact, she’s actually starting to feel
a little woozy and she has to lean against

00:25:24.480 --> 00:25:26.100
a light post to keep from fainting.

00:25:26.100 --> 00:25:28.140
She shakes her head to clear her thoughts.

00:25:28.140 --> 00:25:32.700
Okay, she thinks, I must have misjudged how
many calories I need to get me through a morning.

00:25:33.240 --> 00:25:35.220
Her eyes stray to a nearby coffee shop.

00:25:35.220 --> 00:25:36.660
She sighs in relief.

00:25:36.660 --> 00:25:40.740
She thinks to herself: I’ll just pop in
there and get myself a small snack, just a

00:25:40.740 --> 00:25:42.720
little something to keep my blood sugar up.

00:25:42.720 --> 00:25:45.120
She walks into the café and gets in line.

00:25:45.720 --> 00:25:50.640
As she waits, she can’t help but stare at
the rows of pastries on display under the

00:25:50.640 --> 00:25:50.820
glass.

00:25:50.820 --> 00:25:54.120
They all look delicious and she is REALLY
hungry.

00:25:54.120 --> 00:25:58.620
She fully intends to only get a bagel with
a little smear of cream cheese, but when she

00:25:58.620 --> 00:26:01.680
gets to the counter she finds herself ordering
way too much food.

00:26:02.400 --> 00:26:05.760
“I’d like two scones, three danishes,
and a bear claw,” she says.

00:26:05.760 --> 00:26:08.940
“Also a large super raspberry Frappuccino
with extra syrup and whip cream!”

00:26:08.940 --> 00:26:13.560
The words just tumble out of her mouth almost
as if it’s not her saying them, but rather

00:26:13.560 --> 00:26:15.300
some other voice speaking through her mouth…

00:26:15.900 --> 00:26:16.680
“What the!?

00:26:16.680 --> 00:26:17.640
I didn’t say that!”

00:26:17.640 --> 00:26:18.420
she stammers.

00:26:18.960 --> 00:26:23.040
The clerk behind the counter eyes her strangely
and the young woman feels too embarrassed

00:26:23.040 --> 00:26:23.880
to protest further.

00:26:24.480 --> 00:26:28.260
She steps aside and waits for her order, pondering
the strange event that just happened.

00:26:28.260 --> 00:26:29.880
Is she possessed?

00:26:29.880 --> 00:26:33.900
She’s not a superstitious person, but she
can’t think of any other explanation for

00:26:33.900 --> 00:26:34.500
what just happened.

00:26:34.500 --> 00:26:39.180
She can admit to herself that she has broken
down and lost to temptation over a tasty snack

00:26:39.180 --> 00:26:40.260
in the past, but this?

00:26:40.260 --> 00:26:41.580
This is ridiculous.

00:26:41.580 --> 00:26:46.080
Eventually, when the clerk hands her the order,
she rationalizes the whole thing away.

00:26:46.860 --> 00:26:50.700
“I must just be having a hunger hallucination,”
she says to herself.

00:26:50.700 --> 00:26:54.120
“Obviously, I need to be a little more careful
about not being so strict about my diet.

00:26:54.120 --> 00:26:57.720
I’m sure if I just eat sensibly, I won’t
have an experience like that again.”

00:26:58.800 --> 00:27:02.520
Her stomach grumbles again, reminding her
of the original reason why she stepped into

00:27:02.520 --> 00:27:03.120
this coffee shop.

00:27:03.120 --> 00:27:06.420
She retreats to a table in the corner and
tears open the bag.

00:27:06.420 --> 00:27:10.500
She wolves down her pastries with gusto and
slurps at her rich, creamy drink.

00:27:10.500 --> 00:27:13.080
When she’s finished, she sighs in satisfaction…

00:27:13.080 --> 00:27:17.520
although the uncomfortable full feeling in
her belly reminds her of her predicament.

00:27:18.060 --> 00:27:22.320
She only meant to eat enough to keep her from
fainting, but instead, she’s eating herself

00:27:22.320 --> 00:27:22.800
silly.

00:27:22.800 --> 00:27:24.540
And it’s only day two of the diet!

00:27:24.540 --> 00:27:26.280
This does not bode well.

00:27:27.060 --> 00:27:28.620
“Okay,” she tells herself.

00:27:28.620 --> 00:27:29.880
“This is my last cheat!

00:27:29.880 --> 00:27:32.460
From now on, I’m going to be serious about
this diet.”

00:27:33.180 --> 00:27:36.780
She stands up and leaves the café, ready
to complete the rest of her jog.

00:27:36.780 --> 00:27:39.540
But then something even stranger happens…

00:27:39.540 --> 00:27:42.960
On the television, the matriarch of the family
is furious.

00:27:42.960 --> 00:27:46.800
She has forbidden her daughter from marrying
the gardener because she believes that he

00:27:46.800 --> 00:27:48.660
is too low class for her high-borne daughter.

00:27:48.660 --> 00:27:52.860
But what she doesn’t realize is that her
daughter is in love and that she is determined

00:27:52.860 --> 00:27:53.400
to make it work.

00:27:53.400 --> 00:27:57.720
The daughter and the gardener have eloped
and the matriarch is hiring a private detective

00:27:57.720 --> 00:27:58.560
to track them down.

00:27:58.560 --> 00:28:02.820
Meanwhile, the matriarch’s long-lost twin
brother, whom she thought died in a plane

00:28:02.820 --> 00:28:05.400
crash in the tropics, has actually been alive
the entire time.

00:28:05.400 --> 00:28:10.200
He has been in a South American hospital,
recovering from amnesia, but now he returns

00:28:10.200 --> 00:28:13.200
to the family estate, ready to claim his share
of the inheritance.

00:28:13.740 --> 00:28:18.300
These events are all noted by the family’s
shady lawyer, who has big plans to usurp the

00:28:18.300 --> 00:28:19.260
family fortune himself.

00:28:19.260 --> 00:28:23.460
Unbeknownst to the family, he is actually
secretly working for their mortal enemies

00:28:23.460 --> 00:28:25.140
and business rivals to destroy them!

00:28:25.740 --> 00:28:28.920
The young woman laughs, shoving a handful
of potato chips into her mouth.

00:28:28.920 --> 00:28:31.140
“Oh man, I wouldn’t want to be in their
shoes now!

00:28:31.140 --> 00:28:33.360
That lawyer is playing them all like fiddles!”

00:28:34.020 --> 00:28:36.780
Suddenly, she startles, as if she’s just
waking up.

00:28:36.780 --> 00:28:38.040
Where is she?

00:28:38.040 --> 00:28:39.840
Wasn’t she just in that coffee shop?

00:28:39.840 --> 00:28:41.580
How is it that she’s at home?

00:28:41.580 --> 00:28:43.320
And why is she eating potato chips?

00:28:44.040 --> 00:28:47.880
She was sure that she threw out all the junk
food in the house; she must have bought a

00:28:47.880 --> 00:28:51.000
bag on her way back home from jogging, but
she literally cannot remember it!

00:28:51.000 --> 00:28:54.360
And what is she doing now, watching television
and eating junk food?

00:28:55.020 --> 00:28:57.780
In disgust, she grabs the remote and shuts
off the TV.

00:28:57.780 --> 00:29:02.040
She was supposed to be jogging and instead
she’s sitting at home and watching stupid

00:29:02.040 --> 00:29:02.760
soap operas!

00:29:03.360 --> 00:29:06.120
The thing that worries her the most is her
apparent black-out.

00:29:06.120 --> 00:29:09.720
She remembers nothing about her trip home
from the coffee shop, although the evidence

00:29:09.720 --> 00:29:13.380
of the potato chip bag indicates that she
must have stopped at a convenience store or

00:29:13.380 --> 00:29:14.820
supermarket on the way home.

00:29:14.820 --> 00:29:16.860
How could she forget something like that?

00:29:17.580 --> 00:29:22.380
“I really must be having a blood sugar issue,”
she tells herself reassuringly, even though

00:29:22.380 --> 00:29:24.540
deep down she knows that can’t be the case.

00:29:24.540 --> 00:29:28.860
She had the blackout AFTER eating the pastries
at the coffee shop, so that can’t be the

00:29:28.860 --> 00:29:29.040
cause.

00:29:29.040 --> 00:29:33.000
But she really doesn’t want to think about
that, so she puts it out of her head with

00:29:33.000 --> 00:29:35.820
a renewed promise to commit to her exercise
and fitness program.

00:29:35.820 --> 00:29:39.780
Over the next few days, she makes a valiant
effort to keep her promise.

00:29:39.780 --> 00:29:42.660
She cycles when she can, she jogs when she
remembers.

00:29:42.660 --> 00:29:44.820
And yet, the blackouts continue.

00:29:44.820 --> 00:29:49.380
And no matter where she is when she loses
her memory, she always recovers in the same

00:29:49.380 --> 00:29:53.940
place: back home on her couch, always in the
middle of eating some fatty junk food, always

00:29:53.940 --> 00:29:55.320
staring at the television set.

00:29:55.320 --> 00:30:00.060
Sure, she’s always had an unhealthy television
habit and she knows that trashy talk shows

00:30:00.060 --> 00:30:01.980
and silly soap operas are her biggest weakness….

00:30:01.980 --> 00:30:05.700
But it doesn’t make any sense that she would
be seeking them out when she’s in some kind

00:30:05.700 --> 00:30:06.720
of fugue state, right?

00:30:06.720 --> 00:30:10.740
As the weeks roll by, the young woman finds
that her weight keeps rising.

00:30:10.740 --> 00:30:15.300
When she steps onto the bathroom scale, she’s
shocked to see that the dial points to 200

00:30:15.300 --> 00:30:15.780
pounds.

00:30:15.780 --> 00:30:18.600
She’s doing everything right, she thinks,
how is that possible?

00:30:18.600 --> 00:30:22.740
How is it possible that she’s ballooned
up an extra 50 pounds since deciding to slim

00:30:22.740 --> 00:30:22.920
down?

00:30:22.920 --> 00:30:25.140
She can’t fit into her old gym clothes anymore.

00:30:25.140 --> 00:30:29.640
She can barely tug the spandex shorts up her
thighs and, even if she could, she’s afraid

00:30:29.640 --> 00:30:30.780
that they’re going to split apart.

00:30:30.780 --> 00:30:34.380
In desperation, she switches to an old stretchy
sweatsuit.

00:30:34.380 --> 00:30:36.900
It’s the only thing that she owns that still
fits her.

00:30:37.500 --> 00:30:41.160
“This is just a temporary set-back,” she
tells herself as she stares at her bloated

00:30:41.160 --> 00:30:42.540
reflection in the bathroom mirror.

00:30:42.540 --> 00:30:44.280
“I just have to work harder.”

00:30:44.280 --> 00:30:45.120
And she does.

00:30:45.780 --> 00:30:46.680
Or does she?

00:30:46.680 --> 00:30:50.940
When she goes to ride her bike, she finds
that it’s no longer strong enough to support

00:30:50.940 --> 00:30:51.360
her weight.

00:30:51.360 --> 00:30:55.200
She can’t perch on the seat comfortably
and the steel body frame starts to creak when

00:30:55.200 --> 00:30:56.580
she rests her full weight upon it.

00:30:56.580 --> 00:30:58.140
She steels her resolve.

00:30:58.140 --> 00:31:01.680
Sure, it might be embarrassing to go out in
public wearing an ill-fitting sweatsuit and

00:31:01.680 --> 00:31:05.100
riding a bike groaning under her bulk, but
she really has no choice.

00:31:05.100 --> 00:31:07.440
This time, she’s going to do it!

00:31:08.160 --> 00:31:10.200
And she probably did ride her bike to work,
right?

00:31:10.200 --> 00:31:11.400
She’s not sure.

00:31:11.400 --> 00:31:16.020
The next thing that she knows, she’s back
at home, spread across the couch, basking

00:31:16.020 --> 00:31:17.760
in the comforting glow of the television.

00:31:18.480 --> 00:31:22.860
The floor is covered in empty bags and cartons,
and her face is slathered with crumbs and

00:31:22.860 --> 00:31:23.100
sauce.

00:31:23.940 --> 00:31:27.360
The last thing that she remembers is that
she was just about to go for a bike ride…

00:31:27.360 --> 00:31:31.320
but now she’s back at home and it looks
like she just completely ruined her diet!

00:31:31.320 --> 00:31:34.380
She lifts her arm with some effort and stares
at her watch.

00:31:34.380 --> 00:31:36.600
She’s lost almost a whole day…

00:31:36.600 --> 00:31:38.340
That’s the longest blackout yet!

00:31:38.340 --> 00:31:42.540
She must have gone out cycling and made her
way home, where she decided to reward herself

00:31:42.540 --> 00:31:44.460
for her strenuous efforts with a little snack.

00:31:44.460 --> 00:31:46.080
That’s the only logical explanation.

00:31:46.080 --> 00:31:51.240
She tries to reassure herself that maybe she’s
past the worst of it, but she finds that these

00:31:51.240 --> 00:31:53.160
mysterious black-outs keep happening.

00:31:53.160 --> 00:31:57.720
They happen while she’s at work, while she’s
at the gym, while she’s out cycling… but

00:31:57.720 --> 00:32:00.060
she always comes to in the same place: sitting 

00:32:00.060 --> 00:32:02.880
on her sofa at home, in 
front of the TV, surrounded

00:32:02.880 --> 00:32:04.440
by the debris of a massive meal.

00:32:04.440 --> 00:32:08.640
Again, she wonders if maybe she’s having
some sort of reaction to her new low calorie

00:32:08.640 --> 00:32:08.880
diet?

00:32:08.880 --> 00:32:12.660
Maybe she’s been cutting back so far on
her food intake that she’s starting to have

00:32:12.660 --> 00:32:13.440
fainting spells?

00:32:13.440 --> 00:32:15.600
Maybe her diet food is tainted in some way?

00:32:15.600 --> 00:32:18.420
But that doesn’t explain why she keeps gaining
weight.

00:32:18.420 --> 00:32:20.460
The scale in her bathroom doesn’t lie.

00:32:20.460 --> 00:32:25.260
It keeps reporting higher and higher numbers
and as much as she tries to reassure herself

00:32:25.260 --> 00:32:29.400
that it must just be broken, her ever-tightening
clothes and ever-widening reflection tell

00:32:29.400 --> 00:32:30.000
her otherwise.

00:32:30.000 --> 00:32:34.200
Her trips to the gym become less and less
frequent, as she finds that other patrons

00:32:34.200 --> 00:32:36.000
have started to stare and whisper about her.

00:32:36.000 --> 00:32:38.580
Are they laughing at her for not being able
to control her weight?

00:32:38.580 --> 00:32:42.270
Are they whispering about how her new flab
is spilling from the confines of her sweat

00:32:42.270 --> 00:32:42.480
suit?

00:32:42.480 --> 00:32:46.080
She can’t even run on the treadmill for
more than a few minutes without being completely

00:32:46.080 --> 00:32:48.660
winded and she’s too wide to balance on
her bike now.

00:32:48.660 --> 00:32:53.340
The young woman has grown absolutely massive
to the point that she completely fills the

00:32:53.340 --> 00:32:53.760
whole couch.

00:32:53.760 --> 00:32:56.700
She chews her way through yet another bag
of potato chips.

00:32:56.700 --> 00:32:59.580
Her eyes never straying from the ever-chattering
television set.

00:32:59.580 --> 00:33:04.140
She barely moves from this spot, her tremendous
girth sinking into a permanent groove in the

00:33:04.140 --> 00:33:06.120
cushions as the couch springs groan.

00:33:06.660 --> 00:33:10.740
She barely notices, however, because she’s
much too intent on enjoying herself.

00:33:10.740 --> 00:33:15.720
She loves to eat and every bite brings her
untold joy, her taste buds tingling with delight.

00:33:15.720 --> 00:33:21.060
She is constantly full, so much so that she
feels slightly sick, so bloated that she feels

00:33:21.060 --> 00:33:25.440
like she might just burst, but she’s powerless
to resist the siren call of junk food.

00:33:25.440 --> 00:33:30.060
She scarfs down entire boxes of cookies and
cartons of ice cream without a thought, having

00:33:30.060 --> 00:33:32.580
turned into the very definition of a mindless
eater.

00:33:32.580 --> 00:33:37.140
Only occasionally does she rouse herself from
this stupor of gorging to reach for her telephone

00:33:37.140 --> 00:33:42.600
to order more take-out or more grocery delivery,
always choosing the most calorie-laden options.

00:33:43.200 --> 00:33:47.340
Other than eating, her attention is completely
devoted to her television set.

00:33:47.340 --> 00:33:51.960
She watches a constant stream of daytime talk
shows, laughing along with the studio audience

00:33:51.960 --> 00:33:55.200
as the hosts parade out an assortment of society’s
biggest freaks.

00:33:55.200 --> 00:33:59.700
Sometimes she’ll switch the channel to watch
soap operas, becoming so wrapped up in the

00:33:59.700 --> 00:34:04.080
ridiculous plot twists and melodramatic acting
that she completely forgets the passage of

00:34:04.080 --> 00:34:04.260
time.

00:34:04.980 --> 00:34:09.720
Her bicycle stands propped against the wall
in the hallway, completely forgotten and untouched

00:34:09.720 --> 00:34:10.500
now for months.

00:34:10.500 --> 00:34:15.360
At this point, all thoughts of losing weight
have utterly evaporated and all that she cares

00:34:15.360 --> 00:34:19.080
about is satisfying her appetites for junk
food and junk television.

00:34:19.080 --> 00:34:24.540
One day, she suddenly shakes her head and
looks down at herself in horror, as if seeing

00:34:24.540 --> 00:34:25.500
herself for the first time.

00:34:25.500 --> 00:34:26.760
“What the?!”

00:34:26.760 --> 00:34:27.900
she says in disbelief.

00:34:27.900 --> 00:34:31.980
She drops her half-eaten carton of ice cream
and grabs at her fleshy middle with her hands

00:34:31.980 --> 00:34:35.160
as if to make sure that it’s all her and
not some kind of crazy dream.

00:34:35.160 --> 00:34:40.440
Her hands sink deep into her new flesh and
she realizes to her shock that indeed she

00:34:40.440 --> 00:34:42.360
has eaten herself into morbid obesity.

00:34:42.360 --> 00:34:43.980
“How is this possible?

00:34:43.980 --> 00:34:45.300
I can’t be this big!

00:34:45.300 --> 00:34:46.200
I was only…

00:34:46.200 --> 00:34:46.980
only…”

00:34:46.980 --> 00:34:52.620
Her words trail off as the sound of an organ
sting from the soap opera on TV diverts her

00:34:52.620 --> 00:34:52.920
attention.

00:34:52.920 --> 00:34:57.480
Within seconds, her eyes have glazed over
and her hands move to pick up the dropped

00:34:57.480 --> 00:34:58.260
carton of ice cream.

00:34:58.260 --> 00:35:03.900
Her worries about her growing size forgotten,
she’s now only concerned with watching until

00:35:03.900 --> 00:35:04.800
the next commercial break.

00:35:05.700 --> 00:35:10.260
It might seem unbelievable that someone could
undergo such a startling physical and mental

00:35:10.260 --> 00:35:14.340
transformation, but what that young woman
experienced has led to her being classified

00:35:14.340 --> 00:35:17.160
by the foundation as SCP-2611.

00:35:18.000 --> 00:35:23.100
SCP-2611 is, as you might have expected, a
young woman currently weighing approximately

00:35:23.100 --> 00:35:24.060
500 pounds.

00:35:24.060 --> 00:35:28.740
Her mobility is limited due to her weight,
although SCP staff encourage her to take light

00:35:28.740 --> 00:35:33.120
exercise whenever possible in hopes of preventing
her mobility from deteriorating further.

00:35:33.660 --> 00:35:37.920
She also suffers from several health issues
related to her weight and lifestyle, including

00:35:37.920 --> 00:35:40.980
diabetes, for which she is receiving treatment
by foundation personnel.

00:35:40.980 --> 00:35:45.480
Her awareness of her situation and surroundings
is severely limited, as she spends most of

00:35:45.480 --> 00:35:49.560
her time in a stupor, but when she is lucid
she believes that she is in a special facility

00:35:49.560 --> 00:35:51.120
receiving treatment for her weight problem.

00:35:51.900 --> 00:35:58.080
In reality, SCP-2611 is under observation
because of SCP-2611-1.

00:35:58.080 --> 00:36:05.460
SCP-2611-1 is a mass of sentient fat located
on SCP-2611’s left side.

00:36:06.180 --> 00:36:13.200
SCP-2611-1 has become integrated with several
of SCP-2611’s vital organs, making it too

00:36:13.200 --> 00:36:18.300
dangerous to attempt to remove SCP-2611-1
via liposuction or other means.

00:36:18.900 --> 00:36:24.900
SCP-2611-1 has gradually exerted increasing
control over the mind and actions of its host,

00:36:24.900 --> 00:36:30.360
to the point that SCP-2611 is only fully conscious
for one to two hours daily.

00:36:30.360 --> 00:36:36.540
The rest of the time, SCP-2611-1 is fully
in control of its host’s behavior.

00:36:37.140 --> 00:36:43.980
Prior to coming to the SCP facility, SCP-2611-1
influenced its host to consume massive amounts

00:36:43.980 --> 00:36:47.940
of calories, leading to the mysterious and
sudden weight gain that we observed earlier.

00:36:47.940 --> 00:36:54.360
This was possibly an attempt by SCP-2611-1
to increase its own size and influence, but

00:36:54.360 --> 00:36:58.920
as of yet its reasons – as well as how it
exerts control over its host – are unknown.

00:36:59.580 --> 00:37:05.580
When in control, SCP-2611-1 can speak through
its host, communicating in standard American

00:37:05.580 --> 00:37:05.940
English.

00:37:05.940 --> 00:37:11.460
SCP-2611’s access to food has been limited
since her arrival at the Foundation, so as

00:37:11.460 --> 00:37:14.160
to prevent her weight gain from accelerating
to dangerous levels.

00:37:14.700 --> 00:37:20.040
Other than eating, SCP-2611-1’s main interest
appears to be daytime television.

00:37:20.040 --> 00:37:26.280
Attempts to communicate with SCP-2611-1 have
so far met with little success due to the

00:37:26.280 --> 00:37:30.120
anomaly’s limited attention span for anything
other than the minutiae of daytime television.

00:37:30.120 --> 00:37:36.600
In a conversation with one researcher, however,
SCP-2611-1 let slip that it preferred daytime

00:37:36.600 --> 00:37:41.460
television to the programming watched by “that
other guy,” suggesting that it lived inside

00:37:41.460 --> 00:37:46.020
a different host before it eventually took
up residence within the body of SCP-2611.

00:37:46.740 --> 00:37:51.780
At another point, while in the middle of a
conversation about a court drama, SCP-2611-1

00:37:51.780 --> 00:37:53.940
suddenly announced “Kill it.

00:37:53.940 --> 00:37:54.660
Kill it now.

00:37:54.660 --> 00:37:55.680
I don’t care if I die!”

00:37:56.400 --> 00:38:01.860
Staff believe that this might not have been
SCP-2611-1 at all, but rather the voice of

00:38:01.860 --> 00:38:07.020
SCP-2611 trying to break through the hypnotic
control of her parasite to call for help.

00:38:07.020 --> 00:38:11.940
At this time, no drastic action is recommended
until further observations can be made.

00:38:11.940 --> 00:38:18.120
SCP-2611 -1 does not appear to be contagious
and the way that it bonds with a host is unknown,

00:38:18.120 --> 00:38:20.460
so it is currently classified as safe.

00:38:21.060 --> 00:38:25.740
At the moment, SCP-2611-1 is the only known
instance of its kind.

00:38:25.740 --> 00:38:31.080
However, considering rising levels of obesity
worldwide, it is not unfathomable to think

00:38:31.080 --> 00:38:35.220
that there could be countless other instances
influencing the behavior of other hosts to

00:38:35.220 --> 00:38:37.620
dedicate their lives to consuming food and
television.

00:38:37.620 --> 00:38:38.820
Who knows?

00:38:38.820 --> 00:38:41.520
It’s not like most of us would need that
much convincing.

00:38:42.600 --> 00:38:44.160
“Honestly, no.

00:38:44.160 --> 00:38:48.660
It doesn’t feel like anything is working,”
the woman tells the man who is seated across

00:38:48.660 --> 00:38:49.380
the room from her.

00:38:49.380 --> 00:38:53.400
She’s been coming to see him for several
months now, but she doesn’t feel like she’s

00:38:53.400 --> 00:38:55.200
made progress on any of her issues.

00:38:55.860 --> 00:38:59.580
The man listens and nods as he jots down some
notes on his pad of paper.

00:38:59.580 --> 00:39:02.040
He has something he wants to discuss with
her.

00:39:02.040 --> 00:39:06.540
She may feel as though she’s run out of
options, but there is one other thing they

00:39:06.540 --> 00:39:06.960
could try.

00:39:06.960 --> 00:39:11.220
He’s seen lots of success using this with
his other patients, though it’s a technique

00:39:11.220 --> 00:39:14.100
that many would deem to be rather unconventional.

00:39:14.760 --> 00:39:19.620
The woman is unsure, “unconventional techniques”
don’t exactly instill her with confidence.

00:39:19.620 --> 00:39:22.380
But at this point, what did she have to lose?

00:39:23.160 --> 00:39:25.800
The man stands up and motions for the woman
to follow him.

00:39:25.800 --> 00:39:29.760
He leads her out of his office to a section
of his practice that she’s never seen before

00:39:29.760 --> 00:39:31.740
where they stop in front of a closed door.

00:39:32.520 --> 00:39:36.780
On the door is a window covered by a curtain
and she notices that there are a set of strong

00:39:36.780 --> 00:39:37.680
locks as well.

00:39:38.220 --> 00:39:42.960
He unlocks the door and ushers her inside
where she finds that it is a small room, maybe

00:39:42.960 --> 00:39:47.640
10 feet across at most, with thick padding
on the floor and walls, and bright white lights

00:39:47.640 --> 00:39:48.600
set into the ceiling.

00:39:49.200 --> 00:39:53.280
He tells her to wait there just a moment and
to “make herself comfortable” before he

00:39:53.280 --> 00:39:54.540
excuses himself.

00:39:54.540 --> 00:39:58.740
The woman looks around at the padded room,
wondering just what it is that she’s agreed

00:39:58.740 --> 00:39:58.860
to.

00:39:58.860 --> 00:40:03.180
The man returns and now he’s holding something…
a garment bag.

00:40:03.180 --> 00:40:08.760
He unzips it to reveal a dark piece of clothing
inside, but when he takes it out, she sees

00:40:08.760 --> 00:40:12.060
now that it isn’t clothing at all, at least
not any normal kind…

00:40:12.720 --> 00:40:13.920
It's a straightjacket.

00:40:14.460 --> 00:40:18.600
The woman is scared, unsure if she wants to
go through with this and he does his best

00:40:18.600 --> 00:40:19.500
to put her at ease.

00:40:19.500 --> 00:40:23.640
If she’s uncomfortable she certainly doesn’t
have to do anything she doesn’t want to,

00:40:23.640 --> 00:40:28.140
but he reiterates that he has had great results
using this with some of his other patients.

00:40:28.140 --> 00:40:30.180
It’s been something of a miracle cure.

00:40:30.180 --> 00:40:32.460
Well no, cure is the wrong word.

00:40:32.460 --> 00:40:36.300
He corrects himself and explains that this
won’t “cure” her in the way that she’s

00:40:36.300 --> 00:40:40.260
probably thinking, but rather what he’s
found is that this therapy is able to provide

00:40:40.260 --> 00:40:44.760
a momentary relief from symptoms, a chance
to see what life is like without being plagued

00:40:44.760 --> 00:40:46.800
by the issues that have led her to seek his
help.

00:40:46.800 --> 00:40:50.820
Once she has gotten a glimpse at what life
is like without these burdens, they can work

00:40:50.820 --> 00:40:54.240
towards bringing her back to that point through
other therapies and techniques.

00:40:54.240 --> 00:40:58.080
This might be just the breakthrough she needs
to finally make something work.

00:40:58.080 --> 00:41:02.400
The woman is still skeptical but she is desperate
to find anything that will help her escape

00:41:02.400 --> 00:41:06.180
the thoughts constantly plaguing her mind
so that she can get back to being the person

00:41:06.180 --> 00:41:10.800
she wants to be, and after a moment of thought,
she agrees to go through with the procedure.

00:41:11.400 --> 00:41:13.200
The therapist tells the woman to hold her 

00:41:13.200 --> 00:41:15.600
arms out in front of her and 
places the straightjacket

00:41:15.600 --> 00:41:15.900
on her.

00:41:15.900 --> 00:41:20.280
She can see and feel now that it is made of
black leather, and it fits her perfectly,

00:41:20.280 --> 00:41:22.320
almost as if it were made just for her.

00:41:22.320 --> 00:41:26.520
She turns around and he pulls the straps tight
before fastening them in place.

00:41:27.240 --> 00:41:31.140
The woman, standing in the small padded room
and fully constrained by the black leather

00:41:31.140 --> 00:41:34.860
straightjacket, turns to the man and asks
“now what?”

00:41:34.860 --> 00:41:37.680
“Now we wait,” he tells her, before backing
out of the room.

00:41:37.680 --> 00:41:39.540
“A warning though -”

00:41:39.540 --> 00:41:40.620
“Now a warning?”

00:41:40.620 --> 00:41:41.220
she says.

00:41:41.220 --> 00:41:43.200
“This is a one-off procedure.

00:41:43.200 --> 00:41:46.020
You can only do it once,” he tells her before
closing the door.

00:41:46.740 --> 00:41:49.080
She’s confused, is this the procedure?

00:41:49.080 --> 00:41:50.580
He’s locking her in a cell?

00:41:50.580 --> 00:41:52.020
What is going on.

00:41:52.020 --> 00:41:53.640
She never should have agreed to this.

00:41:53.640 --> 00:41:58.140
Her mind starts to race, filling with bad
thoughts, and they get even worse when the

00:41:58.140 --> 00:41:59.040
lights suddenly go out.

00:41:59.940 --> 00:42:04.380
She starts to panic, breathing heavily in
the dark from both fear and from being constricted

00:42:04.380 --> 00:42:06.060
by the leather straightjacket.

00:42:06.060 --> 00:42:09.720
She calls out that she has changed her mind,
she doesn’t want to do this after all.

00:42:10.260 --> 00:42:11.220
No response.

00:42:11.220 --> 00:42:14.460
She’s serious, she wants to end this right
now and leave the room.

00:42:14.460 --> 00:42:16.920
It isn’t working, it’s actually making
her feel worse.

00:42:16.920 --> 00:42:21.600
All the fears and anxieties that plague nearly
every moment of her life come rushing in at

00:42:21.600 --> 00:42:21.840
once.

00:42:21.840 --> 00:42:27.060
Her mind races as she can feel all the tell
tale signs of a panic attack starting, a million

00:42:27.060 --> 00:42:30.960
little issues pulling her apart at the seams,
leaving her stretched out and helpless to

00:42:30.960 --> 00:42:31.920
do anything to stop it.

00:42:32.460 --> 00:42:34.980
But then suddenly, there’s a change.

00:42:35.520 --> 00:42:40.440
Like a cool breeze blowing across her face,
the feelings of hopelessness and despair start

00:42:40.440 --> 00:42:41.100
to dissipate.

00:42:41.100 --> 00:42:45.540
Her anxieties feel as though they are melting
away into the dark, leaving her with only

00:42:45.540 --> 00:42:47.400
the comforting embrace of the straightjacket.

00:42:48.000 --> 00:42:52.920
It isn’t that she feels happy necessarily,
she simply feels… normal.

00:42:53.760 --> 00:42:55.680
Content with herself and her situation.

00:42:55.680 --> 00:43:00.180
It’s an incredible feeling and she basks
in the joy of not feeling bad.

00:43:00.900 --> 00:43:05.400
She doesn’t know how long she’s in the
dark room feeling content, minutes, maybe

00:43:05.400 --> 00:43:05.820
hours?

00:43:05.820 --> 00:43:08.940
But eventually the door opens and the lights
come on.

00:43:08.940 --> 00:43:10.620
Her session is over.

00:43:10.620 --> 00:43:13.740
She leaves the office with a new perspective
on life.

00:43:13.740 --> 00:43:19.740
Most of the feelings of satisfaction have
already, but still, she feels renewed, ready

00:43:19.740 --> 00:43:24.300
to tackle her issues so she can feel what
she felt in the straightjacket again, so she

00:43:24.300 --> 00:43:25.020
can feel normal.

00:43:25.800 --> 00:43:30.780
By the next day though, her new lease on life
is completely gone, and she is on the phone

00:43:30.780 --> 00:43:34.020
with the man pleading with him to let her
come in immediately and wear the straightjacket

00:43:34.020 --> 00:43:34.200
again.

00:43:34.860 --> 00:43:39.240
He warned her though that it’s a one off
procedure, too much exposure is dangerous.

00:43:39.240 --> 00:43:41.700
She needs to focus on other treatments instead.

00:43:41.700 --> 00:43:44.580
The woman only wants to come wear it for a
little bit though.

00:43:44.580 --> 00:43:46.500
Just a few minutes to feel that way again.

00:43:46.500 --> 00:43:48.900
He tells her it’s impossible though.

00:43:48.900 --> 00:43:52.500
She should be happy it was so successful and
move on to new techniques.

00:43:52.500 --> 00:43:55.860
And besides, he’s leaving for a conference
and won’t be back for a week.

00:43:55.860 --> 00:43:58.020
They can discuss things again when he gets
back.

00:43:58.680 --> 00:44:02.760
It’s raining that night as a figure in a
dark coat breaks the glass on the front door

00:44:02.760 --> 00:44:04.620
and reaches through to unlock the door.

00:44:04.620 --> 00:44:08.040
The woman enters the office and hangs her
wet jacket on the wall.

00:44:08.040 --> 00:44:11.160
Her flashlight illuminates the room they have
their sessions in.

00:44:11.160 --> 00:44:12.360
No one is there.

00:44:12.360 --> 00:44:16.440
She walks deeper into the building and spots
the door to the padded room.

00:44:17.100 --> 00:44:20.700
She passes by and goes even further to a backroom
that she’s never been in before.

00:44:20.700 --> 00:44:24.960
In the room, against a wall, is a metal trunk.

00:44:24.960 --> 00:44:28.860
She opens it to find the dark garment bag
with the leather straightjacket inside.

00:44:30.240 --> 00:44:31.440
“What do you want me to do again?”

00:44:31.440 --> 00:44:32.880
the young man asks.

00:44:32.880 --> 00:44:36.480
He was just supposed to be delivering a pizza,
and his boss would be angry to learn that

00:44:36.480 --> 00:44:38.100
he allowed a customer to invite him in.

00:44:38.700 --> 00:44:42.240
“This is my office,” she tells him, “and
I’m working on some new techniques for my

00:44:42.240 --> 00:44:45.240
patients, but I need to try them out myself
first, that makes sense, right?”

00:44:45.900 --> 00:44:48.540
“Well sure, I guess,” he responds.

00:44:48.540 --> 00:44:50.880
“But for this particular one, I need some
help.

00:44:50.880 --> 00:44:53.880
It’s a secret though so I can’t get any
of my colleagues to help me.

00:44:53.880 --> 00:44:55.200
But you can help me, right?”

00:44:55.200 --> 00:44:59.220
The young man nervously swallows the soda
she’s given him and nods in agreement.

00:45:00.000 --> 00:45:04.140
She explains that all he has to do is help
her tighten the straightjacket, close the

00:45:04.140 --> 00:45:06.060
door, turn off the lights, and listen.

00:45:06.060 --> 00:45:10.560
In a little while when she’s finished, she’ll
ask him to come inside and take it off her.

00:45:10.560 --> 00:45:12.060
That’s it.

00:45:12.060 --> 00:45:16.320
The young man still seems a little weary of
the request, “what happened to your door?”

00:45:16.320 --> 00:45:20.400
he asks but she ignores his question and pushes
a wad of cash into his hand.

00:45:20.400 --> 00:45:25.200
The young man shuts the door to the padded
cell and a moment later the lights go out.

00:45:25.200 --> 00:45:29.400
The woman is almost immediately taken back
to the same mental place she was before.

00:45:29.400 --> 00:45:34.020
All of the thoughts that constantly repeat
in her mind, the ones that she's never able

00:45:34.020 --> 00:45:35.820
to turn off suddenly go quiet.

00:45:36.420 --> 00:45:39.180
She sighs with relief in her dark, safe space.

00:45:39.840 --> 00:45:41.760
But then she feels something.

00:45:41.760 --> 00:45:44.580
Not in her mind but on her face.

00:45:45.180 --> 00:45:45.960
A twitch.

00:45:45.960 --> 00:45:47.700
Just a little facial spasm.

00:45:47.700 --> 00:45:48.840
But then another.

00:45:48.840 --> 00:45:50.340
There’s something wrong.

00:45:50.340 --> 00:45:53.580
Her face suddenly feels very tight, like it’s
being stretched.

00:45:53.580 --> 00:45:57.300
Her eyes grow wide, her mouth pulls into an
unintentional sneer.

00:45:58.020 --> 00:46:01.800
The young man hears the woman’s muffled
cries from inside the room and opens the door,

00:46:01.800 --> 00:46:06.900
but what he sees causes him to emit his own
scream before he turns and runs out of the

00:46:06.900 --> 00:46:08.220
office into the stormy night.

00:46:08.880 --> 00:46:12.780
“What the heck?” the man thinks as he
looks at the broken window on his office door.

00:46:12.780 --> 00:46:16.800
He enters to see that the door is still unlocked
and that there’s glass on the floor inside.

00:46:17.700 --> 00:46:22.500
He walks inside his office and looks around
and doesn’t see anything, but in an instant

00:46:22.500 --> 00:46:24.000
there’s a moment of realization.

00:46:24.000 --> 00:46:27.060
He runs to the back, to the door to the padded
cell.

00:46:27.060 --> 00:46:30.000
The door to the room is ajar and he listens.

00:46:30.000 --> 00:46:32.100
Is that… breathing inside?

00:46:32.100 --> 00:46:35.520
He opens the door to the dark cell and turns
on the light.

00:46:36.180 --> 00:46:40.800
The black leather straightjacket is sitting
in the middle of the floor, except it isn’t

00:46:40.800 --> 00:46:41.460
the floor anymore.

00:46:41.460 --> 00:46:47.760
Now instead, a stretched layer of skin is
spread across the padded room, with the outline

00:46:47.760 --> 00:46:49.620
of flattened bones visible underneath.

00:46:50.280 --> 00:46:54.480
The man’s mind can’t comprehend what it
is that he’s looking at, but then he sees

00:46:54.480 --> 00:46:54.660
it.

00:46:54.660 --> 00:46:59.760
In the far corner of the room, is the stretched
out face of the woman, her eyelids pulled

00:46:59.760 --> 00:47:02.340
too tight to blink, leaving her eyes staring
up at him.

00:47:02.340 --> 00:47:05.220
Through a stretched, contorted mouth she whispers…

00:47:05.220 --> 00:47:07.320
“Help me.”

00:47:07.320 --> 00:47:11.700
Is there anything crueler than an object that
is able to treat your mental health issues,

00:47:11.700 --> 00:47:14.580
yet has some of the most devastating side
effects imaginable?

00:47:15.120 --> 00:47:17.100
In this humble doctor’s opinion…

00:47:17.100 --> 00:47:17.700
no.

00:47:18.300 --> 00:47:20.760
And today’s anomaly is just such an object.

00:47:20.760 --> 00:47:24.780
Designated SCP-482 it is perhaps better known…

00:47:24.780 --> 00:47:27.720
as the Mentally Mutating Straitjacket.

00:47:27.720 --> 00:47:30.660
SCP-482 is a black leather straightjacket 

00:47:30.660 --> 00:47:32.460
that is quite similar in 
appearance and construction

00:47:32.460 --> 00:47:36.600
to a mass produced version, though as you’ll
see, it is completely unique.

00:47:36.600 --> 00:47:40.860
Although the straightjacket is comparable
in size to other “medium” sized versions,

00:47:40.860 --> 00:47:45.420
it is somehow able to fit virtually any and
all body types and sizes.

00:47:45.420 --> 00:47:51.480
A tag inside contains the words “Made in
Tsiao-yan / Hand Wash Only / No Aserejena

00:47:51.480 --> 00:47:57.000
Powder” in faded text, though neither the
city nor “Aserejena powder” appear to

00:47:57.000 --> 00:48:00.300
exist in any records that the SCP Foundation
has been able to locate.

00:48:01.500 --> 00:48:06.720
There are no signs of wear on SCP-482, but
there are several cuts on the straps that

00:48:06.720 --> 00:48:10.740
cinch the garment closed, and testing has
shown that it is able to be further damaged,

00:48:10.740 --> 00:48:14.760
though any additional investigations of the
extent to which it can be damaged have been

00:48:14.760 --> 00:48:17.100
suspended due to the lack of viable duplicates.

00:48:17.880 --> 00:48:23.520
The real anomalous effects of SCP-482 occur
when the straightjacket is worn, and the two

00:48:23.520 --> 00:48:28.200
main effects, which occur one after the other,
have been designated as Time Point Alpha and

00:48:28.200 --> 00:48:29.640
Time Point Alpha Beta.

00:48:29.640 --> 00:48:35.460
Time Point Alpha is used to refer to the initial
stage of a subject wearing SCP-482, and can

00:48:35.460 --> 00:48:40.080
last a varied period of time, though it is
most often between one and six hours of wear.

00:48:40.080 --> 00:48:44.820
During this period, the subject will report
feeling “mentally better” and any negative

00:48:44.820 --> 00:48:49.260
mental afflictions that they suffer from or
are forced to deal with will appear to disappear

00:48:49.260 --> 00:48:49.800
completely.

00:48:49.800 --> 00:48:54.540
Additionally any medications they may be on
will have their effects negated entirely,

00:48:54.540 --> 00:48:59.100
leading to them returning a result on Foundation
standard psychological tests that is consistent

00:48:59.100 --> 00:49:01.200
with a baseline mentally stable individual.

00:49:01.860 --> 00:49:07.380
The effects of Time Point Alpha are temporary,
and once the subject is separated from SCP-482,

00:49:07.380 --> 00:49:11.520
any mental illnesses they are living with
will be seen to return, though they will disappear

00:49:11.520 --> 00:49:13.380
once more if the straightjacket is worn again.

00:49:14.100 --> 00:49:18.540
However, the amount of time a subject spends
experiencing the effects of Time Point Alpha

00:49:18.540 --> 00:49:23.280
are cumulative, and given enough time inside
of the straightjacket they will always eventually

00:49:23.280 --> 00:49:25.920
reach the second stage of SCP-482.

00:49:25.920 --> 00:49:31.320
Time Point Beta refers to the subsequent time
period that passes if a subject is still wearing

00:49:31.320 --> 00:49:34.320
SCP-482 once Time Point Alpha lapses.

00:49:34.320 --> 00:49:39.660
During this period, the changes to the subject
will no longer be mental, and instead they

00:49:39.660 --> 00:49:41.700
will begin to experience physical effects.

00:49:42.240 --> 00:49:46.500
The exact nature of the physical changes will
vary, though they do seem to be related in

00:49:46.500 --> 00:49:50.280
some way to the subject’s own mental health
issue, with the degree of the change also

00:49:50.280 --> 00:49:52.440
seemingly related to the severity of their
issue.

00:49:52.980 --> 00:49:58.020
Through the testing of SCP-482 by Foundation
researchers on D Class Personnel, a number

00:49:58.020 --> 00:50:00.180
of different manifestations 
of the straightjacket’s 

00:50:00.180 --> 00:50:02.460
anomalous effects have been documented and

00:50:02.460 --> 00:50:06.300
they’re recorded in a file designated Experiment
Log SCP-482.

00:50:06.300 --> 00:50:11.520
In the first test, a male D Class diagnosed
with schizophrenia was placed inside of the

00:50:11.520 --> 00:50:12.360
leather straightjacket.

00:50:12.360 --> 00:50:16.920
He immediately reported feeling “eerily
calm” and he was observed to simply sit

00:50:16.920 --> 00:50:21.720
and stare at the wall with a blank expression
for 2 hours and 49 minutes, a period which

00:50:21.720 --> 00:50:23.940
was later determined to be his Time Point
Alpha.

00:50:24.540 --> 00:50:29.460
Time Point Beta began one minute later at
2 hours and 50 minutes when the subject’s

00:50:29.460 --> 00:50:33.180
body began to contort and he remarked that
he was in a great deal of pain.

00:50:33.180 --> 00:50:37.980
Various parts of the subject's body began
to increase in mass and size, including his

00:50:37.980 --> 00:50:40.140
head, as his eyes began to bulge out.

00:50:40.800 --> 00:50:45.000
He called in agony while attempting to make
eye contact with the researchers who were

00:50:45.000 --> 00:50:49.380
observing through a glass viewing window for
34 minutes until a termination order was given.

00:50:50.100 --> 00:50:54.300
Subsequent examination of the subject’s
body revealed that his body mass had increased

00:50:54.300 --> 00:50:58.200
by roughly 180% due to rapid bone and muscle
growth.

00:50:58.200 --> 00:51:03.180
It’s unclear what physical process caused
this, though genetic tests showed that his

00:51:03.180 --> 00:51:06.300
DNA had abnormally shortened telomere strands.

00:51:06.300 --> 00:51:10.500
The observers also reported they experienced
an unnatural feeling that rendered them unable

00:51:10.500 --> 00:51:14.040
to move in a normal manner while the subject
was making eye contact with them.

00:51:14.700 --> 00:51:19.560
For the second test, another male D class,
though one who had been diagnosed with a paranoid

00:51:19.560 --> 00:51:22.140
personality disorder, was 
placed in the straightjacket.

00:51:22.140 --> 00:51:25.380
During his Alpha exposure, 
he reported a satisfying 

00:51:25.380 --> 00:51:27.720
“quiet in his head” with none of the disembodied

00:51:27.720 --> 00:51:30.180
voices that normally plagued his thoughts
speaking to him.

00:51:30.840 --> 00:51:34.920
He still appeared content after two hours
and was taken out of the suit, though after

00:51:34.920 --> 00:51:39.480
requesting to be placed back inside, was allowed
to return to wearing SCP-482.

00:51:39.480 --> 00:51:44.100
After an additional 1 hour and 30 minutes
though, the Beta exposure began.

00:51:44.820 --> 00:51:49.620
Visible bulges appeared on his neck and shoulders
and after four minutes, he began screaming

00:51:49.620 --> 00:51:52.620
for someone to “stop talking” and “get
out of [his] head.”

00:51:52.620 --> 00:51:57.300
More bulges appeared on his body and audio
recording equipment in the room picked up

00:51:57.300 --> 00:52:01.800
mysterious sounds that analysis has revealed
to have been as many as seven distinct voices

00:52:01.800 --> 00:52:03.540
speaking in an unknown language.

00:52:04.380 --> 00:52:08.880
The termination order was issued twenty five
minutes later and a later autopsy revealed

00:52:08.880 --> 00:52:12.300
that each bulge actually contained a fully
formed mouth and voice box.

00:52:12.300 --> 00:52:17.460
Observing researchers also reported that during
the test, they had seen flashes of movement

00:52:17.460 --> 00:52:21.240
in their peripheral vision, and subsequent
review of the taped footage revealed small

00:52:21.240 --> 00:52:23.940
shadows appearing and disappearing in the
room throughout the test.

00:52:24.660 --> 00:52:29.400
Next up was a female D class who had been
diagnosed with Hyperphagia, which is a disorder

00:52:29.400 --> 00:52:33.720
that can cause an extreme increase in appetite
and can remove the ability to satiate one's

00:52:33.720 --> 00:52:34.020
hunger.

00:52:34.020 --> 00:52:39.960
Upon being placed in SCP-482, she remarked
that “for the first time ever, I am actually

00:52:39.960 --> 00:52:40.380
full.”

00:52:40.380 --> 00:52:45.660
She felt this way for an hour and 58 minutes,
after which she began to feel a pain in her

00:52:45.660 --> 00:52:46.080
abdomen.

00:52:46.080 --> 00:52:50.280
The D class fell into the fetal position as
the pain increased, and her limbs were observed

00:52:50.280 --> 00:52:55.200
to begin retracting into her body, accompanied
by loud snapping sounds as presumably the

00:52:55.200 --> 00:52:57.180
bones started to crack and break.

00:52:58.020 --> 00:53:00.360
“Oh god it's eating me oh god it hurts!”

00:53:00.360 --> 00:53:03.240
she cried out, and a termination order was
immediately issued.

00:53:03.240 --> 00:53:07.380
The autopsy that followed revealed that the
woman’s body had somehow formed a second

00:53:07.380 --> 00:53:12.180
digestive system that had begun to consume
her own body mass, and if left unchecked,

00:53:12.180 --> 00:53:14.820
would have eventually digested it in its entirety.

00:53:14.820 --> 00:53:19.620
Following this test, the observing researchers
reported that they were unable to satisfy

00:53:19.620 --> 00:53:23.520
their own hunger cravings with normal amounts
of food, and several of them actually had

00:53:23.520 --> 00:53:26.700
to be restrained by security staff in the
on-site cafeteria.

00:53:26.700 --> 00:53:29.820
Luckily these urges appeared to fade after
several days.

00:53:29.820 --> 00:53:35.280
In the final test, a D Class personnel with
pyromania was placed in SCP-482.

00:53:35.280 --> 00:53:39.660
Despite the impulse control disorder normally
causing them to start fires whenever given

00:53:39.660 --> 00:53:44.460
the chance, they now ignored all of the flammable
materials offered to them by researchers.

00:53:44.460 --> 00:53:49.680
After one hour and 33 minutes though, thermometers
in the testing room noted a sudden sharp rise

00:53:49.680 --> 00:53:50.100
in temperature.

00:53:50.100 --> 00:53:55.620
This was followed by a powerful explosion
of heat and flames when the D Class spontaneously

00:53:55.620 --> 00:53:56.280
ignited.

00:53:56.820 --> 00:54:01.920
The testing room was completely destroyed
and nearby hallway A-13 suffered catastrophic

00:54:01.920 --> 00:54:02.340
damage.

00:54:02.340 --> 00:54:05.760
All observing researchers were also lost in
the conflagration.

00:54:05.760 --> 00:54:09.300
SCP-482, though, survived.

00:54:09.300 --> 00:54:13.800
Surprisingly, the body of the D Class was
also able to be recovered, and though the

00:54:13.800 --> 00:54:17.940
autopsy was made difficult due to the heat
it still exuded, a discovery was made.

00:54:18.540 --> 00:54:23.160
Inside the body, a new organ was found, one
that appeared to be sustaining some type of

00:54:23.160 --> 00:54:28.080
constant reaction that produced heat, as well
as strong magnetic waves, and this organ has

00:54:28.080 --> 00:54:30.000
been placed in containment for future study.

00:54:30.600 --> 00:54:36.060
SCP-482 is currently being kept in a containment
locker at a secure site, with access restricted

00:54:36.060 --> 00:54:37.680
to Level 2 personnel and above.

00:54:37.680 --> 00:54:42.960
The maximum time allowed for testing is 1
hour after mutations manifest, and any test

00:54:42.960 --> 00:54:45.540
subjects who reach Time Point Beta are to
be terminated.

00:54:46.260 --> 00:54:51.840
Following termination, SCP-482 is to be removed
from their body prior to autopsy.

00:54:51.840 --> 00:54:55.920
The straightjacket is then to be thermally
cleansed and all biological traces of the

00:54:55.920 --> 00:54:58.560
prior subject removed before it is used for
testing again.

00:54:58.560 --> 00:55:03.780
Now I bet you are telling yourself, well this
sounds pretty easy to contain, I bet this

00:55:03.780 --> 00:55:08.700
is a Safe Class anomaly, and normally I would
agree with you, but perhaps you noticed something

00:55:08.700 --> 00:55:10.080
strange in the Experiment Log.

00:55:10.080 --> 00:55:14.640
Did you pay attention to the reports from
observing researchers that they too had begun

00:55:14.640 --> 00:55:19.740
to experience some rather unusual effects,
simply from watching SCP-482 affect a subject?

00:55:20.400 --> 00:55:25.500
Did it seem to you as though the Mentally
Mutating Straitjacket was somehow projecting

00:55:25.500 --> 00:55:29.040
the mental illnesses experienced by the subjects
onto those observing it?

00:55:30.120 --> 00:55:35.640
It appears that there may be more to SCP-482
than first meets the eye, and this mystery

00:55:35.640 --> 00:55:40.200
only deepens when one reads the containment
procedures on this anomaly’s file and realizes

00:55:40.200 --> 00:55:46.440
that the person overseeing SCP-482 research…
is none other than SCP Foundation legend Dr.

00:55:46.440 --> 00:55:46.800
Bright.

00:55:46.800 --> 00:55:53.100
Is the actual testing of SCP-482 not actually
taking place on the D Class personnel, but

00:55:53.100 --> 00:55:54.900
on the SCP Foundation researchers?

00:55:54.900 --> 00:55:59.580
A convoluted experiment designed to discover
the true extent of its anomalous effects?

00:55:59.580 --> 00:56:04.680
When it comes to this Euclid Class anomaly,
only Dr. Bright knows for sure.

00:56:05.400 --> 00:56:09.780
The girl sighs and slumps in her seat, kicking
at the back of the bucket seat in front of

00:56:09.780 --> 00:56:09.960
her.

00:56:09.960 --> 00:56:15.180
Her mother, sitting in the car’s front passenger
side seat, doesn’t even notice; she’s

00:56:15.180 --> 00:56:18.720
too busy taking photographs out the window
and chattering with her husband, who’s driving

00:56:18.720 --> 00:56:19.140
the car.

00:56:19.140 --> 00:56:23.760
That’s all they’ve been doing all day,
and the girl is sick to death of it.

00:56:24.300 --> 00:56:28.620
Her parents dragged her on this stupid vacation
trip, and now she’s got to waste her whole

00:56:28.620 --> 00:56:29.700
summer away from her friends.

00:56:29.700 --> 00:56:33.900
She stares out the window and watches the
pastoral countryside slide past.

00:56:33.900 --> 00:56:39.000
The quaint little villages and rolling hillsides
really excite her parents, but she could not

00:56:39.000 --> 00:56:39.480
care less.

00:56:40.320 --> 00:56:44.700
Mom and Dad planned this family vacation across
Europe for months, but she would much rather

00:56:44.700 --> 00:56:46.560
have gone someplace interesting instead.

00:56:46.560 --> 00:56:50.760
There are only so many boring old castles
and stupid cathedrals that you can look at

00:56:50.760 --> 00:56:52.260
before you just lose your mind.

00:56:53.580 --> 00:56:57.420
The girl sighs and crosses her arms across
her chest in silent resignation.

00:56:58.140 --> 00:57:00.960
“Guess we’re just gonna look at more dumb
buildings,” she mutters.

00:57:00.960 --> 00:57:02.460
“Honey, can you stop that?

00:57:02.460 --> 00:57:05.940
Your father worked really hard to put this
trip together, and the least you could do

00:57:05.940 --> 00:57:09.900
is pretend to have a good time,” says her
mother, momentarily lowering her camera to

00:57:09.900 --> 00:57:11.100
berate her ungrateful daughter.

00:57:12.300 --> 00:57:15.180
It’s the first time that her mother has
acknowledged her all day.

00:57:15.900 --> 00:57:19.740
“I think you’re really gonna like today’s
itinerary,” says her father, grinning as

00:57:19.740 --> 00:57:22.080
if he’s got a delicious secret that he can’t
wait to share.

00:57:22.080 --> 00:57:26.340
“We know it’s been hard for you spending
your whole summer away from home, so today

00:57:26.340 --> 00:57:28.200
we’re gonna do something just for you.”

00:57:28.200 --> 00:57:30.420
“Uh-huh,” says the girl.

00:57:30.420 --> 00:57:31.080
“Sure, dad.”

00:57:31.680 --> 00:57:33.780
She rolls her eyes and pulls out a cell phone.

00:57:33.780 --> 00:57:36.300
At least she can still get Internet access
out here!

00:57:36.300 --> 00:57:40.500
Desperate for something to distract her from
the monotony of this car trip, she quickly

00:57:40.500 --> 00:57:44.040
scrolls through her feed and reads all the
notes that her friends back home are posting.

00:57:44.040 --> 00:57:45.180
She frowns.

00:57:45.720 --> 00:57:49.740
Her classmates are all posting about the latest
blockbuster film in the girl’s favorite

00:57:49.740 --> 00:57:51.720
media franchise, Vampire Boyfriend.

00:57:51.720 --> 00:57:53.280
She grits her teeth.

00:57:53.280 --> 00:57:56.400
She likes to consider herself a Vampire Boyfriend
super fan.

00:57:56.400 --> 00:58:00.720
She’s a well-known poster in the Vampire
Boyfriend online community, famous for her

00:58:00.720 --> 00:58:04.320
fan fiction as well as her own original character:
Vampire Girlfriend.

00:58:05.220 --> 00:58:07.620
In fact, her writing is somewhat controversial.

00:58:07.620 --> 00:58:12.300
A lot of Vampire Boyfriend purists have accused
her character Vampire Girlfriend of being

00:58:12.300 --> 00:58:17.220
a Mary Sue, and they object to her stories
where Vampire Boyfriend meets and falls madly

00:58:17.220 --> 00:58:20.700
in love with her – to the point that he
forgets his canon lover from the film series,

00:58:20.700 --> 00:58:21.780
Vampire Wife.

00:58:21.780 --> 00:58:25.740
She’s annoyed to see that her friends got
to see the new Vampire Boyfriend movie on

00:58:25.740 --> 00:58:29.100
opening night, while she’s stuck out here
on this stupid family vacation!

00:58:29.100 --> 00:58:33.060
The movie won’t premiere in Europe for another
few months, and there’s no way she’s going

00:58:33.060 --> 00:58:34.680
to be able to avoid spoilers for that long.

00:58:34.680 --> 00:58:39.960
Everything about this situation seems tailor-made
to irritate her, and the excited giggles of

00:58:39.960 --> 00:58:44.100
her parents in the front of the car, as they
exchange knowing glances, are only annoying

00:58:44.100 --> 00:58:44.460
her more.

00:58:44.460 --> 00:58:47.460
“Trust me, you’re going to love this!”
says her father again.

00:58:47.460 --> 00:58:52.620
He peers at an unfolded roadmap in his lap,
mutters something under his breath, and turns

00:58:52.620 --> 00:58:55.380
the car off the main highway and onto a narrow
gravel road.

00:58:55.980 --> 00:59:00.780
The girl grits her teeth as the car rattles
over the uneven ground so hard that it nearly

00:59:00.780 --> 00:59:02.460
jostles her cellphone from her grasp.

00:59:03.060 --> 00:59:07.140
She tries to distract herself by typing some
notes to herself, plot points for the latest

00:59:07.140 --> 00:59:09.480
Vampire Boyfriend fanfiction that she’s
working on.

00:59:09.480 --> 00:59:15.180
In her new story, Vampire Girlfriend is going
to be kidnapped by werewolves, leading Vampire

00:59:15.180 --> 00:59:19.380
Boyfriend to have an existential crisis as
he struggles to find meaning in a world without

00:59:19.380 --> 00:59:20.100
his beloved.

00:59:20.760 --> 00:59:24.960
She makes a note that Vampire Girlfriend should
look, dress, and talk just like her.

00:59:24.960 --> 00:59:29.220
After all, she imagines, wouldn’t she be
the perfect match for Vampire Boyfriend?

00:59:30.120 --> 00:59:34.680
She pauses, a momentary dreamy expression
on her face, as she imagines how much better

00:59:34.680 --> 00:59:38.760
a weekend together with Vampire Boyfriend
would be compared to this boring car trip.

00:59:38.760 --> 00:59:41.880
“This can’t be right,” mumbles her father,
scanning the horizon.

00:59:41.880 --> 00:59:43.440
“But the directions said…”

00:59:43.440 --> 00:59:45.120
Suddenly he brightens up.

00:59:45.120 --> 00:59:45.600
“Oh!

00:59:45.600 --> 00:59:46.200
There it is!

00:59:46.200 --> 00:59:46.920
Playland!”

00:59:46.920 --> 00:59:51.060
The girl cranes her neck to see that the car
is fast approaching what appears to be a little

00:59:51.060 --> 00:59:52.200
carnival at the end of the road.

00:59:52.200 --> 00:59:53.520
She rolls her eyes.

00:59:53.520 --> 00:59:54.600
Oh, great.

00:59:54.600 --> 00:59:56.580
Of course, her parents would take her here!

00:59:56.580 --> 01:00:01.320
First, they bore her with endless visits to
museums and historical sights, and now, when

01:00:01.320 --> 01:00:04.320
they want to make it all up to her, they take
her to a carnival for babies.

01:00:05.040 --> 01:00:08.940
She’s not a kid anymore, but her parents
still think that this sort of goofy nonsense

01:00:08.940 --> 01:00:10.080
should excite her.

01:00:10.080 --> 01:00:13.740
“I know you’ve been bored going to all
the historical sites with us, honey pumpkin,”

01:00:13.740 --> 01:00:17.580
says her father as he pulls the car into a
parking slot and applies the brake.

01:00:17.580 --> 01:00:21.420
“That’s why I asked the hotel concierge
if there was anything good around here for

01:00:21.420 --> 01:00:21.600
kids.

01:00:21.600 --> 01:00:25.200
And, wouldn’t you know it, the next morning,
what did I find shoved under our door?

01:00:25.200 --> 01:00:26.340
Three free tickets!”

01:00:27.060 --> 01:00:29.580
He holds up the tickets as if they were a
trophy he’d won.

01:00:29.580 --> 01:00:31.440
The girl’s mother nods approvingly.

01:00:31.440 --> 01:00:32.460
“Now that’s good service.

01:00:32.460 --> 01:00:34.200
I hope you left him a big tip.”

01:00:34.200 --> 01:00:35.220
The girl groans.

01:00:35.220 --> 01:00:36.900
“You can’t be serious, dad!

01:00:36.900 --> 01:00:37.680
A carnival?

01:00:37.680 --> 01:00:40.020
What, do you expect me to ride on the tea
cups or something?

01:00:40.020 --> 01:00:40.920
I’m 15!

01:00:40.920 --> 01:00:42.300
I’m not a dumb baby anymore!”

01:00:43.200 --> 01:00:47.580
“Language, young lady,” admonishes her
mother as she unbuckles her seat belt.

01:00:47.580 --> 01:00:50.400
“Your father worked really hard to find
this place just for you.

01:00:50.400 --> 01:00:53.160
The least you could do is show a little gratitude
for once!”

01:00:53.700 --> 01:00:56.160
“Oh, you think you’re too old NOW,”
says her father.

01:00:56.160 --> 01:01:01.020
“But I bet, once we see some of these rides,
boy, I’ll bet you feel just like a kid again!”

01:01:01.020 --> 01:01:02.700
He inhales deeply.

01:01:02.700 --> 01:01:07.500
Even inside the car, the unmistakable fair
smells of funnel cake and corn dogs are in

01:01:07.500 --> 01:01:07.800
the air.

01:01:07.800 --> 01:01:08.700
“You smell that?

01:01:08.700 --> 01:01:09.660
Smells like fun!”

01:01:10.560 --> 01:01:11.220
“Sure.

01:01:11.220 --> 01:01:11.760
Fun.”

01:01:11.760 --> 01:01:13.500
The girl pockets her cellphone.

01:01:14.220 --> 01:01:17.940
The family exits the car and walks toward
the Playland gate, where they’re greeted

01:01:17.940 --> 01:01:19.080
by a costumed employee.

01:01:19.080 --> 01:01:20.340
"Welcome to Playland!"

01:01:20.340 --> 01:01:22.680
announces the employee in a chipper voice.

01:01:22.680 --> 01:01:24.120
“Your favorite amusement park!

01:01:24.120 --> 01:01:28.140
When you’re at Playland, you’ll find that
the worries of the day melt away… and it’s

01:01:28.140 --> 01:01:28.920
time for play!”

01:01:28.920 --> 01:01:31.440
“Oh, you speak English,” says the father.

01:01:31.440 --> 01:01:32.640
He turns to the mother.

01:01:32.640 --> 01:01:33.300
“See?

01:01:33.300 --> 01:01:34.140
Now that’s service!”

01:01:34.140 --> 01:01:36.180
He hands over the complimentary tickets.

01:01:36.180 --> 01:01:40.020
The employee takes them with a smile and a
flourish and then ushers the family through

01:01:40.020 --> 01:01:40.380
the gate.

01:01:40.380 --> 01:01:43.620
The girl, however, can’t stop staring at
the gatekeeper.

01:01:43.620 --> 01:01:47.640
If she didn’t know any better, she would
think that he was dressed like Vampire Boyfriend?

01:01:47.640 --> 01:01:49.440
But that doesn’t make any sense.

01:01:49.440 --> 01:01:51.000
It must just be a coincidence.

01:01:51.000 --> 01:01:55.140
But once they enter the park, she sees that
all the employees are dressed like Vampire

01:01:55.140 --> 01:01:55.440
Boyfriend!

01:01:55.440 --> 01:01:59.580
The guy standing behind the counter of the
ring toss booth, the guy manning the balloon

01:01:59.580 --> 01:02:03.300
station… the uniform for this part looks
like the outfit that she imagined Vampire

01:02:03.300 --> 01:02:05.580
Boyfriend would be wearing in her first fan
fiction story!

01:02:05.580 --> 01:02:09.840
“Wait…” says the girl, staring up at
the bundle of helium balloons floating above

01:02:09.840 --> 01:02:10.620
the balloon vendor.

01:02:10.620 --> 01:02:15.840
Each balloon bears the name “Vampire Boyfriend”
and the fanged bat logo of the film series.

01:02:15.840 --> 01:02:18.000
So it’s not a coincidence at all?

01:02:18.000 --> 01:02:21.180
This theme park really is themed after her
favorite films?

01:02:21.180 --> 01:02:24.951
Her father notices her change of expression
and he nudges her in the ribs.

01:02:24.951 --> 01:02:24.957
“Eh?

01:02:24.957 --> 01:02:24.960
Eh?

01:02:24.960 --> 01:02:27.300
I told you that you’d like it…

01:02:27.300 --> 01:02:29.580
This is all about those movies you like so
much, huh?

01:02:29.580 --> 01:02:30.720
Ghost Boyfriend or whatever?”

01:02:31.860 --> 01:02:36.660
“It’s Vampire Boyfriend, Dad,” she says
distantly, but she’s too mesmerized by her

01:02:36.660 --> 01:02:38.460
surroundings to put much feeling into the
barb.

01:02:38.460 --> 01:02:42.780
“How much for a balloon?” asks her father,
pulling open his wallet and quickly thumbing

01:02:42.780 --> 01:02:43.980
through a stack of local currency.

01:02:43.980 --> 01:02:46.860
“Oh, no charge!” says the balloon vendor
brightly.

01:02:46.860 --> 01:02:49.080
He plucks a string from the bundle and hands
it over.

01:02:49.080 --> 01:02:51.900
“Everything’s free for our valued special
ticket holders!”

01:02:51.900 --> 01:02:54.780
“Well, would you listen to that!” says
her father.

01:02:54.780 --> 01:02:57.000
He replaces his wallet in his back pocket.

01:02:57.000 --> 01:02:59.940
“Now, this is the kind of carnival that
I wish we had back in the States!”

01:02:59.940 --> 01:03:02.520
The girl awkwardly takes the proffered balloon.

01:03:02.520 --> 01:03:06.060
She feels silly holding it, but she’s more
confused about why it’s free.

01:03:06.060 --> 01:03:10.440
The whole point of offering free entry into
a carnival is to gouge people with over-priced

01:03:10.440 --> 01:03:11.640
rides and souvenirs, right?

01:03:11.640 --> 01:03:16.500
But everywhere she looks, she can’t help
but notice signs advertising “Free corn

01:03:16.500 --> 01:03:18.000
dogs!” and “Bumpers Cars!

01:03:18.000 --> 01:03:19.620
Unlimited Rides for $000.”

01:03:19.620 --> 01:03:23.520
How can this carnival make enough money to
keep operating if it’s not charging for

01:03:23.520 --> 01:03:23.700
anything?

01:03:23.700 --> 01:03:27.840
In fact, how can this carnival make enough
money to keep operating when it’s based

01:03:27.840 --> 01:03:29.580
around a niche film like Vampire Boyfriend?

01:03:29.580 --> 01:03:33.900
Are there really that many Vampire Boyfriend
fans out here to keep this place in business?

01:03:33.900 --> 01:03:35.880
Not that there’s anyone else around.

01:03:35.880 --> 01:03:41.040
As she scans her surroundings, she realizes
that, while there are plenty of costumed employees

01:03:41.040 --> 01:03:44.340
bustling around the fair, she doesn’t see
any other fair goers.

01:03:44.340 --> 01:03:48.480
It’s as if this whole carnival was created
and maintained solely for her benefit!

01:03:49.200 --> 01:03:50.400
“Hey, pumpkin, how about some ride?

01:03:50.400 --> 01:03:53.580
I bet you’d love to try out some bumper
cars, huh?” says her father.

01:03:53.580 --> 01:03:57.720
“How about we take a race, and you see if
you can beat your old man, huh?”

01:03:57.720 --> 01:04:00.120
He points to a bumper car ride across the
midway.

01:04:00.120 --> 01:04:01.380
The girl stares.

01:04:01.380 --> 01:04:05.400
Like all the other rides, it’s covered in
Vampire Boyfriend murals.

01:04:05.400 --> 01:04:09.900
This one depicts a young woman running away
from a pack of werewolves – and the young

01:04:09.900 --> 01:04:11.460
woman looks almost exactly like the girl.

01:04:11.460 --> 01:04:14.640
It couldn’t be… but there’s no other
explanation!

01:04:14.640 --> 01:04:18.540
The young woman in the mural matches exactly
the description of the girl’s character

01:04:18.540 --> 01:04:20.700
Vampire Girlfriend from her fan fiction story!

01:04:20.700 --> 01:04:24.300
And the image of the werewolves looks like
it’s an illustration of the scene where

01:04:24.300 --> 01:04:25.860
Vampire Girlfriend gets kidnapped.

01:04:25.860 --> 01:04:28.020
How could this be?

01:04:28.020 --> 01:04:32.940
Could it be that the artist, obviously a fan
of the Vampire Boyfriend films, is also familiar

01:04:32.940 --> 01:04:33.960
with her fan fiction?

01:04:33.960 --> 01:04:38.160
But even if that was the case, it’s absurd
to think that he would use it as inspiration

01:04:38.160 --> 01:04:39.180
for a theme park ride!

01:04:40.140 --> 01:04:42.840
Who other than her would possibly recognize
this scene?

01:04:43.620 --> 01:04:47.340
“Hmm,” says the girl’s mother, walking
up behind her and peering at the mural.

01:04:47.340 --> 01:04:49.020
“Why, that girl looks just like you.”

01:04:49.560 --> 01:04:50.040
“I know!

01:04:50.040 --> 01:04:51.900
She does!” says the girl quickly.

01:04:51.900 --> 01:04:56.160
It’s almost a relief to know that her mother
has also noticed the resemblance; at least

01:04:56.160 --> 01:04:57.780
it means that she’s not imagining things.

01:04:57.780 --> 01:05:00.660
At the same time, she feels a twinge of guilt.

01:05:00.660 --> 01:05:05.040
Readers online are always accusing her of
using Vampire Girlfriend as a thinly disguised

01:05:05.040 --> 01:05:05.700
self-insert.

01:05:05.700 --> 01:05:09.420
Seeing this larger-than-life picture of Vampire
Girlfriend makes her think that there might

01:05:09.420 --> 01:05:10.740
be some merit to the accusation!

01:05:10.740 --> 01:05:14.220
“Come on, you lot, stop worrying about some
old picture and let’s have some fun!”

01:05:14.220 --> 01:05:15.180
says her father.

01:05:15.180 --> 01:05:19.260
He offers money to the ticket taker parked
behind the kiosk, but that man merely shakes

01:05:19.260 --> 01:05:19.620
his head.

01:05:19.620 --> 01:05:22.980
“Your money is no good here, sir,” says
the ticket taker.

01:05:22.980 --> 01:05:25.620
“The bumper cars are free for our favored
guests today!"

01:05:25.620 --> 01:05:29.100
Her father clambers into the rink and ambles
toward a bumper car.

01:05:29.100 --> 01:05:33.300
Her mother tugs at the girl’s arm as if
to encourage her to join in, but the girl

01:05:33.300 --> 01:05:33.900
resists.

01:05:33.900 --> 01:05:34.620
“Come on!

01:05:34.620 --> 01:05:36.420
What’s gotten into you?” says her mother.

01:05:36.420 --> 01:05:39.180
“This place is just weird!” says the girl.

01:05:39.180 --> 01:05:42.840
“Like, half of the stuff here isn’t even
from the official Vampire Boyfriend lore!

01:05:42.840 --> 01:05:44.940
It’s all stuff that I made up for my stories!”

01:05:45.540 --> 01:05:47.400
Her mother rolls her eyes in annoyance.

01:05:47.400 --> 01:05:51.000
“Really, we go to all this trouble to find
something that you would like to do, and all

01:05:51.000 --> 01:05:51.840
you want to do is complain?”

01:05:52.680 --> 01:05:55.140
“I’m sorry, ma’am, is there some problem
here?”

01:05:55.140 --> 01:05:57.840
The family is startled as another employee
walks up to them.

01:05:57.840 --> 01:06:02.580
He’s also dressed like Vampire Boyfriend,
and a wide smile is plastered across his face.

01:06:02.580 --> 01:06:04.680
“You folks look like you’re upset about
something.”

01:06:05.400 --> 01:06:07.140
“You’re damn right I’m upset about something!”

01:06:07.140 --> 01:06:08.220
yells the girl.

01:06:08.220 --> 01:06:10.680
In her rage, she throws her drink at the employee.

01:06:10.680 --> 01:06:15.660
He barely reacts as the cup explodes against
his chest, dousing him with sticky soda.

01:06:15.660 --> 01:06:16.860
“What’s going on here?

01:06:16.860 --> 01:06:18.420
Where did you hear about Vampire Girlfriend?”

01:06:18.420 --> 01:06:22.260
“Ma’am, Playland is designed to give every
visitor the perfect experience!”

01:06:22.260 --> 01:06:23.940
says the employee blandly.

01:06:23.940 --> 01:06:25.080
“That’s not good enough!

01:06:25.080 --> 01:06:26.400
Tell me what’s going on here!”

01:06:26.400 --> 01:06:28.920
The employee’s attitude changes on a dime.

01:06:28.920 --> 01:06:32.400
His bright smile fades and suddenly his tone
turns stern.

01:06:32.400 --> 01:06:36.480
“Ma’am, I’m afraid that you’re going
to ruin everyone’s fun if you keep up this

01:06:36.480 --> 01:06:37.200
sort of behavior.

01:06:37.200 --> 01:06:39.660
We like to keep things fun here at Playland.

01:06:39.660 --> 01:06:44.340
If you want to spoil the fun, I’m afraid
I’ll have to ask you to leave.”

01:06:44.940 --> 01:06:45.540
“Fine!

01:06:45.540 --> 01:06:46.260
Then we’ll leave!”

01:06:46.260 --> 01:06:48.660
“Oh, come on, young lady, we just got here!”

01:06:48.660 --> 01:06:49.680
snaps her mother.

01:06:49.680 --> 01:06:53.160
“We literally drove all day to get here
and you want to leave after just one ride?”

01:06:53.160 --> 01:06:55.800
“You don’t even like rides!”

01:06:55.800 --> 01:06:59.520
“There’s a principle involved here,”
says her father sternly as he saunters up.

01:06:59.520 --> 01:07:03.240
“Young lady, if that’s your attitude,
then I think maybe you should go wait in the

01:07:03.240 --> 01:07:03.420
car!

01:07:03.420 --> 01:07:05.640
Because your mother and I intend to have a
good time.”

01:07:05.640 --> 01:07:07.800
The girl doesn’t have a chance to argue.

01:07:07.800 --> 01:07:11.460
The employee rests his hands heavily on her
shoulders and turns her around.

01:07:11.460 --> 01:07:14.520
“Don’t worry, folks, we’ll escort her
back to your car.

01:07:14.520 --> 01:07:16.500
You can join her as well when you’re ready.”

01:07:17.160 --> 01:07:19.200
The girl cannot believe what’s happening!

01:07:19.200 --> 01:07:23.640
The employee politely but firmly steers her
toward the exit, and frog marches her out

01:07:23.640 --> 01:07:24.000
the gate.

01:07:24.000 --> 01:07:28.740
He abandons her in the parking lot, tipping
his hat and smiling brightly before he disappears

01:07:28.740 --> 01:07:29.520
back inside the park.

01:07:29.520 --> 01:07:33.540
“Please try to enjoy yourself, ma’am,
until your parents are ready to join you.

01:07:33.540 --> 01:07:37.620
In the meantime, why don’t you work on that
new fan fiction you’ve been planning?”

01:07:38.280 --> 01:07:39.300
“How do you know about that!?”

01:07:39.300 --> 01:07:40.260
yells the girl.

01:07:40.260 --> 01:07:44.460
The employee doesn’t answer, simply turning
and fading back into the crowd.

01:07:44.460 --> 01:07:47.160
She rushes to the gate but the gatekeeper
stops her.

01:07:47.700 --> 01:07:50.400
“Sorry, ma’am, no re-entry without a ticket!”

01:07:50.400 --> 01:07:51.480
“But I have a ticket!”

01:07:51.480 --> 01:07:52.320
she cries.

01:07:52.320 --> 01:07:53.040
“You saw it!

01:07:53.040 --> 01:07:54.900
My dad gave it to you, like, half an hour
ago…

01:07:54.900 --> 01:07:55.800
come on.

01:07:55.800 --> 01:07:56.580
You can’t be serious!”

01:07:57.360 --> 01:08:01.560
She tries to push past him, but the gatekeeper
grabs her wrists with surprising strength

01:08:01.560 --> 01:08:02.280
and holds her.

01:08:02.280 --> 01:08:06.540
Still smiling, he firmly escorts her back
out to her car before releasing her.

01:08:06.540 --> 01:08:08.280
“Please, ma’am, don’t make a scene.

01:08:08.280 --> 01:08:10.140
You’re going to disturb our guests.”

01:08:10.680 --> 01:08:11.640
“Who’s in charge here?

01:08:11.640 --> 01:08:12.060
I…

01:08:12.060 --> 01:08:13.320
I need to talk to the manager!

01:08:13.320 --> 01:08:14.820
I want my parents back right now!”

01:08:15.420 --> 01:08:18.720
The gatekeeper doesn’t even respond; he
simply returns to his station.

01:08:18.720 --> 01:08:21.720
There’s nothing that the girl can do now
but wait.

01:08:21.720 --> 01:08:25.440
She sits down in the gravel and leans her
back against the side of the car.

01:08:25.440 --> 01:08:29.220
Minutes turn to hours and still her parents
haven’t returned.

01:08:29.220 --> 01:08:32.280
Eventually, she goes back to yell at the gate
keeper again.

01:08:33.060 --> 01:08:34.140
“Where are my parents!?

01:08:34.140 --> 01:08:35.520
They should have been back hours ago!”

01:08:35.520 --> 01:08:39.000
“Sorry, ma’am, I guess your parents are
just having too much fun right now.

01:08:39.000 --> 01:08:42.240
I’m sure you’ll see them again soon, though,”
says the gatekeeper.

01:08:42.240 --> 01:08:45.600
The girl shivers as she feels a bite in the
cool twilight air.

01:08:45.600 --> 01:08:48.600
She notices that the sun is starting to dip
behind the mountains.

01:08:48.600 --> 01:08:49.740
It will be dark soon.

01:08:49.740 --> 01:08:51.480
How much longer could they take?

01:08:51.480 --> 01:08:55.500
Even if they decided to ride on every ride
in the park, surely they would be done by

01:08:55.500 --> 01:08:55.680
now?

01:08:55.680 --> 01:09:00.060
“What times does the park close?” asks
the girl, a note of panic rising in her voice.

01:09:00.720 --> 01:09:02.400
The gatekeeper blinks serenely.

01:09:02.400 --> 01:09:04.920
“Playland is open 24/7, ma’am.

01:09:04.920 --> 01:09:07.140
We’re always here when you want to play!”

01:09:07.980 --> 01:09:11.640
The girl feels the color drain from her face
as she ponders the possibilities.

01:09:11.640 --> 01:09:15.180
Her father has the car keys, so she can’t
take the car to go for help…

01:09:15.180 --> 01:09:18.660
She pulls out her cellphone, but she doesn’t
know the number she would need to alert any

01:09:18.660 --> 01:09:19.440
local authorities.

01:09:20.340 --> 01:09:22.140
And it’s not like she speaks the language,
anyway!

01:09:22.140 --> 01:09:26.520
Other than the employees here at Playland,
she hasn’t met a single person in this whole

01:09:26.520 --> 01:09:27.480
trip who speaks English!

01:09:27.480 --> 01:09:32.640
She’s completely helpless, trapped, and
there’s nothing that she can do except wait

01:09:32.640 --> 01:09:33.840
and hope.

01:09:34.440 --> 01:09:39.180
As the night settles in, she realizes that
her wait might have just started.

01:09:40.080 --> 01:09:43.740
It might not be the happiest place on earth,
but it definitely tries to be.

01:09:43.740 --> 01:09:48.060
And while the world is full of sketchy amusement
parks, most of them just want your money.

01:09:48.060 --> 01:09:53.880
The amusement park known as SCP-1357, however,
genuinely wants you to have a good time.

01:09:53.880 --> 01:09:58.440
Sometimes it wants you to have a good time
whether you want to or not.

01:09:59.100 --> 01:10:02.940
SCP-1357 is a theme park 
with an area of approximately 

01:10:02.940 --> 01:10:05.640
4 square kilometers located somewhere in Poland.

01:10:05.640 --> 01:10:08.640
The park has four entrances, at each of the
cardinal directions.

01:10:09.540 --> 01:10:15.120
SCP-1357 is highly selective about who it
allows to enter the park, restricting access

01:10:15.120 --> 01:10:19.320
to parties that meet the following criteria:
The group must contain at least two adults

01:10:19.320 --> 01:10:23.280
in a romantic relationship, it must contain
at least one member who is under the age of

01:10:23.280 --> 01:10:27.900
18 and who thinks of the aforementioned romantic
couple as their guardians, and every member

01:10:27.900 --> 01:10:30.540
of the party must possess 
a free ticket – hereafter 

01:10:30.540 --> 01:10:33.720
referred to as SCP-1357-B.

01:10:34.500 --> 01:10:38.880
The park does not charge for admission, and
the only way to gain access is to have possession

01:10:38.880 --> 01:10:46.260
of an instance of SCP-1357-B. Once inside,
SCP-1357 looks like any other carnival with

01:10:46.260 --> 01:10:49.740
thrill rides, amusement arcades, midway games,
and concession booths.

01:10:49.740 --> 01:10:56.220
Highly unusual for a carnival, though, is
that SCP-1357 does not accept any money; all

01:10:56.220 --> 01:10:58.740
rides, food, and souvenirs are free.

01:10:58.740 --> 01:11:03.540
The layout and theme of the park are different
for different visitors and appear to be highly

01:11:03.540 --> 01:11:06.540
contingent on the desires of the youngest
member of any visiting party.

01:11:06.540 --> 01:11:11.100
Often, the park will appear themed after various
popular media properties, such as Batman,

01:11:11.100 --> 01:11:13.080
Winnie the Pooh, or Barney the Dinosaur.

01:11:13.080 --> 01:11:18.600
However, visiting parties accompanied by more
imaginative kids may encounter substantially

01:11:18.600 --> 01:11:20.760
weirder things in the park – including talking 

01:11:20.760 --> 01:11:23.820
animals, sentient foodstuffs, 
temporal displacements,

01:11:23.820 --> 01:11:26.160
and even extradimensional portals.

01:11:26.160 --> 01:11:30.240
Although the park normally sits empty, when
a group meeting entry requirements arrive

01:11:30.240 --> 01:11:36.480
at the gate, SCP-1357 will spontaneously manifest
a full working staff, people designated as

01:11:36.480 --> 01:11:41.940
SCP-1357-A. Instances of SCP-1357-A appear 

01:11:41.940 --> 01:11:44.640
to be ordinary humans of 
various ages, ethnicities,

01:11:44.640 --> 01:11:49.500
sexes, and genders, all clothes in matching
uniforms, suggesting that they are employees

01:11:49.500 --> 01:11:50.040
of the park.

01:11:50.580 --> 01:11:56.820
Instances of SCP-1357-A are exceptionally
friendly and helpful, and are extremely dedicated

01:11:56.820 --> 01:12:00.600
to making sure that visitors to SCP-1357 have
a good time.

01:12:00.600 --> 01:12:03.360
In fact, there’s nothing that they care
about more.

01:12:03.960 --> 01:12:10.080
There is, however, a darker side to SCP-1357,
and one incident suggests the frightening

01:12:10.080 --> 01:12:13.860
lengths to which the park will go to make
sure that its younger visitors truly enjoy

01:12:13.860 --> 01:12:14.280
their stay.

01:12:14.940 --> 01:12:19.200
As part of an experiment, a foundation agent
visited the park with his own family, each

01:12:19.200 --> 01:12:22.980
member equipped with audio recording devices
that continuously transmitted to foundation

01:12:22.980 --> 01:12:23.640
consoles.

01:12:23.640 --> 01:12:28.800
During his stay, he attempted to interrogate
an instance of SCP-1357-A.

01:12:28.800 --> 01:12:34.620
The instance of SCP-1357-A refused to answer
the agent’s questions about the purpose

01:12:34.620 --> 01:12:39.060
or origin of the park, instead lamenting that
the agent’s attitude was “going to spoil

01:12:39.060 --> 01:12:40.260
the fun” for his family.

01:12:40.260 --> 01:12:46.860
Eventually, instances of SCP-1357-A escorted
the agent to an exit and forcibly removed

01:12:46.860 --> 01:12:47.940
him from the park.

01:12:47.940 --> 01:12:51.660
When his wife attempted to follow him, the
couple’s daughter refused to leave.

01:12:51.660 --> 01:12:57.660
Instances of SCP-135-A separated the daughter
from her family, removing the wife from the

01:12:57.660 --> 01:13:01.680
park and keeping the daughter inside, leaving
the parents with only vague assurances that

01:13:01.680 --> 01:13:04.260
their daughter would be returned when she
was ready to leave the park.

01:13:04.260 --> 01:13:08.880
Attempts to forcibly recover the daughter
proved futile, and even a well-armed rescue

01:13:08.880 --> 01:13:15.360
team was unable to overcome the seemingly
infinite numbers of SCP-1357-A that SCP-1357

01:13:15.360 --> 01:13:17.040
manifested to protect itself.

01:13:17.040 --> 01:13:22.380
Hopes that SCP-1357 might indeed allow the
daughter to leave once she became bored with

01:13:22.380 --> 01:13:26.640
park attractions also proved to futile; audio
captured from daughter’s recording device

01:13:26.640 --> 01:13:31.980
seems to indicate that when she eventually
demanded that SCP-1357-A’s release her,

01:13:31.980 --> 01:13:37.140
she was instead placed into some sort of machine
that altered or brainwashed her into becoming

01:13:37.140 --> 01:13:40.020
an SCP-1357-A herself.

01:13:40.020 --> 01:13:46.260
Subsequent park visits by foundation researchers
have revealed a new SCP-1357-A that matches

01:13:46.260 --> 01:13:49.740
the daughter’s physical description but
does not display any memories of her past

01:13:49.740 --> 01:13:50.040
life.

01:13:50.640 --> 01:13:56.220
Interactions with the SCP-1357-A that resembles
the missing daughter reveal that, like other

01:13:56.220 --> 01:14:02.160
instances of SCP-1357-A, her only thoughts
are on how to please park visitors and help

01:14:02.160 --> 01:14:04.080
them enjoy a pleasant visiting experience.

01:14:04.740 --> 01:14:09.540
In the end, Playland may offer the ultimate
amusement park experience for free… but

01:14:09.540 --> 01:14:12.120
it might still exact a price way too high.

01:14:12.720 --> 01:14:17.040
A young woman is spending the morning in town,
completing a few errands she’s been meaning

01:14:17.040 --> 01:14:18.180
to get to for a while.

01:14:18.840 --> 01:14:23.040
She picks up a few items from the supermarket,
gets the cracked screen on her smartphone

01:14:23.040 --> 01:14:26.520
repaired, and decides to treat herself to
a danish from a local bakery.

01:14:26.520 --> 01:14:32.040
It’s a relatively idyllic Tuesday, until
she turns the corner into a narrow side street,

01:14:32.040 --> 01:14:34.080
and sees Them.

01:14:34.800 --> 01:14:38.880
It can often be a little disconcerting to
suddenly find yourself staring at a crowd

01:14:38.880 --> 01:14:40.800
that is gathered for seemingly no reason, 

01:14:40.800 --> 01:14:43.680
but something about this 
one makes her particularly

01:14:43.680 --> 01:14:44.160
nervous.

01:14:44.160 --> 01:14:46.380
And she quickly realizes why.

01:14:46.380 --> 01:14:50.040
Each person in the tightly packed together
group… is grinning.

01:14:50.040 --> 01:14:53.700
As if they are all in on a particularly cruel
joke about her.

01:14:54.420 --> 01:14:59.880
At face value, they all seem to be very different
people - A collage of ages, races, genders,

01:14:59.880 --> 01:15:02.160
in different clothes with different styles.

01:15:02.160 --> 01:15:07.080
And yet, they’re all walking with perfect
synchronicity, one perfectly timed footfall

01:15:07.080 --> 01:15:07.800
at a time.

01:15:07.800 --> 01:15:10.560
This is enough to seriously creep her out.

01:15:10.560 --> 01:15:14.280
Whatever this strange group of people is doing,
she wants no part of it.

01:15:14.880 --> 01:15:20.100
Instead, she turns and heads in the opposite
direction, fast walking and stealing discrete

01:15:20.100 --> 01:15:21.780
but frequent glances over her shoulder.

01:15:21.780 --> 01:15:26.160
She can’t help but notice, even when the
crowd exits the small side street, that they

01:15:26.160 --> 01:15:30.600
remain huddled together - Like security guards
packed tight around some invisible VIP.

01:15:30.600 --> 01:15:34.440
And even worse, they seem to be following
her trajectory.

01:15:34.440 --> 01:15:38.280
Getting faster, getting closer, still perfectly
in sync with one another.

01:15:38.940 --> 01:15:40.800
“How are all these people gaining so fast!?”

01:15:40.800 --> 01:15:42.180
she thinks to herself.

01:15:42.180 --> 01:15:46.800
When she’s around a corner and out of sight,
she does the sensible thing and breaks into

01:15:46.800 --> 01:15:49.740
a sprint, eager to put some distance between
herself and them.

01:15:49.740 --> 01:15:54.120
Even though they haven’t shown any signs
of overt aggression, she can tell on some

01:15:54.120 --> 01:15:56.580
visceral level that they mean her great harm.

01:15:57.240 --> 01:16:02.040
She knows if ever they get close enough, within
grasping distance, something terrible will

01:16:02.040 --> 01:16:02.280
happen.

01:16:02.280 --> 01:16:07.020
She’s soon back at her home and locks herself
in, bolting the door behind her.

01:16:07.020 --> 01:16:09.840
She breathes a sigh but she’s not relieved.

01:16:09.840 --> 01:16:10.440
Not really.

01:16:10.440 --> 01:16:15.060
Maybe she’s paranoid, but she feels like
she isn’t out of the woods just yet.

01:16:15.660 --> 01:16:18.300
Those eerie smiles, those perfect footsteps.

01:16:18.300 --> 01:16:19.860
She can’t get them out of her mind.

01:16:19.860 --> 01:16:23.460
She slips into her kitchen and slides a knife
out of the block.

01:16:23.460 --> 01:16:27.891
She tells herself that doing this is a little
crazy, but having some kind of weapon in hand

01:16:27.891 --> 01:16:30.060
at least makes her feel at least a little
bit safer.

01:16:30.660 --> 01:16:34.500
But whatever feelings of comfort the knife
gives her are shattered when she hears the

01:16:34.500 --> 01:16:35.160
doorbell ring.

01:16:35.160 --> 01:16:36.540
She hadn’t ordered anything.

01:16:36.540 --> 01:16:38.100
She wasn’t expecting anyone.

01:16:38.100 --> 01:16:39.240
Who could that be?

01:16:39.840 --> 01:16:43.140
She hides the knife behind her back and makes
her way towards the door.

01:16:43.800 --> 01:16:44.580
Ding-dong.

01:16:44.580 --> 01:16:45.540
It rings again.

01:16:45.540 --> 01:16:48.780
Whoever is on the other side is getting impatient.

01:16:49.500 --> 01:16:52.200
She opens the door slightly but leaves the
chain in place.

01:16:52.200 --> 01:16:54.960
There’s a smiling man in a business suit
on the other side.

01:16:54.960 --> 01:16:59.100
She’s racking her brain trying to remember
- Is he one of the people from the crowd?

01:16:59.100 --> 01:17:02.220
Or is she just imagining things because she’s
freaked out?

01:17:02.940 --> 01:17:04.020
She can’t tell anymore.

01:17:04.020 --> 01:17:07.140
She can feel her palm getting sweaty around
the knife’s handle.

01:17:07.140 --> 01:17:11.640
The man at the door clears his throat and
says, “Excuse me, ma’am, I won’t take

01:17:11.640 --> 01:17:15.420
up too much of your time, but I wanted to
ask: Have you heard the good word?”

01:17:16.080 --> 01:17:19.740
She shakes her head and tells the stranger
that she isn’t interested in hearing his

01:17:19.740 --> 01:17:22.560
pitch, but he just keeps smiling and presses
on.

01:17:23.220 --> 01:17:24.480
“Do you ever feel lonely?

01:17:24.480 --> 01:17:25.560
Dissatisfied?

01:17:25.560 --> 01:17:26.580
Unfulfilled?

01:17:26.580 --> 01:17:29.820
Don’t you ever wish that you could become
a part of something bigger than yourself?

01:17:29.820 --> 01:17:32.580
It’d be a real weight off your shoulders.”

01:17:32.580 --> 01:17:36.960
She’s starting to run out of polite ways
to deny him, when she hears a faint tapping

01:17:36.960 --> 01:17:38.040
against the nearby glass.

01:17:38.040 --> 01:17:41.400
The young woman turns her head and looks into
her living room.

01:17:41.400 --> 01:17:45.840
There’s a smiling woman standing at the
window, rapping on the glass with her knuckles,

01:17:45.840 --> 01:17:46.380
grinning.

01:17:46.380 --> 01:17:48.540
The chill sets in immediately.

01:17:48.540 --> 01:17:51.420
She recognizes that face with absolute certainty.

01:17:51.420 --> 01:17:55.920
It’s one of the people from the crowd, and
now, she knows for sure that the man at the

01:17:55.920 --> 01:17:56.520
door is too.

01:17:56.520 --> 01:18:01.740
But when she turns back to him, all she sees
is his hand, reaching through the gap in the

01:18:21.480 --> 01:18:25.380
She turns and runs as the sheer collected
momentum of the crowd forces open the door.

01:18:25.380 --> 01:18:29.400
They spill into the hallway, tumbling over
each other, but still smiling.

01:18:29.400 --> 01:18:33.720
She notices something trailing out of their
clothes: Long, sinewy ropes that look like

01:18:33.720 --> 01:18:36.240
they’re made of living flesh, wriggling
and pumping.

01:18:36.240 --> 01:18:40.500
With each passing second, this whole situation
seems to just be getting worse and worse.

01:18:41.160 --> 01:18:45.540
Thinking quickly, she decides to flee up the
stairs: If she gets to her bedroom fast enough,

01:18:45.540 --> 01:18:49.440
she can lock her door from the inside, open
the window, and climb down the trellis into

01:18:49.440 --> 01:18:50.820
the yard before they can break in.

01:18:50.820 --> 01:18:56.100
In that moment it seems like the best course
of action, but only because she has no idea

01:18:56.100 --> 01:18:58.260
just how quickly the crowd can close the distance.

01:18:58.260 --> 01:19:03.480
In an instant the crowd is up onto the stairs
and following her, extending their grasping

01:19:03.480 --> 01:19:04.260
hands in unison.

01:19:04.260 --> 01:19:05.400
Who are these people?

01:19:05.400 --> 01:19:06.540
Why are they doing this?

01:19:06.540 --> 01:19:10.620
The questions that flood her mind are soon
forced out by the shock of the grinning stranger

01:19:10.620 --> 01:19:13.200
in the business suit pulling her into a powerful
bear hug.

01:19:13.800 --> 01:19:17.040
He squeezes hard and she can feel it in her
muscles and bones.

01:19:17.040 --> 01:19:20.340
She wriggles for her life but she can’t
resist his strength.

01:19:20.340 --> 01:19:22.380
The rest of the crowd reaches for her.

01:19:22.380 --> 01:19:27.480
She spots those awful fleshy cords again,
emerging from the backs of all these terrifying

01:19:27.480 --> 01:19:27.900
strangers.

01:19:27.900 --> 01:19:33.300
And now, she sees what they’re all leading
back to: A giant, formless blob of flesh,

01:19:33.300 --> 01:19:36.780
like some corrupted, unknown organ, a huge,
monstrous tumor.

01:19:36.780 --> 01:19:38.580
It pulses and throbs.

01:19:39.240 --> 01:19:41.400
Just looking at it makes her want to be sick.

01:19:41.400 --> 01:19:44.580
And she can feel the most horrible energy
coming off of it.

01:19:44.580 --> 01:19:47.280
Whatever this thing is, it wants her.

01:19:47.280 --> 01:19:48.720
It’s reaching for her…

01:19:48.720 --> 01:19:52.200
Fight or flight kicks in, and this time, flight
isn’t an option.

01:19:52.200 --> 01:19:56.100
The stranger in the suit has a good grip on
her, in spite of his missing fingers, but

01:19:56.100 --> 01:19:57.060
she’s still got the knife.

01:19:57.060 --> 01:20:01.620
She can see the cord trailing from his back
into the giant flesh blob, and with one decisive

01:20:01.620 --> 01:20:03.720
strike, she severs it with the kitchen knife.

01:20:04.260 --> 01:20:06.540
Immediately, the man in the suit lets go of
her.

01:20:06.540 --> 01:20:10.920
Both ends of the cord flop down, spraying
more of the flesh-colored pus, but the effect

01:20:10.920 --> 01:20:13.140
on the man himself is even more drastic.

01:20:13.980 --> 01:20:18.360
He flails around, making the most horrible,
guttural gurgling noises she’s ever heard.

01:20:18.360 --> 01:20:21.300
He heaves and vomits out gallons of the pus.

01:20:21.300 --> 01:20:24.120
It sprays from his eyes and nose like a firehouse.

01:20:24.120 --> 01:20:26.580
It oozes down and out of his pant legs.

01:20:26.580 --> 01:20:30.960
His body deflates like a punctured balloon
as the awful substance cascades out of him,

01:20:30.960 --> 01:20:35.700
until all that’s left is a wet, vacant sack
of skin and clothes, quivering on the floor.

01:20:35.700 --> 01:20:39.840
But she doesn’t have time to dwell on the
horrors she’s just witnessed; she needs

01:20:39.840 --> 01:20:40.500
to get out of here.

01:20:40.500 --> 01:20:41.040
Now.

01:20:41.700 --> 01:20:45.960
She turns and continues running up the stairs
as the crowd regroups and begins chasing her.

01:20:45.960 --> 01:20:49.800
She can hear their perfectly synchronized
footsteps sloshing through the liquids of

01:20:49.800 --> 01:20:50.580
their fallen member.

01:20:50.580 --> 01:20:52.260
They’ve barely even slowed down.

01:20:52.260 --> 01:20:54.840
She keeps running, she just needs to keep
running…

01:20:54.840 --> 01:20:57.240
A number of hands close around her body.

01:20:57.240 --> 01:21:01.200
Several of them clamp around her wrist, squeezing
tight until the knife falls from her hand

01:21:01.200 --> 01:21:02.220
and clatters to the ground.

01:21:02.220 --> 01:21:03.420
They’ve learned already.

01:21:03.420 --> 01:21:06.060
The crowd rises up and closes around her.

01:21:06.060 --> 01:21:08.580
No matter how hard she struggles they won’t
budge.

01:21:08.580 --> 01:21:10.440
They just keep huddling in.

01:21:10.440 --> 01:21:14.040
She can hear the giant, pulsing mass of flesh
closing in behind her.

01:21:14.760 --> 01:21:19.140
She feels one of those long, fleshy cords
slithering up her back, its fibrous strands

01:21:19.140 --> 01:21:22.380
easing their way into her flesh until the
connection is made.

01:21:22.380 --> 01:21:27.780
Her eyes roll up into her head as it pumps
the fluid into her body, melting away everything

01:21:27.780 --> 01:21:32.820
inside and congealing it into the same nightmarish
slop that she’d just seen splattering out

01:21:32.820 --> 01:21:34.620
of the man in the business suit moments ago.

01:21:34.620 --> 01:21:40.380
Little by little, everything that was once
her is hollowed out, filled in, and painted

01:21:40.380 --> 01:21:40.560
over.

01:21:40.560 --> 01:21:46.200
Once the transformation is complete, she smiles,
just like all the others.

01:21:46.200 --> 01:21:48.120
But she’s not “She” anymore.

01:21:48.960 --> 01:21:51.000
She’s just another part of “It.”

01:21:51.000 --> 01:21:52.860
Its newest addition.

01:21:52.860 --> 01:21:55.140
A replacement for the man in the suit.

01:21:55.740 --> 01:22:00.780
The crowd leaves shortly after, keeping perfect
step, looking for some new friends…

01:22:01.560 --> 01:22:06.360
At some point, everyone has felt the desire
to “fit in,” but one anomaly takes the

01:22:06.360 --> 01:22:08.820
desire to join the throng to its ultimate
extreme.

01:22:08.820 --> 01:22:14.400
This is SCP-428, also known as… the Crowd.

01:22:15.060 --> 01:22:20.460
In its purest state, SCP-428 is an amorphous
mass of flesh connected to a number of human

01:22:20.460 --> 01:22:23.820
hosts with organic tendrils similar to umbilical
cords.

01:22:23.820 --> 01:22:28.740
The central mass is obscured by its multiple
human hosts - numbering fourteen at the present

01:22:28.740 --> 01:22:31.320
moment - and it is an extremely dangerous
entity.

01:22:31.320 --> 01:22:36.180
Once an individual is assimilated into its
mass, they are to be considered lost.

01:22:37.080 --> 01:22:42.240
Upon assimilation, all of the victim’s complex
internal structures - bones, musculature,

01:22:42.240 --> 01:22:47.100
organs, nervous system - are instead replaced
by material similar in composition to the

01:22:47.100 --> 01:22:48.720
amorphous mass that controls them.

01:22:48.720 --> 01:22:54.480
All that remains is their skin and vague shape,
being piloted by the SCP-428 hub.

01:22:55.080 --> 01:22:57.780
When not actively seeking 
new victims to assimilate, 

01:22:57.780 --> 01:23:01.560
SCP-428 enters a dormant state, its assimilated

01:23:01.560 --> 01:23:05.880
victims standing in a circle around the hub,
audibly mumbling to one another and swaying

01:23:05.880 --> 01:23:06.300
gently.

01:23:06.900 --> 01:23:12.360
SCP-428 and its crowd will enter a hostile
state if anyone travels within two meters

01:23:12.360 --> 01:23:12.600
of it.

01:23:12.600 --> 01:23:17.460
With surprising speed and ferocity, members
of the crowd will try to mob the unfortunate

01:23:17.460 --> 01:23:20.700
victim in a sudden ambush, bringing them into
the proximity of the hub.

01:23:20.700 --> 01:23:25.860
If they remain in this state for over ten
seconds acord will attach to their body and

01:23:25.860 --> 01:23:30.000
their vital systems will be replaced, and
they will be assimilated into the crowd, just

01:23:30.000 --> 01:23:32.940
like the other victims of SCP-428 were before
them.

01:23:32.940 --> 01:23:37.800
If however, the victim somehow manages to
escape before the process is complete, this

01:23:37.800 --> 01:23:39.840
will not be the end of their ordeal.

01:23:39.840 --> 01:23:45.840
Should someone evade its attention, SCP-428
and the crowd will enter a period of active

01:23:45.840 --> 01:23:48.360
hunting behavior to seek out the escaping
victim.

01:23:48.360 --> 01:23:52.620
Failing that, they will try to assimilate
any human wandering into their vicinity.

01:23:52.620 --> 01:23:58.200
There is no safe way to approach SCP-428 or
any of its members under any circumstances.

01:23:58.980 --> 01:24:01.740
To do so is to court a fate worse than death.

01:24:01.740 --> 01:24:07.380
When a victim is assimilated, SCP-428 and
the crowd will return to a dormant state until

01:24:07.380 --> 01:24:08.820
another victim presents itself.

01:24:08.820 --> 01:24:14.580
Foundation studies have determined that SCP-428
seeks to add at least one person to its crowd

01:24:14.580 --> 01:24:19.440
every month, and if a person is not provided,
then it will engage in hunting behavior, putting

01:24:19.440 --> 01:24:21.360
everyone in the area in grave danger.

01:24:22.020 --> 01:24:26.100
SCP-428 isn’t controlling a gaggle of mindless
zombies though.

01:24:26.100 --> 01:24:30.720
It is an extremely intelligent hive mind,
made all the more frightening by the fact

01:24:30.720 --> 01:24:35.580
that it absorbs the knowledge, memories, and
skills of each of its victims, and can reapply

01:24:35.580 --> 01:24:36.780
them through any of the others.

01:24:36.780 --> 01:24:41.520
Because of this, it appears to have incredibly
adept knowledge of the human mind, and will

01:24:41.520 --> 01:24:45.540
happily resort to using tactics of psychological
manipulation to gain an advantage.

01:24:46.260 --> 01:24:51.960
Despite being a large crowd, tests have shown
that SCP-428 and its assimilated victims can

01:24:51.960 --> 01:24:53.280
move terrifyingly fast.

01:24:53.280 --> 01:24:58.200
This is because, due to the very nature of
the perfectly attuned hivemind, they can walk

01:24:58.200 --> 01:25:00.240
or run in perfect synchronicity.

01:25:00.240 --> 01:25:06.180
To best understand this, picture a centipede,
skittering at great speed across a wall: So

01:25:06.180 --> 01:25:11.280
many legs, but all sharing a perfectly coordinated
nervous system, working together to move the

01:25:11.280 --> 01:25:12.660
creature with military precision.

01:25:12.660 --> 01:25:16.560
Even individually, each member of the crowd
is a formidable foe.

01:25:16.560 --> 01:25:22.500
Once they become part of SCP-428 they exhibit
greatly increased strength, they show no signs

01:25:22.500 --> 01:25:26.280
of feeling pain, and also have the ability
to quickly heal any injuries.

01:25:26.940 --> 01:25:29.940
Wounds also do not seem to impede function
whatsoever.

01:25:29.940 --> 01:25:33.960
A member of the crowd getting shot in the
leg won’t slow it down in the slightest.

01:25:34.560 --> 01:25:39.300
However, while this creature is incredibly
intelligent and dangerous, the same can be

01:25:39.300 --> 01:25:43.920
said for the SCP Foundation, and in the time
since they discovered it, they have ascertained

01:25:43.920 --> 01:25:47.580
a few weaknesses - even though some of this
knowledge came at a heavy cost.

01:25:47.580 --> 01:25:53.580
Though members of the crowd appear significantly
resistant to damage, the SCP-428 hub itself

01:25:53.580 --> 01:25:57.480
appears to be vulnerable to attack and more
than capable of feeling pain.

01:25:58.140 --> 01:26:03.000
If the hub is damaged in a manner that would
cause pain, every member of the crowd is able

01:26:03.000 --> 01:26:06.180
to feel it, often collapsing and writhing
around in agony.

01:26:06.180 --> 01:26:10.620
When the creature collects itself, it will
retreat, guarded by its human shields.

01:26:10.620 --> 01:26:14.760
The Foundation has used this method to corral
the creature back into containment during

01:26:14.760 --> 01:26:19.320
breaches, with the controlled applications
of fire or electricity being favorite methods

01:26:19.320 --> 01:26:20.700
of Foundation security forces.

01:26:20.700 --> 01:26:25.680
Severing the connection between a member of
the crowd and the central hub is also a surefire

01:26:25.680 --> 01:26:28.620
way to weaken the overall ability of SCP-428.

01:26:28.620 --> 01:26:34.500
A severed crowd member will immediately collapse,
the SCP-428 material inside it liquefying

01:26:34.500 --> 01:26:36.000
and excreting from every orifice.

01:26:36.000 --> 01:26:41.940
This may intensify SCP-428’s drive to discover
a new victim, but it can also be used as a

01:26:41.940 --> 01:26:44.040
method of population control for the crowd
itself.

01:26:44.700 --> 01:26:47.040
There has been one major incident concerning 

01:26:47.040 --> 01:26:50.220
SCP-428 since its containment 
at the SCP Foundation,

01:26:50.220 --> 01:26:54.720
and it acted as a painful reminder to all
staff that one should never underestimate

01:26:54.720 --> 01:26:56.460
the abilities of the anomalies they contain.

01:26:56.460 --> 01:27:02.100
Evidently, one of the people assimilated by
SCP-428 in the past was skilled in the art

01:27:02.100 --> 01:27:05.760
of lock picking, as SCP-428 had absorbed this
skill.

01:27:05.760 --> 01:27:10.440
It took apart one of its members’ belts
and used the pieces to pick the lock of its

01:27:10.440 --> 01:27:11.580
containment chamber from the inside.

01:27:11.580 --> 01:27:17.040
It then positioned one of its female victims,
crouching just outside the door, her cord

01:27:17.040 --> 01:27:18.900
slithering through the crack in the door behind
her.

01:27:19.500 --> 01:27:24.540
She fell to her knees and began to weep loudly,
attracting the attention of a nearby researcher.

01:27:24.540 --> 01:27:29.160
Naturally, when you hear a distressed person
crying, it’s human instinct to go investigate

01:27:29.160 --> 01:27:29.640
and help.

01:27:29.640 --> 01:27:34.500
And this particular researcher hadn’t been
briefed on the nature and abilities of SCP-428,

01:27:34.500 --> 01:27:39.060
which left him completely unprepared for the
horrifying fate that awaited him.

01:27:39.060 --> 01:27:43.200
As he leaned in to comfort the crying woman,
the rest of the crowd immediately emerged

01:27:43.200 --> 01:27:45.300
from the containment chamber’s door, mobbing
him.

01:27:45.300 --> 01:27:50.100
One forced its hand over his mouth, stifling
his frightened scream, as he was pulled in

01:27:50.100 --> 01:27:51.240
and quickly assimilated.

01:27:51.240 --> 01:27:57.660
While SCP-428 could pick locks, absorbing
a member of SCP Foundation staff - both giving

01:27:57.660 --> 01:28:02.040
it access to Foundation site layouts and inner
workings, as well as a presentable frontman

01:28:02.040 --> 01:28:06.600
to assuage suspicion - was like getting its
fleshy tendrils on a kind of master key.

01:28:06.600 --> 01:28:11.820
SCP-428 and its crowd, with the assimilated
researcher at the head, progressed through

01:28:11.820 --> 01:28:16.020
the building, avoiding key security checkpoints
and absorbing several other researchers and

01:28:16.020 --> 01:28:16.920
guards along the way.

01:28:16.920 --> 01:28:22.740
This was a particularly frightening development,
as it allowed SCP-428 to further expand both

01:28:22.740 --> 01:28:27.300
its knowledge of the SCP Foundation and its
skills in everything from science to armed

01:28:27.300 --> 01:28:28.380
and hand-to-hand combat.

01:28:28.380 --> 01:28:32.880
With every new person it took in, it grew
significantly stronger and more dangerous

01:28:32.880 --> 01:28:34.080
to Foundation personnel.

01:28:34.860 --> 01:28:39.240
Thankfully, it drew the right kind of attention
before it had a chance to escape the containment

01:28:39.240 --> 01:28:39.900
site proper.

01:28:39.900 --> 01:28:45.000
A Mobile Task Force was dispatched to contain
SCP-428 and the crowd and force it back into

01:28:45.000 --> 01:28:46.020
its containment chamber.

01:28:46.560 --> 01:28:51.300
However, being an extremely persistent creature,
this minor setback didn’t do anything to

01:28:51.300 --> 01:28:52.500
quell its desire to escape.

01:28:53.340 --> 01:28:57.900
Given that several members of its crowd were
now ex-Foundation staff members, it tried

01:28:57.900 --> 01:29:01.500
to leverage this in order to manipulate the
people guarding its chamber.

01:29:01.500 --> 01:29:06.540
This became such a problem that a researcher
appended a note to its file, reading: “People,

01:29:06.540 --> 01:29:09.900
these casualties are gone, they are SCP-428
now.

01:29:09.900 --> 01:29:14.340
No matter what it might say or do, they are
not your work colleagues nor your friends

01:29:14.340 --> 01:29:14.640
anymore.

01:29:14.640 --> 01:29:17.220
Remember this, it may save your life.”

01:29:17.220 --> 01:29:22.980
SCP-428 and its crowd is currently contained
in a five-meter by five-meter by five-meter

01:29:22.980 --> 01:29:27.900
cell, with walls electrified to 30,000 vaults
to discourage attempts by members of the crowd

01:29:27.900 --> 01:29:29.040
to break or climb them.

01:29:29.040 --> 01:29:34.200
The cell is accessed via an airlock and entry
is restricted to Level-3 researchers and below,

01:29:34.200 --> 01:29:39.240
while escorted by two armed guards, in order
to eliminate the risk of SCP-428 absorbing

01:29:39.240 --> 01:29:43.740
a valuable asset to the SCP Foundation and
coming into possession of truly catastrophic

01:29:43.740 --> 01:29:45.300
knowledge and skills as a result.

01:29:45.300 --> 01:29:51.120
Just imagine the disastrous results if, say,
a member of the O5 Council were suddenly a

01:29:51.120 --> 01:29:52.920
part of SCP-428.

01:29:52.920 --> 01:29:58.380
Researchers are to remain a minimum of two
meters away at all times, and it is mandatory

01:29:58.380 --> 01:30:02.520
for at least two armed guards to stay posted
at the chamber’s entrance at all times.

01:30:02.520 --> 01:30:07.980
SCP-428 is to be given one member of D-Class
personnel to assimilate every single month

01:30:07.980 --> 01:30:10.680
in order to prevent it from engaging in hunting
behavior.

01:30:10.680 --> 01:30:15.660
Due to SCP-428’s frightening ability to
absorb memories, skills, and intelligence,

01:30:15.660 --> 01:30:20.640
all D-Classes given to 428 are screened for
low intelligence and a lack of valuable skills

01:30:20.640 --> 01:30:24.120
to ensure that the anomaly isn’t being given
any new aces up its sleeves.

01:30:24.120 --> 01:30:30.360
However, continually giving SCP-428 new victims
is going to increase its overall size and

01:30:30.360 --> 01:30:32.820
thus necessitate gradual containment upgrades.

01:30:33.480 --> 01:30:38.760
The possibility of permanently neutralizing
SCP-428 is being explored, but in the meantime

01:30:38.760 --> 01:30:41.040
it has been given the Euclid Object Class, 

01:30:41.040 --> 01:30:44.280
because of its intelligence, 
skills, and unpredictability.

01:30:44.280 --> 01:30:49.620
While the SCP Foundation is all about sacrificing
the individual for the greater good, this

01:30:49.620 --> 01:30:53.040
is one frightening collective that they couldn’t
endorse becoming a part of.

01:30:53.040 --> 01:30:54.720
It started with a woman.

01:30:54.720 --> 01:30:59.460
We’ll call her Valerie - It doesn’t matter
whether or not that it’s her real name,

01:30:59.460 --> 01:31:02.400
since her real name is lost, even to herself.

01:31:03.060 --> 01:31:07.320
Valerie was a young woman but what many would
describe as a very old soul.

01:31:07.320 --> 01:31:12.660
She’d been to strange places, seen awful
things, and gotten in touch with some dangerous

01:31:12.660 --> 01:31:12.900
people.

01:31:12.900 --> 01:31:18.480
Like a lot of people with hard lives, Valerie
tried to find relief wherever she could: Partying,

01:31:18.480 --> 01:31:20.820
gambling, buying herself expensive things.

01:31:20.820 --> 01:31:26.520
After all, she was here for a good time, not
a long time, and she wanted to eke out any

01:31:26.520 --> 01:31:28.380
pleasure she could while she was still able.

01:31:28.380 --> 01:31:33.360
That’s how she ended up in the high roller’s
section of a very exclusive private club in

01:31:33.360 --> 01:31:33.900
New York City.

01:31:33.900 --> 01:31:38.880
They had the finest drinks, the most attentive
waitstaff, and the strangest entertainment.

01:31:38.880 --> 01:31:43.260
But that’s the kind of exceptional service
you can expect from a club run by one of the

01:31:43.260 --> 01:31:48.000
most powerful and influential clandestine
enterprises in the world: Marshall, Carter,

01:31:48.000 --> 01:31:49.380
and Dark Ltd.

01:31:49.380 --> 01:31:52.500
Valerie had no idea who the club’s owner
was though.

01:31:52.500 --> 01:31:56.880
She had come here with a wealthy friend, well
calling them a friend might be pushing it…

01:31:56.880 --> 01:32:01.620
she was here with someone she had met earlier
that night, but now as she sipped her drink

01:32:01.620 --> 01:32:05.460
and played another hand of blackjack, she
realized that he was nowhere to be seen.

01:32:05.460 --> 01:32:06.720
Oh well.

01:32:06.720 --> 01:32:11.040
She didn’t have anybody to please but herself,
and the clubs of Marshall, Carter, and Dark

01:32:11.040 --> 01:32:12.780
can provide plenty of pleasure…

01:32:12.780 --> 01:32:14.460
As long as you can pay.

01:32:14.460 --> 01:32:18.660
Valerie’s problem was that she didn’t
have the money to keep living large off of

01:32:18.660 --> 01:32:20.760
their largesse, and she was about to get a 

01:32:20.760 --> 01:32:23.460
rude awakening as to just 
how much these mysterious

01:32:23.460 --> 01:32:25.260
businessmen value their bottom line.

01:32:25.260 --> 01:32:29.580
If she took a second to think about it, she
may have noticed she was out of place among

01:32:29.580 --> 01:32:33.840
the rest of the clientele - wealthy businessmen
and shady moguls in fine suits.

01:32:33.840 --> 01:32:36.660
What was a girl like her doing in a place
like this?

01:32:37.440 --> 01:32:40.980
Unless, of course, she was here to fulfill
another purpose entirely.

01:32:41.640 --> 01:32:44.160
Eventually, a bill was presented to Valerie.

01:32:44.160 --> 01:32:47.700
“Oh this isn’t for me,” she told the
waiter, “my friend is taking care of everything.”

01:32:47.700 --> 01:32:52.260
When she went to motion towards the wealthy
man who had brought her here, she realized

01:32:52.260 --> 01:32:53.700
that he was nowhere to be seen.

01:32:54.420 --> 01:32:58.740
“I’m afraid the gentleman I believe you’re
referring to left some time ago,” the waiter

01:32:58.740 --> 01:32:59.100
told her.

01:32:59.100 --> 01:33:03.120
Valerie was disappointed, but this kind of
thing had happened to her before.

01:33:03.120 --> 01:33:07.260
She reached for her purse, it looked like
she’d be paying for herself that night.

01:33:08.400 --> 01:33:09.420
“Alright, how much do I owe you?”

01:33:09.420 --> 01:33:12.540
she said as she grabbed a handful of chips
from her stack.

01:33:12.540 --> 01:33:16.860
“I’m afraid you might be a little confused,”
the waiter told her, eying what at most could

01:33:16.860 --> 01:33:18.900
be a couple hundred dollars in casino chips.

01:33:18.900 --> 01:33:21.000
“Are you not aware of what you’re drinking?”

01:33:21.660 --> 01:33:24.480
Valerie glanced at the bottle of champagne
sitting next to her.

01:33:24.480 --> 01:33:28.080
And then at the two other identical empty
bottles sitting next to it.

01:33:28.620 --> 01:33:31.320
“It’s the champagne he ordered,” Valerie
answered.

01:33:31.320 --> 01:33:35.640
“Yes,” said the waiter, but that isn’t
just any champagne.”

01:33:35.640 --> 01:33:38.520
Valerie’s eyes began to grow wide as he
went on.

01:33:38.520 --> 01:33:42.000
“Those are from a very rare, and very expensive
vintage.

01:33:42.660 --> 01:33:43.500
“How rare?”

01:33:43.500 --> 01:33:45.180
Valerie nervously asked.

01:33:45.180 --> 01:33:47.940
“Extremely rare,” the waiter told her.

01:33:48.480 --> 01:33:50.040
“Each bottle you were drinking cost…”

01:33:50.040 --> 01:33:53.340
It felt like the room suddenly filled with
rushing water.

01:33:53.340 --> 01:33:58.200
The edges of her vision dimmed as a roar filled
her ears, as she heard the last thing the

01:33:58.200 --> 01:34:01.740
waiter said - each bottle she had drank cost
$20,000.

01:34:03.060 --> 01:34:07.740
When Valerie regained her senses she was being
escorted by a group of tall gentlemen in dark

01:34:07.740 --> 01:34:10.020
business suits into a soundproof back room, 

01:34:10.020 --> 01:34:12.660
where they explained the 
severity of her situation.

01:34:13.380 --> 01:34:16.800
As the fear continued to set in, she started
to beg.

01:34:16.800 --> 01:34:20.340
She said that if they just gave her a little
more time, she could earn back the money she

01:34:20.340 --> 01:34:20.760
owed them.

01:34:20.760 --> 01:34:25.500
The solemn-faced representative explained
to her that Marshall, Carter, and Dark Ltd.

01:34:25.500 --> 01:34:26.700
doesn’t operate like that.

01:34:27.300 --> 01:34:31.920
However, there would be other ways that she
could pay back her debt to them, but it would

01:34:31.920 --> 01:34:32.460
be their way.

01:34:33.180 --> 01:34:37.560
They gave a brief explanation that providing
luxury private clubs to an esteemed clientele

01:34:37.560 --> 01:34:39.240
was only one part of their enterprise.

01:34:39.240 --> 01:34:45.060
The other side of their business was even
more exclusive: An auction house, where truly

01:34:45.060 --> 01:34:47.640
unique products are sold to the highest bidders.

01:34:47.640 --> 01:34:52.500
And come to think of it, there was a hole
in the market that seemed to be just Valerie’s

01:34:52.500 --> 01:34:52.740
size.

01:34:52.740 --> 01:34:57.480
All they asked for was for her to spend a
period of time in their service, and when

01:34:57.480 --> 01:35:00.120
the debt was repaid, her life would be hers
once more.

01:35:00.120 --> 01:35:02.100
And there was more to it as well.

01:35:02.100 --> 01:35:06.480
Although she would have to work for them,
time would not actually pass for her during

01:35:06.480 --> 01:35:06.960
her service.

01:35:06.960 --> 01:35:11.400
She’d get to keep her youth, it would be
as if she never worked for them at all, a

01:35:11.400 --> 01:35:13.920
blink of an eye and she’d be right back
where she was.

01:35:13.920 --> 01:35:16.680
Valerie took just a moment to consider it.

01:35:16.680 --> 01:35:21.000
She wasn’t sure she believed what these
men were telling her, but she’d heard and

01:35:21.000 --> 01:35:24.540
seen some very strange things in her life,
was this really so hard to believe?

01:35:24.540 --> 01:35:27.480
And after all, what choice did she have?

01:35:27.480 --> 01:35:29.100
She didn’t have $60,000.

01:35:29.760 --> 01:35:35.340
So she agreed to repay her debt to Marshall,
Carter, and Dark, and do whatever that entailed.

01:35:35.340 --> 01:35:40.560
The representatives assured her that all she’d
need to do is lay back and relax: They’d

01:35:40.560 --> 01:35:41.340
take care of the rest.

01:35:42.240 --> 01:35:46.200
Valerie didn’t remember much after that
moment, but she awoke in the dark.

01:35:46.200 --> 01:35:49.080
She couldn’t move any part of her body other
than her eyes.

01:35:49.080 --> 01:35:54.360
The next time she saw the light, she remembered
being up on stage, looking down at a crowd

01:35:54.360 --> 01:35:58.860
of people wielding auction paddles while an
animated auctioneer reeled off the many advantages

01:35:58.860 --> 01:36:00.540
of some product she couldn’t see.

01:36:00.540 --> 01:36:03.060
Certain words and phrases stuck out:

01:36:03.060 --> 01:36:04.980
“Fully articulated and posable…

01:36:04.980 --> 01:36:06.000
Warm to the touch…

01:36:06.000 --> 01:36:07.200
Not a blemish on her…

01:36:07.200 --> 01:36:08.160
Never talks back…

01:36:08.160 --> 01:36:09.900
She’ll always look you right in the eye…”

01:36:10.500 --> 01:36:14.220
Eventually, someone won, and she was placed
back in the darkness.

01:36:15.000 --> 01:36:19.860
Years went by, being taken in and out of the
dark by strangers, wearing different clothes

01:36:19.860 --> 01:36:21.780
and being referred to by different names.

01:36:21.780 --> 01:36:23.820
Moving only when she was permitted.

01:36:23.820 --> 01:36:27.240
Little by little, she forgot the person that
she once was.

01:36:27.240 --> 01:36:29.220
One day ran into the next.

01:36:29.220 --> 01:36:33.480
It all became a blur of darkness punctuated
by brief flashes of light.

01:36:34.260 --> 01:36:36.000
Years turned into decades.

01:36:36.000 --> 01:36:37.440
She never said a word.

01:36:37.440 --> 01:36:40.020
She forgot what it even felt like to be able
to speak.

01:36:40.020 --> 01:36:45.720
But then one day, out of the darkness appeared
a pair of strangers in black tactical gear

01:36:45.720 --> 01:36:49.140
who looked at her with an expression somewhere
in between pity and disgust.

01:36:49.140 --> 01:36:53.940
From that moment on, she finally found a new
name to replace that empty void.

01:36:53.940 --> 01:36:57.420
Now, she was SCP-446.

01:36:57.420 --> 01:37:04.080
The files on SCP-446 are as mysterious as
they are deeply disconcerting and we can only

01:37:04.080 --> 01:37:09.780
speculate as to the exact process that led
to the creation of SCP-446, since the duplicitous

01:37:09.780 --> 01:37:13.800
salesmen at Marshall, Carter, & Dark Ltd.
don’t seem eager to share their secrets

01:37:13.800 --> 01:37:15.600
with anyone outside of their organization.

01:37:15.600 --> 01:37:21.240
But what SCP Foundation researchers have learned
from solid, empirical observation is that

01:37:21.240 --> 01:37:28.380
SCP-446 is a humanoid mannequin 1.75 meters
tall and weighing 52.16 kilograms.

01:37:29.040 --> 01:37:34.680
She is - or perhaps, was - a pale-skinned
Caucasian woman who appears to be in her early

01:37:34.680 --> 01:37:35.100
twenties.

01:37:35.880 --> 01:37:41.520
She has brown hair that measures 17.78 cm
at its longest point, brilliant, bright blue

01:37:41.520 --> 01:37:46.080
eyes, and the distinctive Marshall, Carter,
& Dark Ltd. logo tattooed on her lower back.

01:37:46.080 --> 01:37:50.940
In many ways, she has all the hallmarks of
a living human being - She’s superficially

01:37:50.940 --> 01:37:55.680
anatomically correct, with realistic skin
tone and texture, eye coloration and sclera

01:37:55.680 --> 01:37:59.760
clarity, and researchers who’ve dealt with
her directly claim that she has the warmth

01:37:59.760 --> 01:38:00.960
of a real human being.

01:38:01.680 --> 01:38:07.020
Despite seeming to be alive though, SCP-446
doesn’t respond to verbal communication,

01:38:07.020 --> 01:38:10.380
has no pulse or heartbeat, and doesn’t even
appear to breathe.

01:38:10.380 --> 01:38:16.020
Whether SCP-446 can truly be considered alive
is still an open question among Foundation

01:38:16.020 --> 01:38:16.680
researchers.

01:38:17.400 --> 01:38:23.040
SCP-446 is stored in the same hinged metal
box she was found in, which is plain save

01:38:23.040 --> 01:38:26.220
for a series of clothing measurements for
those wishing to purchase their own custom

01:38:26.220 --> 01:38:26.880
accessories.

01:38:26.880 --> 01:38:30.960
When Foundation field agents first discovered
her, they attempted to sit her up.

01:38:30.960 --> 01:38:35.460
However, what they found was that she responded
to their touch, sitting up on her own.

01:38:35.460 --> 01:38:39.540
All it took to get her to lay back down was
a gentle push on her shoulders from the front.

01:38:40.260 --> 01:38:44.220
Through further study, it was discovered that
selective touch cues can induce different

01:38:44.220 --> 01:38:46.380
types of movement in SCP-446.

01:38:46.380 --> 01:38:50.640
She could be induced to stand up on her own,
and through gentle pressure applied to the

01:38:50.640 --> 01:38:54.120
top of the head, she could be induced to sit
or lay back down on her own.

01:38:54.780 --> 01:38:59.520
You may have also noticed the somewhat uncanny
quality of SCP-446’s eyes.

01:38:59.520 --> 01:39:02.760
Please don’t be alarmed, it isn’t anything
out of the ordinary.

01:39:02.760 --> 01:39:06.900
Her eyes will follow the nearest person to
her around the room, and she’ll try to make

01:39:06.900 --> 01:39:08.160
eye contact if possible.

01:39:08.160 --> 01:39:09.540
Don’t let it bother you.

01:39:09.540 --> 01:39:11.400
Everyone gets used to it eventually.

01:39:11.400 --> 01:39:16.440
Her limbs can also be posed and manipulated
as required, even into positions requiring

01:39:16.440 --> 01:39:18.180
balance, like standing on one leg.

01:39:18.180 --> 01:39:22.380
However, if pushed over, she will immediately
lose balance and fall.

01:39:22.380 --> 01:39:26.580
It seems almost as though her actions are
defined as much by the toucher’s intent

01:39:26.580 --> 01:39:27.720
as the touch itself.

01:39:28.440 --> 01:39:34.020
Essentially out of any more ways to learn
about SCP-446, an in-depth medical examination

01:39:34.020 --> 01:39:34.920
was authorized.

01:39:34.920 --> 01:39:40.380
Given the humanoid nature of 446, the doctor
conducting the examination decided to proceed

01:39:40.380 --> 01:39:44.340
in a manner similar to the kinds of autopsies
given to non-anomalous human corpses.

01:39:44.340 --> 01:39:49.800
The doctor noted being disturbed by the fact
that 446’s eyes kept following them, even

01:39:49.800 --> 01:39:51.900
as they prepared the tools for the autopsy.

01:39:51.900 --> 01:39:55.980
They also remarked on the almost freakish
clearness of the subject’s skin.

01:39:55.980 --> 01:40:00.540
There wasn’t a single detectable mark or
blemish, almost like a porcelain doll.

01:40:00.540 --> 01:40:05.580
There was no rigor or livor mortis, nor any
signs of damage or injury to the body.

01:40:05.580 --> 01:40:10.440
Examination of the mouth revealed an obstruction
at the top of the throat - A metal plate fixed

01:40:10.440 --> 01:40:13.440
to the back of her mouth, bonded to the flesh
on all sides.

01:40:13.440 --> 01:40:16.560
The plate shifts slightly when touched, but
couldn’t be removed.

01:40:16.560 --> 01:40:21.480
Similar plates had been installed in the ear
canals, nostrils, and all other body orifices,

01:40:21.480 --> 01:40:25.560
as if to ensure that nothing can enter or
exit 446’s body.

01:40:26.340 --> 01:40:28.680
The doctor then moved on 
to the internal examination 

01:40:28.680 --> 01:40:32.040
of SCP-446, beginning with a number of x-rays.

01:40:32.040 --> 01:40:37.500
These revealed several irregularly-shaped
masses inside 446’s body, covering major

01:40:37.500 --> 01:40:40.560
organs such as the heart, brain, kidneys,
and liver.

01:40:40.560 --> 01:40:45.840
Dissection revealed these masses to be boxes
of various shapes and sizes, constructed from

01:40:45.840 --> 01:40:48.120
the same metal that comprises the obstructive
plates.

01:40:48.120 --> 01:40:52.860
These boxes are connected to the corresponding
organs through a series of wires and tubes.

01:40:53.520 --> 01:40:58.380
The doctor notes that neither their scalpel
nor their wire saw could cause any meaningful

01:40:58.380 --> 01:41:02.640
damage to the boxes and that it’s possible
the boxes not only keep the body preserved

01:41:02.640 --> 01:41:05.280
but also allow for its limited set of movements.

01:41:05.280 --> 01:41:09.900
Certain barriers presented themselves during
the dissection process, both physical and

01:41:09.900 --> 01:41:10.620
psychological.

01:41:11.160 --> 01:41:16.740
SCP-446 exhibited an extraordinary healing
factor, fully repairing her own skin minutes

01:41:16.740 --> 01:41:19.260
after having her chest fully 
opened in a Y-incision.

01:41:19.260 --> 01:41:22.080
This made sustained internal 
observation difficult, 

01:41:22.080 --> 01:41:24.300
and the doctor declined to perform any more

01:41:24.300 --> 01:41:27.840
extensive mutilations for fear that the damage
would be irreparable.

01:41:27.840 --> 01:41:30.900
This limited the progress that could be made
in the procedures overall.

01:41:30.900 --> 01:41:34.320
However, it wasn’t the worst thing to occur
during the dissection.

01:41:34.920 --> 01:41:40.620
The doctor noted that SCP-446 stared at them
the entire time while they were making incisions

01:41:40.620 --> 01:41:43.140
into the body, making them 
extremely uncomfortable.

01:41:43.800 --> 01:41:48.900
And during the several-minute healing process
of the Y-Incision in her chest, SCP-446’s

01:41:48.900 --> 01:41:52.380
mouth moved, as if speaking silently, the
entire time.

01:41:53.100 --> 01:41:57.780
The doctor left a note that this may suggest
a level of sapience in 446, though nothing

01:41:57.780 --> 01:41:59.580
could be proved conclusively on that front.

01:42:00.240 --> 01:42:05.760
The file for SCP-446 is a relatively sparse
one, given the minimal containment requirements

01:42:05.760 --> 01:42:06.480
of the anomaly.

01:42:06.480 --> 01:42:09.180
Between studies, she is simply kept in her
box.

01:42:09.180 --> 01:42:15.300
There has, however, been one notable incident
involving SCP-446, documented by Foundation

01:42:15.300 --> 01:42:17.820
researcher Dr. Sunderland back in 2010.

01:42:18.540 --> 01:42:23.880
The event, labeled Incident 446-1, took place
in Storage Room 6.

01:42:23.880 --> 01:42:28.440
In the interest of preserving the anomaly’s
modesty, she was dressed in a standard D-Class

01:42:28.440 --> 01:42:31.320
uniform before being placed back into her
box for the night.

01:42:31.320 --> 01:42:36.480
A guard reported a strange thumping noise
later that evening, and investigated himself

01:42:36.480 --> 01:42:40.260
and found it was coming from the inside of
SCP-446’s box.

01:42:40.260 --> 01:42:44.580
Dr. Sunderland was called in at this point
and oversaw the opening of the box.

01:42:44.580 --> 01:42:50.400
It turned out that SCP-446 was repeatedly
attempting to rise to a sitting pose inside

01:42:50.400 --> 01:42:52.980
the box and was banging her head against the
lid.

01:42:53.640 --> 01:42:58.680
Finally freed, SCP-446 rose to her feet of
her own volition for the first time since

01:42:58.680 --> 01:42:59.640
the start of her containment.

01:43:00.240 --> 01:43:05.460
She assumed a strange pose: Her head bowed
and her wrists touching above her head, as

01:43:05.460 --> 01:43:09.420
though her hands were bound at the wrists,
or she was desperately praying or begging.

01:43:09.420 --> 01:43:14.820
Her facial expression also shifted for the
first time, taking on a look of sadness and

01:43:14.820 --> 01:43:15.180
fear.

01:43:15.180 --> 01:43:21.060
Dr. Sunderland was able to make SCP-446 return
to a more neutral standing position, but nothing

01:43:21.060 --> 01:43:25.320
could make her permanently assume the laying
position again until the D-Class uniform was

01:43:25.320 --> 01:43:26.580
once again removed.

01:43:26.580 --> 01:43:31.560
There is still not a confirmed explanation
as to why exactly this happened, but the answers

01:43:31.560 --> 01:43:33.600
may be too horrible to even consider.

01:43:34.200 --> 01:43:38.580
For this particular anomaly, which has been
given the Safe Class designation, perhaps

01:43:38.580 --> 01:43:43.320
the kindest thing to do is leave her in the
box - That’s at least a more humane fate

01:43:43.320 --> 01:43:46.440
than whatever Marshall, Carter, and Dark had
planned.

01:43:46.440 --> 01:43:52.020
The old house sits, crooked and dilapidated,
on the very end of the last street in town.

01:43:52.020 --> 01:43:56.520
It’s the kind of house that children share
stories about and warn each other to stay

01:43:56.520 --> 01:43:57.000
away from.

01:43:57.600 --> 01:44:02.400
There isn’t even any graffiti on it, rare
for an abandoned building in this town, but

01:44:02.400 --> 01:44:06.300
nobody is brave enough to get close to it
and risk their life, if the rumors of its

01:44:06.300 --> 01:44:07.320
history are to be believed.

01:44:07.980 --> 01:44:11.820
A black van containing four men pulls up along
the curb outside the house.

01:44:11.820 --> 01:44:15.780
One of them has been black-bagged, zip ties
cutting into the skin of his wrists.

01:44:16.440 --> 01:44:21.180
He was leaving a bar in town, when suddenly
he found the barrel of a 9MM semiautomatic

01:44:21.180 --> 01:44:25.560
pistol looking him in the eye, held by a man
with every reason to pull the trigger.

01:44:26.160 --> 01:44:28.800
Two other men had then emerged from the dark
behind him.

01:44:28.800 --> 01:44:33.720
There was a brief feeling of cold metal against
his skin as the twin metal barbs of the stun

01:44:33.720 --> 01:44:35.400
gun were jammed into the man’s neck.

01:44:35.400 --> 01:44:40.200
His body then began to convulse as 50,000
volts of electricity ran through his body,

01:44:40.200 --> 01:44:44.220
and when he was finally able to open his eyes
again, there was only darkness.

01:44:44.880 --> 01:44:49.140
The back doors of the van swing open, and
the unfortunate man is pulled out by two of

01:44:49.140 --> 01:44:49.680
his captors.

01:44:49.680 --> 01:44:54.300
The driver joins to help drag the man down
the gravel pathway up to the deserted house’s

01:44:54.300 --> 01:44:54.720
front door.

01:44:54.720 --> 01:44:58.800
In his desperation, he offers any excuse he
thinks might save him.

01:44:59.400 --> 01:45:01.140
“Please, I just need a little more time…

01:45:01.140 --> 01:45:03.000
I can get the money, I swear…

01:45:03.000 --> 01:45:05.880
I’ve got another job lined up, honest, I
start on Monday…

01:45:05.880 --> 01:45:07.500
Just a little longer, I’m begging you…”

01:45:08.040 --> 01:45:11.100
All he receives is silence as he’s taken
into the old house.

01:45:11.100 --> 01:45:14.700
There’s no pleading, begging cliche that
they haven’t heard before.

01:45:14.700 --> 01:45:17.940
They’ve learned to just tune it out and
get the job done.

01:45:17.940 --> 01:45:19.920
Click, Click, Click.

01:45:19.920 --> 01:45:22.020
The three men turn on their flashlights.

01:45:22.020 --> 01:45:25.080
The electricity hasn’t been on in the uninhabited
house for years.

01:45:25.080 --> 01:45:30.300
It’s the domain of rats, roaches, and spiders
now, the only evidence of life being the network

01:45:30.300 --> 01:45:36.060
of spiderwebs in every corner and the faint
chittering sound of… something coming from

01:45:36.060 --> 01:45:37.260
behind faded wallpaper.

01:45:37.860 --> 01:45:41.760
The only reason anyone would ever choose to
come here is when you needed to do something

01:45:41.760 --> 01:45:45.900
under the absolute cover of dark, which is
exactly what they needed to do.

01:45:46.560 --> 01:45:49.140
The dark suited men drop their weeping prisoner
to the ground.

01:45:49.140 --> 01:45:52.800
He tries again to plead with them and receives
a hard kick in the gut.

01:45:52.800 --> 01:45:57.720
It knocks the breath out of the man and he
is left wheezing in quiet pain, no longer

01:45:57.720 --> 01:45:58.320
able to speak.

01:45:59.100 --> 01:46:01.620
One of them finally pulls the dark bag from
his head.

01:46:01.620 --> 01:46:06.960
His nose is bleeding; his eyes are equal parts
bleary and afraid, like he only half-understands

01:46:06.960 --> 01:46:07.740
his circumstances.

01:46:08.460 --> 01:46:12.780
What he does understand though, is that it’s
looking increasingly unlikely that he’ll

01:46:12.780 --> 01:46:13.800
be leaving this house tonight.

01:46:13.800 --> 01:46:17.760
The three men look down at the pathetic figure
huddled on the floorboards.

01:46:17.760 --> 01:46:21.720
None of them really want to be here, but this
is the job they’ve been paid to do.

01:46:22.440 --> 01:46:25.980
They are unaware though, that they aren’t
the only ones watching.

01:46:25.980 --> 01:46:32.160
Somewhere in the dark is someone else, who
watches them with a detached, almost amused

01:46:32.160 --> 01:46:32.820
curiosity.

01:46:33.660 --> 01:46:37.620
Taking in the deep, dark of the house, one
of the men wonders aloud whether it might

01:46:37.620 --> 01:46:38.100
be haunted.

01:46:38.100 --> 01:46:42.600
The man with the gun laughs as he pulls back
the hammer on his gun and tells him that there’s

01:46:42.600 --> 01:46:44.160
about to be one more ghost here.

01:46:44.880 --> 01:46:48.900
But just as he is about to pull the trigger
and put an end to their captor’s terrified

01:46:48.900 --> 01:46:52.080
blubbering, he suddenly hears something that
gives him pause.

01:46:52.080 --> 01:46:54.180
Something from above them, upstairs.

01:46:54.180 --> 01:46:57.360
Is he imagining it, or are those particles 

01:46:57.360 --> 01:46:59.820
of dust floating down from 
the ceiling, accompanied

01:46:59.820 --> 01:47:01.020
by the sound of footsteps?

01:47:01.560 --> 01:47:05.820
All of the men clearly hear it, and the three
look around, shining their flashlights into

01:47:05.820 --> 01:47:06.960
the dark corners of the room.

01:47:06.960 --> 01:47:10.740
The one holding the man at gunpoint motions
to one of the others to go check upstairs.

01:47:10.740 --> 01:47:15.840
He looks like he’d rather do anything else,
but when the man with the gun, who is clearly

01:47:15.840 --> 01:47:20.820
the one in charge, turns and points his gun
at him instead, the man finally concedes that

01:47:20.820 --> 01:47:22.200
he’ll go check it out.

01:47:22.200 --> 01:47:26.340
He draws a gun of his own from inside his
pocket and starts making his way up the creaking

01:47:26.340 --> 01:47:28.200
stairs to the second floor of the house.

01:47:28.200 --> 01:47:30.840
The leader’s mind is still on whatever’s
upstairs.

01:47:30.840 --> 01:47:35.700
His dumb lackey tried filling his head with
all those goofy ghost stories, but he knows,

01:47:35.700 --> 01:47:38.280
deep down, it’s probably just a raccoon
or something.

01:47:38.280 --> 01:47:42.960
When his driver has ensured there are no other
witnesses, he’ll finish the job, and they

01:47:42.960 --> 01:47:44.400
can all get out of this creepy dump.

01:47:45.180 --> 01:47:48.660
He calls up to the driver and asks him if
he sees anything up there.

01:47:48.660 --> 01:47:50.280
“Nothing,” he calls down.

01:47:50.280 --> 01:47:51.240
“I think we’re-”

01:47:51.240 --> 01:47:53.700
His words are cut off by his own sudden scream.

01:47:53.700 --> 01:47:57.420
There are two gunshots, followed by a loud
thump as something heavy hits the ground.

01:47:57.420 --> 01:48:01.560
The two men, both with guns out, crouch down
in defensive poses.

01:48:01.560 --> 01:48:06.720
They call out again, asking what’s happening
but they’re only met with cold, unforgiving

01:48:06.720 --> 01:48:07.320
silence.

01:48:08.100 --> 01:48:09.600
Everyone is on high alert now.

01:48:09.600 --> 01:48:12.180
Even the bound man is now 
more afraid of whatever’s 

01:48:12.180 --> 01:48:13.920
upstairs than the men who brought him here.

01:48:13.920 --> 01:48:19.260
Nobody dares move as, after what feels like
minutes of silence, the footsteps resume upstairs

01:48:19.260 --> 01:48:19.740
again.

01:48:19.740 --> 01:48:22.860
The leader calls out again, asking what’s
going on.

01:48:22.860 --> 01:48:24.300
Still no reply.

01:48:24.300 --> 01:48:25.980
Just more footsteps.

01:48:25.980 --> 01:48:31.140
They follow the sound across the floor above
them to the stairs, then listen as the steps

01:48:31.140 --> 01:48:31.980
start to creak again.

01:48:31.980 --> 01:48:34.260
Their eyes drift over where they see…

01:48:34.980 --> 01:48:35.700
nothing.

01:48:36.240 --> 01:48:37.380
Are they going insane?

01:48:38.040 --> 01:48:41.940
The two hired guns share a panicked glance,
as if to say, what do we do now?

01:48:41.940 --> 01:48:43.380
But neither has an answer.

01:48:43.380 --> 01:48:47.640
A quiet, reedy whisper suddenly echoes through
the stale air of the house.

01:48:47.640 --> 01:48:52.620
With what sounds like a female voice, it rasps,
“What are you doing in my house?”

01:48:53.520 --> 01:48:57.660
The remaining lackey, consumed by panic, begins
firing wildly into the dark.

01:48:57.660 --> 01:49:02.100
The captive and the leader both get as close
as they can to the floor as bullets fly through

01:49:02.100 --> 01:49:05.940
the air, piercing the old, wooden walls causing
roaches alike to scatter.

01:49:05.940 --> 01:49:11.040
Soon enough, the bullets are gone, replaced
with only the feeble click, click, click of

01:49:11.040 --> 01:49:11.880
his dry firing.

01:49:12.420 --> 01:49:15.720
“What is going on in here?” he thinks,
“this place really is haunted.”

01:49:15.720 --> 01:49:20.580
Before another fearful thought can cross his
mind, a lamp comes flying at him out of the

01:49:20.580 --> 01:49:24.120
darkness, shattering into pieces of skin-carving
ceramic against his face.

01:49:24.120 --> 01:49:29.340
Next comes a book, then an old, heavy phone,
and then a dusty, old brick that strikes his

01:49:29.340 --> 01:49:30.720
skull with a monstrous crunch.

01:49:31.440 --> 01:49:35.880
He drops to his knees, bleeding from both
nostrils and the deep gash cut into his forehead,

01:49:35.880 --> 01:49:38.160
before flopping facedown onto the floor.

01:49:38.160 --> 01:49:40.620
He’ll be lucky if he ever wakes up.

01:49:41.280 --> 01:49:46.320
Only the leader and his prisoner are left
now, both confused, both afraid, both seemingly

01:49:46.320 --> 01:49:47.760
beset by a poltergeist.

01:49:48.420 --> 01:49:52.380
Suddenly, the leader feels a hot breath on
his neck, and a whisper right into his ear.

01:49:52.920 --> 01:49:56.100
“You shouldn’t have come here…” it
hisses.

01:49:56.100 --> 01:49:59.580
He turns, screams, and fires once into the
dark.

01:49:59.580 --> 01:50:00.540
Nothing.

01:50:00.540 --> 01:50:03.420
A strange, tinny giggle suddenly loops around
him.

01:50:03.420 --> 01:50:05.760
It’s everywhere and nowhere.

01:50:05.760 --> 01:50:08.700
He can hear footsteps, but where are they
coming from?

01:50:08.700 --> 01:50:11.520
They’re simultaneously getting further,
and getting closer--

01:50:11.520 --> 01:50:16.080
An unseen fist collides with his jaw, harder
than he’s been hit in a long time.

01:50:16.080 --> 01:50:20.640
He stumbles, looking around for the assailant,
panting like a prizefighter in the championship

01:50:20.640 --> 01:50:21.420
rounds.

01:50:21.420 --> 01:50:22.560
But there’s nothing there.

01:50:22.560 --> 01:50:23.400
There’s nothing--

01:50:23.400 --> 01:50:24.300
Crack!

01:50:24.300 --> 01:50:25.920
It strikes the other side of his face.

01:50:25.920 --> 01:50:27.420
Another giggle from the dark.

01:50:27.420 --> 01:50:29.940
He spits a tooth out as his mouth bleeds.

01:50:29.940 --> 01:50:33.660
Not knowing what else to do, he extends his
arm and fires desperately.

01:50:33.660 --> 01:50:35.040
Maybe he’ll get lucky.

01:50:35.040 --> 01:50:36.480
Or maybe not.

01:50:36.480 --> 01:50:41.700
A force wraps itself around his extended arm
and pulls on it with a sudden, immense pressure.

01:50:41.700 --> 01:50:45.900
It snaps before he has the chance to scream,
his arm bending at the joint in the wrong

01:50:45.900 --> 01:50:46.140
direction.

01:50:46.140 --> 01:50:49.740
He lets out an agonized cry as he drops his
gun to the ground.

01:50:49.740 --> 01:50:54.540
But that scream is cut off when he takes a
punch to the solar plexus, sapping the wind

01:50:54.540 --> 01:51:00.060
from him as he spews out a thin mist of blood
the settles onto the shape of… a woman’s

01:51:00.060 --> 01:51:02.040
face, staring right at him, grinning.

01:51:02.040 --> 01:51:04.560
His terror and pain overcome him.

01:51:04.560 --> 01:51:07.560
His mind snaps and he faints 
from panic, collapsing 

01:51:07.560 --> 01:51:08.700
to the ground in a heap.

01:51:09.240 --> 01:51:13.800
His jacket opens as invisible fingers work
a handkerchief from an inside pocket and wipe

01:51:13.800 --> 01:51:17.400
the blood from the floating face, leaving
only a floating, bloody handkerchief.

01:51:18.060 --> 01:51:22.140
The man on the ground, the one who was brought
here against his will, watches astonished

01:51:22.140 --> 01:51:24.960
and speechless, as the handkerchief flutters
down to the ground.

01:51:24.960 --> 01:51:30.060
All he can do is stare in amazement as the
leader’s arm flops limply upright, as the

01:51:30.060 --> 01:51:35.400
gold watch around his wrist unclasps itself
and floats into the air and then, with a strange

01:51:35.400 --> 01:51:37.800
gulping noise, disappears entirely.

01:51:38.400 --> 01:51:42.960
Footsteps creak across the ground, the front
door opens, then closes again, leaving the

01:51:42.960 --> 01:51:46.320
terrified man in silence, lying on the floor
between two bodies.

01:51:46.320 --> 01:51:50.220
After a time, he finally gains the courage
to stand up.

01:51:50.220 --> 01:51:53.520
He creeps nervously towards the front door
and opens it.

01:51:53.520 --> 01:51:57.720
There’s no one outside, not that he could
see whatever assailant just took out the group

01:51:57.720 --> 01:51:58.380
of men anyway.

01:51:58.380 --> 01:52:03.840
With one last look back into the dark house
he steps out and closes the door behind him.

01:52:03.840 --> 01:52:09.900
He’s free, and no matter how hard he tries,
he will never understand the true nature of

01:52:09.900 --> 01:52:12.780
the invisible specter that just saved his
life.

01:52:13.440 --> 01:52:17.460
But while none of the men will never know
what they encountered that night, the SCP

01:52:17.460 --> 01:52:23.100
Foundation certainly does, because these are
the kind of antics you can expect from SCP-347,

01:52:23.100 --> 01:52:25.980
also known by the somewhat obvious nickname
of…

01:52:25.980 --> 01:52:31.560
The Invisible Woman, but she has another name,
her own self-chosen epithet…

01:52:31.560 --> 01:52:32.220
Claudia.

01:52:32.220 --> 01:52:37.200
Foundation staff are currently unsure whether
this is the “real” name of the SCP-347

01:52:37.200 --> 01:52:42.060
entity, or a pseudonymized reference to Claude
Rains, the English actor who portrayed Dr.

01:52:42.060 --> 01:52:45.240
Jack Griffin in the 1933 film “The Invisible
Man.”

01:52:45.240 --> 01:52:49.740
Of course, nothing is really as it seems when
it comes to this particular anomaly.

01:52:49.740 --> 01:52:54.360
Though it’s easy to be more than what meets
the eye when nothing meets the eye at all…

01:52:54.360 --> 01:52:59.400
Claudia - as I will refer to her both out
of respect for her chosen name as well as

01:52:59.400 --> 01:53:04.680
for the sake of simplicity - is 164 centimeters
in height and 55 kilograms in weight.

01:53:04.680 --> 01:53:09.000
And That’s really all that is known for
sure about her, because her primary anomalous

01:53:09.000 --> 01:53:12.900
trait is, of course, that she is completely
and utterly invisible.

01:53:13.620 --> 01:53:17.880
Although she seems to possess them like an
average human, all parts of her body including

01:53:17.880 --> 01:53:21.660
blood and hair will remain invisible, even
if removed from her body.

01:53:21.660 --> 01:53:26.220
It seems that only saliva and bodily waste
become visible when separated from her body

01:53:26.220 --> 01:53:28.980
- as a number of disgruntled, 
mop-and-bucket-wielding 

01:53:28.980 --> 01:53:30.600
D-Classes are more than aware.

01:53:31.200 --> 01:53:35.880
Claudia is able to see through what also be
anomalous means, since in typical humans,

01:53:35.880 --> 01:53:40.860
the cones and rods of the eyes must be visible
for them to receive light and thus see.

01:53:41.520 --> 01:53:46.260
Research is ongoing as to how exactly this
is possible, as well as what it could potentially

01:53:46.260 --> 01:53:48.300
provide for active camouflage technology.

01:53:49.020 --> 01:53:53.640
By her own description - which, due to her
skittish and crafty personality, must be taken

01:53:53.640 --> 01:53:59.160
with a grain of salt - Claudia is a mixed-race
woman between the ages of 19 and 25, with

01:53:59.160 --> 01:54:00.780
brown eyes and wavy black hair.

01:54:01.560 --> 01:54:06.360
She appears to have no anomalous traits other
than her invisibility, no super strength or

01:54:06.360 --> 01:54:07.800
speed, no ability to fly.

01:54:07.800 --> 01:54:12.000
However what she does have, is a very particular
set of skills.

01:54:12.000 --> 01:54:16.440
Skills that make her a nightmare to anyone
wishing to keep her under lock and key - like

01:54:16.440 --> 01:54:18.540
for example, the SCP Foundation.

01:54:18.540 --> 01:54:23.220
The Foundation quickly learned that Claudia
is an accomplished escape and infiltration

01:54:23.220 --> 01:54:25.800
artist, with the lockpicking skills of a veteran
thief.

01:54:25.800 --> 01:54:30.120
She’s able to move while making very little
noise, which complements her natural stealth

01:54:30.120 --> 01:54:34.440
advantages perfectly, allowing her to get
in and out of secured areas easily.

01:54:34.980 --> 01:54:39.900
These are skills she’s developed not only
to survive, but to support certain psychological

01:54:39.900 --> 01:54:41.400
dependencies she suffers from.

01:54:41.400 --> 01:54:45.900
While Foundation psychologists have posited
a number of mental conditions that could be

01:54:45.900 --> 01:54:50.640
affecting Claudia, two seem to have risen
to prominence: Kleptomania and Pica.

01:54:51.480 --> 01:54:56.160
Claudia appears to be compulsively driven
to steal as a kind of psychological crutch.

01:54:56.160 --> 01:54:58.800
Being invisible, naturally, 
makes her an impeccable 

01:54:58.800 --> 01:55:01.560
thief, however, when she has obtained the

01:55:01.560 --> 01:55:05.940
item of her desire, said item floating through
the air is likely to draw unwanted attention.

01:55:05.940 --> 01:55:09.540
That is where her second strange habit comes
in.

01:55:09.540 --> 01:55:14.520
Pica is an eating disorder that causes sufferers
to consume items that are not food, sometimes

01:55:14.520 --> 01:55:16.080
damaging themselves in the process.

01:55:16.860 --> 01:55:21.300
Claudia has developed the unhealthy habit
of swallowing some of the smaller items she

01:55:21.300 --> 01:55:26.040
steals, causing them to seemingly disappear,
until she later vomits the items back up.

01:55:26.700 --> 01:55:30.780
When interviewed on the matter, Claudia stated
that she’d gotten the idea from watching

01:55:30.780 --> 01:55:33.240
Stevie Starr perform on a late-night television
show.

01:55:33.240 --> 01:55:38.520
Starr is a Scottish performer known for his
ability to swallow and regurgitate items - Though

01:55:38.520 --> 01:55:42.960
Starr’s ability doesn’t extend far enough
to meet the Foundation’s threshold for anomalous.

01:55:43.560 --> 01:55:47.340
Before she was brought into containment, Claudia
had a preference for abandoned houses.

01:55:47.340 --> 01:55:50.100
The home where Foundation 
Agents finally discovered 

01:55:50.100 --> 01:55:52.500
her was one with a long history of reported

01:55:52.500 --> 01:55:53.520
poltergeist activity.

01:55:54.120 --> 01:55:58.920
As is standard in instances where spectral
phenomena were suspected, the Foundation moved

01:55:58.920 --> 01:56:03.120
in with infrared cameras, allowing them to
quickly detect the humanoid shape of Claudia

01:56:03.120 --> 01:56:04.680
and move in to intercept her.

01:56:05.340 --> 01:56:10.140
Without the advantage of her invisibility,
she had no chance of either evading or besting

01:56:10.140 --> 01:56:12.000
trained Foundation operatives in combat.

01:56:12.660 --> 01:56:16.380
Thankfully, it didn’t need to come to that
and after a brief period of deliberation,

01:56:16.380 --> 01:56:21.000
Claudia gave herself up to the Foundation
willingly in exchange for shelter and warm

01:56:21.000 --> 01:56:23.760
meals, both of which would be provided for
her in containment.

01:56:24.420 --> 01:56:28.860
Prior to this, it’s believed that she was
effectively homeless for years, and had been

01:56:28.860 --> 01:56:30.600
making ends meet in any way she could.

01:56:30.600 --> 01:56:35.100
She refuses to discuss her past directly,
though a long string of “ghost activity”

01:56:35.100 --> 01:56:39.360
across the area and at least two deaths have
been solidly linked to her activities.

01:56:40.140 --> 01:56:45.240
Being unseen for years of her life has taken
an undeniable mental toll on Claudia, the

01:56:45.240 --> 01:56:48.960
isolation leading to instability and even
violent outbursts on occasion.

01:56:48.960 --> 01:56:53.580
Thankfully, she has responded well to treatment
from Foundation counselors and psychiatrists,

01:56:53.580 --> 01:56:57.300
which has reduced the frequency of these violent
outbursts significantly.

01:56:58.020 --> 01:57:02.520
As she recovers further from her traumatic
past, there is hope that Claudia may even

01:57:02.520 --> 01:57:07.020
begin to recover from her kleptomaniac tendencies
altogether, allowing her to live a normal,

01:57:07.020 --> 01:57:08.220
well-adjusted life.

01:57:08.220 --> 01:57:12.000
Or as much as one can hope to live while still
remaining invisible.

01:57:12.660 --> 01:57:14.400
There’s even more good news though.

01:57:14.400 --> 01:57:18.840
Since entering containment and undergoing
recovery, Claudia has become much more social.

01:57:18.840 --> 01:57:22.980
She enjoys interacting with other people,
especially when they treat her as though she’s

01:57:22.980 --> 01:57:25.140
an average person, and some of her actions 

01:57:25.140 --> 01:57:27.780
have even been described as 
bordering on flirtatious.

01:57:28.620 --> 01:57:33.060
She enjoys interacting physically with people,
and often plays impish pranks on the unsuspecting

01:57:33.060 --> 01:57:37.500
people sent into her chamber - Such as rearranging
or taking items to confuse them.

01:57:38.400 --> 01:57:43.560
She also shows for unknown reasons a particular
fondness for interacting with people as they

01:57:43.560 --> 01:57:47.940
sleep, often touching and stroking them, though
it may have been one of the only ways she

01:57:47.940 --> 01:57:51.300
was able to have human contact prior to entering
Foundation custody.

01:57:52.020 --> 01:57:56.640
While she describes this as feeling “right”,
those who experience it from the other side

01:57:56.640 --> 01:58:00.420
describe it as feeling “unnerving”, as
though they’ve been touched by a ghost.

01:58:01.200 --> 01:58:03.360
Naturally, due to being an intelligent escape 

01:58:03.360 --> 01:58:05.700
artist that is impossible 
to see through conventional

01:58:05.700 --> 01:58:10.080
means, Foundation Containment Specialists
have needed to go all out on her containment

01:58:10.080 --> 01:58:14.040
measures - Both to keep her contained and
to keep her comfortable enough that she has

01:58:14.040 --> 01:58:15.900
no desire to attempt a containment breach.

01:58:16.620 --> 01:58:22.380
She is kept in a 5m x 5m room in Site 17,
constantly monitored by a remote infrared

01:58:22.380 --> 01:58:27.420
camera, and in addition to infrared detection
systems, Claudia is also visible in ultraviolet

01:58:27.420 --> 01:58:30.480
light, expanding the Foundation’s means
of seeing her.

01:58:30.480 --> 01:58:35.340
Her room has an en suite bathroom with a shower
and bathtub, and is furnished with a queen-sized

01:58:35.340 --> 01:58:40.260
bed, several oversized bean bag chairs, two
armchairs, a desk and swivel chair, several

01:58:40.260 --> 01:58:43.020
bookcases, and a TV with a DVD player.

01:58:43.020 --> 01:58:47.580
The bookcases are filled with various books,
primarily adventure novels, harlequin romances,

01:58:47.580 --> 01:58:48.480
and art books.

01:58:48.480 --> 01:58:53.400
She is allowed DVDs of various movies and
TV shows predating her arrival at the SCP

01:58:53.400 --> 01:58:56.940
facility and may request new material to be
reviewed every so often.

01:58:57.660 --> 01:59:02.160
Claudia is given access to any clothes she
pleases, though she often prefers to remain

01:59:02.160 --> 01:59:04.800
unclothed to take advantage 
of her full invisibility.

01:59:04.800 --> 01:59:08.880
She does, on occasion, wear wigs and makeup
for her own amusement.

01:59:08.880 --> 01:59:14.160
Her room must remain locked at all times when
she is inside it, and two guards are required

01:59:14.160 --> 01:59:16.500
to check the door for any signs of tampering
every hour.

01:59:17.220 --> 01:59:21.060
The door is only unlocked to allow staff members
in and out of the containment chamber for

01:59:21.060 --> 01:59:22.740
the purposes of research and enrichment.

01:59:22.740 --> 01:59:27.180
Claudia enjoys chatting with staff members
who bring her food, though said staff members

01:59:27.180 --> 01:59:31.140
are discouraged from forming attachments that
are too close to Claudia, as it may allow

01:59:31.140 --> 01:59:34.800
her to manipulate them into helping her escape
or gain special privileges.

01:59:35.460 --> 01:59:39.780
On the rare occasions when Claudia is allowed
to leave the room, she is mandated to wear

01:59:39.780 --> 01:59:44.220
gloves and a layer of greasepaint over her
face to give personnel awareness of her hands

01:59:44.220 --> 01:59:45.180
and facial expressions.

01:59:45.180 --> 01:59:50.640
If she does attempt violent action or escape,
she must be apprehended immediately and placed

01:59:50.640 --> 01:59:51.480
back into her room.

01:59:52.200 --> 01:59:56.760
In the event of an escape, infrared goggles
will be distributed to all personnel, and

01:59:56.760 --> 01:59:59.580
any strange phenomena around Site 17 will
be reported.

01:59:59.580 --> 02:00:04.560
Thankfully, escape attempts are quite infrequent,
and while she currently has the Euclid Object

02:00:04.560 --> 02:00:09.000
Class, pending further therapy, her containment
class may be upgraded to Safe Class.

02:00:09.840 --> 02:00:14.100
Of course, the Foundation keeps any containment
breaches close to the chest, and if there

02:00:14.100 --> 02:00:16.800
was a recent containment breach, you’d have
no way of knowing.

02:00:16.800 --> 02:00:19.620
For all you know, she could be watching you
right now.

02:00:20.220 --> 02:00:24.900
So sleep tight, and if you feel someone stroking
your hair in the night, be sure to check up

02:00:24.900 --> 02:00:26.220
on your valuables in the morning.

02:00:27.060 --> 02:00:31.260
Everyone in this school knows to step aside
when the goth girl is on the move.

02:00:32.100 --> 02:00:37.140
She strides down the school hallway, confident
that no one will challenge her as the undisputed

02:00:37.140 --> 02:00:38.340
ruler of this high school.

02:00:38.340 --> 02:00:43.200
It’s not just her dark wardrobe or her black
nails and eyeliner that intimidate the other

02:00:43.200 --> 02:00:47.160
students – her domineering attitude and
sharp tongue make her feared.

02:00:47.820 --> 02:00:52.140
She brushes past a gaggle of underclassmen,
who wilt under her devastating gaze.

02:00:53.040 --> 02:00:56.760
“Beat it, dorks,” she hisses, jerking
her head to indicate that they should get

02:00:56.760 --> 02:00:57.300
out of her way.

02:00:57.300 --> 02:01:01.860
The other students disperse instantly, afraid
to chance really getting an earful.

02:01:02.580 --> 02:01:06.480
Her terrible reputation means that no one
ever makes trouble for the goth girl.

02:01:06.480 --> 02:01:09.240
But it’s more than just her attitude that
keeps her on top.

02:01:09.240 --> 02:01:12.000
It’s also all those rumors around her.

02:01:12.000 --> 02:01:16.680
The rumors started last year, just after a
new transfer student arrived in their school.

02:01:16.680 --> 02:01:21.180
She was a younger classman, who shared the
goth girl’s same dark fashion sense and

02:01:21.180 --> 02:01:21.780
sensibilities.

02:01:21.780 --> 02:01:26.340
Students even saw the younger girl occasionally
hanging out with the school’s resident goth

02:01:26.340 --> 02:01:26.580
population.

02:01:26.580 --> 02:01:30.360
But it was no secret that the goth girl didn’t
like her.

02:01:30.360 --> 02:01:35.280
Maybe she felt like this younger girl was
homing in on her territory or even angling

02:01:35.280 --> 02:01:37.140
to take her place among the goth crew.

02:01:37.140 --> 02:01:41.700
Whatever the case, other students couldn’t
help but notice how the goth girl’s lip

02:01:41.700 --> 02:01:45.840
quivered or her eyes flashed whenever the
younger girl tried to worm her way into the

02:01:45.840 --> 02:01:46.860
goth gang’s meet-ups.

02:01:46.860 --> 02:01:50.820
Then, one day, the younger girl didn’t come
home from school.

02:01:50.820 --> 02:01:54.960
The younger girl’s parents reported her
missing and organized a whole search party.

02:01:54.960 --> 02:01:59.520
The police spent weeks tracking down every
lead, desperately looking for anything that

02:01:59.520 --> 02:02:02.880
might tell them what became of the missing
girl… but found nothing.

02:02:02.880 --> 02:02:06.720
Rumors spread around school that the goth
girl had something to do with it.

02:02:06.720 --> 02:02:09.780
After all, hadn’t the younger girl been
her biggest rival?

02:02:09.780 --> 02:02:11.820
Hadn’t she always hated the younger girl?

02:02:11.820 --> 02:02:15.900
And, if anyone at this school would have had
the chutzpah to actually do something sinister…

02:02:15.900 --> 02:02:17.940
it would be her, right?

02:02:17.940 --> 02:02:22.740
Despite all the gossip, though, no evidence
ever surfaced to link the goth girl to the

02:02:22.740 --> 02:02:23.280
disappearance.

02:02:23.280 --> 02:02:27.900
The police even interviewed her several times,
but she always denied knowing anything.

02:02:28.680 --> 02:02:31.620
“Yeah, I didn’t like that little brat,”
she said in the police interview.

02:02:31.620 --> 02:02:34.800
“She was always getting underfoot and thinking
that she could hang with us.

02:02:34.800 --> 02:02:36.780
But that doesn’t mean that I did anything
to her.

02:02:36.780 --> 02:02:39.840
I mean, it’s not like I would have REALLY
wanted to hurt her!”

02:02:40.380 --> 02:02:44.580
The goth girl concluded her statement with
a knowing smirk, as if she was pleased with

02:02:44.580 --> 02:02:46.020
herself for getting away with murder.

02:02:46.620 --> 02:02:51.840
But you can’t build a case out of a smirk,
so even if the police suspected anything they

02:02:51.840 --> 02:02:53.100
were forced to let her go.

02:02:53.100 --> 02:02:55.680
Eventually, life at school returned to normal.

02:02:55.680 --> 02:03:00.240
Other than a few fading missing child posters
still fixed to telephone poles around town,

02:03:00.240 --> 02:03:03.360
most students eventually forgot about their
missing classmate.

02:03:03.360 --> 02:03:06.480
But the goth girl’s fearsome reputation
persisted.

02:03:07.020 --> 02:03:11.100
Could she have actually had something to do
with that younger girl’s mysterious disappearance?

02:03:11.100 --> 02:03:15.060
Now that other students thought she might
have actually killed someone, they naturally

02:03:15.060 --> 02:03:16.560
found her even more intimidating.

02:03:17.220 --> 02:03:18.840
The goth girl didn’t mind, though.

02:03:18.840 --> 02:03:22.980
After all, she already thought most of the
other students were normie losers, anyway,

02:03:22.980 --> 02:03:25.320
so she liked that they gave her a wide berth.

02:03:25.320 --> 02:03:29.940
The goth girl walks toward the end of the
hallway, pushing open a designated fire exit

02:03:29.940 --> 02:03:31.380
door and slipping out behind the school.

02:03:32.400 --> 02:03:35.340
Today, the other goths are hanging out behind
the school building.

02:03:35.340 --> 02:03:37.800
They nod curtly as the goth girl joins them.

02:03:39.060 --> 02:03:42.960
“What’s going on, losers,” she says,
adopting an aura of bored detachment.

02:03:43.620 --> 02:03:47.040
“I was just telling them that there’s
this haunted game you can download,” says

02:03:47.040 --> 02:03:47.580
the goth boy.

02:03:47.580 --> 02:03:48.660
“It’s all messed up.

02:03:48.660 --> 02:03:52.920
Like, the game knows all your worst secrets,
and the more you play, the more it taunts

02:03:52.920 --> 02:03:53.040
you.

02:03:53.040 --> 02:03:55.680
Then, when you finish, you just disappear.”

02:03:55.680 --> 02:03:57.900
The other goths snicker at the story.

02:03:57.900 --> 02:04:02.640
None of them really believe it, but it makes
for a fun spooky tale to help set the atmosphere

02:04:02.640 --> 02:04:03.660
as the sun sets.

02:04:03.660 --> 02:04:08.220
But one girl is more skeptical than the rest,
to the point that she’s almost insulted

02:04:08.220 --> 02:04:10.380
by how obviously fake this story is.

02:04:10.380 --> 02:04:13.440
“What do you mean, you just disappear?”
asks the girl.

02:04:13.440 --> 02:04:14.640
The boy shrugs.

02:04:14.640 --> 02:04:15.420
“I dunno.

02:04:15.420 --> 02:04:17.340
I just know that no one ever sees them again.”

02:04:17.340 --> 02:04:20.100
“I don’t believe that at all,” say the
goth girl.

02:04:20.100 --> 02:04:21.240
“That sounds made up.”

02:04:21.780 --> 02:04:23.160
“No, no,” says the boy.

02:04:23.160 --> 02:04:24.840
“It’s 100% real.

02:04:24.840 --> 02:04:26.100
It’s called ‘The Book of Tamlin.’

02:04:26.700 --> 02:04:28.320
“Okay, sure, whatever you say.

02:04:28.320 --> 02:04:30.180
And who exactly is Tamlin?”

02:04:30.840 --> 02:04:31.860
The boy shrugs.

02:04:31.860 --> 02:04:32.580
“I don’t know.

02:04:32.580 --> 02:04:35.100
Clearly, I haven’t played it, since I’m
still here.”

02:04:35.100 --> 02:04:36.840
The girl rolls her eyes.

02:04:36.840 --> 02:04:37.980
“That’s ridiculous.

02:04:37.980 --> 02:04:39.000
I’ll show you right now.”

02:04:39.600 --> 02:04:43.020
She whips her cellphone out of her backpack
and starts to thumb through the app store

02:04:43.020 --> 02:04:45.600
until she sees it: The Book of Tamlin.

02:04:45.600 --> 02:04:47.220
It’s right there in the store?

02:04:47.220 --> 02:04:49.980
That just makes this whole story seem even
sillier.

02:04:50.520 --> 02:04:55.560
She would expect that, if there were a real
haunted app, it would only be accessible via

02:04:55.560 --> 02:04:59.760
the dark web or maybe a strange glitch that
randomly installed it into doomed victims’

02:04:59.760 --> 02:05:00.120
phones.

02:05:00.120 --> 02:05:02.700
But it’s right here, for anyone to download!

02:05:02.700 --> 02:05:07.200
With a skeptical smirk on her face, she punches
the button to begin the installation.

02:05:07.860 --> 02:05:10.260
“It’s right here in the app store,”
says the goth girl.

02:05:10.260 --> 02:05:11.820
“Any of you chickens gonna play?”

02:05:12.420 --> 02:05:14.520
The other goths eye each other nervously.

02:05:14.520 --> 02:05:19.080
Sure, they were all pretty quick to dismiss
the ominous story about this weird game before.

02:05:20.520 --> 02:05:24.780
But now that their friend is challenging them
to actually play it, they don’t feel quite

02:05:24.780 --> 02:05:25.500
so confident.

02:05:25.500 --> 02:05:27.900
The goth girl snorts derisively.

02:05:27.900 --> 02:05:30.480
She wonders why she bothers hanging out with
these poseurs.

02:05:31.200 --> 02:05:34.860
They’re the closest thing that she has to
friends, since so few other students even

02:05:34.860 --> 02:05:35.760
dare approach her…

02:05:35.760 --> 02:05:39.300
But what does a bossy prima donna like her
really need with friends anyway?

02:05:40.200 --> 02:05:44.280
She watches as the game loads up the intros
screen and then gameplay begins.

02:05:44.280 --> 02:05:45.600
She snorts again.

02:05:45.600 --> 02:05:50.160
The Book of Tamlin appears to be a hidden
object game, where the point is to discover

02:05:50.160 --> 02:05:52.380
various objects hidden in a larger image.

02:05:52.380 --> 02:05:54.840
This is baby stuff, thinks the goth girl.

02:05:55.680 --> 02:06:00.240
“Find the 10 black cats in the cemetery,”
instructs the game as it pulls up a cartoony

02:06:00.240 --> 02:06:01.260
image of a graveyard.

02:06:01.260 --> 02:06:05.580
The goth girl’s finger hovers over the screen,
and she quickly taps it whenever she spots

02:06:05.580 --> 02:06:08.220
a black cat crouching behind one of the pixelated
tombstones.

02:06:08.220 --> 02:06:09.960
Is this supposed to be scary?

02:06:09.960 --> 02:06:13.980
The screen fades, and an empty room with a
pair of doors fades in.

02:06:13.980 --> 02:06:17.820
The goth girl intuits that she’s supposed
to pick one to advance to the next screen.

02:06:17.820 --> 02:06:20.640
Rolling her eyes, she selects the door on
the left.

02:06:20.640 --> 02:06:23.040
The next scene looks familiar.

02:06:23.700 --> 02:06:24.720
Too familiar.

02:06:24.720 --> 02:06:25.800
It’s a bedroom…

02:06:25.800 --> 02:06:27.840
her bedroom, in fact!

02:06:27.840 --> 02:06:31.380
She recognizes the dark décor and the black
clothing thrown on the floor.

02:06:31.380 --> 02:06:33.420
She narrows her eyes suspiciously.

02:06:34.260 --> 02:06:36.540
Surely that’s just a crazy coincidence,
right?

02:06:36.540 --> 02:06:40.560
She eyes the other goths, but they don’t
give any indication that they were expecting

02:06:40.560 --> 02:06:41.100
this twist.

02:06:41.100 --> 02:06:42.900
Are they playing a trick on her?

02:06:42.900 --> 02:06:44.760
‘Find the outfits that make your parents 

02:06:44.760 --> 02:06:47.100
ashamed to be seen with 
you,‘ says the instructions.

02:06:47.100 --> 02:06:48.360
She grits her teeth.

02:06:48.360 --> 02:06:51.000
What’s the deal with this stupid program
insulting her?

02:06:51.000 --> 02:06:55.380
She knows that her parents don’t exactly
approve of her fashion choices, but this stupid

02:06:55.380 --> 02:06:56.340
game can’t know that.

02:06:56.340 --> 02:07:00.180
It’s probably just guessing that any young
person who plays the game will probably have

02:07:00.180 --> 02:07:02.100
had quarrels with their parents about the
way they dress.

02:07:02.100 --> 02:07:03.720
That’s pretty normal, right?

02:07:04.320 --> 02:07:06.900
Again, the empty room with the two doors appears.

02:07:06.900 --> 02:07:09.780
This time, the goth girl chooses the one on
the right.

02:07:09.780 --> 02:07:14.160
The next screen after that is a picture of
a pretty garden, and the instructions say

02:07:14.160 --> 02:07:15.480
to pick out ten pretty flowers.

02:07:15.480 --> 02:07:19.260
The next is a barnyard with instructions to
find five cows.

02:07:19.260 --> 02:07:20.820
The goth girl starts to relax.

02:07:20.820 --> 02:07:24.360
That weird screen with her room must have
just been a fluke.

02:07:24.360 --> 02:07:27.000
Otherwise, this game seems pretty mundane.

02:07:27.660 --> 02:07:31.620
But the next screen makes the goth girl’s
face go as white as a sheet.

02:07:31.620 --> 02:07:35.100
Her eyes bug out of her head and sweats starts
to bead on her forehead.

02:07:35.100 --> 02:07:36.060
No.

02:07:36.060 --> 02:07:37.080
No way.

02:07:37.080 --> 02:07:39.480
There’s no way that this next screen could
be real!

02:07:39.480 --> 02:07:42.540
The image that appears is familiar to her.

02:07:42.540 --> 02:07:44.160
It’s a real-life place.

02:07:44.160 --> 02:07:46.620
She knows because she’s been there.

02:07:46.620 --> 02:07:50.520
It’s an image of a particular ravine, deep
in the local woods.

02:07:50.520 --> 02:07:54.960
People sometimes throw old garbage down there,
so it’s full of old washing machines and

02:07:54.960 --> 02:07:55.740
wrecked cars.

02:07:55.740 --> 02:08:01.260
Years ago, an old oak tree fell across the
chasm, and now the dead log functions as a

02:08:01.260 --> 02:08:01.920
makeshift bridge.

02:08:01.920 --> 02:08:04.560
Sometimes kids dare one another to cross it.

02:08:05.160 --> 02:08:09.840
The instructions read: ‘Find the girl who
wanted to be part of your club.’

02:08:09.840 --> 02:08:13.740
The goth girl doesn’t need to search the
image to know what she’ll find.

02:08:13.740 --> 02:08:18.780
She knows, deep in her heart, that the hidden
object that she’s being instructed to find

02:08:18.780 --> 02:08:23.880
will be a broken body lying at the bottom
of the ditch, half hidden under old blankets

02:08:23.880 --> 02:08:24.480
and debris.

02:08:25.140 --> 02:08:26.520
How could this game know?

02:08:26.520 --> 02:08:28.020
She was so careful.

02:08:28.020 --> 02:08:32.280
She remembers last school year when that younger
girl kept trying to usurp her place in her

02:08:32.280 --> 02:08:32.580
clique.

02:08:32.580 --> 02:08:33.900
It made her so mad!

02:08:33.900 --> 02:08:37.680
But that younger girl seemed to look up to
her, to think of her as the leader of the

02:08:37.680 --> 02:08:40.860
group and the one who she needed to impress
in order to be accepted.

02:08:42.000 --> 02:08:42.960
That was good.

02:08:42.960 --> 02:08:45.420
The goth girl knew she could use that to her
advantage.

02:08:46.200 --> 02:08:49.500
She told the younger girl to meet her in the
woods, by the old ravine, late at night.

02:08:49.500 --> 02:08:54.240
Of course, it was nothing sinister, it was
just for a little initiation test to prove

02:08:54.240 --> 02:08:56.580
that the younger girl could take her place
as part of their gang.

02:08:56.580 --> 02:08:59.700
The younger girl was only too excited for
her test!

02:08:59.700 --> 02:09:04.200
The goth girl was waiting at the ravine when
her younger rival finally arrived.

02:09:04.860 --> 02:09:07.140
“I came as fast as I could,” said the
younger girl.

02:09:07.140 --> 02:09:08.340
“What do you need me to do?”

02:09:09.000 --> 02:09:12.120
“Listen, I see how you want to hang out
with us,” said the goth girl.

02:09:12.120 --> 02:09:14.820
“But you have to prove yourself if you want
to be part of our group.

02:09:14.820 --> 02:09:18.600
But you have to understand, us goths, we embrace
the darkness.

02:09:18.600 --> 02:09:20.160
We’re not scared of the void.

02:09:20.160 --> 02:09:23.880
We only take the coolest and the bravest,
the kids who aren’t afraid of death.

02:09:23.880 --> 02:09:26.820
So you have to show me that you’re willing
to look eternity in the eye.

02:09:26.820 --> 02:09:31.140
All you have to do to join us is to cross
this ravine over that log over there.”

02:09:31.740 --> 02:09:33.240
She pointed at the fallen log.

02:09:33.240 --> 02:09:36.180
The younger girl looked frightened, but she
nodded.

02:09:36.180 --> 02:09:40.800
The goth girl half-expected her to turn tail
and run home, but she was surprised to see

02:09:40.800 --> 02:09:42.420
her rival make her way toward the log.

02:09:43.140 --> 02:09:46.260
Maybe she wasn’t as much of a poseur as
the goth girl thought!

02:09:46.920 --> 02:09:51.840
The goth girl didn’t mean for anything bad
to happen, she really only wanted to scare

02:09:51.840 --> 02:09:52.560
the younger girl.

02:09:52.560 --> 02:09:55.560
Maybe she could freak her out enough that
she wouldn’t want to hang out with them

02:09:55.560 --> 02:09:58.020
anymore, and then she wouldn’t have to deal
with that little pest anymore!

02:09:58.860 --> 02:10:03.180
The younger girl clambers up atop the log
and slowly starts walking across the deep

02:10:03.180 --> 02:10:05.880
gorge, carefully placing one foot in front
of the other.

02:10:06.540 --> 02:10:10.500
But the peeling bark of the old log is more
slippery than it looks, and it’s hard to

02:10:10.500 --> 02:10:11.460
keep her footing in the dark.

02:10:11.460 --> 02:10:16.260
The younger girl makes it almost halfway across
the ravine before she loses her footing.

02:10:16.260 --> 02:10:20.940
With a yelp, she lurches to the side and falls
down the slope, tumbling head over heels,

02:10:20.940 --> 02:10:23.460
and landing amongst the garbage with a sickening
crunch.

02:10:23.460 --> 02:10:25.140
The goth girl screamed in shock.

02:10:25.140 --> 02:10:29.400
She stared down in the ravine, seeing the
younger girl lying still at the bottom, her

02:10:29.400 --> 02:10:31.200
neck bent at an impossible angle.

02:10:31.200 --> 02:10:34.440
It was obvious that the fall had killed her
instantly.

02:10:35.220 --> 02:10:36.780
The goth girl knew she was in trouble.

02:10:37.440 --> 02:10:38.520
Or was she?

02:10:38.520 --> 02:10:43.080
Nobody knew she was out here, nobody knew
that she’d asked the younger girl to meet

02:10:43.080 --> 02:10:43.440
her here.

02:10:43.440 --> 02:10:47.460
All she had to do was keep her mouth shut
and nobody could pin this on her.

02:10:47.460 --> 02:10:48.840
The plan worked.

02:10:48.840 --> 02:10:53.340
She worked out her alibi and stuck to it during
all the police interviews, never deviating,

02:10:53.340 --> 02:10:55.380
practicing her story until it sounded natural.

02:10:56.100 --> 02:11:00.120
The cops fell for it, clearing her as a suspect
before moving on in their investigation.

02:11:01.020 --> 02:11:03.660
For a whole year, she had carried this terrible
secret.

02:11:04.320 --> 02:11:06.000
Of course, it got easier over time.

02:11:06.000 --> 02:11:10.020
She gradually convinced herself that the whole
thing was a terrible accident, it couldn’t

02:11:10.020 --> 02:11:12.000
have been prevented, she had nothing to feel
guilty about.

02:11:12.960 --> 02:11:16.380
And yet somehow, this game knew!

02:11:16.380 --> 02:11:18.600
This game knew exactly what she had done!

02:11:19.320 --> 02:11:22.020
The phone slips from her palsied fingers and
drops to the ground.

02:11:22.020 --> 02:11:24.360
The other goths look at her in confusion.

02:11:24.360 --> 02:11:27.420
They’ve never seen their leader in such
a state of terror.

02:11:27.420 --> 02:11:29.040
What could have spooked her so bad?

02:11:29.640 --> 02:11:31.920
“Which of you made this dumb game?” she
snaps.

02:11:31.920 --> 02:11:33.420
“It must have been one of you… fess up!”

02:11:33.420 --> 02:11:37.200
“We don’t know what you’re talking about,”
says the goth boy, “I already told you,

02:11:37.200 --> 02:11:38.520
it’s supposed to be haunted and…”

02:11:38.520 --> 02:11:42.000
“I don’t know what you think you know,
but you don’t know anything!”

02:11:42.000 --> 02:11:44.640
shouts the goth girl, hysterical in her fear.

02:11:44.640 --> 02:11:45.900
Has she been found out?

02:11:45.900 --> 02:11:50.700
Was this entire game just an elaborate ruse
to trick her into confessing her guilt?

02:11:51.240 --> 02:11:53.040
Well, she’s not going to fall for it!

02:11:53.040 --> 02:11:56.520
She’s still the queen boss of this school
and if any of these losers think that they

02:11:56.520 --> 02:11:59.760
can knock her off her perch with a silly game…
they’re dead wrong!

02:11:59.760 --> 02:12:02.040
“What do you mean ‘we don’t know anything?’”

02:12:02.040 --> 02:12:04.500
The other goths are murmuring amongst themselves.

02:12:04.500 --> 02:12:08.220
Of course, they’ve heard the rumors about
their leader as well, but they never really

02:12:08.220 --> 02:12:09.240
gave them much credence.

02:12:09.240 --> 02:12:12.540
She may be a little sharp, but that doesn’t
make her capable of murder.

02:12:13.320 --> 02:12:17.280
But the way that this game has freaked her
out so much is really beginning to make them

02:12:17.280 --> 02:12:17.520
wonder.

02:12:18.360 --> 02:12:22.920
The goth girl is frantic now, seeing her control
slip away as the other kids begin to mull

02:12:22.920 --> 02:12:23.520
the possibilities.

02:12:23.520 --> 02:12:25.080
She can’t believe this!

02:12:25.080 --> 02:12:28.800
She wonders, desperately, if someone was there
that night to see the whole terrible accident

02:12:28.800 --> 02:12:31.920
play out... or maybe she let something slip
without knowing…

02:12:31.920 --> 02:12:34.320
what other explanation could there possibly
be?

02:12:34.320 --> 02:12:35.520
“I’m out of here!

02:12:35.520 --> 02:12:36.060
Leave me alone!

02:12:36.060 --> 02:12:36.840
Don’t follow me!”

02:12:36.840 --> 02:12:38.400
she yells as she stomps away.

02:12:38.400 --> 02:12:42.960
The other goths don’t make any move to follow,
intimidated by the wrath of their leader.

02:12:42.960 --> 02:12:48.300
But when the goth girl throws open the door
to head back inside the school, she’s confronted

02:12:48.300 --> 02:12:49.560
with an unexpected sight.

02:12:50.220 --> 02:12:55.200
Instead of the long gray hallway, lined with
lockers, that she expected, she instead sees

02:12:55.200 --> 02:12:56.520
a single empty room.

02:12:57.120 --> 02:13:01.440
It couldn’t be, but it looks exactly like
the empty room from the game, the one that

02:13:01.440 --> 02:13:02.700
she glimpsed between levels.

02:13:03.480 --> 02:13:04.680
“This isn’t supposed to be here!”

02:13:04.680 --> 02:13:05.580
she cries.

02:13:05.580 --> 02:13:07.860
Behind her, the other goths stare in confusion.

02:13:07.860 --> 02:13:11.520
They too recognize the room from the game,
but they can’t figure out for the life of

02:13:11.520 --> 02:13:13.320
them how it’s managed to appear in real
life.

02:13:13.320 --> 02:13:14.460
What’s going on?

02:13:14.460 --> 02:13:16.620
Is her guilty mind playing tricks on her?

02:13:16.620 --> 02:13:20.760
No, that can’t be… the reaction of the
other goths shows that they see it too.

02:13:20.760 --> 02:13:25.500
She doesn’t think she can trust her senses,
but she also feels an overwhelming urge to

02:13:25.500 --> 02:13:26.760
step into that empty room.

02:13:26.760 --> 02:13:27.960
“Don’t go in!”

02:13:27.960 --> 02:13:30.000
calls the goth boy, but it’s too late.

02:13:30.000 --> 02:13:34.680
Internally her rational mind is screaming
at her to stay out, but she can’t control

02:13:34.680 --> 02:13:35.220
her feet.

02:13:36.000 --> 02:13:39.480
She steps inside and the door swings closed
behind her.

02:13:40.080 --> 02:13:43.860
The goth boy runs to the door and yanks it
open, hoping to help his terrified friend.

02:13:43.860 --> 02:13:48.780
But beyond the door he sees nothing but the
ordinary hallway that’s always there.

02:13:48.780 --> 02:13:51.900
The mysterious empty room is nowhere to be
seen.

02:13:51.900 --> 02:13:55.260
And the goth girl has completely vanished
with it.

02:13:55.980 --> 02:14:02.160
Not many people would say that SCP-1590, better
known as The Book of Tamlin, is any fun.

02:14:02.760 --> 02:14:08.700
SCP-1590 is a downloadable app SCP-1590 has
been designated as Euclid, and seven copies

02:14:08.700 --> 02:14:12.300
of the game are currently held by the foundation
in a containment locker for experimentation

02:14:12.300 --> 02:14:12.780
purposes.

02:14:12.780 --> 02:14:19.080
Whenever the foundation discovers new instances
of SCP-1590, information technicians initiate

02:14:19.080 --> 02:14:23.700
an immediate DDoS attack on the hosting server,
and an MTF is to be sent in to appropriate

02:14:23.700 --> 02:14:24.180
all hardware.

02:14:24.180 --> 02:14:28.860
Any systems that were able to download copies
of the game before the DDoS attack should

02:14:28.860 --> 02:14:33.420
be infected with the 'ComAmA' computer virus
to prevent unwitting innocents from playing

02:14:33.420 --> 02:14:33.780
the game.

02:14:33.780 --> 02:14:38.400
SCP-1590 is a one-kilobyte 
program, or 'application,' 

02:14:38.400 --> 02:14:40.380
designed for use with touch screen hardware

02:14:40.380 --> 02:14:41.520
such as tablets.

02:14:42.180 --> 02:14:50.100
Attempts to view SCP-1590's coding reveal
only the numbers 1 through 66,666 in numerical

02:14:50.100 --> 02:14:56.160
order, but on the front end, SCP-1590 plays
as a mostly ordinary video game in the hidden

02:14:56.160 --> 02:14:57.300
object puzzle genre.

02:14:57.300 --> 02:15:01.680
Like other hidden object puzzle games, the
player is given a list of objects that they

02:15:01.680 --> 02:15:03.840
must find in a scene within an allotted amount
of time.

02:15:03.840 --> 02:15:10.680
What makes SCP-1590 unusual, though, is that
as the game progresses, the scenes and hidden

02:15:10.680 --> 02:15:15.120
objects become more personal to the player
– often referencing traumatic or unsettling

02:15:15.120 --> 02:15:16.440
events from the player’s life.

02:15:16.440 --> 02:15:22.980
It is not known how SCP-1590 is able to gain
such intimate knowledge of a player, but since

02:15:22.980 --> 02:15:28.200
some players report that SCP-1590 seems privy
to personal secrets that have never been revealed

02:15:28.200 --> 02:15:32.640
to another person, it is unlikely that it’s
just due to very good research on the part

02:15:32.640 --> 02:15:33.600
of the game’s designers.

02:15:34.260 --> 02:15:39.600
The game always begins with the same dedication
screen, containing the message "To Joey, who

02:15:39.600 --> 02:15:40.440
taught me how to be cool.”

02:15:40.440 --> 02:15:45.180
The dedication continues, listing another
name who “who almost made it out."

02:15:45.180 --> 02:15:50.040
This second name changes with every play-through,
but is always the name of the previous person

02:15:50.040 --> 02:15:50.820
to play the game.

02:15:51.660 --> 02:15:56.220
The dedication screen is followed by an animated
cut scene, with a humanoid silhouette standing

02:15:56.220 --> 02:15:58.200
on the deck of what appears to be an oil tanker.

02:15:58.860 --> 02:16:02.280
The screen turns bright white, then returns
to the oil tanker.

02:16:02.280 --> 02:16:05.760
A yellow wall, larger than the ship, has been
added to the scene.

02:16:05.760 --> 02:16:10.200
The wall's appearance causes a wave to crash
over the ship, waving the humanoid overboard.

02:16:10.200 --> 02:16:15.840
The screen fills with bubbles, and the words
'The Book of Tamlin' and 'Start Game' appear

02:16:15.840 --> 02:16:16.920
overlaid on the bubbles.

02:16:17.640 --> 02:16:21.840
The significance of this animated sequence,
as well as the title ‘The Book of Tamlin,’

02:16:21.840 --> 02:16:23.580
if any, is currently unknown.

02:16:24.240 --> 02:16:28.620
When a player chooses 'Start Game,' the title
screen fades into an image of a cluttered

02:16:28.620 --> 02:16:28.740
room.

02:16:28.740 --> 02:16:33.540
The user is presented with a series of tasks,
directing them to find objects hidden in the

02:16:33.540 --> 02:16:34.019
room image.

02:16:34.020 --> 02:16:38.400
The allotted time to find every object in
a scene ranges from one to twelve minutes.

02:16:38.399 --> 02:16:44.040
Once the user finds every object in a scene,
a set of doors appear on screen, and the player

02:16:44.040 --> 02:16:45.780
must choose one to progress in the game.

02:16:46.439 --> 02:16:51.120
The game continues through a random number
of screens, labeled from 7 to 43.

02:16:51.120 --> 02:16:55.019
Eventually, if the user fails to find all
objects in a scene within the time limit,

02:16:55.020 --> 02:16:56.760
the next scene will be an empty room.

02:16:56.760 --> 02:17:00.300
The words "You've found out everything there
is to find about the House!

02:17:00.300 --> 02:17:03.120
Now all you have left to find, is the way
out!"

02:17:03.120 --> 02:17:04.260
appear on the screen.

02:17:04.260 --> 02:17:08.340
At this point, the game ends, and cannot be
replayed by the same user.

02:17:09.000 --> 02:17:13.439
The actual length of the game appears to vary
from player to player, but even players who

02:17:13.439 --> 02:17:17.580
appear to win the game, always finding all
hidden objects within the time limit, will

02:17:17.580 --> 02:17:20.700
eventually be shown the same end screen and
receive the same message.

02:17:21.479 --> 02:17:25.379
As strange as the game is, what happens next
is even stranger.

02:17:25.380 --> 02:17:30.000
Within seventy-two hours of completing the
game, whether a player has ostensibly won

02:17:30.000 --> 02:17:33.960
or lost, the player will encounter the final
room from the game in real life.

02:17:33.960 --> 02:17:39.540
They will find that some ordinary door, possibly
in their home or work place, no longer leads

02:17:39.540 --> 02:17:43.800
to the room it should lead to… but instead
leads to the empty room from the end of the

02:17:43.800 --> 02:17:43.920
game.

02:17:44.700 --> 02:17:46.800
If someone other than the player attempts 

02:17:46.800 --> 02:17:48.720
to pass through the door, 
they will find themselves

02:17:48.720 --> 02:17:53.040
not in the empty room from the game but instead
in the room that the door normally leads to.

02:17:53.700 --> 02:17:57.899
If the player passes through the door, though,
they disappear into the empty room.

02:17:57.899 --> 02:18:01.740
Any tracking devices cease to transmit after
the user passes through the doorway.

02:18:01.740 --> 02:18:09.479
The Foundation currently has no idea who or
what is behind SCP-1590 or how the game manages

02:18:09.479 --> 02:18:10.919
to access users’ memories.

02:18:10.920 --> 02:18:15.600
It’s also not clear what purpose the game
solves, whether it’s intended as a therapy

02:18:15.600 --> 02:18:19.920
device to help subjects’ work through hidden
trauma or as an instrument of justice to punish

02:18:19.920 --> 02:18:20.580
wrongdoing.

02:18:21.120 --> 02:18:25.260
Either way, you might want to make sure you
have a clean conscience before you download

02:18:25.260 --> 02:18:27.240
any new mysterious games for your phone.

02:18:27.240 --> 02:18:31.439
You never know when you might find yourself
confronting The Book of Tamlin.

02:18:32.340 --> 02:18:35.820
The girl has been sitting in the waiting 
room for at least 20 minutes now,  

02:18:35.820 --> 02:18:42.000
curled up on a hard plastic chair and staring at 
an inspirational poster on the wall. Her eyes are  

02:18:42.000 --> 02:18:46.620
bleary and unfocused with heavy dark circles 
that indicate she hasn’t been sleeping well.  

02:18:47.399 --> 02:18:51.540
She tries to focus her attention on the poster 
and read the words, but she’s having trouble  

02:18:51.540 --> 02:18:57.000
concentrating. She keeps nodding off, only to jerk 
back to wakefulness when her head starts to sag. 

02:18:57.600 --> 02:19:01.201
This is what life is like for 
her after weeks of insomnia. 

02:19:01.920 --> 02:19:06.300
She was just about at the end of her rope, certain 
that this was going to be her life from now on,  

02:19:06.300 --> 02:19:10.500
until she happened to see an ad in the 
newspaper for a study at a local sleep clinic.  

02:19:11.340 --> 02:19:15.060
She doesn’t think much of that sort of thing, 
but she’s desperate for anything that might  

02:19:15.060 --> 02:19:19.440
help her to get a good night’s sleep.
Eventually, the door opens, and a  

02:19:19.439 --> 02:19:23.759
technician calls her into his office. The girl 
stumbles to her feet and drags herself inside. 

02:19:24.540 --> 02:19:28.200
“Thanks for volunteering to be part 
of our study,” says the technician. 

02:19:28.200 --> 02:19:32.820
He’s got a friendly smile and a soothing manner 
that instantly puts her at ease; it’s obvious  

02:19:32.820 --> 02:19:36.299
from his bedside manner that he’s worked 
with lots of sleep-deprived patients before.  

02:19:37.080 --> 02:19:41.160
He pulls out a clipboard and starts to 
make notes on a slice of paper. “We’ve  

02:19:41.160 --> 02:19:44.399
gone over your application and we think that you 
would be a really good fit for this project.” 

02:19:45.180 --> 02:19:49.020
Thank goodness, thinks the girl. She had 
just about given up hope after that long  

02:19:49.020 --> 02:19:52.800
wait. She half-expected that they would 
simply tell her that she didn’t qualify  

02:19:52.800 --> 02:19:56.760
and send her home to try and figure out 
how to get over her insomnia by herself. 

02:19:57.420 --> 02:20:01.140
“So you’ve been having trouble sleeping?” 
says the technician. “Tell me about that.” 

02:20:01.140 --> 02:20:04.741
The girl hunches her shoulders. 
“There’s not much to tell.  

02:20:05.520 --> 02:20:09.480
I’ve had sleep problems for years. I have 
really bad sleep apnea, so I’ve always been  

02:20:09.479 --> 02:20:13.679
a rough sleeper. I toss and turn, and I 
wake up at least several times a night.  

02:20:13.680 --> 02:20:19.140
But it’s really gotten bad lately. I can barely 
even drift off to sleep these last few weeks.” 

02:20:19.140 --> 02:20:24.600
The technician nods. “That’s exactly the kind of 
problem that we want to look into here,” he says.  

02:20:24.600 --> 02:20:29.100
“For this study, we’re going to monitor you as you 
sleep and see if we can diagnose this problem.” 

02:20:29.760 --> 02:20:35.100
She nods. The technician keeps talking, but she’s 
not listening. She doesn’t really care about the  

02:20:35.100 --> 02:20:39.000
details; the important thing is that she’s 
going to finally get a decent night’s sleep! 

02:20:39.000 --> 02:20:43.979
The technician leads her to a laboratory, a 
large room with several simple cots arranged  

02:20:43.979 --> 02:20:49.620
along the walls. Next to each cot, she sees a 
bank of odd electronic machines. She doesn’t  

02:20:49.620 --> 02:20:54.240
immediately know what they’re for, but she can 
guess. She’s participated in sleep studies before,  

02:20:54.240 --> 02:20:58.800
in the hopes that they might be able to help cure 
her issues, and they usually connect machines like  

02:20:58.800 --> 02:21:02.460
these to your forehead as you sleep so that 
they can read your pulse and brain activity. 

02:21:03.060 --> 02:21:06.360
“Sorry, it’s not the most comfortable 
arrangement,” says the technician.  

02:21:06.359 --> 02:21:09.359
“But all you have to do is sleep. 
There’s a bathroom down the hallway,  

02:21:09.359 --> 02:21:13.080
if you need to get ready for bed. When you’re 
ready, we’ll prepare you for the next step.” 

02:21:13.680 --> 02:21:18.000
The girl doesn’t care if the cots aren’t all that 
comfortable, in the technician’s opinion. This  

02:21:18.000 --> 02:21:23.280
might as well be the plushest feather bed to her!
After changing into her night clothes and brushing  

02:21:23.280 --> 02:21:28.139
her teeth, the girl returns to the lab. She finds 
the technician waiting for her, holding what  

02:21:28.140 --> 02:21:33.661
appears to be a perfectly ordinary CPAP machine. 
The girl, of course, recognizes this device. She’s  

02:21:33.660 --> 02:21:38.519
used these things on multiple occasions in her 
desperation to find a solution to her sleep apnea.  

02:21:38.520 --> 02:21:42.781
They’re supposed to help open up the breathing 
passageways to increase airflow and thus reduce  

02:21:42.780 --> 02:21:46.500
the incidence of sleep apnea, but the 
girl has never had much luck with them. 

02:21:47.220 --> 02:21:52.320
She frowns. If this study is just testing a new 
sort of CPAP machine, she doesn’t have a lot  

02:21:52.319 --> 02:21:57.179
of faith that it’s going to help her much.
The technician notices her dismay. “I know  

02:21:57.180 --> 02:22:01.860
that you’ve probably used these before,” he 
says. “This is just the first step. We want  

02:22:01.859 --> 02:22:05.700
to see how your sleep cycles react to ordinary 
treatments before we try anything more radical.” 

02:22:06.420 --> 02:22:09.660
“Okay… sure…”
The girl doesn’t have the  

02:22:09.660 --> 02:22:13.439
strength to argue. She is bone-tired, 
and she’s ready to collapse into bed.  

02:22:14.220 --> 02:22:19.140
Without another word, she takes the CPAP mask 
from the technician and straps it to her face.  

02:22:19.140 --> 02:22:22.980
She climbs into bed, and the technician 
attaches the hose to the machine next to  

02:22:22.979 --> 02:22:27.599
the bed. He switches it on, and the machine 
begins to emit a familiar, comforting hum. 

02:22:28.500 --> 02:22:32.880
The technician attaches several electrodes to 
the girl’s cheeks and forehead. He starts to  

02:22:32.880 --> 02:22:36.780
explain that these will allow him to monitor 
her sleep cycles and check for any anomalous  

02:22:36.780 --> 02:22:41.340
reactions. She’s barely listening at this point.
“I’ll just be monitoring you from the next room,”  

02:22:41.340 --> 02:22:45.480
says the technician, pointing to a video 
camera in the corner of the ceiling. “So  

02:22:45.479 --> 02:22:48.540
don’t worry about anything. If there 
are any problems, I’ll be watching.” 

02:22:49.080 --> 02:22:54.300
The girl barely has the strength to nod her 
head in response. She is so incredibly tired!  

02:22:54.300 --> 02:22:58.500
Already, she’s drifting into oblivion. 
The room is swimming before her eyes,  

02:22:58.500 --> 02:23:03.540
her mind distracted by hypnogogic illusions. The 
technician’s voice sounds like it’s a million  

02:23:03.540 --> 02:23:09.000
miles away. She’s practically already dreaming. 
Her eyes close before he even leaves the room. 

02:23:09.720 --> 02:23:13.680
The technician takes his station at his desk, 
sitting before a bank of video monitors.  

02:23:13.680 --> 02:23:18.060
The grainy gray feed from the security camera 
shows that the girl is fast asleep in her bunk,  

02:23:18.060 --> 02:23:22.860
her chest rising and falling rhythmically with 
her breathing. Nothing unusual going on so far.  

02:23:22.859 --> 02:23:27.719
The technician takes a sip from a mug of coffee 
and prepares for another boring night of watching  

02:23:27.720 --> 02:23:31.680
someone else sleep. Of course, he hopes that 
the information gleaned from his observations  

02:23:31.680 --> 02:23:37.500
might be of use in helping this girl to solve 
her sleep problems… and he hopes in turn that  

02:23:37.500 --> 02:23:42.060
might help other people with similar sleep 
apnea issues as well. But for now, he’s just  

02:23:42.060 --> 02:23:47.460
staring at the screen with half-hearted interest.
At first, everything is quiet – the CPAP machine  

02:23:47.460 --> 02:23:52.260
seems to be doing the trick, allowing the girl 
to breathe quietly and sleep peacefully. The  

02:23:52.260 --> 02:23:55.800
technician watches without interest as the girl 
progresses through the different levels of sleep,  

02:23:55.800 --> 02:23:59.280
the monitors in front of him reflecting 
the changes in her bio-rythyms.  

02:23:59.819 --> 02:24:03.359
It isn’t until she reaches her second 
round of REM sleep – the stage in which  

02:24:03.359 --> 02:24:08.939
a sleeper dreams – that something strange happens.
Under her eyelids, the girl’s pupils quickly flick  

02:24:08.939 --> 02:24:13.859
back and forth, almost as if she’s watching a 
film. This is totally normal behavior, of course,  

02:24:13.859 --> 02:24:19.080
during REM sleep. The technician barely even looks 
up as the monitors register her transition into  

02:24:19.080 --> 02:24:23.220
this new sleep stage; he’s been working at the 
sleep clinic for long enough that he knows to  

02:24:23.220 --> 02:24:27.241
expect this. He might not have even looked up 
if his coffee cup hadn’t happened to finally  

02:24:27.240 --> 02:24:32.160
run out. When he hefts his empty mug, mumbling 
to himself in annoyance that now he’s going to  

02:24:32.160 --> 02:24:35.939
have to walk all the way across the facility to 
refill it at the coffee machine in the break room,  

02:24:35.939 --> 02:24:41.519
that’s when he finally catches sight of it.
It happens so suddenly that at first the  

02:24:41.520 --> 02:24:46.201
technician doesn’t believe his eyes. He thinks 
it must be a glitch in the hardware or possibly  

02:24:46.200 --> 02:24:50.880
that his own eyes are playing tricks on him. He 
has been drinking a lot of coffee to stay awake,  

02:24:50.880 --> 02:24:57.120
after all! But no… it’s really there! He can see 
that there is a second person in the room now,  

02:24:57.120 --> 02:25:02.880
a large dark silhouette standing over the girl 
as she sleeps. He blinks in surprise. How did  

02:25:02.880 --> 02:25:06.540
someone get into the building, much less 
the laboratory, without him knowing? The  

02:25:06.540 --> 02:25:12.300
figure is silent and motionless; it hardly seems 
threatening, but, at the same time, it’s hard not  

02:25:12.300 --> 02:25:16.200
to read someone as threatening when they break 
into your room and stare at you as you sleep! 

02:25:16.859 --> 02:25:22.139
As he watches, the figure starts to change 
subtly before his eyes. Soon it’s not just  

02:25:22.140 --> 02:25:27.661
a solid blob of shadow… it’s coalesced into a 
human figure, that of a large male humanoid,  

02:25:28.260 --> 02:25:32.940
its torso bulging with muscles, its arms 
laced with sinews, but instead of a face,  

02:25:32.939 --> 02:25:38.280
this figure has the gleaming white skull of 
a horse. It remains standing over the girl. 

02:25:38.939 --> 02:25:43.439
The girl snorts and turns in her sleep, 
grunting and mumbling. She’s acting as if  

02:25:43.439 --> 02:25:46.740
she’s caught in an especially troubling 
nightmare and is struggling to wake up.  

02:25:47.399 --> 02:25:52.319
The creature standing over her does not react to 
her movements, instead staring down at her with  

02:25:52.319 --> 02:25:57.599
an eerie, unflappable calm. The grainy camera 
footage makes it hard to make out the details,  

02:25:57.600 --> 02:26:02.040
but the technician is almost certain he can 
see the tiniest flicker, like the reflection  

02:26:02.040 --> 02:26:06.479
of light in a dilated pupil, in the empty 
sockets of the mysterious stranger’s skull.  

02:26:07.140 --> 02:26:12.480
The skull doesn’t react – how could it react, 
after all? It’s just a skull! – but its silence,  

02:26:12.479 --> 02:26:18.059
with that rictus grin and empty sockets, only 
makes it more frightening than if it had reacted. 

02:26:18.060 --> 02:26:23.100
The technician gulps and rises to his feet, 
his knees shaking. He can’t let this go on!  

02:26:23.100 --> 02:26:27.060
He doesn’t know what kind of practical joke 
is going on, but he did promise the girl that  

02:26:27.060 --> 02:26:30.720
he would be responsible for her safety if 
anything weird happened! More to the point,  

02:26:30.720 --> 02:26:34.380
the presence of this masked stranger 
might jeopardize the results of the study! 

02:26:34.979 --> 02:26:39.599
He hurries from the office, making a beeline 
for the laboratory. He doesn’t exactly know what  

02:26:39.600 --> 02:26:43.860
he’s going to say or do when he confronts this 
stranger, he just knows that he has to do it… 

02:26:43.859 --> 02:26:49.259
But then… he starts to feel sleepy himself. 
The closer he gets to the laboratory,  

02:26:49.260 --> 02:26:55.380
the more his own body starts to defy him. 
His limbs feel rubbery, his eyes feel heavy,  

02:26:55.380 --> 02:26:59.940
and his thoughts start to swim. Despite 
all the coffee in his system, he also  

02:26:59.939 --> 02:27:04.979
feels himself succumbing to sleep. He’s only 50 
yards from the door when he finally collapses  

02:27:04.979 --> 02:27:09.479
into a heap on the floor. His eyes remain 
wide open, staring sightlessly ahead of him,  

02:27:10.140 --> 02:27:14.940
and his mouth gapes like a fish out of water. 
Whatever he’s experiencing, whether it’s  

02:27:14.939 --> 02:27:20.399
something that only he can see or something in his 
mind, his expression reveals only abject terror. 

02:27:20.939 --> 02:27:26.040
Meanwhile, at the exact moment that the technician 
collapses, the figure standing over the girl in  

02:27:26.040 --> 02:27:30.840
the lab blinks momentarily out of existence, as 
if somehow reacting to the commotion outside.  

02:27:31.740 --> 02:27:37.740
And when it returns, it isn’t alone. A second 
dark figure has also appeared in the room – it  

02:27:37.740 --> 02:27:43.019
too starts life as an indistinct, only vaguely 
humanoid shadow, but quickly starts to gain form. 

02:27:43.020 --> 02:27:47.760
This one is different from the first. It’s 
a female body, but the figure’s head has a  

02:27:47.760 --> 02:27:53.400
blank face devoid of eyes, mouth, or nose. This 
second figure ignores the sleeping girl or her  

02:27:53.399 --> 02:27:59.160
strange stoic horse-headed observer; instead, it 
starts to move, ambling toward the western wall  

02:27:59.160 --> 02:28:04.260
of the room – as if it knows that the comatose 
technician is directly on the other side. When  

02:28:04.260 --> 02:28:09.120
it reaches the wall, it does not pause. It 
simply phases through the solid structure,  

02:28:09.120 --> 02:28:12.960
disappearing through the brick and mortar 
and reappearing in the hallway beyond. 

02:28:13.560 --> 02:28:17.640
The faceless woman approaches the prone 
body of the technician. It squats down  

02:28:17.640 --> 02:28:22.620
next to him and puts its hand under his chin, 
turning his head so that it can stare into his  

02:28:22.620 --> 02:28:26.880
eyes. Or stare as effectively as possible 
when it doesn’t have any eyes of its own.  

02:28:27.600 --> 02:28:32.520
After a few moments of silent contemplation, the 
faceless creature places its hand against the  

02:28:32.520 --> 02:28:37.680
technician’s forehead. Slowly, its hand starts 
to move through his head, reaching deep into  

02:28:37.680 --> 02:28:43.440
his skull as if its hand was as insubstantial 
as a ghost. Just as this mysterious nightmare  

02:28:43.439 --> 02:28:47.879
creature was able to phase through the wall, 
it appears able to phase through flesh as well. 

02:28:47.880 --> 02:28:52.980
After several moments, the faceless woman 
withdraws its hand and drops the technician’s  

02:28:52.979 --> 02:28:57.780
head; he slumps to the ground in response. 
The faceless woman stands up and then…  

02:28:58.439 --> 02:29:02.700
it vanishes instantly.
At the exact same time, the girl  

02:29:02.700 --> 02:29:07.800
in the other room snorts and stirs. She blinks 
her eyes open. For a moment, she doesn’t remember  

02:29:07.800 --> 02:29:12.720
where she is. Her eyes scan the unfamiliar room 
for several seconds before she recalls that she  

02:29:12.720 --> 02:29:16.920
was participating in a sleep study. That’s right! 
She was trying to find out if she could find any  

02:29:16.920 --> 02:29:22.620
help for her sleep apnea. Ironically, she actually 
slept better than normal. As she removes the CPAP  

02:29:22.620 --> 02:29:27.420
mask, she wonders if maybe she ought to see about 
buying one of these for herself. This particular  

02:29:27.420 --> 02:29:31.740
model seems to work better than the ones she’s 
tried in the past! She stretches and sits up. 

02:29:32.340 --> 02:29:36.600
Just then, the technician bursts into the 
room. He’s panicked and out of breath, and  

02:29:36.600 --> 02:29:40.860
he whips his head back and forth in search of the 
mysterious horse-headed stranger. But there’s no  

02:29:40.859 --> 02:29:45.540
sign of the creature now! Just like the faceless 
woman, it seems to have vanished without a trace! 

02:29:46.260 --> 02:29:50.460
The girl stares at him in confusion. Why 
is he so upset? She has no clue about  

02:29:50.460 --> 02:29:54.120
what happened while she was asleep!
“Did you see it?” says the technician  

02:29:54.120 --> 02:29:57.120
breathlessly. “The creature? The shadow creature?” 

02:29:57.120 --> 02:30:02.040
The girl raises a skeptical eyebrow. “What are 
you talking about?” she says. “I just woke up!” 

02:30:02.040 --> 02:30:06.120
The technician starts to sputter out an 
explanation, but the girl just rolls her  

02:30:06.120 --> 02:30:09.960
eyes. She came here to get help with her sleep, 
but it sounds like the technician is the one who’s  

02:30:09.960 --> 02:30:14.460
got a real problem. His breathless descriptions 
of a horse-headed monster and a faceless woman  

02:30:14.460 --> 02:30:19.260
clearly sound like bad dreams to her. You would 
think that a guy running a sleep study wouldn’t  

02:30:19.260 --> 02:30:23.580
be so easily confused like that. She’s pretty 
sure that he probably just fell asleep at his  

02:30:23.580 --> 02:30:26.340
station, and now he’s embarrassed to 
admit that he just had a bad dream. 

02:30:27.000 --> 02:30:31.080
Little do either of them know, that although 
they won’t see the strange entities again,  

02:30:31.080 --> 02:30:35.220
those creatures are always going to be 
very, very close to them going forward. 

02:30:36.060 --> 02:30:40.201
What a nightmare. But what seems 
like just a bad dream is, in fact,  

02:30:40.200 --> 02:30:48.179
an anomaly well known to the SCP foundation. It’s 
formally been designated as SCP-3060, but agents  

02:30:48.180 --> 02:30:55.020
more often refer to it as the Dream Machine.
Instances of SCP-3060 are small medical devices  

02:30:55.020 --> 02:30:59.281
that superficially resemble Continuous 
Positive Airway Pressure, or CPAP,  

02:30:59.280 --> 02:31:06.000
machines. The individual materials that compose 
SCP-3060 instances are non-anomalous and operate  

02:31:06.000 --> 02:31:10.620
in the same way as a typical CPAP machine of 
its size and make. The Foundation currently  

02:31:10.620 --> 02:31:19.019
has five instances of SCP-3060 in its custody.
SCP-3060's anomalous effects become apparent when  

02:31:19.020 --> 02:31:24.720
worn by a sleeping human. When an individual 
wearing an instance of SCP-3060 enters their  

02:31:24.720 --> 02:31:31.500
second REM cycle, a humanoid incorporeal 
entity, hereafter referred to as SCP-3060-A,  

02:31:32.160 --> 02:31:36.720
will appear within a five-meter radius of the 
individual and stand over them until they wake  

02:31:36.720 --> 02:31:45.241
up. At this point, SCP-3060-A will disappear, 
and the individual wearing SCP-3060 will become  

02:31:45.240 --> 02:31:50.880
infected. From that point on, regardless as 
to whether the individual wears SCP-3060,  

02:31:50.880 --> 02:31:57.359
the same SCP-3060-A entity will appear when 
they enter their second REM cycle each night and  

02:31:57.359 --> 02:32:03.780
remain watching over them until awakening.
While instances of SCP-3060-A appear as  

02:32:03.780 --> 02:32:07.500
featureless silhouettes upon the first 
manifestation, they quickly take on a  

02:32:07.500 --> 02:32:14.399
unique shape based on each infected individual. 
SCP-3060-A entities have no standard appearance,  

02:32:14.399 --> 02:32:20.580
and it is not clear what factors determine 
the final form of any individual SCP-3060-A. 

02:32:21.240 --> 02:32:25.859
Since the manifestations are connected with 
REM sleep, agency researchers speculate that  

02:32:25.859 --> 02:32:31.920
an SCP-3060-A’s appearance may be influenced 
by an infected sleeper’s dreams. So far,  

02:32:31.920 --> 02:32:38.640
observed SCP-3060-As have included a human 
infant composed entirely of fused teeth,  

02:32:38.640 --> 02:32:43.920
an eyeless elderly woman dressed in dark clothes, 
and a partially disintegrated humanoid composed of  

02:32:43.920 --> 02:32:49.260
ash and dressed in red lingerie, a naked humanoid 
covered in tire tracks and showing signs of severe  

02:32:49.260 --> 02:32:55.920
crush injuries, a humanoid whose torso consisted 
of a large mouth, and a clown. Some researchers  

02:32:55.920 --> 02:33:01.680
have noted that the initial shadowy appearances 
of SCP-3060-A recall descriptions of entities  

02:33:01.680 --> 02:33:06.300
reported during bouts of sleep paralysis, but 
so far, no conclusive link has been found. 

02:33:07.020 --> 02:33:13.201
While an SCP-3060-A instance is present, any 
person standing within a 50-meter radius of  

02:33:13.200 --> 02:33:18.059
the infected sleeper will enter a catatonic 
state. At this point, an additional instance of  

02:33:18.060 --> 02:33:26.400
SCP-3060-A will appear. The additional SCP-3060-A 
entity will then approach the catatonic subject,  

02:33:26.399 --> 02:33:30.839
phasing through solid matter if the subject is 
in a separate room. Upon arriving at the subject,  

02:33:30.840 --> 02:33:37.680
the new SCP-3060-A instance will phase its hand 
through the subject's skull and then vanish,  

02:33:37.680 --> 02:33:44.640
causing the subject to fall asleep immediately. 
All subjects touched by the SCP-3060-A entity  

02:33:44.640 --> 02:33:49.920
in this manner become new instances 
of SCP-3060 infected upon awakening. 

02:33:50.460 --> 02:33:56.580
Awakening an infected sleeper will cause the 
attending SCP 3060-A to immediately vanish  

02:33:56.580 --> 02:34:02.819
and catatonic subjects to regain movement. 
All attempts to communicate with SCP-3060-A  

02:34:02.819 --> 02:34:09.660
instances have thus far been unsuccessful.
People infected by SCP-3060 will inevitably  

02:34:09.660 --> 02:34:14.220
suffer long-term health effects, most often 
associated with severe sleep deprivation.  

02:34:14.939 --> 02:34:19.919
After three days, infected individuals begin 
to display fatigue, mood changes, impaired  

02:34:19.920 --> 02:34:25.200
performance, and memory problems, all of which 
are so severe that even obtaining a full night's  

02:34:25.200 --> 02:34:30.540
sleep does little to dent their impact. Infected 
individuals often report frequent nightmares,  

02:34:30.540 --> 02:34:35.040
though no central themes or correlations have 
been observed in the content of these dreams nor  

02:34:35.040 --> 02:34:40.560
do they seem to correspond with the appearance 
of the infected person’s attending SCP-3060-A. 

02:34:41.100 --> 02:34:45.420
Within a month, infected individuals will start 
having visual and auditory hallucinations,  

02:34:45.420 --> 02:34:50.580
as well as delusions that their mind is being 
controlled by some outside force. Soon after,  

02:34:50.580 --> 02:34:55.740
infected individuals descend into full psychosis 
as they become unable to distinguish the content  

02:34:55.740 --> 02:35:01.920
of their dreams from reality. In extreme cases, 
after at least two months of infection, hair loss,  

02:35:01.920 --> 02:35:06.480
canities subita, partial or complete 
blindness, somatic complaints, cataplexy,  

02:35:06.479 --> 02:35:11.639
and alien limb syndrome have been observed. 
Attempts by medical staff to alleviate these  

02:35:11.640 --> 02:35:16.260
conditions in the long term have thus far been 
met with failure, although sleep deprivation has  

02:35:16.260 --> 02:35:20.520
ironically proven effective in temporarily 
delaying the onset of more severe symptoms. 

02:35:21.359 --> 02:35:27.719
If no human subjects enter the area of an SCP-3060 
infected individual's effect during REM sleep for  

02:35:27.720 --> 02:35:34.560
seven consecutive days, or the infected individual 
dies, an instance of SCP-3060-A will appear.  

02:35:35.220 --> 02:35:41.281
The SCP-3060-A entity will then proceed to 
search for the nearest sleeping human. Upon  

02:35:41.280 --> 02:35:47.759
locating a sleeper, SCP-3060-A will stand over 
them until they enter their next REM sleep cycle,  

02:35:47.760 --> 02:35:55.860
at which point the SCP-3060-A entity will reach 
into their skull and vanish. At this point, the  

02:35:55.859 --> 02:36:00.540
sleeping individual will become infected. If the 
sleeping individual wakes up before the process  

02:36:00.540 --> 02:36:06.780
is complete, or if SCP-3060-A cannot locate a 
suitable subject within three hours, it will  

02:36:06.780 --> 02:36:13.139
vanish without spreading the SCP-3060 infection.
In one experiment, an infected individual was  

02:36:13.140 --> 02:36:18.000
placed in a standard humanoid containment cell; 
four D-class personnel were placed in adjoining  

02:36:18.000 --> 02:36:21.960
cells. When the infected individual fell 
asleep and entered their second REM cycle,  

02:36:21.960 --> 02:36:31.319
a SCP-3060-A appeared with predictable results. 
The first SCP-3060 to appear resembled a headless  

02:36:31.319 --> 02:36:37.139
humanoid with its arms and legs replaced by spinal 
columns. It stood above the infected sleeper,  

02:36:37.140 --> 02:36:44.100
watching without movement, even as four additional 
instances of SCP-3060-A manifested inside the  

02:36:44.100 --> 02:36:51.300
cell. All five SCP-3060-A instances stood in 
silent observation of the infected sleeper  

02:36:51.300 --> 02:36:56.580
for approximately five minutes. By this point, 
all four D-class personnel in adjoining cells  

02:36:56.580 --> 02:37:00.600
had gone into catatonic states, seeing 
as they were within the 50 square meter  

02:37:00.600 --> 02:37:07.741
blast zone established by the initial SCP-3060-A.
Each D-class personnel who was awake at the time  

02:37:07.740 --> 02:37:12.780
of manifestation was observed to have frozen with 
expressions of extreme distress on their face. The  

02:37:12.780 --> 02:37:19.019
four additional SCP-3060-A instances then began 
to disperse, each one moving toward a different  

02:37:19.020 --> 02:37:23.880
D-class personnel’s cell, phasing through solid 
matter as necessary to reach the intended target.  

02:37:24.420 --> 02:37:30.720
Each additional SCP-3060-A instance completed 
its manifestation by reaching into the skull of  

02:37:30.720 --> 02:37:35.340
its target and then subsequently assuming 
a definite, final form before vanishing. 

02:37:35.939 --> 02:37:41.819
The four additional SCP-3060-A’s respectively 
took on the appearance of a male human with  

02:37:41.819 --> 02:37:46.319
mathematical symbols in place of facial features, 
a humanoid composed of a tightly wound thread,  

02:37:46.319 --> 02:37:50.580
a featureless white humanoid dressed in a 
Foundation lab coat, and a featureless black  

02:37:50.580 --> 02:37:55.380
humanoid dressed in a hodgepodge of regalia 
from different authoritarian regimes. The  

02:37:55.380 --> 02:38:01.440
initial SCP-3060-A continued to stand in silent 
observation of the original infected sleeper  

02:38:01.439 --> 02:38:06.120
after the other instances vanished, remaining 
so for the rest of the night until she woke up. 

02:38:06.660 --> 02:38:11.639
Since SCP-3060 has not been found to differ 
in any way from a normal CPAP machine,  

02:38:11.640 --> 02:38:17.161
CP agents currently know very little about 
how SCP-3060 can cause these manifestations,  

02:38:17.160 --> 02:38:23.819
who is manufacturing SCP-3060, or for what 
purpose. At this time, the only advice that  

02:38:23.819 --> 02:38:28.500
SCP researchers can offer is this: If you’re 
having trouble sleeping and want to make use  

02:38:28.500 --> 02:38:33.600
of a CPAP machine, make sure you’re buying a 
name brand. Otherwise, you might just be opening  

02:38:33.600 --> 02:38:39.720
yourself up to a world of nightmares, insomnia, 
and silent but all too present nocturnal visitors.

02:38:40.319 --> 02:38:45.059
Warning lights flash, and heavy boots stomp
down the sanitized hallways of Site-19.

02:38:45.060 --> 02:38:50.581
A Mobile Task Force has been dispatched, wielding
heavy weaponry and wearing tactical gear.

02:38:51.300 --> 02:38:55.260
But underneath their jet-black armor, these
Mobile Task Operatives are sweating.

02:38:55.260 --> 02:39:00.660
The SCP they’re after has a very particular
set of skills, skills that make them a nightmare

02:39:00.660 --> 02:39:02.099
to people like this team.

02:39:02.819 --> 02:39:08.219
Plainly put, anything that the Mobile Task
Force can do, the anomaly can do better - Because

02:39:08.220 --> 02:39:14.160
the anomaly that chose to breach containment
is SCP-056, codenamed A Beautiful Person.

02:39:14.160 --> 02:39:19.380
This shape-shifting being takes the form of
a superior version of whatever object or entity

02:39:19.380 --> 02:39:23.040
it encounters, though typically only by a
relatively slim margin.

02:39:23.700 --> 02:39:26.639
The Foundation has no real 
way of truly “containing” 

02:39:26.640 --> 02:39:29.940
SCP-056, because of the unique nature of its

02:39:29.939 --> 02:39:30.780
anomalous abilities.

02:39:31.439 --> 02:39:36.479
Instead, their tactic has long been playing
to the truly toxic ego of the creature - Designing

02:39:36.479 --> 02:39:41.399
the containment chamber more like a luxury
hotel room, perfectly suited to 056’s refined

02:39:41.399 --> 02:39:42.179
taste.

02:39:42.180 --> 02:39:47.760
However, as a sentient being with a mean streak,
keeping an entity like 056 permanently caged

02:39:47.760 --> 02:39:50.880
is rarely as simple as sprucing up said cage.

02:39:51.600 --> 02:39:57.960
Some days, like today, 056 will want a change
of scenery - And on those days, there’s

02:39:57.960 --> 02:40:00.780
almost nothing the Foundation can do to stop
it.

02:40:00.780 --> 02:40:05.880
As the Mobile Task Forces dispatched to Site-19
scan the halls and spool through security

02:40:05.880 --> 02:40:10.980
footage, desperately hoping to find some clue
as to the vain creature’s presence, 056

02:40:10.979 --> 02:40:12.660
is actually long gone.

02:40:12.660 --> 02:40:17.819
Having assumed the form of a handsome, charming
scientist after an average-looking scientist

02:40:17.819 --> 02:40:20.340
with bad social skills walked past its containment 

02:40:20.340 --> 02:40:23.400
chamber, 056 had slipped 
out of the site undetected

02:40:23.399 --> 02:40:26.399
before anyone even realized that a breach
had occurred.

02:40:26.399 --> 02:40:33.059
Then, seeing a vulture fly overhead, 056 had
taken the form of a Bald Eagle and flown further,

02:40:33.060 --> 02:40:35.581
leaving the isolated Site-19 in the dust.

02:40:36.180 --> 02:40:41.820
056 is ready and eager for a night on the
town, but when 056 decides it’s going to

02:40:41.819 --> 02:40:45.240
paint the town red, it doesn’t always mean
it in the metaphorical sense.

02:40:45.899 --> 02:40:51.240
056 arrives in a small American town, like
many that pop up along lonely desert highways.

02:40:51.240 --> 02:40:56.880
Noticing a plain, unremarkable woman walking
past, it immediately transforms into an absolute

02:40:56.880 --> 02:41:00.600
stunner, with fine diamond jewelry and an
expensive-looking red dress.

02:41:00.600 --> 02:41:06.060
As she walks to a local diner, she turns heads
from everyone she passes, doing nothing to

02:41:06.060 --> 02:41:07.380
hide her conceited smirk.

02:41:07.380 --> 02:41:10.380
“I really should do this more often,”
she thinks.

02:41:10.380 --> 02:41:16.680
When she passes a self-conscious-looking woman
with a fake Gucci handbag, 056 suddenly manifests

02:41:16.680 --> 02:41:20.460
the real deal, brimming with stacks of cash
and even more jewelry.

02:41:21.000 --> 02:41:25.800
Everywhere she goes, her mere presence makes
people feel terrible about themselves, and

02:41:25.800 --> 02:41:26.880
she couldn’t be happier.

02:41:27.600 --> 02:41:32.281
She walks into a local diner, where a report
on the radio is detailing abandoned, wrecked

02:41:32.280 --> 02:41:34.019
cars found along the side of a local highway.

02:41:34.020 --> 02:41:38.460
There were bodies inside in horrific states
- So horrific that they couldn’t even share

02:41:38.460 --> 02:41:39.480
the details on the broadcast.

02:41:39.479 --> 02:41:42.599
But 056 doesn’t care about any of that.

02:41:42.600 --> 02:41:47.460
She simply orders some pancakes in the diner
and rudely asks the cashier if he can break

02:41:47.460 --> 02:41:48.359
a hundred-dollar bill.

02:41:48.359 --> 02:41:52.439
When she receives her pancakes, she takes
a single bite before throwing them at the

02:41:52.439 --> 02:41:55.379
wall and complaining about how terrible they
are, then leaving.

02:41:56.280 --> 02:41:59.340
She takes joy in knowing how awful this will
make people feel.

02:42:00.060 --> 02:42:04.800
On the way out, she decides to take a shortcut
down a dark alley - Where a woman in expensive

02:42:04.800 --> 02:42:09.240
clothes carrying an expensive purse brimming
with money is liable to attract the wrong

02:42:09.240 --> 02:42:09.960
kind of attention.

02:42:09.960 --> 02:42:14.700
Two muggers, one armed with a switchblade
and the other armed with a gun, emerge from

02:42:14.700 --> 02:42:16.679
the darkness, wearing malicious grins.

02:42:17.340 --> 02:42:20.940
“That purse looks a little heavy there,
lady,” one of the muggers says.

02:42:20.939 --> 02:42:23.339
“Yeah, how about you let us carry it for
you?”

02:42:23.340 --> 02:42:24.360
the other adds.

02:42:24.359 --> 02:42:29.280
056 smiles and says, “Are you sure you have
the upper body strength?”

02:42:29.280 --> 02:42:31.080
They don’t take kindly to this.

02:42:31.080 --> 02:42:35.399
As the two muggers prepare to beat this strange
woman within an inch of her life and steal

02:42:35.399 --> 02:42:36.540
all her earthly belongings,  

02:42:36.540 --> 02:42:40.859
she suddenly transforms
- Shapeshifting into a ripped Kung Fu master

02:42:40.859 --> 02:42:41.819
in white robes.

02:42:41.819 --> 02:42:46.979
Before either of the muggers can respond to
this baffling transformation, 056, in his

02:42:46.979 --> 02:42:51.299
Kung Fu master form, is beating the living
hell out of them and leaving the dastardly

02:42:51.300 --> 02:42:55.500
duo in a crumpled heap on the floor as he
walks away, whistling a merry tune.

02:42:55.500 --> 02:43:01.020
But making women feel inadequate, insulting
small businesses, and beating up petty criminals

02:43:01.020 --> 02:43:03.121
isn’t enough for SCP-056.

02:43:03.120 --> 02:43:08.519
This thoroughly unpleasant anomaly has the
need for speed, and the best way to achieve

02:43:08.520 --> 02:43:13.201
that need is to obtain a car - or perhaps,
even better, become one.

02:43:13.200 --> 02:43:18.120
Not long after the thought passed his mind,
056 arrives at a parking lot.

02:43:18.120 --> 02:43:22.319
He looks over the various parked cars, most
of which are unremarkable specimens.

02:43:22.319 --> 02:43:27.960
That is, until he comes across a parked Ferrari,
and feels his imagination begin to soar with

02:43:27.960 --> 02:43:28.500
possibilities.

02:43:28.500 --> 02:43:30.359
“A Ferrari?

02:43:30.359 --> 02:43:32.099
Oh, I can do better than that.”

02:43:32.640 --> 02:43:38.940
In the following moments, SCP-056 flawlessly
shapeshifts into a brand new, cherry red Bugatti

02:43:38.939 --> 02:43:42.240
sports car, and starts doing gleeful donuts
in the parking lot.

02:43:42.240 --> 02:43:47.160
056 then put the pedal to the metal and sped
out onto the road, where it could pick up

02:43:47.160 --> 02:43:47.939
some real speed.

02:43:47.939 --> 02:43:52.799
Having no idea that, for once, it would attract
some attention it didn’t want.

02:43:53.520 --> 02:43:55.920
But 056 doesn’t care about that yet.

02:43:55.920 --> 02:44:00.840
It’s too focused on breaking its speedometer
with sheer, insane speed, tearing down the

02:44:00.840 --> 02:44:05.580
highway at over a hundred miles an hour, then
building, and building, and building.

02:44:06.420 --> 02:44:11.520
056 is lucky that there are seemingly no other
cars on the road tonight - Well, except one

02:44:11.520 --> 02:44:13.741
that it notices far in the distance behind
itself.

02:44:13.740 --> 02:44:16.859
Is that... a beat-up old police cruiser?

02:44:16.859 --> 02:44:18.359
How embarrassing.

02:44:18.359 --> 02:44:23.939
056 speeds up even more, hoping to leave the
police cruiser as little more than a distant

02:44:23.939 --> 02:44:24.299
memory.

02:44:24.300 --> 02:44:26.160
But it doesn’t work out that way.

02:44:26.160 --> 02:44:31.979
Instead, the beat-up police cruiser miles
behind 056’s sleek supercar begins to build

02:44:31.979 --> 02:44:32.519
in speed.

02:44:32.520 --> 02:44:37.800
Little by little, it seems to be doing the
impossible: Catching up.

02:44:37.800 --> 02:44:43.860
Being a thoroughly arrogant and unpleasant
anomaly, 056 doesn’t take the prospect of

02:44:43.859 --> 02:44:45.179
being humiliated lightly.

02:44:45.780 --> 02:44:50.219
It decides to take a sharp left turn off of
the highway onto a mostly dirty side road,

02:44:50.220 --> 02:44:54.540
slowing down slightly, as though to challenge
the police cruiser to carry on the chase.

02:44:55.439 --> 02:45:00.120
The police cruiser accepts the challenge,
and makes the turn after 056 with shocking

02:45:00.120 --> 02:45:00.359
speed.

02:45:01.200 --> 02:45:05.939
How is this busted-up old police cruiser keeping
pace with a brand-new anomalous Bugatti?

02:45:05.939 --> 02:45:09.120
056 doesn’t understand, but it won’t give
in.

02:45:09.120 --> 02:45:12.240
It has to keep believing it’s the best,
no matter what.

02:45:12.240 --> 02:45:17.939
056 tears off down the road until it reaches
some dense woods with only a single dirt road

02:45:17.939 --> 02:45:18.780
cutting through the middle.

02:45:18.780 --> 02:45:23.700
The Bugatti’s wheels kick up mud and dry
leaves, its roaring engine sending the animals

02:45:23.700 --> 02:45:25.439
of the forest scattering in every direction.

02:45:25.439 --> 02:45:30.419
And still, the police cruiser follows, its
high beams cutting through the murky gloom

02:45:30.420 --> 02:45:30.960
of the forest.

02:45:31.560 --> 02:45:36.360
Suddenly, it goes from eerie silence, save
for the roar of twin engines, to the flashes

02:45:36.359 --> 02:45:41.460
of red and blue lights and the shrill wail
of the police cruiser’s siren. 056 finds

02:45:41.460 --> 02:45:46.380
the whole arrangement laughable - It’s escaped
the SCP Foundation before, did some small-town

02:45:46.380 --> 02:45:49.020
cop really believe he could take 056 down?

02:45:49.020 --> 02:45:54.420
But what 056 doesn’t know is that it isn’t
being followed by just any small-town cop.

02:45:54.420 --> 02:45:58.859
It gets a clue to the true horrifying nature
of its pursuer when the Bugatti’s radio

02:45:58.859 --> 02:46:04.200
crackles into life, and a single phrase begins
endlessly repeating, in a warped, scratchy

02:46:04.200 --> 02:46:05.760
voice, suffused with static.

02:46:05.760 --> 02:46:05.846
“Run!

02:46:05.846 --> 02:46:05.895
Run!

02:46:05.896 --> 02:46:05.945
Run!

02:46:05.945 --> 02:46:05.994
Run!

02:46:05.994 --> 02:46:06.043
Run!

02:46:06.044 --> 02:46:06.130
Run!”

02:46:06.130 --> 02:46:12.960
056 is at a loss.

02:46:12.960 --> 02:46:14.160
This doesn’t make sense.

02:46:14.160 --> 02:46:17.460
It shouldn’t be possible for any normal
police cruiser to have this effect.

02:46:17.460 --> 02:46:18.600
Unless...

02:46:18.600 --> 02:46:24.180
Before 056 can even finish the thought, the
police cruiser closes the distance in a single,

02:46:24.180 --> 02:46:25.260
freakish burst of speed.

02:46:25.260 --> 02:46:30.480
It smashes into the back of the Bugatti and
rams it into a brutal tailspin, sending it

02:46:30.479 --> 02:46:34.559
skidding off the dirt road and crashing into
the trees, where it flips twice, and comes

02:46:34.560 --> 02:46:35.581
to rest upside down.

02:46:36.240 --> 02:46:37.080
Totaled.

02:46:37.080 --> 02:46:40.439
Its radio still repeats that single warped,
ominous word.

02:46:40.439 --> 02:46:41.399
“Run!

02:46:41.399 --> 02:46:41.460
Run!

02:46:41.460 --> 02:46:42.000
Run!

02:46:42.000 --> 02:46:42.180
Run!”

02:46:42.180 --> 02:46:49.440
056 is stunned as it lays, injured and in
car form, against the cold and unyielding

02:46:49.439 --> 02:46:51.299
trees of this dark, isolated forest.

02:46:51.300 --> 02:46:53.220
How was that even possible!?

02:46:53.220 --> 02:46:54.540
It doesn’t make sense!

02:46:54.540 --> 02:46:58.859
Is this police cruiser some kind of undercover
tactical vehicle in league with those worthless

02:46:58.859 --> 02:47:00.420
worms at the SCP Foundation?

02:47:01.200 --> 02:47:05.639
The police cruiser has ground to a halt on
the dirt road, idling, its lights still cutting

02:47:05.640 --> 02:47:06.360
through the gloom.

02:47:06.359 --> 02:47:11.280
The driver’s door, marked with the words
“Protect and Serve”, slides open, and

02:47:11.280 --> 02:47:12.780
a shadowy figure steps out.

02:47:13.560 --> 02:47:17.400
056 can immediately sense an inhuman presence
in its midst.

02:47:17.399 --> 02:47:22.379
This may look like some doughy, middle-aged
cop with a handlebar mustache, but that’s

02:47:22.380 --> 02:47:23.340
just a disguise.

02:47:23.340 --> 02:47:27.360
And if anyone understands disguises, it’s
SCP-056.

02:47:27.359 --> 02:47:33.660
What 056 doesn’t know is that the entity
about to attack it is, in fact, known to the

02:47:33.660 --> 02:47:36.960
SCP Foundation, but isn’t aligned with them
in the slightest.

02:47:36.960 --> 02:47:44.399
They refer to it as SCP-973, codenamed Smokey,
an anomalous police cruiser that contains

02:47:44.399 --> 02:47:45.660
a terrifying occupant.

02:47:45.660 --> 02:47:50.220
It’s known as one of the more deadly, mysterious,
and sadistic creatures that the Foundation

02:47:50.220 --> 02:47:52.320
still hasn’t fully succeeded in containing.

02:47:52.319 --> 02:47:57.719
Any humans who fall prey to it have a terrifying
demise in store for them, but how would an

02:47:57.720 --> 02:47:58.680
anomaly fare?

02:47:58.680 --> 02:48:00.360
We’re about to find out.

02:48:01.020 --> 02:48:05.940
Smokey, the nightmarish anomalous police officer,
begins walking down the grassy bank towards

02:48:05.939 --> 02:48:07.080
the overturned Bugatti.

02:48:07.080 --> 02:48:09.000
His skin is paper-pale.

02:48:09.000 --> 02:48:11.580
His eyes glow a burning, brimstone red.

02:48:12.359 --> 02:48:16.559
He clenches his pale, veiny fists, excited
by the thought of the coming violence.

02:48:16.560 --> 02:48:19.621
This idiot in the sports car really thought
it could get away from him?

02:48:19.620 --> 02:48:21.960
No one gets away from Smokey.

02:48:22.620 --> 02:48:27.059
“Exit the vehicle, boy,” Smokey says,
in a crackling southern drawl.

02:48:27.060 --> 02:48:28.920
“Or I’m gonna rip you out of it.”

02:48:28.920 --> 02:48:31.200
But Smokey doesn’t wait for an answer.

02:48:31.200 --> 02:48:36.179
He charges forward and digs his fingers into
the metal of the car, displaying his terrifying

02:48:36.180 --> 02:48:37.201
superhuman strength.

02:48:37.800 --> 02:48:42.000
He begins tearing away parts of the car, peeling
back panels of metal like a normal person

02:48:42.000 --> 02:48:42.840
would peel an orange.

02:48:42.840 --> 02:48:48.120
He imagines the terror of the person within,
the sweet fruit under all these layers of

02:48:48.120 --> 02:48:48.479
obstruction.

02:48:49.260 --> 02:48:53.520
“Gonna get you, boy,” he repeats, voicing
almost shaking with excitement.

02:48:53.520 --> 02:48:55.680
“Gonna get you, gonna get you.

02:48:55.680 --> 02:48:57.420
Gonna make you scream.

02:48:57.420 --> 02:49:01.020
Gonna make you scream like a scared little
piggy...”

02:49:01.020 --> 02:49:03.781
Then suddenly, the car just vanishes.

02:49:03.780 --> 02:49:06.120
The chunks of metal he’s holding are gone.

02:49:06.120 --> 02:49:08.220
Smokey looks around, baffled.

02:49:08.220 --> 02:49:13.020
He’s done strange and terrible things on
these roads, but this is still a new one,

02:49:13.020 --> 02:49:13.741
even for him.

02:49:13.740 --> 02:49:18.420
He looks up and stares into the darkness of
the forest - The car is nowhere to be seen

02:49:18.420 --> 02:49:18.840
out there.

02:49:19.500 --> 02:49:20.700
“Where are you, boy?”

02:49:20.700 --> 02:49:22.019
Smokey rasps.

02:49:22.020 --> 02:49:23.701
“You think you can run from me?”

02:49:24.300 --> 02:49:28.920
Smokey hears a subdued scoff coming from behind
the tree in front of him, followed by a tall,

02:49:28.920 --> 02:49:32.280
dark stranger stepping out into the dim light
of the cruiser’s high beams.

02:49:32.280 --> 02:49:37.259
It’s SCP-056, but it isn’t taking the
form of a luxury sports car anymore.

02:49:38.220 --> 02:49:43.860
Now, it’s taking the form of a cinematic
legend: Dirty Harry, as played by Clint Eastwood.

02:49:43.859 --> 02:49:46.859
The ultimate “shoot first, ask questions
later” cop.

02:49:46.859 --> 02:49:48.960
“You think I’m running from you, punk?”

02:49:48.960 --> 02:49:50.340
Harry asked.

02:49:50.340 --> 02:49:54.120
“Truth is, I was sick of looking at that
ugly mug of yours.

02:49:54.120 --> 02:49:58.800
Figured I’d take five before I came back
and put a bullet through it.”

02:49:59.460 --> 02:50:04.140
Smokey growls, his jaw unhinging and extending
into a horrific black hole.

02:50:04.140 --> 02:50:07.980
“Not exactly disproving my point there,
slick,” Harry chided.

02:50:07.979 --> 02:50:10.259
Smokey isn’t one for trading barbs.

02:50:10.260 --> 02:50:14.460
He runs towards Harry with his hands extended,
claws growing out of the tips of his fingers.

02:50:14.460 --> 02:50:18.359
But Harry knows he’s dealing with a monster
now, and he’s ready to fight back.

02:50:18.359 --> 02:50:23.040
Quicker than Smokey can even notice, Harry
reaches into a holster in his coat and pulls

02:50:23.040 --> 02:50:28.620
out his trademark weapon: A 44 Magnum revolver,
one of the most powerful revolvers ever made,

02:50:28.620 --> 02:50:30.479
and he’s a dead shot with it.

02:50:30.479 --> 02:50:33.719
Harry draws a bead on Smokey 
and fires a high-powered 

02:50:33.720 --> 02:50:35.100
round through the monster’s forehead.

02:50:35.100 --> 02:50:39.900
Smokey is staggered for a moment, seemingly
almost stunned by the shot, but the effects

02:50:39.899 --> 02:50:40.740
wear off quickly.

02:50:41.280 --> 02:50:44.580
Smokey roars and swings for Harry, who dodges
in the nick of time.

02:50:44.580 --> 02:50:47.580
Smokey’s clawed hand tears through the bark
of a nearby tree.

02:50:47.580 --> 02:50:53.519
056 buries a moment of quiet anxiety - It
thinks, “Even for me, this thing is powerful.

02:50:53.520 --> 02:50:55.081
I need to watch my step.”

02:50:55.080 --> 02:50:59.519
“You oughta show me some respect, boy,”
Smokey growls.

02:50:59.520 --> 02:51:01.020
“I’m a man of the law.

02:51:01.020 --> 02:51:03.781
You have no idea what you’re dealing with.”

02:51:03.780 --> 02:51:08.340
He swings again and again for Harry, forcing
him further back into the forest.

02:51:08.340 --> 02:51:13.500
056 tries its best to maintain that unflappable
Eastwood calm.

02:51:13.500 --> 02:51:17.939
“Respect is earned, not given, punk,”
Harry says, leveling his Magnum.

02:51:17.939 --> 02:51:21.120
“You think you’re hot stuff cause you
torture and terrorize?

02:51:21.120 --> 02:51:25.559
Putting down scum like you is exactly what
I joined the force.”

02:51:26.220 --> 02:51:29.580
Harry unleashes, emptying the cylinder into
Smokey’s center mass.

02:51:29.580 --> 02:51:30.359
Bang!

02:51:30.359 --> 02:51:30.420
Bang!

02:51:30.420 --> 02:51:31.080
Bang!

02:51:31.080 --> 02:51:31.620
Bang!

02:51:31.620 --> 02:51:31.680
Bang!

02:51:31.680 --> 02:51:38.580
Smokey’s body does the bullet dance as Harry’s
Magnum rounds punch into him like hypersonic

02:51:38.580 --> 02:51:39.359
metal fists.

02:51:39.359 --> 02:51:42.420
Smokey digs his feet into the ground and steadies
himself.

02:51:42.420 --> 02:51:46.859
Harry reaches into his pocket for some spare
rounds, discharges the empty shells from the

02:51:46.859 --> 02:51:49.200
cylinder, and begins quickly reloading the
revolver.

02:51:49.200 --> 02:51:51.300
Smokey gives him no quarter.

02:51:51.300 --> 02:51:55.620
The demonic cop charges forward and grabs
Harry by the lapels of his suit jacket, lifting

02:51:55.620 --> 02:51:58.140
him off the ground and slamming his back into
a nearby tree.

02:51:58.140 --> 02:52:01.320
The revolver falls from his hand and clatters
to the forest floor.

02:52:01.979 --> 02:52:03.660
Smokey has the upper hand now.

02:52:03.660 --> 02:52:05.460
His grip is ironclad.

02:52:05.460 --> 02:52:10.800
It seems as though 056, even as Dirty Harry,
won’t be able to escape this one.

02:52:10.800 --> 02:52:15.600
Smokey presses him against the tree until
056 can feel the bark creaking and his bones

02:52:15.600 --> 02:52:16.500
beginning to buckle.

02:52:17.160 --> 02:52:19.380
“Not so talky now, are we, boy?”

02:52:19.380 --> 02:52:20.700
Smokey snickers.

02:52:20.700 --> 02:52:22.679
“I’m gonna kill you slow.

02:52:22.680 --> 02:52:24.960
You’re gonna beg for mercy.”

02:52:24.960 --> 02:52:29.040
“You’re a good fighter,” 056 said, beginning
to shift.

02:52:29.040 --> 02:52:30.120
“But I’m better.”

02:52:30.120 --> 02:52:34.019
Moments later, SCP-056 is no longer Dirty 

02:52:34.020 --> 02:52:37.980
Harry - Now, he’s John Wick, 
the movie super-assassin

02:52:37.979 --> 02:52:40.319
specialized in almost every form of combat.

02:52:40.979 --> 02:52:44.700
Smokey is briefly confused, and 056 takes
advantage of that.

02:52:44.700 --> 02:52:50.040
With a few expert strikes to Smokey’s face,
056 is able to wriggle out of his grip and

02:52:50.040 --> 02:52:52.800
kick Smokey in the chest, creating some distance
between them.

02:52:53.399 --> 02:52:54.240
“Let’s go.

02:52:54.240 --> 02:52:59.700
It’s been too long since I’ve had a decent
workout,” 056, as John Wick, says.

02:52:59.700 --> 02:53:05.040
Smokey reaches for John Wick, but John, drawing
upon his years of combat experience, blocks

02:53:05.040 --> 02:53:08.939
Smokey’s attack and returns a brutal flurry
of blows to Smokey’s face and chest.

02:53:08.939 --> 02:53:14.819
Every time Smokey swings with his supernatural
strength, 056 swipes at his arms and uses

02:53:14.819 --> 02:53:15.899
his momentum against him.

02:53:16.500 --> 02:53:21.960
While Smokey clearly has the strength advantage,
by the nature of SCP-056’s anomalous ability,

02:53:21.960 --> 02:53:24.960
this form clearly trounces Smokey in terms
of skill.

02:53:24.960 --> 02:53:29.640
Part of 056 is afraid, having rarely been
met with this level of resistance.

02:53:29.640 --> 02:53:34.860
Another part of 056 is exhilarated - Getting
to be better than an entity this formidable

02:53:34.859 --> 02:53:36.599
is a truly thrilling experience.

02:53:36.600 --> 02:53:42.180
“You’re really starting to get on my nerves,
boy,” Smokey says, pulling out a nightstick

02:53:42.180 --> 02:53:43.201
from his police belt.

02:53:43.200 --> 02:53:47.160
056 drew a long, titanium combat knife out
of his coat.

02:53:47.160 --> 02:53:50.340
“Prove it,” he says, assuming a knife-fighting
stance.

02:53:51.180 --> 02:53:55.440
Smokey swings for 056 with his night stick,
who blocks it with the edge of his blade.

02:53:55.439 --> 02:54:00.599
What follows is almost a kind of sword fight,
where 056 and Smokey take turns striking and

02:54:00.600 --> 02:54:02.040
parrying with their respective weapons.

02:54:02.040 --> 02:54:07.439
056 cracks his neck, giving a smarmy grin
that only irritated Smokey further.

02:54:07.439 --> 02:54:10.799
The demonic cop throws his night stick directly
at 056’s face.

02:54:10.800 --> 02:54:15.900
The arrogant anomaly is able to deflect the
well-aimed stick with his knife, only to realize

02:54:15.899 --> 02:54:18.420
it was just a distraction from the following
haymaker.

02:54:18.420 --> 02:54:22.920
Smokey’s fist collides with 056’s cheek
with the force of a runaway car.

02:54:22.920 --> 02:54:27.240
It knocks him off his feet, taking his legs
out from under him and throwing him to the

02:54:27.240 --> 02:54:28.319
ground with a mighty thud.

02:54:28.319 --> 02:54:30.240
And Smokey doesn’t let up.

02:54:30.240 --> 02:54:35.700
He crouches over the stunned 056 and strikes
him again and again, pounding his clenched

02:54:35.700 --> 02:54:37.559
fists into 056’s head.

02:54:37.560 --> 02:54:42.241
If the self-obsessed anomaly had any chance
to speak, it probably would have yelled, “Not

02:54:42.840 --> 02:54:43.500
the face, not the face!”

02:54:43.500 --> 02:54:48.060
Unlucky for 056, “mercy” is not a word
in Smokey’s vocabulary.

02:54:48.899 --> 02:54:51.240
056 doesn’t have time to transform.

02:54:51.240 --> 02:54:55.139
With every punch, 056’s body is pounded
deeper into the dirt.

02:54:55.140 --> 02:54:58.680
He can feel himself losing consciousness under
the flurry of blows.

02:54:58.680 --> 02:55:03.060
For the first time, he’s truly terrified
about what will happen to him if he passes

02:55:03.060 --> 02:55:03.241
out.

02:55:03.240 --> 02:55:05.760
What terrible things will Smokey do to him?

02:55:06.420 --> 02:55:09.480
Suddenly, floodlights illuminate the forest
from every angle.

02:55:09.479 --> 02:55:11.819
The hum of helicopters sound from far above.

02:55:11.819 --> 02:55:16.920
Tactical vehicles surround the forest, manned
by highly trained, highly armed SCP Foundation

02:55:16.920 --> 02:55:17.940
Mobile Task Forces.

02:55:17.939 --> 02:55:23.160
Snipers line up their shots on Smokey, preparing
to fire with armor-piercing 50-caliber rounds.

02:55:23.160 --> 02:55:25.979
Ground troops, armed with assault rifles,
all pour in.

02:55:25.979 --> 02:55:31.799
As though a magic spell has been cast, Smokey,
along with his cursed cruiser, disappears.

02:55:31.800 --> 02:55:38.700
All that’s left is a bruised, bloody, and
disoriented SCP-056, still shaking in pain

02:55:38.700 --> 02:55:39.720
and terror on the ground.

02:55:39.720 --> 02:55:45.241
It doesn’t take long for 056 to be surrounded
by Foundation personnel, ready to take it

02:55:45.240 --> 02:55:46.139
back into containment.

02:55:46.140 --> 02:55:50.280
To even its own surprise, it’s tremendously
relieved.

02:55:50.279 --> 02:55:56.160
056, whimpering, says, “I’d like to go
back to my room, please.”

02:55:56.160 --> 02:55:59.099
The house is small but cozy.

02:55:59.640 --> 02:56:03.960
When the realtor showed it to her, she couldn’t
help but notice all the flaws – the chipped

02:56:03.960 --> 02:56:08.340
paint on the doorframe, the missing shingles
on the roof, the cracks along the kitchen

02:56:08.340 --> 02:56:11.220
walls, even the dented old mailbox out front.

02:56:11.939 --> 02:56:16.979
But even with all those imperfections, she
can’t help but feel this little house is

02:56:16.979 --> 02:56:17.759
calling to her.

02:56:17.760 --> 02:56:19.380
It’s where she’s meant to be.

02:56:20.040 --> 02:56:21.720
This will be a home for her.

02:56:21.720 --> 02:56:27.180
The woman knows, deep in her heart, that this
is what she needs to start over.

02:56:27.899 --> 02:56:28.799
It's not easy.

02:56:28.800 --> 02:56:33.600
As she moves her things into the new house,
she can’t help but think about her failed

02:56:33.600 --> 02:56:34.080
relationship.

02:56:34.080 --> 02:56:38.519
Every piece of furniture, every knick-knack,
reminds her of her old girlfriend.

02:56:39.359 --> 02:56:43.799
She unloads a heavy box from the back of her
car, but she trips over the curb as she turns

02:56:43.800 --> 02:56:44.400
toward the house.

02:56:44.399 --> 02:56:48.779
She falls, and the contents of the box spill
all over the sidewalk.

02:56:48.779 --> 02:56:50.880
They’re old photo albums.

02:56:50.880 --> 02:56:55.020
She quickly shoves them back into the box,
doing her best to avoid looking at them.

02:56:55.020 --> 02:56:59.940
But one photo, an old vacation snapshot of
her and her girlfriend visiting Niagara Falls,

02:56:59.939 --> 02:57:02.219
catches her eye as it falls out of an album.

02:57:02.220 --> 02:57:07.440
She bites her lips and wills herself not to
tear up as she pushes it back into the box.

02:57:08.160 --> 02:57:12.240
How can two people who were once so close
grow so far apart?

02:57:12.840 --> 02:57:14.940
The rest of the day passes in a haze.

02:57:14.939 --> 02:57:19.139
There’s lots to do, what with arranging
the furniture and calling up all the utilities.

02:57:19.140 --> 02:57:23.701
By the end of the day, she’s exhausted and
thankful to fall into bed.

02:57:23.700 --> 02:57:27.899
As she gradually drifts off to sleep, she
muses on her situation.

02:57:27.899 --> 02:57:30.899
Today was the hardest day, she tells herself.

02:57:30.899 --> 02:57:34.500
Every day is only going to get easier from
here on out.

02:57:34.500 --> 02:57:36.300
Time heals all wounds.

02:57:36.899 --> 02:57:38.700
The next day, she rises early.

02:57:38.700 --> 02:57:41.160
The sun is shining, birds are chirping.

02:57:41.160 --> 02:57:46.019
As she walks into her new kitchen to brew
a pot of coffee, she’s overcome with a sudden

02:57:46.020 --> 02:57:47.161
surge of good feelings.

02:57:47.160 --> 02:57:49.260
This house has so much potential.

02:57:49.260 --> 02:57:50.940
She could learn to live here.

02:57:50.939 --> 02:57:52.379
She could find a new love here.

02:57:52.380 --> 02:57:55.440
The world is her oyster, and she’s ready
for anything.

02:57:55.439 --> 02:57:59.460
Yes, she tells herself, all I needed was a
good night’s sleep.

02:57:59.460 --> 02:58:02.160
Now she feels totally revitalized!

02:58:02.760 --> 02:58:06.360
A little while later, she hears the mail truck
arrive and depart.

02:58:06.359 --> 02:58:10.859
Looking out the window, she sees that the
delivery person has shoved the little aluminum

02:58:10.859 --> 02:58:13.620
flag into the upright position, indicating
that she has mail.

02:58:14.460 --> 02:58:19.020
She ties her bathrobe around her waist and,
still cradling a mug of steaming coffee in

02:58:19.020 --> 02:58:22.560
her hands, walks to that battered black mailbox
at the end of the walkway.

02:58:23.340 --> 02:58:27.000
“That’s the first thing that ought to
go,” she mumbles to herself as she imagines

02:58:27.000 --> 02:58:28.800
all her plans to redecorate the house.

02:58:28.800 --> 02:58:33.840
Maybe she’ll get one of those fun mailboxes
that come in the shape of a wacky animal or

02:58:33.840 --> 02:58:36.900
a birdhouse… something different, something
eye-catching.

02:58:36.899 --> 02:58:39.660
Her old girlfriend never let her do anything
fun!

02:58:40.319 --> 02:58:43.559
She pulls open the mailbox and pulls out a
stack of envelopes.

02:58:43.560 --> 02:58:47.880
Still thinking about the possibilities for
a new mailbox, she quickly shuffles through

02:58:47.880 --> 02:58:50.460
the letters, scanning the return addresses
with little interest.

02:58:50.460 --> 02:58:52.200
It’s mostly junk mail.

02:58:52.200 --> 02:58:56.580
That’s no surprise; she just moved in, so
most of her friends don’t know her new address

02:58:56.580 --> 02:58:56.939
yet.

02:58:56.939 --> 02:59:00.799
But there’s one letter at the bottom of
the pile that has no return address.

02:59:00.800 --> 02:59:03.960
“Huh, that’s weird,” she says.

02:59:03.960 --> 02:59:05.939
It’s probably just more junk mail.

02:59:05.939 --> 02:59:11.160
She knows that some advertisers don’t leave
return addresses as a way to pique a recipient’s

02:59:11.160 --> 02:59:13.500
interest and trick them into reading their
sales pitches.

02:59:13.500 --> 02:59:16.439
Nevertheless, she’s intrigued enough to
tear it open.

02:59:16.439 --> 02:59:20.700
To her surprise, inside is a handwritten letter.

02:59:21.300 --> 02:59:22.800
“Hello,” says the letter.

02:59:22.800 --> 02:59:24.540
“I couldn’t help notice you today.

02:59:24.540 --> 02:59:27.240
I’m really excited to see a new face in
the neighborhood.

02:59:27.240 --> 02:59:28.920
I hope you enjoy your stay here.

02:59:28.920 --> 02:59:30.420
Maybe we could meet later?

02:59:30.420 --> 02:59:31.380
See ya!”

02:59:31.920 --> 02:59:33.600
The woman blinks in confusion.

02:59:33.600 --> 02:59:37.860
This must be a welcome letter from one of
her new neighbors… but since it’s not

02:59:37.859 --> 02:59:40.080
signed, she really has no way of knowing which
one.

02:59:40.080 --> 02:59:45.000
It’s a little odd, but, well, she’s sure
that the letter writer must have had good

02:59:45.000 --> 02:59:45.359
intentions.

02:59:45.359 --> 02:59:50.399
She pushes the red aluminum flag back into
its reclining position, folds the mysterious

02:59:50.399 --> 02:59:53.939
letter under her arm with her other mail,
and retreats back into her new house.

02:59:53.939 --> 02:59:59.580
Imagine her surprise when, the next day, she
finds another letter in her mailbox.

02:59:59.580 --> 03:00:00.660
“Hi again!”

03:00:00.660 --> 03:00:01.500
it says.

03:00:01.500 --> 03:00:03.240
“I saw that you read my letter yesterday.

03:00:03.240 --> 03:00:04.500
I’m so glad!!

03:00:04.500 --> 03:00:08.040
I was afraid that you wouldn’t like me,
but now I see that we’re going to be great

03:00:08.040 --> 03:00:08.340
friends?

03:00:08.340 --> 03:00:10.740
Maybe you’d like to get coffee together
sometime?

03:00:10.740 --> 03:00:13.200
XOXO PS.

03:00:13.200 --> 03:00:14.220
I really like you!!!”

03:00:14.819 --> 03:00:15.719
Okay.

03:00:15.720 --> 03:00:17.640
Now, THIS is getting a little pushy!

03:00:17.640 --> 03:00:22.500
That first letter was friendly if a little
awkward, but this one almost sounds like someone

03:00:22.500 --> 03:00:24.120
is trying to solicit her for a date!

03:00:24.120 --> 03:00:25.800
She’s in no mood for that!

03:00:25.800 --> 03:00:29.820
Even if she wasn’t still hurting from her
breakup, she didn’t know this mysterious

03:00:29.819 --> 03:00:30.540
letter writer!

03:00:30.540 --> 03:00:33.240
Where do they get the nerve to ask her out?

03:00:33.240 --> 03:00:36.719
Angrily, she crumples up the new letter and
throws it directly into the trash.

03:00:37.439 --> 03:00:40.259
She looks across the hedge, peering into the
neighbor’s yards.

03:00:40.260 --> 03:00:44.640
In the yard to her left, a middle-aged man
pushes a lawnmower across the grass.

03:00:44.640 --> 03:00:48.480
In the yard to her right, two old women are
gossiping at the fence.

03:00:48.479 --> 03:00:53.160
She feels suddenly exposed as she realizes
that the letters could be coming from anyone

03:00:53.160 --> 03:00:53.819
in the neighborhood.

03:00:53.819 --> 03:00:57.059
She hopes that maybe if she ignores it, the
message will be clear.

03:00:57.060 --> 03:01:00.420
She quickly scurries back into her house and
slams the door shut.

03:01:00.420 --> 03:01:04.680
The next morning, she finds another message
from her secret admirer together with her

03:01:04.680 --> 03:01:05.160
other mail.

03:01:05.160 --> 03:01:08.580
The tone of the letter is more desperate,
more wheedling.

03:01:08.580 --> 03:01:10.859
“I saw you throw away my letter yesterday!”

03:01:10.859 --> 03:01:12.899
it says, “Why did you do that????

03:01:12.899 --> 03:01:13.859
Don’t you like me?

03:01:13.859 --> 03:01:15.960
I really thought that we would make a great
couple…

03:01:15.960 --> 03:01:20.160
Maybe if you gave me a chance, I could make
you so much happier than your ex!”

03:01:20.160 --> 03:01:22.620
The woman doesn’t read any farther.

03:01:22.620 --> 03:01:24.240
She throws the letter to the ground.

03:01:24.240 --> 03:01:25.979
This is going too far!

03:01:25.979 --> 03:01:30.540
It was bad enough that a stranger was hitting
on her, but now she knows that her secret

03:01:30.540 --> 03:01:32.160
admirer is a stalker too!

03:01:32.160 --> 03:01:36.300
How else would they know that she threw away
their previous letter unless they were watching

03:01:36.300 --> 03:01:37.380
her as she picked up her mail?

03:01:37.380 --> 03:01:42.300
And even more disturbing, how could they possibly
know that she had troubles with her ex?

03:01:42.960 --> 03:01:45.779
She stalks over to the house next door and
pounds on the door.

03:01:45.779 --> 03:01:49.080
When the middle-aged man answers, she confronts
him with the letter.

03:01:49.620 --> 03:01:50.580
“Did you write this?

03:01:50.580 --> 03:01:51.420
What’s your problem?”

03:01:51.420 --> 03:01:53.940
she demands as she shoves the paper in his
face.

03:01:53.939 --> 03:01:56.339
“I don’t know what you’re trying to
do, but I’m not interested!

03:01:56.340 --> 03:01:58.560
I want you to keep away from me!”

03:01:58.560 --> 03:02:02.694
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,”
protests the man, holding up his hands as

03:02:02.693 --> 03:02:03.179
if you indicate surrender.

03:02:03.180 --> 03:02:04.680
“I didn’t write anything!”

03:02:05.520 --> 03:02:09.480
The woman doesn’t know if she believes him,
but she has to admit that the middle-aged

03:02:09.479 --> 03:02:11.939
man sounds genuinely confused by her accusations.

03:02:11.939 --> 03:02:13.919
Maybe he’s not the culprit.

03:02:13.920 --> 03:02:18.120
But when she confronts the neighbor living
to the other side, she hears a similar story.

03:02:18.840 --> 03:02:20.279
“Are you sending me these letters?

03:02:20.279 --> 03:02:21.719
Because they’re actually really creepy!

03:02:21.720 --> 03:02:25.140
I don’t like people watching me!” says
the woman as she confronts her other neighbor.

03:02:25.740 --> 03:02:27.479
The old woman just shakes her head.

03:02:27.479 --> 03:02:29.639
“Mercy me, I didn’t send you a letter.

03:02:29.640 --> 03:02:31.560
Why would I do that?

03:02:31.560 --> 03:02:33.360
I could just come over and talk to you!

03:02:34.140 --> 03:02:37.800
I don’t know why you youngsters are always
making up stories about weird letters!”

03:02:38.399 --> 03:02:42.359
The young woman wonders about the old woman’s
final words when she’s eating dinner alone

03:02:42.359 --> 03:02:43.620
in her kitchen later that night.

03:02:43.620 --> 03:02:48.180
The way that she complained about young people
always “making up” stories about weird

03:02:48.180 --> 03:02:50.820
letters makes her wonder if this has happened
before.

03:02:50.819 --> 03:02:54.840
Could it be that other young women have lived
in this house before her?

03:02:54.840 --> 03:02:57.480
And were they victims of the same stalker?

03:02:57.479 --> 03:02:58.979
But who could this stalker be?

03:02:58.979 --> 03:03:01.919
It’s got to be someone close, she can just
feel it.

03:03:01.920 --> 03:03:06.359
At that moment, she looks up from her meal
and gasps in surprise.

03:03:06.359 --> 03:03:10.259
There, right outside her window, is the black
mailbox.

03:03:10.920 --> 03:03:15.660
It’s hovering right at the edge of the window,
as if it’s shyly peeking in, like a bashful

03:03:15.660 --> 03:03:17.040
caller afraid of being seen.

03:03:17.040 --> 03:03:19.439
The young woman blinks and rubs her eyes.

03:03:19.439 --> 03:03:22.740
When she looks again, the mailbox is gone.

03:03:23.460 --> 03:03:25.439
She rushes to the door and throws it open.

03:03:25.439 --> 03:03:29.639
The mailbox is right there, standing at the
curb at the end of the footpath, just as it’s

03:03:29.640 --> 03:03:30.180
always been.

03:03:30.720 --> 03:03:32.460
Are her eyes playing tricks on her?

03:03:32.460 --> 03:03:36.120
Is the stress of her break-up and the mysterious
stalker finally getting to her?

03:03:36.720 --> 03:03:38.940
The next day, she finds another letter.

03:03:38.939 --> 03:03:43.679
Her stalker is getting even more unhinged,
and the messages are becoming downright scary.

03:03:43.680 --> 03:03:48.120
The next day, she finds not just one letter
in her mailbox, but two!

03:03:48.120 --> 03:03:53.399
Both messages sound absolutely deranged; her
stalker, and at this point, there’s no doubt

03:03:53.399 --> 03:03:57.599
in her mind that a stalker is responsible
for these letters, has resorted to threats.

03:03:58.319 --> 03:03:59.279
“Why don’t you like me?!?

03:03:59.279 --> 03:04:01.740
You’d better change your attitude if you
know what’s good for you!

03:04:01.740 --> 03:04:03.059
You think you’re too good for me?

03:04:03.060 --> 03:04:04.680
What does your ex have that I don’t?

03:04:04.680 --> 03:04:07.680
Maybe you need a real man to really show you
the ropes!”

03:04:07.680 --> 03:04:12.600
She crushes the letters in her hands, her
face flushing with a combination of fear and

03:04:12.600 --> 03:04:12.960
rage.

03:04:12.960 --> 03:04:15.240
Who does this person think that they are?

03:04:15.240 --> 03:04:17.399
She can’t take this pressure much longer!

03:04:17.399 --> 03:04:21.660
She’s ready to report these letters to the
police, but she still has no idea who’s

03:04:21.660 --> 03:04:22.260
stalking her.

03:04:22.920 --> 03:04:23.700
Or does she?

03:04:23.700 --> 03:04:28.500
She can’t help but think about that strange
incident the previous night, when she thought

03:04:28.500 --> 03:04:31.080
that she saw the mailbox standing right outside
the window.

03:04:31.800 --> 03:04:33.360
But that’s crazy, isn’t it?

03:04:33.359 --> 03:04:35.759
Her mailbox can’t be stalking her, can it?

03:04:35.760 --> 03:04:40.620
If she tries to tell anyone that her mailbox
is sending her threatening messages, everyone

03:04:40.620 --> 03:04:42.059
is just going to think that she’s crazy!

03:04:42.060 --> 03:04:47.880
But soon, things start to get worse, escalating
in ways that force the woman to confront that

03:04:47.880 --> 03:04:48.359
possibility.

03:04:48.359 --> 03:04:51.179
That night, she’s in her kitchen fixing
dinner.

03:04:51.180 --> 03:04:54.180
She turns from the stove to grab some condiments
from the pantry.

03:04:54.180 --> 03:04:55.920
That’s when she sees it.

03:04:55.920 --> 03:04:56.940
The mailbox!

03:04:56.939 --> 03:04:59.339
It’s not outside this time, it’s in the
next room.

03:04:59.340 --> 03:05:03.240
It’s standing partially hidden behind the
door, again as if it’s trying not to be

03:05:03.240 --> 03:05:03.479
seen.

03:05:03.479 --> 03:05:07.859
She drops her work and rushes out into the
living room, hoping to catch the mailbox in

03:05:07.859 --> 03:05:08.160
the act.

03:05:08.700 --> 03:05:09.660
But it’s gone!

03:05:09.660 --> 03:05:14.399
She runs to the window and, once again, sees
the mailbox standing at the end of the walkway

03:05:14.399 --> 03:05:16.139
in the exact same spot that it should be.

03:05:16.740 --> 03:05:21.479
She’s certain that she can’t be imagining
these things, but, at the same time, what

03:05:21.479 --> 03:05:22.799
other explanation could there be?

03:05:23.640 --> 03:05:28.741
She barely gets any sleep that night, tossing
and turning with unpleasant dreams – several

03:05:28.740 --> 03:05:34.200
times, she startles awake, sitting bolt upright
in bed, half convinced that the sinister mailbox

03:05:34.200 --> 03:05:37.679
might even be in the same room with her, watching
her as she sleeps.

03:05:37.680 --> 03:05:42.420
The next day, the exhausted woman rises early
from restless dreams and sits on the front

03:05:42.420 --> 03:05:44.520
porch, waiting for the mail truck to arrive.

03:05:45.120 --> 03:05:49.920
When the familiar US postal service vehicle
pulls up to the curb, she stalks over and

03:05:49.920 --> 03:05:50.880
confronts the mailman.

03:05:50.880 --> 03:05:52.200
“Come on, hand it over!”

03:05:52.200 --> 03:05:53.099
she demands.

03:05:53.100 --> 03:05:54.300
“It’s my mail, give it to me!”

03:05:54.300 --> 03:05:58.980
She’s too flustered by this whole absurd
scenario to bother being polite, and the mailman

03:05:58.979 --> 03:06:00.479
is in no mood to argue.

03:06:00.479 --> 03:06:03.479
This woman looks positively insane, he thinks.

03:06:03.479 --> 03:06:07.859
Her hair is disheveled, her eyes are ringed
with heavy black circles, and she looks like

03:06:07.859 --> 03:06:10.200
she hasn’t had a decent night’s sleep
in weeks.

03:06:10.200 --> 03:06:14.279
He has to deal with all kinds of crazy customers
every day and he knows better than to push

03:06:14.279 --> 03:06:14.759
his luck!

03:06:14.760 --> 03:06:18.480
He shoves the bundle of letters into her arms
and jumps back into his truck.

03:06:18.479 --> 03:06:22.799
The woman quickly shuffles through the stack
of letters, scanning the return addresses

03:06:22.800 --> 03:06:26.340
and throwing each envelope to the ground behind
her when she’s satisfied that it’s not

03:06:26.340 --> 03:06:27.060
from her stalker.

03:06:27.660 --> 03:06:28.680
Just as she thought!

03:06:28.680 --> 03:06:32.580
None of these letters match the description
of the blank envelopes that her stalker uses

03:06:32.580 --> 03:06:33.059
for his messages.

03:06:33.960 --> 03:06:36.120
She pulls open the mailbox and looks inside.

03:06:36.840 --> 03:06:39.600
To her horror, there’s already a letter
inside.

03:06:39.600 --> 03:06:44.340
She grabs it and feels the blood drain from
her face as she looks at the blank envelope.

03:06:44.340 --> 03:06:46.319
It’s another message from her stalker.

03:06:46.319 --> 03:06:50.819
Now she knows that he’s sending the letters
through the mail, but… how did he get this

03:06:50.819 --> 03:06:52.799
letter into the mailbox without her seeing
him?

03:06:52.800 --> 03:06:57.240
She woke up so early this morning, even before
the sun was up, and she’s been watching

03:06:57.240 --> 03:06:58.319
the mailbox for hours.

03:06:59.040 --> 03:07:02.580
It doesn’t make sense that any of her neighbors
could have planted this message without her

03:07:02.580 --> 03:07:02.880
knowing!

03:07:02.880 --> 03:07:08.520
But the only other possible explanation…
is that the mailbox itself is somehow writing

03:07:08.520 --> 03:07:09.060
these letters!

03:07:09.720 --> 03:07:14.340
She stares at the black aluminum box, the
dark dented metal suddenly taking on a sinister

03:07:14.340 --> 03:07:16.380
aspect in the early morning sunlight.

03:07:17.100 --> 03:07:18.840
Maybe she really is going insane.

03:07:18.840 --> 03:07:23.460
Maybe she just misses her ex-girlfriend so
much that she’s imagining all this madness

03:07:23.460 --> 03:07:26.580
and just projecting her fear of being alone
onto this mailbox?

03:07:27.300 --> 03:07:29.460
No, no, she doesn’t believe that at all!

03:07:29.460 --> 03:07:32.580
She’s going to put a stop to this, once
and for all.

03:07:33.180 --> 03:07:37.140
The woman jogs into her garage and returns
several moments later with a shovel.

03:07:37.140 --> 03:07:41.100
She doesn’t know whether she’s hallucinating
or not, but she’s had just about enough

03:07:41.100 --> 03:07:42.241
of this stupid mailbox.

03:07:42.240 --> 03:07:43.800
She wants it out of her life.

03:07:43.800 --> 03:07:48.240
Even if it’s not stalking her, even if this
is all in her mind, it’s clear that there’s

03:07:48.240 --> 03:07:51.660
something off about this mailbox, something
that’s putting her ill at ease.

03:07:51.660 --> 03:07:56.279
She starts to shovel dirt away from the base
of the mailbox post, grunting and sweating

03:07:56.279 --> 03:08:00.000
with the exertion of her work but not stopping
until the post is loose.

03:08:00.000 --> 03:08:05.399
She grabs at the thick wooden post and hoists
the mailbox, post and all, out of its pits.

03:08:05.399 --> 03:08:10.139
She drags it across the lawn to her driveway,
where, with considerable effort, she manages

03:08:10.140 --> 03:08:14.100
to shove it into the back seat of her car,
ripping the upholstery of the seats and spilling

03:08:14.100 --> 03:08:15.121
wet dirt all over the floor.

03:08:15.120 --> 03:08:17.460
She doesn’t care about the damage to her
car.

03:08:17.460 --> 03:08:19.800
She just needs to get rid of this mailbox!

03:08:19.800 --> 03:08:24.240
A chill runs down her spine at the thought
of taking a long car ride with that thing

03:08:24.240 --> 03:08:24.899
behind her.

03:08:24.899 --> 03:08:30.059
She doesn’t trust it at all, and the idea
of turning her back on it… well, she doesn’t

03:08:30.060 --> 03:08:31.680
know what kind of danger she’ll be in!

03:08:32.220 --> 03:08:36.360
As she climbs into the driver’s seat, she
adjusts the rearview mirror so that she can

03:08:36.359 --> 03:08:38.219
keep an eye on the mailbox for the whole drive.

03:08:38.220 --> 03:08:43.440
To her immense relief, it doesn’t move once
on the whole car ride, even though her nervous

03:08:43.439 --> 03:08:46.259
eyes keep flicking to the rearview mirror
to assuage her fears.

03:08:46.260 --> 03:08:49.980
She finally arrives at her destination: The
city dump.

03:08:50.580 --> 03:08:54.600
She pulls up to the front gate and honks her
horn until the custodian comes out of the

03:08:54.600 --> 03:08:54.960
guard house.

03:08:55.500 --> 03:08:59.640
She motions for him to remove the mailbox
from her back seat and the panicked expression

03:08:59.640 --> 03:09:02.460
on her face tells him that he should be quick
about it.

03:09:02.460 --> 03:09:06.300
He’s barely pulled the mailbox clear of
the door when the woman peels away, skidding

03:09:06.300 --> 03:09:10.320
along the curb and gunning the engine to drive
away from the dump and the abandoned mailbox

03:09:10.319 --> 03:09:11.639
as fast as possible.

03:09:12.420 --> 03:09:15.600
After a few minutes on the road, she starts
to calm down.

03:09:15.600 --> 03:09:20.940
She breathes a deep sigh of relief, a new
sense of calm finally settling over her now

03:09:20.939 --> 03:09:23.279
that she’s removed that awful mailbox from
her life.

03:09:24.000 --> 03:09:27.899
She adjusts the rearview mirror to look at
her reflection, wincing at the sight of her

03:09:27.899 --> 03:09:29.399
haggard eyes and blotchy skin.

03:09:29.399 --> 03:09:34.679
The stress of the last few days must have
been really getting to her, but now she feels

03:09:34.680 --> 03:09:36.360
like she can finally move on with her life.

03:09:36.359 --> 03:09:39.059
She manages a tense chuckle at the memory.

03:09:39.060 --> 03:09:43.920
The whole idea that her mailbox was stalking
her seems increasingly absurd the further

03:09:43.920 --> 03:09:47.460
she drives from the dump, but she can’t
help but feel much better.

03:09:48.180 --> 03:09:53.040
But when she turns the corner to arrive at
her home street, she sees something that she

03:09:53.040 --> 03:09:53.640
cannot believe.

03:09:54.359 --> 03:09:58.799
Her eyes bulge from her head, and her fingers
tighten around the steering wheel, her knuckles

03:09:58.800 --> 03:09:59.820
going white.

03:09:59.819 --> 03:10:00.899
It can’t be!

03:10:01.500 --> 03:10:03.660
The mailbox is back!

03:10:04.319 --> 03:10:08.639
The same black aluminum box and wooden post…
of course, after all she’s been through,

03:10:08.640 --> 03:10:09.960
she would recognize it anywhere!

03:10:10.560 --> 03:10:13.860
It’s still there, in her front yard, at
the end of the walkway!

03:10:13.859 --> 03:10:16.920
But she’s certain that she just dropped
it off at the dump, right?

03:10:16.920 --> 03:10:20.520
There’s no way that she could have imagined
digging up the mailbox and lugging it all

03:10:20.520 --> 03:10:21.420
the way to the junkyard.

03:10:21.420 --> 03:10:25.380
Could it be possible that the mailbox somehow
followed her home?

03:10:25.380 --> 03:10:28.500
Could it be that desperate for her attention
and companionship?

03:10:28.500 --> 03:10:30.600
The woman doesn’t say a word.

03:10:30.600 --> 03:10:34.080
She keeps driving, passing her new home without
stopping.

03:10:34.080 --> 03:10:35.700
She can’t deal with this anymore.

03:10:35.700 --> 03:10:40.740
She glances at the rearview mirror, one last
look at the cozy little house where she thought

03:10:40.740 --> 03:10:41.880
that she could start a new life.

03:10:41.880 --> 03:10:43.680
But she can’t live like this!

03:10:43.680 --> 03:10:46.680
She keeps driving, and she doesn’t look
back.

03:10:46.680 --> 03:10:53.160
On the corner, the mailbox stands still and
silent, as if it had never moved and never

03:10:53.160 --> 03:10:53.399
will.

03:10:54.180 --> 03:10:58.920
Dealing with a stalker can be a frightening
and dangerous situation, but it can be even

03:10:58.920 --> 03:11:01.500
worse when your stalker isn’t even human.

03:11:02.279 --> 03:11:04.439
That woman never had to see the mailbox again 

03:11:04.439 --> 03:11:07.139
after she left the property, 
but the SCP foundation

03:11:07.140 --> 03:11:13.320
is very familiar with this dangerously obsessive
romantic – which it calls SCP-1269.

03:11:13.319 --> 03:11:19.559
SCP-1269 looks like a perfectly ordinary mailbox
situated in front of a perfectly ordinary

03:11:19.560 --> 03:11:20.880
house somewhere in Massachusetts.

03:11:20.880 --> 03:11:25.620
It is made of black aluminum, possessing a
red flag and a white plastic post.

03:11:26.340 --> 03:11:31.080
It stands at 1/3 meters tall, and the house
number of the corresponding property is printed

03:11:31.080 --> 03:11:31.559
on its right side.

03:11:31.560 --> 03:11:37.800
It is unknown how long SCP-1269 has resided
at the property, although dents and bruises

03:11:37.800 --> 03:11:41.279
on the mailbox chassis indicate that it’s
probably been there for some time.

03:11:41.279 --> 03:11:47.639
SCP-1269 remains a perfectly ordinary mailbox
when its corresponding house is unoccupied

03:11:47.640 --> 03:11:49.741
or else occupied by a male resident.

03:11:49.740 --> 03:11:56.700
But when a woman aged 23 years old or older
takes up residence on the property, SCP-1269

03:11:56.700 --> 03:11:59.340
will start to manifest its anomalous properties.

03:12:00.060 --> 03:12:05.760
About two weeks after the woman moves into
the house, SCP-1269 will start to manifest

03:12:05.760 --> 03:12:09.360
unaddressed romantic letters targeted towards
the resident of the house.

03:12:10.140 --> 03:12:15.480
Surveillance within SCP-1269 has shown that
the letters manifest approximately three seconds

03:12:15.479 --> 03:12:16.679
after mail delivery.

03:12:17.279 --> 03:12:23.460
SCP-1269's anomalous properties will manifest
only when a single female 23 years or older

03:12:23.460 --> 03:12:28.980
- hereafter referred to as "the occupant"
- resides within the same property as SCP-1269.

03:12:28.979 --> 03:12:35.339
Approximately two weeks after the occupant
moves in, SCP-1269 will start to manifest

03:12:35.340 --> 03:12:37.140
unaddressed letters every four days.

03:12:37.140 --> 03:12:41.880
The contents of the letter are romantic in
nature, and are targeted towards the occupant

03:12:41.880 --> 03:12:42.300
of the house.

03:12:42.300 --> 03:12:47.940
Surveillance within SCP-1269 has shown the
letters manifest approximately three seconds

03:12:47.939 --> 03:12:50.160
after the occupant's mail has been delivered.

03:12:50.819 --> 03:12:57.420
At first, letters will manifest once every
four days, but SCP-1269 will quickly escalate

03:12:57.420 --> 03:13:01.020
its obsessive behavior to the point that multiple
letters will appear daily.

03:13:01.740 --> 03:13:07.380
The letters will become more obsessive and
less coherent as SCP-1269’s stalking behavior

03:13:07.380 --> 03:13:08.100
intensifies.

03:13:08.100 --> 03:13:14.280
When not under direct supervision of the house
occupant, SCP-1269 will teleport to a location

03:13:14.279 --> 03:13:18.059
near the occupant and face them as if it’s
trying to watch them.

03:13:18.720 --> 03:13:23.400
It will always manifest in an area where it
is partially obstructed, such as peeking through

03:13:23.399 --> 03:13:25.979
a window or behind some shower curtains.

03:13:25.979 --> 03:13:29.399
Sometimes, when the resident is asleep, SCP-1269 

03:13:29.399 --> 03:13:31.799
will teleport near the 
occupant without obstruction.

03:13:31.800 --> 03:13:37.560
SCP-1269 will not follow the occupant off
the property, and all anomalous properties

03:13:37.560 --> 03:13:40.500
will cease manifesting if the occupant moves
out of the house.

03:13:41.220 --> 03:13:46.440
Attempts to remove SCP-1269 from its location
have so far been unsuccessful.

03:13:46.439 --> 03:13:52.740
SCP-1269 will teleport to its original curbside
location after one hour of relocation.

03:13:53.520 --> 03:13:59.280
If attempts are made to replace SCP-1269 with
a new mailbox, the mailbox will be teleported

03:13:59.279 --> 03:14:02.399
away with SCP-1269 appearing in its place.

03:14:03.000 --> 03:14:08.040
Approximately three hours after the disappearance
of the new mailbox, it will reappear in a

03:14:08.040 --> 03:14:09.600
dumpster several kilometers away.

03:14:10.260 --> 03:14:15.600
Mailboxes recovered so far have all been found
in varying amounts of disrepair, within garbage

03:14:15.600 --> 03:14:21.540
bags, and covered in obscene graffiti – as
if SCP-1269 has become violently jealous of

03:14:21.540 --> 03:14:24.600
any other mailbox it sees as trying to replace
it.

03:14:24.600 --> 03:14:30.600
SCP-1269 has also shown similar violent jealousy
toward humans that it might believe are vying

03:14:30.600 --> 03:14:32.880
for the affection of any woman living in its
house.

03:14:32.880 --> 03:14:37.440
In a recent experiment, a D-class male was
moved onto the property with the then-current

03:14:37.439 --> 03:14:41.219
test occupant, a D-class female, after seven
weeks of residence.

03:14:41.220 --> 03:14:47.760
Interestingly, SCP-1269 ceased its teleporting
activity in response to this male presence.

03:14:47.760 --> 03:14:54.120
But three days later, the D-class male disappeared
from the property, causing SCP-1269 to resume

03:14:54.120 --> 03:14:55.620
all anomalous behavior.

03:14:56.279 --> 03:15:01.439
Two weeks later, the body of the missing D-class
male was discovered in the same dumpster where

03:15:01.439 --> 03:15:05.339
SCP-1269 had previously disposed of rival
mailboxes.

03:15:05.340 --> 03:15:10.980
The property where SCP-1269 is located is
to remain under the custody of the foundation,

03:15:10.979 --> 03:15:16.259
with one male researcher residing in the house
to monitor the behavior of SCP-1269.

03:15:16.979 --> 03:15:20.759
Because of the dangerous lengths to which
it will go to attain the current object of

03:15:20.760 --> 03:15:25.620
its affection, SCP-1269 has been designated
with object class Euclid.

03:15:25.620 --> 03:15:29.099
It’s our job to make sure it doesn’t menace
anyone else.

03:15:29.100 --> 03:15:33.661
The full moon hangs heavy in the night sky
over the dense jungle canopy.

03:15:34.200 --> 03:15:39.300
Below, the darkened palm trees stand silent
in the humid air, festooned with vines and

03:15:39.300 --> 03:15:43.020
lianas, and tropical insects 
hum in the undergrowth.

03:15:43.560 --> 03:15:48.900
The night is quiet and dark here, far from
the city, in one of the farthest, most secluded

03:15:48.899 --> 03:15:50.040
provinces of the Philippines.

03:15:50.040 --> 03:15:53.460
One would hardly expect anyone to be out at
this time of night.

03:15:54.060 --> 03:15:58.560
The young woman is hurrying home, carrying
a lantern before her face so that she can

03:15:58.560 --> 03:16:00.600
see where she’s going in the pitch black
of the night.

03:16:01.200 --> 03:16:05.279
Her swollen belly reveals that she’s at
least several months pregnant, her new middle

03:16:05.279 --> 03:16:08.939
throwing her off balance just enough that
she has to be careful not to stumble.

03:16:08.939 --> 03:16:13.559
A woman in her condition, she thinks, shouldn’t
be out at this time of night and certainly

03:16:13.560 --> 03:16:15.420
shouldn’t have to do household chores like
this.

03:16:15.420 --> 03:16:18.420
But the work has to get done, no matter what!

03:16:19.020 --> 03:16:23.161
She carries a basket of wet laundry under
her other arm; she is returning from washing

03:16:23.160 --> 03:16:26.880
her clothes in the river and, if she had planned
things out better, she would have been home

03:16:26.880 --> 03:16:28.020
long before the moon rose.

03:16:28.020 --> 03:16:32.340
Unfortunately, she spent far too much time
gossiping with several other village women

03:16:32.340 --> 03:16:35.940
before getting to work on scrubbing her filthy
clothes against the rocks.

03:16:35.939 --> 03:16:39.120
Luckily, it’s not too far from the river
back to her home in the village.

03:16:39.720 --> 03:16:43.500
The worst thing that might happen, she reminds
herself, is that she might lose her footing

03:16:43.500 --> 03:16:46.020
in the dark and trip over a rock or a root.

03:16:46.020 --> 03:16:49.980
There’s no chance that she might run afoul
of some nocturnal animal, she tells herself…

03:16:49.979 --> 03:16:54.899
even though the sudden chills down her spine
and sweat dripping from her brow reveals the

03:16:54.899 --> 03:16:59.399
truth, that she doesn’t believe that at
all and, in fact, she’s getting more and

03:16:59.399 --> 03:17:01.500
more nervous as she staggers through the dark.

03:17:02.160 --> 03:17:04.080
It isn’t just the threat of wild animals.

03:17:04.080 --> 03:17:08.279
She remembers the stories that her mother
told her when she was a little girl, all about

03:17:08.279 --> 03:17:11.460
sinister supernatural monsters that live in
these woods.

03:17:11.460 --> 03:17:15.660
Of course, those are just stories invented
to scare children, she tells herself.

03:17:15.660 --> 03:17:18.840
She’s a grown woman now, about to have a
child of her own.

03:17:18.840 --> 03:17:21.180
She shouldn’t be worried about bogeymen!

03:17:21.180 --> 03:17:25.800
She just needs to keep her head on her shoulders
and she’ll be sure to arrive home safely.

03:17:26.460 --> 03:17:30.480
The lantern throws its light over a figure
standing below the crook of a katmon tree.

03:17:30.479 --> 03:17:33.000
The woman jolts, nearly dropping her laundry.

03:17:33.000 --> 03:17:38.040
She gulps back a scream as she realizes that
what she sees isn’t a wild animal but rather

03:17:38.040 --> 03:17:38.939
a person.

03:17:39.600 --> 03:17:42.661
“Oh sorry,” says the young woman, her
voice shaking a little.

03:17:42.660 --> 03:17:44.880
“I didn’t think anyone else was still
out this late.

03:17:45.479 --> 03:17:46.620
I thought you were a wild animal.”

03:17:47.279 --> 03:17:51.840
“Don’t you worry, little one,” says
the figure in a soft, sibilant voice.

03:17:51.840 --> 03:17:55.380
The figure steps forward and the young woman
recognizes her.

03:17:55.380 --> 03:17:59.880
It’s an old woman from the village, her
back hunched and her long white hair falling

03:17:59.880 --> 03:18:01.500
over her shoulders in a messy tangle.

03:18:01.500 --> 03:18:06.180
The young woman feels inexplicably nervous
running into this particular villager here

03:18:06.180 --> 03:18:07.020
in the jungle at night.

03:18:07.020 --> 03:18:11.460
Many of the village kids whisper that she’s
actually a witch who has all kinds of weird

03:18:11.460 --> 03:18:12.600
supernatural powers.

03:18:12.600 --> 03:18:17.280
Even some of the village elders are afraid
to cross her for fear of getting cursed.

03:18:17.279 --> 03:18:19.740
“Where are you going at this hour?

03:18:19.740 --> 03:18:23.819
Someone in your condition shouldn’t exert
yourself so much.”

03:18:23.819 --> 03:18:28.679
“I’m just heading home,” says the young
woman, hefting the basket of laundry for emphasis.

03:18:28.680 --> 03:18:31.800
“It’s dangerous to be out so late alone.

03:18:32.640 --> 03:18:35.340
Here, let me walk home with you.

03:18:35.340 --> 03:18:38.040
There’s safety in numbers, you know.”

03:18:38.040 --> 03:18:39.660
“T-thank you.”

03:18:39.660 --> 03:18:43.319
The young woman almost wants to protest that
she doesn’t need any help getting home,

03:18:43.319 --> 03:18:46.740
because she really does not want to spend
any more time with this old woman.

03:18:47.399 --> 03:18:51.960
But, at the same time, she is reluctant to
say anything that might insult her… after

03:18:51.960 --> 03:18:55.920
all, even if the young woman doesn’t believe
in witchcraft, it’s not like she wants to

03:18:55.920 --> 03:18:56.640
take any chances.

03:18:56.640 --> 03:18:59.701
Besides, the truth is that 
she is rather frightened 

03:18:59.700 --> 03:19:01.679
of being alone in the dark and any company

03:19:01.680 --> 03:19:04.800
is better than nothing, even if it’s this
strange old woman.

03:19:04.800 --> 03:19:10.320
“How far along are you, honey?” says the
old woman, placing a hand against the surface

03:19:10.319 --> 03:19:11.939
of the young woman’s protruding belly.

03:19:11.939 --> 03:19:13.500
The young woman grimaces.

03:19:13.500 --> 03:19:17.100
She doesn’t like this old woman intruding
on her personal space like this.

03:19:17.760 --> 03:19:22.260
The old woman’s hands are wrinkled and veiny,
flecked with liver spots, and her fingers

03:19:22.260 --> 03:19:23.580
topped with gnarled talons.

03:19:23.580 --> 03:19:27.660
The young woman wants to cry out at the sight
of them but she bites her tongue.

03:19:27.660 --> 03:19:32.519
Instead, she answers the old woman’s probing
question as calmly and politely as she can.

03:19:33.240 --> 03:19:38.880
“Very nice, very nice,” says the old woman,
her rheumy eyes never straying from the young

03:19:38.880 --> 03:19:43.200
woman’s belly and her hands still rubbing
against her stomach as if she trying to reach

03:19:43.200 --> 03:19:43.859
something within.

03:19:44.399 --> 03:19:48.719
The old woman makes a strange sound in her
throat, like she’s smacking her lips in

03:19:48.720 --> 03:19:50.940
hunger, but it’s hard to see anything in
the dark.

03:19:50.939 --> 03:19:54.719
The young woman can only nod in confusion,
but she quickens her pace.

03:19:54.720 --> 03:19:59.100
She hopes that she can get home soon and,
once she’s home, she can get away from her

03:19:59.100 --> 03:20:00.600
unfortunate travel companion.

03:20:00.600 --> 03:20:05.580
The old woman keeps pace, grabbing her younger
traveling companion by the arm and holding

03:20:05.580 --> 03:20:06.000
tight.

03:20:06.000 --> 03:20:10.740
Her grip is surprisingly firm for such a seemingly
frail old woman, and the young woman again

03:20:10.740 --> 03:20:14.580
wonders if maybe there’s something supernatural
about this ominous crone.

03:20:15.240 --> 03:20:19.620
She wants to pull her arm away, but the old
woman’s long claws pinch cruelly into her

03:20:19.620 --> 03:20:19.920
flesh.

03:20:19.920 --> 03:20:23.580
It’s as if the old woman is silently warning
her: Don’t pull away.

03:20:23.580 --> 03:20:25.559
I’m too strong for you to escape.

03:20:25.560 --> 03:20:31.380
"What a sweet little bundle of joy you carry
there,” says the old woman as if speaking

03:20:31.380 --> 03:20:31.859
to herself.

03:20:31.859 --> 03:20:34.859
“What a delectable little burden.”

03:20:35.460 --> 03:20:39.540
The young woman knows that she’s still talking
about her unborn baby, but all this mumbling

03:20:39.540 --> 03:20:40.740
just makes her more worried.

03:20:41.399 --> 03:20:45.779
They continue walking, the young woman staring
resolutely at the small circle of illumination

03:20:45.779 --> 03:20:49.920
thrown by her lantern onto the path ahead,
doing everything in her power to not look

03:20:49.920 --> 03:20:53.160
at the old woman standing at her side for
fear that she might scream.

03:20:53.160 --> 03:20:54.960
Why is she so nervous?

03:20:54.960 --> 03:20:57.899
Worse, does the old woman sense her fear?

03:20:58.500 --> 03:21:02.220
The young woman has heard that witches are
easily offended and that’s the last thing

03:21:02.220 --> 03:21:03.060
that she needs now.

03:21:03.060 --> 03:21:07.860
She continues walking, the old woman gibbering
and whispering in her ear, plying her with

03:21:07.859 --> 03:21:09.120
odd questions about her pregnancy.

03:21:09.120 --> 03:21:11.399
“Eating well, have you?

03:21:11.399 --> 03:21:17.040
You know it’s very important to eat right
when you’re carrying, so that the baby can

03:21:17.040 --> 03:21:18.840
be born strong and healthy.”

03:21:19.500 --> 03:21:21.420
“R-right,” says the young woman.

03:21:21.420 --> 03:21:24.000
She really doesn’t need this unsolicited
advice.

03:21:24.000 --> 03:21:28.439
She heaves an audible sigh of relief as the
village comes into view over the next bluff.

03:21:28.439 --> 03:21:31.019
Thank God, she thinks, I’m almost home!

03:21:31.680 --> 03:21:35.580
She just hopes that the old woman will take
a hint and leave her alone once they arrive

03:21:35.580 --> 03:21:36.240
at her doorstep.

03:21:36.240 --> 03:21:41.099
She wonders if this old woman might try to
come into her home or maybe steer her toward

03:21:41.100 --> 03:21:42.000
some other destination.

03:21:42.000 --> 03:21:43.920
But what can she do?

03:21:43.920 --> 03:21:46.440
All she can do is keep walking home and hope
for the best.

03:21:47.100 --> 03:21:48.720
“Is it just you, is it?

03:21:48.720 --> 03:21:51.240
Is the father in the picture, hmm?

03:21:51.240 --> 03:21:55.740
I haven’t seen you with any young men lately,
have I?” asks the old woman.

03:21:55.740 --> 03:22:00.540
Her nosiness is really starting to irritate
the young woman, enough that she almost forgets

03:22:00.540 --> 03:22:01.439
her fear.

03:22:01.439 --> 03:22:04.259
“No, it’s just me,” says the young woman
automatically.

03:22:04.260 --> 03:22:06.420
She immediately regrets that confession.

03:22:06.420 --> 03:22:08.700
What is this old woman planning?

03:22:08.700 --> 03:22:10.080
Is she up to some mischief?

03:22:10.080 --> 03:22:14.340
Now she knows that the young woman lives alone
and there won’t be anyone around to see

03:22:14.340 --> 03:22:15.720
whatever this crone is planning.

03:22:15.720 --> 03:22:18.780
Her grip tightens on the young woman’s arm
as if to warn her again.

03:22:19.620 --> 03:22:21.300
The village is quiet and dark.

03:22:21.300 --> 03:22:26.279
Everyone else has already gone to bed by now,
so the pair of them walk down narrow, still

03:22:26.279 --> 03:22:26.819
streets.

03:22:26.819 --> 03:22:31.439
The only sound is the crunch crunch crunch
of gravel under their feet.

03:22:32.100 --> 03:22:36.480
After what seems like an eternity, they arrive
at the front gate of the young woman’s house.

03:22:36.479 --> 03:22:41.399
“Well, here I am,” she says, a little
too loudly and firmly to be completely casual.

03:22:41.399 --> 03:22:42.540
“This is my home.

03:22:42.540 --> 03:22:44.760
Thanks for keeping me company on my way home.”

03:22:45.359 --> 03:22:48.420
To her immense relief, the old woman lets
go of her arm.

03:22:48.420 --> 03:22:52.920
The young woman immediately pulls away, rubbing
the deep bruises left by the old woman’s

03:22:52.920 --> 03:22:53.700
gnarled talons.

03:22:53.700 --> 03:22:56.099
“Think nothing of it, my dear.”

03:22:56.100 --> 03:23:01.140
The old woman smiles widely, a long rope of
saliva dribbling from her slack lips.

03:23:01.140 --> 03:23:05.760
Her teeth look jagged and misshapen – it’s
hard to see in the dark, but they look more

03:23:05.760 --> 03:23:07.739
like the teeth of a wild beast than a human.

03:23:08.399 --> 03:23:10.979
It must be her eyes playing tricks on her
in the dim light, though.

03:23:10.979 --> 03:23:15.179
The young woman can’t help but recoil in
disgust, but luckily her face is hidden in

03:23:15.180 --> 03:23:17.520
shadows so the old woman doesn’t seem to
notice.

03:23:17.520 --> 03:23:19.800
“I’m happy to help.

03:23:19.800 --> 03:23:22.260
I hope to see you again very soon.”

03:23:23.100 --> 03:23:24.840
The young woman doesn’t wait any longer.

03:23:24.840 --> 03:23:29.100
Even before the old woman turns to leave,
the young woman scampers across her yard and

03:23:29.100 --> 03:23:30.000
yanks open her door.

03:23:30.660 --> 03:23:33.120
She runs inside and pulls the door shut behind
her.

03:23:33.120 --> 03:23:35.880
Her heart is racing and her breath comes in
ragged pants.

03:23:35.880 --> 03:23:40.140
She can feel the baby in her belly kick, suddenly
agitated by its mother’s fear.

03:23:40.140 --> 03:23:45.600
“Shh, it’s okay,” she coos softly, patting
her stomach and hoping that her tender voice

03:23:45.600 --> 03:23:46.860
will help to calm her baby.

03:23:46.859 --> 03:23:48.359
“I know you’re scared…

03:23:48.359 --> 03:23:49.739
I’m scared too.

03:23:49.739 --> 03:23:52.260
That old woman frightened me half to death!

03:23:52.920 --> 03:23:55.380
They say that she’s a witch and I’d almost
believe it.

03:23:55.380 --> 03:23:56.760
What a strange experience!”

03:23:57.420 --> 03:23:59.760
She pulls the curtain aside and peeps out
the window.

03:23:59.760 --> 03:24:01.560
The old woman is gone.

03:24:01.560 --> 03:24:05.940
The young woman looks up and down the street,
but sees no sign of her traveling companion.

03:24:05.939 --> 03:24:10.679
She inhales deeply and feels the tension drain
from her body as she lets her breath out.

03:24:10.680 --> 03:24:12.420
Thank goodness that’s all over!

03:24:12.420 --> 03:24:17.580
She can’t explain why this whole night has
unnerved her so much, but there was just something

03:24:17.580 --> 03:24:19.979
so uncanny about that strange old woman.

03:24:19.979 --> 03:24:21.660
She’s glad to be rid of her.

03:24:22.200 --> 03:24:25.979
The young woman tries to put the whole experience
out of her head as she prepares for bed.

03:24:25.979 --> 03:24:30.540
As she pulls on her night clothes, she startles
when she hears something heavy and loud clatter

03:24:30.540 --> 03:24:31.380
across the roof.

03:24:31.380 --> 03:24:36.000
It’s not unusual for roof rats or other
nocturnal animals to scurry across the roof

03:24:36.000 --> 03:24:37.979
at night, but this sounds louder than usual.

03:24:39.060 --> 03:24:42.121
“It’s probably nothing,” she tells herself
as she climbs into bed.

03:24:42.120 --> 03:24:45.720
“I’m still just upset about meeting that
old woman on my way home from the river.

03:24:46.380 --> 03:24:49.920
That whole thing must have jangled my nerves
worse than I thought if I’m flinching at

03:24:49.920 --> 03:24:50.520
every little sound.

03:24:50.520 --> 03:24:52.500
I’ll be fine when it’s light out.

03:24:52.500 --> 03:24:55.200
The sooner I get to sleep, the sooner it’ll
be morning.”

03:24:55.979 --> 03:25:00.359
Even though her nerves are rattled, she is
quite tired after a long day and it doesn’t

03:25:00.359 --> 03:25:02.399
take long before she drifts off to sleep.

03:25:02.399 --> 03:25:08.099
The young woman’s eyes close and her breathing
becomes slow and steady, the shallow rhythms

03:25:08.100 --> 03:25:08.460
of sleep.

03:25:09.000 --> 03:25:14.040
Inside her head, she might be troubled by
strange dreams, but to any outside observer,

03:25:14.040 --> 03:25:15.540
she is dead to the world.

03:25:16.380 --> 03:25:19.560
Asleep in bed, she doesn’t react to the
clattering on the roof.

03:25:19.560 --> 03:25:24.060
Whatever is up there is making an awful racket
as it drags itself over the roof tiles.

03:25:24.060 --> 03:25:28.980
If someone were around to watch, they would
see that whatever is on the roof is no rat.

03:25:28.979 --> 03:25:33.660
It’s a darkened figure, almost big enough
to be human, but strangely truncated.

03:25:33.660 --> 03:25:39.000
Two massive leathery wings unfurl behind it,
extended to help the strange creature maintain

03:25:39.000 --> 03:25:40.200
its balance upon the roof.

03:25:40.200 --> 03:25:45.779
It drags itself forward using only its hands,
long talons tapping at the roof shingles as

03:25:45.779 --> 03:25:49.080
it seeks a loose tile, anything that will
give it access to the house below.

03:25:49.080 --> 03:25:51.180
Its finger finds a crack.

03:25:51.180 --> 03:25:56.460
Wheezing and panting, the creature leans forward,
putting its eye to the crack to peer into

03:25:56.460 --> 03:25:57.239
the room below.

03:25:57.239 --> 03:26:00.239
The young woman is asleep in bed directly
below.

03:26:00.239 --> 03:26:03.479
And that’s exactly what this creature was
hoping for.

03:26:03.479 --> 03:26:07.919
The young mumbles in her sleep, her mind filled
with disturbing dreams.

03:26:07.920 --> 03:26:12.720
She’s oblivious when, all of sudden, something
drops through that crack in the ceiling.

03:26:12.720 --> 03:26:15.780
It’s long and slippery and covered in thick,
wet mucus.

03:26:15.779 --> 03:26:21.059
It looks for all the world like a tongue,
but it’s far too long to be any human tongue.

03:26:21.060 --> 03:26:26.340
It drops lower and lower into the room, extending
closer and closer to the young woman sleeping

03:26:26.340 --> 03:26:26.760
in her bed.

03:26:27.300 --> 03:26:32.100
The disgusting appendage caresses her face,
leaving a wet slug-trail of saliva across

03:26:32.100 --> 03:26:34.201
her forehead, as if it’s looking for something.

03:26:34.200 --> 03:26:38.760
Then brushes against her lips and the tongue
seems to find what it wants.

03:26:39.479 --> 03:26:42.719
Instantly, it snakes into her open mouth and
shoots down her throat.

03:26:42.720 --> 03:26:47.280
The young woman starts to sputter and choke,
her limbs thrashing and flailing – but still,

03:26:47.279 --> 03:26:49.500
she is held fast in the grip of sleep.

03:26:49.500 --> 03:26:53.939
Some wild nightmare is playing out in her
head – perhaps she fantasizes that she is

03:26:53.939 --> 03:26:57.719
drowning in a river or choking on some food
or being strangled by a fiend.

03:26:58.380 --> 03:27:03.000
Whatever she’s thinking, it couldn’t be
further from the truth: that an alien tongue

03:27:03.000 --> 03:27:04.560
has jammed itself down her throat.

03:27:05.100 --> 03:27:09.540
The tongue pushes deeper and deeper inside
her until it makes contact with her womb.

03:27:09.540 --> 03:27:13.920
A trained anatomist might balk at the idea
that the tongue could find her womb by accessing

03:27:13.920 --> 03:27:18.840
her throat, but somehow it has done exactly
this, snaking its way through the labyrinth

03:27:18.840 --> 03:27:20.760
of her insides to find her unborn baby.

03:27:21.540 --> 03:27:25.739
A sticky aperture opens up at the tip of the
tongue, revealing that the tongue is hollow

03:27:25.739 --> 03:27:27.300
– like a massive soda straw.

03:27:27.300 --> 03:27:33.000
It sucks up the baby like a vacuum, slurping
it up, up, up and out, the bulge of its prey

03:27:33.000 --> 03:27:36.840
traveling up the length of the tongue like
a wild pig swallowed by a boa constrictor.

03:27:36.840 --> 03:27:41.760
Once the baby is gone, the tongue slides out
of the woman’s mouth and retracts back toward

03:27:41.760 --> 03:27:43.980
the ceiling, disappearing back through the
subtle crack.

03:27:43.979 --> 03:27:48.479
There’s a clatter on the roof again, followed
by the soft flutter of leathery wings.

03:27:48.479 --> 03:27:54.479
The young woman settles back into a deep,
still sleep, the awful sensation of suffocation

03:27:54.479 --> 03:27:56.040
having passed.

03:27:56.040 --> 03:28:00.899
The rest of the night is peaceful and quiet,
but, when she awakens the next morning, she

03:28:00.899 --> 03:28:02.819
finds that the nightmare isn’t over.

03:28:03.660 --> 03:28:06.120
She wakes with a strange empty feeling in
her guts.

03:28:06.120 --> 03:28:07.739
Something is very wrong!

03:28:07.739 --> 03:28:10.500
She throws aside her covers and stares at
herself in shock.

03:28:10.500 --> 03:28:11.700
Her baby is gone!

03:28:11.700 --> 03:28:16.439
Her rounded belly has deflated back to its
pre-pregnancy state and she can sense, as

03:28:16.439 --> 03:28:19.919
only a mother can, that she is no longer carrying
something within her.

03:28:20.580 --> 03:28:23.220
She shrieks in terror at this bizarre revelation.

03:28:23.220 --> 03:28:24.420
What could have happened?

03:28:24.420 --> 03:28:25.739
What could be responsible?

03:28:26.460 --> 03:28:30.660
That young woman just had an encounter with
SCP-5201.

03:28:31.380 --> 03:28:38.040
SCP-5201 is a humanoid subspecies native to
the Philippines, dubbed Homo sapiens visceralis

03:28:38.040 --> 03:28:40.680
but known by many local 
names across the Philippine 

03:28:40.680 --> 03:28:43.140
Islands, including the aswang, the tik-tik,

03:28:43.140 --> 03:28:48.300
or simply the viscera sucker… but it is
most commonly known as the manananggal.

03:28:48.300 --> 03:28:53.460
During the day, an instance of SCP-5201 looks
like an ordinary human.

03:28:53.460 --> 03:28:59.220
At a glance, there is no way to immediately
distinguish an instance of SCP-5201 from a

03:28:59.220 --> 03:29:00.660
regular member of homo sapiens.

03:29:01.260 --> 03:29:06.239
However, Foundation researchers have found
that there do exist certain retinal irregularities

03:29:06.239 --> 03:29:11.880
unique to SCP-5201, so the agency has developed
a portable retinal scanner for use in quickly

03:29:11.880 --> 03:29:14.640
identifying instances of SCP-5201.

03:29:14.640 --> 03:29:21.540
SCP-5201 is far easier to tell from an ordinary
human at night, when it undergoes a strange

03:29:21.540 --> 03:29:22.920
and startling metamorphosis.

03:29:22.920 --> 03:29:28.020
It unfolds a pair of membranous wings, resembling
those of a bat, from its back.

03:29:28.020 --> 03:29:31.380
Even more startling, its torso splits in two.

03:29:31.380 --> 03:29:34.357
Its upper torso then flies off in search of
prey, intestines trailing behind it as it

03:29:34.357 --> 03:29:39.000
sails through the air, while its lower torso
is hidden in a secure location until SCP-5201

03:29:39.000 --> 03:29:39.840
can reconnect.

03:29:40.560 --> 03:29:46.260
SCP-5201 will seek out human prey, most likely
relying on a keenly attuned sense of smell,

03:29:46.260 --> 03:29:51.540
and, once it has chosen a victim, will alight
on the roof of their home and then snake its

03:29:51.540 --> 03:29:55.859
preternaturally long, tube-like tongue into
the house below so that it can feed.

03:29:55.859 --> 03:30:01.979
SCP-5201 feeds by inserting its tongue into
the orifices of unfortunate sleepers and sucking

03:30:01.979 --> 03:30:05.399
out their internal organs as easily as you
would suck soda through a straw.

03:30:05.399 --> 03:30:12.420
SCP-5201 will happily eat human livers, stomachs,
and intestines, but its favorite food is unborn

03:30:12.420 --> 03:30:18.840
fetuses, so much so that instances of SCP-5201
disguised in their human form can often be

03:30:18.840 --> 03:30:22.260
recognized by their tendency to drool at the
sight of pregnant women.

03:30:22.979 --> 03:30:28.799
SCP-5201 are well known to local humans, who
live in fear of nocturnal attacks by the dreaded

03:30:28.800 --> 03:30:29.640
manananggal.

03:30:29.640 --> 03:30:35.940
Interestingly, SCP-5201 can be repelled by
Abrahamic holy objects, like rosary beads

03:30:35.939 --> 03:30:41.279
or crucifixes, or can be staked through the
heart with sharpened shafts of bamboo – very

03:30:41.279 --> 03:30:44.279
similar to the means used against vampires
in western folklore.

03:30:44.880 --> 03:30:50.520
SCP-5201 is especially vulnerable when its
upper torso is out hunting, so it will always

03:30:50.520 --> 03:30:54.960
take the utmost care to hide its abandoned
lower torso in a secret, secure location.

03:30:55.859 --> 03:31:01.500
If you can find the hidden lower torso, it
is possible to kill SCO-5201 by sprinkling

03:31:01.500 --> 03:31:07.620
its exposed viscera with spices like garlic,
salt, or vinegar or, failing that, even ash

03:31:07.620 --> 03:31:08.399
or urine.

03:31:08.939 --> 03:31:13.620
This causes an unusual reaction that is not
yet fully understood by Foundation researchers,

03:31:13.620 --> 03:31:16.439
but will prevent the two halves from rejoining.

03:31:16.439 --> 03:31:21.299
If the two halves of the manananggal cannot
rejoin before dawn, sunlight will kill the

03:31:21.300 --> 03:31:21.720
creature.

03:31:21.720 --> 03:31:27.480
If none of these methods are available, it
is also possible to repel SCP-5201 by using

03:31:27.479 --> 03:31:30.299
a specialized whip fashioned from the tail
of a sting ray.

03:31:30.300 --> 03:31:36.420
The SCP foundation currently has an undisclosed
number of domesticated SCP-5201 instances

03:31:36.420 --> 03:31:39.120
held in the Fauna Containment Wing of Site-235.

03:31:39.840 --> 03:31:44.580
Because this species has been known to practice
cannibalism, each specimen is to be held in

03:31:44.580 --> 03:31:46.019
its own personal containment cell.

03:31:46.020 --> 03:31:51.900
While there are obvious ethical and logistical
concerns with feeding human organs to SCP-5201,

03:31:52.739 --> 03:31:58.739
the Foundation has discovered that SCP-5201
can still easily thrive on a diet of any newborn

03:31:58.739 --> 03:32:00.899
mammal with a mass of at least 1 kilogram.

03:32:01.680 --> 03:32:06.120
Piglets have so far proven to be the most
cost-effective and available options, but

03:32:06.120 --> 03:32:08.460
other species can be substituted as necessary.

03:32:09.180 --> 03:32:14.760
All entrances to SCP-5201 containment cells
are to be guarded by at least two Level-2

03:32:14.760 --> 03:32:17.640
personnel equipped with 
stingray whips, crucifixes, 

03:32:17.640 --> 03:32:19.920
or some other object found to cause harm to

03:32:19.920 --> 03:32:21.300
SCP-5201.

03:32:22.020 --> 03:32:27.000
Unlike humans, SCP-5201 have an unusual asexual
reproductive process.

03:32:27.000 --> 03:32:32.520
The lower body can regenerate a new upper
torso via a process similar to epimorphic

03:32:32.520 --> 03:32:34.668
regeneration observed in autotomous lizards.

03:32:34.668 --> 03:32:40.201
The severed upper torso of an SCP-5201 would
leave behind the parent's lower torso to search

03:32:40.200 --> 03:32:41.580
for a compatible female human.

03:32:42.300 --> 03:32:47.820
SCP-5201 would attack and consume this human,
claiming her lower torso as its own.

03:32:47.819 --> 03:32:53.700
Smearing ash, urine, or spices into the exposed
innards of the lower torso inhibits this process

03:32:53.700 --> 03:32:55.439
and prevents effective reproduction.

03:32:55.439 --> 03:32:59.399
The exact origin of SCP-5201 is unknown.

03:32:59.399 --> 03:33:03.599
Although the creature is endemic throughout
the Philippines and historical records indicate

03:33:03.600 --> 03:33:07.740
that it has inhabited the islands since at
least 1500, when it was first described by

03:33:07.739 --> 03:33:12.540
Spanish sailors to the islands, fossil remains
and genetic testing indicate that it is actually

03:33:12.540 --> 03:33:15.420
an invasive species from outside the Philippine
archipelago.

03:33:15.420 --> 03:33:21.540
SCP-5201 is currently believed to be extinct
in the wild, following eradication efforts

03:33:21.540 --> 03:33:23.220
by the Foundation in the 1990s.

03:33:23.220 --> 03:33:29.460
An epidemic of SCP-5201 attacks in the early
90s prompted the SCP Foundation to join forces

03:33:29.460 --> 03:33:33.840
with the Supernatural Committee of the Philippines
and the Global Occult Coalition to take action

03:33:33.840 --> 03:33:37.260
to prevent SCP-5201 from spreading to other
countries.

03:33:37.260 --> 03:33:43.020
Dubbed Project Dipsy, the operation involved
amnesticizing the major cities of the Philippines,

03:33:43.020 --> 03:33:48.840
funding propaganda campaigns to dismiss SCP-5201
as a product of folklore and urban legends,

03:33:48.840 --> 03:33:54.600
and eventually domesticating the surviving
SCP-5201 population for cellular regeneration

03:33:54.600 --> 03:33:55.500
research.

03:33:55.500 --> 03:34:01.739
Because of its aggressiveness and taste for
human flesh, SCP-5201 specimens regularly

03:34:01.739 --> 03:34:05.460
attempt to breach containment, and thus, have
been given the designation Euclid.

03:34:05.460 --> 03:34:10.439
And while the SCP Foundation has done its
best to eliminate the threat of SCP-5201 in

03:34:10.439 --> 03:34:14.759
the wild, there’s no guarantee that a few
instances of this vicious monster might have

03:34:14.760 --> 03:34:18.900
slipped through the cracks and possibly even
spread out into the wider world beyond its

03:34:18.899 --> 03:34:19.620
home in the Philippines.

03:34:19.620 --> 03:34:24.059
You still might want to search your room for
any suspicious cracks or holes before you

03:34:24.060 --> 03:34:24.960
bed down for the night.

03:34:24.960 --> 03:34:29.760
Because there are very few things less pleasant
than waking up from restless dreams to find

03:34:29.760 --> 03:34:32.640
a long slimy tongue jammed down your throat.

03:34:32.640 --> 03:34:35.220
The storm wrenches the fishing vessel in half.

03:34:35.220 --> 03:34:40.560
The yawning sound of metal buckling and ripping
can barely be heard over the explosive waves.

03:34:40.560 --> 03:34:45.900
Crew members pour out of the fragmented ship,
washed away with the water, like ants fleeing

03:34:45.899 --> 03:34:46.679
a flooding nest.

03:34:46.680 --> 03:34:49.500
The deck lurches and tips upwards into the
air.

03:34:49.500 --> 03:34:54.300
A wave crashes against it, almost knocking
the Sailor off the railing, but he clings

03:34:54.300 --> 03:34:55.500
on for dear life.

03:34:55.500 --> 03:35:00.720
Soaked through, shivering violently and feeling
the dreaded exhaustion creeping into his limbs,

03:35:00.720 --> 03:35:04.380
he looks around helplessly as his crewmates
drown around him.

03:35:04.380 --> 03:35:06.960
Only one man remains on the deck with him.

03:35:06.960 --> 03:35:10.739
But the Captain’s usual steely confidence
has gone.

03:35:10.739 --> 03:35:15.779
Behind the man’s bushy beard and grizzled
skin, the Sailor sees a little boy scared

03:35:15.779 --> 03:35:16.380
out of his mind.

03:35:16.380 --> 03:35:20.520
The Captain grabs the Sailor by the scruff
of the neck and hauls him close enough for

03:35:20.520 --> 03:35:22.560
them to shout over the sound of the seas around
them.

03:35:22.560 --> 03:35:23.880
‘I saw her!’

03:35:23.880 --> 03:35:28.500
The Captain’s rambling and ranting, repeating
himself and gesticulating wildly at the seas

03:35:28.500 --> 03:35:28.979
around them.

03:35:28.979 --> 03:35:31.919
‘The Naiad, I saw her in the water this
morning.

03:35:31.920 --> 03:35:34.140
Our voyage was cursed from the start!

03:35:34.140 --> 03:35:35.820
We should never have left port.

03:35:35.819 --> 03:35:37.620
She’s in the water now, she-’

03:35:37.620 --> 03:35:41.099
A colossal wave throws what is left of the
boat through the air.

03:35:41.100 --> 03:35:45.360
The railing slips through the Sailor’s fingers
as he flies high between the waves.

03:35:45.359 --> 03:35:47.819
For a moment, the world stands still.

03:35:47.819 --> 03:35:52.019
It’s like he’s a gull hovering in place,
surveying the carnage beneath him.

03:35:52.020 --> 03:35:53.400
And there in the water…

03:35:53.399 --> 03:35:54.779
what looks like…

03:35:54.779 --> 03:35:57.120
But the world isn’t standing still.

03:35:57.120 --> 03:36:01.680
He hurtles back toward the ocean and slams
into it, hard enough to knock the air clean

03:36:01.680 --> 03:36:02.460
out of his lungs.

03:36:02.460 --> 03:36:08.939
Icy water tugs at him, pulling him downwards,
deeper and deeper, colder and colder.

03:36:08.939 --> 03:36:11.700
Like arms wrapping around him, dragging him…

03:36:12.300 --> 03:36:13.800
The Sailor wakes with a start.

03:36:13.800 --> 03:36:15.300
Water laps at his face.

03:36:15.300 --> 03:36:19.140
What were once hulking waves are now little
more than ripples.

03:36:19.859 --> 03:36:22.500
He spits out a mouthful of sand and shakes
his head.

03:36:22.500 --> 03:36:27.060
His body’s trembling violently from the
cold, but the warm glow of the sun on his

03:36:27.060 --> 03:36:29.940
back is already doing its best to help him.

03:36:29.939 --> 03:36:31.919
How on earth had he survived that?

03:36:32.520 --> 03:36:34.140
There are groans all around him.

03:36:34.140 --> 03:36:37.080
Dotted along the beach are his fellow fishermen.

03:36:37.080 --> 03:36:40.979
He hasn’t got the energy to count them,
but it doesn’t look like all of them.

03:36:40.979 --> 03:36:44.160
Just ahead of him, further up the beach, sits
the Captain.

03:36:44.160 --> 03:36:49.559
Rocking back and forth, trembling, the Captain
noiselessly points a finger out to sea.

03:36:49.560 --> 03:36:54.900
Using what little energy he has left, the
Sailor rolls onto his back to see the silhouette

03:36:54.899 --> 03:36:57.239
of a woman standing there on the water.

03:36:57.899 --> 03:36:59.219
No, not a silhouette.

03:36:59.220 --> 03:37:03.780
The morning sunlight is shining straight through
her as if she’s made of nothing but water.

03:37:03.779 --> 03:37:08.759
She steps delicately across the surface of
the water, walking towards the coughing fishermen

03:37:08.760 --> 03:37:10.140
who have all seen her by now.

03:37:10.140 --> 03:37:15.480
There’s a delicacy to how she walks, tiptoeing
gently on the rippling water as if scared

03:37:15.479 --> 03:37:16.919
of disturbing it even slightly.

03:37:16.920 --> 03:37:20.940
The light dances and glitters on her skin
like it does across the ocean.

03:37:21.600 --> 03:37:22.560
No, not skin.

03:37:22.560 --> 03:37:27.780
She really is made of water, every inch of
her is composed entirely of what looks like

03:37:27.779 --> 03:37:30.960
the purest cleanest water the Sailor has ever
seen.

03:37:31.680 --> 03:37:32.580
Was it her?

03:37:32.580 --> 03:37:34.979
The arms that he felt dragging him through
the water.

03:37:34.979 --> 03:37:36.540
Did she save him?

03:37:36.540 --> 03:37:38.100
Did she save all of them?

03:37:38.760 --> 03:37:42.000
The Water Nymph waits with the men until the
ambulances arrive.

03:37:42.000 --> 03:37:44.460
She walks across the sand going between them.

03:37:44.460 --> 03:37:48.899
Every few minutes, she dips her toes back
in the sea and takes what looks like a deep

03:37:48.899 --> 03:37:53.939
breath, even though she has no lungs to fill,
then she’s back amongst them, offering noiseless

03:37:53.939 --> 03:37:54.299
comfort.

03:37:54.300 --> 03:37:57.120
There’s an old abandoned house just up from
the beach.

03:37:57.120 --> 03:37:59.640
What looks like the mansion 
of a former millionaire.

03:37:59.640 --> 03:38:04.560
In apparent fascination, the Nymph keeps going
over to examine the ornate fountain in the

03:38:04.560 --> 03:38:04.800
courtyard.

03:38:04.800 --> 03:38:08.640
Even in a state of disrepair, the fountain
is stunning.

03:38:08.640 --> 03:38:13.560
She lowers herself gently into the water and
disappears under the surface, just as the

03:38:13.560 --> 03:38:15.060
first ambulance rounds the corner.

03:38:15.060 --> 03:38:19.621
As the paramedics wrap the foil blanket around
the Sailor and walk him to the vehicle, he

03:38:19.620 --> 03:38:22.739
catches the Nymph poking her head out of the
surface of the fountain’s water.

03:38:22.739 --> 03:38:24.540
He’s not the only one to see.

03:38:24.540 --> 03:38:29.700
Tucked just out of sight near the treeline
is a nondescript black sedan, with a group

03:38:29.700 --> 03:38:30.720
of men sitting inside.

03:38:31.560 --> 03:38:35.640
One of them takes a photograph of the water
woman in the fountain while another talks

03:38:35.640 --> 03:38:36.360
urgently over the phone.

03:38:37.140 --> 03:38:41.040
The Sailor has barely been in the back of
the ambulance for two minutes before one of

03:38:41.040 --> 03:38:42.479
the men from the car approaches him.

03:38:42.479 --> 03:38:45.660
The man holds an expensive-looking watch in
his hand.

03:38:45.660 --> 03:38:48.180
‘Excuse me, sir, does this belong to you?’

03:38:48.180 --> 03:38:49.980
The Sailor sits up suspiciously.

03:38:49.979 --> 03:38:54.120
He’s about to open his mouth to refute the
man, when the needle penetrates his thigh,

03:38:54.120 --> 03:38:56.519
and the amnestic fills his bloodstream.

03:38:56.520 --> 03:39:01.440
By the time the Sailor arrives in hospital,
all his memories of the previous 24 hours

03:39:01.439 --> 03:39:03.839
have slipped away into the abyss.

03:39:04.439 --> 03:39:07.019
The containment team is at work in less than
six hours.

03:39:07.020 --> 03:39:11.820
While a group of agents, dressed in scrubs,
follow the ambulances to the hospital to ensure

03:39:11.819 --> 03:39:16.019
all accounts of the ship’s crash have been
entirely erased, another team sets to work

03:39:16.020 --> 03:39:17.220
cordoning off the beach.

03:39:17.939 --> 03:39:22.019
A tourist family, excited about their day
at the beach, argue with the disguised agents

03:39:22.020 --> 03:39:22.920
cordoning off the road.

03:39:22.920 --> 03:39:25.020
‘I’m sorry ma’am, but there’s nothing
we can do.

03:39:25.020 --> 03:39:26.820
A shark sighting is a shark sighting.

03:39:26.819 --> 03:39:28.200
We just can’t risk it today.’

03:39:28.859 --> 03:39:33.359
Meanwhile, a steady stream of construction
vehicles rumble past, followed by a large

03:39:33.359 --> 03:39:34.259
Home Depot truck.

03:39:34.260 --> 03:39:38.580
They all pull up outside the mansion, where
a team of agents has the fountain surrounded.

03:39:38.580 --> 03:39:43.260
Tasers and cattle prods at the ready, they
grip their weapons at even the slightest ripple

03:39:43.260 --> 03:39:43.560
of water.

03:39:43.560 --> 03:39:48.300
Excavators get to work quickly, drilling at
the ground around the fountain, and cracking

03:39:48.300 --> 03:39:49.140
through the paving stones.

03:39:49.140 --> 03:39:54.480
And before anyone nearby has any clue of what's
happening, the fountain has been removed,

03:39:54.479 --> 03:39:58.439
loaded into the back of the water-tight fake
Home Depot truck, and has disappeared off

03:39:58.439 --> 03:39:59.160
over the horizon.

03:39:59.160 --> 03:40:02.700
The Water Nymph refuses to poke her head out
of the water the whole way.

03:40:02.700 --> 03:40:05.160
The world around her is dark and dry.

03:40:05.160 --> 03:40:07.139
It shakes and rumbles for hours.

03:40:07.140 --> 03:40:12.120
The beautiful fountain she’d climbed into
just a few hours earlier now feels tiny.

03:40:12.120 --> 03:40:14.700
There’s barely enough water in here for
her to swim in a circle.

03:40:14.700 --> 03:40:19.260
She’d always observed these strange-looking
vehicles from a distance, lifting her eyes

03:40:19.260 --> 03:40:23.160
up above the waves for a few minutes to watch
them crawling along the dark roads with their

03:40:23.160 --> 03:40:24.000
18 wheels.

03:40:24.000 --> 03:40:28.080
She’d always wondered what was inside all
of them with their colorful paints and strange

03:40:28.080 --> 03:40:28.859
names.

03:40:28.859 --> 03:40:31.859
At least she now has some idea of what ‘Home
Depot’ does.

03:40:31.859 --> 03:40:34.859
Part of their business model evidently involves
kidnapping.

03:40:34.859 --> 03:40:39.540
To stop the panic rising up too high in her
chest, the Water Nymph focuses on stilling

03:40:39.540 --> 03:40:40.500
the water in the fountain.

03:40:40.500 --> 03:40:45.180
All of the bumps and turns in the road, she
focuses all her energy on holding all the

03:40:45.180 --> 03:40:46.740
water in place and keeping it level.

03:40:46.739 --> 03:40:50.519
If the water around her is still, maybe she
won’t feel so scared.

03:40:50.520 --> 03:40:55.140
It isn’t really working, but at least her
precious little amount of fresh water isn’t

03:40:55.140 --> 03:40:58.020
spilling out all over the watertight inside
of the container.

03:40:58.859 --> 03:41:03.239
She’s just about convinced herself that
she is used to her cage when it suddenly stops.

03:41:03.239 --> 03:41:08.099
The rumble sound cuts out, the shaking stops,
and voices somewhere outside discuss what

03:41:08.100 --> 03:41:08.760
to do with her.

03:41:08.760 --> 03:41:13.800
Saying words like ‘containment protocol’,
‘initial testing’ and ‘security measures’.

03:41:13.800 --> 03:41:18.540
The Water Nymph dips her head back below the
surface of the water as the rear doors open.

03:41:18.540 --> 03:41:21.899
She’s going to make the most of this, that’s
what she’s decided.

03:41:21.899 --> 03:41:26.759
Having spent all her life underwater, observing
the humans from afar, she’d always dreamed

03:41:26.760 --> 03:41:27.900
of one day meeting one.

03:41:27.899 --> 03:41:29.460
There had been moments, sure.

03:41:29.460 --> 03:41:33.720
Times when she’d wave at a child on the
deck of a ferry or guide a ship through the

03:41:33.720 --> 03:41:34.080
fog.

03:41:34.080 --> 03:41:34.979
But up close?

03:41:34.979 --> 03:41:36.000
Never.

03:41:36.779 --> 03:41:38.700
They look funny, these people.

03:41:38.700 --> 03:41:41.639
When you see them up close, they’re such
strange colors.

03:41:41.640 --> 03:41:43.320
So fleshy and hairy.

03:41:43.319 --> 03:41:45.540
It’s bizarre not being able to see through
them.

03:41:45.540 --> 03:41:46.979
How are they supposed to swim?

03:41:46.979 --> 03:41:50.519
These humans, in particular, are even more
strange than the others.

03:41:51.359 --> 03:41:55.859
Dressed in long white coats, always walking
around with clipboards and strange little

03:41:55.859 --> 03:41:58.259
devices that light up and make sounds when
they poke them.

03:41:58.260 --> 03:42:02.040
She wonders if they get sick of having their
legs stuck to the ground all the time.

03:42:02.040 --> 03:42:04.739
What if they see something interesting floating
above them?

03:42:04.739 --> 03:42:08.639
They can’t just swim upwards, they need
to get on one of those plane things.

03:42:08.640 --> 03:42:12.240
This will be fun, getting to meet real people
for the first time.

03:42:12.239 --> 03:42:16.559
She keeps telling herself that because if
she doesn’t, it all becomes too scary.

03:42:16.560 --> 03:42:20.040
They haven’t put her back in the sea, a
river, or even a pool.

03:42:20.040 --> 03:42:22.380
They’ve just kept her in her fountain.

03:42:22.380 --> 03:42:25.260
It sits right in the middle of a brightly
lit chamber.

03:42:25.260 --> 03:42:28.380
Four white walls, a white ceiling, and a white
floor.

03:42:28.380 --> 03:42:29.880
One white door.

03:42:29.880 --> 03:42:33.060
The lights are always on, the temperature
always the same.

03:42:33.060 --> 03:42:37.140
For days and days, she just sits in her fountain
alone.

03:42:37.979 --> 03:42:41.339
Occasionally one of the humans will come in
wearing a big rubber suit.

03:42:41.340 --> 03:42:43.080
They look totally ridiculous.

03:42:43.080 --> 03:42:46.019
Taking big slow steps, they’ll approach
her fountain.

03:42:46.020 --> 03:42:50.640
The first time, she jumped up out of the water
to greet the human, doing her best to wave

03:42:50.640 --> 03:42:51.960
like she’s seen them do to each other.

03:42:51.960 --> 03:42:55.500
But the human immediately turned around and
ran back out of the chamber.

03:42:55.500 --> 03:42:58.080
So next time, she was slow and gentle.

03:42:58.080 --> 03:43:02.160
Raising both her hands innocently and letting
the human approach without doing anything.

03:43:02.160 --> 03:43:07.200
The human lowered some kind of glass container
into the water in her fountain and took some

03:43:07.200 --> 03:43:07.800
of the water away.

03:43:08.340 --> 03:43:09.540
He must have been thirsty.

03:43:09.540 --> 03:43:11.880
She’s seen the humans get like that sometimes.

03:43:11.880 --> 03:43:15.779
How they’re not thirsty all the time, she
has no clue, it doesn’t look like there’s

03:43:15.779 --> 03:43:17.399
a drop of water anywhere in them.

03:43:17.399 --> 03:43:18.899
Except for their eyes.

03:43:19.739 --> 03:43:23.700
She tries to catch the human’s eye as he
leaves, but he just walks straight out of

03:43:23.700 --> 03:43:26.220
her chamber, carrying away the little container
of water.

03:43:26.220 --> 03:43:28.860
But this time, she has an idea.

03:43:28.859 --> 03:43:32.939
She waits patiently for a few days waiting
for another one of the humans to come and

03:43:32.939 --> 03:43:33.299
see her.

03:43:33.960 --> 03:43:38.640
It’s hard to tell how much time has passed
because it’s always sunny in here, but it

03:43:38.640 --> 03:43:39.960
must have been a few days by now.

03:43:39.960 --> 03:43:45.060
Sure enough, the door opens, and a human in
another big rubber costume comes in.

03:43:45.779 --> 03:43:50.460
She rises out of the water slowly so as not
to scare them and lets her form melt and shift.

03:43:50.460 --> 03:43:55.080
Feeling her body flow into a different shape,
she does her best to copy the human’s big

03:43:55.080 --> 03:43:55.680
rubber suit.

03:43:55.680 --> 03:43:59.940
She’s practiced this for years in the sea,
copying the shapes of different humans she

03:43:59.939 --> 03:44:00.120
sees.

03:44:00.120 --> 03:44:02.760
The human stops walking and stares at her.

03:44:02.760 --> 03:44:04.320
She tries to wave again.

03:44:05.100 --> 03:44:06.480
The human waves back.

03:44:06.479 --> 03:44:07.500
Success!

03:44:07.500 --> 03:44:10.859
For almost a minute, they stand there waving
at each other.

03:44:10.859 --> 03:44:14.819
She knows this is longer than most humans
would wave at each other, but it’s just

03:44:14.819 --> 03:44:16.439
so exciting she can’t help herself.

03:44:16.439 --> 03:44:18.239
Maybe this will be her first friend.

03:44:18.239 --> 03:44:20.880
Imagine that, having a human friend!

03:44:20.880 --> 03:44:23.520
The human takes a hesitant step towards her.

03:44:23.520 --> 03:44:24.780
This is her chance.

03:44:24.779 --> 03:44:29.219
Lifting herself up and out of the water, the
Nymph steps out of her fountain for the first

03:44:29.220 --> 03:44:29.460
time.

03:44:29.460 --> 03:44:31.920
She pauses, careful not to spook the human.

03:44:31.920 --> 03:44:35.880
They do scare very easily, but this time he
stays.

03:44:35.880 --> 03:44:38.819
Better than that, he takes another step towards
her.

03:44:38.819 --> 03:44:41.460
Then another until they’re within touching
distance.

03:44:41.460 --> 03:44:45.899
She can feel the water beating in her chest,
pumping excitedly through her body.

03:44:45.899 --> 03:44:48.540
The human has another one 
of those glass containers 

03:44:48.540 --> 03:44:49.140
in its hand.

03:44:49.140 --> 03:44:51.840
It raises the container up slowly for her
to look at.

03:44:51.840 --> 03:44:55.680
She leans in to see why this strange little
creature is showing her a piece of glass.

03:44:55.680 --> 03:44:58.740
She’s seen these a thousand times before
in the seas.

03:44:58.739 --> 03:45:01.200
There’s glass and plastic everywhere for
her to look at.

03:45:01.200 --> 03:45:02.939
What’s so special about this one?

03:45:02.939 --> 03:45:04.799
The human takes a swipe at her.

03:45:04.800 --> 03:45:08.580
The glass container strikes the side of her
head and extracts a chunk of water.

03:45:08.580 --> 03:45:11.399
She staggers away, hands raised in fear.

03:45:11.399 --> 03:45:12.540
What had she done wrong?

03:45:12.540 --> 03:45:14.279
Why did the human do that to her?

03:45:14.939 --> 03:45:16.019
She feels faint.

03:45:16.020 --> 03:45:18.360
Her head swims and not in the usual pleasant
way.

03:45:18.359 --> 03:45:22.739
Her body works hard to redistribute all of
the water around her body, rebuilding that

03:45:22.739 --> 03:45:24.059
part of herself in a split second.

03:45:24.060 --> 03:45:27.900
But it doesn’t stop the pain or the sudden
wave of tiredness.

03:45:27.899 --> 03:45:33.059
She stumbles back into the fountain and plunges
beneath the surface, letting the water merge

03:45:33.060 --> 03:45:33.900
with her body again.

03:45:34.680 --> 03:45:36.900
But the surface of the fountain isn’t still.

03:45:36.899 --> 03:45:40.379
It trembles and shakes as she lies at the
bottom in fear.

03:45:40.380 --> 03:45:42.180
Why had the human done that to her?

03:45:42.180 --> 03:45:46.260
By the time she has the courage to peek out
of the water again, the human is gone.

03:45:46.260 --> 03:45:48.780
The lights in the ceiling seem brighter than
ever.

03:45:49.560 --> 03:45:52.500
The next day is the first time she really
misses the sea.

03:45:52.500 --> 03:45:56.580
She would race from coast to coast, feeling
herself getting dragged along in the ocean

03:45:56.580 --> 03:45:58.680
gyres as she flowed between continents.

03:45:58.680 --> 03:46:02.640
She would study the rainbow colors of the
Great Barrier Reef before catching a current

03:46:02.640 --> 03:46:03.900
to Venice or Jamaica.

03:46:03.899 --> 03:46:07.920
She’d hug the bottom of cruise ships and
dance in and out of the propellers on the

03:46:07.920 --> 03:46:08.819
backs of cargo ships.

03:46:08.819 --> 03:46:13.559
But here, in her cell, all she can do is swim
around her fountain.

03:46:13.560 --> 03:46:15.300
Round and round in circles.

03:46:15.960 --> 03:46:17.939
That is, until the humans return.

03:46:17.939 --> 03:46:22.139
Three of them come into her room, each carrying
strange long objects.

03:46:22.140 --> 03:46:25.800
She’s not sure she’s seen those things
before and is desperate for a closer look,

03:46:25.800 --> 03:46:29.940
but after what happened with the glass the
other day, it doesn’t seem like a good idea.

03:46:31.020 --> 03:46:34.860
She still hasn’t worked out what she did
wrong there, but clearly the human was not

03:46:34.859 --> 03:46:36.000
happy with her for some reason.

03:46:36.000 --> 03:46:38.460
Best to be very gentle with them for the time
being.

03:46:38.460 --> 03:46:39.899
Until they’re proper friends.

03:46:40.620 --> 03:46:43.019
The three humans have a box with them, full
of water.

03:46:43.020 --> 03:46:47.460
She’s so excited to see it, she leaps straight
out of the fountain before realizing she needs

03:46:47.460 --> 03:46:47.939
to be careful.

03:46:47.939 --> 03:46:51.660
Patiently as she can, she approaches the box
and touches it.

03:46:51.660 --> 03:46:53.460
The humans nod encouragingly.

03:46:53.460 --> 03:46:56.640
Her excitement overwhelms her, and she dives
right in.

03:46:56.640 --> 03:47:01.020
It feels so good to have fresh water to explore,
even if it’s just a small tank.

03:47:01.020 --> 03:47:05.460
She barely even notices as they close the
lid on her and wheel her into a different

03:47:05.460 --> 03:47:05.760
room.

03:47:05.760 --> 03:47:09.060
A glass wall lines the edge of this new chamber.

03:47:09.060 --> 03:47:12.900
Funny little humans in white coats stand behind
it, making notes.

03:47:12.899 --> 03:47:15.420
She climbs out of her little tank and waves
at them.

03:47:15.420 --> 03:47:17.279
It’s a smaller room than her normal one.

03:47:17.279 --> 03:47:19.319
Why have they brought her in here?

03:47:19.319 --> 03:47:23.519
A slamming noise behind her makes her jump,
and she spins around to see the three humans

03:47:23.520 --> 03:47:26.880
have wheeled away her little tanks on wheels,
leaving her alone in the room.

03:47:26.880 --> 03:47:29.100
She looks around with a little anxiety.

03:47:29.100 --> 03:47:30.840
There’s nowhere to swim in here.

03:47:30.840 --> 03:47:31.980
Have they made a mistake?

03:47:31.979 --> 03:47:33.540
She can’t be here without water.

03:47:33.540 --> 03:47:37.979
Doing her best to copy human movements, she
tries to mime to the people behind the glass

03:47:37.979 --> 03:47:38.939
that she needs her water.

03:47:39.720 --> 03:47:43.920
They don’t seem to understand her, just
start scribbling even more things on their

03:47:43.920 --> 03:47:44.460
clipboards.

03:47:44.460 --> 03:47:45.840
It’s warm in here.

03:47:45.840 --> 03:47:47.100
Warm and dry.

03:47:47.100 --> 03:47:48.540
This isn’t good.

03:47:48.540 --> 03:47:51.300
In no time at all, she can feel herself drying
out.

03:47:51.960 --> 03:47:53.939
An hour goes by, then another.

03:47:53.939 --> 03:47:56.160
She’s never been out of the water for this
long.

03:47:56.160 --> 03:47:57.239
What are they doing?

03:47:57.239 --> 03:47:58.800
Don’t they understand what she is?

03:47:59.520 --> 03:48:01.140
Her head starts to feel faint.

03:48:01.140 --> 03:48:04.320
She slumps down on the floor and turns herself
into a ball.

03:48:04.319 --> 03:48:08.219
Shaped like this, hopefully, she won’t be
evaporating so fast.

03:48:08.220 --> 03:48:10.080
Then they’ll give her the water back.

03:48:10.080 --> 03:48:16.019
For hours she sits in a ball, waiting, until
mercifully, her little tank on wheels returns,

03:48:16.020 --> 03:48:17.880
and she’s taken back to her fountain.

03:48:17.880 --> 03:48:21.660
They do the same to her the next day and the
day after that.

03:48:21.660 --> 03:48:24.899
Starving her for hours, then returning her
to her fountain.

03:48:24.899 --> 03:48:29.099
They top up the water in it occasionally,
but other than that, they don’t seem to

03:48:29.100 --> 03:48:30.840
be doing anything nice for her at all.

03:48:30.840 --> 03:48:32.520
Are they doing this on purpose?

03:48:32.520 --> 03:48:33.600
Surely not.

03:48:33.600 --> 03:48:34.860
She’s their friend.

03:48:34.859 --> 03:48:38.759
She’s being kind, doing all of their weird
games even when she doesn’t want to.

03:48:38.760 --> 03:48:40.260
Humans aren’t cruel.

03:48:40.260 --> 03:48:41.340
They wouldn’t do that to her.

03:48:41.939 --> 03:48:45.059
But then she finds herself in a different
situation entirely.

03:48:45.060 --> 03:48:48.780
They do the same as they’ve been doing for
the previous few days, wheeling her into the

03:48:48.779 --> 03:48:51.059
testing chamber and making her stand there
on her own.

03:48:51.060 --> 03:48:54.000
But it’s colder today, much colder.

03:48:54.600 --> 03:48:58.500
She tries to explain to them through the glass,
rubbing her shoulders and shivering, but they

03:48:58.500 --> 03:48:59.760
just keep making their notes.

03:48:59.760 --> 03:49:01.080
This isn’t good.

03:49:01.080 --> 03:49:02.340
She can’t stand the cold.

03:49:02.340 --> 03:49:03.540
It’s not good for her.

03:49:04.140 --> 03:49:08.760
Painful crystals start forming on the surface
of her skin, stabbing into her and solidifying

03:49:08.760 --> 03:49:09.120
her body.

03:49:09.120 --> 03:49:13.920
She cries out noiselessly, but the humans
keep going until she feels herself losing

03:49:13.920 --> 03:49:14.460
consciousness.

03:49:14.460 --> 03:49:19.920
Weeks go by, and with each experiment they
do, the Water Nymph worries more and more

03:49:19.920 --> 03:49:22.260
that these humans aren’t really her friends.

03:49:22.260 --> 03:49:24.540
They’ve started giving her mazes.

03:49:24.540 --> 03:49:29.399
Complex plastic structures that she gets forced
unceremoniously into, where she has to swim

03:49:29.399 --> 03:49:32.819
through various pipes and tubes until she
can push a button on the other side.

03:49:33.479 --> 03:49:35.399
At first, she was expecting a prize.

03:49:35.399 --> 03:49:37.859
Maybe this is why they had her kept here for
so long?

03:49:37.859 --> 03:49:41.639
They needed help solving these puzzles, and
their fleshy bodies couldn’t fit through

03:49:41.640 --> 03:49:42.120
the tubes.

03:49:42.120 --> 03:49:44.519
But nothing happens when she presses the button.

03:49:44.520 --> 03:49:47.041
They just pull a plug and drain her out of
the bottom.

03:49:47.580 --> 03:49:49.019
Today she’s had enough.

03:49:49.020 --> 03:49:51.121
When are they going to put her back in the
ocean?

03:49:51.120 --> 03:49:54.359
She’s just going to wait here at the start
of the maze until they tell her.

03:49:54.359 --> 03:49:55.319
It’s only fair.

03:49:55.319 --> 03:50:00.059
The water in her chest leaps for joy as a
human enters the test chamber and approaches

03:50:00.060 --> 03:50:00.240
her.

03:50:00.239 --> 03:50:04.800
She rises out of the water and waves to greet
him, just as he lifts the long strange device

03:50:04.800 --> 03:50:06.960
in his hand and jabs it into her chest.

03:50:06.960 --> 03:50:11.040
The electricity shoots all through her body
and sets her mind ablaze.

03:50:11.040 --> 03:50:14.399
It takes all her strength not to burst into
a thousand droplets.

03:50:14.399 --> 03:50:17.879
Convulsing and crying, she falls backwards
into the maze.

03:50:17.880 --> 03:50:19.980
The human brandishes the weapon at her again.

03:50:19.979 --> 03:50:22.919
She has nowhere to go but into the maze.

03:50:22.920 --> 03:50:27.899
She solves it in a split second, but as she
presses the button, she feels a sinking feeling

03:50:27.899 --> 03:50:28.859
settling over her.

03:50:29.399 --> 03:50:31.379
What if they don’t want to let her out?

03:50:31.380 --> 03:50:31.980
***

03:50:31.979 --> 03:50:33.299
It’s all her fault.

03:50:33.300 --> 03:50:34.680
What was she thinking?

03:50:34.680 --> 03:50:37.740
Her one shot at making friends, and she’d
blown it.

03:50:37.739 --> 03:50:42.300
She sits crying in her fountain, feeling her
tears flow into the water around her and back

03:50:42.300 --> 03:50:42.900
into her body.

03:50:43.620 --> 03:50:44.640
It was the acid.

03:50:44.640 --> 03:50:47.100
She hates acid, and always has.

03:50:47.100 --> 03:50:50.220
She’d swam near a factory once and got a
dose of it.

03:50:50.220 --> 03:50:52.920
It hurt, more than anything she’d ever felt
before.

03:50:52.920 --> 03:50:57.180
It would flow into her chest and sit there,
burning and burning.

03:50:57.180 --> 03:50:58.740
She can still feel it now.

03:50:58.739 --> 03:51:03.660
So when the humans in the rubber suits had
poured some into her fountains, she’d lost

03:51:03.660 --> 03:51:06.059
her temper, slamming into them with all her
force.

03:51:06.060 --> 03:51:09.300
For months, they’ve been hurting her, jabbing
her and exhausting her.

03:51:09.300 --> 03:51:10.440
But they’re her friends…

03:51:10.439 --> 03:51:11.219
right?

03:51:11.220 --> 03:51:13.020
And you shouldn’t hurt your friends.

03:51:13.020 --> 03:51:15.000
You definitely shouldn’t kill your friends.

03:51:15.000 --> 03:51:19.500
Shouldn’t rip open their rubber suits and
force yourself down their throats, drowning

03:51:19.500 --> 03:51:20.399
them in their own bodies.

03:51:20.399 --> 03:51:24.059
Her fountain’s red with blood and burns
from the acid.

03:51:24.060 --> 03:51:25.860
And it’s all her fault.

03:51:25.859 --> 03:51:28.920
What had she done wrong to make them treat
her like this?

03:51:28.920 --> 03:51:30.840
Why couldn’t they just be friends?

03:51:30.840 --> 03:51:35.700
After a few weeks, a group of humans come
in and clean up the mess, refilling her fountain

03:51:35.700 --> 03:51:36.359
with clean water.

03:51:36.359 --> 03:51:38.460
She doesn’t lift her head above the surface.

03:51:38.460 --> 03:51:42.239
They install a pipe above her fountain that
drip feeds water onto her.

03:51:42.239 --> 03:51:43.080
Drip.

03:51:43.080 --> 03:51:43.920
Drip.

03:51:43.920 --> 03:51:44.700
Drip.

03:51:44.700 --> 03:51:47.880
And just like that, she’s no longer seen
as human.

03:51:47.880 --> 03:51:49.200
Drip.

03:51:49.200 --> 03:51:49.920
Drip.

03:51:49.920 --> 03:51:50.640
Drip.

03:51:51.180 --> 03:51:52.440
The lights burn white.

03:51:52.439 --> 03:51:54.059
The door stays closed.

03:51:54.060 --> 03:51:55.260
Drip.

03:51:55.260 --> 03:51:55.980
Drip.

03:51:55.979 --> 03:51:56.759
Drip.

03:51:56.760 --> 03:51:59.040
The Water Nymph sits in her fountain.

03:51:59.700 --> 03:52:00.359
Drip.

03:52:00.359 --> 03:52:01.139
Drip.

03:52:01.140 --> 03:52:01.920
Drip.

03:52:02.460 --> 03:52:04.500
After a year, she stops crying.

03:52:04.500 --> 03:52:07.560
A year after that, she gives up on thinking
too.

03:52:07.560 --> 03:52:13.500
Three years of near silence pass - with only
the sound of dripping water from the pipe

03:52:13.500 --> 03:52:16.260
- until the door to her chamber opens.

03:52:16.260 --> 03:52:18.180
Something flutters in her chest.

03:52:18.180 --> 03:52:19.680
She lifts her head out of the water.

03:52:24.060 --> 03:52:24.360
A friend?