WEBVTT Kind: captions Language: en 00:00:00.260 --> 00:00:04.480 The single piercing, high pitched note echoes through the cathedral. 00:00:04.480 --> 00:00:08.520 It hangs in the air as the boy sustains it for far longer than his small lungs should 00:00:08.520 --> 00:00:10.210 be capable of. 00:00:10.210 --> 00:00:14.720 The boy is the star of the choir and is well known throughout his city and even beyond, 00:00:14.720 --> 00:00:20.140 and people come from far and wide for the chance to hear his perfect soprano voice. 00:00:20.140 --> 00:00:24.470 But on this night, there are only a few people scattered amongst the many rows of pews to 00:00:24.470 --> 00:00:26.890 listen to the choir as it practices. 00:00:26.890 --> 00:00:31.280 And for good reason, while the boy’s lauded voice is as sweet and powerful sounding as 00:00:31.280 --> 00:00:35.970 ever, the choir itself is at its lowest point in recent memory. 00:00:35.970 --> 00:00:40.260 This nadir has occurred because many of the other boys who used to sing in the choir… 00:00:40.260 --> 00:00:41.649 have vanished. 00:00:41.649 --> 00:00:45.769 The choir finishes its song, that’s all for tonight, and the boy’s begin to put 00:00:45.769 --> 00:00:49.359 on their coats and gather their things from underneath their chairs. 00:00:49.359 --> 00:00:53.690 The boy with the perfect voice feels something on his shoulder and spins around with a fright 00:00:53.690 --> 00:00:58.149 to see that it is just the hand of the priest who is also the conductor of the choir. 00:00:58.149 --> 00:01:03.140 The priest is an old man with a deeply wrinkled yet kind face, and he reminds the boy that 00:01:03.140 --> 00:01:05.210 he is to head straight home. 00:01:05.210 --> 00:01:09.070 The boy promises the priest that he will go directly to his house and the priest reassuringly 00:01:09.070 --> 00:01:12.870 pats the boy on the shoulder before walking away to give the same advice to each of the 00:01:12.870 --> 00:01:14.370 other boys. 00:01:14.370 --> 00:01:19.930 The boy steps out into the dark cold night as the heavy cathedral doors shut behind him. 00:01:19.930 --> 00:01:25.730 It’s softly raining and he pulls his coat shut to try and keep out the damp and cold. 00:01:25.730 --> 00:01:30.300 As the boy begins to walk he takes note of the closed newsstand across the street. 00:01:30.300 --> 00:01:35.940 The day’s papers are still hanging outside and tell of yet another boy who has gone missing, 00:01:35.940 --> 00:01:38.210 this one from the next town over. 00:01:38.210 --> 00:01:42.030 There are still no leads in the cases and parents have been growing angry with the police 00:01:42.030 --> 00:01:44.540 over the lack of any progress. 00:01:44.540 --> 00:01:48.730 As the boy walks down the darkened street he fails to notice the shadowy figure that 00:01:48.730 --> 00:01:51.800 has stepped out of a dark alley near the cathedral. 00:01:51.800 --> 00:01:55.740 But soon he hears the sound of feet on the wet sidewalk behind him. 00:01:55.740 --> 00:01:59.610 He glances over his shoulder and sees that the figure is walking the same direction as 00:01:59.610 --> 00:02:00.610 him. 00:02:00.610 --> 00:02:05.140 The boy looks back straight ahead, not wanting to draw any more attention to himself and 00:02:05.140 --> 00:02:07.580 tries to increase his pace. 00:02:07.580 --> 00:02:12.599 As the boy walks, his well trained ears quickly detect that whoever is walking behind him 00:02:12.599 --> 00:02:14.549 has sped up as well. 00:02:14.549 --> 00:02:19.409 The boy doesn’t run but he feels a surge of real fear begin to rise inside of him. 00:02:19.409 --> 00:02:25.049 The boy picks up his pace even more and again hears the person behind him increase theirs. 00:02:25.049 --> 00:02:29.269 The boy is walking so fast now that if he went any faster he’d have to break into 00:02:29.269 --> 00:02:30.650 a run. 00:02:30.650 --> 00:02:31.940 His house isn’t far though. 00:02:31.940 --> 00:02:36.189 He turns a corner and can see it, a quaint little home with warm light pouring out through 00:02:36.189 --> 00:02:37.489 the windows. 00:02:37.489 --> 00:02:40.829 He knows that inside his mother will be standing in the kitchen cooking dinner. 00:02:40.829 --> 00:02:45.609 He knows that inside is protection from the night and shadows. 00:02:45.609 --> 00:02:49.410 The boy looks behind him and sees the figure round the same corner. 00:02:49.410 --> 00:02:51.940 The boy can’t wait any longer and he starts to run. 00:02:51.940 --> 00:02:55.969 And he sees over his shoulder that the figure has begun to run as well. 00:02:55.969 --> 00:02:59.669 The boy is sprinting as fast as he can, his feet kicking up water from the sidewalk. 00:02:59.669 --> 00:03:04.779 He can hear the figure getting closer and closer to him, their long legs outpacing his 00:03:04.779 --> 00:03:05.999 own with ease. 00:03:05.999 --> 00:03:08.329 He’s so close to his house though. 00:03:08.329 --> 00:03:11.560 He’s so close to being dry, and warm, and safe. 00:03:11.560 --> 00:03:16.909 He slides to a stop on the damp stones in front of the door and reaches out for the 00:03:16.909 --> 00:03:17.909 handle. 00:03:17.909 --> 00:03:20.819 Inside the warm little house the woman cooking dinner is startled by the sound of the door 00:03:20.819 --> 00:03:22.340 suddenly bursting open. 00:03:22.340 --> 00:03:25.090 She turns to see an empty doorway. 00:03:25.090 --> 00:03:29.970 She steps out into the street but it too is empty, nothing present but the sound of the 00:03:29.970 --> 00:03:30.970 wind. 00:03:30.970 --> 00:03:36.439 And the almost imperceptible sound of a single note being sung... a beautiful, high pitched 00:03:36.439 --> 00:03:37.809 note. 00:03:37.809 --> 00:03:41.669 What happened to the boy who was once the shining star of the cathedral’s choir? 00:03:41.669 --> 00:03:43.599 And what of the other missing boys? 00:03:43.599 --> 00:03:45.819 Where did they all go? 00:03:45.819 --> 00:03:52.310 Perhaps, they went to SCP-2678, a mysterious spatial anomaly that is also known as… 00:03:52.310 --> 00:03:54.859 A City All of Blood. 00:03:54.859 --> 00:04:00.109 SCP-2678 is an extradimensional space that so far is known to be accessible through exactly 00:04:00.109 --> 00:04:05.680 one entrance - a door in the basement of the Siena Cathedral in Siena, Italy. 00:04:05.680 --> 00:04:10.920 Strangely, the extradimensional location behind the door is only able to be entered by individuals 00:04:10.920 --> 00:04:14.900 who hold what could be termed, traditionally Catholic beliefs. 00:04:14.900 --> 00:04:18.910 Perhaps even stranger though, is that when it was first discovered, the door to the space 00:04:18.910 --> 00:04:24.260 was barred and a metal placard had been placed next to it that read “SCP Foundation Department 00:04:24.260 --> 00:04:25.970 of Abnormalities”. 00:04:25.970 --> 00:04:30.670 This might not sound especially odd, but it came as quite a surprise to the agents investigating 00:04:30.670 --> 00:04:35.760 it as there is no record of there ever having existed a Department of Abnormalities within 00:04:35.760 --> 00:04:37.720 the SCP Foundation. 00:04:37.720 --> 00:04:43.290 Other than SCP-3790 of course, which is another padlocked room bearing a similar sign, but 00:04:43.290 --> 00:04:47.370 that file has been locked by the O5 Council and we will have to save our exploration of 00:04:47.370 --> 00:04:48.820 that for another time. 00:04:48.820 --> 00:04:52.260 Back to SCP-2678. 00:04:52.260 --> 00:04:57.060 Individuals who have Catholic beliefs that enter the SCP-2678 space find that they emerge 00:04:57.060 --> 00:05:01.950 into a small, tent-like structure that appears to be a sort of forward operating base that 00:05:01.950 --> 00:05:04.630 has been built around the freestanding doorway. 00:05:04.630 --> 00:05:09.940 The outpost is abandoned but there still remains a number of strange objects including a biomedical 00:05:09.940 --> 00:05:14.840 laboratory-grade refrigerator containing numerous samples of blood and bone, various types of 00:05:14.840 --> 00:05:20.120 audio recorders ranging from old wax strip models to magnetic tape machines, and a computer 00:05:20.120 --> 00:05:24.190 terminal which when activated requests Foundation credentials. 00:05:24.190 --> 00:05:29.070 However all attempts to access this computer have been met with failure, as it has rejected 00:05:29.070 --> 00:05:32.430 all attempts for reasons of “insufficient clearance.” 00:05:32.430 --> 00:05:37.380 Also found inside the outpost was the score for a previously unknown choral prelude titled 00:05:37.380 --> 00:05:43.190 “Sul Golgota” which when translated from Italian means “On Golgotha” with Golgotha 00:05:43.190 --> 00:05:47.500 being the name of the hill that Jesus Christ was crucified on according to the bible. 00:05:47.500 --> 00:05:52.330 The last object found in the tent was a skeleton, though several bones were missing including 00:05:52.330 --> 00:05:54.810 the hipbone and both forearms. 00:05:54.810 --> 00:05:58.590 Further examination of the skeleton revealed it to have belonged to a young male, though 00:05:58.590 --> 00:06:02.920 the exact cause of death was unable to be determined, nor was it clear whether the bones 00:06:02.920 --> 00:06:07.010 had been removed before or after the young man expired. 00:06:07.010 --> 00:06:12.560 Upon exiting the outpost, visitors to SCP-2678 will find that they are on the outskirts of 00:06:12.560 --> 00:06:16.910 a gigantic city that is floating in the middle of a red-orange void. 00:06:16.910 --> 00:06:22.540 The city is truly massive, having been measured at being over 300 square kilometers in size, 00:06:22.540 --> 00:06:27.780 and consisting entirely of cathedrals, palaces and churches all of which are in the Italian 00:06:27.780 --> 00:06:29.680 Gothic style of architecture. 00:06:29.680 --> 00:06:34.650 A never-ending rain of a red liquid that was found to be human blood falls on the city 00:06:34.650 --> 00:06:39.280 at all times and has stained the buildings a deep red color, and while they appear at 00:06:39.280 --> 00:06:43.840 first glance to be made of marble, analysis has found that all the buildings are actually 00:06:43.840 --> 00:06:51.340 constructed of human bone, specifically bones belonging to human males aged seven to twelve. 00:06:51.340 --> 00:06:55.500 Later tests of the material found within the forward outpost’s biomedical refrigerator 00:06:55.500 --> 00:07:00.430 revealed the stored blood and bones to be samples taken from throughout the city. 00:07:00.430 --> 00:07:05.750 No life has ever been observed within SCP-2678, though visitors have reported hearing a high 00:07:05.750 --> 00:07:11.770 pitched, discordant melody that seems to come from somewhere deep within the maze of structures. 00:07:11.770 --> 00:07:15.990 All attempts to record the sound have failed, as all audio equipment malfunctions when within 00:07:15.990 --> 00:07:20.240 the space, and playback of recordings results in them having only picked up the sound of 00:07:20.240 --> 00:07:23.280 the blood rain falling at a very high volume. 00:07:23.280 --> 00:07:27.710 This explains the various types of audio equipment found in the forward outpost which were likely 00:07:27.710 --> 00:07:31.700 used in unsuccessful attempts to record the music. 00:07:31.700 --> 00:07:35.420 Attempts to trace the source of the melody through the labyrinth-like city will inevitably 00:07:35.420 --> 00:07:40.270 lead to the same building, which is an exact replica of the same Siena Cathedral that the 00:07:40.270 --> 00:07:46.850 entrance to SCP-2678 is located in, though it too is made of bone that has been stained 00:07:46.850 --> 00:07:49.410 red from the falling blood. 00:07:49.410 --> 00:07:54.320 And while the outside of the cathedral perfectly matches its real world counterpart, the inside 00:07:54.320 --> 00:07:56.550 is a different story. 00:07:56.550 --> 00:08:00.870 Inside the cathedral, one will find only a single, large pipe organ. 00:08:00.870 --> 00:08:05.000 The pipe organ has had its longest pipes, the ones that produce the lowest notes, cut 00:08:05.000 --> 00:08:08.740 in half and the corresponding pedalboards torn out. 00:08:08.740 --> 00:08:13.150 Pressing a key on the organ will produce a note that mimics an adolescent male’s voice, 00:08:13.150 --> 00:08:16.400 and each key has its own unique voice. 00:08:16.400 --> 00:08:20.230 Just like with a normal pipe organ, a note can be sustained for as long as the key is 00:08:20.230 --> 00:08:24.430 pressed down, though after a time the voice emanating from the organ will seem to take 00:08:24.430 --> 00:08:26.480 on a panicked tone. 00:08:26.480 --> 00:08:30.480 Attempts to determine just how the organ produces the notes have been met with failure, as the 00:08:30.480 --> 00:08:35.830 organ does not have a windbox, bellows, or blower of any kind which would normally move 00:08:35.830 --> 00:08:37.580 air through the pipes. 00:08:37.580 --> 00:08:43.229 The organ has another effect within SCP-2678 besides just producing sounds though, as whenever 00:08:43.229 --> 00:08:48.380 a note is played, the rain falling outside will transform into regular water. 00:08:48.380 --> 00:08:52.950 No matter how long the note is held and the now regular clear rain falls though, the buildings 00:08:52.950 --> 00:08:56.890 will never be washed and always continue to be stained red. 00:08:56.890 --> 00:09:00.310 Tests were performed on the organ in order to determine just how long it could sustain 00:09:00.310 --> 00:09:05.380 a single note, and the C7 key was pressed for over 20 minutes, during which time the 00:09:05.380 --> 00:09:09.650 voice continued to sing out, becoming more and more stressed and panicked sounding as 00:09:09.650 --> 00:09:10.650 time went on. 00:09:10.650 --> 00:09:16.340 Finally, at the 23 minute, the key itself splintered into pieces, permanently removing 00:09:16.340 --> 00:09:18.370 the ability to produce that note. 00:09:18.370 --> 00:09:21.910 The splintered remains of the key were also observed to bleed for several days following 00:09:21.910 --> 00:09:23.570 this test. 00:09:23.570 --> 00:09:28.780 Expeditions sent into SCP-2678 have resulted in agents appearing to undergo a number of 00:09:28.780 --> 00:09:33.940 behavioral changes that, at present, are hypothesized to come as a result of hearing the organ music 00:09:33.940 --> 00:09:35.140 within. 00:09:35.140 --> 00:09:39.360 The psychological changes have included an increased appreciation for choir music, an 00:09:39.360 --> 00:09:43.960 ever stronger belief in structured religion, more trust in authority figures, less trust 00:09:43.960 --> 00:09:49.170 in those coming from a lower social or economic status, and a reluctance to report crimes 00:09:49.170 --> 00:09:52.720 committed by fellow members of the SCP Foundation. 00:09:52.720 --> 00:09:57.090 These changes appear to be permanent as well, as there has been no evidence of them fading 00:09:57.090 --> 00:09:58.510 with time. 00:09:58.510 --> 00:10:03.140 Unfortunately, little to no progress has been made in understanding the mysterious and unnerving 00:10:03.140 --> 00:10:07.520 space, nor what the presence of a Department of Abnormalities forward operating base inside 00:10:07.520 --> 00:10:13.260 could mean, and so for the time being, all further explorations within have been canceled. 00:10:13.260 --> 00:10:17.620 The doorway in the basement of the Siena Cathedral has once again been barred with the entrance 00:10:17.620 --> 00:10:21.760 hidden behind a bookshelf, and the ease with which the extradimensional location can be 00:10:21.760 --> 00:10:27.400 contained by the Foundation has resulted in it being given the Safe classification. 00:10:27.400 --> 00:10:31.290 What do you think SCP-2678 actually is? 00:10:31.290 --> 00:10:34.400 Who built the strange city of blood and bone? 00:10:34.400 --> 00:10:36.830 If it was built by a person at all. 00:10:36.830 --> 00:10:42.250 Let me know your theory in the comments, and then go check out SCP-783 There Was a Crooked 00:10:42.250 --> 00:10:47.630 Man, for another anomaly that involves a terrifying dimension easily accessed from our own. 00:10:47.630 --> 00:10:51.800 And make sure you subscribe and turn on notifications, so you don’t miss a single anomaly, as we 00:10:51.800 --> 00:10:55.720 delve further and further into the SCP Foundation’s classified archives.