WEBVTT
Kind: captions
Language: en

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A young man tosses and turns in bed.

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He adjusts his pillow and tries sleeping on
his back, his side, his stomach, but nothing

00:00:09.520 --> 00:00:10.520
works.

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He rolls over to check the time - 3 am.

00:00:13.560 --> 00:00:17.449
This is the third night in a row he hasn’t
been able to fall asleep.

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He feels tired.

00:00:18.900 --> 00:00:20.060
He wants to sleep.

00:00:20.060 --> 00:00:26.539
But every time he closes his eyes and sleep
starts to creep in something happens and suddenly

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he’s wide awake again.

00:00:28.270 --> 00:00:33.100
It’s as if someone keeps flipping a switch
in his brain to “awake” and there’s

00:00:33.100 --> 00:00:34.680
nothing he can do to stop it.

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It’s affecting everything in his life.

00:00:37.110 --> 00:00:38.840
He can’t concentrate in class.

00:00:38.840 --> 00:00:41.710
His work performance goes down the drain.

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Even his hobbies become completely unenjoyable.

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All he wants to do is sleep.

00:00:47.570 --> 00:00:49.899
His friends and family can tell something
is wrong.

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It’s as if he has become a different person,
and they urge him to go see a doctor.

00:00:54.820 --> 00:00:57.710
But the doctor’s tell him there’s nothing
they can do for him.

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He’s perfectly healthy otherwise.

00:00:59.480 --> 00:01:04.510
He should try some natural remedies like valerian
root and get more exercise.

00:01:04.510 --> 00:01:08.659
He has no idea how many days he’s been awake
now - four?

00:01:08.659 --> 00:01:10.080
Five?

00:01:10.080 --> 00:01:11.540
Maybe more?

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At this point, the lack of sleep isn’t even
the worst part, it’s the hallucinations.

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Sometimes they’re just a shadow dancing
outside of his vision, but others are incredibly

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vivid, feeling more real than his now dreary
life does.

00:01:26.410 --> 00:01:30.590
He had to stop going to work and class entirely
since he can’t concentrate for more than

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a couple of seconds at a time.

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His friends don’t want anything to do with
him and who can blame them?

00:01:36.930 --> 00:01:40.610
He has uncontrollable mood swings and lashes
out for no reason.

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He’s tried every sleep remedy there is,
he took the doctor’s advice and exercised

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as hard as he ever has, but with never being
able to sleep he has no energy left.

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He’s becoming a living zombie.

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He gets up out of bed but loses his balance
and collapses to the floor.

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He tries to get up but he can’t.

00:02:02.549 --> 00:02:05.149
He’ll just lie there for a while.

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He starts to drift away and he readies himself
for the jolt that always wakes him back up,

00:02:11.030 --> 00:02:14.240
but this time, it doesn’t come.

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The wave of sleep that starts to wash over
him feels different this time though.

00:02:19.470 --> 00:02:24.739
It’s heavier, more peaceful… and more
permanent.

00:02:24.739 --> 00:02:25.860
Hi!

00:02:25.860 --> 00:02:34.090
I’m Dr. Bob, and this is SCP-966, also known
as...

00:02:34.090 --> 00:02:36.319
Sleep Killer.

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SCP-966 is the designation that the SCP Foundation
has given to a creature that belongs to a

00:02:42.209 --> 00:02:44.980
group of anomalous, predatory beasts.

00:02:44.980 --> 00:02:51.709
Standing 1.4 to 1.6 meters tall, and weighing
roughly 30 kilograms, these hairless, humanoids

00:02:51.709 --> 00:02:57.090
have an elongated face, a mouth full of pointed,
needle-like teeth, and each of their hands

00:02:57.090 --> 00:03:01.190
has five razor sharp claws that can be up
to 20 centimeters in length.

00:03:01.190 --> 00:03:05.129
They are bipedal, and walk upright, though
unlike humans and apes, they are digitigrade,

00:03:05.129 --> 00:03:08.470
meaning that they walk using only their toes.

00:03:08.470 --> 00:03:13.790
But you won’t be able to see the horrible
visage of SCP-966 under normal circumstances,

00:03:13.790 --> 00:03:17.700
as they are only visible under very specific
lighting conditions.

00:03:17.700 --> 00:03:23.580
They can on;y be viewed under light that has
a wavelength between roughly 700 and 900 nanometers,

00:03:23.580 --> 00:03:27.590
which is just at the edge of the light spectrum
that’s visible to humans stretching into

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what’s known as infrared light.

00:03:29.690 --> 00:03:34.640
The only exception to this is if their skin,
muscles, or organs have suffered from second

00:03:34.640 --> 00:03:40.189
or third degree burns, in which case the affected
areas of their body will show up under a greater

00:03:40.189 --> 00:03:44.150
spectrum of wavelengths that are visible to
the human eye.

00:03:44.150 --> 00:03:49.739
Though frightening to look at, SCP-966 are
actually quite weak physically with very low

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muscular density.

00:03:51.260 --> 00:03:56.840
Their bones are hollow, similar to birds,
and while their claws may be incredibly sharp,

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they are also easily broken, making them unsuited
for use in combat.

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Additionally, they do not rest through sleep,
but will, at seemingly random times, stop

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all movement and fall into a rest period that
lasts roughly three to five minutes, after

00:04:12.120 --> 00:04:15.230
which they are able to resume their normal
behavior.

00:04:15.230 --> 00:04:21.230
With all of these physical shortcomings, how
did SCP-966 gain a reputation as such a fearsome

00:04:21.230 --> 00:04:22.230
hunter?

00:04:22.230 --> 00:04:27.690
The secret lies in their ability to emit bursts
of a previously unknown type of wave.

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Hunting either alone or in pairs, SCP-966
uses this wave to inhibit its prey’s ability

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to enter any of the restful sleep stages,
and also stops the ability to micro-sleep.

00:04:39.560 --> 00:04:43.930
These waves have been observed to be effective
at up to 20 meters, though tests have shown

00:04:43.930 --> 00:04:49.310
that they can be blocked by post-transition
metals, of which lead appears to be especially

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effective.

00:04:50.710 --> 00:04:57.009
SCP-966 hunts and feeds on medium-to-large
sized animals, which includes humans, and

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once their quarry has been targeted by the
sleep inhibiting waves the effect is permanent,

00:05:01.880 --> 00:05:05.570
with no method having yet been discovered
that will allow them to regain the ability

00:05:05.570 --> 00:05:07.340
to sleep.

00:05:07.340 --> 00:05:11.150
Experiments have shown that unconsciousness
can be induced in other ways such as with

00:05:11.150 --> 00:05:16.410
the use of general anesthesia, although these
methods have ultimately proven to be ineffective,

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since although the victim is unconscious,
they are still not receiving any of the restful

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benefits of sleep while in that state.

00:05:22.980 --> 00:05:28.759
The effects of sleep deprivation on humans,
both mentally and physically, are devastating.

00:05:28.759 --> 00:05:34.070
Symptoms can begin setting in after just 24
hours that can include mood swings, memory

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issues, and sensory impairment.

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After two to three days, the body’s hormones
become deregulated and bodily functions like

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hunger, thirst, and temperature fluctuate
wildly as cognitive abilities start to dramatically

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decline.

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Hallucinations, paranoia, and fits of rage
are common, and the risk of death from sleep

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deprivation increases with each day that passes
without sleep.

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And this is exactly what SCP-966 wants.

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After surreptitiously sending a burst of sleep
deprivation waves at their victim, they will

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then stalk their prey until lack of sleep
finally leads to total incapacitation, at

00:06:12.310 --> 00:06:17.250
which point, SCP-966 consumes them.

00:06:17.250 --> 00:06:22.520
SCP-966 have proven to be both extremely quiet
and agile when hunting.

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However they have actually been observed intentionally
making threatening noises around their prey,

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presumably to further increase their already
elevated stress levels and potentially hastening

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their mental degradation.

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On rare occasions they will even physically
assault their victim to further degenerate

00:06:38.430 --> 00:06:41.099
their mental and physical health.

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Some of SCP-966’s prey will experience especially
intense hallucinations and bouts of rage,

00:06:47.539 --> 00:06:51.750
which is theorized to be caused by prolonged
exposure to multiple instances of their sleep

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stopping waves.

00:06:53.580 --> 00:06:57.629
Why some victims are exposed to multiple waves
when a single instance has been shown to be

00:06:57.629 --> 00:07:01.949
one hundred percent effective is unknown,
and it’s hypothesized that they may only

00:07:01.949 --> 00:07:06.360
engage in this behavior when especially hungry
to try and speed up the process.

00:07:06.360 --> 00:07:12.500
Though others have put forth the theory that
SCP-966 may take some perverse form of joy

00:07:12.500 --> 00:07:16.900
in seeing its victims suffer prior to expiring.

00:07:16.900 --> 00:07:22.440
Wild instances of SCP-966 have been found
across the globe, and while the SCP Foundation

00:07:22.440 --> 00:07:26.620
has been successful in thinning their numbers,
they still exist in high enough numbers to

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pose a serious threat to humanity.

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For these reasons they have been assigned
the classification Euclid.

00:07:33.130 --> 00:07:39.700
Mobile Task Forces Iota-1 and Iota-2, codenamed
the Dream Hunters and Air Chasers respectively,

00:07:39.700 --> 00:07:44.090
are continually monitoring for any reports
of sudden or violent deaths related to sleep

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deprivation in order to identify and neutralize
the remaining instances of wild SCP-966.

00:07:49.850 --> 00:07:57.200
Four SCP-966 specimens, three males and one
female, have been acquired by the Foundation.

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And they are currently contained in a 10 by
10 meter room that is lined with lead and

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equipped with infrared security cameras.

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Each specimen is fed 20 kilograms of meat
each month and in the event that the female

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specimen gives birth, the new specimen is
to be taken for observation and study before

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being disposed of prior to reaching maturity.

00:08:15.610 --> 00:08:19.199
The guerrilla soldiers fire their rifles blindly
into the jungle.

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They don’t know what exactly they’re shooting
at, but something is out there among the trees.

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Something they can’t see.

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Something that’s killing them.

00:08:27.320 --> 00:08:31.320
One of the young soldiers, barely more than
a boy, stops to reload.

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As he pulls the magazine from his rifle, a
blur passes by.

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The soldier next to him suddenly drops to
his knees clutching his neck, blood pouring

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out between his fingers.

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A hand grasps the boy’s shoulder and he
spins around, nearly opening fire on his commander.

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The older man tells him they’ve got to go
and the boy joins a small group of soldiers

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who start running through the jungle, trying
to get away from whatever this thing is.

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As they run there’s another flash of movement
and one of the soldiers is pulled into the

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trees.

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He can hear his screams mixed with the otherworldly
shrieks but there’s nothing they can do,

00:09:02.829 --> 00:09:05.589
it’s already too late for him.

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Another soldier disappears into the trees
with a blur.

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It’s just him and the commander now.

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They emerge from the jungle into a clearing
that contains a small, abandoned farm.

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The commander motions for them to head towards
the old farm house and the two take cover

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around the corner of the home.

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They crouch with their guns ready, peeking
around the corner, looking for any sign of

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the monster that’s killed so many of their
comrades.

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The boy wants to know what they should do.

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He opens his mouth to ask the commander but
he puts a finger to his lips and motions for

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the boy to keep watching.

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The boy peeks around the corner of the house
but he doesn’t see anything emerging from

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the treeline.

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It’s quiet, until the commander begins to
scream.

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The boy turns to see a point forming on his
chest.

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It’s a black circle, no not black, something
darker.

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It’s like it is the absence of any and all
light.

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The commander screams louder as the point
of darkness grows.

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The commander's screams fade out even as it
looks like he continues to yell.

00:10:00.820 --> 00:10:05.010
The boy watches as the commander seems to
be collapsing in, sucked into the dark orb

00:10:05.010 --> 00:10:06.010
in his chest.

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The commander’s body folds in on itself,
growing smaller and smaller until it disappears

00:10:11.330 --> 00:10:15.780
completely into the black hole, which vanishes
along with him.

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The boy doesn’t know what he just saw but
he doesn’t have time to think, because emerging

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from the forest, is the creature.

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The boy has never seen anything like it and
runs into the farmhouse.

00:10:26.810 --> 00:10:30.339
He locks the door and pushes the old kitchen
table in front of it, trying to barricade

00:10:30.339 --> 00:10:31.740
it as best he can.

00:10:31.740 --> 00:10:34.459
He looks around and spots a bed against the
wall.

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It’s the best hiding spot he can find so
he runs and slides under the bed, pulling

00:10:38.630 --> 00:10:41.360
himself as close to the wall as he can.

00:10:41.360 --> 00:10:44.910
The boy watches and waits, unsure of what
he should do.

00:10:44.910 --> 00:10:46.029
It’s quiet.

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There’s no more screaming of soldiers being
killed or any more of those guttural, animal-like

00:10:51.320 --> 00:10:52.530
squeals.

00:10:52.530 --> 00:10:55.720
Maybe it decided to go back to wherever it
came from.

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The boy doesn’t dare come out from under
the bed though.

00:10:58.570 --> 00:11:04.380
As he watches the door, waiting for something
to burst through, he sees something else.

00:11:04.380 --> 00:11:07.350
Another of those black points appears in the
middle of the room.

00:11:07.350 --> 00:11:11.720
It looks like it bends the light around it,
distorting the room nearby.

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The boy watches from under the bed as out
of the point, a thin black limb emerges.

00:11:17.050 --> 00:11:18.900
First one, then another.

00:11:18.900 --> 00:11:24.220
He can see its strange pointed legs with no
feet standing just in front of the bed now.

00:11:24.220 --> 00:11:28.459
With a high pitched cry, the creature effortlessly
tosses the bed aside.

00:11:28.459 --> 00:11:31.550
The boy is left exposed, cowering against
the wall.

00:11:31.550 --> 00:11:36.600
The creature screams, opening its wide mouth
that seems to split its eyeless face in two,

00:11:36.600 --> 00:11:39.210
revealing two rows of jagged teeth.

00:11:39.210 --> 00:11:43.421
The boy screams back, crying in fear, and
sees that the creature isn’t eyeless after

00:11:43.421 --> 00:11:44.790
all.

00:11:44.790 --> 00:11:48.140
Inside its grotesque mouth, a milky-blue ball
appears.

00:11:48.140 --> 00:11:53.620
There’s no iris, but the boy knows whatever
this thing is, it's looking at him.

00:11:53.620 --> 00:11:55.930
The boy feels his chest grow tight.

00:11:55.930 --> 00:11:59.600
He looks down to see that one of the black
points is forming on his chest.

00:11:59.600 --> 00:12:04.310
He can feel himself being squeezed and crushed,
pulled down into this singular point.

00:12:04.310 --> 00:12:10.300
All noises, including his screams disappear
as he is pulled into this soundless void.

00:12:10.300 --> 00:12:11.850
But then he hears something again.

00:12:11.850 --> 00:12:15.300
He looks up to see that the creature is being
riddled with bullets.

00:12:15.300 --> 00:12:18.800
It turns to escape and bursts through the
wall of the farmhouse.

00:12:18.800 --> 00:12:24.620
The dark orb on the boy vanishes and he sees,
standing in the doorway, his friend and savior.

00:12:24.620 --> 00:12:28.699
He clutches his bleeding throat with one hand,
holding his rifle in the other.

00:12:28.699 --> 00:12:31.540
The boy rushes to him as he collapses to the
floor.

00:12:31.540 --> 00:12:36.210
Blood is pouring out of his neck and he can
no longer speak, but he dies knowing he saved

00:12:36.210 --> 00:12:37.210
his young friend.

00:12:37.210 --> 00:12:42.269
The boy starts to feel very tired, and he
sits down next to his dead hero.

00:12:42.269 --> 00:12:47.959
He’s all alone now, his entire group of
freedom fighters now wiped out by this demon.

00:12:47.959 --> 00:12:49.770
The boy feels nauseous and dizzy.

00:12:49.770 --> 00:12:55.230
He coughs into his hand and looks down to
see that it’s covered in his own blood.

00:12:55.230 --> 00:13:01.060
A group of boys run down a jungle path, laughing
and playing when they suddenly stop and grow

00:13:01.060 --> 00:13:02.060
quiet.

00:13:02.060 --> 00:13:03.100
There’s something up ahead of them.

00:13:03.100 --> 00:13:05.639
It’s a man, lying on the side of the road.

00:13:05.639 --> 00:13:09.889
The boys look scared, unsure if they should
check it out, but then the smallest of all

00:13:09.889 --> 00:13:14.010
of them emerges from the group and bravely
marches up to the man.

00:13:14.010 --> 00:13:17.730
Not wanting to let the youngest of their friends
make them look like cowards, the rest of the

00:13:17.730 --> 00:13:19.260
boys soon follow.

00:13:19.260 --> 00:13:23.149
The man on the side of the road is moaning
and looks to be in pain.

00:13:23.149 --> 00:13:27.100
As they get closer they can see that he must
have been in a terrible accident.

00:13:27.100 --> 00:13:31.270
His skin is gray, and it looks like his long
thin arms only have three fingers.

00:13:31.270 --> 00:13:32.579
What should they do?

00:13:32.579 --> 00:13:37.030
The small boy picks up a stick and reaches
out with it to poke the man, not wanting to

00:13:37.030 --> 00:13:42.220
touch him with his own hands, but before he
can the man rolls over, opening his mouth

00:13:42.220 --> 00:13:47.550
with a horrible shriek to reveal the glassy
blue eye inside as the boys turn and run,

00:13:47.550 --> 00:13:49.690
hands over their ears.

00:13:49.690 --> 00:13:53.079
Several weeks later, the small Guatemalan
town holds a meeting.

00:13:53.079 --> 00:13:57.290
The crowd of people in the room are angrily
yelling at the mayor who stands at a podium,

00:13:57.290 --> 00:14:00.959
demanding answers from him about what happened
to their dead or missing loved ones.

00:14:00.959 --> 00:14:04.779
A series of photos are hung on the wall behind
the mayor in remembrance of those who have

00:14:04.779 --> 00:14:09.660
disappeared into the forest, or mysteriously
died from a rapid illness, including the brave

00:14:09.660 --> 00:14:11.320
young boy.

00:14:11.320 --> 00:14:15.410
One man shouts at the mayor, wanting to know
where his daughter was, another asks how her

00:14:15.410 --> 00:14:20.690
healthy husband could drop dead from an illness
after being perfectly healthy only days before.

00:14:20.690 --> 00:14:24.769
The mayor tries to calm the frustrated townspeople,
telling them that he knows there have been

00:14:24.769 --> 00:14:29.509
rumors of a demon out in the forest, but that’s
all they are… rumors.

00:14:29.509 --> 00:14:33.970
The mayor warns them though that something
is out there, though he doesn’t know what.

00:14:33.970 --> 00:14:36.740
There is an animal or man that is making people
sick.

00:14:36.740 --> 00:14:40.850
It may also be hunting people, neither he
nor the police know exactly what is going

00:14:40.850 --> 00:14:41.850
on.

00:14:41.850 --> 00:14:45.769
But there is good news, a group of men have
come to help them.

00:14:45.769 --> 00:14:49.550
The mayor points towards a stern looking man
in a military uniform who is standing with

00:14:49.550 --> 00:14:53.730
a small group of other soldiers and a scientist
off to the side of the stage.

00:14:53.730 --> 00:14:58.260
The mayor explains that this man, General
Machoi, is from America, and that he’s going

00:14:58.260 --> 00:14:59.260
to help them.

00:14:59.260 --> 00:15:02.891
The crowd doesn’t cheer in the way that
the mayor seems to have expected, but they

00:15:02.891 --> 00:15:06.980
at least stop their yelling as the General
steps to the podium and thanks the mayor for

00:15:06.980 --> 00:15:08.519
the introduction.

00:15:08.519 --> 00:15:12.600
The general looks over the crowd who are waiting
and hungry for answers about the monster that’s

00:15:12.600 --> 00:15:14.420
suddenly begun plaguing their town.

00:15:14.420 --> 00:15:17.960
He tells them that it is true that he’s
been sent here by the US Government in order

00:15:17.960 --> 00:15:22.190
to investigate what’s been happening, and
stop whatever threat is out there in the jungle

00:15:22.190 --> 00:15:24.100
by any means necessary.

00:15:24.100 --> 00:15:27.350
He can’t promise that he’ll be able to
bring back any of their missing loved ones,

00:15:27.350 --> 00:15:30.850
but he can at least prevent whatever this
is from taking any more.

00:15:30.850 --> 00:15:35.220
He then gestures to the rest of his group
and tells the crowd that the men he has brought

00:15:35.220 --> 00:15:39.560
with him have been specially trained to deal
with this exact type of situation, and that

00:15:39.560 --> 00:15:41.870
they don’t need to worry any longer.

00:15:41.870 --> 00:15:45.820
The only thing everyone needs to do is stay
out of their way, and all will be taken care

00:15:45.820 --> 00:15:46.820
of.

00:15:46.820 --> 00:15:51.089
With that, he walks off the stage as the crowd
erupts into more shouting.

00:15:51.089 --> 00:15:53.900
General Machoi stops at the scientists waiting
next to the stage.

00:15:53.900 --> 00:15:56.100
“Well Dr. Keter, what do you think?”

00:15:56.100 --> 00:16:00.870
The scientist adjusts his glasses and answers
“This is what we’ve been preparing for.

00:16:00.870 --> 00:16:03.380
The Overseers kept telling us this day would
come.

00:16:03.380 --> 00:16:05.370
It looks like it finally has.”

00:16:05.370 --> 00:16:09.670
The group of soldiers led by General Machoi
make their way through the dense forest.

00:16:09.670 --> 00:16:14.209
Dr. Keter is just ahead of them, using a Geiger
counter to follow the creature, the audible

00:16:14.209 --> 00:16:18.070
clicks of the radioactive entity telling him
which way it came.

00:16:18.070 --> 00:16:21.930
They track the source of the radiation to
a clearing in the jungle where a small village

00:16:21.930 --> 00:16:23.279
once stood.

00:16:23.279 --> 00:16:27.820
Most of the buildings are overgrown with plants
and thick vines, but with it growing dark,

00:16:27.820 --> 00:16:31.519
this seems as safe a place as they will find
to make camp for the night.

00:16:31.519 --> 00:16:35.730
The soldiers fan out to search what’s left
of the town as Dr. Keter continues looking

00:16:35.730 --> 00:16:39.310
around for where the radioactive trail might
lead them next.

00:16:39.310 --> 00:16:43.569
As General Machoi is checking out one of the
many dark, old buildings, one of the other

00:16:43.569 --> 00:16:44.569
soldiers cries out.

00:16:44.569 --> 00:16:45.610
“Hey General!

00:16:45.610 --> 00:16:48.180
It looks like this generator still works!”

00:16:48.180 --> 00:16:52.410
With the sound of an old diesel motor coming
to life, lights in the village suddenly flicker

00:16:52.410 --> 00:16:53.410
on.

00:16:53.410 --> 00:16:55.329
They now have fortifications and light.

00:16:55.329 --> 00:16:59.440
Though he’d never admit it, General Machoi
was feeling nervous about spending the night

00:16:59.440 --> 00:17:03.960
in the jungle, but now at least some of those
nerves were being washed away by the old,

00:17:03.960 --> 00:17:05.980
flickering yellow lights.

00:17:05.980 --> 00:17:10.040
Later that night, the General is questioning
Dr. Keter on where the creature went.

00:17:10.040 --> 00:17:12.699
Dr. Keter is confused though.

00:17:12.699 --> 00:17:16.720
His readings showed high traces of radiation
leading into this village.

00:17:16.720 --> 00:17:20.870
The creature came here, he was sure of it,
but now he can’t figure out where it went.

00:17:20.870 --> 00:17:24.700
It’s as if it came into the village and
then simply vanished.

00:17:24.700 --> 00:17:28.480
Outside, one of the soldiers on watch tells
the rest of the group who are sitting around

00:17:28.480 --> 00:17:32.390
a fire to shut up, that he thinks he saw something
in the woods.

00:17:32.390 --> 00:17:35.730
Everyone immediately springs into action,
taking defensive positions and aiming their

00:17:35.730 --> 00:17:37.210
rifles into the dark treeline.

00:17:37.210 --> 00:17:41.860
“There it is again” he says, as a flash
of darkness moves just beyond the clearing.

00:17:41.860 --> 00:17:45.200
“No, it’s over here” says another soldier
on the opposite side.

00:17:45.200 --> 00:17:48.470
How could the creature be moving so fast around
them?

00:17:48.470 --> 00:17:51.059
Are there multiple of whatever this is out
there?

00:17:51.059 --> 00:17:54.600
The soldiers form a circle to make sure that
the thing can’t get behind them.

00:17:54.600 --> 00:17:59.070
What they can’t see, is the point of darkness
forming behind all of their backs, and the

00:17:59.070 --> 00:18:01.809
thin, pointed legs stepping out of it.

00:18:01.809 --> 00:18:03.390
The general’s radio comes to life.

00:18:03.390 --> 00:18:07.310
“I think we’ve got something out here
Gen - “ but his message is cut off by screams

00:18:07.310 --> 00:18:09.510
and the sound of gunfire.

00:18:09.510 --> 00:18:13.840
General Machoi tells Dr. Keter to stay inside
and runs out of the building, where he finally

00:18:13.840 --> 00:18:16.510
gets a glimpse of the “demon” that they’ve
been tracking.

00:18:16.510 --> 00:18:19.270
The tall, thin creature is massacring his
squad.

00:18:19.270 --> 00:18:23.320
It dashes between them at an inhuman speed,
using its three fingered hands to rip the

00:18:23.320 --> 00:18:27.760
limbs off of some soldiers and slash at others
with its razor sharp claws, opening up their

00:18:27.760 --> 00:18:31.400
necks or disemboweling them before moving
on to the next.

00:18:31.400 --> 00:18:35.360
The General fires his rifle at the creature
and misses, but it’s enough to get it to

00:18:35.360 --> 00:18:36.360
retreat.

00:18:36.360 --> 00:18:39.410
General Machoi runs back inside the building
where Dr. Keter is waiting.

00:18:39.410 --> 00:18:41.690
“What was it, what did you see out there?”

00:18:41.690 --> 00:18:45.700
The General doesn’t know how to begin describing
the monster that just killed all of his men.

00:18:45.700 --> 00:18:50.020
It’s like nothing he has ever seen before
and something that no amount of training could

00:18:50.020 --> 00:18:51.850
prepare him for.

00:18:51.850 --> 00:18:55.539
As the two men ponder what to do next, the
Geiger counter on the table suddenly starts

00:18:55.539 --> 00:19:00.380
to click, softly at first, but then more and
more, as if a huge amount of radiation has

00:19:00.380 --> 00:19:02.540
suddenly flooded the room.

00:19:02.540 --> 00:19:06.210
The General grabs the Doctor and drags him
out, leaping out of the building just before

00:19:06.210 --> 00:19:11.380
it collapses in on itself, disappearing into
the micro-singularity that formed inside.

00:19:11.380 --> 00:19:16.000
The two men look up to see it standing right
in front of them, its huge mouth open to reveal

00:19:16.000 --> 00:19:17.230
its glassy blue eye.

00:19:17.230 --> 00:19:18.230
“Look out!”

00:19:18.230 --> 00:19:22.450
Dr. Keter cries, but he isn’t talking about
the demon as he and the General roll to the

00:19:22.450 --> 00:19:26.299
side, just avoiding the power line that has
been cut loose by the destroyed building.

00:19:26.299 --> 00:19:30.980
The power line hits the ground and immediately
begins to spark, sending out bright pulses

00:19:30.980 --> 00:19:32.720
of white, electrical light.

00:19:32.720 --> 00:19:36.850
The creature cries out with a gut wrenching
scream and collapses to the ground, huddling

00:19:36.850 --> 00:19:40.210
up into a ball as it tries to cover up its
mouth with its thin arms.

00:19:40.210 --> 00:19:42.310
“Is it the electricity?”

00:19:42.310 --> 00:19:45.840
the General asks,
confused about what suddenly stopped the killer’s

00:19:45.840 --> 00:19:50.320
rampage, but Dr. Keter realizes it isn’t
the sparking power line that the creature

00:19:50.320 --> 00:19:53.650
has been immobilized by, it’s the flashing
lights.

00:19:53.650 --> 00:19:57.330
The General doesn’t wait for his answer
though, and fires the weighted net from his

00:19:57.330 --> 00:20:00.130
gun, trapping the howling creature.

00:20:00.130 --> 00:20:05.230
Dr. Keter examines the creature at the field
research center that has been set up several

00:20:05.230 --> 00:20:06.700
miles from the village.

00:20:06.700 --> 00:20:10.400
A strobe light has been affixed to the inside
of the creature’s cage, but even when the

00:20:10.400 --> 00:20:14.820
doctor turns the light off, the grayish brown
skinned entity still remains curled up in

00:20:14.820 --> 00:20:16.429
a ball on the floor.

00:20:16.429 --> 00:20:20.350
The doctor wonders if perhaps the creature
is hungry, but it shows no interest in any

00:20:20.350 --> 00:20:24.240
of the various meats, fruits, and vegetables
they’ve presented to it.

00:20:24.240 --> 00:20:27.850
The doctor stands in the doorway of the tent
that has been up to house the creature’s

00:20:27.850 --> 00:20:31.870
cage and gives an update to General Machoi,
who is anxious to get the creature moved to

00:20:31.870 --> 00:20:34.950
the United States and a more secure containment
environment.

00:20:34.950 --> 00:20:38.919
Dr. Keter stresses that he fears the journey
might kill this creature though, and put an

00:20:38.919 --> 00:20:43.560
end to the incredible research and testing
they can perform on this amazing living specimen.

00:20:43.560 --> 00:20:47.750
The General turns to leave but stops to salute
the body of one of his soldiers being carried

00:20:47.750 --> 00:20:48.810
by on a stretcher.

00:20:48.810 --> 00:20:53.490
Dr. Keter himself turns to go back to his
research when he notices something.

00:20:53.490 --> 00:20:56.090
The creature’s mouth is ever so slightly
open.

00:20:56.090 --> 00:20:59.640
Dr. Keter has yet another idea.

00:20:59.640 --> 00:21:03.830
That night, Dr. Keter enters the temporary
morgue and takes a severed arm from one of

00:21:03.830 --> 00:21:05.309
the dead soldiers.

00:21:05.309 --> 00:21:08.789
Back in the research tent, he presents the
arm to the creature, sliding it through the

00:21:08.789 --> 00:21:10.460
cage bars.

00:21:10.460 --> 00:21:14.980
The creature doesn’t react, but Dr. Keter
continues to watch and wait.

00:21:14.980 --> 00:21:17.240
After a time, the creature finally stirs.

00:21:17.240 --> 00:21:20.580
It’s the first time he has seen it move
since it was captured.

00:21:20.580 --> 00:21:24.610
The creature reaches out with its long, three
fingered hand and grabs the arm before starting

00:21:24.610 --> 00:21:25.860
to feed on it.

00:21:25.860 --> 00:21:27.590
“You like that, don’t you?”

00:21:27.590 --> 00:21:32.880
Dr. Keter asks, and bizarrely, the creature
seems to respond, giving an almost baby-like

00:21:32.880 --> 00:21:33.880
coo.

00:21:33.880 --> 00:21:36.279
“There’s lots more of that if you behave.

00:21:36.279 --> 00:21:39.320
All I want to do is study you, learn how you
work.”

00:21:39.320 --> 00:21:43.020
The creature continues to feed, starting to
crunch on the bones now that all of the meat

00:21:43.020 --> 00:21:44.020
is gone.

00:21:44.020 --> 00:21:48.140
“Yes, I believe you’ll be good” the
doctor says as he approaches the cage.

00:21:48.140 --> 00:21:50.970
“You’re going to make me world famous.

00:21:50.970 --> 00:21:53.799
Soon everyone will know the name Hermann Ket
-”

00:21:53.799 --> 00:21:57.490
The creature’s hand shoots out from between
the bars so quickly he never even saw it.

00:21:57.490 --> 00:22:00.950
Dr. Keter starts to scream as it grasps and
claws at him.

00:22:00.950 --> 00:22:05.100
A soldier standing guard outside runs in but
a black point of light immediately appears

00:22:05.100 --> 00:22:09.179
on his torso, causing him to fold in on himself
into the singularity.

00:22:09.179 --> 00:22:12.559
The creature drops the bloodied Dr. Keter
to the floor, who reaches for the emergency

00:22:12.559 --> 00:22:17.340
strobe light activation button as another
singularity opens up inside of the cage.

00:22:17.340 --> 00:22:21.700
The creature appears to willfully step into
it before emerging out of another just outside

00:22:21.700 --> 00:22:23.330
of the bars.

00:22:23.330 --> 00:22:27.049
More soldiers rush into the tent in time to
see the creature feeding on the still living

00:22:27.049 --> 00:22:28.160
Dr. Keter.

00:22:28.160 --> 00:22:31.600
One presses the button to activate the high
powered strobe lights which cause the creature

00:22:31.600 --> 00:22:35.970
to start screaming and thrashing about, trying
to escape the flashing lights.

00:22:35.970 --> 00:22:39.679
Multiple nets are fired onto the creature,
pinning it to the ground as its screams slowly

00:22:39.679 --> 00:22:41.920
fade back to whimpers.

00:22:41.920 --> 00:22:47.400
On Overseer orders, the creature is moved
to ADRX-19, a secure base located somewhere

00:22:47.400 --> 00:22:49.200
in North America.

00:22:49.200 --> 00:22:52.740
The site’s director gives a presentation
to a group and explains that thanks to the

00:22:52.740 --> 00:22:56.789
work of the late Dr. Keter, they now know
that the creature exhibits signs of fear and

00:22:56.789 --> 00:23:00.700
sickness when in the presence of strobing
lights, and that it is unable to produce the

00:23:00.700 --> 00:23:05.220
microsingularities that it uses for defense
and teleportation when it is in this sickened

00:23:05.220 --> 00:23:06.260
state.

00:23:06.260 --> 00:23:10.350
When healthy though, the creature is extremely
dangerous thanks to its superhuman speed,

00:23:10.350 --> 00:23:11.860
strength, and cunning.

00:23:11.860 --> 00:23:16.830
It was also discovered that it is unable to
teleport through lead, which its new containment

00:23:16.830 --> 00:23:20.900
cell has been lined with, and extreme security
procedures have been implemented including

00:23:20.900 --> 00:23:25.570
the installation of a reinforced steel blast
door and constant patrols of the outside of

00:23:25.570 --> 00:23:29.660
the cell by armed guards who are equipped
with high-powered strobe lights.

00:23:29.660 --> 00:23:33.070
The site director leaves the room and the
Overseers discuss the fate of the creature

00:23:33.070 --> 00:23:39.940
which has been given the designation number
86243AR-001, though most have taken to calling

00:23:39.940 --> 00:23:41.590
it simply 001.

00:23:41.590 --> 00:23:46.480
One of the Overseers argues that the creature
must be secured and contained in order to

00:23:46.480 --> 00:23:47.570
protect humanity.

00:23:47.570 --> 00:23:50.340
Who knows how many more of these might be
out there.

00:23:50.340 --> 00:23:54.660
They now know that the rumors of these types
of entities aren’t merely isolated events,

00:23:54.660 --> 00:23:57.429
and there could be countless more of these
anomalies.

00:23:57.429 --> 00:23:59.850
Hundreds, maybe even thousands.

00:23:59.850 --> 00:24:02.450
The rest of the Overseers unanimously agree.

00:24:02.450 --> 00:24:05.250
One of them picks up the report that was left
behind by the site director.

00:24:05.250 --> 00:24:08.970
“Redact this report immediately and start
a new document archive.

00:24:08.970 --> 00:24:10.299
This is only The Prototype.

00:24:10.299 --> 00:24:12.970
I have the feeling there will likely be many
more of these…

00:24:12.970 --> 00:24:13.970
“

00:24:13.970 --> 00:24:15.750
Hello, everyone, Dr. Bob here.

00:24:15.750 --> 00:24:20.221
I know you’re not used to seeing me here
at the start of videos, but that’s because

00:24:20.221 --> 00:24:23.850
today, we have an extremely pressing matter
to attend to.

00:24:23.850 --> 00:24:28.380
One that cuts to the deepest core of one of
the SCP Foundation’s deadliest contained

00:24:28.380 --> 00:24:32.570
anomalies: SCP-096, the Shy Guy.

00:24:32.570 --> 00:24:37.289
It’s a creature that needs no introduction,
because it probably haunts all of your nightmares

00:24:37.289 --> 00:24:38.390
already.

00:24:38.390 --> 00:24:43.450
Close your eyes and picture it in your mind’s
eye: That gaunt face with the slack jaw and

00:24:43.450 --> 00:24:45.620
the lifeless white eyes.

00:24:45.620 --> 00:24:49.040
The face you hope never to see as long as
you live.

00:24:49.040 --> 00:24:51.720
The pale skin, pulled tight against bone.

00:24:51.720 --> 00:24:55.020
Those impossibly long, gangly limbs.

00:24:55.020 --> 00:25:00.090
It sits there in its airtight containment
cube, covering its face and quietly sobbing,

00:25:00.090 --> 00:25:04.779
always sobbing, as though cursing something
beyond even its own understanding.

00:25:04.779 --> 00:25:11.370
Perhaps, when thinking about SCP-096, you
feel a pang of sympathy mixed with the terror.

00:25:11.370 --> 00:25:14.160
After all, this anomaly is no sadist.

00:25:14.160 --> 00:25:17.960
Why would a sadist cry as it kills, like SCP-096
does?

00:25:17.960 --> 00:25:20.580
You’re not alone in asking this question.

00:25:20.580 --> 00:25:25.270
I’ve spent many a night poring over classified
files with an ever-freshening pot of coffee,

00:25:25.270 --> 00:25:27.960
trying to piece together the answers.

00:25:27.960 --> 00:25:33.570
SCP-096 is considered one of the most dangerous
Euclid-class creatures in containment, and

00:25:33.570 --> 00:25:38.179
yet, so little about it is known beyond its
capability to do great harm whenever someone

00:25:38.179 --> 00:25:42.320
is unlucky enough to see its face and send
it into its rage state.

00:25:42.320 --> 00:25:43.400
How did this happen?

00:25:43.400 --> 00:25:48.320
It’s a question for the curious, like you
or me, and after months of strenuous research,

00:25:48.320 --> 00:25:51.080
I believe I may have an answer.

00:25:51.080 --> 00:25:54.460
Whether you choose to believe it is up to
you.

00:25:54.460 --> 00:25:58.760
Just be warned, when you hear what I believe
to be the heartbreaking, tragic origin of

00:25:58.760 --> 00:26:03.510
this terrifying and pitiful monster, you may
never be able to look at him the same way

00:26:03.510 --> 00:26:04.510
again.

00:26:04.510 --> 00:26:08.240
Not that “looking” at him should ever
be high on your list of priorities...

00:26:08.240 --> 00:26:13.840
It begins in a tavern in a small Nepalese
village, a few miles away from the Chinese

00:26:13.840 --> 00:26:19.149
border, where Mount Everest - The world’s
tallest mountain above sea level - waits.

00:26:19.149 --> 00:26:22.730
Its mere existence is like a challenge to
the brave and foolhardy.

00:26:22.730 --> 00:26:25.700
“Conquer me,” it seems to whisper.

00:26:25.700 --> 00:26:30.750
“Conquer me, and declare yourself above
all those I have conquered.

00:26:30.750 --> 00:26:33.919
Become a God among men.”

00:26:33.919 --> 00:26:38.840
It’s always whispering like this, but few,
in the grand scheme of things, can actually

00:26:38.840 --> 00:26:39.860
hear it.

00:26:39.860 --> 00:26:43.990
And sadly for him, the Explorer is among those
few.

00:26:43.990 --> 00:26:48.270
He’s sitting in one of the tavern’s many
cozy nooks, picking away at a plate of mutton

00:26:48.270 --> 00:26:53.289
curry while sipping from a brass bowl of white
Chyang, a popular local drink.

00:26:53.289 --> 00:26:57.750
The Explorer, living up to his name, has come
a long way to get here.

00:26:57.750 --> 00:27:02.320
The rest of the village locals in the tavern
eye him with a variety of knowing glances.

00:27:02.320 --> 00:27:07.560
They’ve seen so many like him before - Smug
smiles and puffed chests, thinking they’ll

00:27:07.560 --> 00:27:11.760
be able to count themselves among the exalted
few who’ve conquered the mountain to end

00:27:11.760 --> 00:27:13.200
all mountains.

00:27:13.200 --> 00:27:18.090
The bodies of many men like this are still
frozen to the mountain’s surface.

00:27:18.090 --> 00:27:22.620
One brave local - an older man who can speak
English fluently - slides in across the table

00:27:22.620 --> 00:27:24.080
from the Explorer.

00:27:24.080 --> 00:27:29.000
The old timer tells him that whatever he thinks
he’ll find up on the mountain - honor, glory,

00:27:29.000 --> 00:27:32.950
recognition - he’d be better off searching
for it elsewhere.

00:27:32.950 --> 00:27:36.200
Death awaits on the icy rocks above.

00:27:36.200 --> 00:27:40.970
The Explorer, young, fit, and still feeling
mighty smug, replies that death is there for

00:27:40.970 --> 00:27:42.769
the people who haven’t worked hard enough.

00:27:42.769 --> 00:27:44.179
Who haven’t prepared.

00:27:44.179 --> 00:27:49.280
He’s scaled other mountains before, all
across the globe, from Scotland to Peru.

00:27:49.280 --> 00:27:54.279
Everest would hold no surprises for him, just
a new, compelling challenge.

00:27:54.279 --> 00:27:59.909
The old man is, as you could probably imagine,
unamused by the Explorer’s hubris.

00:27:59.909 --> 00:28:04.730
“All confidence and bluster now,” he says
with his thin, raspy voice.

00:28:04.730 --> 00:28:09.730
“But what will you say when you’re face
to face with the King?”

00:28:09.730 --> 00:28:14.789
The Explorer, assuming that this “king”
refers to the mountain itself, smiles and

00:28:14.789 --> 00:28:17.390
replies, “I’ll ask him for his crown.”

00:28:17.390 --> 00:28:22.029
With that, the old man leaves, content that
he at least tried to dissuade the Explorer

00:28:22.029 --> 00:28:24.490
from going on this doomed journey.

00:28:24.490 --> 00:28:27.210
If nothing else, his conscience would be clear
now.

00:28:27.210 --> 00:28:29.800
He had done all that he possibly could.

00:28:29.800 --> 00:28:34.549
The Explorer, not bothered by the grim prophecies
of superstitious locals, finishes his curry

00:28:34.549 --> 00:28:37.420
and Chyang and retires to the room he rented
upstairs.

00:28:37.420 --> 00:28:43.200
He’s so excited, tomorrow, it will finally
be time, all his months of training will pay

00:28:43.200 --> 00:28:44.200
off.

00:28:44.200 --> 00:28:45.930
He will climb to Mount Everest’s peak.

00:28:45.930 --> 00:28:51.620
It would be an achievement to last a whole
lifetime - one he would never, ever forget.

00:28:51.620 --> 00:28:54.340
No matter how much he wants to...

00:28:54.340 --> 00:28:59.240
The next day, the tip of his ice axe cleaves
into the mountainside as he grunts, strains,

00:28:59.240 --> 00:29:01.140
and pulls himself up another few feet.

00:29:01.140 --> 00:29:06.149
He’s about 2000 meters up, and every additional
meter is fighting him.

00:29:06.149 --> 00:29:10.559
It’s the bitterest cold he’s ever known
- A freeze so deep it makes his incredibly

00:29:10.559 --> 00:29:15.600
expensive thermal-locking clothes feel like
he’s wearing wet, one-ply toilet paper.

00:29:15.600 --> 00:29:17.529
But the pain doesn’t matter.

00:29:17.529 --> 00:29:19.120
The cold doesn’t matter.

00:29:19.120 --> 00:29:21.150
He finds it exhilarating.

00:29:21.150 --> 00:29:25.730
Of course, just as the old man had warned,
death could be waiting for him on this mountain.

00:29:25.730 --> 00:29:30.070
But the truth is, the Explorer has never felt
more alive.

00:29:30.070 --> 00:29:34.919
He winches himself up a few feet more, trying
to regulate his breathing as his icy fingers,

00:29:34.919 --> 00:29:39.039
wrapped in thick gloves, struggle to find
purchase on what feels like a sheer cliff

00:29:39.039 --> 00:29:40.039
face.

00:29:40.039 --> 00:29:43.550
There are many times when he’s supporting
his full body weight with only his hands.

00:29:43.550 --> 00:29:47.669
It often takes the kind of Herculean strength
that only a lifetime of training can give

00:29:47.669 --> 00:29:48.799
you.

00:29:48.799 --> 00:29:53.380
After all, there’s no room for error on
Mount Everest.

00:29:53.380 --> 00:29:57.500
One wrong move and you’re either plummeting
to your death, or becoming a permanent frozen

00:29:57.500 --> 00:29:59.550
fixture of the mountainside.

00:29:59.550 --> 00:30:04.850
And because Everest is so dangerous, nobody
comes to collect the bodies of dead mountaineering

00:30:04.850 --> 00:30:05.970
hopefuls.

00:30:05.970 --> 00:30:10.400
Their corpses, coated in often colorful winter
jackets, litter the mountain.

00:30:10.400 --> 00:30:12.450
Some look at them as a tragic warning.

00:30:12.450 --> 00:30:17.010
Other, more morbid mountaineers use them as
mile markers for their own more successful

00:30:17.010 --> 00:30:18.430
ascents.

00:30:18.430 --> 00:30:23.590
Whether the Explorer would be lucky, or become
just another dead, frozen mile marker, is

00:30:23.590 --> 00:30:26.330
still entirely up to chance.

00:30:26.330 --> 00:30:30.929
He climbs for a few more hours, pushing past
his body’s complaints, his physical limitations,

00:30:30.929 --> 00:30:33.490
until he reaches a well-earned plateau.

00:30:33.490 --> 00:30:38.130
Here, he establishes a small base camp and
eats some of his rations.

00:30:38.130 --> 00:30:42.760
The area is thankfully guarded enough to keep
out the worst of the sub-zero winds, so he

00:30:42.760 --> 00:30:45.700
can at least get some sleep without freezing
to death.

00:30:45.700 --> 00:30:49.640
Mount Everest cannot be conquered today, and
even someone with the Explorer’s bravado

00:30:49.640 --> 00:30:51.890
wouldn’t dare to try.

00:30:51.890 --> 00:30:56.580
But as he settles down to sleep for the night,
he can’t help but look up, and the enormity

00:30:56.580 --> 00:31:00.440
of what stands before him, he finds utterly
terrifying.

00:31:00.440 --> 00:31:06.710
The mountain just keeps going, and going,
and going, stretching up into the misty heavens,

00:31:06.710 --> 00:31:09.600
like the tip would only be a short jump from
the moon.

00:31:09.600 --> 00:31:15.240
For the first time, the Explorer begins to
genuinely wonder: Will I scale this mountain,

00:31:15.240 --> 00:31:16.460
or will I die on it?

00:31:16.460 --> 00:31:22.380
What he never even considers is that there
may be a third option that’s so, so much

00:31:22.380 --> 00:31:23.640
worse.

00:31:23.640 --> 00:31:26.880
Over the next few days, he keeps climbing
further and further.

00:31:26.880 --> 00:31:31.330
Hundreds, then thousands of meters, pass under
him as he breaks past even the boundaries

00:31:31.330 --> 00:31:33.250
biology seemed to set for him.

00:31:33.250 --> 00:31:34.649
He’s impossible to deter.

00:31:34.649 --> 00:31:39.559
An engine of pure, burning willpower, going
because he knows he cannot stop.

00:31:39.559 --> 00:31:44.419
Because he knows that if he throws in the
towel now, it will have all been for nothing.

00:31:44.419 --> 00:31:48.159
He’ll be just another failure, one spec
among billions.

00:31:48.159 --> 00:31:50.590
He’ll have no meaning, no legacy.

00:31:50.590 --> 00:31:54.600
He’ll just be another average Joe, forgotten.

00:31:54.600 --> 00:32:00.480
And that honestly scares him even more than
the prospect of freezing to death up here.

00:32:00.480 --> 00:32:05.299
Eventually, even though it costs him almost
everything to do it, he reaches 8000 meters

00:32:05.299 --> 00:32:09.950
- an area known as the “Death Zone”, where
it’s believed to be impossible for humans

00:32:09.950 --> 00:32:11.720
to acclimate.

00:32:11.720 --> 00:32:16.250
This is the thin, rarefied air that few have
been permitted to breathe, and he’s seen

00:32:16.250 --> 00:32:19.700
so many brightly-colored “mile markers”
on the way to here.

00:32:19.700 --> 00:32:24.049
The ground is slippery and the air chews into
the Explorer’s skin, but he knows he’s

00:32:24.049 --> 00:32:25.480
made it this far.

00:32:25.480 --> 00:32:27.530
Less than a thousand meters from the peak
now.

00:32:27.530 --> 00:32:29.809
He has almost conquered the mountain.

00:32:29.809 --> 00:32:35.289
So you can only imagine how surprised he feels
when he sees another mountaineer walking down

00:32:35.289 --> 00:32:38.850
the side of the mountain towards him with
an eerie kind of casualness.

00:32:38.850 --> 00:32:42.590
He’s wearing standard mountain climbing
gear, including white thermal pants and a

00:32:42.590 --> 00:32:45.460
hooded coat, zipped up to the chin.

00:32:45.460 --> 00:32:49.960
The Explorer can’t make out the stranger’s
face, beyond the pair of thick, black goggles

00:32:49.960 --> 00:32:51.669
he’s wearing over his eyes.

00:32:51.669 --> 00:32:54.519
What the hell is going on here?

00:32:54.519 --> 00:32:58.800
The second the stranger’s eyes fall upon
him, he feels a frightening sensation.

00:32:58.800 --> 00:33:01.340
The bite of the cold is gone.

00:33:01.340 --> 00:33:03.470
The chilling winds can’t reach him.

00:33:03.470 --> 00:33:09.350
Instead, he feels warm, cozy, and content,
like he’s sitting in front of a warm fire

00:33:09.350 --> 00:33:11.790
in a well-insulated log cabin.

00:33:11.790 --> 00:33:16.320
In any other circumstance, these sensations
might be welcomed, but a seasoned mountaineer

00:33:16.320 --> 00:33:19.630
knows that this is actually one of the worst
things you can feel.

00:33:19.630 --> 00:33:24.960
It means that death is creeping in, and your
body is opening the front door and welcoming

00:33:24.960 --> 00:33:26.279
it.

00:33:26.279 --> 00:33:32.389
And if this stranger is causing that feeling,
then one thing is certain: He’s bad news.

00:33:32.389 --> 00:33:35.929
The Explorer wants to turn and run, but he
finds that he can’t.

00:33:35.929 --> 00:33:40.690
It’s almost as though he’s frozen in place,
entranced by the warm, inviting feeling that

00:33:40.690 --> 00:33:44.350
the other mountaineer seems to exude as he
gets closer and closer.

00:33:44.350 --> 00:33:49.139
That’s when the Explorer notices something
strange about him: Something is glowing through

00:33:49.139 --> 00:33:52.980
his goggles, like hot embers, burning a bright,
luminous orange.

00:33:52.980 --> 00:33:54.370
Are those eyes?

00:33:54.370 --> 00:33:56.760
Dear god, are those his eyes?

00:33:56.760 --> 00:34:01.030
The Explorer can feel their terrible stare,
literally feel it.

00:34:01.030 --> 00:34:03.350
It hurts to be looked at by this monster.

00:34:03.350 --> 00:34:05.490
Yes, that’s what it is.

00:34:05.490 --> 00:34:06.490
A monster.

00:34:06.490 --> 00:34:08.310
A monster in the shape of a man.

00:34:08.310 --> 00:34:11.000
“Why are you here, mortal?”

00:34:11.000 --> 00:34:14.389
comes a booming voice from the inhuman mountaineer.

00:34:14.389 --> 00:34:17.250
“Do you wish to challenge me?”

00:34:17.250 --> 00:34:19.750
The Explorer can’t form words.

00:34:19.750 --> 00:34:24.200
He’s quaking, his body acknowledging the
cold that his mind can’t as those two glowing

00:34:24.200 --> 00:34:25.929
eyes bore into him.

00:34:25.929 --> 00:34:28.950
“Speak,” the stranger commanded.

00:34:28.950 --> 00:34:29.950
“Who...

00:34:29.950 --> 00:34:30.950
What...

00:34:30.950 --> 00:34:32.220
Are you?”

00:34:32.220 --> 00:34:34.940
The Explorer forced out between chattering
teeth.

00:34:34.940 --> 00:34:36.360
The stranger laughed.

00:34:36.360 --> 00:34:39.750
“I am the King of the Mountain.”

00:34:39.750 --> 00:34:43.770
Though to the SCP Foundation, he’s better
known as SCP-1529.

00:34:43.770 --> 00:34:49.900
And he’s the worst possible thing you can
run into while trying to scale Mount Everest.

00:34:49.900 --> 00:34:53.060
The Explorer remembers his conversation with
the old man in the tavern.

00:34:53.060 --> 00:34:54.379
The question he asked.

00:34:54.379 --> 00:34:57.300
“What will you say when you’re face to
face with the King?”

00:34:57.300 --> 00:35:00.870
And his own foolish answer, “I’ll ask
him for his crown.”

00:35:00.870 --> 00:35:06.859
Now, really, truly face to face with the King
of the Mountain, all the poor, terrified Explorer

00:35:06.859 --> 00:35:10.490
can do is whimper and beg for mercy.

00:35:10.490 --> 00:35:14.290
“Please...” he says, the tears freezing
on his cheeks as they fall.

00:35:14.290 --> 00:35:16.970
“I just wanted to climb...”

00:35:16.970 --> 00:35:20.869
The King of the Mountain gives another booming
laugh, his eyes burning.

00:35:20.869 --> 00:35:24.820
“Then you will climb,” he says.

00:35:24.820 --> 00:35:29.070
“And climb... and climb... and climb...”

00:35:29.070 --> 00:35:34.330
The King of the Mountain must have wielded
truly unspeakable power to do what he does

00:35:34.330 --> 00:35:35.330
next.

00:35:35.330 --> 00:35:39.480
With a simple nod, the Explorer is suddenly
hanging off of the mountainside, his fingers

00:35:39.480 --> 00:35:44.140
digging into the craggy rocks, the only thing
supporting his weight.

00:35:44.140 --> 00:35:49.250
It was like being back at square one all over
again, except with added pain, terror, and

00:35:49.250 --> 00:35:51.880
cold so deep he can feel his bones rattling.

00:35:51.880 --> 00:35:55.360
And all the while, he feels those eyes upon
him.

00:35:55.360 --> 00:36:00.390
Those burning, fiery eyes, staring with absolute
malice.

00:36:00.390 --> 00:36:01.720
He keeps climbing.

00:36:01.720 --> 00:36:06.460
Every time he reaches a plateau, a place where
he might camp and find even momentary comfort,

00:36:06.460 --> 00:36:11.180
the King of the Mountain is already waiting
there, staring that horrible stare.

00:36:11.180 --> 00:36:15.740
And just like that, the Explorer was climbing
again, wind whipping against him like forty

00:36:15.740 --> 00:36:18.200
lashes from a Cat O’ Nine Tails.

00:36:18.200 --> 00:36:22.741
That, coupled with the endless strain of the
climb on his muscles, is the worst agony he’s

00:36:22.741 --> 00:36:23.741
ever felt.

00:36:23.741 --> 00:36:24.741
And yet...

00:36:24.741 --> 00:36:26.970
He never dies.

00:36:26.970 --> 00:36:33.450
Even though he hasn’t eaten in days, months,
weeks, years, he never, ever dies, he just

00:36:33.450 --> 00:36:37.500
fulfils the same torturous loop, over and
over again.

00:36:37.500 --> 00:36:41.180
It’s like the King of the Mountain is just
keeping him alive for his own amusement.

00:36:41.180 --> 00:36:43.980
A toy that’s impossible to break.

00:36:43.980 --> 00:36:49.900
But while the Explorer never breaks, as time
goes on and the torments never cease, he does

00:36:49.900 --> 00:36:53.560
begin to change, like rock being molded by
the tide.

00:36:53.560 --> 00:36:57.130
First, from the endless stress, his hair falls
out.

00:36:57.130 --> 00:37:00.010
His skin goes pale from the lack of sun.

00:37:00.010 --> 00:37:04.050
His body becomes thin and wiry from starvation
and malnourishment.

00:37:04.050 --> 00:37:08.890
The endless physical strain even warps his
limbs - his arms and legs begin to stretch,

00:37:08.890 --> 00:37:11.940
his body becoming elongated and grotesque.

00:37:11.940 --> 00:37:17.230
All the way through this horrific, dehumanizing
ordeal, the King of the Mountain stares at

00:37:17.230 --> 00:37:18.450
him.

00:37:18.450 --> 00:37:23.900
One day, the Explorer, now changed, reaches
a plateau, and as can be expected, the King

00:37:23.900 --> 00:37:26.810
of the Mountain stares at him with his burning
eyes.

00:37:26.810 --> 00:37:31.380
The Explorer cowers and covers his face with
his hands, sobbing from exhaustion.

00:37:31.380 --> 00:37:35.119
He just wants the King of the Mountain to
look away, to leave him be.

00:37:35.119 --> 00:37:37.140
He babbles incoherently.

00:37:37.140 --> 00:37:39.970
He doesn’t want to be seen anymore.

00:37:39.970 --> 00:37:42.970
His pain simply makes the King of the Mountain
laugh.

00:37:42.970 --> 00:37:49.450
“I gave you your wish,” the Mountain King
says, his voice oozing with contempt.

00:37:49.450 --> 00:37:51.280
“You climbed, didn’t you?

00:37:51.280 --> 00:37:54.800
You thought that your climbing would elevate
you.

00:37:54.800 --> 00:37:56.900
Make you more than human.

00:37:56.900 --> 00:38:00.460
But now... you’re so much less.

00:38:00.460 --> 00:38:02.450
Our business concludes here.

00:38:02.450 --> 00:38:05.720
I am tired of playing with you.”

00:38:05.720 --> 00:38:07.599
And with that, the King is gone.

00:38:07.599 --> 00:38:12.500
The Explorer is alone, stranded among the
snow and the whipping winds of the death zone,

00:38:12.500 --> 00:38:14.220
but very much alive.

00:38:14.220 --> 00:38:16.780
He’s finally able to go.

00:38:16.780 --> 00:38:21.619
At long last, after what felt like an eternity,
he’s escaped.

00:38:21.619 --> 00:38:25.750
When the Explorer arrives in the village again,
he is not the Explorer at all.

00:38:25.750 --> 00:38:29.430
It’s been years since he went missing on
the mountain - The old man who had warned

00:38:29.430 --> 00:38:33.560
him not to go up onto Mount Everest had passed
peacefully in the interim.

00:38:33.560 --> 00:38:38.390
The other members of his small village would
not be afforded the same luxury.

00:38:38.390 --> 00:38:43.320
Instead, the Explorer stumbled back through
the village limits, still covering his face.

00:38:43.320 --> 00:38:48.599
The only sounds he can hear are the wailing
wind, and his own pitiful sobbing.

00:38:48.599 --> 00:38:49.599
Everything hurts.

00:38:49.599 --> 00:38:51.609
He’s so terribly afraid.

00:38:51.609 --> 00:38:53.250
He needs somebody to to help him.

00:38:53.250 --> 00:38:55.200
Why will nobody help him?

00:38:55.200 --> 00:38:58.839
The sun begins to rise and the village shakes
itself awake.

00:38:58.839 --> 00:39:01.470
People leave their homes to go about their
daily tasks.

00:39:01.470 --> 00:39:06.830
None of them are expecting to see a monster
loping through their streets, a pale, gangling

00:39:06.830 --> 00:39:08.069
monstrosity, stretched and hairless.

00:39:08.069 --> 00:39:13.369
It engenders a mix of fear and curiosity,
as it stumbles around, audibly sobbing with

00:39:13.369 --> 00:39:14.890
a loud, warped voice.

00:39:14.890 --> 00:39:17.280
It’s like nothing any of them have ever
seen before.

00:39:17.280 --> 00:39:19.890
Like something out of a myth or a folktale.

00:39:19.890 --> 00:39:24.260
But for the monster that was once the Explorer,
it’s so much worse.

00:39:24.260 --> 00:39:27.810
At first, he thinks the villagers might be
there to help him.

00:39:27.810 --> 00:39:28.869
But then...

00:39:28.869 --> 00:39:30.450
He sees their eyes.

00:39:30.450 --> 00:39:34.849
That same intense, burning, fire-pit orange
as the King of the Mountain.

00:39:34.849 --> 00:39:39.140
That same horrible gaze that the Explorer
thought he’d escaped when he left the mountain,

00:39:39.140 --> 00:39:43.109
the gaze that meant pain, torment, and madness.

00:39:43.109 --> 00:39:46.960
Even when he tries to cover his face, when
he wails at them to go away in words that

00:39:46.960 --> 00:39:51.730
make sense to no one but him, he can still
feel those terrible eyes on him.

00:39:51.730 --> 00:39:53.109
Is he still on the mountain?

00:39:53.109 --> 00:39:54.829
Is he still at the mercy of the Mountain King?

00:39:54.829 --> 00:39:57.770
Are these all just illusions, or projections?

00:39:57.770 --> 00:39:59.200
Another awful trick?

00:39:59.200 --> 00:40:01.780
What did he ever do to deserve this kind of
torment?

00:40:01.780 --> 00:40:06.280
Was the crime of wanting to climb a damn mountain
worth this kind of everlasting suffering?

00:40:06.280 --> 00:40:09.750
Did it earn him the gaze of all these monstrous
eyes?

00:40:09.750 --> 00:40:15.470
The Explorer begins to feel his anguish being
replaced by another feeling: Rapidly-rising

00:40:15.470 --> 00:40:16.470
rage.

00:40:16.470 --> 00:40:22.480
The kind of pure, blistering hatred that inexorably
leads to one result: Violence.

00:40:22.480 --> 00:40:24.720
First, he screams.

00:40:24.720 --> 00:40:26.740
Then, they scream.

00:40:26.740 --> 00:40:29.670
And finally, the killing begins.

00:40:29.670 --> 00:40:33.319
The creature that had once been the Explorer
leaves no stone unturned.

00:40:33.319 --> 00:40:36.880
Even when they try to run away, he still feels
their eyes on him.

00:40:36.880 --> 00:40:38.670
He needs to kill them all.

00:40:38.670 --> 00:40:40.310
To annihilate them quickly.

00:40:40.310 --> 00:40:41.310
Leave no trace.

00:40:41.310 --> 00:40:44.550
It’s the only way he can feel anything close
to at peace again.

00:40:44.550 --> 00:40:47.430
It becomes a kind of terrible chain reaction.

00:40:47.430 --> 00:40:51.660
The sound of the horrors going on in the street
only entices more to come outside and see

00:40:51.660 --> 00:40:55.930
what’s going on, to look at the creature
causing all this carnage, to see its face.

00:40:55.930 --> 00:41:00.109
They have no idea that this very action is
dooming them.

00:41:00.109 --> 00:41:05.490
And within the hour, the village is empty,
save for one creature - The creature that

00:41:05.490 --> 00:41:11.560
had once been the Explorer, now just afraid,
confused, and alone.

00:41:11.560 --> 00:41:16.400
He will always be alone.

00:41:16.400 --> 00:41:22.079
The anomaly that will soon be known as SCP-096
simply bows its head...

00:41:22.079 --> 00:41:23.079
And weeps.

00:41:23.079 --> 00:41:27.510
A young man is in the middle of one of his
regular night jogs through the park.

00:41:27.510 --> 00:41:29.579
He loves running through this park at night.

00:41:29.579 --> 00:41:34.530
It’s dark, the air is cool, and the sounds
of the city that surround the park disappear,

00:41:34.530 --> 00:41:39.290
offering peace, quiet, and a small reprieve
from the busy world.

00:41:39.290 --> 00:41:44.400
He jogs along a path that winds through the
park and starts upon a section that is surrounded

00:41:44.400 --> 00:41:46.849
on both sides by tall trees.

00:41:46.849 --> 00:41:51.849
He follows the path around a sharp bend and
is stopped in his tracks.

00:41:51.849 --> 00:41:55.710
Standing there, in the middle of the track
is a figure.

00:41:55.710 --> 00:41:58.200
It has its back to him and isn’t moving.

00:41:58.200 --> 00:42:04.329
He’s tall, and so uniformly black that he
almost disappears into the night.

00:42:04.329 --> 00:42:08.109
Whoever or whatever this is, he’s scared
of it.

00:42:08.109 --> 00:42:11.500
But the creature doesn’t move and neither
does he.

00:42:11.500 --> 00:42:16.680
He’s frozen, unsure of what to do, when
the creature suddenly turns his head towards

00:42:16.680 --> 00:42:19.559
him, revealing a pair of bright, glowing eyes.

00:42:19.559 --> 00:42:23.270
The runner is so terrified he can’t even
scream.

00:42:23.270 --> 00:42:27.190
He falls and crawls backwards in the dirt,
trying to get away from the creature.

00:42:27.190 --> 00:42:30.720
The creature turns its body towards him and
begins stepping forward.

00:42:30.720 --> 00:42:32.760
The runner scrambles to his feet, and runs.

00:42:32.760 --> 00:42:37.670
He’s sprinting as hard and as fast as he
can, adrenaline pumping, heart pounding, trying

00:42:37.670 --> 00:42:41.780
to put as much distance as he can between
himself and that… that thing.

00:42:41.780 --> 00:42:46.950
His muscles burn, his lungs ache, but he can’t
stop.

00:42:46.950 --> 00:42:48.349
Finally he’s back at his house.

00:42:48.349 --> 00:42:51.890
He bursts through the door, locking and bolting
it behind him.

00:42:51.890 --> 00:42:55.690
His girlfriend is reading on the couch and
doesn’t understand what’s going on.

00:42:55.690 --> 00:43:00.030
After struggling to catch his breath he tries
to explain what he saw on the path, but his

00:43:00.030 --> 00:43:01.359
girlfriend just laughs.

00:43:01.359 --> 00:43:03.430
A giant man with glowing eyes?

00:43:03.430 --> 00:43:05.980
He was just seeing things in the dark.

00:43:05.980 --> 00:43:07.390
It was probably a dog.

00:43:07.390 --> 00:43:09.500
Nothing that would justify the panic he was
now in.

00:43:09.500 --> 00:43:14.240
The next day, he’s left wondering if he
really was mistaken.

00:43:14.240 --> 00:43:17.300
Those piercing, glowing eyes are burned into
his mind though.

00:43:17.300 --> 00:43:20.730
Maybe his girlfriend was right and it really
was just a dog.

00:43:20.730 --> 00:43:22.650
Yes, that must be it.

00:43:22.650 --> 00:43:25.280
His mind was just playing tricks on him in
the dark.

00:43:25.280 --> 00:43:42.430
Even so, he’s going to stick to running
inside, at least for a little while.

00:43:42.430 --> 00:43:45.609
Two weeks have passed since he saw something
in the park.

00:43:45.609 --> 00:43:49.710
No one he brought it up to, not his friends,
not his coworkers, have ever heard of such

00:43:49.710 --> 00:43:53.140
a thing, and no one seemed like they believed
him either.

00:43:53.140 --> 00:43:55.869
At this point he is feeling sure that he really
did imagine it.

00:43:55.869 --> 00:43:59.800
But he can’t get that image of whatever
it was out of his head.

00:43:59.800 --> 00:44:02.300
He can’t keep running on a treadmill forever
though.

00:44:02.300 --> 00:44:03.960
He misses his night runs.

00:44:03.960 --> 00:44:06.530
It’s time to get over his fear.

00:44:06.530 --> 00:44:11.210
He’s running through the park again, enjoying
the silence and the light breeze on his skin.

00:44:11.210 --> 00:44:15.329
He continues down the path, acutely aware
that he’s getting closer and closer to the

00:44:15.329 --> 00:44:17.720
spot where he saw that thing before.

00:44:17.720 --> 00:44:19.100
He can’t stop though.

00:44:19.100 --> 00:44:21.650
He has to prove to everyone that he’s not
afraid.

00:44:21.650 --> 00:44:23.329
He has to prove it to himself.

00:44:23.329 --> 00:44:27.390
He reaches the part of the path that runs
through the tall trees.

00:44:27.390 --> 00:44:32.809
Just like before, the sounds of the city melt
away, the only sound coming from his steady,

00:44:32.809 --> 00:44:34.160
heavy breathing.

00:44:34.160 --> 00:44:38.930
He follows the winding path and feels his
heart starting to race but he has to keep

00:44:38.930 --> 00:44:39.930
going.

00:44:39.930 --> 00:44:44.829
He rounds the same corner and… nothing is
there.

00:44:44.829 --> 00:44:46.220
He slows to a stop.

00:44:46.220 --> 00:44:48.210
Of course nothing is here.

00:44:48.210 --> 00:44:49.710
Nothing ever was.

00:44:49.710 --> 00:44:51.829
He really did imagine it.

00:44:51.829 --> 00:44:54.829
Or did he?

00:44:54.829 --> 00:44:55.829
Buongiorno!

00:44:55.829 --> 00:45:01.560
Today’s file comes from the Italian branch
of the SCP Foundation.

00:45:01.560 --> 00:45:04.710
SCP-015-IT also known as…

00:45:04.710 --> 00:45:06.980
The Boogeyman.

00:45:06.980 --> 00:45:12.230
SCP-015-IT is a humanoid entity that stands
just under two meters tall.

00:45:12.230 --> 00:45:18.860
It’s body is devoid of any hair, and its
dark, black skin absorbs 98% of all light,

00:45:18.860 --> 00:45:21.610
making it virtually invisible in low light.

00:45:21.610 --> 00:45:26.900
Its head lacks a nose or ears, but these missing
features are hardly noticed, because if you

00:45:26.900 --> 00:45:31.720
see 015-IT, its eyes are what demand all of
your attention.

00:45:31.720 --> 00:45:36.790
While the Boogeyman’s skin is completely
black, its eyes contain light-producing organs

00:45:36.790 --> 00:45:41.819
on the irises, causing them to glow in the
dark, like a deep sea predator.

00:45:41.819 --> 00:45:46.609
Its mouth contains eight pointed teeth on
both the upper and lower jaws, and a long,

00:45:46.609 --> 00:45:48.609
28 centimeter forked tongue.

00:45:48.609 --> 00:45:53.230
The two tips of its tongue each have a hollow
needle-like organ that lead straight into

00:45:53.230 --> 00:45:54.680
its esophagus.

00:45:54.680 --> 00:45:59.050
More on what it does with that specialized
biological feature soon.

00:45:59.050 --> 00:46:05.160
Physically, SCP-015-IT is rather slight, but
it is surprisingly strong, and easily able

00:46:05.160 --> 00:46:07.010
to overpower an adult human.

00:46:07.010 --> 00:46:11.940
It’s skinny arms are much longer than an
average human’s, and each of its four fingers

00:46:11.940 --> 00:46:14.250
ends in a razor sharp claw.

00:46:14.250 --> 00:46:18.490
It has also been shown to be quite resistant
to physical injuries, and possesses the ability

00:46:18.490 --> 00:46:23.750
to heal wounds and damage to internal organs
at a hyper accelerated rate.

00:46:23.750 --> 00:46:29.850
SCP-015-IT is primarily active at night, which
is unsurprising given its skin's natural camouflage

00:46:29.850 --> 00:46:30.990
in the dark.

00:46:30.990 --> 00:46:36.210
The Boogeyman hunts mammals, with humans being
its preferred prey, but it does not feed on

00:46:36.210 --> 00:46:37.550
flesh.

00:46:37.550 --> 00:46:43.260
Instead, SCP-015-IT draws its sustenance from
the adrenaline and noradrenaline produced

00:46:43.260 --> 00:46:44.970
by its quarry.

00:46:44.970 --> 00:46:49.020
Adrenaline and noradrenaline are chemicals
the body produces to increase heart rate,

00:46:49.020 --> 00:46:53.230
blood flow, and provide more energy to the
muscles in moments of stress, or in the case

00:46:53.230 --> 00:46:57.440
of SCP-015-IT, extreme fear.

00:46:57.440 --> 00:47:02.290
And it has developed a hunting method to cause
this exact reaction in humans.

00:47:02.290 --> 00:47:07.829
015-IT will usually hide in dark spots, trying
to keep out of sight as much as possible,

00:47:07.829 --> 00:47:09.609
as it stalks its next victim.

00:47:09.609 --> 00:47:14.390
If it has been able to remain unseen, it will
wait for a moment when its prey has become

00:47:14.390 --> 00:47:17.410
distracted so it can silently approach them.

00:47:17.410 --> 00:47:22.181
Once close enough, it will leap towards its
unaware victim, grab them, and quickly bite

00:47:22.181 --> 00:47:26.369
them on the side of the torso near where the
adrenal gland is located.

00:47:26.369 --> 00:47:30.890
It uses its large teeth to anchor its mouth
in place as it uses the needles on its forked

00:47:30.890 --> 00:47:33.300
tongue to probe into their body.

00:47:33.300 --> 00:47:37.010
With one needle, it pierces directly into
the adrenal gland and begins draining the

00:47:37.010 --> 00:47:40.140
blood that is now rich with fear induced adrenaline.

00:47:40.140 --> 00:47:46.319
At the exact same time, the other needle releases
a mild sedative, allowing 015-IT to feed and

00:47:46.319 --> 00:47:50.760
then depart without risk as the victim remains
immobile.

00:47:50.760 --> 00:47:55.650
Another anomalous effect occurs when someone
is unlucky enough to actually see The Boogeyman.

00:47:55.650 --> 00:47:59.829
Roughly two weeks after observing the creature,
the person who saw it will begin experiencing

00:47:59.829 --> 00:48:05.119
various detrimental mental effects including
hallucinations and panic attacks.

00:48:05.119 --> 00:48:10.220
Some will also begin to experience physical
issues, most often damage to the cardiovascular

00:48:10.220 --> 00:48:11.300
system.

00:48:11.300 --> 00:48:16.300
It is unknown why exactly these mental and
physical effects occur, but it is theorized

00:48:16.300 --> 00:48:22.369
that SCP-015-IT may use it as a way to weaken
certain prey that it considers too strong

00:48:22.369 --> 00:48:25.170
or potentially dangerous.

00:48:25.170 --> 00:48:29.950
In 2011, the Boogeyman was actually contained,
but not by the SCP Foundation.

00:48:29.950 --> 00:48:34.080
The Brotherhood of Saint George’s Knights
is a secret order in the Catholic Church that

00:48:34.080 --> 00:48:39.490
was created by the pope in the year 453 to
either contain or eliminate all anomalies,

00:48:39.490 --> 00:48:46.280
and it was this group that first captured
SCP-015-IT, which they designated as Dia-212

00:48:46.280 --> 00:48:50.069
inline with their own classification system.

00:48:50.069 --> 00:48:53.340
While it was in their containment, they made
a number of discoveries about the creature

00:48:53.340 --> 00:48:56.040
that they labeled as a “Shadow Demon.”

00:48:56.040 --> 00:49:00.710
First, they found that while it feeds on the
fear of its victims by ingesting their blood,

00:49:00.710 --> 00:49:03.599
it doesn’t actually require this to survive.

00:49:03.599 --> 00:49:09.460
Dia-212 as they call it is an unstable entity,
and feeding allows it to maintain its physical

00:49:09.460 --> 00:49:11.610
shape in our reality.

00:49:11.610 --> 00:49:16.190
In addition to its impressive physical strength,
the Boogeyman is also quite intelligent as

00:49:16.190 --> 00:49:21.570
seen by its ability to successfully hunt,
attack, and escape from humans.

00:49:21.570 --> 00:49:25.030
Strangely it also appears to be resistant
to weapons which have been blessed, causing

00:49:25.030 --> 00:49:29.710
only a fraction of the physical damage that
they should when compared to a similar non-holy

00:49:29.710 --> 00:49:30.710
version.

00:49:30.710 --> 00:49:35.190
During the course of research into the creature,
Father Ilardi, a member of the Brotherhood

00:49:35.190 --> 00:49:39.720
of Saint George’s Knights, wrote that despite
the creature being “repugnant beyond every

00:49:39.720 --> 00:49:44.349
limit,” he believed that it had a “gentle
soul” and that “its screams are similar

00:49:44.349 --> 00:49:46.410
to a pained cry.”

00:49:46.410 --> 00:49:53.170
He postulated that SCP-015-IT may have even
once been a human before some dark force transformed

00:49:53.170 --> 00:49:55.470
it into the monster that it had become.

00:49:55.470 --> 00:49:59.590
He decided that it was his mission to find
a way to communicate with the creature, and

00:49:59.590 --> 00:50:03.850
one day, bring it back into the light and
love of his god.

00:50:03.850 --> 00:50:07.790
Father Ilardi was making good progress with
the creature, and it seemed like it was even

00:50:07.790 --> 00:50:10.210
growing fond of him and his disciples.

00:50:10.210 --> 00:50:14.170
But his advances were halted when they were
attacked by a group of soldiers from the Fascist

00:50:14.170 --> 00:50:18.510
Council of the Occult, a terrorist group that
seeks to use anomalies as weapons in their

00:50:18.510 --> 00:50:20.829
quest to disrupt the social order.

00:50:20.829 --> 00:50:27.109
In the attack, several of the Brotherhood
were killed and in the commotion, SCP-015-IT

00:50:27.109 --> 00:50:28.319
escaped.

00:50:28.319 --> 00:50:32.299
Following this, reports soon began to come
from the province of Caserta that described

00:50:32.299 --> 00:50:35.470
what sounded like “vampire attacks.”

00:50:35.470 --> 00:50:40.560
A Mobile Task Force was sent to the area and
while 015-IT was initially able to make use

00:50:40.560 --> 00:50:45.069
of its various physical abilities to evade
and escape capture, it was eventually shot

00:50:45.069 --> 00:50:48.060
with a transmitter that allowed it to be tracked.

00:50:48.060 --> 00:50:52.390
The Italian Mobile Task Force was able to
surround the creature, but fearing being contained

00:50:52.390 --> 00:50:57.050
again, it responded with a level of violence
that it had not been thought capable of.

00:50:57.050 --> 00:51:00.700
Several members of the task force were killed
in the line of duty before the Boogeyman could

00:51:00.700 --> 00:51:03.290
finally be subdued.

00:51:03.290 --> 00:51:09.349
Today, SCP-015-IT is contained at Site Vittoria
in the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy.

00:51:09.349 --> 00:51:13.610
Since this anomaly is both sentient and highly
unpredictable in its behavior, it has been

00:51:13.610 --> 00:51:15.369
classified as Euclid.

00:51:15.369 --> 00:51:20.140
It is kept in a standard humanoid entity containment
cell and is monitored by video cameras and

00:51:20.140 --> 00:51:22.250
infrared sensors at all times.

00:51:22.250 --> 00:51:26.510
Due to the light absorbing properties of its
skin, its cell and the adjacent corridors

00:51:26.510 --> 00:51:30.660
are painted white and are to be kept well
lit at all times.

00:51:30.660 --> 00:51:37.089
Twice a day, SCP-015-IT is given a normal,
domestic pig that is allowed to feed on.

00:51:37.089 --> 00:51:42.940
Any personnel assigned to 015-IT duty must
undergo a psychological assessment on a weekly

00:51:42.940 --> 00:51:48.440
basis and, regardless of the results, must
be cycled out after three months of exposure

00:51:48.440 --> 00:51:50.390
to The Boogeyman.

00:51:50.390 --> 00:51:55.530
A storm rages outside of the little old house,
as inside, a little old woman bounces a little

00:51:55.530 --> 00:51:56.829
baby on her little old knee.

00:51:56.829 --> 00:52:02.640
The baby coos and laughs as the old woman
makes funny faces and noises for the child,

00:52:02.640 --> 00:52:05.859
trying to keep it entertained as they wait
for his parents to return from their much

00:52:05.859 --> 00:52:08.349
needed night out by themselves.

00:52:08.349 --> 00:52:12.630
The old woman herself needs a rest now though,
she’s forgotten how exhausting it can be

00:52:12.630 --> 00:52:13.900
to watch a child.

00:52:13.900 --> 00:52:15.170
“Okay, that’s enough.

00:52:15.170 --> 00:52:19.130
It’s time for both of us to take a little
nap before your parents get back.”

00:52:19.130 --> 00:52:22.930
She gets up and takes the baby into a nearby
room that looks as though it was a nursery

00:52:22.930 --> 00:52:26.549
at one time, but it hasn’t been used for
many years.

00:52:26.549 --> 00:52:31.380
As she goes to set the child into the crib,
a strong gust of wind blows through the room.

00:52:31.380 --> 00:52:35.339
She places the baby down and rushes to the
window and closes it shut.

00:52:35.339 --> 00:52:37.980
It must have been left cracked open by mistake.

00:52:37.980 --> 00:52:38.980
Brrr.

00:52:38.980 --> 00:52:42.530
The room is cold from the wind, but she has
just the thing to fix that.

00:52:42.530 --> 00:52:45.819
She moves to a small closet and opens the
creaky door.

00:52:45.819 --> 00:52:50.070
The little old woman strains to reach up to
the top shelf and feels around.

00:52:50.070 --> 00:52:51.829
Ah, there it is!

00:52:51.829 --> 00:52:56.869
She pulls down a baby blanket, a soft baby
blue with colorful animals printed on it.

00:52:56.869 --> 00:53:00.349
It looks as though it’s been up there for
a long time and she gives it a good shake

00:53:00.349 --> 00:53:02.230
before walking back to the crib.

00:53:02.230 --> 00:53:03.800
“Look what we have here!

00:53:03.800 --> 00:53:05.319
It’s your daddy’s own blankie!”

00:53:05.319 --> 00:53:07.089
She gives it another shake.

00:53:07.089 --> 00:53:09.250
“There we go, good as new.”

00:53:09.250 --> 00:53:13.109
She leans into the crib and wraps the small,
helpless child in the blanket before giving

00:53:13.109 --> 00:53:14.950
him a gentle kiss on the forehead.

00:53:14.950 --> 00:53:16.520
“Now you get some sleep.

00:53:16.520 --> 00:53:20.410
Your mommy and daddy will be back before you
know it and we want to show them what a good

00:53:20.410 --> 00:53:22.110
babysitter grammie, don’t we?

00:53:22.110 --> 00:53:24.609
That way I get to see you all the time.”

00:53:24.609 --> 00:53:29.109
The little old woman switches off the light
and exits the room, leaving the door cracked

00:53:29.109 --> 00:53:30.890
just a few inches.

00:53:30.890 --> 00:53:34.190
She heads back to the couch and plops down
on it.

00:53:34.190 --> 00:53:37.070
Almost as soon as she does though, the baby
starts crying.

00:53:37.070 --> 00:53:41.670
With a sigh she gets back up and goes back
to the nursery.

00:53:41.670 --> 00:53:43.020
“What’s the matter, little dear?”

00:53:43.020 --> 00:53:45.070
she
says as she turns the lights on.

00:53:45.070 --> 00:53:46.230
“Oh no!”

00:53:46.230 --> 00:53:48.700
she rushes to the crib, “you’ve
kicked your blanket off!

00:53:48.700 --> 00:53:50.410
You must be freezing.”

00:53:50.410 --> 00:53:53.960
She grabs the blanket from the end of the
crib and tucks it around the baby once again.

00:53:53.960 --> 00:53:56.560
“There you go, that’s better.”

00:53:56.560 --> 00:54:00.770
The old woman leaves the room and quietly
closes the door shut, leaving it open just

00:54:00.770 --> 00:54:01.849
a few inches.

00:54:01.849 --> 00:54:07.260
The moment she turns around to go back to
the couch though, the crying starts again.

00:54:07.260 --> 00:54:11.079
With a sigh she opens the door and goes back
into the room.

00:54:11.079 --> 00:54:14.450
Once again, the blanket is stuffed at the
end of the crib where the baby has kicked

00:54:14.450 --> 00:54:15.450
it off.

00:54:15.450 --> 00:54:16.450
“Fine.

00:54:16.450 --> 00:54:17.450
Don’t want a blanket?

00:54:17.450 --> 00:54:18.450
That’s fine.”

00:54:18.450 --> 00:54:22.480
She picks the baby up out of the crib and
rocks him in her arms until it stops crying.

00:54:22.480 --> 00:54:23.910
She sets him back in the crib.

00:54:23.910 --> 00:54:25.530
“There you go.

00:54:25.530 --> 00:54:26.530
No blankets.

00:54:26.530 --> 00:54:28.119
Just please, get some sleep.

00:54:28.119 --> 00:54:29.750
Grammie’s tired.”

00:54:29.750 --> 00:54:32.820
The old woman takes the blanket out of the
crib and leaves the room.

00:54:32.820 --> 00:54:38.190
She closes the door most of the way and, incredibly,
this time the child remains silent.

00:54:38.190 --> 00:54:41.920
The old woman resumes her place on the couch
and starts to yawn.

00:54:41.920 --> 00:54:46.089
Just as she does, the wind outside picks up
and howls loudly.

00:54:46.089 --> 00:54:47.600
The old woman shivers.

00:54:47.600 --> 00:54:50.000
She looks next to her and spots the baby blanket.

00:54:50.000 --> 00:54:54.500
She picks it up and examines the cute animal
print, remembering when her own son was a

00:54:54.500 --> 00:54:56.040
baby wrapped in it.

00:54:56.040 --> 00:54:59.970
She smiles at the happy thought and throws
the blanket around her shoulders.

00:54:59.970 --> 00:55:03.820
She leans back on the couch and finds that
her eyes are growing very heavy.

00:55:03.820 --> 00:55:05.490
She’ll rest them for just a moment.

00:55:05.490 --> 00:55:07.240
She won’t fall asleep.

00:55:07.240 --> 00:55:08.549
She’ll just… rest.

00:55:08.549 --> 00:55:09.549
“Mom?

00:55:09.549 --> 00:55:10.740
It’s us, we’re back.

00:55:10.740 --> 00:55:15.150
Thanks again for - “ The couple both scream
when they enter the house to find that the

00:55:15.150 --> 00:55:18.290
old woman is lying facedown on the floor in
a pool of blood.

00:55:18.290 --> 00:55:22.290
The source of the blood is obvious, chunks
of flesh from her shoulders and upper back

00:55:22.290 --> 00:55:27.380
have been torn out, leaving jagged holes,
as if she were mauled by an animal.

00:55:27.380 --> 00:55:31.569
As the man runs to the old woman, trying to
do anything he can to help her, the woman

00:55:31.569 --> 00:55:33.230
runs to the nursery to find…

00:55:33.230 --> 00:55:36.359
That the baby is sleeping peacefully in his
crib.

00:55:36.359 --> 00:55:40.309
The woman picks up the child, tears streaming
down her cheeks, and returns to the living

00:55:40.309 --> 00:55:43.700
room to see her husband kneeling beside his
dead mother.

00:55:43.700 --> 00:55:47.829
Both the husband and wife are so shocked by
what they have found that neither notices

00:55:47.829 --> 00:55:53.020
the baby blanket lying on the couch, or that
the cruel, blood covered mouth on it is slowly

00:55:53.020 --> 00:55:56.840
fading from view until it disappears completely.

00:55:56.840 --> 00:56:00.099
There is little in life that is more comforting
than a favorite blanket.

00:56:00.099 --> 00:56:03.440
Perhaps you’ve had the same one since you
were a child, or you have a heavy one that

00:56:03.440 --> 00:56:07.400
you like to wrap yourself in when you’re
feeling down, or maybe it’s just one that’s

00:56:07.400 --> 00:56:10.980
especially fluffy and warm that you’d do
anything to keep.

00:56:10.980 --> 00:56:15.549
Today’s anomaly plays on those very feelings,
using them against its victims to become one

00:56:15.549 --> 00:56:19.720
of the more insidious predatory anomalies
in the SCP Foundation archives.

00:56:19.720 --> 00:56:26.480
This is SCP-799, also known as… the Carnivorous
Blanket.

00:56:26.480 --> 00:56:32.070
SCP-799 is a type of creature that can vary
in shape, size, and appearance, but, as the

00:56:32.070 --> 00:56:35.799
name implies, always takes the form of a blanket
of some kind.

00:56:35.799 --> 00:56:40.160
The exact material the anomaly is made out
of is unknown, but it is a very soft fiber

00:56:40.160 --> 00:56:44.289
that in many ways resembles a high-quality
merino wool blend, though one that retains

00:56:44.289 --> 00:56:47.540
heat even more effectively than its natural
counterpart.

00:56:47.540 --> 00:56:53.099
SCP-799’s weight can vary from between half
a kilogram all the way to six kilograms, and

00:56:53.099 --> 00:56:58.230
while examples have been found in nearly every
color imaginable, it seems predisposed towards

00:56:58.230 --> 00:57:02.450
pastels, and will frequently have patterns
featuring stylized, friendly depictions of

00:57:02.450 --> 00:57:03.710
various animals.

00:57:03.710 --> 00:57:09.579
Both the pastel colors and the childish patterns
are especially common in instances of SCP-799

00:57:09.579 --> 00:57:15.220
that weigh less than two kilograms and would
colloquially be known as “baby blankets.”

00:57:15.220 --> 00:57:20.569
While SCP-799 is undoubtedly a living organism,
there is some debate as to whether it is itself

00:57:20.569 --> 00:57:23.490
an animal, or perhaps a type of fungal colony.

00:57:23.490 --> 00:57:29.020
Instances of 799 are incapable of locomotion,
lying motionless for long periods of time,

00:57:29.020 --> 00:57:31.250
and require little in the way of nutrition.

00:57:31.250 --> 00:57:35.030
What small amount they do need, they appear
to be able to gain almost entirely from the

00:57:35.030 --> 00:57:39.859
organic particles present in normal household
dust, such as animal dander and dead human

00:57:39.859 --> 00:57:40.859
skin cells.

00:57:40.859 --> 00:57:45.220
The blanket feeds via a series of minute,
filter feeding mouth-like structures that

00:57:45.220 --> 00:57:49.319
are spread across the surface of the creature,
which wait for nutrients to fall into them,

00:57:49.319 --> 00:57:52.370
not unlike a sponge on the ocean floor.

00:57:52.370 --> 00:57:57.000
Instances of SCP-799 can survive for quite
a while in this state, and one specimen was

00:57:57.000 --> 00:58:01.741
noted as having lived for multiple years in
a damp attic, subsisting entirely on the small

00:58:01.741 --> 00:58:05.830
organic particles that would drift down from
the rafters above.

00:58:05.830 --> 00:58:10.260
Should an instance of SCP-799 be forced to
go for long periods of time without a source

00:58:10.260 --> 00:58:14.559
of nutrition though, like when, for example,
it is placed inside of a sealed closet or

00:58:14.559 --> 00:58:19.660
drawer, it will begin to undergo certain physical
changes, which result in it metamorphosing

00:58:19.660 --> 00:58:21.599
into its predatory form.

00:58:21.599 --> 00:58:25.490
These changes aren’t noticeable from only
casual observation, and consist of the blanket

00:58:25.490 --> 00:58:29.910
converting its many filter feeding mouths
into a single, large one, that is lined with

00:58:29.910 --> 00:58:32.700
multiple rows of extremely sharp teeth.

00:58:32.700 --> 00:58:37.109
The blanket creature also develops a new form
of tissue inside its cloth-like structure,

00:58:37.109 --> 00:58:41.450
one that is similar to muscle and capable
of contracting and squeezing.

00:58:41.450 --> 00:58:46.980
Once its metamorphosis is complete, the instance
of SCP-799 will lie in wait for an unsuspecting

00:58:46.980 --> 00:58:50.660
creature to cover themselves with it or wrap
it around their body.

00:58:50.660 --> 00:58:54.890
Once they do, the blanket will bide its time
until they enter a state of rest, usually

00:58:54.890 --> 00:58:59.089
waiting for them to fall asleep entirely,
at which point, it’s feeding phase will

00:58:59.089 --> 00:59:00.390
begin.

00:59:00.390 --> 00:59:04.560
Once the creature has detected that its victim
is dormant, it will use its newly formed muscle

00:59:04.560 --> 00:59:09.140
to latch onto them, holding them in place
as it opens its tooth-lined maw.

00:59:09.140 --> 00:59:14.210
It will begin to bite at its confined prey,
tearing off several kilograms of flesh, bone,

00:59:14.210 --> 00:59:19.030
and any other organic material it can, swallowing
it, and converting it into a thin slurry that

00:59:19.030 --> 00:59:21.100
it spreads through its body almost immediately.

00:59:21.100 --> 00:59:26.819
This traumatic, violent process nearly always
leads to the victim dying of blood loss.

00:59:26.819 --> 00:59:31.980
Within ten minutes of the attack, the mouth
on SCP-799 will have been completely reabsorbed,

00:59:31.980 --> 00:59:35.930
leaving no signs that it is anything other
than a normal, everyday blanket, though one

00:59:35.930 --> 00:59:39.740
which now mysteriously weighs several kilograms
more than it did before.

00:59:39.740 --> 00:59:46.109
By forty minutes after the attack, the entire
digestive system within SCP-799 will have

00:59:46.109 --> 00:59:50.180
de-metamorphosed back into its original form,
with the single digestive tract being changed

00:59:50.180 --> 00:59:54.119
once again to the many dispersed filter feeding
mouths.

00:59:54.119 --> 00:59:59.310
While SCP-799 is more than happy to feed on
any warm blooded animal, including humans,

00:59:59.310 --> 01:00:02.680
it shows no interest in coldblooded ones or
inanimate objects.

01:00:02.680 --> 01:00:07.640
It appears then that its senses may be limited
to only touch and heat, using those as signs

01:00:07.640 --> 01:00:09.960
that it is now wrapped around a potential
meal.

01:00:09.960 --> 01:00:16.020
Adding to the strangeness of SCP-799 is that
it reproduces through “budding,” like

01:00:16.020 --> 01:00:17.819
flatworms and corals.

01:00:17.819 --> 01:00:21.830
When it has absorbed enough nutrients and
sufficiently increased its mass, either very

01:00:21.830 --> 01:00:26.240
slowly through filter feeding or rapidly via
its carnivorous phase, it will begin to take

01:00:26.240 --> 01:00:28.109
on a quilt-like appearance.

01:00:28.109 --> 01:00:32.750
Over several weeks, one of the quilt squares
will puff up and slide off the blanket.

01:00:32.750 --> 01:00:37.619
This new, smaller instance will resemble a
doily or throw pillow, until it too begins

01:00:37.619 --> 01:00:39.430
to feed and grow.

01:00:39.430 --> 01:00:43.349
The new instance is a perfect clone of its
parent, identical in every way, and it will

01:00:43.349 --> 01:00:47.910
eventually grow to a similar size and begin
its own reproductive cycle.

01:00:47.910 --> 01:00:53.380
It is unknown exactly how long it takes SCP-799
to reach full maturity, but the current best

01:00:53.380 --> 01:00:57.790
guess is that when kept in its filter feeding
phase, an instance will reproduce every fifty

01:00:57.790 --> 01:01:00.150
to sixty years.

01:01:00.150 --> 01:01:04.740
Instances of SCP-799 are quite prevalent across
the planet, and the SCP Foundation currently

01:01:04.740 --> 01:01:07.099
has hundreds of examples in containment.

01:01:07.099 --> 01:01:11.910
Unfortunately, it is unknown just how many
still exist in the wild, as it is very difficult

01:01:11.910 --> 01:01:16.990
to identify instances with one of the only
reliable means being through genetic testing.

01:01:16.990 --> 01:01:21.589
Should any instances be located though, they
are to be destroyed immediately, as the Foundation

01:01:21.589 --> 01:01:26.280
already has a large enough population in containment
for research purposes, and they pose too much

01:01:26.280 --> 01:01:30.400
of a risk both in terms of harm and exposure
to the general public.

01:01:30.400 --> 01:01:35.660
SCP-799 has been classified as Euclid, and
each instance is kept in its own, separate,

01:01:35.660 --> 01:01:38.460
bio-containment cell at Bio-Site-66.

01:01:38.460 --> 01:01:42.569
Dust is regularly collected from the on site,
D-Class personnel dorms and is sprinkled over

01:01:42.569 --> 01:01:46.580
the blankets regularly to keep them in their
filter feeding state, though only just enough

01:01:46.580 --> 01:01:50.680
to hopefully maintain their size and not allow
them to reproduce.

01:01:50.680 --> 01:01:54.490
Should any small, cloth objects appear in
their containment lockers, it is to be removed

01:01:54.490 --> 01:01:56.960
immediately and contained separately.

01:01:56.960 --> 01:02:02.430
SCP-799 isn’t the only predatory creature
that resembles a cloth good in Foundation

01:02:02.430 --> 01:02:08.339
containment, and research into possible connections
to SCP-1626, the oversized gray hooded sweatshirt

01:02:08.339 --> 01:02:13.190
that sends penetrating fibers into anyone
unlucky enough to put it on, is ongoing.

01:02:13.190 --> 01:02:18.450
A gigantic monster stomps across the land,
with nothing able to stop its rampage except

01:02:18.450 --> 01:02:20.130
for - “Come and eat!”

01:02:20.130 --> 01:02:23.540
cries out a voice
and the monster suddenly stops and falls to

01:02:23.540 --> 01:02:24.980
the side.

01:02:24.980 --> 01:02:28.500
The child picks up his toy and runs back to
where his mother and father have spread out

01:02:28.500 --> 01:02:29.920
a picnic lunch.

01:02:29.920 --> 01:02:34.800
As they eat, the boy asks his father about
the nearby buildings, a series of six identical

01:02:34.800 --> 01:02:39.440
structures, each of which is a small, rectangular
building with a satellite dish on top of it.

01:02:39.440 --> 01:02:42.779
The weathered buildings look like they have
been out here for some time, and the father

01:02:42.779 --> 01:02:46.950
tells the boy that he isn’t sure exactly
what they are or what their purpose is, but

01:02:46.950 --> 01:02:49.030
that they were probably built during the war.

01:02:49.030 --> 01:02:50.130
“What war?”

01:02:50.130 --> 01:02:51.130
the young boy asks.

01:02:51.130 --> 01:02:53.849
“The Pacific war,” his father answers.

01:02:53.849 --> 01:02:55.070
“What was that?”

01:02:55.070 --> 01:02:57.619
“It was a war fought by many countries of
the world.”

01:02:57.619 --> 01:02:58.910
“Why did they fight?”

01:02:58.910 --> 01:02:59.910
the boy asks.

01:02:59.910 --> 01:03:01.380
“Well, there were a lot of reasons.”

01:03:01.380 --> 01:03:03.150
“What were some of the reasons?”

01:03:03.150 --> 01:03:06.830
The father has played this game many times
before and he knows if he doesn’t end this

01:03:06.830 --> 01:03:10.319
line of questioning now, that he’ll never
be able to eat his lunch.

01:03:10.319 --> 01:03:14.309
The mother, sensing the same, tells the boy
that if he wants to he can go and play with

01:03:14.309 --> 01:03:15.520
his toy some more.

01:03:15.520 --> 01:03:19.289
The boy doesn’t need to be given the option
again, He quickly gets up and grabs his toy

01:03:19.289 --> 01:03:21.410
monster before running off to play.

01:03:21.410 --> 01:03:22.779
“Don’t go too far!”

01:03:22.779 --> 01:03:25.330
his mother calls
out as she watches her son head in the direction

01:03:25.330 --> 01:03:27.079
of one of the buildings.

01:03:27.079 --> 01:03:30.890
The boy stops in the shadow of one of the
large satellite dishes and sits down in the

01:03:30.890 --> 01:03:34.720
grass to resume his monster’s path of destruction
across the countryside.

01:03:34.720 --> 01:03:38.660
As the monster moves through the tall grass
though, the shadow he is sitting in suddenly

01:03:38.660 --> 01:03:40.430
starts to shift.

01:03:40.430 --> 01:03:44.760
The boy looks up to see that the satellite
dish on top of the building is moving.

01:03:44.760 --> 01:03:47.359
With a groan, it begins to turn and change
its angle.

01:03:47.359 --> 01:03:51.549
And it isn’t just the one on the building
closest to him that’s moving, he can see

01:03:51.549 --> 01:03:55.020
that each of six satellite dishes are doing
the same thing.

01:03:55.020 --> 01:03:58.569
They’re all turning to point towards the
same spot on the horizon.

01:03:58.569 --> 01:04:02.839
The boy squints in the sunlight and sees what
they’re all now directed towards.

01:04:02.839 --> 01:04:06.180
Off far in the distance… is a real monster.

01:04:06.180 --> 01:04:11.079
It’s a massive looking creature, a huge,
half fish, half lizard covered in scales and

01:04:11.079 --> 01:04:12.660
spiky fins.

01:04:12.660 --> 01:04:17.819
It must be at least 50 meters tall or more,
and it’s coming straight towards him.

01:04:17.819 --> 01:04:21.441
The boy can already hear the sounds of its
giant webbed feet stomping and shaking the

01:04:21.441 --> 01:04:27.539
ground, and as it gets closer its high pitched
shrieks and cries become audible too.

01:04:27.539 --> 01:04:31.830
Adding to the cacophony, an air raid siren
begins to wail, followed by the sounds of

01:04:31.830 --> 01:04:35.913
gunfire, the marching of hundreds of boots,
and the roar of engines.

01:04:35.913 --> 01:04:38.460
The boy looks around but he doesn’t see
any of it.

01:04:38.460 --> 01:04:40.900
It’s just him, the buildings, and the monster.

01:04:40.900 --> 01:04:44.410
The boy can’t run though, he’s frozen
in fear.

01:04:44.410 --> 01:04:48.740
All he can do is watch as it swipes at trees
and power lines, knocking them down with ease,

01:04:48.740 --> 01:04:50.950
all while getting closer and closer.

01:04:50.950 --> 01:04:55.380
The satellite dishes finally finish their
slow alignment and there’s a loud humming

01:04:55.380 --> 01:04:59.600
noise, followed by a loud, cracking sound
as each one emits a bright beam of electricity

01:04:59.600 --> 01:05:00.600
at the monster.

01:05:00.600 --> 01:05:05.000
The creature stops its assault and howls in
pain as the six satellites focus their beams

01:05:05.000 --> 01:05:06.000
on it.

01:05:06.000 --> 01:05:10.680
The beams disappear and the monster appears
stunned, but then it looks up and continues

01:05:10.680 --> 01:05:14.349
to come forward, this time even faster than
before.

01:05:14.349 --> 01:05:17.849
The monster is only hundreds of feet away
now and the boy doesn’t know what to do,

01:05:17.849 --> 01:05:20.099
he’s too scared to even scream for help.

01:05:20.099 --> 01:05:24.210
He closes his eyes and starts to cry when
he’s abruptly lifted into the air.

01:05:24.210 --> 01:05:26.000
The boy opens his eyes to see that…

01:05:26.000 --> 01:05:27.460
It’s his father!

01:05:27.460 --> 01:05:30.440
He picks up the boy and starts to run as fast
as he can.

01:05:30.440 --> 01:05:33.880
The boy can see over his father’s shoulder
that the monster has not changed its course

01:05:33.880 --> 01:05:38.130
to follow them, it seems to still be focused
on the building he was playing next to.

01:05:38.130 --> 01:05:42.690
The monster finally reaches the building and
begins swiping at it, tearing it apart as

01:05:42.690 --> 01:05:47.069
the other satellites slowly realign, all pointing
at the creature once again.

01:05:47.069 --> 01:05:51.049
The sound of the invisible army increases
and the monster reels as if it is struck by

01:05:51.049 --> 01:05:52.550
unseen weapons.

01:05:52.550 --> 01:05:56.740
It suddenly rears back in pain as an artillery
shell appears just feet away from it before

01:05:56.740 --> 01:06:01.299
exploding in the creature’s face, but nothing
seems able to deter it and it keeps clawing

01:06:01.299 --> 01:06:03.029
at the building with the satellite dish.

01:06:03.029 --> 01:06:06.680
The father finally reaches the mother who
grabs the boy and embraces him tightly.

01:06:06.680 --> 01:06:10.730
There is a loud noise and the family turns
to watch as the monster finishes destroying

01:06:10.730 --> 01:06:14.059
the building and turns its attention to one
of the others.

01:06:14.059 --> 01:06:17.240
But then the dishes unleash another blast
of electricity at it with a thunderous crack.

01:06:17.240 --> 01:06:22.339
The creature howls in pain as it stumbles
and falls to its knees.

01:06:22.339 --> 01:06:26.290
It is struggling to get back up when yet another
blast hits it and it falls to the ground.

01:06:26.290 --> 01:06:32.140
It breathes a couple of final, labored breaths
before it closes its eyes, its enormous tongue

01:06:32.140 --> 01:06:33.829
lolling out of its mouth.

01:06:33.829 --> 01:06:35.869
The creature is finally dead.

01:06:35.869 --> 01:06:40.650
A loud, celebratory cheer goes up in the empty
field from what sounds like hundreds of people

01:06:40.650 --> 01:06:45.890
as the creature begins to slowly fade from
view before eventually disappearing completely.

01:06:45.890 --> 01:06:50.430
Meanwhile, all the family can do is stare
in amazement at the bizarre scene they have

01:06:50.430 --> 01:06:51.950
just witnessed.

01:06:51.950 --> 01:06:55.869
The extremely strange events that just befell
this average family may sound like the plot

01:06:55.869 --> 01:07:03.200
of a movie, and in some ways, it was, because
this is SCP-2954, also known as…

01:07:03.200 --> 01:07:05.720
Looping Kaiju Killing.

01:07:05.720 --> 01:07:10.430
SCP-2954 is an anomaly that consists of several
distinct components.

01:07:10.430 --> 01:07:16.750
The first, SCP-2954-1A, are the six large
structures that resemble buildings with satellite

01:07:16.750 --> 01:07:20.480
dishes which are located near a now deserted
rural town in Japan.

01:07:20.480 --> 01:07:25.089
The word “resemble” is very important,
because these are not actual satellite dishes,

01:07:25.089 --> 01:07:29.480
but instead appear to be nothing more than
facsimiles of real ones.

01:07:29.480 --> 01:07:34.579
The interior of the SCP-2954-1A buildings
lack all of the mechanical components one

01:07:34.579 --> 01:07:39.579
would expect to find inside, and instead contain
only a crude rope and pulley system, which

01:07:39.579 --> 01:07:42.579
control the satellite dishes on the building’s
roof.

01:07:42.579 --> 01:07:46.240
Despite their lack of internal machinery,
the satellite dishes are nonetheless somehow

01:07:46.240 --> 01:07:50.859
capable of discharging powerful electric arcs
of energy, which they only do when confronted

01:07:50.859 --> 01:07:54.260
by an SCP-2954-2 instance.

01:07:54.260 --> 01:08:00.560
SCP-2954-2 refers to creatures which have
a mix of reptilian, amphibious, and fish-like

01:08:00.560 --> 01:08:01.560
traits.

01:08:01.560 --> 01:08:05.710
They are always fifty to sixty meters in height,
and most of their body is smooth and blue-gray

01:08:05.710 --> 01:08:09.270
in color, except for their scaled underbellies,
which are red.

01:08:09.270 --> 01:08:15.700
Both their back and forearms have large spiny
fins and SCP-2954-2 instances walk upright

01:08:15.700 --> 01:08:19.000
on two legs, though they are always hunchbacked.

01:08:19.000 --> 01:08:24.179
Their mouths are also always agape, and are
capable of spitting a highly corrosive liquid.

01:08:24.179 --> 01:08:27.890
These creatures appear during a period of
time that have been designated as Tsuburaya

01:08:27.890 --> 01:08:29.370
Events.

01:08:29.370 --> 01:08:35.839
These events, which start every seven days,
consist of a single instance of SCP-2954-2

01:08:35.839 --> 01:08:39.319
manifesting near the SCP-2954-1A buildings
before it begins destroying its surroundings.

01:08:39.319 --> 01:08:45.259
The buildings will then activate, turning
their attention on the creature and firing

01:08:45.259 --> 01:08:48.529
their electric arcs at it in an attempt to
stop its rampage.

01:08:48.529 --> 01:08:53.989
This will cause SCP-2954-2 to focus its attention
on one of the buildings, which it will then

01:08:53.989 --> 01:08:55.470
try to destroy.

01:08:55.470 --> 01:08:59.790
As it does so, the sounds of weapons being
fired, vehicles moving, and orders being shouted

01:08:59.790 --> 01:09:01.930
in Japanese can be heard.

01:09:01.930 --> 01:09:08.960
This phantom army, which has been designated
as SCP-2954-1B, is only heard not seen, and

01:09:08.960 --> 01:09:12.670
there are never any physical signs of their
fight, save for the creature’s own reactions

01:09:12.670 --> 01:09:16.760
to the weapons, and the occasional artillery
shell that will materialize in midair before

01:09:16.760 --> 01:09:17.920
striking it.

01:09:17.920 --> 01:09:24.531
During these Tsuburaya Events, the SCP-2954-2
instance will always destroy at least one

01:09:24.531 --> 01:09:28.700
of the satellite dish buildings, and various
other explosions roughly equivalent to what

01:09:28.700 --> 01:09:32.890
would be expected from small vehicles being
destroyed will also be seen as it fights back

01:09:32.890 --> 01:09:35.810
against the 2954-1B army.

01:09:35.810 --> 01:09:40.980
Eventually, the combined assault of the 1A
and 1B forces will be enough to overwhelm

01:09:40.980 --> 01:09:46.330
the creature, and it will collapse, grow transparent,
and eventually disappear completely.

01:09:46.330 --> 01:09:51.870
A disembodied cheer will be heard, presumably
from the 1B army, and any damage to the environment

01:09:51.870 --> 01:09:55.219
including the 1A buildings will be reversed.

01:09:55.219 --> 01:09:59.280
But what is the cause of this endless cycle
of destruction and restoration?

01:09:59.280 --> 01:10:01.969
Where do the creatures come from and what
do they want?

01:10:01.969 --> 01:10:06.239
And who is the invisible army that always
stands ready to fight back against the rampaging

01:10:06.239 --> 01:10:07.370
monsters?

01:10:07.370 --> 01:10:10.909
The answers to those questions may have been
discovered while exploring the area where

01:10:10.909 --> 01:10:12.960
the Tsuburaya Events take place.

01:10:12.960 --> 01:10:17.510
There, in another small abandoned building,
SCP Foundation agents discovered a trove of

01:10:17.510 --> 01:10:21.710
objects that may shed some light on just what
these creatures are.

01:10:21.710 --> 01:10:26.370
The objects located included various movie
posters, film reels, and documents that appear

01:10:26.370 --> 01:10:30.010
to be related to the production and distribution
of motion pictures.

01:10:30.010 --> 01:10:35.810
The posters seem to depict creatures quite
similar to the SCP-2954-2 instances, and the

01:10:35.810 --> 01:10:40.860
title of the poster when translated from Japanese
reads: Fukaeru's Assault!

01:10:40.860 --> 01:10:44.340
When agents viewed the footage on the film
reels, they found that it depicted a scenario

01:10:44.340 --> 01:10:47.270
quite similar to the Tsuburaya Events.

01:10:47.270 --> 01:10:51.239
Also of interest are a series of notes found
within a filing cabinet inside of the building,

01:10:51.239 --> 01:10:53.550
with several being of particular note.

01:10:53.550 --> 01:10:56.489
The first, when translated from Japanese,
reads:

01:10:56.489 --> 01:10:58.699
Our sponsor gave twenty monsters to shoot.

01:10:58.699 --> 01:11:00.460
We'll pick the best footage.

01:11:00.460 --> 01:11:03.660
The second which is dated to 1974 says:

01:11:03.660 --> 01:11:04.660
Filming completed.

01:11:04.660 --> 01:11:08.550
Don't forget: call our sponsor to say further
shipments are unneeded.

01:11:08.550 --> 01:11:12.420
The third and fourth are both addressed to
what may be the film’s producers, and they

01:11:12.420 --> 01:11:13.420
read:

01:11:13.420 --> 01:11:14.420
Do you need more Fukaeru?

01:11:14.420 --> 01:11:16.140
We can resupply until you're satisfied!

01:11:16.140 --> 01:11:17.140
And:

01:11:17.140 --> 01:11:19.000
You have not replied for a while!

01:11:19.000 --> 01:11:20.969
Regardless, we will send another shipment.

01:11:20.969 --> 01:11:22.230
Happy filming!

01:11:22.230 --> 01:11:26.200
But perhaps strangest of all, is that there
are multiple similar versions of the last

01:11:26.200 --> 01:11:31.250
note, and while the oldest is dated to 1972,
additional instances continue to appear to

01:11:31.250 --> 01:11:36.120
this day, with new letters sporadically manifesting
inside of the filing cabinet.

01:11:36.120 --> 01:11:41.179
The obvious danger that is caused by a rampaging,
50 meter tall monster is clear, and this anomaly

01:11:41.179 --> 01:11:43.659
has been classified Euclid as a result.

01:11:43.659 --> 01:11:49.540
Though since the creature is inevitably always
killed by the SCP-2954-1 forces, containment

01:11:49.540 --> 01:11:53.179
is instead focused on keeping the public away
from the area.

01:11:53.179 --> 01:11:56.239
Guards have been stationed around the area
to prevent civilians from entering during

01:11:56.239 --> 01:12:00.540
Tsuburaya Events, and any members of the public
who do manage to witness an event are to be

01:12:00.540 --> 01:12:03.280
administered Class A amnestics.

01:12:03.280 --> 01:12:05.300
What is the origin of these Looping Kaiju?

01:12:05.300 --> 01:12:09.120
Did someone attempt to harness an anomalous
source in order to produce special effects

01:12:09.120 --> 01:12:10.120
for their film?

01:12:10.120 --> 01:12:14.060
If so, were they killed by their own creation
before being able to turn it off?

01:12:14.060 --> 01:12:16.969
Leading to a never ending cycle of attacks?

01:12:16.969 --> 01:12:21.530
While we may never know the answer for sure,
at least the result is entertaining, provided

01:12:21.530 --> 01:12:28.360
you keep your distance that is.

01:12:28.360 --> 01:12:39.340
The early morning sun rises, casting its radiance
over the field.

01:12:39.340 --> 01:12:41.980
The shepherd stands guard, watching his sheep
graze.

01:12:41.980 --> 01:12:47.449
It’s a beautiful morning, the sheep are
quiet, and his loyal dog is at his side, but

01:12:47.449 --> 01:12:49.969
the shepherd is perturbed.

01:12:49.969 --> 01:12:52.170
He is certain that there are sheep missing.

01:12:52.170 --> 01:12:56.340
He wanders through the field, counting the
sheep off one by one, but no matter how many

01:12:56.340 --> 01:12:59.910
times he counts he simply cannot make the
numbers gel.

01:12:59.910 --> 01:13:01.830
There are definitely five sheep missing.

01:13:01.830 --> 01:13:03.690
How is this even possible?

01:13:03.690 --> 01:13:06.890
His family has been in the sheep herding business
for generations.

01:13:06.890 --> 01:13:10.620
They survive on the money that they make from
shearing, selling, and spinning the wool from

01:13:10.620 --> 01:13:11.640
these sheep.

01:13:11.640 --> 01:13:16.200
They can’t afford to simply lose sheep – that’s
money directly from the family wallet, food

01:13:16.200 --> 01:13:18.260
directly off the family table!

01:13:18.260 --> 01:13:20.810
But even worse, it’s a matter of pride.

01:13:20.810 --> 01:13:23.960
He likes to think of himself as a good shepherd
who cares about his flock.

01:13:23.960 --> 01:13:28.550
Losing a single sheep is a failure of his
responsibility to his charges and he can’t

01:13:28.550 --> 01:13:29.550
stand it.

01:13:29.550 --> 01:13:33.050
He knows that if he returns to the farm without
those five missing sheep, he’s going to

01:13:33.050 --> 01:13:34.170
be in big trouble.

01:13:34.170 --> 01:13:37.510
He’s already thinking about the lecture
he’s going to get from his father.

01:13:37.510 --> 01:13:38.880
And that’s if he’s lucky!

01:13:38.880 --> 01:13:40.400
One missing sheep might be forgiven.

01:13:40.400 --> 01:13:41.540
But five?

01:13:41.540 --> 01:13:45.400
He’ll be lucky if his family doesn’t throw
him out of the house for his failure.

01:13:45.400 --> 01:13:48.199
It’s imperative that he find them and bring
them back.

01:13:48.199 --> 01:13:51.210
He pats the head of his trusty sheep dog.

01:13:51.210 --> 01:13:55.160
Every shepherd, of course, has a sheep dog
to help them keep their flock safe.

01:13:55.160 --> 01:13:59.290
His dog has been with him for many years and
she has never failed in the past.

01:13:59.290 --> 01:14:02.929
She keeps watch over the flock as if they
were her own puppies, so the shepherd thinks

01:14:02.929 --> 01:14:06.840
it very strange that his dog didn’t bark
to sound the alarm when the missing sheep

01:14:06.840 --> 01:14:08.260
started to wander off.

01:14:08.260 --> 01:14:11.560
Could something more sinister be at play here?

01:14:11.560 --> 01:14:12.660
Maybe someone stole his sheep?

01:14:12.660 --> 01:14:16.830
If a thief came during the night to sneak
away with the lost sheep, that might explain

01:14:16.830 --> 01:14:19.409
why they were able to get away without his
dog knowing.

01:14:19.409 --> 01:14:23.929
They might have been clever enough to cause
some kind of distraction to keep her busy?

01:14:23.929 --> 01:14:27.850
The shepherd notices that the fence at the
edge of the field is broken.

01:14:27.850 --> 01:14:30.110
This must be how the missing sheep got away.

01:14:30.110 --> 01:14:31.639
He examines the splintered wood.

01:14:31.639 --> 01:14:35.860
It’s not a natural break, because the wood
is sturdy and far from rotten.

01:14:35.860 --> 01:14:40.620
Someone… or something... must have broken
the fence sometime last night.

01:14:40.620 --> 01:14:44.320
He clutches at his shepherd’s crook, his
brow set in determination.

01:14:44.320 --> 01:14:45.320
This isn’t good.

01:14:45.320 --> 01:14:49.130
It’s looking more and more likely that thieves
are behind this disappearance.

01:14:49.130 --> 01:14:52.340
He needs to track them down, but he will have
to be careful.

01:14:52.340 --> 01:14:55.909
Sheep thieves are usually desperate men and
they might resort to violence to protect their

01:14:55.909 --> 01:14:57.000
ill-gotten gains.

01:14:57.000 --> 01:15:01.960
A glint of sunlight flashes against something
shiny caught on the fence, catching the shepherd’s

01:15:01.960 --> 01:15:02.960
eye.

01:15:02.960 --> 01:15:04.750
He scoops it up and examines it closely.

01:15:04.750 --> 01:15:07.210
It looks like a scrap of fabric.

01:15:07.210 --> 01:15:11.170
Could it be that the thief snagged his clothes
against the fence as he made his escape?

01:15:11.170 --> 01:15:14.880
The fabric is thin and brittle and doesn’t
look like any sort of material that the shepherd

01:15:14.880 --> 01:15:16.469
has ever seen before.

01:15:16.469 --> 01:15:19.179
It more resembles a scrap of snakeskin than
a scrap of shirt.

01:15:19.179 --> 01:15:21.870
But it’s his only lead, so it will have
to do.

01:15:21.870 --> 01:15:25.929
He holds the scrap to his dog’s nose and
allows her to sniff it.

01:15:25.929 --> 01:15:29.140
She snuffles at it and then immediately raises
her ears, alert.

01:15:29.140 --> 01:15:32.219
He commands her to follow the scent and she
obeys.

01:15:32.219 --> 01:15:34.739
She puts her nose to the ground and starts
to track.

01:15:34.739 --> 01:15:35.739
He follows her.

01:15:35.739 --> 01:15:38.699
The dog leads him out of the field and across
the way.

01:15:38.699 --> 01:15:42.400
He is surprised to see that she is leading
him toward a nearby forest.

01:15:42.400 --> 01:15:43.940
He gulps in sudden fear.

01:15:43.940 --> 01:15:48.380
He’s never been into these woods and, in
fact, his family has often warned him to stay

01:15:48.380 --> 01:15:49.800
away.

01:15:49.800 --> 01:15:53.860
Everyone in his village loves to repeat rumors
that this forest is haunted, filled with all

01:15:53.860 --> 01:15:55.989
sorts of scary monsters and demons.

01:15:55.989 --> 01:15:58.969
Why would the sheep thief brave these cursed
woods?

01:15:58.969 --> 01:16:01.550
On the other hand, that would make sense,
though, wouldn’t it?

01:16:01.550 --> 01:16:05.270
A thief would need a lair that was hidden
and difficult to approach, so that they wouldn’t

01:16:05.270 --> 01:16:07.040
have to worry about getting caught.

01:16:07.040 --> 01:16:09.200
These woods would be a perfect hiding place.

01:16:09.200 --> 01:16:11.770
Still, he can’t help but wonder.

01:16:11.770 --> 01:16:15.630
His dog lifts her head and whines at him,
indicating that he should follow.

01:16:15.630 --> 01:16:18.330
He steels his resolve and continues on.

01:16:18.330 --> 01:16:22.990
His fingers clutch tightly to his staff, his
knuckles going white with fear and tension.

01:16:22.990 --> 01:16:27.160
He’s almost convinced that he might see
a monster here in these woods, and he’s

01:16:27.160 --> 01:16:29.160
ready to defend himself from the worst.

01:16:29.160 --> 01:16:32.600
Eventually, his dog leads him into an unexpected
clearing.

01:16:32.600 --> 01:16:34.510
The shepherd blinks in amazement.

01:16:34.510 --> 01:16:39.980
Standing at the center of the glen is what
appears to be the remains of an ancient temple!

01:16:39.980 --> 01:16:43.090
He hasn’t given much thought to the history
of this place, to all the people who lived

01:16:43.090 --> 01:16:46.969
here in ancient times, and to what monuments
they left behind.

01:16:46.969 --> 01:16:51.160
The crumbling ruins are overgrown with vines
and the columns look like they might disintegrate

01:16:51.160 --> 01:16:52.160
at a touch.

01:16:52.160 --> 01:16:56.710
He wonders what ancient civilization might
have built this lost citadel and what strange

01:16:56.710 --> 01:16:58.360
rites they might have performed here.

01:16:58.360 --> 01:17:02.820
But he doesn’t have time to wonder about
that, because his dog is barreling ahead right

01:17:02.820 --> 01:17:06.889
through the ancient temple archway and into
the interior of the building.

01:17:06.889 --> 01:17:10.219
He wants to turn and run, everything that
he’s ever heard about these cursed woods

01:17:10.219 --> 01:17:14.830
makes him think that this is a very bad idea,
but he knows he can’t return home without

01:17:14.830 --> 01:17:16.570
those sheep.

01:17:16.570 --> 01:17:20.570
Just as he’s about to enter the temple himself,
he suddenly hears loud barking followed by

01:17:20.570 --> 01:17:21.900
whining and whimpering.

01:17:21.900 --> 01:17:25.130
He rushes inside and a terrifying sight meets
his eyes.

01:17:25.130 --> 01:17:28.679
Indeed, it seems like his family was right
when they said that these woods are full of

01:17:28.679 --> 01:17:29.679
monsters.

01:17:29.679 --> 01:17:31.900
Because his dog has cornered one right here!

01:17:31.900 --> 01:17:36.409
The creature looks like an overgrown lizard
with scaly skin and a long, whip-like tail.

01:17:36.409 --> 01:17:40.380
Immediately, the shepherd surmises that the
scrap of fabric that he found earlier didn’t

01:17:40.380 --> 01:17:45.070
come from a person’s clothes after all – it’s
obviously a piece of shed skin, no doubt from

01:17:45.070 --> 01:17:46.710
this creature.

01:17:46.710 --> 01:17:50.570
That long tail definitely looks especially
snake-like, so it’s no surprise to think

01:17:50.570 --> 01:17:54.239
that this thing might also shed skin just
like a snake would.

01:17:54.239 --> 01:17:57.880
In the gloom of the temple, he can see his
missing sheep standing in the corner, perfectly

01:17:57.880 --> 01:17:59.610
still and perfectly quiet.

01:17:59.610 --> 01:18:01.800
He’s surprised to see that they’re still
alive…

01:18:01.800 --> 01:18:05.739
what kind of predator kidnaps its prey and
then keeps it alive instead of devouring it

01:18:05.739 --> 01:18:06.739
instantly?

01:18:06.739 --> 01:18:11.570
It’s also very odd that the sheep are being
so still, but it’s probably just that they’re

01:18:11.570 --> 01:18:12.989
petrified with fear.

01:18:12.989 --> 01:18:17.090
The good news, though, is that if his sheep
are alive, that means he can rescue them.

01:18:17.090 --> 01:18:21.070
The creature spreads a large frill around
its neck as it hisses, apparently hoping to

01:18:21.070 --> 01:18:22.400
intimidate the shepherd’s dog.

01:18:22.400 --> 01:18:25.530
The dog is not frightened, though, and only
barks louder.

01:18:25.530 --> 01:18:29.199
She’s bravely guarded the shepherd’s flock
for years and she’s never been one to back

01:18:29.199 --> 01:18:34.130
down from a fight even when she’s threatened
by a bear or a wolf… so of course, she’s

01:18:34.130 --> 01:18:36.429
not going to back down from a lizard.

01:18:36.429 --> 01:18:40.340
The shepherd feels nervous being so close
to this creature simply because it’s so

01:18:40.340 --> 01:18:44.239
strange, but the truth is that it doesn’t
look like it could do that much damage.

01:18:44.239 --> 01:18:49.340
That hissing feels like bluffing, because,
realistically, what’s it going to do?

01:18:49.340 --> 01:18:50.340
Bite?

01:18:50.340 --> 01:18:53.510
The shepherd is no expert but he’s never
heard of a poisonous lizard.

01:18:53.510 --> 01:18:57.409
He steps forward to get a better look and
the creature tenses; it’s obviously nervous.

01:18:57.409 --> 01:18:59.469
It’s not even that big.

01:18:59.469 --> 01:19:02.590
His dog is way bigger than this creature and
shouldn’t have any trouble taking it in

01:19:02.590 --> 01:19:03.590
a fight.

01:19:03.590 --> 01:19:06.179
He’s seen his dog fight off rats bigger
than this lizard.

01:19:06.179 --> 01:19:10.970
The creature spreads its frill again and hisses
even more sharply, but that only makes the

01:19:10.970 --> 01:19:13.260
shepherd even more confident in his assessment.

01:19:13.260 --> 01:19:16.310
It’s trying to look bigger than it really
is, he realizes.

01:19:16.310 --> 01:19:17.750
It’s trying to intimidate him.

01:19:17.750 --> 01:19:19.460
Well, that’s not going to work!

01:19:19.460 --> 01:19:23.659
But then, to his astonishment, his dog stops.

01:19:23.659 --> 01:19:27.210
The dog and the creature stare at one another
so intently that the shepherd thinks they

01:19:27.210 --> 01:19:29.949
are actually gazing into one another’s eyes.

01:19:29.949 --> 01:19:33.390
After holding its gaze for a beat, the dog
suddenly collapses.

01:19:33.390 --> 01:19:35.860
The shepherd yelps in fear and confusion.

01:19:35.860 --> 01:19:40.520
His first instinct is to run to his dog, to
see if she’s hurt, but suddenly the creature

01:19:40.520 --> 01:19:41.969
turns its gaze on him.

01:19:41.969 --> 01:19:43.580
He stands, frozen.

01:19:43.580 --> 01:19:48.321
The creature’s eyes almost seem to cast
a spell on him and he feels mesmerized, unable

01:19:48.321 --> 01:19:50.620
to move or even to think.

01:19:50.620 --> 01:19:55.760
All his thoughts drain away and the whole
world starts to fade; nothing is real except

01:19:55.760 --> 01:19:58.620
those two malevolent red eyes.

01:19:58.620 --> 01:20:00.489
The shepherd is absolutely paralyzed.

01:20:00.489 --> 01:20:04.140
It’s not just terror, he finds that he can’t
move a muscle.

01:20:04.140 --> 01:20:09.470
He can only watch as the strange reptile approaches
his frozen dog and suddenly bites her on her

01:20:09.470 --> 01:20:10.470
exposed flank.

01:20:10.470 --> 01:20:13.409
It lashes out like a snake would when it injects
venom into a victim.

01:20:13.409 --> 01:20:17.701
The shepherd was sure that there weren’t
any poisonous lizards in this area, but now

01:20:17.701 --> 01:20:21.430
he’s not so sure when he’s watching this
scenario play out.

01:20:21.430 --> 01:20:25.310
He expects his dog might start to convulse
or spasm if she’s been poisoned, but she

01:20:25.310 --> 01:20:27.230
remains completely still.

01:20:27.230 --> 01:20:32.340
Suddenly, he sees something so shocking that
he’s certain he must be losing his mind.

01:20:32.340 --> 01:20:33.460
Could it be?

01:20:33.460 --> 01:20:37.690
The area around the bite is starting to change
color, becoming a dull gray.

01:20:37.690 --> 01:20:43.010
But as he watches, he realizes to his horror
that he’s not just watching a color change.

01:20:43.010 --> 01:20:44.710
This is something more.

01:20:44.710 --> 01:20:49.449
His dog is slowly petrifying, hardening, her
fur stiffening into stone.

01:20:49.449 --> 01:20:53.770
She is literally turning into a statue right
before his eyes.

01:20:53.770 --> 01:20:57.280
He can’t move, but his eyes flick to the
corner of the room where his sheep are still

01:20:57.280 --> 01:20:58.280
standing.

01:20:58.280 --> 01:20:59.540
Now he understands.

01:20:59.540 --> 01:21:03.679
It was hard to tell before, because of the
darkness and also because the very idea was

01:21:03.679 --> 01:21:07.320
so preposterous that it didn’t even occur
to him… but the reason that the sheep are

01:21:07.320 --> 01:21:11.000
so still and quiet is because they aren’t
sheep anymore.

01:21:11.000 --> 01:21:12.820
They’re mere statues.

01:21:12.820 --> 01:21:16.800
Somehow this creature is able to turn things
to stone with the force of its venom.

01:21:16.800 --> 01:21:21.840
He wants to scream, he wants to yell, he wants
to break free and run away… but he’s powerless

01:21:21.840 --> 01:21:23.530
to move.

01:21:23.530 --> 01:21:27.580
Fear wells up inside him as he sees the creature
turn its attention from his rapidly petrifying

01:21:27.580 --> 01:21:29.739
dog and start to move toward him.

01:21:29.739 --> 01:21:35.290
It hisses again and strikes out, sinking sharp,
needle-like teeth into his leg.

01:21:35.290 --> 01:21:39.260
The shepherd is so frozen that he can’t
scream, not even at the unbelievable pain

01:21:39.260 --> 01:21:41.929
as those teeth sink deep into his flesh.

01:21:41.929 --> 01:21:45.060
But the pain doesn’t stop when the creature
retracts its teeth.

01:21:45.060 --> 01:21:49.010
He can feel the pain spreading outward from
the site of the bite, spreading down his shins

01:21:49.010 --> 01:21:51.260
and up his legs, through his whole body.

01:21:51.260 --> 01:21:55.730
His body is hardening fast, making it hard
to breathe and impossible to move.

01:21:55.730 --> 01:22:00.780
But even as he turns into a statue, he can
still see everything around him, still sense

01:22:00.780 --> 01:22:02.740
the presence of the creature, still think.

01:22:02.740 --> 01:22:08.060
His thoughts aren’t affected at all, other
than being nearly out of his mind with terror.

01:22:08.060 --> 01:22:09.060
What could be next?

01:22:09.060 --> 01:22:11.380
The shepherd is frightened, but all he can
do is wait.

01:22:11.380 --> 01:22:16.060
He’s not sure how long he waits, because
time has no meaning here.

01:22:16.060 --> 01:22:19.900
In the gloom of this ancient temple, he’s
not sure if it’s day or night.

01:22:19.900 --> 01:22:24.000
He idly wonders if this temple was built for
this monster, by people who worshipped it

01:22:24.000 --> 01:22:29.159
for its great and terrible power, or by people
who feared it and hoped that maybe this temple

01:22:29.159 --> 01:22:31.160
would keep it contained?

01:22:31.160 --> 01:22:35.380
Or is it mere coincidence that it’s taken
up residence here, just as bats might roost

01:22:35.380 --> 01:22:37.110
in an abandoned building?

01:22:37.110 --> 01:22:38.860
He has no way of ever knowing.

01:22:38.860 --> 01:22:43.630
The only indication of the passage of time
is the coming and going of the creature, which,

01:22:43.630 --> 01:22:48.170
even if he can’t turn his head to see its
movement, he can hear it shuffling and hissing.

01:22:48.170 --> 01:22:52.410
Occasionally, he hears a sound that frightens
him even more – a sound that can only be

01:22:52.410 --> 01:22:58.830
described as statuary shattering – and he
wonders if that will ultimately be his fate.

01:22:58.830 --> 01:23:02.690
His question is answered one day when it seems
that hunger has driven the creature to dig

01:23:02.690 --> 01:23:04.880
into its larder of petrified prisoners.

01:23:04.880 --> 01:23:09.360
The creature approaches him and he can feel
it gnawing at his feet with his big ugly beak.

01:23:09.360 --> 01:23:14.300
It’s pecking at him, harder and harder,
until suddenly the shell breaks and its chewing

01:23:14.300 --> 01:23:16.470
on the flesh of his leg.

01:23:16.470 --> 01:23:21.180
Once again, the pain is unbearable but the
shepherd can do nothing but wait.

01:23:21.180 --> 01:23:23.990
At least, he thinks, it will all be over soon.

01:23:23.990 --> 01:23:28.760
Better a quick end at the jaws of a monster
than a slow death trapped frozen in stone,

01:23:28.760 --> 01:23:29.760
he thinks.

01:23:29.760 --> 01:23:32.594
It’s the very best that he can hope for.

01:23:32.594 --> 01:23:36.390
That shepherd had just run afoul of a creature
that appears to come straight out of medieval

01:23:36.390 --> 01:23:41.050
mythology, matching the description of the
deadly monster known as a cockatrice or basilisk,

01:23:41.050 --> 01:23:47.929
but the SCP foundation knows it as SCP-1013,
a nasty little piece of work with, quite literally,

01:23:47.929 --> 01:23:49.870
a paralyzing stare.

01:23:49.870 --> 01:23:55.610
SCP-1013 is a small reptile resembling a lizard,
but with several key differences that set

01:23:55.610 --> 01:23:57.690
it apart from any other animal in this order.

01:23:57.690 --> 01:24:02.820
It was recovered in Egypt, an interesting
coincidence since medieval bestiaries often

01:24:02.820 --> 01:24:06.370
regard that region as the ancestral home of
the basilisk.

01:24:06.370 --> 01:24:10.360
However, Foundation agents believe that since
no other specimens were found in the area

01:24:10.360 --> 01:24:16.020
that SCP-1013 is not a naturally occurring
animal and might have actually been bio-engineered.

01:24:16.020 --> 01:24:24.600
While SCP-1013 itself is only 60 cm long,
its abnormally long tail measures nearly 121

01:24:24.600 --> 01:24:25.600
centimeters long.

01:24:25.600 --> 01:24:27.199
It can use its tail to distract prey.

01:24:27.199 --> 01:24:31.750
It has a wide frill around its neck that it
can extend at will, similar to that of the

01:24:31.750 --> 01:24:33.489
Australian frilled lizard.

01:24:33.489 --> 01:24:37.710
Its head does not look like any other known
lizard, though, with a serrated beak and a

01:24:37.710 --> 01:24:41.670
distinctive head wattle that many researchers
feel gives it the appearance of a rooster.

01:24:41.670 --> 01:24:45.170
Its beak is filled with long, needle-like
teeth.

01:24:45.170 --> 01:24:47.590
But stranger than its appearance is its hunting
methods.

01:24:47.590 --> 01:24:53.840
When it spies potential prey, SCP-1013 will
extend its neck frill with a sudden, snapping

01:24:53.840 --> 01:24:54.840
sound.

01:24:54.840 --> 01:24:58.090
The frill appears designed to attract attention
and encourage victims to look into the eyes

01:24:58.090 --> 01:25:00.149
of SCP-1013.

01:25:00.149 --> 01:25:03.600
Because its eyes are, of course, where it
holds its real power.

01:25:03.600 --> 01:25:07.110
The mythical cockatrice was said to be able
to turn a person to stone with the power of

01:25:07.110 --> 01:25:12.430
its gaze, similar to the petrifying powers
attributed to the gorgon Medusa of Greek mythology,

01:25:12.430 --> 01:25:18.300
and SCP-1013 is very similar to its legendary
namesake in this regard, Anyone or anything

01:25:18.300 --> 01:25:23.980
making direct eye contact with SCP-1013 will
experience stabbing pain in most major muscle

01:25:23.980 --> 01:25:28.369
groups, followed by full paralysis setting
in within three seconds and lasting up until

01:25:28.369 --> 01:25:29.619
eight minutes.

01:25:29.619 --> 01:25:34.560
It is currently unknown how SCP-1013 achieves
this paralyzing effect.

01:25:34.560 --> 01:25:39.590
Once its prey is paralyzed, SCP-1013 will
bite its victim with its needle-like teeth,

01:25:39.590 --> 01:25:42.909
thus initiating a process of calcification.

01:25:42.909 --> 01:25:47.580
The victim will gradually stiffen and harden,
almost as if they are turning into a statute.

01:25:47.580 --> 01:25:51.139
The process will begin at the sight of the
bite and gradually work its way through the

01:25:51.139 --> 01:25:56.100
body so that a full-grown adult will become
completely calcified within 15 minutes.

01:25:56.100 --> 01:25:59.730
As of yet, there is no known way to stop or
reverse the process.

01:25:59.730 --> 01:26:04.190
The calcification process only affects the
outer layers of the victim, extending about

01:26:04.190 --> 01:26:09.199
three centimeters into the body, leaving all
organs and internal tissues intact.

01:26:09.199 --> 01:26:12.300
It also does not affect the eyes or mucus
membranes.

01:26:12.300 --> 01:26:18.460
This means that victims of SCP-1013 are still
alive but cannot move or react.

01:26:18.460 --> 01:26:24.320
Perhaps even more horrifying, SCP-1013 then
eats its victims alive.

01:26:24.320 --> 01:26:29.429
SCP-1013 feeds by breaking the hardened outer
layer with its beak, much like a young chick

01:26:29.429 --> 01:26:34.150
would break its way out of an egg, and then
feeding on the soft tissues preserved within.

01:26:34.150 --> 01:26:37.960
The victim will experience excruciating pain
as the creature eats them alive, but they

01:26:37.960 --> 01:26:42.290
cannot resist, they cannot even scream to
give voice to their pain.

01:26:42.290 --> 01:26:47.480
SCP-1013 has a voracious appetite, and will
consume nearly twice its body weight at each

01:26:47.480 --> 01:26:49.890
feeding.

01:26:49.890 --> 01:26:54.940
Victims usually die of blood loss before SCP-1013
can complete its meal.

01:26:54.940 --> 01:26:59.710
SCP-1013 does engage in caching behavior and
has been known to store petrified victims

01:26:59.710 --> 01:27:00.889
for later consumption.

01:27:00.889 --> 01:27:06.179
It prefers mammals as prey and will attack
livestock and game just as readily as it will

01:27:06.179 --> 01:27:07.690
attack humans.

01:27:07.690 --> 01:27:13.020
In times when mammal food sources are not
available, desperation may drive SCP-1013

01:27:13.020 --> 01:27:18.260
to turn its paralyzing powers on fish, birds,
or even insects but it will only do this if

01:27:18.260 --> 01:27:19.870
it is near to starving.

01:27:19.870 --> 01:27:26.530
SCP-1013 is hermaphroditic and unlike other
reptiles does not reproduce sexually but instead

01:27:26.530 --> 01:27:30.350
undergoes a process similar to budding or
basic cellular division.

01:27:30.350 --> 01:27:36.020
Before reproducing, SCP-1013 will increase
its feeding, gorging on food and growing rapidly

01:27:36.020 --> 01:27:37.020
in size.

01:27:37.020 --> 01:27:41.980
Eventually, it will develop cyst-like structures
in its abnormally long tail, each of which

01:27:41.980 --> 01:27:44.530
contains a juvenile SCP-1013.

01:27:44.530 --> 01:27:49.780
Juvenile SCP-1013 hatch after only 48 hours.

01:27:49.780 --> 01:27:55.179
Parent SCP-1013 will typically release hatchlings
within calcified prey, providing a ready food

01:27:55.179 --> 01:27:58.110
source for the juveniles until they can hunt
on their own.

01:27:58.110 --> 01:28:03.570
Juvenile SCP-1013 will seek out cool, dark
places, like caves or abandoned buildings,

01:28:03.570 --> 01:28:09.020
and begin rapid molting, doubling in size
every six hours until reaching full adult

01:28:09.020 --> 01:28:10.020
size.

01:28:10.020 --> 01:28:14.929
Once they have reached adulthood, SCP-1013
will set out on their own and quickly establish

01:28:14.929 --> 01:28:17.550
their own hunting territories.

01:28:17.550 --> 01:28:22.770
SCP-1013 is extremely aggressive and will
attack and attempt to calcify anyone that

01:28:22.770 --> 01:28:26.630
enters its enclosure, making it extremely
difficult to contain.

01:28:26.630 --> 01:28:31.400
For this reason, combined with its deadly
powers of calcification, SCP-1013 has been

01:28:31.400 --> 01:28:34.010
designated object-level Keter.

01:28:34.010 --> 01:28:38.810
Any staff entering the containment area are
to wear the AR-68 Armored Variant haz-mat

01:28:38.810 --> 01:28:39.810
suit.

01:28:39.810 --> 01:28:44.710
Staff exiting the area with damaged suits
are to be remanded to quarantine for one hour.

01:28:44.710 --> 01:28:49.690
Staff becoming paralyzed during cleaning/feeding/testing
cycles are to be immediately removed and remanded

01:28:49.690 --> 01:28:53.380
to medical custody until five hours after
recovery.

01:28:53.380 --> 01:28:59.290
1013 is to be fed daily with one small mammal,
however, any calcified animal remains are

01:28:59.290 --> 01:29:03.989
to be removed from the 1013 containment chamber
and incinerated for safety reasons.

01:29:03.989 --> 01:29:08.920
1013 is a frightening reminder that, while
many entities have piercing gazes, comparatively

01:29:08.920 --> 01:29:12.830
few can end your life - Few, however, does
not mean zero.

01:29:12.830 --> 01:29:16.450
You can never win a fight in Minnie Mouse
ears.

01:29:16.450 --> 01:29:21.340
The Girlfriend learns that lesson the hard
way in the car driving through Florida.

01:29:21.340 --> 01:29:25.409
No matter how articulate you are, how many
one-liners your brain throws together on the

01:29:25.409 --> 01:29:30.060
spot, or even how right you are, if you are
wearing Minnie Mouse ears, you just won’t

01:29:30.060 --> 01:29:31.190
win the argument.

01:29:31.190 --> 01:29:33.510
‘You said it was all booked!’

01:29:33.510 --> 01:29:37.739
she yells, throwing her arms in the air and
sending drops of iced caramel latte all over

01:29:37.739 --> 01:29:39.610
the inside of the rental car.

01:29:39.610 --> 01:29:43.070
He snatches the drink out of her hand and
plants it firmly in the cupholder.

01:29:43.070 --> 01:29:46.369
He yells back at her that it wasn’t his
fault, how was he supposed to know the payment

01:29:46.369 --> 01:29:47.369
was declined?

01:29:47.369 --> 01:29:49.590
‘You didn’t even check for a confirmation
email?!’

01:29:49.590 --> 01:29:51.750
she scowls and crosses her arms.

01:29:51.750 --> 01:29:54.670
Her boyfriend glances across at her and laughs.

01:29:54.670 --> 01:29:58.930
‘I just can’t take you seriously in those,’
her Boyfriend says, pointing at the Minnie

01:29:58.930 --> 01:30:00.110
Mouse ears.

01:30:00.110 --> 01:30:04.200
She punches the button to wind the window
down, rips the ears off her head, and is about

01:30:04.200 --> 01:30:06.870
to throw the big black ears out the window…

01:30:06.870 --> 01:30:08.739
only she can’t do it.

01:30:08.739 --> 01:30:12.550
Looking at the little bow, she feels her bottom
lip start to tremble.

01:30:12.550 --> 01:30:14.929
She deflates, feeling the fight go out of
her.

01:30:14.929 --> 01:30:16.980
‘I’m sorry,’ she says.

01:30:16.980 --> 01:30:19.730
‘I just really wanted to go to Disney World.’

01:30:19.730 --> 01:30:21.210
‘I know.’

01:30:21.210 --> 01:30:23.550
The pair of them drive in silence for a moment.

01:30:23.550 --> 01:30:25.659
The fight wasn’t really about Disney.

01:30:25.659 --> 01:30:28.030
None of their fights were ever about what
was really wrong.

01:30:28.030 --> 01:30:32.780
They’d always pick stupid, superficial things
and shout about those, but not say what was

01:30:32.780 --> 01:30:35.380
really going wrong deeper down.

01:30:35.380 --> 01:30:40.070
That said, not getting to go to Disney World
isn’t just a superficial thing to her.

01:30:40.070 --> 01:30:43.969
Growing up in Sleepy Eye, Minnesota, she was
very much used to having to explain to people

01:30:43.969 --> 01:30:45.449
where she was from.

01:30:45.449 --> 01:30:47.290
Sleepy Eye, yes, that’s its real name.

01:30:47.290 --> 01:30:48.989
It’s near New Ulm.

01:30:48.989 --> 01:30:50.179
Near Mankato?

01:30:50.179 --> 01:30:52.139
About 2 hours from Minneapolis.

01:30:52.139 --> 01:30:55.850
If you don’t know where Minneapolis is,
she can’t help you.

01:30:55.850 --> 01:30:58.410
Anyway, this trip was her first real adventure.

01:30:58.410 --> 01:31:00.700
She’d never left Minnesota much before.

01:31:00.700 --> 01:31:04.240
The flight down to Florida had been her first
time on an airplane.

01:31:04.240 --> 01:31:06.699
All to come to the Happiest Place on Earth.

01:31:06.699 --> 01:31:11.949
Only, they got to the front gates, and her
boyfriend realized his payment had been declined.

01:31:11.949 --> 01:31:15.240
Do they have the money to buy two new tickets
on the door?

01:31:15.240 --> 01:31:16.380
Of course not.

01:31:16.380 --> 01:31:21.510
They’ve blown it all on airfares, car rental,
airport food, and a pair of Minnie Mouse ears.

01:31:21.510 --> 01:31:26.090
‘I’m sure there are plenty of great things
to do in Florida,’ her Boyfriend says, trying

01:31:26.090 --> 01:31:27.380
to sound optimistic.

01:31:27.380 --> 01:31:29.240
‘For free?’

01:31:29.240 --> 01:31:30.320
He doesn’t reply.

01:31:30.320 --> 01:31:32.080
They just drive on in silence.

01:31:32.080 --> 01:31:36.230
Without a ticket to go to Disney World, they
have no choice but to spend what little cash

01:31:36.230 --> 01:31:38.830
they have left on a motel for the night.

01:31:38.830 --> 01:31:40.990
It takes them about an hour to get there.

01:31:40.990 --> 01:31:44.570
The Girlfriend gets straight out of the car
and into their room, slamming the door behind

01:31:44.570 --> 01:31:45.570
her.

01:31:45.570 --> 01:31:47.880
Her Boyfriend will just have to take a walk
for a bit.

01:31:47.880 --> 01:31:52.429
There are cockroaches in the sink and some
questionable stains on the bed, walls, and

01:31:52.429 --> 01:31:54.179
every flat surface in the room.

01:31:54.179 --> 01:31:58.290
There is apparently a pool out the back, but
she’s heard the stories of alligators roaming

01:31:58.290 --> 01:32:02.929
around this state and is in no mood to roll
that dice in a place like this.

01:32:02.929 --> 01:32:07.230
She opens YouTube on her phone and puts on
a horror video to listen to in the background.

01:32:07.230 --> 01:32:10.239
That calms her down, she loves that kind of
thing.

01:32:10.239 --> 01:32:13.010
After 20 minutes, there’s a soft knock at
the door.

01:32:13.010 --> 01:32:17.360
Looking apologetic as anything, her Boyfriend
nudges his way into the room, holding a brochure

01:32:17.360 --> 01:32:18.530
in his hand.

01:32:18.530 --> 01:32:22.449
She snatches it off him without a word and
reads it with as grumpy of an expression as

01:32:22.449 --> 01:32:23.810
possible.

01:32:23.810 --> 01:32:26.480
Spooky Self-Guided Tours in Florida!

01:32:26.480 --> 01:32:31.760
Visit the infamously haunted Pensacola Lighthouse
today to chill your bones in the Florida heat.

01:32:31.760 --> 01:32:34.170
Explore the scariest spot on the coast for
FREE!

01:32:34.170 --> 01:32:36.989
With a special Disney twist…

01:32:36.989 --> 01:32:38.900
Okay fine.

01:32:38.900 --> 01:32:42.450
Her Boyfriend does know how to cheer her up,
but she can’t let him know that.

01:32:42.450 --> 01:32:45.030
He’s still supposed to be in trouble.

01:32:45.030 --> 01:32:48.860
But the following night, as the pair of them
approach the lighthouse in the pitch darkness,

01:32:48.860 --> 01:32:51.040
she can’t help but crack a smile.

01:32:51.040 --> 01:32:54.620
With the light at the top turned off and the
railings surrounding the building stabbing

01:32:54.620 --> 01:32:58.090
sharply into the air, the place certainly
looks pretty haunted.

01:32:58.090 --> 01:33:02.080
The brochure tells them that the place is
a maritime museum during the day but is currently

01:33:02.080 --> 01:33:03.950
closed to the public for maintenance.

01:33:03.950 --> 01:33:07.489
However, there’s a spare key to be found
right under…

01:33:07.489 --> 01:33:08.790
‘Got it!’

01:33:08.790 --> 01:33:12.320
Her Boyfriend straightens up proudly and turns
to hand her the key that he retrieved from

01:33:12.320 --> 01:33:13.699
under the flower pot.

01:33:13.699 --> 01:33:17.670
She scowls at him, to make sure he still knows
he’s in trouble for not getting them into

01:33:17.670 --> 01:33:21.050
Disney, but she does secretly feel a little
glimmer of affection.

01:33:21.050 --> 01:33:25.010
He’s always been the first behind the couch
during horror movies, so he’s clearly trying

01:33:25.010 --> 01:33:27.270
his best to make it up to her.

01:33:27.270 --> 01:33:30.909
The creaking noise that she was really hoping
for doesn’t come when she opens the door.

01:33:30.909 --> 01:33:32.400
It opens smoothly.

01:33:32.400 --> 01:33:36.909
Her Boyfriend flicks the light switch instinctively
and the inside of the museum immediately lights

01:33:36.909 --> 01:33:41.739
up, showing glass cabinets, old nautical equipment,
and a few flags.

01:33:41.739 --> 01:33:44.040
She groans and switches the lights back off.

01:33:44.040 --> 01:33:48.020
It’s not exactly a haunted tour if you just
turn all the lights on.

01:33:48.020 --> 01:33:49.860
But the magic of the room is gone now.

01:33:49.860 --> 01:33:52.750
They’ve now seen everything, nothing lurking
in the dark.

01:33:52.750 --> 01:33:53.750
No shadows.

01:33:53.750 --> 01:33:55.570
Just a boring old museum.

01:33:55.570 --> 01:33:57.130
They trudge into the next room.

01:33:57.130 --> 01:34:00.940
There’s so much street light spilling through
the window that they can see practically everything

01:34:00.940 --> 01:34:01.940
in here as well.

01:34:01.940 --> 01:34:04.800
It’s a recreation of the old lighthouse
keeper's bedroom.

01:34:04.800 --> 01:34:09.889
A couple of old-looking beds, antique wardrobes,
and clothes from the olden days.

01:34:09.889 --> 01:34:11.680
So much for a haunted lighthouse.

01:34:11.680 --> 01:34:15.960
‘This is so lame,’ the Girlfriend groans
and switches the light on.

01:34:15.960 --> 01:34:18.500
Even her Boyfriend isn’t looking scared
by any of this.

01:34:18.500 --> 01:34:20.700
‘There’s literally nothing to be scared
of in here.

01:34:20.700 --> 01:34:22.530
Can we just go home?’

01:34:22.530 --> 01:34:24.489
Her Boyfriend looks apologetic again.

01:34:24.489 --> 01:34:28.460
He’s really tried to salvage this vacation,
but it just hasn’t happened.

01:34:28.460 --> 01:34:29.850
She can’t be too mad at him.

01:34:29.850 --> 01:34:32.090
‘You know what, no,’ she says.

01:34:32.090 --> 01:34:34.580
‘Let’s at least finish looking around
this museum, then we can go.

01:34:34.580 --> 01:34:39.250
We can just switch on the lights, read the
exhibits and see the view from on top of the

01:34:39.250 --> 01:34:40.250
lighthouse.’

01:34:40.250 --> 01:34:41.250
So they do that.

01:34:41.250 --> 01:34:44.551
The pair of them go back into the first room
and start reading through the signs under

01:34:44.551 --> 01:34:45.551
each of the displays.

01:34:45.551 --> 01:34:50.230
There is a diagram explaining all of the different
knots that sailors used to tie.

01:34:50.230 --> 01:34:54.710
A long paragraph all about how the lighthouse
used to burn oil but now runs on electricity

01:34:54.710 --> 01:34:56.960
generated by…

01:34:56.960 --> 01:34:57.960
The Girlfriend yawns.

01:34:57.960 --> 01:35:01.610
Without the adrenaline of any ghosts, museums
are much harder work in the middle of the

01:35:01.610 --> 01:35:02.610
night.

01:35:02.610 --> 01:35:05.340
It isn’t even Disney-themed like the brochure
promised.

01:35:05.340 --> 01:35:08.650
The only Disney thing in here is that Mickey
Mouse mascot in the corner.

01:35:08.650 --> 01:35:12.730
It doesn’t even fit with the rest of the
museum, just a random costume on a mannequin.

01:35:12.730 --> 01:35:15.239
It must be almost 7 feet tall.

01:35:15.239 --> 01:35:17.409
Her Boyfriend is staring at it real close.

01:35:17.409 --> 01:35:21.429
He leans in, examining the material up close
under the bright museum lights.

01:35:21.429 --> 01:35:23.210
‘This thing’s weird,’ he says.

01:35:23.210 --> 01:35:25.080
‘I wonder how old it is.

01:35:25.080 --> 01:35:28.869
Look, the white’s all faded, and it’s
got this fur effect…’

01:35:28.869 --> 01:35:29.949
CRUNCH!

01:35:29.949 --> 01:35:33.969
Mickey Mouse chomps onto her Boyfriend’s
arm with a ferocious set of teeth.

01:35:33.969 --> 01:35:39.000
Neither of them reacts at all, frozen by total
disbelief as Mickey stands there, his huge,

01:35:39.000 --> 01:35:41.370
rat-like fangs embedded in the Boyfriend’s
arm.

01:35:41.370 --> 01:35:44.929
He yanks it from the cartoon character’s
jaws, blood leaking from the wounds.

01:35:44.929 --> 01:35:46.469
How can this be happening!?

01:35:46.469 --> 01:35:48.640
Mickey’s eyes flick between the two of them.

01:35:48.640 --> 01:35:51.989
He raises a gloved hand and waves.

01:35:51.989 --> 01:35:56.030
The Boyfriend shrieks, turns on his heels
and runs, clattering into one of the exhibits

01:35:56.030 --> 01:35:57.030
as he goes.

01:35:57.030 --> 01:36:00.239
He crashes into her and the wound on his arm
hits her in the chest.

01:36:00.239 --> 01:36:04.600
She looks down, confused at the bloodstain
on her shirt, then back at Mickey Mouse.

01:36:04.600 --> 01:36:07.570
He gives a little shooing motion with his
hands.

01:36:07.570 --> 01:36:08.610
Run.

01:36:08.610 --> 01:36:10.219
Now it’s her turn to scream.

01:36:10.219 --> 01:36:12.739
She grabs her Boyfriend and bundles him out
of the room.

01:36:12.739 --> 01:36:14.360
Mickey was standing right by the entrance.

01:36:14.360 --> 01:36:17.550
They’re gonna have to hope there’s another
way out somewhere deeper in the museum.

01:36:17.550 --> 01:36:22.130
They run through room after room, every few
steps turning to see Mickey following them.

01:36:22.130 --> 01:36:27.510
He isn’t running at all, he’s sauntering
along, arms swinging cartoonishly around.

01:36:27.510 --> 01:36:31.909
Just like in Steamboat Willie, he’s whistling
a tune to himself as he goes.

01:36:31.909 --> 01:36:33.150
That must be the door out of here!

01:36:33.150 --> 01:36:36.790
The pair of them crash into it and go tumbling
into the next room.

01:36:36.790 --> 01:36:38.220
There is blood everywhere.

01:36:38.220 --> 01:36:40.810
Her Boyfriend is looking more and more pale
by the second.

01:36:40.810 --> 01:36:44.350
They’re not outside though, they’re in
a small circular room with a spiral staircase

01:36:44.350 --> 01:36:46.800
running up, up, up into darkness.

01:36:46.800 --> 01:36:48.449
Mickey’s whistling is getting louder.

01:36:48.449 --> 01:36:50.210
They don’t have a choice here.

01:36:50.210 --> 01:36:53.590
The Girlfriend jumps up and hauls her tiring
Boyfriend to his feet.

01:36:53.590 --> 01:36:57.610
Putting his unwounded arm over her shoulder,
she half carries him up the stairs, feeling

01:36:57.610 --> 01:37:00.080
the metal spiral shudder under them with every
step.

01:37:00.080 --> 01:37:03.060
Halfway up, she looks back over her shoulder.

01:37:03.060 --> 01:37:06.020
Mickey is standing in the doorway.

01:37:06.020 --> 01:37:07.470
He waves enthusiastically.

01:37:07.470 --> 01:37:10.650
Her legs are burning by the time she reaches
the top of the lighthouse.

01:37:10.650 --> 01:37:14.680
Barging open the door, she throws her Boyfriend
rather unceremoniously up onto the balcony

01:37:14.680 --> 01:37:16.250
around the big light.

01:37:16.250 --> 01:37:20.480
Panting, she turns back around to look back
down into the darkness below them.

01:37:20.480 --> 01:37:22.980
Mickey is standing by a big switch on the
wall.

01:37:22.980 --> 01:37:25.510
‘Huh HUH!’ he laughs and flips the switch.

01:37:25.510 --> 01:37:28.960
A big clunking sound comes from the light
next to her.

01:37:28.960 --> 01:37:31.120
Very slowly at first, it starts to spin.

01:37:31.120 --> 01:37:35.500
The light flickers on dimly, dimly at first,
then gets brighter.

01:37:35.500 --> 01:37:40.880
Faster and faster it spins, brighter and brighter
the beam until it’s blinding.

01:37:40.880 --> 01:37:43.820
She raises an arm to shield herself from the
piercing light.

01:37:43.820 --> 01:37:47.460
Against the dark of the night, her eyes can’t
adjust between light and dark fast enough.

01:37:47.460 --> 01:37:49.860
She’s going blind up here.

01:37:49.860 --> 01:37:52.619
From below, she hears a heavy footstep on
metal.

01:37:52.619 --> 01:37:53.829
Then another.

01:37:53.829 --> 01:37:58.110
The whistling starts again as Mickey cheerfully
makes his way up to them.

01:37:58.110 --> 01:37:59.420
She glances down at him.

01:37:59.420 --> 01:38:02.010
He waves happily up at her again.

01:38:02.010 --> 01:38:03.630
She almost waves back instinctively.

01:38:03.630 --> 01:38:05.280
No, now’s not the time.

01:38:05.280 --> 01:38:06.730
She needs to come up with a plan.

01:38:06.730 --> 01:38:08.790
But her brain just can’t do it.

01:38:08.790 --> 01:38:12.280
For all the horror movies she’s watched,
all the times where she’s screaming at the

01:38:12.280 --> 01:38:17.430
TV telling the protagonist what to do, now
that she’s in one for herself, she’s got

01:38:17.430 --> 01:38:18.430
nothing.

01:38:18.430 --> 01:38:20.030
Oh wait, maybe she does have something.

01:38:20.030 --> 01:38:24.080
A pair of gloved hands appear on the door
frame, gripping the wood tightly.

01:38:24.080 --> 01:38:28.210
A smiling Mickey Mouse pops his head around
the door, blood all over his chin.

01:38:28.210 --> 01:38:33.119
He just stays there for a moment, eyes flitting
between her and her Boyfriend, bleeding out

01:38:33.119 --> 01:38:34.119
on the floor.

01:38:34.119 --> 01:38:35.119
‘Huh HUH!’

01:38:35.119 --> 01:38:38.739
He sticks a comically large shoe out from
the doorway and steps out onto the gallery

01:38:38.739 --> 01:38:40.110
to join them.

01:38:40.110 --> 01:38:44.400
The light swings around and shines in his
face, as soon as it hits him, he bears his

01:38:44.400 --> 01:38:48.390
teeth, thousands of them jammed, and shrieks
in their faces.

01:38:48.390 --> 01:38:49.730
That’s it.

01:38:49.730 --> 01:38:52.050
The Girlfriend runs at him, fast as she can.

01:38:52.050 --> 01:38:57.260
At the last moment, she jumps, bends her legs,
and, with all the force she can muster, two-foot

01:38:57.260 --> 01:38:58.690
kicks him in the chest.

01:38:58.690 --> 01:39:03.340
The giant mascot is really solid, he’s so
heavy that all of her efforts only just about

01:39:03.340 --> 01:39:04.510
knocks him off balance.

01:39:04.510 --> 01:39:06.370
But it’s enough.

01:39:06.370 --> 01:39:10.159
Tripping over his own giant shoes, Mickey
falls backwards.

01:39:10.159 --> 01:39:14.360
His back hits the railing, and for a second,
it looks like he’s going to be okay, but

01:39:14.360 --> 01:39:16.389
his momentum is just too much.

01:39:16.389 --> 01:39:21.159
His feet fly up into the air as he tips back
over it, tumbling down into the darkness and

01:39:21.159 --> 01:39:23.310
laughing all the way down.

01:39:23.310 --> 01:39:24.310
CRUNCH!

01:39:24.310 --> 01:39:29.130
Mickey lands, impaled on the spiked railings
outside the lighthouse.

01:39:29.130 --> 01:39:31.489
One of the rails stabs straight through his
head.

01:39:31.489 --> 01:39:33.320
His smile freezes in place.

01:39:33.320 --> 01:39:35.560
His laughter stops.

01:39:35.560 --> 01:39:37.219
Her Boyfriend is not looking okay.

01:39:37.219 --> 01:39:40.940
He’s barely conscious now, lying in a sickeningly
large pool of blood.

01:39:40.940 --> 01:39:43.469
They need to get him to a hospital fast.

01:39:43.469 --> 01:39:46.929
Still not recovered from carrying him up the
lighthouse stairs, she now has to haul him

01:39:46.929 --> 01:39:48.260
back down them.

01:39:48.260 --> 01:39:52.619
The pair leave a red trail all the way through
the museum, but that’s the last of her concerns

01:39:52.619 --> 01:39:54.090
at this point.

01:39:54.090 --> 01:39:58.050
Not looking across at Mickey lying dead on
the railing, the Girlfriend dumps her Boyfriend

01:39:58.050 --> 01:40:02.280
into the passenger seat of the rental car
and goes round to the driver’s side.

01:40:02.280 --> 01:40:04.760
She doesn’t have a license but she did a
few lessons this year.

01:40:04.760 --> 01:40:06.739
Should be fine, the roads will be empty.

01:40:06.739 --> 01:40:10.900
All she needs to do is get them to a hospital.

01:40:10.900 --> 01:40:13.159
Her Boyfriend is groaning in the passenger
seat.

01:40:13.159 --> 01:40:15.440
She starts fishing through his pockets for
the keys.

01:40:15.440 --> 01:40:16.980
She glances up at the mirror.

01:40:16.980 --> 01:40:19.440
Mickey is still lying on the fence motionless.

01:40:19.440 --> 01:40:22.580
The door to the museum is closed, just like
how they’d left it.

01:40:22.580 --> 01:40:25.619
Or wait, did they leave it open?

01:40:25.619 --> 01:40:28.889
She tries the other pocket, her Boyfriend
is trying to say something.

01:40:28.889 --> 01:40:31.730
She shushes him, he can tell her later, but
he keeps trying.

01:40:31.730 --> 01:40:35.159
Raising his uninjured arm, he points at something
on the dashboard.

01:40:35.159 --> 01:40:36.429
Her Mouse ears.

01:40:36.429 --> 01:40:37.500
What’s the big deal?

01:40:37.500 --> 01:40:39.440
They’ve already dealt with Mickey Mouse.

01:40:39.440 --> 01:40:41.100
No, wait.

01:40:41.100 --> 01:40:42.760
Not Mickey.

01:40:42.760 --> 01:40:43.760
Minnie.

01:40:43.760 --> 01:40:44.760
BANG!

01:40:44.760 --> 01:40:48.050
Two large dents appear on the car’s roof
right above their heads.

01:40:48.050 --> 01:40:51.530
The Girlfriend desperately turns back to her
Boyfriend, searching pocket after pocket for

01:40:51.530 --> 01:40:52.530
these keys.

01:40:52.530 --> 01:40:55.969
Why does he have so many damn pockets on these
shorts?!

01:40:55.969 --> 01:40:58.239
She glances out the window and stops dead
still.

01:40:58.239 --> 01:41:02.490
Peering through the glass at her, head upside
down as she leans over from the roof, Minnie

01:41:02.490 --> 01:41:04.739
Mouse waves at her.

01:41:04.739 --> 01:41:08.880
The gloved hand stops moving and points at
the third pocket down on the left.

01:41:08.880 --> 01:41:11.659
The Girlfriend reaches into it and finds the
keys.

01:41:11.659 --> 01:41:16.320
Minnie gives a big double thumbs up, tilts
her head back, and slams it into the glass.

01:41:16.320 --> 01:41:17.320
BANG!

01:41:17.320 --> 01:41:18.320
BANG!

01:41:18.320 --> 01:41:21.260
Again and again, she pounds her forehead on
the windshield.

01:41:21.260 --> 01:41:24.570
The glass sags and fractures into smaller
and smaller pieces.

01:41:24.570 --> 01:41:27.900
The Girlfriend doesn’t have time to sit
and wait, though, she stabs the keys into

01:41:27.900 --> 01:41:30.159
the car and starts the engine.

01:41:30.159 --> 01:41:33.780
Slamming the accelerator to the floor, the
car shoots off into the night.

01:41:33.780 --> 01:41:37.560
Minnie gives her another double thumbs up,
winds a hand back, and punches it through

01:41:37.560 --> 01:41:39.080
the window.

01:41:39.080 --> 01:41:40.280
The Girlfriend screams.

01:41:40.280 --> 01:41:45.760
The hand grabs the top of her Boyfriend’s
head and starts to slowly twist it around.

01:41:45.760 --> 01:41:49.340
No matter how much she swerves the car, the
Girlfriend can’t knock the mouse off the

01:41:49.340 --> 01:41:50.340
roof.

01:41:50.340 --> 01:41:52.210
Round and round her Boyfriend’s head goes.

01:41:52.210 --> 01:41:53.210
Crunch!

01:41:53.210 --> 01:41:56.520
His vertebrae detached and grate against each
other.

01:41:56.520 --> 01:42:00.380
His head is looking all the way backwards
at his seat, but Minnie keeps turning it.

01:42:00.380 --> 01:42:05.590
Round and round until he’s looking straight
forwards again, neck crumpled and splitting,

01:42:05.590 --> 01:42:07.570
eyes lifeless.

01:42:07.570 --> 01:42:09.830
Minnie puts a hand to her mouth and giggles.

01:42:09.830 --> 01:42:10.830
Oops!

01:42:10.830 --> 01:42:15.420
The road disappears from under the car, and
it freefalls for a second, the nose tipping

01:42:15.420 --> 01:42:16.550
forward.

01:42:16.550 --> 01:42:17.679
Crash!

01:42:17.679 --> 01:42:21.310
The nose lands first, tipping the car forwards
and throwing the Girlfriend through what remains

01:42:21.310 --> 01:42:22.310
of the windscreen.

01:42:22.310 --> 01:42:26.150
She tumbles across the sand, feeling her arm
snapping underneath her as she goes.

01:42:26.150 --> 01:42:30.389
In a blur, she tries to get to her feet but
collapses.

01:42:30.389 --> 01:42:34.469
Rolling onto her back, she stares up at the
stars as the sea laps against her cheek.

01:42:34.469 --> 01:42:40.400
A pair of giant round ears with a little pink
bow block her view.

01:42:40.400 --> 01:42:43.570
Minnie peers down at her, spotting the girl’s
broken arm.

01:42:43.570 --> 01:42:48.800
With two giant gloved hands, she reaches down
and takes the arm in her grip, breaking it

01:42:48.800 --> 01:42:53.770
back the other way and shoving it together
until it resembles how it used to look.

01:42:53.770 --> 01:42:56.230
Minnie gives her the double thumbs up.

01:42:56.230 --> 01:42:59.180
The Girlfriend doesn’t even try to move.

01:42:59.180 --> 01:43:00.180
This is it.

01:43:00.180 --> 01:43:01.900
She’s accepted her fate.

01:43:01.900 --> 01:43:03.989
But Minnie looks sad.

01:43:03.989 --> 01:43:07.530
Putting her hands under the Girlfriend’s
armpits, she lifts her up and puts her back

01:43:07.530 --> 01:43:08.840
on her feet.

01:43:08.840 --> 01:43:11.699
She makes that same shooing motion Mickey
did before.

01:43:11.699 --> 01:43:16.480
The Girlfriend stumbles back a couple of paces
but falls over again.

01:43:16.480 --> 01:43:20.820
Exasperated, Minnie throws her hands in the
air, picks the Girlfriend up again, and puts

01:43:20.820 --> 01:43:22.770
her back on her feet.

01:43:22.770 --> 01:43:24.230
Minnie points at her.

01:43:24.230 --> 01:43:25.230
You.

01:43:25.230 --> 01:43:29.290
She then makes a little running motion with
her fingers and points off up the beach.

01:43:29.290 --> 01:43:30.290
You run.

01:43:30.290 --> 01:43:36.620
‘Just kill me,’ the Girlfriend says, exhaustion
wracking her every word.

01:43:36.620 --> 01:43:40.199
Minnie puts her head in her hands, even more
exasperated than before.

01:43:40.199 --> 01:43:44.210
The Mouse puts her hands together and makes
a begging motion.

01:43:44.210 --> 01:43:45.210
Please?

01:43:45.210 --> 01:43:47.280
The Girlfriend just stands there.

01:43:47.280 --> 01:43:52.630
Minnie throws her arms in the air, looks down
at the girl, and shrieks bearing all her teeth.

01:43:52.630 --> 01:43:54.050
She stays put.

01:43:54.050 --> 01:43:58.190
Minnie pushes her over, jumps down into a
straddling position, and punches the Girlfriend

01:43:58.190 --> 01:44:00.469
in the head with her gloved hand.

01:44:00.469 --> 01:44:03.139
Pain fills the girl’s head, shooting the
fear back into her.

01:44:03.139 --> 01:44:08.159
With nothing left, the girl pushes herself
free and stumbles away from Minnie.

01:44:08.159 --> 01:44:11.830
She hobbles up the beach, blood flowing freely
down either side of her head.

01:44:11.830 --> 01:44:16.610
She’s going as fast as she can, but it’s
barely faster than a walk.

01:44:16.610 --> 01:44:20.449
Behind her, Minnie is covering her eyes and
counting on an outstretched hand.

01:44:20.449 --> 01:44:21.840
Playing hide and seek.

01:44:21.840 --> 01:44:24.260
There’s nowhere for her to go though, nowhere
to hide.

01:44:24.260 --> 01:44:28.699
They’re just on an open beach stretching
out in front of her and behind her.

01:44:28.699 --> 01:44:30.900
Nowhere to go except…

01:44:30.900 --> 01:44:35.850
She splashes out into the sea, up to her knees,
her waist, her chest, now she’s just fully

01:44:35.850 --> 01:44:36.850
swimming.

01:44:36.850 --> 01:44:38.780
Her broken arm screams at her from the motion.

01:44:38.780 --> 01:44:41.369
She barely has the strength to kick.

01:44:41.369 --> 01:44:44.929
Salt water splashes up into her ear holes
and feels like it’s washing straight into

01:44:44.929 --> 01:44:45.929
her brain.

01:44:45.929 --> 01:44:48.469
The world sounds strange and choked.

01:44:48.469 --> 01:44:51.630
The girl cranes her neck around to see Minnie
standing on the shore.

01:44:51.630 --> 01:44:54.179
The Mouse waves at her enthusiastically.

01:44:54.179 --> 01:44:55.820
The girl waves back.

01:44:55.820 --> 01:44:57.599
Minnie giggles.

01:44:57.599 --> 01:45:02.000
The two of them stay like that for almost
an hour: the girl steadily dying in the sea,

01:45:02.000 --> 01:45:05.949
trying to stay afloat; Minnie waiting enthusiastically
on the shore.

01:45:05.949 --> 01:45:10.699
With each wave, the girl is slowly brought
closer and closer to the mouse, until she’s

01:45:10.699 --> 01:45:13.460
lying helplessly at the creature’s giant
feet.

01:45:13.460 --> 01:45:19.000
The last thing she sees is a pair of giant
round ears.

01:45:19.000 --> 01:45:20.790
Turns out she had been wrong.

01:45:20.790 --> 01:45:25.150
You can absolutely win a fight with a pair
of Minnie Mouse ears.

01:45:25.150 --> 01:45:28.880
Next time you are considering going on vacation
in the state of Florida, it would be wise

01:45:28.880 --> 01:45:33.020
of you to avoid reading any brochures you
may come across just in case you come across

01:45:33.020 --> 01:45:34.850
SCP-3640.

01:45:34.850 --> 01:45:41.850
A seemingly harmless brochure, SCP-3640 can
be found all across the state though it is

01:45:41.850 --> 01:45:44.390
currently unknown how they come into being.

01:45:44.390 --> 01:45:48.980
These brochures will promote self-guided tours
within the state, all of areas that have particular

01:45:48.980 --> 01:45:53.660
ghost stories, folklore, or rumors of hauntings
attached to them.

01:45:53.660 --> 01:45:58.060
These tours are free and promise tourists
an up close and personal look at the haunted

01:45:58.060 --> 01:45:59.600
history of Florida.

01:45:59.600 --> 01:46:04.980
However, most are not prepared for just how
‘up close’ these tours end up being.

01:46:04.980 --> 01:46:09.190
If you read this brochure and decide to go
along to the location advertised at the time

01:46:09.190 --> 01:46:14.700
it lists, you will be met with instances of
SCP-3640-Alpha.

01:46:14.700 --> 01:46:18.770
In this case, these creatures manifested themselves
as Mickey and Minnie Mouse.

01:46:18.770 --> 01:46:23.620
However, they can take the form of any uniformed
mascots associated with the Walt Disney Media

01:46:23.620 --> 01:46:24.620
conglomerate.

01:46:24.620 --> 01:46:29.590
These mascots will hunt you down mercilessly,
but with all the charm and squeaky-clean joy

01:46:29.590 --> 01:46:31.610
we all know and love.

01:46:31.610 --> 01:46:35.600
Live ammunition does little to stop these
SCPs when directed at the body, but a clean

01:46:35.600 --> 01:46:38.030
headshot has been proven to do the trick.

01:46:38.030 --> 01:46:42.930
It is fortunate then for our tourist couple
that Mickey’s head was impaled on the railing.

01:46:42.930 --> 01:46:46.580
What is less fortunate, however, is that they
were there together.

01:46:46.580 --> 01:46:51.870
This is because SCP-3540 has a few interesting
rules for how it operates.

01:46:51.870 --> 01:46:58.070
In order for SCP-3640-Alpha instances to engage
in the hunt, every member of the party has

01:46:58.070 --> 01:46:59.160
to have read the brochure.

01:46:59.160 --> 01:47:03.719
If a group of five go to a haunted house at
the designated time, but only four of them

01:47:03.719 --> 01:47:08.100
have read the brochure, they will enjoy a
nice spooky but safe evening.

01:47:08.100 --> 01:47:12.670
If all members of the party have read the
brochure, however, the same number of mascots

01:47:12.670 --> 01:47:14.350
will manifest and hunt them down.

01:47:14.350 --> 01:47:18.920
For a group of twenty college students, you
can only imagine the colorful range of Disney

01:47:18.920 --> 01:47:20.900
characters that come out to play.

01:47:20.900 --> 01:47:24.040
These SCPs will also only remain within their
state borders.

01:47:24.040 --> 01:47:28.030
If you find yourself being hunted down, you
can either run for the border or find a good

01:47:28.030 --> 01:47:32.349
place to hide until the times allotted for
your self-guided tour come to an end.

01:47:32.349 --> 01:47:38.030
It remains unclear how these SCPs grow, reproduce,
or where they go outside of their hunting

01:47:38.030 --> 01:47:40.550
times, if they continue to exist at all.

01:47:40.550 --> 01:47:45.510
Who knows, there are a lot of back rooms in
Disney World with all mascot costumes lying

01:47:45.510 --> 01:47:46.510
around…

01:47:46.510 --> 01:47:50.540
The Walt Disney Company is under continuous
surveillance to ascertain any link between

01:47:50.540 --> 01:47:53.750
SCP-3640 and the brand themselves.

01:47:53.750 --> 01:47:58.640
To this day, a letter from the Company to
a local governor in 1979 is the only tie to

01:47:58.640 --> 01:48:01.170
have been found between them and the creatures.

01:48:01.170 --> 01:48:02.510
It reads…

01:48:02.510 --> 01:48:03.900
Dear Governor Askew,

01:48:03.900 --> 01:48:07.980
The Walt Disney Company thanks you for your
cooperation in this matter regarding the unlicensed

01:48:07.980 --> 01:48:09.760
Walt Disney character operators.

01:48:09.760 --> 01:48:13.530
Please pass along the following information,
collected by the outstanding men and women

01:48:13.530 --> 01:48:17.690
of the City of Orlando's Police Department,
to the Florida National Guard:

01:48:17.690 --> 01:48:21.790
If a character is spotted, call to get its
attention and then rapidly flash your flashlights

01:48:21.790 --> 01:48:22.949
at the costume.

01:48:22.949 --> 01:48:25.170
If it does not flinch, fire on sight.

01:48:25.170 --> 01:48:29.520
Aim at the head if possible; else, aim at
the knees to disable them and then finish

01:48:29.520 --> 01:48:31.210
them off with head shots.

01:48:31.210 --> 01:48:34.020
Body shots have been shown to lack effectiveness.

01:48:34.020 --> 01:48:36.290
Deceased characters are to be incinerated.

01:48:36.290 --> 01:48:38.810
No other means of disposal are advised.

01:48:38.810 --> 01:48:43.150
We are currently pursuing alternative legal
means of shutting down these unlicensed operators

01:48:43.150 --> 01:48:45.800
and hope to achieve a settlement within the
end of the year.

01:48:45.800 --> 01:48:49.310
Cordially yours,
The Walt Disney Company

01:48:49.310 --> 01:48:52.270
The house is small but cozy.

01:48:52.270 --> 01:48:56.239
When the realtor showed it to her, she couldn’t
help but notice all the flaws – the chipped

01:48:56.239 --> 01:49:00.960
paint on the doorframe, the missing shingles
on the roof, the cracks along the kitchen

01:49:00.960 --> 01:49:04.090
walls, even the dented old mailbox out front.

01:49:04.090 --> 01:49:09.250
But even with all those imperfections, she
can’t help but feel this little house is

01:49:09.250 --> 01:49:10.449
calling to her.

01:49:10.449 --> 01:49:12.750
It’s where she’s meant to be.

01:49:12.750 --> 01:49:14.600
This will be a home for her.

01:49:14.600 --> 01:49:20.070
The woman knows, deep in her heart, that this
is what she needs to start over.

01:49:20.070 --> 01:49:22.010
It's not easy.

01:49:22.010 --> 01:49:25.980
As she moves her things into the new house,
she can’t help but think about her failed

01:49:25.980 --> 01:49:27.290
relationship.

01:49:27.290 --> 01:49:31.940
Every piece of furniture, every knick-knack,
reminds her of her old girlfriend.

01:49:31.940 --> 01:49:36.050
She unloads a heavy box from the back of her
car, but she trips over the curb as she turns

01:49:36.050 --> 01:49:37.100
toward the house.

01:49:37.100 --> 01:49:41.580
She falls, and the contents of the box spill
all over the sidewalk.

01:49:41.580 --> 01:49:43.780
They’re old photo albums.

01:49:43.780 --> 01:49:47.460
She quickly shoves them back into the box,
doing her best to avoid looking at them.

01:49:47.460 --> 01:49:52.860
But one photo, an old vacation snapshot of
her and her girlfriend visiting Niagara Falls,

01:49:52.860 --> 01:49:55.510
catches her eye as it falls out of an album.

01:49:55.510 --> 01:50:00.060
She bites her lips and wills herself not to
tear up as she pushes it back into the box.

01:50:00.060 --> 01:50:05.440
How can two people who were once so close
grow so far apart?

01:50:05.440 --> 01:50:07.449
The rest of the day passes in a haze.

01:50:07.449 --> 01:50:12.530
There’s lots to do, what with arranging
the furniture and calling up all the utilities.

01:50:12.530 --> 01:50:16.860
By the end of the day, she’s exhausted and
thankful to fall into bed.

01:50:16.860 --> 01:50:21.030
As she gradually drifts off to sleep, she
muses on her situation.

01:50:21.030 --> 01:50:23.310
Today was the hardest day, she tells herself.

01:50:23.310 --> 01:50:27.400
Every day is only going to get easier from
here on out.

01:50:27.400 --> 01:50:29.530
Time heals all wounds.

01:50:29.530 --> 01:50:31.510
The next day, she rises early.

01:50:31.510 --> 01:50:34.090
The sun is shining, birds are chirping.

01:50:34.090 --> 01:50:38.159
As she walks into her new kitchen to brew
a pot of coffee, she’s overcome with a sudden

01:50:38.159 --> 01:50:40.040
surge of good feelings.

01:50:40.040 --> 01:50:42.270
This house has so much potential.

01:50:42.270 --> 01:50:43.570
She could learn to live here.

01:50:43.570 --> 01:50:45.340
She could find a new love here.

01:50:45.340 --> 01:50:48.510
The world is her oyster, and she’s ready
for anything.

01:50:48.510 --> 01:50:52.440
Yes, she tells herself, all I needed was a
good night’s sleep.

01:50:52.440 --> 01:50:55.310
Now she feels totally revitalized!

01:50:55.310 --> 01:50:59.630
A little while later, she hears the mail truck
arrive and depart.

01:50:59.630 --> 01:51:03.060
Looking out the window, she sees that the
delivery person has shoved the little aluminum

01:51:03.060 --> 01:51:07.010
flag into the upright position, indicating
that she has mail.

01:51:07.010 --> 01:51:11.360
She ties her bathrobe around her waist and,
still cradling a mug of steaming coffee in

01:51:11.360 --> 01:51:15.320
her hands, walks to that battered black mailbox
at the end of the walkway.

01:51:15.320 --> 01:51:19.320
“That’s the first thing that ought to
go,” she mumbles to herself as she imagines

01:51:19.320 --> 01:51:22.040
all her plans to redecorate the house.

01:51:22.040 --> 01:51:26.420
Maybe she’ll get one of those fun mailboxes
that come in the shape of a wacky animal or

01:51:26.420 --> 01:51:28.980
a birdhouse… something different, something
eye-catching.

01:51:28.980 --> 01:51:32.929
Her old girlfriend never let her do anything
fun!

01:51:32.929 --> 01:51:36.450
She pulls open the mailbox and pulls out a
stack of envelopes.

01:51:36.450 --> 01:51:40.179
Still thinking about the possibilities for
a new mailbox, she quickly shuffles through

01:51:40.179 --> 01:51:43.210
the letters, scanning the return addresses
with little interest.

01:51:43.210 --> 01:51:44.829
It’s mostly junk mail.

01:51:44.829 --> 01:51:49.120
That’s no surprise; she just moved in, so
most of her friends don’t know her new address

01:51:49.120 --> 01:51:50.120
yet.

01:51:50.120 --> 01:51:53.310
But there’s one letter at the bottom of
the pile that has no return address.

01:51:53.310 --> 01:51:56.300
“Huh, that’s weird,” she says.

01:51:56.300 --> 01:51:59.040
It’s probably just more junk mail.

01:51:59.040 --> 01:52:03.550
She knows that some advertisers don’t leave
return addresses as a way to pique a recipient’s

01:52:03.550 --> 01:52:06.320
interest and trick them into reading their
sales pitches.

01:52:06.320 --> 01:52:09.900
Nevertheless, she’s intrigued enough to
tear it open.

01:52:09.900 --> 01:52:13.730
To her surprise, inside is a handwritten letter.

01:52:13.730 --> 01:52:15.389
“Hello,” says the letter.

01:52:15.389 --> 01:52:17.280
“I couldn’t help notice you today.

01:52:17.280 --> 01:52:19.739
I’m really excited to see a new face in
the neighborhood.

01:52:19.739 --> 01:52:21.880
I hope you enjoy your stay here.

01:52:21.880 --> 01:52:23.380
Maybe we could meet later?

01:52:23.380 --> 01:52:24.380
See ya!”

01:52:24.380 --> 01:52:26.530
The woman blinks in confusion.

01:52:26.530 --> 01:52:30.440
This must be a welcome letter from one of
her new neighbors… but since it’s not

01:52:30.440 --> 01:52:32.940
signed, she really has no way of knowing which
one.

01:52:32.940 --> 01:52:37.369
It’s a little odd, but, well, she’s sure
that the letter writer must have had good

01:52:37.369 --> 01:52:38.500
intentions.

01:52:38.500 --> 01:52:42.659
She pushes the red aluminum flag back into
its reclining position, folds the mysterious

01:52:42.659 --> 01:52:47.600
letter under her arm with her other mail,
and retreats back into her new house.

01:52:47.600 --> 01:52:51.869
Imagine her surprise when, the next day, she
finds another letter in her mailbox.

01:52:51.869 --> 01:52:52.869
“Hi again!”

01:52:52.869 --> 01:52:53.869
it says.

01:52:53.869 --> 01:52:55.869
“I saw that you read my letter yesterday.

01:52:55.869 --> 01:52:57.190
I’m so glad!!

01:52:57.190 --> 01:53:00.670
I was afraid that you wouldn’t like me,
but now I see that we’re going to be great

01:53:00.670 --> 01:53:01.670
friends?

01:53:01.670 --> 01:53:03.780
Maybe you’d like to get coffee together
sometime?

01:53:03.780 --> 01:53:05.260
XOXO PS.

01:53:05.260 --> 01:53:07.010
I really like you!!!”

01:53:07.010 --> 01:53:08.010
Okay.

01:53:08.010 --> 01:53:10.620
Now, THIS is getting a little pushy!

01:53:10.620 --> 01:53:14.829
That first letter was friendly if a little
awkward, but this one almost sounds like someone

01:53:14.829 --> 01:53:16.849
is trying to solicit her for a date!

01:53:16.849 --> 01:53:18.650
She’s in no mood for that!

01:53:18.650 --> 01:53:22.170
Even if she wasn’t still hurting from her
breakup, she didn’t know this mysterious

01:53:22.170 --> 01:53:23.219
letter writer!

01:53:23.219 --> 01:53:25.739
Where do they get the nerve to ask her out?

01:53:25.739 --> 01:53:30.050
Angrily, she crumples up the new letter and
throws it directly into the trash.

01:53:30.050 --> 01:53:32.840
She looks across the hedge, peering into the
neighbor’s yards.

01:53:32.840 --> 01:53:37.699
In the yard to her left, a middle-aged man
pushes a lawnmower across the grass.

01:53:37.699 --> 01:53:41.090
In the yard to her right, two old women are
gossiping at the fence.

01:53:41.090 --> 01:53:45.489
She feels suddenly exposed as she realizes
that the letters could be coming from anyone

01:53:45.489 --> 01:53:46.690
in the neighborhood.

01:53:46.690 --> 01:53:50.090
She hopes that maybe if she ignores it, the
message will be clear.

01:53:50.090 --> 01:53:53.219
She quickly scurries back into her house and
slams the door shut.

01:53:53.219 --> 01:53:56.940
The next morning, she finds another message
from her secret admirer together with her

01:53:56.940 --> 01:53:58.070
other mail.

01:53:58.070 --> 01:54:00.870
The tone of the letter is more desperate,
more wheedling.

01:54:00.870 --> 01:54:03.810
“I saw you throw away my letter yesterday!”

01:54:03.810 --> 01:54:05.520
it says, “Why did you do that????

01:54:05.520 --> 01:54:06.520
Don’t you like me?

01:54:06.520 --> 01:54:09.079
I really thought that we would make a great
couple…

01:54:09.079 --> 01:54:13.489
Maybe if you gave me a chance, I could make
you so much happier than your ex!”

01:54:13.489 --> 01:54:15.250
The woman doesn’t read any farther.

01:54:15.250 --> 01:54:17.239
She throws the letter to the ground.

01:54:17.239 --> 01:54:18.989
This is going too far!

01:54:18.989 --> 01:54:22.909
It was bad enough that a stranger was hitting
on her, but now she knows that her secret

01:54:22.909 --> 01:54:25.090
admirer is a stalker too!

01:54:25.090 --> 01:54:28.639
How else would they know that she threw away
their previous letter unless they were watching

01:54:28.639 --> 01:54:30.150
her as she picked up her mail?

01:54:30.150 --> 01:54:35.230
And even more disturbing, how could they possibly
know that she had troubles with her ex?

01:54:35.230 --> 01:54:38.389
She stalks over to the house next door and
pounds on the door.

01:54:38.389 --> 01:54:41.880
When the middle-aged man answers, she confronts
him with the letter.

01:54:41.880 --> 01:54:43.090
“Did you write this?

01:54:43.090 --> 01:54:44.300
What’s your problem?”

01:54:44.300 --> 01:54:46.330
she demands as she shoves the paper in his
face.

01:54:46.330 --> 01:54:48.949
“I don’t know what you’re trying to
do, but I’m not interested!

01:54:48.949 --> 01:54:50.760
I want you to keep away from me!”

01:54:50.760 --> 01:54:55.310
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,”
protests the man, holding up his hands as

01:54:55.310 --> 01:54:56.599
if you indicate surrender.

01:54:56.599 --> 01:54:57.889
“I didn’t write anything!”

01:54:57.889 --> 01:55:01.659
The woman doesn’t know if she believes him,
but she has to admit that the middle-aged

01:55:01.659 --> 01:55:04.350
man sounds genuinely confused by her accusations.

01:55:04.350 --> 01:55:06.860
Maybe he’s not the culprit.

01:55:06.860 --> 01:55:10.730
But when she confronts the neighbor living
to the other side, she hears a similar story.

01:55:10.730 --> 01:55:12.750
“Are you sending me these letters?

01:55:12.750 --> 01:55:14.030
Because they’re actually really creepy!

01:55:14.030 --> 01:55:18.070
I don’t like people watching me!” says
the woman as she confronts her other neighbor.

01:55:18.070 --> 01:55:20.070
The old woman just shakes her head.

01:55:20.070 --> 01:55:22.659
“Mercy me, I didn’t send you a letter.

01:55:22.659 --> 01:55:23.760
Why would I do that?

01:55:23.760 --> 01:55:26.159
I could just come over and talk to you!

01:55:26.159 --> 01:55:31.050
I don’t know why you youngsters are always
making up stories about weird letters!”

01:55:31.050 --> 01:55:34.770
The young woman wonders about the old woman’s
final words when she’s eating dinner alone

01:55:34.770 --> 01:55:36.619
in her kitchen later that night.

01:55:36.619 --> 01:55:40.619
The way that she complained about young people
always “making up” stories about weird

01:55:40.619 --> 01:55:44.179
letters makes her wonder if this has happened
before.

01:55:44.179 --> 01:55:47.760
Could it be that other young women have lived
in this house before her?

01:55:47.760 --> 01:55:50.159
And were they victims of the same stalker?

01:55:50.159 --> 01:55:51.369
But who could this stalker be?

01:55:51.369 --> 01:55:54.960
It’s got to be someone close, she can just
feel it.

01:55:54.960 --> 01:55:59.250
At that moment, she looks up from her meal
and gasps in surprise.

01:55:59.250 --> 01:56:02.949
There, right outside her window, is the black
mailbox.

01:56:02.949 --> 01:56:08.079
It’s hovering right at the edge of the window,
as if it’s shyly peeking in, like a bashful

01:56:08.079 --> 01:56:10.090
caller afraid of being seen.

01:56:10.090 --> 01:56:12.760
The young woman blinks and rubs her eyes.

01:56:12.760 --> 01:56:16.079
When she looks again, the mailbox is gone.

01:56:16.079 --> 01:56:18.060
She rushes to the door and throws it open.

01:56:18.060 --> 01:56:21.940
The mailbox is right there, standing at the
curb at the end of the footpath, just as it’s

01:56:21.940 --> 01:56:22.940
always been.

01:56:22.940 --> 01:56:25.130
Are her eyes playing tricks on her?

01:56:25.130 --> 01:56:29.320
Is the stress of her break-up and the mysterious
stalker finally getting to her?

01:56:29.320 --> 01:56:31.900
The next day, she finds another letter.

01:56:31.900 --> 01:56:36.719
Her stalker is getting even more unhinged,
and the messages are becoming downright scary.

01:56:36.719 --> 01:56:40.860
The next day, she finds not just one letter
in her mailbox, but two!

01:56:40.860 --> 01:56:45.650
Both messages sound absolutely deranged; her
stalker, and at this point, there’s no doubt

01:56:45.650 --> 01:56:49.869
in her mind that a stalker is responsible
for these letters, has resorted to threats.

01:56:49.869 --> 01:56:51.840
“Why don’t you like me?!?

01:56:51.840 --> 01:56:54.051
You’d better change your attitude if you
know what’s good for you!

01:56:54.051 --> 01:56:55.540
You think you’re too good for me?

01:56:55.540 --> 01:56:57.510
What does your ex have that I don’t?

01:56:57.510 --> 01:57:00.929
Maybe you need a real man to really show you
the ropes!”

01:57:00.929 --> 01:57:05.159
She crushes the letters in her hands, her
face flushing with a combination of fear and

01:57:05.159 --> 01:57:06.159
rage.

01:57:06.159 --> 01:57:08.050
Who does this person think that they are?

01:57:08.050 --> 01:57:09.949
She can’t take this pressure much longer!

01:57:09.949 --> 01:57:14.079
She’s ready to report these letters to the
police, but she still has no idea who’s

01:57:14.079 --> 01:57:15.079
stalking her.

01:57:15.079 --> 01:57:17.080
Or does she?

01:57:17.080 --> 01:57:20.869
She can’t help but think about that strange
incident the previous night, when she thought

01:57:20.869 --> 01:57:23.840
that she saw the mailbox standing right outside
the window.

01:57:23.840 --> 01:57:26.170
But that’s crazy, isn’t it?

01:57:26.170 --> 01:57:28.710
Her mailbox can’t be stalking her, can it?

01:57:28.710 --> 01:57:33.080
If she tries to tell anyone that her mailbox
is sending her threatening messages, everyone

01:57:33.080 --> 01:57:35.000
is just going to think that she’s crazy!

01:57:35.000 --> 01:57:40.710
But soon, things start to get worse, escalating
in ways that force the woman to confront that

01:57:40.710 --> 01:57:41.710
possibility.

01:57:41.710 --> 01:57:44.020
That night, she’s in her kitchen fixing
dinner.

01:57:44.020 --> 01:57:46.820
She turns from the stove to grab some condiments
from the pantry.

01:57:46.820 --> 01:57:48.679
That’s when she sees it.

01:57:48.679 --> 01:57:49.679
The mailbox!

01:57:49.679 --> 01:57:51.869
It’s not outside this time, it’s in the
next room.

01:57:51.869 --> 01:57:55.469
It’s standing partially hidden behind the
door, again as if it’s trying not to be

01:57:55.469 --> 01:57:56.630
seen.

01:57:56.630 --> 01:58:00.770
She drops her work and rushes out into the
living room, hoping to catch the mailbox in

01:58:00.770 --> 01:58:01.770
the act.

01:58:01.770 --> 01:58:02.770
But it’s gone!

01:58:02.770 --> 01:58:06.699
She runs to the window and, once again, sees
the mailbox standing at the end of the walkway

01:58:06.699 --> 01:58:09.050
in the exact same spot that it should be.

01:58:09.050 --> 01:58:13.870
She’s certain that she can’t be imagining
these things, but, at the same time, what

01:58:13.870 --> 01:58:16.179
other explanation could there be?

01:58:16.179 --> 01:58:21.190
She barely gets any sleep that night, tossing
and turning with unpleasant dreams – several

01:58:21.190 --> 01:58:26.540
times, she startles awake, sitting bolt upright
in bed, half convinced that the sinister mailbox

01:58:26.540 --> 01:58:30.310
might even be in the same room with her, watching
her as she sleeps.

01:58:30.310 --> 01:58:34.760
The next day, the exhausted woman rises early
from restless dreams and sits on the front

01:58:34.760 --> 01:58:37.790
porch, waiting for the mail truck to arrive.

01:58:37.790 --> 01:58:42.190
When the familiar US postal service vehicle
pulls up to the curb, she stalks over and

01:58:42.190 --> 01:58:43.239
confronts the mailman.

01:58:43.239 --> 01:58:44.890
“Come on, hand it over!”

01:58:44.890 --> 01:58:45.890
she demands.

01:58:45.890 --> 01:58:46.890
“It’s my mail, give it to me!”

01:58:46.890 --> 01:58:51.500
She’s too flustered by this whole absurd
scenario to bother being polite, and the mailman

01:58:51.500 --> 01:58:53.369
is in no mood to argue.

01:58:53.369 --> 01:58:55.860
This woman looks positively insane, he thinks.

01:58:55.860 --> 01:59:00.090
Her hair is disheveled, her eyes are ringed
with heavy black circles, and she looks like

01:59:00.090 --> 01:59:02.810
she hasn’t had a decent night’s sleep
in weeks.

01:59:02.810 --> 01:59:06.650
He has to deal with all kinds of crazy customers
every day and he knows better than to push

01:59:06.650 --> 01:59:07.650
his luck!

01:59:07.650 --> 01:59:11.639
He shoves the bundle of letters into her arms
and jumps back into his truck.

01:59:11.639 --> 01:59:15.239
The woman quickly shuffles through the stack
of letters, scanning the return addresses

01:59:15.239 --> 01:59:18.800
and throwing each envelope to the ground behind
her when she’s satisfied that it’s not

01:59:18.800 --> 01:59:20.380
from her stalker.

01:59:20.380 --> 01:59:21.630
Just as she thought!

01:59:21.630 --> 01:59:24.860
None of these letters match the description
of the blank envelopes that her stalker uses

01:59:24.860 --> 01:59:26.210
for his messages.

01:59:26.210 --> 01:59:29.369
She pulls open the mailbox and looks inside.

01:59:29.369 --> 01:59:32.719
To her horror, there’s already a letter
inside.

01:59:32.719 --> 01:59:37.170
She grabs it and feels the blood drain from
her face as she looks at the blank envelope.

01:59:37.170 --> 01:59:39.300
It’s another message from her stalker.

01:59:39.300 --> 01:59:43.070
Now she knows that he’s sending the letters
through the mail, but… how did he get this

01:59:43.070 --> 01:59:45.739
letter into the mailbox without her seeing
him?

01:59:45.739 --> 01:59:49.630
She woke up so early this morning, even before
the sun was up, and she’s been watching

01:59:49.630 --> 01:59:51.130
the mailbox for hours.

01:59:51.130 --> 01:59:54.880
It doesn’t make sense that any of her neighbors
could have planted this message without her

01:59:54.880 --> 01:59:55.880
knowing!

01:59:55.880 --> 02:00:00.750
But the only other possible explanation…
is that the mailbox itself is somehow writing

02:00:00.750 --> 02:00:02.300
these letters!

02:00:02.300 --> 02:00:06.720
She stares at the black aluminum box, the
dark dented metal suddenly taking on a sinister

02:00:06.720 --> 02:00:09.830
aspect in the early morning sunlight.

02:00:09.830 --> 02:00:11.920
Maybe she really is going insane.

02:00:11.920 --> 02:00:16.000
Maybe she just misses her ex-girlfriend so
much that she’s imagining all this madness

02:00:16.000 --> 02:00:19.520
and just projecting her fear of being alone
onto this mailbox?

02:00:19.520 --> 02:00:21.890
No, no, she doesn’t believe that at all!

02:00:21.890 --> 02:00:25.820
She’s going to put a stop to this, once
and for all.

02:00:25.820 --> 02:00:30.040
The woman jogs into her garage and returns
several moments later with a shovel.

02:00:30.040 --> 02:00:33.500
She doesn’t know whether she’s hallucinating
or not, but she’s had just about enough

02:00:33.500 --> 02:00:35.050
of this stupid mailbox.

02:00:35.050 --> 02:00:36.889
She wants it out of her life.

02:00:36.889 --> 02:00:40.920
Even if it’s not stalking her, even if this
is all in her mind, it’s clear that there’s

02:00:40.920 --> 02:00:44.670
something off about this mailbox, something
that’s putting her ill at ease.

02:00:44.670 --> 02:00:48.630
She starts to shovel dirt away from the base
of the mailbox post, grunting and sweating

02:00:48.630 --> 02:00:53.250
with the exertion of her work but not stopping
until the post is loose.

02:00:53.250 --> 02:00:58.240
She grabs at the thick wooden post and hoists
the mailbox, post and all, out of its pits.

02:00:58.240 --> 02:01:02.540
She drags it across the lawn to her driveway,
where, with considerable effort, she manages

02:01:02.540 --> 02:01:06.349
to shove it into the back seat of her car,
ripping the upholstery of the seats and spilling

02:01:06.349 --> 02:01:07.700
wet dirt all over the floor.

02:01:07.700 --> 02:01:10.219
She doesn’t care about the damage to her
car.

02:01:10.219 --> 02:01:12.619
She just needs to get rid of this mailbox!

02:01:12.619 --> 02:01:16.610
A chill runs down her spine at the thought
of taking a long car ride with that thing

02:01:16.610 --> 02:01:17.730
behind her.

02:01:17.730 --> 02:01:22.340
She doesn’t trust it at all, and the idea
of turning her back on it… well, she doesn’t

02:01:22.340 --> 02:01:24.739
know what kind of danger she’ll be in!

02:01:24.739 --> 02:01:28.551
As she climbs into the driver’s seat, she
adjusts the rearview mirror so that she can

02:01:28.551 --> 02:01:31.260
keep an eye on the mailbox for the whole drive.

02:01:31.260 --> 02:01:35.650
To her immense relief, it doesn’t move once
on the whole car ride, even though her nervous

02:01:35.650 --> 02:01:39.380
eyes keep flicking to the rearview mirror
to assuage her fears.

02:01:39.380 --> 02:01:43.230
She finally arrives at her destination: The
city dump.

02:01:43.230 --> 02:01:46.820
She pulls up to the front gate and honks her
horn until the custodian comes out of the

02:01:46.820 --> 02:01:47.880
guard house.

02:01:47.880 --> 02:01:51.960
She motions for him to remove the mailbox
from her back seat and the panicked expression

02:01:51.960 --> 02:01:54.670
on her face tells him that he should be quick
about it.

02:01:54.670 --> 02:01:58.510
He’s barely pulled the mailbox clear of
the door when the woman peels away, skidding

02:01:58.510 --> 02:02:02.920
along the curb and gunning the engine to drive
away from the dump and the abandoned mailbox

02:02:02.920 --> 02:02:04.270
as fast as possible.

02:02:04.270 --> 02:02:08.710
After a few minutes on the road, she starts
to calm down.

02:02:08.710 --> 02:02:13.219
She breathes a deep sigh of relief, a new
sense of calm finally settling over her now

02:02:13.219 --> 02:02:16.300
that she’s removed that awful mailbox from
her life.

02:02:16.300 --> 02:02:20.230
She adjusts the rearview mirror to look at
her reflection, wincing at the sight of her

02:02:20.230 --> 02:02:22.300
haggard eyes and blotchy skin.

02:02:22.300 --> 02:02:26.869
The stress of the last few days must have
been really getting to her, but now she feels

02:02:26.869 --> 02:02:29.369
like she can finally move on with her life.

02:02:29.369 --> 02:02:31.880
She manages a tense chuckle at the memory.

02:02:31.880 --> 02:02:36.170
The whole idea that her mailbox was stalking
her seems increasingly absurd the further

02:02:36.170 --> 02:02:40.820
she drives from the dump, but she can’t
help but feel much better.

02:02:40.820 --> 02:02:45.360
But when she turns the corner to arrive at
her home street, she sees something that she

02:02:45.360 --> 02:02:46.969
cannot believe.

02:02:46.969 --> 02:02:51.010
Her eyes bulge from her head, and her fingers
tighten around the steering wheel, her knuckles

02:02:51.010 --> 02:02:52.010
going white.

02:02:52.010 --> 02:02:54.130
It can’t be!

02:02:54.130 --> 02:02:56.800
The mailbox is back!

02:02:56.800 --> 02:03:00.492
The same black aluminum box and wooden post…
of course, after all she’s been through,

02:03:00.492 --> 02:03:02.699
she would recognize it anywhere!

02:03:02.699 --> 02:03:06.860
It’s still there, in her front yard, at
the end of the walkway!

02:03:06.860 --> 02:03:09.530
But she’s certain that she just dropped
it off at the dump, right?

02:03:09.530 --> 02:03:12.780
There’s no way that she could have imagined
digging up the mailbox and lugging it all

02:03:12.780 --> 02:03:13.880
the way to the junkyard.

02:03:13.880 --> 02:03:18.300
Could it be possible that the mailbox somehow
followed her home?

02:03:18.300 --> 02:03:21.130
Could it be that desperate for her attention
and companionship?

02:03:21.130 --> 02:03:23.490
The woman doesn’t say a word.

02:03:23.490 --> 02:03:26.960
She keeps driving, passing her new home without
stopping.

02:03:26.960 --> 02:03:28.590
She can’t deal with this anymore.

02:03:28.590 --> 02:03:33.020
She glances at the rearview mirror, one last
look at the cozy little house where she thought

02:03:33.020 --> 02:03:34.400
that she could start a new life.

02:03:34.400 --> 02:03:36.739
But she can’t live like this!

02:03:36.739 --> 02:03:39.820
She keeps driving, and she doesn’t look
back.

02:03:39.820 --> 02:03:45.699
On the corner, the mailbox stands still and
silent, as if it had never moved and never

02:03:45.699 --> 02:03:47.040
will.

02:03:47.040 --> 02:03:51.210
Dealing with a stalker can be a frightening
and dangerous situation, but it can be even

02:03:51.210 --> 02:03:54.960
worse when your stalker isn’t even human.

02:03:54.960 --> 02:03:59.719
That woman never had to see the mailbox again
after she left the property, but the SCP foundation

02:03:59.719 --> 02:04:05.890
is very familiar with this dangerously obsessive
romantic – which it calls SCP-1269.

02:04:05.890 --> 02:04:11.969
SCP-1269 looks like a perfectly ordinary mailbox
situated in front of a perfectly ordinary

02:04:11.969 --> 02:04:13.650
house somewhere in Massachusetts.

02:04:13.650 --> 02:04:18.780
It is made of black aluminum, possessing a
red flag and a white plastic post.

02:04:18.780 --> 02:04:23.280
It stands at 1/3 meters tall, and the house
number of the corresponding property is printed

02:04:23.280 --> 02:04:24.460
on its right side.

02:04:24.460 --> 02:04:30.050
It is unknown how long SCP-1269 has resided
at the property, although dents and bruises

02:04:30.050 --> 02:04:35.360
on the mailbox chassis indicate that it’s
probably been there for some time.

02:04:35.360 --> 02:04:40.090
SCP-1269 remains a perfectly ordinary mailbox
when its corresponding house is unoccupied

02:04:40.090 --> 02:04:42.849
or else occupied by a male resident.

02:04:42.849 --> 02:04:49.450
But when a woman aged 23 years old or older
takes up residence on the property, SCP-1269

02:04:49.450 --> 02:04:52.869
will start to manifest its anomalous properties.

02:04:52.869 --> 02:04:58.130
About two weeks after the woman moves into
the house, SCP-1269 will start to manifest

02:04:58.130 --> 02:05:03.120
unaddressed romantic letters targeted towards
the resident of the house.

02:05:03.120 --> 02:05:08.060
Surveillance within SCP-1269 has shown that
the letters manifest approximately three seconds

02:05:08.060 --> 02:05:10.230
after mail delivery.

02:05:10.230 --> 02:05:15.690
SCP-1269's anomalous properties will manifest
only when a single female 23 years or older

02:05:15.690 --> 02:05:22.610
- hereafter referred to as "the occupant"
- resides within the same property as SCP-1269.

02:05:22.610 --> 02:05:27.750
Approximately two weeks after the occupant
moves in, SCP-1269 will start to manifest

02:05:27.750 --> 02:05:29.910
unaddressed letters every four days.

02:05:29.910 --> 02:05:34.139
The contents of the letter are romantic in
nature, and are targeted towards the occupant

02:05:34.139 --> 02:05:35.619
of the house.

02:05:35.619 --> 02:05:40.489
Surveillance within SCP-1269 has shown the
letters manifest approximately three seconds

02:05:40.489 --> 02:05:42.840
after the occupant's mail has been delivered.

02:05:42.840 --> 02:05:49.650
At first, letters will manifest once every
four days, but SCP-1269 will quickly escalate

02:05:49.650 --> 02:05:54.320
its obsessive behavior to the point that multiple
letters will appear daily.

02:05:54.320 --> 02:06:00.070
The letters will become more obsessive and
less coherent as SCP-1269’s stalking behavior

02:06:00.070 --> 02:06:01.290
intensifies.

02:06:01.290 --> 02:06:06.810
When not under direct supervision of the house
occupant, SCP-1269 will teleport to a location

02:06:06.810 --> 02:06:11.349
near the occupant and face them as if it’s
trying to watch them.

02:06:11.349 --> 02:06:15.739
It will always manifest in an area where it
is partially obstructed, such as peeking through

02:06:15.739 --> 02:06:18.309
a window or behind some shower curtains.

02:06:18.309 --> 02:06:25.070
Sometimes, when the resident is asleep, SCP-1269
will teleport near the occupant without obstruction.

02:06:25.070 --> 02:06:29.930
SCP-1269 will not follow the occupant off
the property, and all anomalous properties

02:06:29.930 --> 02:06:34.159
will cease manifesting if the occupant moves
out of the house.

02:06:34.159 --> 02:06:39.610
Attempts to remove SCP-1269 from its location
have so far been unsuccessful.

02:06:39.610 --> 02:06:45.179
SCP-1269 will teleport to its original curbside
location after one hour of relocation.

02:06:45.179 --> 02:06:51.550
If attempts are made to replace SCP-1269 with
a new mailbox, the mailbox will be teleported

02:06:51.550 --> 02:06:56.270
away with SCP-1269 appearing in its place.

02:06:56.270 --> 02:07:00.179
Approximately three hours after the disappearance
of the new mailbox, it will reappear in a

02:07:00.179 --> 02:07:03.310
dumpster several kilometers away.

02:07:03.310 --> 02:07:08.180
Mailboxes recovered so far have all been found
in varying amounts of disrepair, within garbage

02:07:08.180 --> 02:07:13.840
bags, and covered in obscene graffiti – as
if SCP-1269 has become violently jealous of

02:07:13.840 --> 02:07:17.540
any other mailbox it sees as trying to replace
it.

02:07:17.540 --> 02:07:22.910
SCP-1269 has also shown similar violent jealousy
toward humans that it might believe are vying

02:07:22.910 --> 02:07:25.510
for the affection of any woman living in its
house.

02:07:25.510 --> 02:07:30.070
In a recent experiment, a D-class male was
moved onto the property with the then-current

02:07:30.070 --> 02:07:34.740
test occupant, a D-class female, after seven
weeks of residence.

02:07:34.740 --> 02:07:40.429
Interestingly, SCP-1269 ceased its teleporting
activity in response to this male presence.

02:07:40.429 --> 02:07:46.699
But three days later, the D-class male disappeared
from the property, causing SCP-1269 to resume

02:07:46.699 --> 02:07:48.920
all anomalous behavior.

02:07:48.920 --> 02:07:53.710
Two weeks later, the body of the missing D-class
male was discovered in the same dumpster where

02:07:53.710 --> 02:07:58.559
SCP-1269 had previously disposed of rival
mailboxes.

02:07:58.559 --> 02:08:03.869
The property where SCP-1269 is located is
to remain under the custody of the foundation,

02:08:03.869 --> 02:08:09.800
with one male researcher residing in the house
to monitor the behavior of SCP-1269.

02:08:09.800 --> 02:08:12.969
Because of the dangerous lengths to which
it will go to attain the current object of

02:08:12.969 --> 02:08:18.010
its affection, SCP-1269 has been designated
with object class Euclid.

02:08:18.010 --> 02:08:22.780
It’s our job to make sure it doesn’t menace
anyone else.

02:08:22.780 --> 02:08:27.139
The full moon hangs heavy in the night sky
over the dense jungle canopy.

02:08:27.139 --> 02:08:32.310
Below, the darkened palm trees stand silent
in the humid air, festooned with vines and

02:08:32.310 --> 02:08:36.750
lianas, and tropical insects hum in the undergrowth.

02:08:36.750 --> 02:08:41.680
The night is quiet and dark here, far from
the city, in one of the farthest, most secluded

02:08:41.680 --> 02:08:43.770
provinces of the Philippines.

02:08:43.770 --> 02:08:46.670
One would hardly expect anyone to be out at
this time of night.

02:08:46.670 --> 02:08:51.530
The young woman is hurrying home, carrying
a lantern before her face so that she can

02:08:51.530 --> 02:08:54.429
see where she’s going in the pitch black
of the night.

02:08:54.429 --> 02:08:58.190
Her swollen belly reveals that she’s at
least several months pregnant, her new middle

02:08:58.190 --> 02:09:02.420
throwing her off balance just enough that
she has to be careful not to stumble.

02:09:02.420 --> 02:09:06.630
A woman in her condition, she thinks, shouldn’t
be out at this time of night and certainly

02:09:06.630 --> 02:09:08.500
shouldn’t have to do household chores like
this.

02:09:08.500 --> 02:09:12.180
But the work has to get done, no matter what!

02:09:12.180 --> 02:09:15.909
She carries a basket of wet laundry under
her other arm; she is returning from washing

02:09:15.909 --> 02:09:19.690
her clothes in the river and, if she had planned
things out better, she would have been home

02:09:19.690 --> 02:09:21.630
long before the moon rose.

02:09:21.630 --> 02:09:25.270
Unfortunately, she spent far too much time
gossiping with several other village women

02:09:25.270 --> 02:09:28.770
before getting to work on scrubbing her filthy
clothes against the rocks.

02:09:28.770 --> 02:09:32.930
Luckily, it’s not too far from the river
back to her home in the village.

02:09:32.930 --> 02:09:36.320
The worst thing that might happen, she reminds
herself, is that she might lose her footing

02:09:36.320 --> 02:09:38.760
in the dark and trip over a rock or a root.

02:09:38.760 --> 02:09:43.420
There’s no chance that she might run afoul
of some nocturnal animal, she tells herself…

02:09:43.420 --> 02:09:47.830
even though the sudden chills down her spine
and sweat dripping from her brow reveals the

02:09:47.830 --> 02:09:52.369
truth, that she doesn’t believe that at
all and, in fact, she’s getting more and

02:09:52.369 --> 02:09:54.880
more nervous as she staggers through the dark.

02:09:54.880 --> 02:09:57.510
It isn’t just the threat of wild animals.

02:09:57.510 --> 02:10:01.590
She remembers the stories that her mother
told her when she was a little girl, all about

02:10:01.590 --> 02:10:04.949
sinister supernatural monsters that live in
these woods.

02:10:04.949 --> 02:10:08.849
Of course, those are just stories invented
to scare children, she tells herself.

02:10:08.849 --> 02:10:12.520
She’s a grown woman now, about to have a
child of her own.

02:10:12.520 --> 02:10:14.710
She shouldn’t be worried about bogeymen!

02:10:14.710 --> 02:10:19.199
She just needs to keep her head on her shoulders
and she’ll be sure to arrive home safely.

02:10:19.199 --> 02:10:23.680
The lantern throws its light over a figure
standing below the crook of a katmon tree.

02:10:23.680 --> 02:10:26.610
The woman jolts, nearly dropping her laundry.

02:10:26.610 --> 02:10:31.550
She gulps back a scream as she realizes that
what she sees isn’t a wild animal but rather

02:10:31.550 --> 02:10:32.550
a person.

02:10:32.550 --> 02:10:35.699
“Oh sorry,” says the young woman, her
voice shaking a little.

02:10:35.699 --> 02:10:37.960
“I didn’t think anyone else was still
out this late.

02:10:37.960 --> 02:10:40.050
I thought you were a wild animal.”

02:10:40.050 --> 02:10:45.409
“Don’t you worry, little one,” says
the figure in a soft, sibilant voice.

02:10:45.409 --> 02:10:48.580
The figure steps forward and the young woman
recognizes her.

02:10:48.580 --> 02:10:52.739
It’s an old woman from the village, her
back hunched and her long white hair falling

02:10:52.739 --> 02:10:55.239
over her shoulders in a messy tangle.

02:10:55.239 --> 02:10:59.150
The young woman feels inexplicably nervous
running into this particular villager here

02:10:59.150 --> 02:11:00.770
in the jungle at night.

02:11:00.770 --> 02:11:04.449
Many of the village kids whisper that she’s
actually a witch who has all kinds of weird

02:11:04.449 --> 02:11:06.520
supernatural powers.

02:11:06.520 --> 02:11:10.260
Even some of the village elders are afraid
to cross her for fear of getting cursed.

02:11:10.260 --> 02:11:13.619
“Where are you going at this hour?

02:11:13.619 --> 02:11:16.770
Someone in your condition shouldn’t exert
yourself so much.”

02:11:16.770 --> 02:11:22.159
“I’m just heading home,” says the young
woman, hefting the basket of laundry for emphasis.

02:11:22.159 --> 02:11:25.230
“It’s dangerous to be out so late alone.

02:11:25.230 --> 02:11:28.659
Here, let me walk home with you.

02:11:28.659 --> 02:11:31.739
There’s safety in numbers, you know.”

02:11:31.739 --> 02:11:32.869
“T-thank you.”

02:11:32.869 --> 02:11:36.790
The young woman almost wants to protest that
she doesn’t need any help getting home,

02:11:36.790 --> 02:11:40.000
because she really does not want to spend
any more time with this old woman.

02:11:40.000 --> 02:11:44.831
But, at the same time, she is reluctant to
say anything that might insult her… after

02:11:44.831 --> 02:11:48.739
all, even if the young woman doesn’t believe
in witchcraft, it’s not like she wants to

02:11:48.739 --> 02:11:50.340
take any chances.

02:11:50.340 --> 02:11:54.900
Besides, the truth is that she is rather frightened
of being alone in the dark and any company

02:11:54.900 --> 02:11:58.260
is better than nothing, even if it’s this
strange old woman.

02:11:58.260 --> 02:12:03.199
“How far along are you, honey?” says the
old woman, placing a hand against the surface

02:12:03.199 --> 02:12:05.340
of the young woman’s protruding belly.

02:12:05.340 --> 02:12:06.929
The young woman grimaces.

02:12:06.929 --> 02:12:10.929
She doesn’t like this old woman intruding
on her personal space like this.

02:12:10.929 --> 02:12:15.099
The old woman’s hands are wrinkled and veiny,
flecked with liver spots, and her fingers

02:12:15.099 --> 02:12:17.280
topped with gnarled talons.

02:12:17.280 --> 02:12:21.099
The young woman wants to cry out at the sight
of them but she bites her tongue.

02:12:21.099 --> 02:12:26.239
Instead, she answers the old woman’s probing
question as calmly and politely as she can.

02:12:26.239 --> 02:12:31.790
“Very nice, very nice,” says the old woman,
her rheumy eyes never straying from the young

02:12:31.790 --> 02:12:36.010
woman’s belly and her hands still rubbing
against her stomach as if she trying to reach

02:12:36.010 --> 02:12:37.570
something within.

02:12:37.570 --> 02:12:41.699
The old woman makes a strange sound in her
throat, like she’s smacking her lips in

02:12:41.699 --> 02:12:44.449
hunger, but it’s hard to see anything in
the dark.

02:12:44.449 --> 02:12:48.199
The young woman can only nod in confusion,
but she quickens her pace.

02:12:48.199 --> 02:12:52.050
She hopes that she can get home soon and,
once she’s home, she can get away from her

02:12:52.050 --> 02:12:54.409
unfortunate travel companion.

02:12:54.409 --> 02:12:58.690
The old woman keeps pace, grabbing her younger
traveling companion by the arm and holding

02:12:58.690 --> 02:12:59.690
tight.

02:12:59.690 --> 02:13:03.710
Her grip is surprisingly firm for such a seemingly
frail old woman, and the young woman again

02:13:03.710 --> 02:13:08.390
wonders if maybe there’s something supernatural
about this ominous crone.

02:13:08.390 --> 02:13:12.610
She wants to pull her arm away, but the old
woman’s long claws pinch cruelly into her

02:13:12.610 --> 02:13:13.610
flesh.

02:13:13.610 --> 02:13:16.920
It’s as if the old woman is silently warning
her: Don’t pull away.

02:13:16.920 --> 02:13:18.630
I’m too strong for you to escape.

02:13:18.630 --> 02:13:24.250
"What a sweet little bundle of joy you carry
there,” says the old woman as if speaking

02:13:24.250 --> 02:13:25.250
to herself.

02:13:25.250 --> 02:13:28.590
“What a delectable little burden.”

02:13:28.590 --> 02:13:32.480
The young woman knows that she’s still talking
about her unborn baby, but all this mumbling

02:13:32.480 --> 02:13:34.650
just makes her more worried.

02:13:34.650 --> 02:13:38.739
They continue walking, the young woman staring
resolutely at the small circle of illumination

02:13:38.739 --> 02:13:42.920
thrown by her lantern onto the path ahead,
doing everything in her power to not look

02:13:42.920 --> 02:13:46.369
at the old woman standing at her side for
fear that she might scream.

02:13:46.369 --> 02:13:48.409
Why is she so nervous?

02:13:48.409 --> 02:13:51.639
Worse, does the old woman sense her fear?

02:13:51.639 --> 02:13:55.099
The young woman has heard that witches are
easily offended and that’s the last thing

02:13:55.099 --> 02:13:56.590
that she needs now.

02:13:56.590 --> 02:14:00.739
She continues walking, the old woman gibbering
and whispering in her ear, plying her with

02:14:00.739 --> 02:14:02.610
odd questions about her pregnancy.

02:14:02.610 --> 02:14:04.120
“Eating well, have you?

02:14:04.120 --> 02:14:09.910
You know it’s very important to eat right
when you’re carrying, so that the baby can

02:14:09.910 --> 02:14:11.489
be born strong and healthy.”

02:14:11.489 --> 02:14:14.770
“R-right,” says the young woman.

02:14:14.770 --> 02:14:17.489
She really doesn’t need this unsolicited
advice.

02:14:17.489 --> 02:14:21.620
She heaves an audible sigh of relief as the
village comes into view over the next bluff.

02:14:21.620 --> 02:14:24.900
Thank God, she thinks, I’m almost home!

02:14:24.900 --> 02:14:28.489
She just hopes that the old woman will take
a hint and leave her alone once they arrive

02:14:28.489 --> 02:14:29.929
at her doorstep.

02:14:29.929 --> 02:14:33.880
She wonders if this old woman might try to
come into her home or maybe steer her toward

02:14:33.880 --> 02:14:35.630
some other destination.

02:14:35.630 --> 02:14:37.190
But what can she do?

02:14:37.190 --> 02:14:39.350
All she can do is keep walking home and hope
for the best.

02:14:39.350 --> 02:14:42.280
“Is it just you, is it?

02:14:42.280 --> 02:14:44.420
Is the father in the picture, hmm?

02:14:44.420 --> 02:14:49.219
I haven’t seen you with any young men lately,
have I?” asks the old woman.

02:14:49.219 --> 02:14:53.340
Her nosiness is really starting to irritate
the young woman, enough that she almost forgets

02:14:53.340 --> 02:14:54.340
her fear.

02:14:54.340 --> 02:14:57.250
“No, it’s just me,” says the young woman
automatically.

02:14:57.250 --> 02:15:00.150
She immediately regrets that confession.

02:15:00.150 --> 02:15:01.639
What is this old woman planning?

02:15:01.639 --> 02:15:03.860
Is she up to some mischief?

02:15:03.860 --> 02:15:07.300
Now she knows that the young woman lives alone
and there won’t be anyone around to see

02:15:07.300 --> 02:15:09.070
whatever this crone is planning.

02:15:09.070 --> 02:15:12.809
Her grip tightens on the young woman’s arm
as if to warn her again.

02:15:12.809 --> 02:15:15.260
The village is quiet and dark.

02:15:15.260 --> 02:15:19.489
Everyone else has already gone to bed by now,
so the pair of them walk down narrow, still

02:15:19.489 --> 02:15:20.489
streets.

02:15:20.489 --> 02:15:25.440
The only sound is the crunch crunch crunch
of gravel under their feet.

02:15:25.440 --> 02:15:29.949
After what seems like an eternity, they arrive
at the front gate of the young woman’s house.

02:15:29.949 --> 02:15:34.440
“Well, here I am,” she says, a little
too loudly and firmly to be completely casual.

02:15:34.440 --> 02:15:35.780
“This is my home.

02:15:35.780 --> 02:15:38.590
Thanks for keeping me company on my way home.”

02:15:38.590 --> 02:15:41.949
To her immense relief, the old woman lets
go of her arm.

02:15:41.949 --> 02:15:45.880
The young woman immediately pulls away, rubbing
the deep bruises left by the old woman’s

02:15:45.880 --> 02:15:47.059
gnarled talons.

02:15:47.059 --> 02:15:49.530
“Think nothing of it, my dear.”

02:15:49.530 --> 02:15:54.570
The old woman smiles widely, a long rope of
saliva dribbling from her slack lips.

02:15:54.570 --> 02:15:58.670
Her teeth look jagged and misshapen – it’s
hard to see in the dark, but they look more

02:15:58.670 --> 02:16:01.630
like the teeth of a wild beast than a human.

02:16:01.630 --> 02:16:03.840
It must be her eyes playing tricks on her
in the dim light, though.

02:16:03.840 --> 02:16:07.969
The young woman can’t help but recoil in
disgust, but luckily her face is hidden in

02:16:07.969 --> 02:16:11.020
shadows so the old woman doesn’t seem to
notice.

02:16:11.020 --> 02:16:12.530
“I’m happy to help.

02:16:12.530 --> 02:16:14.780
I hope to see you again very soon.”

02:16:14.780 --> 02:16:18.290
The young woman doesn’t wait any longer.

02:16:18.290 --> 02:16:22.040
Even before the old woman turns to leave,
the young woman scampers across her yard and

02:16:22.040 --> 02:16:23.840
yanks open her door.

02:16:23.840 --> 02:16:25.981
She runs inside and pulls the door shut behind
her.

02:16:25.981 --> 02:16:29.500
Her heart is racing and her breath comes in
ragged pants.

02:16:29.500 --> 02:16:33.580
She can feel the baby in her belly kick, suddenly
agitated by its mother’s fear.

02:16:33.580 --> 02:16:38.550
“Shh, it’s okay,” she coos softly, patting
her stomach and hoping that her tender voice

02:16:38.550 --> 02:16:40.160
will help to calm her baby.

02:16:40.160 --> 02:16:41.880
“I know you’re scared…

02:16:41.880 --> 02:16:43.099
I’m scared too.

02:16:43.099 --> 02:16:45.469
That old woman frightened me half to death!

02:16:45.469 --> 02:16:48.349
They say that she’s a witch and I’d almost
believe it.

02:16:48.349 --> 02:16:50.620
What a strange experience!”

02:16:50.620 --> 02:16:53.200
She pulls the curtain aside and peeps out
the window.

02:16:53.200 --> 02:16:54.660
The old woman is gone.

02:16:54.660 --> 02:16:59.450
The young woman looks up and down the street,
but sees no sign of her traveling companion.

02:16:59.450 --> 02:17:04.059
She inhales deeply and feels the tension drain
from her body as she lets her breath out.

02:17:04.059 --> 02:17:05.710
Thank goodness that’s all over!

02:17:05.710 --> 02:17:10.510
She can’t explain why this whole night has
unnerved her so much, but there was just something

02:17:10.510 --> 02:17:13.030
so uncanny about that strange old woman.

02:17:13.030 --> 02:17:15.370
She’s glad to be rid of her.

02:17:15.370 --> 02:17:19.550
The young woman tries to put the whole experience
out of her head as she prepares for bed.

02:17:19.550 --> 02:17:23.370
As she pulls on her night clothes, she startles
when she hears something heavy and loud clatter

02:17:23.370 --> 02:17:24.370
across the roof.

02:17:24.370 --> 02:17:28.920
It’s not unusual for roof rats or other
nocturnal animals to scurry across the roof

02:17:28.920 --> 02:17:31.570
at night, but this sounds louder than usual.

02:17:31.570 --> 02:17:35.350
“It’s probably nothing,” she tells herself
as she climbs into bed.

02:17:35.350 --> 02:17:39.130
“I’m still just upset about meeting that
old woman on my way home from the river.

02:17:39.130 --> 02:17:42.760
That whole thing must have jangled my nerves
worse than I thought if I’m flinching at

02:17:42.760 --> 02:17:43.979
every little sound.

02:17:43.979 --> 02:17:45.750
I’ll be fine when it’s light out.

02:17:45.750 --> 02:17:49.270
The sooner I get to sleep, the sooner it’ll
be morning.”

02:17:49.270 --> 02:17:53.380
Even though her nerves are rattled, she is
quite tired after a long day and it doesn’t

02:17:53.380 --> 02:17:56.010
take long before she drifts off to sleep.

02:17:56.010 --> 02:18:00.929
The young woman’s eyes close and her breathing
becomes slow and steady, the shallow rhythms

02:18:00.929 --> 02:18:02.540
of sleep.

02:18:02.540 --> 02:18:07.450
Inside her head, she might be troubled by
strange dreams, but to any outside observer,

02:18:07.450 --> 02:18:09.710
she is dead to the world.

02:18:09.710 --> 02:18:13.270
Asleep in bed, she doesn’t react to the
clattering on the roof.

02:18:13.270 --> 02:18:17.490
Whatever is up there is making an awful racket
as it drags itself over the roof tiles.

02:18:17.490 --> 02:18:21.870
If someone were around to watch, they would
see that whatever is on the roof is no rat.

02:18:21.870 --> 02:18:27.059
It’s a darkened figure, almost big enough
to be human, but strangely truncated.

02:18:27.059 --> 02:18:31.930
Two massive leathery wings unfurl behind it,
extended to help the strange creature maintain

02:18:31.930 --> 02:18:33.570
its balance upon the roof.

02:18:33.570 --> 02:18:38.740
It drags itself forward using only its hands,
long talons tapping at the roof shingles as

02:18:38.740 --> 02:18:42.910
it seeks a loose tile, anything that will
give it access to the house below.

02:18:42.910 --> 02:18:45.090
Its finger finds a crack.

02:18:45.090 --> 02:18:49.410
Wheezing and panting, the creature leans forward,
putting its eye to the crack to peer into

02:18:49.410 --> 02:18:50.410
the room below.

02:18:50.410 --> 02:18:53.370
The young woman is asleep in bed directly
below.

02:18:53.370 --> 02:18:56.780
And that’s exactly what this creature was
hoping for.

02:18:56.780 --> 02:19:01.230
The young mumbles in her sleep, her mind filled
with disturbing dreams.

02:19:01.230 --> 02:19:05.820
She’s oblivious when, all of sudden, something
drops through that crack in the ceiling.

02:19:05.820 --> 02:19:09.170
It’s long and slippery and covered in thick,
wet mucus.

02:19:09.170 --> 02:19:14.179
It looks for all the world like a tongue,
but it’s far too long to be any human tongue.

02:19:14.179 --> 02:19:19.300
It drops lower and lower into the room, extending
closer and closer to the young woman sleeping

02:19:19.300 --> 02:19:20.540
in her bed.

02:19:20.540 --> 02:19:24.809
The disgusting appendage caresses her face,
leaving a wet slug-trail of saliva across

02:19:24.809 --> 02:19:27.490
her forehead, as if it’s looking for something.

02:19:27.490 --> 02:19:32.660
Then brushes against her lips and the tongue
seems to find what it wants.

02:19:32.660 --> 02:19:35.880
Instantly, it snakes into her open mouth and
shoots down her throat.

02:19:35.880 --> 02:19:40.670
The young woman starts to sputter and choke,
her limbs thrashing and flailing – but still,

02:19:40.670 --> 02:19:42.910
she is held fast in the grip of sleep.

02:19:42.910 --> 02:19:46.820
Some wild nightmare is playing out in her
head – perhaps she fantasizes that she is

02:19:46.820 --> 02:19:51.710
drowning in a river or choking on some food
or being strangled by a fiend.

02:19:51.710 --> 02:19:55.649
Whatever she’s thinking, it couldn’t be
further from the truth: that an alien tongue

02:19:55.649 --> 02:19:58.250
has jammed itself down her throat.

02:19:58.250 --> 02:20:02.930
The tongue pushes deeper and deeper inside
her until it makes contact with her womb.

02:20:02.930 --> 02:20:06.780
A trained anatomist might balk at the idea
that the tongue could find her womb by accessing

02:20:06.780 --> 02:20:11.670
her throat, but somehow it has done exactly
this, snaking its way through the labyrinth

02:20:11.670 --> 02:20:14.660
of her insides to find her unborn baby.

02:20:14.660 --> 02:20:18.490
A sticky aperture opens up at the tip of the
tongue, revealing that the tongue is hollow

02:20:18.490 --> 02:20:20.660
– like a massive soda straw.

02:20:20.660 --> 02:20:25.680
It sucks up the baby like a vacuum, slurping
it up, up, up and out, the bulge of its prey

02:20:25.680 --> 02:20:30.450
traveling up the length of the tongue like
a wild pig swallowed by a boa constrictor.

02:20:30.450 --> 02:20:34.570
Once the baby is gone, the tongue slides out
of the woman’s mouth and retracts back toward

02:20:34.570 --> 02:20:37.220
the ceiling, disappearing back through the
subtle crack.

02:20:37.220 --> 02:20:41.840
There’s a clatter on the roof again, followed
by the soft flutter of leathery wings.

02:20:41.840 --> 02:20:47.760
The young woman settles back into a deep,
still sleep, the awful sensation of suffocation

02:20:47.760 --> 02:20:49.270
having passed.

02:20:49.270 --> 02:20:53.680
The rest of the night is peaceful and quiet,
but, when she awakens the next morning, she

02:20:53.680 --> 02:20:56.830
finds that the nightmare isn’t over.

02:20:56.830 --> 02:20:59.899
She wakes with a strange empty feeling in
her guts.

02:20:59.899 --> 02:21:01.130
Something is very wrong!

02:21:01.130 --> 02:21:03.700
She throws aside her covers and stares at
herself in shock.

02:21:03.700 --> 02:21:04.910
Her baby is gone!

02:21:04.910 --> 02:21:09.400
Her rounded belly has deflated back to its
pre-pregnancy state and she can sense, as

02:21:09.400 --> 02:21:13.760
only a mother can, that she is no longer carrying
something within her.

02:21:13.760 --> 02:21:15.850
She shrieks in terror at this bizarre revelation.

02:21:15.850 --> 02:21:17.240
What could have happened?

02:21:17.240 --> 02:21:19.800
What could be responsible?

02:21:19.800 --> 02:21:24.080
That young woman just had an encounter with
SCP-5201.

02:21:24.080 --> 02:21:31.069
SCP-5201 is a humanoid subspecies native to
the Philippines, dubbed Homo sapiens visceralis

02:21:31.069 --> 02:21:36.320
but known by many local names across the Philippine
Islands, including the aswang, the tik-tik,

02:21:36.320 --> 02:21:41.100
or simply the viscera sucker… but it is
most commonly known as the manananggal.

02:21:41.100 --> 02:21:47.130
During the day, an instance of SCP-5201 looks
like an ordinary human.

02:21:47.130 --> 02:21:51.970
At a glance, there is no way to immediately
distinguish an instance of SCP-5201 from a

02:21:51.970 --> 02:21:54.260
regular member of homo sapiens.

02:21:54.260 --> 02:21:59.160
However, Foundation researchers have found
that there do exist certain retinal irregularities

02:21:59.160 --> 02:22:04.700
unique to SCP-5201, so the agency has developed
a portable retinal scanner for use in quickly

02:22:04.700 --> 02:22:08.069
identifying instances of SCP-5201.

02:22:08.069 --> 02:22:14.500
SCP-5201 is far easier to tell from an ordinary
human at night, when it undergoes a strange

02:22:14.500 --> 02:22:16.420
and startling metamorphosis.

02:22:16.420 --> 02:22:21.710
It unfolds a pair of membranous wings, resembling
those of a bat, from its back.

02:22:21.710 --> 02:22:24.900
Even more startling, its torso splits in two.

02:22:24.900 --> 02:22:27.240
Its upper torso then flies off in search of
prey, intestines trailing behind it as it

02:22:27.240 --> 02:22:32.300
sails through the air, while its lower torso
is hidden in a secure location until SCP-5201

02:22:32.300 --> 02:22:33.910
can reconnect.

02:22:33.910 --> 02:22:39.410
SCP-5201 will seek out human prey, most likely
relying on a keenly attuned sense of smell,

02:22:39.410 --> 02:22:44.000
and, once it has chosen a victim, will alight
on the roof of their home and then snake its

02:22:44.000 --> 02:22:50.060
preternaturally long, tube-like tongue into
the house below so that it can feed.

02:22:50.060 --> 02:22:54.830
SCP-5201 feeds by inserting its tongue into
the orifices of unfortunate sleepers and sucking

02:22:54.830 --> 02:22:59.310
out their internal organs as easily as you
would suck soda through a straw.

02:22:59.310 --> 02:23:05.580
SCP-5201 will happily eat human livers, stomachs,
and intestines, but its favorite food is unborn

02:23:05.580 --> 02:23:11.680
fetuses, so much so that instances of SCP-5201
disguised in their human form can often be

02:23:11.680 --> 02:23:16.370
recognized by their tendency to drool at the
sight of pregnant women.

02:23:16.370 --> 02:23:21.570
SCP-5201 are well known to local humans, who
live in fear of nocturnal attacks by the dreaded

02:23:21.570 --> 02:23:22.880
manananggal.

02:23:22.880 --> 02:23:28.750
Interestingly, SCP-5201 can be repelled by
Abrahamic holy objects, like rosary beads

02:23:28.750 --> 02:23:34.110
or crucifixes, or can be staked through the
heart with sharpened shafts of bamboo – very

02:23:34.110 --> 02:23:38.180
similar to the means used against vampires
in western folklore.

02:23:38.180 --> 02:23:43.490
SCP-5201 is especially vulnerable when its
upper torso is out hunting, so it will always

02:23:43.490 --> 02:23:49.050
take the utmost care to hide its abandoned
lower torso in a secret, secure location.

02:23:49.050 --> 02:23:54.380
If you can find the hidden lower torso, it
is possible to kill SCO-5201 by sprinkling

02:23:54.380 --> 02:24:00.680
its exposed viscera with spices like garlic,
salt, or vinegar or, failing that, even ash

02:24:00.680 --> 02:24:01.779
or urine.

02:24:01.779 --> 02:24:07.189
This causes an unusual reaction that is not
yet fully understood by Foundation researchers,

02:24:07.189 --> 02:24:09.860
but will prevent the two halves from rejoining.

02:24:09.860 --> 02:24:14.490
If the two halves of the manananggal cannot
rejoin before dawn, sunlight will kill the

02:24:14.490 --> 02:24:15.490
creature.

02:24:15.490 --> 02:24:20.319
If none of these methods are available, it
is also possible to repel SCP-5201 by using

02:24:20.319 --> 02:24:23.939
a specialized whip fashioned from the tail
of a sting ray.

02:24:23.939 --> 02:24:29.421
The SCP foundation currently has an undisclosed
number of domesticated SCP-5201 instances

02:24:29.421 --> 02:24:33.279
held in the Fauna Containment Wing of Site-235.

02:24:33.279 --> 02:24:37.399
Because this species has been known to practice
cannibalism, each specimen is to be held in

02:24:37.399 --> 02:24:39.649
its own personal containment cell.

02:24:39.649 --> 02:24:45.830
While there are obvious ethical and logistical
concerns with feeding human organs to SCP-5201,

02:24:45.830 --> 02:24:51.729
the Foundation has discovered that SCP-5201
can still easily thrive on a diet of any newborn

02:24:51.729 --> 02:24:54.890
mammal with a mass of at least 1 kilogram.

02:24:54.890 --> 02:24:59.240
Piglets have so far proven to be the most
cost-effective and available options, but

02:24:59.240 --> 02:25:02.430
other species can be substituted as necessary.

02:25:02.430 --> 02:25:08.120
All entrances to SCP-5201 containment cells
are to be guarded by at least two Level-2

02:25:08.120 --> 02:25:12.890
personnel equipped with stingray whips, crucifixes,
or some other object found to cause harm to

02:25:12.890 --> 02:25:15.450
SCP-5201.

02:25:15.450 --> 02:25:20.060
Unlike humans, SCP-5201 have an unusual asexual
reproductive process.

02:25:20.060 --> 02:25:25.370
The lower body can regenerate a new upper
torso via a process similar to epimorphic

02:25:25.370 --> 02:25:27.630
regeneration observed in autotomous lizards.

02:25:27.630 --> 02:25:33.090
The severed upper torso of an SCP-5201 would
leave behind the parent's lower torso to search

02:25:33.090 --> 02:25:35.060
for a compatible female human.

02:25:35.060 --> 02:25:41.210
SCP-5201 would attack and consume this human,
claiming her lower torso as its own.

02:25:41.210 --> 02:25:46.850
Smearing ash, urine, or spices into the exposed
innards of the lower torso inhibits this process

02:25:46.850 --> 02:25:49.040
and prevents effective reproduction.

02:25:49.040 --> 02:25:52.890
The exact origin of SCP-5201 is unknown.

02:25:52.890 --> 02:25:56.490
Although the creature is endemic throughout
the Philippines and historical records indicate

02:25:56.490 --> 02:26:00.530
that it has inhabited the islands since at
least 1500, when it was first described by

02:26:00.530 --> 02:26:05.520
Spanish sailors to the islands, fossil remains
and genetic testing indicate that it is actually

02:26:05.520 --> 02:26:09.260
an invasive species from outside the Philippine
archipelago.

02:26:09.260 --> 02:26:14.390
SCP-5201 is currently believed to be extinct
in the wild, following eradication efforts

02:26:14.390 --> 02:26:17.450
by the Foundation in the 1990s.

02:26:17.450 --> 02:26:22.490
An epidemic of SCP-5201 attacks in the early
90s prompted the SCP Foundation to join forces

02:26:22.490 --> 02:26:26.760
with the Supernatural Committee of the Philippines
and the Global Occult Coalition to take action

02:26:26.760 --> 02:26:31.010
to prevent SCP-5201 from spreading to other
countries.

02:26:31.010 --> 02:26:36.140
Dubbed Project Dipsy, the operation involved
amnesticizing the major cities of the Philippines,

02:26:36.140 --> 02:26:42.030
funding propaganda campaigns to dismiss SCP-5201
as a product of folklore and urban legends,

02:26:42.030 --> 02:26:47.950
and eventually domesticating the surviving
SCP-5201 population for cellular regeneration

02:26:47.950 --> 02:26:49.670
research.

02:26:49.670 --> 02:26:54.580
Because of its aggressiveness and taste for
human flesh, SCP-5201 specimens regularly

02:26:54.580 --> 02:26:58.790
attempt to breach containment, and thus, have
been given the designation Euclid.

02:26:58.790 --> 02:27:02.870
And while the SCP Foundation has done its
best to eliminate the threat of SCP-5201 in

02:27:02.870 --> 02:27:07.580
the wild, there’s no guarantee that a few
instances of this vicious monster might have

02:27:07.580 --> 02:27:11.620
slipped through the cracks and possibly even
spread out into the wider world beyond its

02:27:11.620 --> 02:27:13.000
home in the Philippines.

02:27:13.000 --> 02:27:16.970
You still might want to search your room for
any suspicious cracks or holes before you

02:27:16.970 --> 02:27:18.480
bed down for the night.

02:27:18.480 --> 02:27:22.649
Because there are very few things less pleasant
than waking up from restless dreams to find

02:27:22.649 --> 02:27:26.090
a long slimy tongue jammed down your throat.

02:27:26.090 --> 02:27:29.399
If he breathes, the bear will see him.

02:27:29.399 --> 02:27:34.200
Lying flat on his stomach, the Boy has no
choice but to watch as the hulking brute eats

02:27:34.200 --> 02:27:37.120
his father before his very eyes.

02:27:37.120 --> 02:27:41.470
Lying in the thicket just a few trees away,
the Boy knows that any small movement he makes

02:27:41.470 --> 02:27:42.990
could prove fatal.

02:27:42.990 --> 02:27:48.392
A bear this large, hunting for its hibernation,
will have no issue chasing him down in a split

02:27:48.392 --> 02:27:52.990
second and doing exactly what it did to his
father to him.

02:27:52.990 --> 02:27:54.690
The Boy is utterly powerless.

02:27:54.690 --> 02:27:58.260
All he can do is stay deathly still and watch.

02:27:58.260 --> 02:28:00.590
They’d found the tracks too late.

02:28:00.590 --> 02:28:04.069
On the way back to camp, they’d been following
the wooded cliff that lines the ocean’s

02:28:04.069 --> 02:28:05.069
edge.

02:28:05.069 --> 02:28:08.561
Bows and salmon slung over their shoulders,
they had been so proud of their catch and

02:28:08.561 --> 02:28:12.950
the prospect of bringing it back to the tribe
that they hadn’t kept their wits about them.

02:28:12.950 --> 02:28:17.060
By the time they’d seen the enormous prints
in the dirt, the sound of lumbering footsteps

02:28:17.060 --> 02:28:20.109
were already echoing through the trees behind
them.

02:28:20.109 --> 02:28:23.880
The Boy’s bow is too far out of reach, he’d
dropped it when his father pushed him into

02:28:23.880 --> 02:28:24.880
the thicket.

02:28:24.880 --> 02:28:28.470
He’s got the knife hanging at his side,
but he doubts it's long enough to even get

02:28:28.470 --> 02:28:30.359
through the bear’s fatty hide.

02:28:30.359 --> 02:28:34.830
In contrast, the only thing protecting him
from its bite is the leather hide slung across

02:28:34.830 --> 02:28:38.439
his shoulders and a woven garment from the
tribe’s elders.

02:28:38.439 --> 02:28:41.370
One slash of the bear’s claw and he’d
be…

02:28:41.370 --> 02:28:43.270
A breeze ruffles his hair.

02:28:43.270 --> 02:28:45.340
The Boy’s eyes widen in horror.

02:28:45.340 --> 02:28:49.000
That wind hadn’t come from in front of him,
but from behind.

02:28:49.000 --> 02:28:53.830
Blowing his scent - his fear - directly towards
the bear’s nostrils.

02:28:53.830 --> 02:28:57.430
The Boy plants his muddy palms into the dirt,
staring at the animal.

02:28:57.430 --> 02:28:58.490
Its nostril twitches.

02:28:58.490 --> 02:29:00.320
Then twitches again.

02:29:00.320 --> 02:29:02.760
It half turns its head, sniffing the air.

02:29:02.760 --> 02:29:04.720
Maybe it won’t bother with him.

02:29:04.720 --> 02:29:07.100
The bear’s turning back to its meal already.

02:29:07.100 --> 02:29:08.820
The Boy lets out a sigh of relief.

02:29:08.820 --> 02:29:11.300
And a twig snaps.

02:29:11.300 --> 02:29:13.359
The bear snarls and whips its head around.

02:29:13.359 --> 02:29:19.521
For a second, the two of them lock eyes, predator
and prey, then the Boy takes off running.

02:29:19.521 --> 02:29:23.540
Fast as he can, he leaps through the undergrowth,
ferns and nettles whipping at his shins.

02:29:23.540 --> 02:29:27.810
He fumbles the knife out of its sheath and
slings the water skin off his shoulder, throwing

02:29:27.810 --> 02:29:29.220
it wildly behind him.

02:29:29.220 --> 02:29:33.250
He doesn’t know if he hit the bear, he doesn’t
have time to turn around and see.

02:29:33.250 --> 02:29:35.750
It’s going to be on him in an instant.

02:29:35.750 --> 02:29:39.040
Up ahead, he sees sunlight streaming through
the thick trees.

02:29:39.040 --> 02:29:43.399
The cliff edge, if he can just get to that,
maybe he can climb down and- no, there’s

02:29:43.399 --> 02:29:44.500
no time.

02:29:44.500 --> 02:29:48.790
Besides, bears are better climbers, better
swimmers… better runners.

02:29:48.790 --> 02:29:51.550
All the Boy can hope for is that he’s a
better jumper.

02:29:51.550 --> 02:29:55.840
Him and the boys from the tribe have lept
off plenty of cliffs along the shore, but

02:29:55.840 --> 02:29:56.840
never these ones.

02:29:56.840 --> 02:29:59.170
There are too many rocks, too many shallows.

02:29:59.170 --> 02:30:04.300
But the thundering of four enormous paws behind
him is looming and larger and larger.

02:30:04.300 --> 02:30:07.490
He can almost feel the bear’s hot breath
on the back of his neck.

02:30:07.490 --> 02:30:10.380
There’s nothing for it, here goes.

02:30:10.380 --> 02:30:15.340
The trees clear, the sun blasts his skin,
a claw slashes at his back, and the Boy launches

02:30:15.340 --> 02:30:16.910
himself into the air.

02:30:16.910 --> 02:30:18.160
The wind carries him.

02:30:18.160 --> 02:30:22.430
The weightlessness of wheeling his arms and
legs through the empty sky is almost enough

02:30:22.430 --> 02:30:25.899
to make him laugh with joy, until the Boy
looks down.

02:30:25.899 --> 02:30:29.970
The cliff is higher, much, much higher than
he’d realized.

02:30:29.970 --> 02:30:32.880
His momentum carries his torso forwards into
a tumble.

02:30:32.880 --> 02:30:34.580
He’s not going to land straight.

02:30:34.580 --> 02:30:37.240
And he can see jagged rocks everywhere beneath
him.

02:30:37.240 --> 02:30:41.450
The Boy closes his eyes and crashes into the
sea.

02:30:41.450 --> 02:30:43.800
All of the air is slammed out of his lungs.

02:30:43.800 --> 02:30:46.319
His knee hits something hard and sharp in
the water.

02:30:46.319 --> 02:30:49.780
A swell throws him away from the shore and
pulls him deep.

02:30:49.780 --> 02:30:52.590
Without air in his chest, he can’t float.

02:30:52.590 --> 02:30:57.080
Kicking hard as he can, the Boy swims upwards,
eyes still screwed shut.

02:30:57.080 --> 02:30:59.050
His face bashes into a sandy rock.

02:30:59.050 --> 02:31:00.609
No, that’s not upwards.

02:31:00.609 --> 02:31:01.640
Which was is it?

02:31:01.640 --> 02:31:03.230
Which was should he swim?

02:31:03.230 --> 02:31:05.680
The ocean current rolls him over and over.

02:31:05.680 --> 02:31:06.890
Darkness fills his mind.

02:31:06.890 --> 02:31:11.790
But his feet find a hard surface, and he pushes
against it, launching himself through the

02:31:11.790 --> 02:31:13.790
water, kicking hard as he can.

02:31:13.790 --> 02:31:15.700
The darkness fades.

02:31:15.700 --> 02:31:16.700
Light!

02:31:16.700 --> 02:31:20.220
The Boy’s head breaches the water, and he
splutters for air, rubbing the water out of

02:31:20.220 --> 02:31:22.479
his eyes, he looks around wildly.

02:31:22.479 --> 02:31:25.819
The sea has carried him away from the cliff
and out into open water.

02:31:25.819 --> 02:31:29.910
It’s lifting and dropping him with each
wave, carrying him this way and that like

02:31:29.910 --> 02:31:31.770
a flower in the wind.

02:31:31.770 --> 02:31:37.630
And there, traversing the cliff face, scrambling
down the rocks, is the bear.

02:31:37.630 --> 02:31:38.800
The Boy’s stomach turns.

02:31:38.800 --> 02:31:42.910
It reaches the bottom of the cliff and sees
him there in the water.

02:31:42.910 --> 02:31:47.370
Tipping back its head, it roars at an almighty
volume, deafening the Boy over the sound of

02:31:47.370 --> 02:31:48.640
the waters.

02:31:48.640 --> 02:31:52.200
Even from this distance, the animal looks
impossibly large.

02:31:52.200 --> 02:31:55.000
It dwarfs the boulders that line the water’s
edge.

02:31:55.000 --> 02:31:59.550
It slips into the water, barely making a ripple,
and kicks off from the shore.

02:31:59.550 --> 02:32:05.130
Going straight for him, the bear is covering
the distance so fast he only has seconds left.

02:32:05.130 --> 02:32:09.380
With barely the strength to keep himself afloat,
the Boy knows he’ll never be able to outswim

02:32:09.380 --> 02:32:10.380
this creature.

02:32:10.380 --> 02:32:15.281
Instead, he takes a deep breath and looks
up at the woods, remembering all of the happy

02:32:15.281 --> 02:32:17.470
moments he’d spent in there with his father.

02:32:17.470 --> 02:32:21.340
A current swells beneath the Boy and almost
throws him out of the water.

02:32:21.340 --> 02:32:23.899
An enormous shadow flies through the depth
beneath him.

02:32:23.899 --> 02:32:25.000
A whale?

02:32:25.000 --> 02:32:26.660
It couldn’t be.

02:32:26.660 --> 02:32:30.470
Whatever it is, the shadow is swimming straight
at the advancing bear.

02:32:30.470 --> 02:32:34.830
So fixated on its prey, the bear doesn’t
even notice what’s approaching until it’s

02:32:34.830 --> 02:32:37.130
too late
The ocean explodes.

02:32:37.130 --> 02:32:42.510
A blast of water, as tall as the cliffs themselves,
shoots up into the air and showers the Boy’s

02:32:42.510 --> 02:32:43.510
head.

02:32:43.510 --> 02:32:47.020
Somewhere in the midst of the spray, a monster
erupts from the depths.

02:32:47.020 --> 02:32:51.050
Snappings its jaw around the bear, it lifts
the animal into the air, and throws it against

02:32:51.050 --> 02:32:52.090
the cliff.

02:32:52.090 --> 02:32:57.279
The impact is so strong, that a small landslide
follows the bear’s rolling body as it tumbles

02:32:57.279 --> 02:32:58.470
back towards the water.

02:32:58.470 --> 02:33:02.910
But the Boy has eyes only for the monster
emerging from the sea.

02:33:02.910 --> 02:33:06.550
Crawling up the rocks with one gnarled foot
after another, the Boy can hardly make sense

02:33:06.550 --> 02:33:08.000
of what he’s looking at.

02:33:08.000 --> 02:33:12.270
It seems to have some kind of scaly hide,
harder than the rocks surrounding it.

02:33:12.270 --> 02:33:17.130
A wave crashes against the monster as it leers
over the bear and sinks its teeth into the

02:33:17.130 --> 02:33:18.520
animal’s hide.

02:33:18.520 --> 02:33:22.710
Unable to look away, the Boy kicks out and
starts swimming away up the coast.

02:33:22.710 --> 02:33:26.750
Only once he’s a long way around the bay
does he dare to clamber out and back onto

02:33:26.750 --> 02:33:27.750
land.

02:33:27.750 --> 02:33:31.580
That night, once the rest of the tribe have
gone to sleep, the Boy can’t help but lie

02:33:31.580 --> 02:33:33.530
wide awake in his tent.

02:33:33.530 --> 02:33:37.300
Without his father here, it’s just… it’s
not the same.

02:33:37.300 --> 02:33:40.899
Quietly rolling up the hide doorway, the Boy
slips out into the night.

02:33:40.899 --> 02:33:44.640
They’re camped by a small cave with beautiful
smooth walls inside.

02:33:44.640 --> 02:33:49.250
They say it’s the cave of their ancestors,
the place where all life started.

02:33:49.250 --> 02:33:53.260
The fire in the cave has to always burn.

02:33:53.260 --> 02:33:55.560
Fortunately for him, the cave is empty.

02:33:55.560 --> 02:33:58.040
The Boy stares up at the wall in wonder.

02:33:58.040 --> 02:34:03.620
Finger drawings of animals, hunters, mothers,
shamans, gods, and forests fill almost every

02:34:03.620 --> 02:34:04.790
part of it.

02:34:04.790 --> 02:34:08.990
Only one space remains in the corner, a finger
painting of the rocky cliffs with the swelling

02:34:08.990 --> 02:34:10.420
sea beneath.

02:34:10.420 --> 02:34:15.020
Dipping his finger into the paint, the Boy
sits by the wall and starts to paint.

02:34:15.020 --> 02:34:20.370
A terrible monster crawling out of the sea,
with a scaly hide stronger than any rock.

02:34:20.370 --> 02:34:21.610
‘That’s it.’

02:34:21.610 --> 02:34:24.351
‘You know that just from some finger painting?’

02:34:24.351 --> 02:34:28.310
The Archeologist turns to the group of researchers
surrounding him in the cave.

02:34:28.310 --> 02:34:30.310
UV lights are set up all along the walls.

02:34:30.310 --> 02:34:34.880
With the blue and violet shapes revealed all
across the stonework, the Archeologist can’t

02:34:34.880 --> 02:34:38.630
help but empathize with the spiritualism of
their long-forgotten ancestors who’d lived

02:34:38.630 --> 02:34:41.370
in these caves thousands of years ago.

02:34:41.370 --> 02:34:44.010
The Professor was the one who asked the question.

02:34:44.010 --> 02:34:48.580
A cold woman, standing well over six feet
tall with a crop of fiery ginger hair.

02:34:48.580 --> 02:34:52.040
To him, she seems less of a scientist and
more of a military leader.

02:34:52.040 --> 02:34:53.311
But what does he know?

02:34:53.311 --> 02:34:56.850
‘Walk with me,’ she says and leads him
out of the cave.

02:34:56.850 --> 02:35:00.060
Personnel fills the surrounding area, most
of them are armed.

02:35:00.060 --> 02:35:03.500
Cranes lift huge sheets of reinforced lead
plating into place.

02:35:03.500 --> 02:35:07.270
Several mysterious vats line the edge of the
forest, each adorned with more warning and

02:35:07.270 --> 02:35:10.010
hazard signs than you’d see in a nuclear
power station.

02:35:10.010 --> 02:35:11.460
The two of them have to pause for a moment
as three tanks roll past them.

02:35:11.460 --> 02:35:16.010
The Archeologist breaks the silence.

02:35:16.010 --> 02:35:18.590
‘You know the reason I started all my research
in the first place?

02:35:18.590 --> 02:35:20.779
Did I ever tell you that story?

02:35:20.779 --> 02:35:25.290
Every early civilization in the world - whether
it’s Ancient China, Mesopotamia, South America,

02:35:25.290 --> 02:35:29.319
Northern Europe - all these cultures, you
take a look at their mythology, and what do

02:35:29.319 --> 02:35:30.340
you find?’

02:35:30.340 --> 02:35:34.280
The Professor ignores him, instead choosing
to bark orders at a group of agents talking

02:35:34.280 --> 02:35:35.280
over coffee.

02:35:35.280 --> 02:35:38.040
They all immediately dump their drinks and
get back to work.

02:35:38.040 --> 02:35:42.290
‘What one thing do they all talk about,
even though it never existed?

02:35:42.290 --> 02:35:43.290
Dragons.

02:35:43.290 --> 02:35:48.010
All these disparate people with no contact
with one another, all of them still draw pictures

02:35:48.010 --> 02:35:49.010
of dragons.’

02:35:49.010 --> 02:35:51.710
The Professor stops walking at the edge of
the cliff.

02:35:51.710 --> 02:35:55.689
The pair of them stand there, surveying the
vast ocean stretching out in front of them

02:35:55.689 --> 02:35:59.189
as researchers, agents, and workers rush around
behind them.

02:35:59.189 --> 02:36:01.851
After a long pause, the Professor asks him
to proceed.

02:36:01.851 --> 02:36:06.771
‘In Ancient Hebrew texts, when they talk
about God creating the world in seven days,

02:36:06.771 --> 02:36:08.260
what happens on day five?’

02:36:08.260 --> 02:36:12.470
The Professor flicks the hair out of her eyes
and replies curtly: ‘God created fish in

02:36:12.470 --> 02:36:14.620
the sea and birds in the sky.’

02:36:14.620 --> 02:36:15.920
‘Not exactly.

02:36:15.920 --> 02:36:17.460
Look at the original Hebrew.

02:36:17.460 --> 02:36:22.180
He created all of the fish that team in the
sea sure, but he also created ‘leviathan’.

02:36:22.180 --> 02:36:25.979
A serpent like monster from the depths, as
old as the world itself.’

02:36:25.979 --> 02:36:29.880
‘You think that’s what we’re dealing
with?’

02:36:29.880 --> 02:36:32.439
‘Maybe… or something worse.’

02:36:32.439 --> 02:36:35.069
By nightfall, preparations are operational.

02:36:35.069 --> 02:36:38.970
Enormous flood lights switch on, one after
another, illuminating an enormous steel box

02:36:38.970 --> 02:36:43.600
with an open lid at the top, surrounded by
armed agents, huge net launchers, and several

02:36:43.600 --> 02:36:44.600
tanks.

02:36:44.600 --> 02:36:47.440
It all seems a bit excessive as far as the
Archeologist is concerned.

02:36:47.440 --> 02:36:51.710
He isn’t officially still supposed to be
here, but in all of the scramble for the Foundation

02:36:51.710 --> 02:36:55.779
to get the capture site ready, no one noticed
that he had stuck around.

02:36:55.779 --> 02:36:59.590
From the viewing platform several hundred
meters away, he has to watch it all unfold

02:36:59.590 --> 02:37:01.340
through a pair of binoculars.

02:37:01.340 --> 02:37:05.340
Out above the water, suspended from one of
the cranes, is an elephant carcass.

02:37:05.340 --> 02:37:09.470
The Professor told him that the Foundation
had even marinated it for extra flavor.

02:37:09.470 --> 02:37:13.630
He had only been recruited into this project
a couple of months ago, but from what he could

02:37:13.630 --> 02:37:17.960
tell, it’s been an ongoing priority for
the Foundation for several years now.

02:37:17.960 --> 02:37:21.779
The scale of the operation of just setting
up at this site is already mind-boggling,

02:37:21.779 --> 02:37:25.850
but they’ve been chasing up leads like this
for years now.

02:37:25.850 --> 02:37:29.250
Arriving at scenes they suspect this creature
has been sighted in the past and setting up

02:37:29.250 --> 02:37:30.720
traps for it.

02:37:30.720 --> 02:37:33.050
He was only brought in out of desperation.

02:37:33.050 --> 02:37:37.229
The Foundation had exhausted all recent hunting
grounds and was trying to cast the net even

02:37:37.229 --> 02:37:38.229
wider.

02:37:38.229 --> 02:37:42.510
He’d just been quietly working on his university
research paper about ancient reptile drawings

02:37:42.510 --> 02:37:45.220
when the agents had let themselves into his
office.

02:37:45.220 --> 02:37:49.210
But staring through his binoculars now, the
Archeologist knows there’s no chance of

02:37:49.210 --> 02:37:50.950
this operation actually working.

02:37:50.950 --> 02:37:53.189
They have floodlights, for crying out loud.

02:37:53.189 --> 02:37:57.030
No intelligent predator would come anywhere
near that elephant carcass.

02:37:57.030 --> 02:37:58.220
Movement.

02:37:58.220 --> 02:38:00.390
Not in the waters or in any of the lit-up
areas.

02:38:00.390 --> 02:38:04.920
No, there’s something in the forest line,
just behind a group of researchers.

02:38:04.920 --> 02:38:08.359
He reaches instinctively for his walkie-talkie,
then stops himself.

02:38:08.359 --> 02:38:12.010
How many times had he got jittery before and
reported something preemptively?

02:38:12.010 --> 02:38:14.680
The agents already don’t take him seriously
as it is.

02:38:14.680 --> 02:38:16.320
He can’t be jumping at shadows.

02:38:16.320 --> 02:38:17.600
But there it is again.

02:38:17.600 --> 02:38:19.610
A shape moving fast through the trees.

02:38:19.610 --> 02:38:22.800
He scans the binoculars this way and that,
trying to find it.

02:38:22.800 --> 02:38:27.710
Just a group of researchers there, some agents
there, supply crates, researchers, agents,

02:38:27.710 --> 02:38:28.710
wait.

02:38:28.710 --> 02:38:30.590
Weren’t there more of them a second ago?

02:38:30.590 --> 02:38:31.800
He looks closer.

02:38:31.800 --> 02:38:33.930
Someone’s gone missing.

02:38:33.930 --> 02:38:35.359
He clicks on the radio.

02:38:35.359 --> 02:38:38.330
‘South lookout team, report in.’

02:38:38.330 --> 02:38:39.330
Nothing.

02:38:39.330 --> 02:38:40.500
‘South lookout team.’

02:38:40.500 --> 02:38:42.800
A sickening feeling settles in his stomach.

02:38:42.800 --> 02:38:46.730
With all those bright lights everywhere, they
are casting a lot of dark shadows.

02:38:46.730 --> 02:38:49.120
He has to do something fast.

02:38:49.120 --> 02:38:52.670
Running down from the lookout point, the Archeologist
takes off running through the trees to the

02:38:52.670 --> 02:38:53.670
site.

02:38:53.670 --> 02:38:57.689
He holds his radio up to his mouth as he goes,
trying to get anyone to respond, but it’s

02:38:57.689 --> 02:38:58.689
hopeless.

02:38:58.689 --> 02:39:01.300
The thicket cracks and crunches under his
feet as he tries to make his way through the

02:39:01.300 --> 02:39:05.310
dark woods, ignoring the feeling that crawls
up his neck of being watched.

02:39:05.310 --> 02:39:06.950
A boulder blocks his way.

02:39:06.950 --> 02:39:11.109
The Archeologist grabs onto it with both hands
and hauls himself on top of it, stopping for

02:39:11.109 --> 02:39:12.870
a moment to catch his breath.

02:39:12.870 --> 02:39:15.931
From up here, he can see the floodlit capture
site.

02:39:15.931 --> 02:39:20.050
The tanks and cranes still sit rumbling ready
to go at a moment’s notice, but he can’t

02:39:20.050 --> 02:39:22.550
see any ground crew anywhere.

02:39:22.550 --> 02:39:26.340
He switches the radio to the open channel
and calls out for anyone to respond.

02:39:26.340 --> 02:39:28.130
The Professor’s voice crackles back at him.

02:39:28.130 --> 02:39:29.130
‘What are you still doing here?

02:39:29.130 --> 02:39:33.730
This is a highly dangerous operation that
you don’t have clearance for!’

02:39:33.730 --> 02:39:35.010
He yells at her to cancel it.

02:39:35.010 --> 02:39:36.910
They need to evacuate the site immediately.

02:39:36.910 --> 02:39:38.250
It’s compromised.

02:39:38.250 --> 02:39:40.609
She laughs derisively and cuts off the channel.

02:39:40.609 --> 02:39:41.609
No.

02:39:41.609 --> 02:39:42.790
She has to believe him!

02:39:42.790 --> 02:39:45.560
People are dying, and more of them will if
she doesn’t…

02:39:45.560 --> 02:39:47.931
The Archeologist whispers to himself in the
darkness.

02:39:47.931 --> 02:39:49.380
‘It’s no monster.

02:39:49.380 --> 02:39:51.200
It’s just an innocent creature.

02:39:51.200 --> 02:39:54.141
You’re playing with a power you don’t
understand…’

02:39:54.141 --> 02:39:55.521
It’s strange.

02:39:55.521 --> 02:39:59.430
For a moment, he swears he almost hears a
voice whispering something back to him in

02:39:59.430 --> 02:40:03.610
the woods, but when he looks around, he’s
all on his own.

02:40:03.610 --> 02:40:06.300
He has to keep moving, the creature could
be anywhere.

02:40:06.300 --> 02:40:10.160
Hopping off the jagged boulder, the Archeologist
takes off running through the forest once

02:40:10.160 --> 02:40:13.090
more, looking over his shoulder every few
steps.

02:40:13.090 --> 02:40:14.960
The light must be playing tricks on him.

02:40:14.960 --> 02:40:17.941
In the darkness, he can’t see the boulder
he was standing on a moment ago anywhere.

02:40:17.941 --> 02:40:22.100
He bursts out of the treeline and into the
clearing right next to the steel box.

02:40:22.100 --> 02:40:26.229
A ramp leads up to the top of it with a large
trap door suspended over the open lid.

02:40:26.229 --> 02:40:30.680
Well, if he wants to be seen and heard, that’s
where he needs to go.

02:40:30.680 --> 02:40:34.210
The Archeologist runs up the ramp and waves
his hands wildly in the air.

02:40:34.210 --> 02:40:36.641
The tanks all turn their turrets to aim at
him.

02:40:36.641 --> 02:40:40.819
The crane holding the enormous steel lid for
the enclosure looms menacingly above his head.

02:40:40.819 --> 02:40:45.910
And there, marching out onto the field, looking
absolutely furious, is the Professor.

02:40:45.910 --> 02:40:48.900
Her red hair looks more like a ball of flames
right now.

02:40:48.900 --> 02:40:50.779
‘We need to evacuate the site now.

02:40:50.779 --> 02:40:51.779
It’s here!’

02:40:51.779 --> 02:40:53.899
She snarls and marches up the ramp to meet
him.

02:40:53.899 --> 02:40:58.649
Jabbing a finger in the Archeologist’s face,
he suddenly realizes how much taller she is.

02:40:58.649 --> 02:41:02.030
‘You are not jeopardizing our one chance
of catching this thing.

02:41:02.030 --> 02:41:05.440
Get out of the way, or I will have you detained.

02:41:05.440 --> 02:41:07.180
Besides, what evidence do you have?’

02:41:07.180 --> 02:41:10.100
But the Archeologist isn’t looking at her.

02:41:10.100 --> 02:41:15.020
Instead, his eyes stare in horror at the elephant
carcass suspended behind her.

02:41:15.020 --> 02:41:18.400
There was a huge, reptilian bite mark taken
out of it.

02:41:18.400 --> 02:41:21.859
A testing bite, like the ones given by sharks.

02:41:21.859 --> 02:41:26.680
She turns to follow his gaze, and all of her
rage is washed away in a sickening delight.

02:41:26.680 --> 02:41:28.540
‘It’s here.’

02:41:28.540 --> 02:41:31.590
A scream from the crane holding the elephant
makes them both jump.

02:41:31.590 --> 02:41:35.340
But by the time they look up at the cabin,
all they see is a hulking shadow leaping away

02:41:35.340 --> 02:41:36.460
into the darkness.

02:41:36.460 --> 02:41:40.340
The Professor clicks on her walkie-talkie
and starts issuing commands.

02:41:40.340 --> 02:41:42.630
No one responds, except the tank crews.

02:41:42.630 --> 02:41:44.000
She tries again.

02:41:44.000 --> 02:41:45.240
Radio silence.

02:41:45.240 --> 02:41:48.160
Now the gravity of the situation really starts
to hit her.

02:41:48.160 --> 02:41:52.479
Eyes wide with panic, she runs off down the
ramp, barking into her radio and leaving the

02:41:52.479 --> 02:41:54.899
Archeologist up here on his own.

02:41:54.899 --> 02:41:58.440
Suddenly, under all of these lights, he feels
very exposed.

02:41:58.440 --> 02:42:00.899
It could be anywhere in the shadows.

02:42:00.899 --> 02:42:01.899
Footsteps.

02:42:01.899 --> 02:42:04.430
Heavy, planted footsteps tremor through the
ground.

02:42:04.430 --> 02:42:07.580
And out of the woods, walks the creature.

02:42:07.580 --> 02:42:13.069
Several meters long, fat from all of its hunting,
the beast that would soon be known as SCP-682

02:42:13.069 --> 02:42:14.110
slinks into view.

02:42:14.110 --> 02:42:18.520
It looks up at him, standing there on the
trap door over a metal box and looks like

02:42:18.520 --> 02:42:22.130
it’s almost ready to laugh at how easy this
will be.

02:42:22.130 --> 02:42:23.280
BOOM!

02:42:23.280 --> 02:42:26.891
The tank blast hits the creature square in
the torso, knocking it sideways.

02:42:26.891 --> 02:42:27.891
BOOM!

02:42:27.891 --> 02:42:28.891
BOOM!

02:42:28.891 --> 02:42:29.891
BOOM!

02:42:29.891 --> 02:42:34.580
The three tanks open fire one after the other,
laying round after round into the colossal

02:42:34.580 --> 02:42:37.160
reptile, kicking more and more dust into the
air.

02:42:37.160 --> 02:42:41.970
Before long, there’s a crater in the ground
so large that it looks almost like an asteroid

02:42:41.970 --> 02:42:43.260
hit it.

02:42:43.260 --> 02:42:45.399
Smoke and dust fill the air.

02:42:45.399 --> 02:42:48.140
The Archeologist’s eyes fill with tears.

02:42:48.140 --> 02:42:53.130
That majestic creature, roaming the earth
long before mankind ever did, exterminated

02:42:53.130 --> 02:42:54.130
just like that.

02:42:54.130 --> 02:42:57.779
Cowards, that’s what people really are.

02:42:57.779 --> 02:42:59.010
Cowards.

02:42:59.010 --> 02:43:03.050
But as the dust clears, a groaning sound echoes
around the clearing.

02:43:03.050 --> 02:43:07.270
The Archeologist shields his eyes and peers
into the crater as best as he can.

02:43:07.270 --> 02:43:09.830
But there’s nothing there.

02:43:09.830 --> 02:43:10.830
BOOM!

02:43:10.830 --> 02:43:13.149
He wheels around and almost falls backwards
in shock.

02:43:13.149 --> 02:43:16.819
The SCP has snuck through the haze and leaped
onto one of the tanks.

02:43:16.819 --> 02:43:20.880
It bites and tears at the armored bodywork,
doing all it can to destroy it.

02:43:20.880 --> 02:43:25.720
In a panic, two of the tanks point toward
one another and fire, destroying themselves

02:43:25.720 --> 02:43:26.920
in the process.

02:43:26.920 --> 02:43:30.290
The creature rounds on the remaining tank
and bites down hard on the barrel.

02:43:30.290 --> 02:43:35.300
The tank fires, the round going straight down
the monster’s throat and exploding inside

02:43:35.300 --> 02:43:36.300
its gut.

02:43:36.300 --> 02:43:40.340
The backdraft from the blast shoots back through
the tank, and a puff of smoke trails out of

02:43:40.340 --> 02:43:42.000
the hatch at the top.

02:43:42.000 --> 02:43:45.529
And suddenly, once again, the clearing is
quiet.

02:43:45.529 --> 02:43:51.390
Turning back to the Archeologist, SCP-682
slinks towards him, smoke still curling up

02:43:51.390 --> 02:43:52.850
out of his leering teeth.

02:43:52.850 --> 02:43:57.850
With heavy thunking steps, it climbs the ramp
towards him, stopping just short of the trap

02:43:57.850 --> 02:43:58.850
door.

02:43:58.850 --> 02:44:03.310
The two of them stare each other in the eye,
predator and prey.

02:44:03.310 --> 02:44:06.490
Neither move for a moment, then it opens its
mouth.

02:44:06.490 --> 02:44:08.760
The Archeologist closes his eyes…

02:44:08.760 --> 02:44:15.260
‘Do you know that you disgusting creatures
deserve this?”

02:44:15.260 --> 02:44:16.260
He opens them.

02:44:16.260 --> 02:44:18.540
Did the monster just speak?

02:44:18.540 --> 02:44:24.760
‘What do they hope to accomplish by attacking
me?”

02:44:24.760 --> 02:44:26.120
He gulps hard.

02:44:26.120 --> 02:44:27.979
That whisper he heard in the woods.

02:44:27.979 --> 02:44:30.300
The rock he’d been standing on.

02:44:30.300 --> 02:44:32.940
‘They’re scientists.

02:44:32.940 --> 02:44:37.189
Scientists always try to learn more things,
understand the world better.

02:44:37.189 --> 02:44:38.819
We think you can’t be killed.

02:44:38.819 --> 02:44:42.520
So we’re… they’re testing their hypothesis.’

02:44:42.520 --> 02:44:44.480
The creature growls.

02:44:44.480 --> 02:44:47.630
The stench of rotten flesh fills the Archeologist’s
nose.

02:44:47.630 --> 02:44:50.810
It takes a step towards him, then another.

02:44:50.810 --> 02:44:54.430
The Archeologist runs, he’ll leap off the
other end of the platform, it’s a big jump,

02:44:54.430 --> 02:44:55.430
but he could make it.

02:44:55.430 --> 02:44:57.670
The predator’s breath is on the back of
his neck.

02:44:57.670 --> 02:45:01.220
He jumps, just as the trap door gives way.

02:45:01.220 --> 02:45:04.710
With an enormous thud, the SCP falls into
the steel enclosure.

02:45:04.710 --> 02:45:09.610
Before it has a chance to move, the crane
unhitches the steel lid, and it crashes down

02:45:09.610 --> 02:45:12.370
into place, sealing the monster inside.

02:45:12.370 --> 02:45:17.260
The Archeologist lands in the dirt and rolls
onto his back to see the Professor, wild-eyed

02:45:17.260 --> 02:45:19.660
and cheering, up in the crane’s cabin.

02:45:19.660 --> 02:45:22.770
He lies there on his back panting and staring
up at the stars.

02:45:22.770 --> 02:45:27.030
A clunking sound echoes through the clearing,
and the gurgle of a liquid flowing through

02:45:27.030 --> 02:45:28.030
pipes.

02:45:28.030 --> 02:45:30.270
He sits up, adrenaline still pumping through
him.

02:45:30.270 --> 02:45:34.260
The Professor has plugged a pipe into the
metal enclosure and is running gallons and

02:45:34.260 --> 02:45:35.960
gallons of liquid into it.

02:45:35.960 --> 02:45:39.990
He follows the tube with his eyes, all the
way to the enormous hazardous vats on the

02:45:39.990 --> 02:45:41.609
edge of the clearing.

02:45:41.609 --> 02:45:43.529
Hydrochloric Acid.

02:45:43.529 --> 02:45:45.120
His eyes widen in horror.

02:45:45.120 --> 02:45:46.800
The Professor laughs at him.

02:45:46.800 --> 02:45:48.590
‘Come on, cheer up.

02:45:48.590 --> 02:45:50.920
We’re just scientists, that’s what you
said.

02:45:50.920 --> 02:45:53.500
Just testing a hypothesis!’

02:45:53.500 --> 02:45:58.770
You've seen his face before, probably during
a particularly distressing bout of sleep paralysis.

02:45:58.770 --> 02:46:04.670
His appearance can vary a bit from manifestation
to manifestation, but a few traits are always

02:46:04.670 --> 02:46:09.130
present: he resembles an elderly man, his
touch corrodes everything in his path, his

02:46:09.130 --> 02:46:14.050
presence creates a disgusting, black mucus-like
substance thought to be a method of pre-digestion

02:46:14.050 --> 02:46:17.319
of his prey, and he is rotting.

02:46:17.319 --> 02:46:22.220
No matter his appearance, he is always in
some stage of decomposition, gray skin sloughing

02:46:22.220 --> 02:46:28.600
away from yellowed bone, eyes milky and flat
but brimming with malice, wide mouth stretched

02:46:28.600 --> 02:46:30.760
into a wicked grin.

02:46:30.760 --> 02:46:35.430
The entity is incredibly difficult to contain;
its corrosive properties and ability to vanish

02:46:35.430 --> 02:46:40.399
into solid matter and disappear into its pocket
dimension lair make it a threat as unpredictable

02:46:40.399 --> 02:46:42.090
as it is dangerous.

02:46:42.090 --> 02:46:46.680
The smell of decay, and the presence of visible
corrosion on any surfaces nearby, may be the

02:46:46.680 --> 02:46:51.630
only warning a person gets before the Old
Man grabs them in his decomposing arms, dragging

02:46:51.630 --> 02:46:54.899
them off to a painful, terrifying demise.

02:46:54.899 --> 02:46:59.479
We know where the being disappears to, and
have learned a great deal about how he operates,

02:46:59.479 --> 02:47:00.779
but where did he come from?

02:47:00.779 --> 02:47:02.502
What I found was so distressing, that I almost
hope it isn't true.

02:47:02.502 --> 02:47:03.670
It is the year 2000.

02:47:03.670 --> 02:47:08.930
Dr. Robert Scranton and his wife, Dr. Anna
Lang, are the head researchers at SCP Foundation

02:47:08.930 --> 02:47:09.930
Site-120.

02:47:09.930 --> 02:47:14.040
Over the course of their happy relationship,
the two have been working on an experimental

02:47:14.040 --> 02:47:20.120
research project, an early prototype Reality
Anchor device called the "Lang-Scranton Stabilizer."

02:47:20.120 --> 02:47:24.170
After a lot of late nights at the office,
working and reworking the theory, it is, at

02:47:24.170 --> 02:47:26.740
long last, ready for testing.

02:47:26.740 --> 02:47:32.090
Dr. Scranton is standing in Reality Lab A,
as Dr. Lang observes from a nearby room.

02:47:32.090 --> 02:47:36.220
He follows the same routine he has followed
each time they tested the LSS, walking down

02:47:36.220 --> 02:47:39.780
a line of buttons and levers, pressing and
flipping each into place.

02:47:39.780 --> 02:47:44.029
The little red blinking light signifies that
the microphone is recording his every comment

02:47:44.029 --> 02:47:45.350
and observation.

02:47:45.350 --> 02:47:51.300
Suddenly, the routine is broken by a low rumbling
sound from deep, deep within the earth.

02:47:51.300 --> 02:47:55.189
The ground beneath him begins to shake, and
Dr. Scranton stumbles, losing his balance

02:47:55.189 --> 02:47:59.399
as the once-solid floor begins to roil and
quake as the seismic shift rolls through the

02:47:59.399 --> 02:48:00.399
Site.

02:48:00.399 --> 02:48:05.399
He hears the unmistakable grind and splintering
of metal and plastic as the LSS, too, begins

02:48:05.399 --> 02:48:08.760
to shake, components sliding out of place
and breaking off.

02:48:08.760 --> 02:48:13.780
Nearby, Dr. Lang's monitor goes dark as the
security feed is cut short by the earthquake's

02:48:13.780 --> 02:48:14.850
damage.

02:48:14.850 --> 02:48:15.930
"Robert!"

02:48:15.930 --> 02:48:20.030
She screams, making a break for the door and
rushing to Reality Lab A, terrified that she

02:48:20.030 --> 02:48:22.680
will find her husband's body lying on the
floor.

02:48:22.680 --> 02:48:26.319
When she and the guards reach the room, however,
they find...nothing.

02:48:26.319 --> 02:48:28.971
Well, not nothing, entirely.

02:48:28.971 --> 02:48:33.399
The room is a wreck, bits of machinery strewn
across the floor, the smell of burning plastic

02:48:33.399 --> 02:48:34.399
in the air.

02:48:34.399 --> 02:48:39.030
But the Lang Scranton Scrambler's Control
Panel and Dr. Robert Scranton are nowhere

02:48:39.030 --> 02:48:40.170
to be found.

02:48:40.170 --> 02:48:45.040
Dr. Lang falls to her knees in the suddenly
empty room, pounding at the floor in despair.

02:48:45.040 --> 02:48:47.020
"Where did he go?!"

02:48:47.020 --> 02:48:50.430
She demands, but of course, no one knows the
answer.

02:48:50.430 --> 02:48:53.319
No one wants to say what they're thinking.

02:48:53.319 --> 02:48:57.270
Wherever he is, Dr. Scranton is probably dead.

02:48:57.270 --> 02:48:58.540
Probably long, long gone.

02:48:58.540 --> 02:49:00.330
And he is never coming back.

02:49:00.330 --> 02:49:02.820
But no one says it, not out loud.

02:49:02.820 --> 02:49:08.950
They just think it, and keep thinking it for
the next five years, eleven months, and 21

02:49:08.950 --> 02:49:10.061
days.

02:49:10.061 --> 02:49:14.359
The time passes, and most everyone forgets
about Dr. Robert Scranton.

02:49:14.359 --> 02:49:16.470
Everyone except for Dr. Anna Lang.

02:49:16.470 --> 02:49:20.689
She never gives up hope, never lets go of
the possibility that somewhere, in another

02:49:20.689 --> 02:49:25.989
world, another time, on another planet, her
love is still alive.

02:49:25.989 --> 02:49:32.220
One day, she wakes up and it's December 23,
2005, a day like any other save for its uncomfortable

02:49:32.220 --> 02:49:35.500
proximity to the holidays she struggles to
celebrate anymore.

02:49:35.500 --> 02:49:42.130
But then, in the middle of the day, something
impossible happens; the LSS Control Panel

02:49:42.130 --> 02:49:45.621
reappears in Reality Lab A. It isn't how anyone
last saw it, though.

02:49:45.621 --> 02:49:52.180
It is coated in some sort of unidentified
organic matter, and it reeks of blood, vomit,

02:49:52.180 --> 02:49:54.510
and decay.

02:49:54.510 --> 02:49:58.689
As her colleagues try to shield her from the
sight, try to warn her away, Dr. Anna Lang

02:49:58.689 --> 02:50:03.670
wades into the area, desperate for a glimpse
at any sign of her husband's fate.

02:50:03.670 --> 02:50:08.290
As she makes her way into the containment
field, she is unable to contain her horror.

02:50:08.290 --> 02:50:11.251
"Oh, god, what the hell, what — what is
all this?

02:50:11.251 --> 02:50:12.840
This… this is… this is the…

02:50:12.840 --> 02:50:13.840
Oh, god.

02:50:13.840 --> 02:50:14.840
Robert?

02:50:14.840 --> 02:50:15.840
Robert?!

02:50:15.840 --> 02:50:16.840
Robert, is this you?

02:50:16.840 --> 02:50:20.290
Oh, god, please, please, no, don't let it
be you, don't let it be you, Robert?!

02:50:20.290 --> 02:50:23.910
I thought, I thought — How can this thing
be—?"

02:50:23.910 --> 02:50:28.300
Her colleagues try to stop her, but she touches
the Lang Scranton Stabilizer interface, and

02:50:28.300 --> 02:50:29.601
it fires to life.

02:50:29.601 --> 02:50:31.130
It still works!

02:50:31.130 --> 02:50:33.880
Somehow, it still works!

02:50:33.880 --> 02:50:38.620
She racks her brain for what to do next, before
saying: "Access Audio Log, play back starting

02:50:38.620 --> 02:50:39.830
from January 2, 2000!"

02:50:39.830 --> 02:50:44.689
The machine prompts her to verbally state
her password, and her voice shakes as she

02:50:44.689 --> 02:50:47.550
replies, "Password is 'Anna bo banna'."

02:50:47.550 --> 02:50:49.580
"Request acknowledged.

02:50:49.580 --> 02:50:50.590
Processing…"

02:50:50.590 --> 02:50:56.680
The machine replies, "I'm sorry, there are
no audio logs for January 2, 2000.

02:50:56.680 --> 02:51:03.510
Dr. Scranton accessed log on January 13, 2000
via voice-recognition at time—"

02:51:03.510 --> 02:51:07.190
Anna slams her hands down on the machine with
a cry, "Play back now, dammit!

02:51:07.190 --> 02:51:08.239
Play it back!"

02:51:08.239 --> 02:51:12.020
A researcher warns her not to touch any of
the material with her bare hands, but she

02:51:12.020 --> 02:51:13.020
doesn't hear him.

02:51:13.020 --> 02:51:17.700
She is too busy, calling out to Robert, hoping
that somehow, somewhere, he can hear her.

02:51:17.700 --> 02:51:19.920
"There's so much blood here, there's so much,
honey.

02:51:19.920 --> 02:51:20.920
Are you okay?!

02:51:20.920 --> 02:51:22.229
Where did you go?!

02:51:22.229 --> 02:51:24.200
Oh god, oh god, oh god…"

02:51:24.200 --> 02:51:27.989
Something small and metallic clatters to the
floor, lost in the sludge.

02:51:27.989 --> 02:51:31.600
She retrieves it, wipes it off on her lab
coat, and holds it to the light.

02:51:31.600 --> 02:51:33.550
She would recognize it anywhere.

02:51:33.550 --> 02:51:37.640
She slipped it onto her true love's finger
on the happiest day of her life.

02:51:37.640 --> 02:51:39.670
It's Robert's wedding ring.

02:51:39.670 --> 02:51:44.040
Her knees buckle at the realization, she collapses
to the ground, and her head cracks against

02:51:44.040 --> 02:51:46.130
the floor.

02:51:46.130 --> 02:51:49.930
One of her colleagues snaps into action, "Report,
this is Dr. Matthew Skinner, reporting from

02:51:49.930 --> 02:51:54.240
Site-120 Reality Lab A, I need medical attention
here immediately!"

02:51:54.240 --> 02:51:58.510
Once Dr. Lang recovers from her fall, she
demands access to the rematerialized control

02:51:58.510 --> 02:51:59.620
panel.

02:51:59.620 --> 02:52:03.850
She is going to go through the audio logs,
one by one, and find out exactly what happened

02:52:03.850 --> 02:52:08.200
to her husband, even if the truth is as ugly
as she fears.

02:52:08.200 --> 02:52:13.050
The machine whirrs to life, and her lost love's
voice emanates from the speakers.

02:52:13.050 --> 02:52:14.050
"Name, Robert Scranton.

02:52:14.050 --> 02:52:15.050
Age, 39.

02:52:15.050 --> 02:52:16.050
Birthday, September 19, 1961.

02:52:16.050 --> 02:52:17.050
Favorite color, blue.

02:52:17.050 --> 02:52:18.050
Favorite song, "Living on a Prayer."

02:52:18.050 --> 02:52:19.630
Wife, Anna.

02:52:19.630 --> 02:52:26.329
She has green eyes.

02:52:26.329 --> 02:52:34.010
I love her very much."

02:52:34.010 --> 02:52:39.420
He repeated these simple truths to himself
for days, before he even realized that the

02:52:39.420 --> 02:52:41.420
control panel was picking up his voice.

02:52:41.420 --> 02:52:44.490
"My name, is Robert Scranton.

02:52:44.490 --> 02:52:49.810
Yeah, yeah, my name, is Robert Scranton, former
researcher at Foundation Site-120.

02:52:49.810 --> 02:52:52.600
It has been…

02:52:52.600 --> 02:52:55.370
I don't know, actually, I…

02:52:55.370 --> 02:52:57.029
I can't remember.

02:52:57.029 --> 02:52:58.029
I…

02:52:58.029 --> 02:53:01.960
I estimate it's been ten days, but, I-I-I
don't, I can't…

02:53:01.960 --> 02:53:06.989
Oh God, can anyone hear me?!

02:53:06.989 --> 02:53:14.200
I-I-I don't know what's happened, I-I don't
know where I am, and-and, please, please is

02:53:14.200 --> 02:53:15.550
anyone there?!

02:53:15.550 --> 02:53:16.630
Hello?!

02:53:16.630 --> 02:53:17.710
Anyone?!

02:53:17.710 --> 02:53:18.790
ANYONE?!"

02:53:18.790 --> 02:53:23.359
He began keeping track of how much time passed,
as best he could.

02:53:23.359 --> 02:53:29.180
"Two weeks, three days, seven hours, and fifty-eight
minutes.

02:53:29.180 --> 02:53:31.840
Oh… Jesus."

02:53:31.840 --> 02:53:36.239
Back at the Foundation, with at least a tenuous
knowledge of where Dr. Scranton could be,

02:53:36.239 --> 02:53:38.979
personnel try their best to stage some kind
of rescue effort.

02:53:38.979 --> 02:53:43.630
A Mobile Task Force team is ordered to attempt
to replicate the experiment with a hastily-assembled

02:53:43.630 --> 02:53:45.510
Lang-Scranton Stabilizer copy.

02:53:45.510 --> 02:53:48.470
The result is an explosion that kills three
of them.

02:53:48.470 --> 02:53:53.930
Senior Researchers also approach SCP-343,
a powerful reality warper known to some as

02:53:53.930 --> 02:53:58.450
God, hoping to get some insight from him about
where Dr. Scranton could be found.

02:53:58.450 --> 02:54:02.130
His response is, “He’s beyond any of us
now.

02:54:02.130 --> 02:54:04.760
I’m truly, dreadfully sorry.”

02:54:04.760 --> 02:54:06.720
Anna starts having nightmares.

02:54:06.720 --> 02:54:12.310
She twists and turns in bed, haunted by visions
of her beloved Robert consumed by darkness.

02:54:12.310 --> 02:54:18.060
A strange specter starts to appear in her
dreams: A man with a horrible, rotted face.

02:54:18.060 --> 02:54:21.979
She turns to her bedside table in the night,
numbers blurry on the screen of her alarm

02:54:21.979 --> 02:54:22.979
clock.

02:54:22.979 --> 02:54:26.779
The photograph of herself and Robert that
she keeps there - Something is wrong with

02:54:26.779 --> 02:54:27.779
him.

02:54:27.779 --> 02:54:28.779
Wrong with his face.

02:54:28.779 --> 02:54:31.330
Is it that same awful rotted man?

02:54:31.330 --> 02:54:32.930
She screams and closes her eyes.

02:54:32.930 --> 02:54:35.930
When she opens them, the photo is normal again.

02:54:35.930 --> 02:54:36.939
She weeps into her pillow.

02:54:36.939 --> 02:54:38.690
It can’t keep going on like this.

02:54:38.690 --> 02:54:40.620
This place…

02:54:40.620 --> 02:54:46.250
It's some sort of reality gap, I think.

02:54:46.250 --> 02:54:53.560
If I don't concentrate on it, it's fine, but
I feel this… tingling all over my face.

02:54:53.560 --> 02:54:55.350
I'm not sure why.

02:54:55.350 --> 02:55:02.170
Two months, fifteen days, four hours."

02:55:02.170 --> 02:55:07.600
Anna begins to accept the horrible truth:
She may not see Robert ever again, and holding

02:55:07.600 --> 02:55:11.600
on to the foolish fantasy that she will is
starting to kill her.

02:55:11.600 --> 02:55:16.141
She repeats it to herself like a mantra at
work: “Robert Scranton is dead, Robert Scranton

02:55:16.141 --> 02:55:18.760
is dead, Robert Scranton is dead.”

02:55:18.760 --> 02:55:22.470
One day, a coworker notices her muttering
and strikes up a conversation.

02:55:22.470 --> 02:55:26.939
It’s been years since Robert disappeared,
what’s the harm in talking to someone again?

02:55:26.939 --> 02:55:30.410
She even finds herself smiling and laughing
at his jokes.

02:55:30.410 --> 02:55:34.720
But when he asks if she’d like to go for
coffee, she gets a flash of Robert screaming

02:55:34.720 --> 02:55:36.090
in the darkness.

02:55:36.090 --> 02:55:39.040
Of that terrible rotted face, grinning.

02:55:39.040 --> 02:55:41.859
She runs to the bathroom to throw up and weep.

02:55:41.859 --> 02:55:44.859
“The tingling in my face has worsened.”

02:55:44.859 --> 02:55:47.439
“I wish I could sleep here.

02:55:47.439 --> 02:55:50.010
But all this damn gunfire overhead.

02:55:50.010 --> 02:55:51.720
Can’t take it anymore.

02:55:51.720 --> 02:55:53.010
Can’t take it.

02:55:53.010 --> 02:55:54.010
Trench foot.

02:55:54.010 --> 02:55:55.010
Shell shock.

02:55:55.010 --> 02:55:58.710
Hell would be a reprieve from a place like
this.

02:55:58.710 --> 02:56:02.479
And all the men, all the poor souls who look
up to me.

02:56:02.479 --> 02:56:03.620
Who call me ‘Corporal.’

02:56:03.620 --> 02:56:05.570
What a joke.

02:56:05.570 --> 02:56:09.420
To think I have any more idea of what’s
going on here.

02:56:09.420 --> 02:56:12.800
Anna can hear it in his voice, he's getting
worn down.

02:56:12.800 --> 02:56:17.670
As Anna feels her emotions start to dull and
fade, she begins accepting more dangerous

02:56:17.670 --> 02:56:22.340
assignments from her superiors - Perhaps hoping
just to feel something again.

02:56:22.340 --> 02:56:27.819
She works on the SCP-682 case - trying to
devise more futile termination methods.

02:56:27.819 --> 02:56:34.029
She spends time with SCP-939, the abominations
known as With Many Voices, until they start

02:56:34.029 --> 02:56:38.510
to imitate Robert’s voice, and she knows
she can’t do this anymore.

02:56:38.510 --> 02:56:44.240
She works with SCP-280, Eyes in the Dark,
feeling no fear whatsoever as it floats towards

02:56:44.240 --> 02:56:45.240
her.

02:56:45.240 --> 02:56:49.990
The worst thing that could possibly happen
to her has happened already - Now, she’s

02:56:49.990 --> 02:56:51.360
just waiting.

02:56:51.360 --> 02:56:52.360
Killing time.

02:56:52.360 --> 02:56:55.870
She has no idea of the further horrors to
come.

02:56:55.870 --> 02:56:59.790
“Lately, I’ve been hearing whispers in
the dark.

02:56:59.790 --> 02:57:04.200
I think the rats are talking to me.

02:57:04.200 --> 02:57:05.270
How funny.

02:57:05.270 --> 02:57:09.660
My troops must think me mad, but what does
it matter?

02:57:09.660 --> 02:57:11.700
This is a mad place.

02:57:11.700 --> 02:57:12.700
A mad time.

02:57:12.700 --> 02:57:14.720
A mad man is perhaps best suited to a time
like this.

02:57:14.720 --> 02:57:15.800
So many went over the top yesterday, only
to be cut down by machine gun fire.

02:57:15.800 --> 02:57:17.880
Isn’t it odd that I laughed?

02:57:17.880 --> 02:57:25.109
It was so funny.

02:57:25.109 --> 02:57:31.390
I think perhaps this mental malady is connected
to a physical one.

02:57:31.390 --> 02:57:33.729
Nosebleeds and vomiting spells.

02:57:33.729 --> 02:57:39.279
This strange, black liquid, faintly acidic
to the touch.

02:57:39.279 --> 02:57:41.970
But so…

02:57:41.970 --> 02:57:43.319
Delicious.

02:57:43.319 --> 02:57:46.010
So fun.

02:57:46.010 --> 02:57:48.210
My troops tell me I look unwell.

02:57:48.210 --> 02:57:52.811
Like anything about this is well!

02:57:52.811 --> 02:57:59.340
Maybe I’ll sneak into one of their bedsits
tonight and teach them to lighten up a bit.

02:57:59.340 --> 02:58:01.780
None of them smile anymore.

02:58:01.780 --> 02:58:02.780
Me?

02:58:02.780 --> 02:58:04.130
I’m always smiling.

02:58:04.130 --> 02:58:08.149
I’ll teach those little cowards to smile
too…”

02:58:08.149 --> 02:58:13.189
as she listens to more of the logs, she’s
forced to reckon with the fact it really isn’t

02:58:13.189 --> 02:58:14.620
him anymore.

02:58:14.620 --> 02:58:16.180
Not as she’d ever known him.

02:58:16.180 --> 02:58:17.550
He’d become…

02:58:17.550 --> 02:58:18.790
Something else.

02:58:18.790 --> 02:58:21.890
“All the others are dead!

02:58:21.890 --> 02:58:22.890
Hahaha!

02:58:22.890 --> 02:58:25.970
All my good, hard work.

02:58:25.970 --> 02:58:28.820
Making them dead.

02:58:28.820 --> 02:58:31.600
I followed them down the length of the trench.

02:58:31.600 --> 02:58:33.109
Their silly little bullets didn’t hurt me.

02:58:33.109 --> 02:58:34.109
Oh no.

02:58:34.109 --> 02:58:35.109
Oh.

02:58:35.109 --> 02:58:36.109
no, no, no.

02:58:36.109 --> 02:58:39.720
The look on their faces.

02:58:39.720 --> 02:58:46.530
All the screaming as they saw me.

02:58:46.530 --> 02:58:51.550
How thrilling, to savor their fear as I approached.

02:58:51.550 --> 02:58:55.760
All those screams - What are you?

02:58:55.760 --> 02:58:57.250
You horrible old man?

02:58:57.250 --> 02:59:03.260
I showed them what I am, I can walk through
walls now, you know.

02:59:03.260 --> 02:59:07.939
I can walk through the trench, under no man’s
land, and appear right there in front of them

02:59:07.939 --> 02:59:09.500
- Have all the fun I want.

02:59:09.500 --> 02:59:10.500
Yes, yes, yes!

02:59:10.500 --> 02:59:11.790
Nothing can hurt me anymore.

02:59:11.790 --> 02:59:16.771
And I can hurt everyone.”

02:59:16.771 --> 02:59:19.270
“And when the war is over…

02:59:19.270 --> 02:59:21.120
I’ll go home.

02:59:21.120 --> 02:59:22.950
Go home to my sweetheart.

02:59:22.950 --> 02:59:26.160
I know she’s waiting for me.

02:59:26.160 --> 02:59:32.229
I can’t wait to see her, to touch her beautiful
face.

02:59:32.229 --> 02:59:35.260
My lovely, lovely Anna.”

02:59:35.260 --> 02:59:41.600
Hearing him like this, so broken, so utterly
transformed, it's too much for her to bear.

02:59:41.600 --> 02:59:46.180
The work always needs her, and she returns
to it day after day.

02:59:46.180 --> 02:59:50.950
One night, she sits up late, making her way
through a stack of paperwork, when she hears

02:59:50.950 --> 02:59:52.790
it.

02:59:52.790 --> 02:59:55.900
A curious sound.

02:59:55.900 --> 03:00:01.120
Drip...drip...drip...something thick dripping
steadily onto the floor behind her.

03:00:01.120 --> 03:00:05.010
The smell of rot fills her nostrils, making
her gag.

03:00:05.010 --> 03:00:13.550
She turns, and comes face to face with SCP-106,
dripping its slimy black mucus onto the floor,

03:00:13.550 --> 03:00:15.810
bringing decay to everything it touches.

03:00:15.810 --> 03:00:18.720
It reaches out toward her, grasping at her
arm.

03:00:18.720 --> 03:00:22.859
She breaks free, but not before its touch
melts away the fibers of her lab coat, threatening

03:00:22.859 --> 03:00:25.990
to seep through the fabric to her skin.

03:00:25.990 --> 03:00:29.779
All the while, it's staring straight at her,
like it knows her.

03:00:29.779 --> 03:00:32.880
Anna runs out of the lab as fast as she can,
shouting for help.

03:00:32.880 --> 03:00:36.970
A guard tries to come to her assistance, firing
his weapon at the Old Man, but the bullets

03:00:36.970 --> 03:00:40.330
don't leave a dent, don't even slow him down.

03:00:40.330 --> 03:00:44.790
The Old Man grabs the weapon from the guard's
hands, letting the metal rust, warp, and melt

03:00:44.790 --> 03:00:46.080
in his grasp.

03:00:46.080 --> 03:00:50.319
Then, he turns his corrosive touch on the
guard's face,

03:00:50.319 --> 03:00:53.939
Anna screams in horror at the sight, but she
can do nothing to help him.

03:00:53.939 --> 03:00:59.650
All that she can do is keep running, and hope
that the monster doesn't catch her.

03:00:59.650 --> 03:01:04.220
She runs as fast as her legs can carry her,
but she isn't as young as she once was, and

03:01:04.220 --> 03:01:07.720
years of sitting at a desk have made her muscles
stiff and weak.

03:01:07.720 --> 03:01:12.149
Her foot hits the ground at just the wrong
angle, and she stumbles, falling to the ground.

03:01:12.149 --> 03:01:17.050
She scrambles back to her feet, but when she
looks up, something is horribly wrong.

03:01:17.050 --> 03:01:18.720
Her surroundings have changed.

03:01:18.720 --> 03:01:21.920
It looks like the Foundation Site, but it's
not quite the same.

03:01:21.920 --> 03:01:26.530
It's as if someone tried to recreate the facility
from memory, and couldn't retain all of the

03:01:26.530 --> 03:01:27.729
details.

03:01:27.729 --> 03:01:30.620
Then, she hears it again.

03:01:30.620 --> 03:01:33.439
The drip, drip, drip.

03:01:33.439 --> 03:01:34.850
He's here.

03:01:34.850 --> 03:01:40.290
She spins around, and there it is, that awful
face, so close to her own.

03:01:40.290 --> 03:01:45.750
She takes a trembling step back, when suddenly,
the monster speaks.

03:01:45.750 --> 03:01:46.790
. "Anna..."

03:01:46.790 --> 03:01:48.859
It's him.

03:01:48.859 --> 03:01:52.910
She knows it, as surely as she knows that
she is about to die.

03:01:52.910 --> 03:01:57.931
The monster that once was Robert Scranton
reaches out and caresses Anna's cheek with

03:01:57.931 --> 03:02:00.189
his wrinkled hand.

03:02:00.189 --> 03:02:05.260
She screams as the skin begins to droop, and
he seals her lips with a kiss that makes her

03:02:05.260 --> 03:02:07.830
insides drip like melting wax.

03:02:07.830 --> 03:02:10.000
The two become one once again