

⚠️ Content warning:

Parasitism

Body Horror

Article: SCP-287-DE - Interwoven Dreams

Original: May be found here

Author & Translator: Karpfisch

⚠️ content warning

Item # SCP-287-DE

Object Class: Euclid

Special Containment Procedures: One single female instance of SCP-287-DE is contained inside a glass terrarium measuring 2 m x 2 m x 2 m in Site-DE14, which, in turn, is situated inside a standardized containment cell for insectoid anomalies. Said terrarium is filled with branches and leaves to connote an environment familiar to the instance. To prevent the anomaly from breaching containment during feeding, the terrarium can be halved by using an insertable glass plate, whereafter fruits may be provided through a hatch at the unoccupied side. This has to take place once every third month.

If SCP-287-DE breaches containment, security personal must come out in force, while at the same time all bedrooms are to be manually locked through an integrated mechanism when the alarm is activated. Flashlights featuring a luminosity of 150 lumen are to be used for attracting SCP-287-DE during re-containment. Capture and transportation of the instance must take place by using glass jars. Once the anomaly has been re-contained, all on-site mattresses must be examined for an SCP-287-DE infestation and replaced where necessary. Infested mattresses must be subsequently burnt. Site-DE14 personnel showing an unusual number of moles and intense itching on their whole body have to report to infirmary immediately, where the infestation is surgically removed. If this is not possible as the infestation has advanced too far, the host has to be incinerated following adequate euthanasia.

Description: SCP-287-DE designates an anomalous member of Tineola bisselliella1 that, like their normal counterpart, exists in the Palearctic and also sporadically in North America between March and September. Purely optical, SCP-287-DE specimens feature typical traits for their species, such as six legs and a small mop of red hair on their head. When measured from thorax to abdomen, instances reach a size or wingspan of 1 to 3 cm, which points to the first visible abnormality.2 Small mouth parts akin to those wielded by ants are also present beneath the eyes.

The eggs of SCP-287-DE instances measure 0.5 mm in size and are pill-shaped. Their yellow color can be traced back to a sticky substance on their surface, which holds the egg in place. The equally-colored larvae with a size of 1 mm hatch around two weeks later, who also have the same mouth parts as adult instances. In case of sufficient nutritional basis and appropriate environmental conditions of a room temperature from 24 to 28° C and a humidity of 70 to 77%, the larvae will enter their next stadium, the decticous pupa. Said pupa are 10 mm long, dark-brown formations of string, which are created by the larvae itself. If the aforementioned development factors are not or only very slightly interrupted, the imagos hatch after 5 weeks from pupation.

SCP-287-DE instances are nocturnal and seem to have adapted to human behavior, as they constitute their prey. However, they seem to only focus on comatose humans or those suffering from sleep paralysis. They are attracted by melatonin levels, which they can "smell" through adapted olfactory hairs on their antenna. Tests conducted on contained specimens showed that a luminosity from 250 lumen suffices in attracting instances, which roughly equals a commercially available ceiling lamp. But the instance waits on the ledge of the continuously opened window, until their victim has gone to sleep. The instance thereupon lands on the mattress, cuts into it using its mouth parts, and places its eggs inside, whereafter it leaves the room again. Once the eggs reach their larval stage, they crawl through the hole created by the mother and onto the sleeping host. The larvae then utilize their small mouth parts to borrow under the skin and feed on the keratin inside the keratinocytes of the epidermis. Should the host not wake up during this phase, all larvae manage to seal their entry holes with a brown sticky secretion, causing the initial hole to look like a mole. However, such extreme cases are rare, as victims often wake up and interrupt the process due to the partially tearing bite movements of the larvae.

In case an infestation is not treated, enough keratinocytes get consumed by instances to cause serious health problems. Due to the collapse of the epidermis, pathogens can now enter the body unhindered and spread ever further due to missing cytokines.3 Light and touch sensitivity is also present, as no melanin can be produced and sunlight shines on the dermis unfiltered. This can eventually end in death through skin cancer. After having consumed enough keratin, the larvae pupate and will enter the finale stage, the imago, after two months. Hatching is independent of the host's health condition4 and takes place via mouth part movements through the skin. The adult instances feed on floral nectar.

Discovery: SCP-287-DE was discovered in a mattress store in ████████ at the 05/08/2021, where a multitude of mattresses was already infested on said date. Patient zero appeared to have been Mr. █████, who was known amongst store staff for his late working hours. Due to his regular consumption of antidepressants, he had a irregular melatonin level, which drew the attention of SCP-287-DE onto him. According to his testament, he woke up with an intense itching and sharp pain and was startled and shaken after a glance into the lavatory mirror, causing some larvae and eggs to fall down and infest customers of the establishments later on. After all external hosts were traced and amnestitized, the shop was closed under the guise of a cockroach infestation and all instances neutralized via pesticides.5 Infested mattresses had to be burnt and replaced. The personnel was treated with Class-G amnestics.

Footnotes

1. Common clothes moth

2. 6 to 9 mm in case of common cloth moths

3. Neurotransmitters created as an initial reaction by the immune system.

4. Even postmortem

5. One single instance was captured as per the containment procedures outlined above for further study.