You quickly turn on the computer in front of you, your hands shaking with fear. You type in your credentials as fast as you can. Thank god SCiPNET is still online.

SCiPNET Connection Acquired

Username: RRiver

Password: •••••••••

Processing…

Hello, Junior Archivist River! Thank you for using SCiPNET. What would you like to do today?

>open file:scp-7420

Processing request…

Loading file…

Item#: 7420

Containment Class: uncontained

Secondary Class: none

Disruption Class: amida

Risk Class: critical

One of the first sinkholes created during SCP-7420, located in the town of Harrow, Nevada, United States. Photo taken moments before SCP-7420-A emergence.

Special Containment Procedures: SCP-7420 is currently uncontained.

Description: SCP-7420 is a currently ongoing anomalous event. SCP-7420 began at 00:00 on 01/01/2023, when several sinkholes ranging from 2m to over 500m in diameter began rapidly forming around the world in major population centers, most notably in the exact geographic centers of the cities of Tokyo, Shanghai, London, and Cairo. At 12:00, thousands of anomalous entities began emerging from all sinkholes formed during SCP-7420, causing worldwide panic and disarray.

These entities, designated SCP-7420-A instances, are variable in appearance, though are typically pink or red in coloration, are slightly larger than an average human, and are eight-legged. Instances possess no heads or notable structures besides legs and abdomens, and vaguely resemble large spiders. Instances are hostile to humans and have been shown to attack on sight with intense force, often resulting in fatality for the victim.

Reading this again, you shudder at the thought of the horrifying creatures that now roam outside. You can still hear them. You're the only one left in the entire site, and though you've barricaded yourself in the archives room, you can hear them clawing and scratching at Site-86's main entrance. You realize you probably don't have much more time.

SCP-7420-A entities quickly overran most major cities and population centers after emergence, causing massive damage and casualties worldwide. As of writing, the human population is estimated to be at 5% of its initial number prior to SCP-7420. As such, the veil protocol has been lifted and the Foundation is currently working with major anomalous and mundane organizations in an attempt to prevent further loss.

This is where you come in.

The Foundation, in its effort to bring an end to SCP-7420, tasked almost every department to research the situation and find a solution. The Department of Mythology and Folkloristics was the only department to find something useful. They looked through their archives, and found a tapestry hidden away somewhere, depicting eight-legged creatures attacking a city sometime in the first century. The tapestry details a group of people performing a ritual and banishing the monsters. It ends with the banishers celebrating around a golden plate with twenty tally marks.

Initially, Mythology and Folkloristics thought the tapestry was related to some other anomaly, but noting the similarities between the monsters depicted and the 7420-A instances, they attempted the ritual in New York City, successfully returning the beasts there to the sinkhole they came from, which became sealed with an ornate golden plate, adorned with twenty tally marks.

Realizing the need for the ritual to be performed for every sinkhole around the world, the Foundation made the choice to declassify SCP-7420's file, editing it to include an addendum detailing the instructions for the ritual.

Problem is, almost every member of RAISA is dead, and they're the only ones who can make direct edits to database files.

Unfortunately this means the safety of the world has been placed into your hands.

SCP-7420's file has been opened. Would you like to do anything else?

>y

What would you like to do?

>edit file:scp-7420

Processing request…

Opening editor…

As the edit screen opens, you hear a loud burst down the hall. The entities have broken into the site. It's only a matter of minutes until they find you.

You hastily and shakily begin typing the instructions for the ritual into an addendum on the file. You jolt as a bang comes from the door, knocking over a notebook that was on the desk. They know you're here. More instances crowd around the door, clawing and scratching as the door begins to buckle under their weight.

Your breath quickens, your fingers sweat, your back aches. You type as fast as you can, hoping and praying you can upload it before they reach you. You're the only one with a copy of the instructions. Without them on this file, the world is surely doomed.

As you finish typing the last sentence, you waste no time in scrolling to the bottom of the editor. With sweat pouring down your forehead, you press save, and wait.

Saving page…

ERROR: REQUEST TIMED OUT

The door bursts open, and it's the last thing you hear.