Item #: SCP-5322

Object Class: Safe

Special Containment Procedures: The property housing SCP-5322 has been purchased by the Foundation and sealed off from the public. Any individuals attempting to gain access to SCP-5322 are to be apprehended by on-site security, interrogated, and amnesticized as appropriate.

Description: SCP-5322 is a short one-way road which begins at a small farmhouse in Hackett, Georgia and terminates fifty meters in, leading to a non-anomalous woodland clearing. A hand-painted sign next to the beginning of this road reads 'Route 108.'

The anomalous properties of SCP-5322 only become apparent when an individual in a motor vehicle drives down its entire length. If, at the termination of the road, the individual in question is visually observing their surroundings, no unusual phenomena will occur. On the other hand, however, if the individual in question has their eyes closed or their vision otherwise obscured, they and their motor vehicle will disappear completely.

To date, no individuals have reappeared after vanishing in this way.

Experiment Log 5322-1

In order to better understand the nature of SCP-5322, three tests were performed by Foundation personnel over the course of three weeks. In the first two of these tests, performed by D-Class personnel, the vehicles disappeared as usual and were not recovered.

In the third test, volunteer Agent Simeon Woods was equipped with a specialized vehicle featuring an array of exterior cameras and sensors, along with a hand-held audio recording device in the event of equipment malfunction.

The following logs constitute the recovered data from said audio device:

Approximated Time: 13/04/2019, 14:26. Thirty seconds following disappearance of vehicle.

Speaker: Agent Simeon Woods

[RECORDING START]

Confirming, um, crossover — some sort of crossover has just occurred.

Not entirely sure of current location, there was about ten to twenty seconds of, sort of, turbulence? I'm not sure if that'd be the right word to describe it. Bright lights and shaking of the vehicle, at any rate. I'm not sure… I'm not sure if the exterior equipment is still functional. I heard something snap off.

Audio recording equipment still functional. Will perform a quick exterior inspection if safe.

[RECORDING END]

Approximated Time: 13/04/2019, 14:30. Four minutes following previous message.

Speaker: Agent Simeon Woods

[RECORDING START]

Yes, um. Okay.

Exterior equipment is definitely non-functional, majority of it is completely missing. Not sure if it was left behind on the other side or, or what. Will continue documenting experiences via audio equipment, ah, as best I can.

My surroundings. Um, it's a road here, still a road — much longer now, stretching as far as I can see. Off into the horizon, past that probably. There was a forest around me when I came in here, but it's just fields now. Normal grass, normal… all normal except for the fact that there's so much of it. It's the same time of day, I think — the sun's in the same position, at least. If it's the same sun.

Will continue driving as instructed.

[RECORDING END]

Approximated Time: 13/04/2019, 19:21. Roughly five hours since previous recording.

Speaker: Agent Simeon Woods

[RECORDING START]

Now speaking.

Have been driving for the last five hours or so. Nothing to report landscape-wise in that time. Just… just fields on either side, and the road continuing on. Fairly smooth road — hasn't been much in terms of bumps. Haven't noticed any vegetation on the sides of the road other than grass. I don't know if you can tell, but I'm sort of reaching for things to report here. Been grateful for the music already loaded on the radio.

It's a little cloudy?

Oh — oh! Yes. I've been keeping an eye on my fuel as I've been driving, of course, and the position of the meter doesn't seem to have changed in that time. Unsure whether that's some kind of malfunction with the equipment or if I'm actually just not using fuel. I'll inspect at first opportunity to confirm which is the case.

It's getting dark. Will concentrate on driving.

[RECORDING END]

Approximated Time: 14/04/2019, 11:42. Roughly four hours since previous recording.

Speaker: Agent Simeon Woods

[RECORDING START]

Quick update.

Still driving — haven't stopped since I came in, really. It's, uh, it's boring, but I don't feel any physical fatigue. Any kind of physical tiredness — just as awake as I was when I came in here. I'm not hungry either, or thirsty. So I guess it's one of those kinds of situations.

It's, uh, pitch-black outside. I don't think I mentioned there weren't any street lights out here. I mean, I never said that there were, but I just wanna say specifically now that there aren't. It's just some slight light from the moon — a moon, I guess, no way to tell if it's the one I know. Oh, and the — the headlights of the car. Thank God those weren't broken coming in.

It's just… it's kind of calm, you know? Just the sound of the engine. Can't even hear any insects out there, or birds. Just this thing purring. I was kinda worried, you know — that this would be one of those things were, like, something awful would come out but only at night. That something would start trying to get in the car, or I'd catch glimpses of something out in the dark or something like that.

Well, I'm not trying to jinx it, but it doesn't seem like that's the case. There's nothing out there, far as I can tell. Just me, the dark and the road.

It's not so bad.

[RECORDING END]

Approximated Time: 14/04/2019, 11:45. Roughly three minutes since previous recording.

Speaker: Agent Simeon Woods

[RECORDING START]

Forgot to mention — I'll do an inspection of the car, to check the fuel, soon as first light comes in.

Okay, that's it.

[RECORDING END]

Approximated Time: 15/04/2019, 10:02. Roughly ten hours since previous recording.

Speaker: Agent Simeon Woods

[RECORDING START]

Okay, sort of a mass update here. Didn't want to clog this thing up with a bunch of ten-second recordings.

First things first: did that inspection of the fuel I was talking. Definitely still a full tank — so I should be good to keep driving unless something unforeseen happens. I mean, I'm hardly gonna crash, so… well, I say that. That leads me to the second thing, actually.

Came across a house on the side of the road a couple of hours after sunrise. A little, little sort of cottage thing, mostly made from wood. Kinda cosy-looking, that sort of… like the kind of thing you'd see on a Christmas card? Idealized, I think's the best way to put it. Anyway, I parked up and took a look around — wanted to see if there was any kind of, I don't know, natives or, or other people here.

Needless to say, there weren't. Place looked abandoned. Bed upstairs had been slept in, clearly, and there were dishes in the sink — oh, there was a sink — but the food in the fridge looked like it'd been rotten for a while. If someone once lived there, they haven't for a while. Got back in the car after my search and went back on the road.

Oh, it was on the left side, if that's important. Probably not.

[RECORDING END]

Approximated Time: 15/04/2019, 15:09. Roughly five hours since previous recording.

Speaker: Agent Simeon Woods

[RECORDING START]

We're getting somewhere now.

More houses like the one I reported about earlier — well, more properties, I suppose. They're all sort of unique: different designs, different sizes. Cosy little cottages next to all this modern metal and glass next to, like, a little castle. Not much in terms of a unifying theme. I searched them all, of course, and they're just as abandoned as the cabin was. Food rotted where it's stored, so it's definitely been left there for a while.

These things seem to be coming up in clusters. I went an hour or so with just fields, and then I got a bunch of them all together. There haven't been any vehicles — just houses. One house had a driveway, but there was no car in it. Not sure if that means anything.

Fuel meter still hasn't budged — that probably isn't changing anytime soon. Not sure if there's anything to be done except go on driving, so — hold up.

[RECORDING END]

Approximated Time: 15/04/2019, 15:28. Roughly twenty minutes since previous recording.

Speaker(s): Agent Simeon Woods, Brenda Calloway1.

[RECORDING START]

Brenda Calloway: I just talk?

Agent Woods: You just talk. Actually, actually, I should probably give an — some kind of introduction first. Hold on.

(Agent Woods clears his throat.)

Agent Woods: I'm sitting in a, uh, a diner, a roadside diner by the name of … "Brenda's Spot?" Is that right?

Brenda Calloway: Mm-hmm.

Agent Woods: Okay. Yes. That's where I am, and I'm speaking with the proprietor, Brenda Calloway. Do you mind if I describe you? It's — we just have audio, so…

Brenda Calloway: So long as you're polite about, I guess.

Agent Woods: Alright. Miss Calloway is a, uh, a young woman — twenties? You're in your twenties, is that right? She's nodding. Caucasian brunette, uh, green eyes. Wearing some kind of waitress uniform — she's got a name card on, with her name on it. Sorry about that — and thanks for the coffee.

Brenda Calloway: No problem. You done?

Agent Woods: Yes. Yes, I'm done. I have to say — you didn't seem too surprised to see me.

(Pause.)

Brenda Calloway: Well, you're the first in a while, but people come through here every now and then. Last couple of fellas were prisoners in these orange suits, and they weren't too polite, but they went on their way quick enough.

Agent Woods: I see. And, um, may I ask when you yourself… came through?

(Pause.)

Brenda Calloway: Well, it was… I guess it must've been a while ago. Couldn't tell you the exact date, if that's what you wanna know. Was driving home from work one day, took a wrong turn, and I ended up in this place.

Agent Woods: In this diner?

Brenda Calloway: No, no, on the road, I mean. Still driving, like I just had been, but the road just kept going. Was so dark I didn't realize for a while, you know? And when I did, there still weren't that much I could do except keep going. Keep driving.

Agent Woods: I didn't notice your car when I came in.

Brenda Calloway: (sighs) Well, you know… you can only keep on driving for so long, right? Eventually, just, you just have to accept that you're not going anywhere. No matter how far I drove, it might've well as just been a dead end. So I, well, I just stopped.

(Pause.)

Agent Woods: And then…?

Brenda Calloway: I parked the car, got out to — well, you know, I carried a gun for safety — and there was the diner. Just in front of me, like it'd been there for years. Brenda's Stop. I was a waitress before, did I mention that? It was all I'd ever been good for — so I figured 'why not'? I set up shop: all the supplies I needed were already here, and they stock themselves up every now and then.

(Pause.)

Brenda Calloway: (shrugs) You take what you can get.

Agent Woods: You're content just… staying here? Forever?

Brenda Calloway: Well, not forever. If I wanted to, I could just walk off, across the fields… and I get the feeling that that'd be that. But it's not so bad here. I keep myself busy, you know?

Agent Woods: Right.

(Pause.)

Brenda Calloway: Hey… what year is it? Could you tell me that?

Agent Woods: It's, um…

Brenda Calloway: It ain't the 70's anymore, is it?

Agent Woods: No.

(Pause. Faint sound of sniffling.)

Brenda Calloway: Could… could you?

Agent Woods: Of course.

[RECORDING END]

Approximated Time: 15/04/2019, 17:22. Roughly two hours since previous recording.

Speaker: Agent Simeon Woods

[RECORDING START]

Asked her if she wanted to come with me, I was happy to give her a ride, but… guess not. Seemed happy enough where she was. Well, not happy, but you know what I mean. Better the devil you know, I guess. Or something like that.

Back in the car now, back on the road. Starting to, uh, starting to get a little played out — these songs you guys gave me. Probably should have accounted for a, uh, a long trip. Well, we didn't know there'd be a trip at all, so this is fine, I guess. I'm fine.

Cloudy again.

[RECORDING END]

Approximated Time: 16/04/2019, 05:11. Roughly twelve hours since previous recording.

Speaker: Agent Simeon Woods

[RECORDING START]

(singing)

Put the lime in the coconut and… oops, shit.

[RECORDING END]

Approximated Time: 22/04/2019, 12:22. Roughly six days since previous recording.

Speaker(s): Agent Simeon Woods, "Harvey Preston"2.

[RECORDING START]

Agent Woods: -like normal?

Harvey Preston: Yup, just like you'd expect. Was a little wary to try it myself at first, of course, you understand, but it's just like normal. Not half bad. You wanna…?

Agent Woods: Oh, no, no, that's okay. Like I was saying, though, is there a message you'd want me to pass on once I get out or…?

(Laughter.)

Harvey Preston: I told you, son. There ain't no place to reach. There's just the road and wherever you decide to stop driving. You've got to get realistic at some point.

Agent Woods: All the same.

Harvey Preston: I… I'm not an idiot. There's nobody out there for you to give a message to. I'm happy enough here — just let me be.

Agent Woods: Are you sure? There's seats in the car, we could…

Harvey Preston: I'd thank you to get off my property, son.

(Pause.)

[RECORDING END]

Approximated Time: 22/04/19, 12:49. Roughly thirty minutes since previous recording.

Speaker: Agent Simeon Woods

[RECORDING START]

That was, uh, that was Harvey Preston. He was in this farm I came across — huge, just huge sort of place, fields and fields of stuff other than grass, actually. All sorts of fruits, crops, you know. Even a combine harvester. I wonder if you could use that to drive the road. Probably not.

God, it's nice out. If — if there's some background noise, I've got the window open.

Anyway, he was just, uh — sorry about the lack of updates, by the way, it's just that there's not been much to report. Lost the habit. He was just doing his thing. You don't need to eat here, but I guess he enjoys the work of it. Dunno if 'enjoy' is the right word, though. More like, uh… something to keep you busy. You gotta find something to waste the seconds away with, I guess.

Just fields again now.

Dum de dum.

[RECORDING END]

Approximated Time: 14/05/19, 21:43. Roughly twenty-two days since previous recording.

Speaker: Agent Simeon Woods

[RECORDING START]

I've got to, um…

I'm not sure if this is a confession, exactly — it's not like I've done anything wrong, exactly. I just feel like I've got to say it, and I guess you guys are like a captive audience. Will be a captive audience. Hopefully, I mean.

I volunteered this, after the first two guys didn't come back. Must've looked like a suicide thing. Maybe it was — but I, I don't think so. It just felt like… doing this was some kind of impact. A contribution to something that wasn't me — like, like an important one. It's hard to put into words.

My dad died when he was thirty, and his dad before him, and — uh — so on. My mom told me about it. I mean, I'm not a superstitious guy, but there's something there. You guys have to admit there's something there. And I'm — I'm twenty-eight now — so there's that kinda fear. You know. You start thinking about the impact you're gonna leave. Whether it all means something, whether it meant anything.

(Pause.)

There's this… there's this feeling, where you just wanna worry about it, all the time — and you realize that as you're, you're worrying about it, you're wasting time. And you don't have time. It's running out, every second. Even as you're thinking that. But it's just so awful you can't help it. And nothing means anything.

(Pause. Agent Woods can be heard sighing.)

This road… I get the feeling nobody's got to the end. Not properly. That's got to mean something, hasn't it? If I find out what's there? If I meet it? It has to. And all I have to do is keep driving. It's the easiest thing in the world.

And if it goes on forever, well… I guess there could be worse things. I've got nothing but time.

[RECORDING END]

Approximated Time: 11/07/2019, 14:22. Roughly two months since previous recording.

Speaker: Agent Simeon Woods

[RECORDING START]

Nothing to report.

[RECORDING END]

Approximated Time: 26/10/2019, 17:49. Roughly three months since previous recording.

Speaker(s): Agent Simeon Woods, "Lucy Carson"3

[RECORDING START]

Agent Woods: This is, uh, Lucy Carson. She lives at [REDACTED]. Go ahead.

(Pause.)

Lucy Carson: Harry, baby, if you're, uh — if you're there, I love you. I love you so much. And — and the kids. If they're — if you're listening to this, too, Mommy loves you. God, you're probably too old for that now, aren't you? So, so old. You just, you just keep going. Okay? I love you guys. I — I — so much. It's… I…

(Pause.)

Agent Woods: That's okay. You did great.

[RECORDING END]

The following sixty-two recordings proceeded in much the same manner, with Agent Woods allowing various individuals he encountered to record messages intended for friends and loved ones. Deliberation is currently underway regarding a way to deliver these messages to their intended recipients without a breach of secrecy.

A full archive of these recordings is available upon request. This log will proceed following this aforementioned period:

Approximated Time: 11/09/2020, 13:39. Roughly one year since previous recording.

Speaker: Agent Simeon Woods

[RECORDING START]

The clusters are starting to die off now. Nothing since Grey's place for a week or so now. Had a birthday driving, I realized, just after the big castle. It's sunny today. I like the warmth on my skin. It's like … it's nice. I've got the window open.

I wonder if it'll rain soon. It rains every now and then. Did I ever mention that? It's not slippery, but it sounds nice coming off the windows. Like fingers tapping against the glass, but, uh…

(Laughter.)

…a little less spooky than that, I think.

[RECORDING END]

Approximated Time: 24/12/2020, 19:22. Roughly three months since previous recording.

Speaker(s): Agent Simeon Woods, D-92214

[RECORDING START]

D-9921: I do appreciate it, though.

Agent Woods: No problem. You really did get sick of that cabin, didn't ya?

(Pause.)

D-9921: Mm-hmm.

Agent Woods: Did we send you in with that bag?

D-9921: Must've.

Agent Woods: I read the files — I don't remember that.

D-9921: It was in the cabin when my car crashed. It's not a big deal.

Agent Woods: I never said it was a big deal.

D-9921: Okay.

(Pause.)

Agent Woods: If we're gonna be driving together, we might as well try and get along. Where were you-

D-9921: Are you recording this?

Agent Woods: Yeah.

(Pause.)

D-9921: I want to drive.

(Pause.)

Agent Woods: Sure thing. Lemme just stop the car.

[RECORDING END]

Approximated Time: 24/12/2020, 23:57. Roughly four hours since previous recording.

Speaker: Agent Simeon Woods

[RECORDING START]

Had to ditch him.

Got a bad vibe. Didn't like the way he was being cagey about the bag. Might have been nothing, but… if it was nothing, why would he get so defensive about it? Was it a weapon, maybe? It could have been a knife. I don't know what he would have done with it. Maybe he was a little sore about being thrown in here. I wouldn't blame him.

Or it might have been nothing.

I feel a little bad, but… not as bad I thought I would. It's not like I left him to starve, or freeze, or die alone. Someone will come along. Something will come along — eventually. Things don't happen here in ways they aren't meant to. Or anywhere. This is a one-way road, after all.

It's very empty now. Not even grass. I think I'm getting somewhere.

(Beeping sound.)

Oh. Merry Christmas, I guess.

[RECORDING END]

Timestamps from this point onward are unclear, preventing specific dating of entries. Logs are adjusted as appropriate.

Approximated Time: Unknown

Speaker: Agent Simeon Woods

Imagine the biggest apartment building you've ever seen.

Like, imagine you've lived in the country all your life. I don't know if you, the person listening, can relate to that — or if any of you can, if you're listening in a group. I grew up in the country, and when you go to the city everything just looks massive. In a different way, I guess. In the country, things are wide, things stretch off forever — but in the city, things are tall. Things reach up for the sky.

Imagine a building — just, just the biggest you've ever seen. Full of people. And then imagine it over, and over again, stacked on top of itself. Like a kid's toys, just left in a pile.

It's like that, right now, both sides of the road… just, just these grey concrete buildings just smashed together, the piles reaching up all the way into the sky. Sun's sort of poking through the gaps, but just barely.

(Sounds of rumbling and crashing.)

Did you catch that? Every now and then, dozens of those buildings will just slide off those piles, smash onto the road and just… just fade away. It's kind of sad. Once, I think these were places people could settle for, and they're just… gone. Forever.

There are people here, too, but I don't think I'll be stopping this time. I catch them, looking at me through broken windows, peeking over shattered balconies. They have angry eyes. It's not that they want the car, I don't think, it's just… the audacity, I think. That I'm still going, and they aren't.

I can understand why they're angry. They almost made it, I think.

[RECORDING END]

Approximated Time: Unknown

Speaker: Agent Simeon Woods

[RECORDING START]

Made it through. When I cleared the buildings, I could hear them behind me. Shouting after me, like a — like a chorus. Like an angry chorus.

I didn't look back.

It's fields again, now — but not the same fields. I haven't got out to check — I feel like that isn't a good idea anymore — but I'm pretty sure it's reeds, not grass. Well, I know reeds are a kind of grass but, you know, long and yellow instead of short and green. Just thought it might be worth mentioning.

(Pause.)

Let's get this done. It's bright out.

[RECORDING END]

Approximated Time: Unknown, possibly 16/04/2021.

Speaker: Agent Simeon Woods

[RECORDING START]

Still driving, I think. I can't hear the engine — it's, it's too bright for that, I think. Like I'm driving into the sun. Can't even see outside the windows, but — you know — my eyes don't hurt. Don't even sting. It's like a gentle star.

(Pause.)

I think it might be my birthday.

[RECORDING END]

Approximated Time: Unknown

Speaker: Agent Simeon Woods

[RECORDING START]

The engine's stopped. I… okay. That's…

(Sound of knocking against glass. Sound of window being rolled down.)

H-Hi.

(Pause.)

Okay. I… oh my… G-God, that's…

(Agent Woods laughs.)

That's so beautiful.

[RECORDING END]

On 23/05/2021, Agent Simeon Woods and his vehicle reappeared within the forest clearing at the end of SCP-5322. On-site personnel quickly recovered both, and Agent Woods was declared dead at the scene. Cause of death ruled as sudden heart failure at an indeterminate date and time.

Agent Woods was found to be smiling.

Footnotes

1. Georgia native reported missing in 1977.

2. Georgia native reported missing in 1932.

3. Georgia native reported missing in 1996.

4. First member of D-Class personnel sent through SCP-5322.