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⚠️ Content warning: This work of fiction involves scenes which depict or allude to topics which may be particularly distressing for some readers. Please scroll for a list of such topics contained in this piece.

Abortion

Body horror

Childbirth

Domestic abuse (emotional)

Eating disorder (bulemia)

Kidnapping

Mental illness

Readers with particular sensitivities should also be aware that this story also depicts or alludes to the following subjects which are less prevalent among content advisories, but nevertheless have the potential to be disturbing:

Clowns

Fetuses

Poverty

PeppersGhost

SCP-1602 - A Shower Curtain by PeppersGhost

SCP-1602 during Test 1602-3.

Item #: SCP-1602

Object Class: Safe

Special Containment Procedures: As it only exhibits anomalous qualities when spread out, SCP-1602 must remain folded a minimum of 5 times when not undergoing testing. When SCP-1602 is removed from its container to undergo testing or cleaning, no fewer than three personnel are to be in a room with it at any given time. It is currently kept at Storage Site-49 inside a standard containment locker. Researchers seeking to conduct additional tests involving SCP-1602 must have written approval from a Level-3 staff member before removing the item from containment.

Instances of SCP-1602-B are to be terminated by security personnel after researchers have made sufficient notes regarding its behavior. All remains are to be preserved and placed in storage.

Description: SCP-1602 is a plastic shower curtain. When spread and placed in a room with a single human subject, SCP-1602 will enter its active state, and an extradimensional space containing SCP-1602-A will be generated behind SCP-1602. This phenomenon still occurs even when SCP-1602 is placed against a wall or other solid object. 5 to 30 minutes after activation, a faint light will appear roughly 3m behind SCP-1602, casting a silhouette of SCP-1602-A on the back of the curtain. SCP-1602-A will remain stationary for a brief period before drawing back SCP-1602 and approaching the subject. Pre-test counseling sessions conducted with D-Class subjects have shown that instances of SCP-1602-A take on forms that are representative of subjects’ psychological insecurities (see Experiment Log).

If an additional party enters the room during this process, SCP-1602-A and any physical traces of its existence will instantly vanish and SCP-1602 will reenter its dormant state. If left unimpeded, SCP-1602-A will restrain the subject and forcibly pull them behind SCP-1602. Instances of SCP-1602-A have consistently proven capable of outrunning, overpowering, and subduing subjects through nonlethal means. Once the subject has been taken behind SCP-1602, SCP-1602-A will return SCP-1602 to its spread position. SCP-1602 will then reenter its dormant state.

In roughly 10% of tests conducted with D-Class personnel, the captured subject reemerged from behind SCP-1602 unharmed and with no memory of their abduction. In the remaining tests, SCP-1602 spontaneously reactivated 10 to 60 minutes after the subject's disappearance and an instance of SCP-1602-B was generated. SCP-1602-B are identical to the most recent version of SCP-1602-A; however, they will not disappear when viewed by a person other than the subject. SCP-1602-B can be easily terminated with a standard firearm, even when SCP-1602-B possesses no visible means of animation.

SCP-1602 was retrieved on 13/08/1988 from a hotel in ████████, South Dakota. During the initial containment mission, Foundation field agents discovered an instance of SCP-1602-B inside a hotel room and presumed it to be an independant anomaly. The instance was designated SCP-1602 and the mission was deemed a success. When Foundation intelligence intercepted a second report of a "monster" at the same hotel, a more thorough examination of the building was initiated. SCP-1602’s actual nature was eventually discovered and its documentation was rewritten.

Experiment Log:

Test 1602-5

Subject: D-1602-5, male, age 20. During conversations with on-site counsellor Dr. ██████, subject confessed that he had coerced his girlfriend into having an abortion. Subject expressed profound feelings of regret surrounding this event.

Procedure: SCP-1602 hung on a plastic shower rod suspended from the ceiling in the middle of the test chamber. Subject was instructed to walk around SCP-1602 and view the other side once it entered an active state.

Results: SCP-1602 entered an active state after approximately 5 minutes, consistent with activation time in previous tests. The subject noticed a faint light emanating from behind SCP-1602 and walked around to view the other side. Subject reported that upon viewing the other side, SCP-1602 apparently reentered its dormant state: the light vanished and was no longer visible from either side of SCP-1602. No other anomalous activity reported.

Test 1602-6

Subject: D-1602-5, same as previous test.

Procedure: SCP-1602 hung on a plastic shower rod suspended from the ceiling in the middle of the test chamber. Subject was instructed to stand in place and observe only one side of SCP-1602.

Results: SCP-1602 again entered an active state after approximately 5 minutes. 10 minutes and 23 seconds into the test, a small, undefined silhouette appeared at the base of the curtain. An instance of SCP-1602-A (SCP-1602-A6) emerged precisely 3 minutes later, taking the form of a newly born child covered in vernix caseosa and blood. SCP-1602-A6 crawled out from beneath the curtain in the direction of the subject.

Upon observing SCP-1602-A6, the subject screamed and stumbled backward, losing balance and collapsing on the floor. Several hundred additional instances of SCP-1602-A6 continued to emerge; many of these were identical to the original instance, although 22% of duplicates still bore umbilical cords. Acting as a group, SCP-1602-A6 converged on the subject. Subject fought back but was overpowered by SCP-1602-A6 and was subsequently dragged behind the curtain, followed by all remaining SCP-1602-A6.

A single instance of SCP-1602-B6 emerged after 15 minutes. Autopsy confirmed that its anatomy was consistent with that of a typical infant, although its internal organs were found filled with live maggots. Samples of the maggots were preserved and placed in storage.

Afterword: Any traces of vernix caseosa and blood left on the floor by SCP-1602-A6 ceased to exist the moment Research staff entered the room.

Comments: The presence of multiple instances of SCP-1602-A at one time suggests that SCP-1602-A are entities generated each time SCP-1602 enters an active state, rather than a single entity that assumes different forms, as had been previously theorized. - Dr. Lindquist

Test 1602-7

Subject: D-1602-6, female, age 33. Subject had a history of bulimia and self-image disorders.

Procedure: SCP-1602 placed in a spread position against the wall of the test chamber with a mild adhesive.

Results: Subject exhibited high levels of anxiety and panic upon SCP-1602 entering its active state, repeating the phrase, ‘I can't do this’. This pattern of behavior continued until SCP-1602-A7 appeared behind SCP-1602, at which point the subject began banging on the wall opposite to SCP-1602 while shouting incoherently.

SCP-1602-A7 pulled back the curtain, revealing a cavity in the wall that had not previously existed. SCP-1602-A7 was identical to the subject in height, skin tone, and hair colour, but appeared to possess no muscular tissue whatsoever, with skin stretched directly over its bones and ligaments. Lack of musculature notwithstanding, SCP-1602-A7 still possessed a high level of mobility and strength, grabbing the subject by the ankles and pulling them behind the curtain.

SCP-1602-B5 emerged within 5 minutes of the subject's disappearance. It was observed to claw at its own body, jaw fully extended but making no vocalizations. Researchers called for termination after 4 minutes of observation. Autopsy deemed unnecessary as SCP-1602-B5 had peeled back most of its own skin, confirming its lack of muscle tissue. Retrieval of SCP-1602 showed the wall to be in the same condition as it had been prior to the test.

Test 1602-8

Subject: D-1602-7, male, age 58. Subject had been a high-ranking employee of ████████ prior to incarceration. Dr. ██████, who provided counseling for the subject in the weeks prior to testing, noted that the subject expressed significant frustration over the fact that his dedication to his work had led to his estrangement with his children and ex-wife.

Procedure: SCP-1602 placed on the floor in a spread position.

Results: SCP-1602's horizontal orientation did not appear to alter its effects, activating within the standard timeframe. SCP-1602-A8 emerged from beneath it, climbing from a perfectly round hole in the floor that had not existed prior to SCP-1602's activation.

SCP-1602-A8 took the form of a clown in a loose, polka-dotted suit. While its body resembled that of a natural human, its head was disproportionally large and made from what appeared to be papier-mâché, with areas of the face cut out where its eyes and mouth would typically be located. A reflective substance (later confirmed to be standard confetti) poured continuously from these orifices for the duration of the test.

This test marks the first time an instance of SCP-1602-A has made vocalizations, despite its lack of visible means of articulation. SCP-1602-A8 approached the subject very slowly, repeatedly expressing a desire to 'play' and encouraging the subject to 'loosen up and live a little'. Subject attempted to engage SCP-1602-A8 in conversation, making numerous inquiries about its nature, albeit with a significant amount of profanity.

34 minutes after the subject's capture, SCP-1602-B8 was generated and proceeded to stumble around the room in a state of extreme distress. Like SCP-1602-A8, it made numerous vocalizations, though most of its statements were requests to see Dr. Lindquist and questions regarding itself.

The following is the subsequent exchange between SCP-1602-B8 and Dr. Lindquist.

+ Show Interview Log

- Hide Interview Log

<Begin Log>

Dr. Lindquist: We'll start by confirming your identity. What is your name?

SCP-1602-B8: (Confetti still pouring from its facial orifices) [REDACTED].

Dr. Lindquist: What are the names of your children?

SCP-1602-B8: [REDACTED]. What's happened to me?

Dr. Lindquist: Please remain calm and answer the questions. Do you have any pets?

SCP-1602-B8: I have a Great Dane named Dorothy. Please, Doctor, I need help, I'm blind and—

Dr. Lindquist: What did you see after you were taken behind the curtain?

SCP-1602-B8: I didn't see anything. What's happened to my face? Why am I blind? What did that thing do to me?

Dr. Lindquist: That's what we're trying to figure out. We want to help you, but you need to answer our questions. Did the entity say anything to you after—

SCP-1602-B8: You let this happen! For the love of God, Doctor, what's it done to me? Why can't I see anything? Why is everything so cold? Why does my head feel… (SCP-1602-B8 raises its hands to its face and makes vocalizations similar to weeping.)

Dr. Lindquist: Please try to remain calm. I only have a few more questions—

SCP-1602-B8: (Still weeping) Nothing's changed. Nothing's changed.

<End Log>

Closing Statement: SCP-1602-B8 refused to respond to any further questioning and was terminated shortly after the interview. It is unknown if D-1602-8 was physically transmuted into SCP-1602-B8, if the subject's consciousness was transferred, or if SCP-1602-B8 was impersonating the subject. A small amount of the confetti produced by SCP-1602-B8 was placed in storage and the rest was incinerated.

Test 1602-11

Subject: D-1602-21, male, age 46. Subject was uncooperative in counseling sessions, but was found to have a history of impoverishment.

Procedure: Subject given a standard firearm and placed in a bulletproof testing chamber with SCP-1602.

Results: SCP-1602-A took the form of an elderly, emaciated male dressed in heavily damaged winter clothing. The subject fired several rounds of ammunition which had no visible effect on SCP-1602-A. The subject was subdued and brought behind SCP-1602, as in previous tests.

No activity was detected from SCP-1602 for two hours, after which the subject reemerged, apparently unharmed and visibly damp. When interviewed, the subject claimed that he had simply taken a shower, describing the experience as "pleasant" and "cleansing".

Testing is ongoing.