

⚠️ Content warning: This article contains heavy subject matter that includes psychological torture, grievous injury, and serial killers. Reader discretion is advised.

⚠️ content warning

Ecronak

Enjoyed the skip? Give some of my other works a look here!

Item#: 6618

Containment Class: euclid

Secondary Class: {$secondary-class}

Disruption Class: vlam

Risk Class: notice

An image of SCP-6618 during its fifth recording.

Special Containment Procedures: SCP-6618 is to be contained in a secure locker within Site-118. Access to SCP-6618 is to be decided at the discretion of the head researcher. Due to the nature of SCP-6618’s content, all staff working on SCP-6618 while it is being played are recommended to have achieved a score of 5 or below on the Riemann-Mannheim Empathy Test.

In addition, at least one Foundation webcrawler team is to be assigned to search for similar instances to SCP-6618. The term “Papa” is to be of particular note during this search. All newfound anomalies similar to SCP-6618 are to be reported to the SCP-6618 Project Lead upon containment.

Description: SCP-6618 is a standard video compact disc (VCD) with the words “PAPA’S WAYS ON HOW TO RAISE AND DISCIPLINE YOUR CHILD” written on its surface in marker ink. When played, SCP-6618 will display a video of a human male (later found to be James Vane, a college student who lived in Jackson, Wyoming in 2004) being subjected to typical non-corporal childhood disciplinary measures taking place over a runtime of seventy-two minutes. Though the overall structure of the video remains the same, each playback produces notable differences, with later playbacks displaying an evident progression in the degrading mental state of Vane.

Throughout the runtime of SCP-6618, Vane will typically be accompanied by an additional entity (hereafter referred to as SCP-6618-A), which can be seen speaking in SCP-6618’s annotations. SCP-6618-A's appearance, identity and purpose are unknown, though it has been recorded to refer to itself as “Papa” in its interactions with Vane. Later testing of SCP-6618 with the Moore Technological Tampering Instrument has since uncovered evidence related to C-type technopathic modification1, though conclusive evidence regarding the technopathic status of SCP-6618-A has still been yet to be uncovered. (Outdated. Refer to Operation Log for further details.)

-As of the time of writing, the search for “Papa” and similar anomalies to SCP-6618 (see Addendum 6618.1) is still ongoing.- (Outdated. Refer to Operation Log for further details.)

Discovery Log: SCP-6618 was first discovered in Jackson, Wyoming in July of 2004 by a federal agent who was investigating a lead regarding the recent chain of disappearances in the area. The operative then submitted the anomaly as additional evidence to his superior, who at the time was an undercover Foundation operative. Upon discovering the anomalous properties of the disc, the aforementioned superior then contacted the Foundation, which amnesticized all personnel that knew of the disc. Shortly after, the disc was then procured by the Foundation and taken to Site-118 for containment.

Addendum 6618.1: The following logs are selected transcripts of SCP-6618 recordings played from its initial discovery up until the present.

First recording, played on 7/08/2004

[A blue titlecard reminiscent of early 2000s TV shows appears with the words “PAPA’S WAYS ON HOW TO RAISE AND DISCIPLINE YOUR CHILD” written upon it. Light jazz music is heard in the background. It disappears within several seconds.]

SCP-6618's title card.

[Vane, who is estimated to be approximately twenty years old, is seen facing the corner of a wall. The subject’s knees are seen to be unmoving, and from the perspective of the viewer, it is evident that Vane is unable to move anything except his head, which is slightly shaking. The beige paint on the wall is peeling, and evidently shows signs of neglect. The only light source within the room is a spotlight directed at Vane.]

[The words “THE CLASSIC WAY” appear in large yellow serif letters above Vane’s head. A few seconds later, the words “TIME-OUT” appear below. They disappear from the frame after a few seconds.]

Vane: “Hello?”

[There is no response.]

Vane: “Dear God, hello?!”

[There is no response. This continues for several minutes.]

[Vane attempts to move away from the wall, but is only able to move his head. He is seen gritting his teeth as he continues to attempt to move away.]

Vane [fearful]: “Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.”

[Vane tries to pull his head away from the wall more violently, doing so in bursts of activity. He is heard grunting with effort.]

Vane: “This… this isn’t funny. What am I doing here, hello?!”

[After three minutes, Vane’s efforts at struggling decrease and eventually halt. He is seen resting his head on the wall and panting. Sweat is seen running down his forehead.]

[Vane attempts to speak in between breaths. His panting is audibly loud.]

Vane: “I…”

[Vane takes a deep breath.]

Vane [screaming]: “IS ANYONE THERE?! MY NAME IS JAMES VANE! COME HELP ME, PLEASE!”

[Vane takes another deep breath.]

Vane [screaming]: “HELLLLLLLP!”

[Vane slumps. His head rests against the corner in the wall.]

[The words “HE HAS BEEN A BAD BOY” appears above Vane. This is followed by the words “LET US TEACH HIM TO BE A GOOD BOY AGAIN.” below it. Both disappear after several seconds.]

Vane: “Help…”

[Vane begins to sob.]

Vane [sobbing]: “Help me, please…”

[The words “TIME:” followed by the timestamp of the accelerated footage appears below Vane.]

[The video begins to transition to a timelapse. Vane is seen going through twenty-two repeated attempts to break free. When his attempts are unsuccessful, he begins to inaudibly scream for help before collapsing and slumping against the wall.]

[After an estimated nineteen hours of accelerated footage, the video begins to slow down once again. Audio returns to the video, as evidenced by the return of background noise, but Vane himself is silent. His head is seen resting on the corner of the wall, and we are only able to see the back of the subject’s head. The sound of faint breathing is heard.]

[The video again transitions into a timelapse for another 78 hours of accelerated footage. Unlike the previous timelapse, Vane does not make any movements except for the occasional quiver and cough. Approximately 52 hours from when the timelapse begins, the subject makes an attempt to lift his head once again, but is apparently too weak to do so2.]

[Eventually, the footage slows down once again. Despite not having had access to water for more than 72 hours, Vane has not yet expired, but does not appear to be able to move.]

[The “TIME:” text below Vane disappears. It is soon replaced by the words “HE IS NOW A GOOD BOY.”]

[The sound of a singular footstep is heard behind the camera. Vane attempts to slowly turn his head to look.]

Vane [weakly]: “He… hello?”

[The spotlight on Vane is completely turned off. The footage is now in absolute darkness.]

[Slow footsteps are heard in the darkness. It is assumed to be moving closer to Vane. Vane makes no audible vocal reaction, but his breathing is heard accelerating with each step.]

[The footsteps are heard coming to a stop beside Vane.]

[Silence persists for several seconds]

[Vane screams, but the vocal noise is heard being similar in volume to a rasp3.]

[END TRANSCRIPT.]

Second recording, played on 7/15/2004

[A blue titlecard reminiscent of early 2000s TV shows appears with the words “PAPA’S WAYS ON HOW TO RAISE AND DISCIPLINE YOUR CHILD” written upon it. Light jazz music is heard in the background. It disappears within several seconds.]

[Vane, who is visibly thinner compared to the previous playing of SCP-6618, sits on an exquisite chair in the middle of the frame. A large table is set in front of him, the surface of which is covered with twenty-seven plates of food and several pitchers full of water. Vane is evidently weak, but has an expression of relief on his face.]

Vane [rasping]: “Th-thank you. Thank you so much.”

[Vane slowly begins to eat from a dish to his right, which appears to be a bowl of mushroom soup. He is evidently quivering as he does so. He is able to finish the dish in six minutes.]

[The words “THE HEALTHY WAY” appear in large yellow serif letters above Vane’s head. A few seconds later, the words “FEEDING HIM HEALTHY FOOD.” appear below. They disappear from the frame after a few seconds.]

[Vane continues to eat from the dishes available to him, but notably avoids the dishes containing vegetables such as cabbage, carrots, and lettuce. Throughout the twenty-minute length of Vane’s meal, his demeanor and physicality changes, with his skin notably becoming less pale and his movements becoming less sluggish. Vane has also been noted to express joy and pleasure within this period, but he has also been observed to be nervously viewing the room.]

[The words “REMEMBER TO REWARD THE BEHAVIOR OF GOOD BOYS.” appear above Vane.]

[Vane is heard belching, which he tries to nervously hide. Shortly after, he ceases to eat, and continues to attempt to sit up straight in his seat. He begins to nervously look around the room once again.]

Vane [grateful]: “Th-thank you for the food. I’ve been… um… starving for so long.”

[Silence is heard.]

Vane [fearful]: “Hello?”

[Nothing responds to Vane’s remarks. Vane quickly looks around the room.]

Vane [hesitant]: “Can I please… can I please leave now?”

[The silence continues. Vane nervously scans the room once again.]

[Vane remains in its seat for several minutes. His eyes are seen moving from side to side in regular motions. He is seen trembling as he sits up straight.]

Vane [relieved]: “He’s not here. He’s not here. He’s not here.”

[Vane looks from side to side before slowly and hesitantly rising from his seat. His expression is that of disbelief and relief. He stands up and slowly begins to walk to the side, away from the table. Each progressive step that Vane takes expresses incrementally less hesitation.]

[Vane moves out of frame.]

[There is silence for several seconds.]

[Footsteps are heard behind the camera. The spotlight is turned off.]

[The words “AND REMEMBER TO PUNISH THE BEHAVIOR OF BAD BOYS.” appear in the darkness.]

[A table is heard being moved violently. Several staggering footsteps, presumably Vane’s, are heard.]

[The spotlight is again turned on. The text disappears. Vane is seated at the table once again, but his eyes are seen tearing up. Several pieces of lettuce, which were seen as one of the dishes on the table, have been forcefully inserted into his mouth. Vane is seen shaking his head and gagging.]

[The words “CHEW.” appear in red. Vane attempts to respond.]

Vane [barely intelligible, gagging]: “No… no, please.”

[The words “CHEW!” appear larger at the bottom. Vane continues to resist.]

Vane [barely intelligible, gagging]: “Please stop… [unintelligible] I don’t want to…”

[The spotlight turns off for one second.]

[The spotlight is turned on once again, and the lettuce is seen forcefully inserted further into Vane’s mouth. Vane is seen gripping the ends of the table and is trying to scream.]

[The words “CHEW, NOW.” appear larger and now take up half of the screen. Vane’s eyes are watering and audibly struggling, but is unable to resist.]

[The spotlight turns off.]

[Vane can be heard gagging and dry-heaving. He retches, then sobs quietly for a moment.]

[The spotlight turns on again. Vane is now seen gingerly eating the lettuce with his own hands. He is tearing up with every bite, and is visibly in pain as he swallows.]

[The words “HE IS NOW MY GOOD BOY.” appear in yellow text.]

[The words “Aren’t you?” appear in red text below.]

[Vane slowly nods as he chews.]

Vane [hesitantly]: “Y-yes… Papa.”

[END TRANSCRIPT.]

Sixth recording, played on 8/07/2004

[A blue titlecard reminiscent of early 2000s TV shows appears with the words “PAPA’S WAYS ON HOW TO RAISE AND DISCIPLINE YOUR CHILD” written upon it. Light jazz music is heard in the background. It disappears within several seconds.]

[The words “THE HOMEY WAY” appear on a dark screen. After a few seconds, the text “TEACHING THEM HOW TO DO CHORES” is seen below.]

[Vane is seen standing meekly in the center of the frame. He appears docile and fearful as his body quivers. Compared to previous playings of SCP-6618, he also seems to hunch his back while situating his knees closer to the ground, as if he is making himself look smaller.]

[The words “TEACHING YOUR CHILDREN RESPONSIBILITY MAKES THEM INDEPENDENT!” appears above Vane. It is followed by the text “IT’S ALSO A GREAT WAY FOR THEM TO PAY YOU BACK.” Both lines of text disappear after a few seconds.]

[Vane is seen looking around in uncertainty. He begins to quiver more violently.]

Vane [fearful]: “He… hello? Papa? What am I doing-”

[A large wood broom falls from out of frame and onto the floor. It makes a loud sound, which startles Vane. He looks around in fear.]

Vane [unsure]: “Papa? Papa?”

[The words “SWEEP.” appear in large letters in the middle of the screen. Vane flinches in response, and he begins to silently hyperventilate.]

Vane: “Of course, Pa… papa. I’m so sorry.”

[Vane gingerly picks the broom up from the floor and begins to sweep. Due to the angle of the camera, we are unable to see the floor.]

[Slow jazz music begins to play in the background. It appears to be playing in the room that Vane seems to be in.]

[Vane continues to sweep for several seconds before something behind the camera roughly directs it to view the floor. At this point, only the floor and Vane’s feet are being shown.]

[Vane’s sweeping begins to slow three minutes from when the subject started. While not obvious from the viewpoint of the viewer, he appears to be slowly retrieving something from his pocket.]

[The jazz music continues. The words “CHILDREN ARE MEANT TO BE SEEN, NOT HEARD.” appear, followed by “SIT BACK AND WATCH THEM WORK AS YOU RELAX.” below it. SCP-6618-A does not seem to notice Vane’s actions.]

[Vane continues to sweep the floor, but does so in a way that seems to indicate that he is only holding the broom with one hand. Although quiet, the sound of tape being removed is heard.]

[Jazz music continues to be played in the background. Vane has now stopped attempting to sweep properly, is now only making motions with the broom on the floor. SCP-6618-A does not make any indication of noticing this.]

[Suddenly, Vane throws the broom at the camera, which causes it to tip over and hit the ground. The sound of the camera’s lens breaking is heard, and the video only shows the grey concrete floor.]

[Vane is heard wrapping tape around something. He is heard yelling triumphantly as he does so. The words “NO!” are seen on the screen, followed by “NO! NO! NO! NO! NO! NO! NO!” which takes up the remainder of the empty space.]

Vane: “THE LIGHT WON’T BE TURNING OFF NOW, PAPA! IT WON’T BE TURNING OFF NOW! YOU CAN’T GET ME ANYMORE!”

[Vane is heard presumably finishing with wrapping the spotlight in tape, and screaming in delight. His voice seems to be mimicking that of a pre-pubescent boy.]

Vane: “DARN YOU, PAPA! DARN YOU! YOU WILL NEVER EVER EVER TAKE ME DOWN AGAIN!”

[The words “NONONONONONONONONONONONONO” continue to fill up the screen.]

[Vane continues to scream in delight in the background, jumping repeatedly in celebration.]

[Faintly, the sounds of tape ripping is heard as more “NONONONONONO” words fill up the screen.]

Vane: “Wait-”

[Vane is heard panicking as he begins to sprint.]

Vane: “PAPA, NO!”

[The words ““PUNISHMENT. PUNISHMENT. PUNISHMENT. PUNISHMENT.” begin to fill up the screen.]

[The spotlight is heard turning off. At once, the sound of a body repeatedly being thrown to the floor is heard. Bones are heard snapping and cracking. As this happens, the words “PUNISHMENT. PUNISHMENT. PUNISHMENT. PUNISHMENT.” continue to fill up the screen. Vane ceases to scream several minutes after the punishment starts. This continues for the remaining forty minutes of runtime.]

[END TRANSCRIPT]

Eighth recording, played on 8/08/2004

[A blue titlecard reminiscent of early 2000s TV shows appears with the words “PAPA’S WAYS ON HOW TO PUNISH YOUR CHILD” written upon it. Light jazz music is heard in the background. It disappears within several seconds.]

[The words “THE BEST WAY” appear on a dark screen. After a few seconds, the text “SELF REFLECTION” is seen below. The text disappears after several seconds.]

[The screen remains dark, but we hear tape being used to wrap around something. Crying, which mimics a small child’s, is heard faintly.]

Vane: “Papa, I’m sorry. I’m so sorry, Papa. Papa, I love you, Papa, please.”

[The words “I HAVE CODDLED YOU FOR LONG ENOUGH, BOY.” appear in the middle of the screen. It is replaced by the words "IT IS TIME TO TEACH YOU A LESSON IN LISTENING TO YOUR PAPA."]

[Vane’s tone becomes desperate.]

Vane: “No, Papa, no, please! Papa, I’ll be a good boy, I promise, Papa!”

[The sound of Vane being slapped is heard. Shortly after, liquid is heard splattering on the ground.]

[The words “I LOVED YOU. I FED YOU. I RAISED YOU. AND NOW YOU REBEL AGAINST ME?!” appear on the screen. Vane continues to cry.]

[The prior text is soon replaced by the words “YOU WILL LEARN YOUR PLACE, BOY. LIKE YOUR SIBLINGS HAVE.”]

Vane [pleading]: “No, Papa, no! I love you so so so much, Papa! Please, Papa, please!”

[At the center of the screen, the words “LET’S SEE YOUR TRUE FACE.” appear. Vane begins to plead even louder and louder.]

[The spotlight is heard turning on. The camera is heard being turned away immediately, and we are only able to see a small part of the other side of the room, the walls of which are covered in parts of crushed human corpses which appear to be sticking to the surface. Vane is heard screaming louder and louder as he presumably views himself in the mirror. This continues until the end of the disc’s runtime.]

[END TRANSCRIPT.]

Ninth recording, played on 9/24/2004

[A blue titlecard reminiscent of early 2000s TV shows appears with the words “PAPA’S WAYS ON HOW TO RAISE AND DISCIPLINE YOUR CHILDREN” written upon it. Light jazz music is heard in the background. It disappears within several seconds.]

[The words “THE MODERN WAY” appear on a dark screen. After a few seconds, the words “THE FERBER METHOD” are seen below.]

[Vane is seen in a dark room that is barely illuminated by what looks like a spotlight outside the window. He is laying down in a bed with a small blanket4 barely covering his body. What we are able to see of his body is shivering and curled into a fetal position. Despite this, the shape of a hand permanently bent 45 degrees juts out from the bed.]

An image of SCP-6618 during the ninth recording

[Vane begins to cry. Despite his estimated age of twenty, the cry attempts to mimic that of an infant’s.]

[The words “EVEN IF YOUR BABY IS CRYING IN THE OTHER ROOM,” appear above Vane as he continues to cry.]

[Vane moves out of his fetal position and begins to wave his contorted arms while laying on his bed in a mimicry of the behavior of a crying infant.]

[The words “KNOW THAT THEY’RE CRYING JUST TO GET YOUR ATTENTION.” replace the previous text.]

[Vane’s crying begins to become louder. He begins to attempt sit up and kneel on the bed, but his grievous bodily contortion renders him unable to do so.]

[The words “THEY HAVE NOTHING ELSE TO DO BUT THAT,” replace the previous text.]

[Vane continues to cry loudly while waving his arms in the air. Even in the dim light, his flayed skin is evident.]

[The words “SO NEVER ANSWER THEIR CRIES!” replace the previous text. It soon disappears.]

[After several minutes, Vane ceases to cry. He lays back down on the bed and sucks his thumb, which is missing its fingernail.]

[The words “AND IF WORSE COMES TO WORST AND THEY STILL DON’T SLEEP,” appear above Vane.]

[The spotlight outside of the room that Vane is in shuts off. The video is left in total darkness. Vane begins to cry even louder than before.]

[The words “FORCE THEM TO CRY IT ALL OUT.” appears in the middle of the screen. It disappears after several seconds.]

[Vane continues to cry for the rest of the forty-seven minute runtime of the video. The sound of faint crying from presumably adjacent rooms is heard as well.]

[At the end of the video, the words “Papa loves all of you, my babies.” appears in small print at the bottom.]

[END TRANSCRIPT]

Operation Log 6618.1: Four months after SCP-6618’s discovery and subsequent containment, Foundation webcrawler teams were able to find matches related to “Papa” to an obscure website called “Papa’s Parenting Journey”, dated to have been created on January 1, 2000. Though the website contained nothing but an error message when opened, the IP address that created it was traced to a small cabin in rural Wyoming, the United States5. MTF Epsilon-6 was sent to the scene to investigate.

Foreword: At 2:15 AM, under the command of MTF Epsilon-6 captain Jules de Napoli, the operatives of the mobile task force made preparations to enter the suspected residence of SCP-6618-A. Three members of the MTF were cleared to enter, with two additional operatives standing guard outside.

The following log was extracted from Jules de Napoli’s suit camera after the operation.

<Begin Log>

The camera footage shows an old wooden door. Mold covers most of the surface, with the metal doorknob evidently flimsy. De Napoli guards the left side of the door, while his second-in-command, Operative Charles Daryl Burnside, guards the right. Operative Lina Gomez takes up the rear.

de Napoli: “Alright, we ready?”

Burnside: “Affirmative, captain.”

Gomez: “Sir, yes, Sir.”

De Napoli looks over his shoulder at the two operatives currently guarding the exterior of the cabin, before looking back at Burnside.

de Napoli: “Let’s go.”

On de Napoli’s mark, Burnside places his hand on the doorknob, turns it, and slowly opens it. The door opens with a long creak.

Burnside enters first with his assault rifle. De Napoli follows. Gomez, off-camera, takes up the rear.

The interior of the cabin is extremely disordered and cluttered. Several dishes with rotten left-overs sit on top of the dining table, with the sofa containing three large brown stains. Ripped-up magazines have been left on the floor, while a pile of unfolded newspapers reside on top of the table where a television should be. There is notably no restroom within the cabin.

Burnside: “Jesus Christ, this place is a dump.”

Gomez: “Well, we saw the logs. Guy’s a sicko.”

De Napoli sighs.

de Napoli: “Place is empty. I don’t think anyone’s here.”

De Napoli raises his hand and makes a forward gesture.

de Napoli: “Search the place. We’re looking for a hiding place or a tunnel. Anywhere he could have gone or where he could have hid something.”

Burnside and Gomez nod in response, quickly moving across the interior to search. De Napoli lowers his gun and begins to look around as well. His body moves to face the direction of the sofa.

de Napoli: “Hmm.”

De Napoli extends his hand to inspect the stains. Upon closer inspection, they are handprints, but with several fingers missing. In addition to that, only left handprints seem to be present on the sofa.

De Napoli inspects the sofa for several seconds, before slowly pushing it.

Gomez: “Sir?”

Footsteps, presumably Gomez’s, are heard moving closer. De Napoli continues to push the sofa, uncovering a small metal trapdoor, roughly enough to fit a small adult.

De Napoli raises a hand and gestures for silence. Burnside is seen getting closer to the trapdoor and readying his weapon. Gomez does the same.

De Napoli lowers his hand and slowly opens the trapdoor. It leads down to a set of stairs, the bottom of which is dark. De Napoli wears his night vision goggles, and the other operatives follow suit. He proceeds silently down the dark stairs, and gestures for the other operatives to follow.

The stairs proceeding down to the basement as seen from the perspective of Captain de Napoli.

The basement is large and mostly populated by tables with three boxes sitting on each. Notably, one table has a box missing. Many compact discs have also been scattered on the ground. To the right of de Napoli is a well-like structure which is covered by a circular wooden lid, while to the left of the captain is at least twenty television sets stacked upon one another, all silently turned on. A low rumbling noise permeates the entire basement.

de Napoli: “We’re clear. He’s not here.”

Gomez and Burnside emerge into the surface of the basement. De Napoli looks behind him to confirm their presence before moving in the direction of one of the tables. Taking his hand off his firearm, he begins to open one of the boxes.

As de Napoli opens the box, he finds it filled to the brim with compact discs, all with the markings “PAPA’S WAYS ON HOW TO RAISE AND DISCIPLINE YOUR CHILDREN” written upon it. De Napoli shakes his head.

de Napoli: “More 6618 CDs, what do you know?”

Gomez moves to the side of de Napoli to open another box, before pursing her lips in apprehension.

Gomez: “Same here. CDs, probably anomalous.”

Gomez and de Napoli continue to open the boxes for the next several seconds. Burnside begins to move in the direction of the television sets.

Gomez: “Papa’s ways… Papa’s ways… Papa’s ways… Yeah. Nothing here but 6618s.”

De Napoli tuts twice.

de Napoli: “And ‘Papa’s’ nowhere to be fucking seen. Do you two think he knew we were coming for him?”

Gomez: "I don't know, but it's possible if-"

The sound of a chair being moved immediately draws the attention of Gomez and de Napoli, who turn to their right with firearms drawn. They see Burnside watching the different television sets with his night vision goggles removed. He is seen with a look of horror on his face. He looks in the direction of de Napoli.

Burnside: “Sir? I think you need to see this.”

De Napoli and Gomez move in the direction of Burnside before turning to the television sets.

de Napoli: “Fuck.”

On each television set is a video resembling that of SCP-6618, but with a different individual in each one, all in varying stages of regression. One, a malnourished blonde woman in her late thirties, is seen being chained to a wall. Another, a woman of East Asian descent, is seen kneeling on a plate of mungo seeds. Third, a human of indeterminate sex or ethnicity, is seen crushed against and sticking to a wall. Even without sound, their lips could be seen mouthing the words “Papa” over and over.

Burnside: “They’re real people, aren’t they? All of them?”

Gomez: “I think so.”

The three operatives stand still as they watch the television sets for thirty seconds, when they are interrupted by an increase in the volume of the rumbling that has been heard since they entered the basement.

In response, de Napoli looks in the direction of where he thinks the rumbling is coming from, which is the well-like structure to his left. He begins to slowly move in that direction. Gomez and Burnside are assumed to be following behind him. De Napoli holds his firearm at the ready.

As he approaches the lid, de Napoli stretches out his hand, but hesitates. The rumbling is heard to be getting louder with him being so close to it. The words "I HAVE TO LEAVE. PAPA LOVES YOU SO MUCH." have been hastily written in red marker on the surface of the lid. From his viewpoint, the inside seems to be covered in a few inches of cotton.

After a few seconds of hesitation, de Napoli tuts before placing his hand on the lid, pulling it away.

As de Napoli moves his head to look into the pit within the structure, he sees a large mass of dead bodies, numbering at least several hundred, in varying states of decay ranging from fresh corpses to desiccated skeletons. All bodies are churning in a manner similar to that of thick liquid, with some being seen sinking and resurfacing within the mass. Notably, some bodies are observed crushed against the wall to the point of near granularization or liquefaction. Objects such as belts, chains and mungo seeds are seen intermittently strewn about the bodies. All objects appear to be ossified. As de Napoli listens closer for a few more seconds, he is able to hear each of the corpses wailing in a manner similar to that of infants. Climbing on the side of the well is a single corpse with grievous injuries and contortions to its bones, using its one arm to elevate itself above the other bodies. Its face, which shows extensive damage to its eyes, mouth and teeth, identifies it as James Vane. As it attempts to climb, it is only able to scream “Papa!”

<End Log>

Footnotes

1. Which usually signifies the presence of a technopath capable of exercising unlimited control over a technological medium through the use of a specific object of focus.

2. Dehydration is estimated to have had a significant effect on Vane’s condition at this time.

3. Due to dehydration, Vane is assumed to no longer be capable of screaming normally.

4. Likely made for children

5. Notably placed surrounding the site for several disappearances from the years 1990 - 2004.