No, | can’t say | remember for sure what the author’s name was. | 
vaguely recall it being “I. L. Dean” or something strange like that. 


Sacrifice 


“They're genetically identical to non-anomalous European honey 
bees.” 


Dr. Kiryu removed his glasses and tossed them onto his desk, 
sighing. An unexpected interception of a Marshall, Carter, and Dark 
Ltd. memo had brought up all sorts of recent investigations and 
inconveniences, not to mention piles of paperwork and in the end all 
that was found was an ordinary beehive? 


“Are you quite sure?” 


Riven, Kiryu’s recently-designated researcher assistant, shrugged. 
“The lab’s sure, at least. Thing is though, they also discovered some 
sort of strange substance inside the beehive. Sort of a super- 
concentrated royal jelly or something. It even looks special. 
Crystallizes a dark red.” 


The doctor casually poured some bottled water into the potted 
bamboo plant on his desk. “And is that stuff anomalous?” 


“We don’t know yet. There’s not a lot of that substance in the hive, 
maybe three little pieces, but personnel noticed that all the worker 
bees carry a little bit of the substance with them when they go out to 
collect nectar.” Riven flipped through a few of the papers he was 
carrying. “Also, the cameras we set up recorded something 
interesting.” 


“Go on, Riven.” 


“We saw a bird try and get into the hive. One of the worker bees 
stung it, and when its stinger got ripped out, the bee started eating 
the red jelly stuff that it was carrying on its leg. It stopped moving, 
and, well, we had to fast forward the footage to see it, but over the 
next few hours the body started shrinking, and at the end what was 
left was this tiny red crystal thing, like what we found in the hive. 


One of the other worker bees picked it up and took it away.” 


Dr. Kiryu tossed the empty water bottle towards his recycling bin, 
watching it collide with the wall and then clatter into the bin. “Have 
the personnel there take a small sample of the substance from the 
hive, and we'll run some tests when they return with it.” 


Test subject: D-1758 

Effects observed: Subject reported feeling drowsy, then 
fell asleep after approximately two minutes. Attempts to 
wake subject were unsuccessful. At three minute mark, 
subject was determined to have expired, cause of death 
is currently unknown. No signs of stress were detected in 
subject. 


“So the bees make deadly painkiller,” Riven stated, scribbling away 
on a clipboard. 


“Undetectable deadly painkiller. Guess | can see how MCD would 
be interested in that.” Dr. Kiryu was busy cleaning dust off the 
leaves of his bamboo plant. 


“But why does that happen though? Easing the death of a worker 
bee doesn’t do much for the colony as a whole. And the dead bee 
just becomes one piece of that painkiller stuff. No net gain.” 


Dr. Kiryu peered at his assistant through the leaves of the bamboo. 
“I took a look at the video logs. | saw one, maybe two, dead worker 
bees. Not all the bees who die become that substance.” 


Riven stopped scribbling. “So only the ones that die by...” 


Kiryu nodded. “By defending the hive. Poetic, in an odd and 
somewhat inconsequential way. They’re bees, after all.” 


“The painkiller substance would still be useful, though. What if we 
found a way to collect it for human use? Help those with terminal 
illnesses, whatnot.” 


“Humanity already has some terribly potent drugs.” 


Riven put the clipboard down. “But the D-class that was tested, he 


had a really bad cough. Wheezing. After he took that little piece of 
red crystal, he didn’t cough at all. That scared look in his eyes was 
gone, and his breathing was even when he first fell asleep. You 
honestly can’t think of anyone who deserves to leave the world as 
peacefully as that?” 


Memo 

Only one specimen from the hive is to be used, and only 
two samples of the substance are to be obtained. Video 
footage of the entirety of the tests is to be recorded. 


“How did it go?” 


Idly tossing his lab coat onto the back of his swivel chair, Dr. Kiryu 
sighed and sat down, kicking his desk and spinning around a few 
times on the chair. His assistant waited patiently. 


“We obtained two samples of the substance. One that was carried 
by a worker bee, and one that was created from provoking that 
same worker bee to use its stinger and die.” 


Riven didn’t look up from the test log he was typing. “And?” 


Dr. Kiryu glanced sideways at his assistant. “Same effects for both 
samples. One minute in, the D-class starts screaming. About two 
minutes in, he starts clutching at his arm. Two and a half minutes, 
he starts moaning something about feeling like his arm was ripped 
out. Three minutes, he’s dead, and his face is stiffening up with that 
look of agony still there.” 


Riven hadn't realized he’d typed the same word three times. 
Mashing the laptop’s delete key, he narrowed his eyes slightly. “But 
that doesn’t make sense. Were the lab samples identical to the one 
taken directly from the hive?” 


“They were, at least to our electronic eyes. If we want the beneficial 
effects, we need to take directly from the hive, which is out of the 
question because the colony hasn't yet replaced the first sample we 
took from them.” 


Memo 


| am requesting that further testing involving the 
discovered hive and colony be postponed, until the well- 
being of the colony itself is no longer a concern. —Dr. 
Kiryu 


“So after all that time and effort, you’re still unsure of whether it’s a 
skip or not?” Dr. Kiryu gave a small start as Riven’s incredulous 
voice (and the stack of papers making contact with his desk) 
snapped him out of his afternoon reverie. 


“| don’t think the colony deserves to be put under that scrutiny. Have 
you noticed that all this time, the colony has only decreased in 
number? It might not survive further human observation." 


Dr. Kiryu looked away from the unfinished paperwork on his desk, 
turning his gaze instead towards the window. “Can you think of no 
one who would prefer a peaceful death over a painless one?” 


“Why not use the bees’ painkiller to help humans?” 


The doctor stood up, still watching sunlight stream into the room. 
“Because it’s not ours to use. The bees deserve it more than we do. 


” 


Riven tilted his head slightly. “Are you saying you think the bees are 
as self-aware as humans?” 


“Sacrifice, Riven. Every worker has the comfort of knowing that their 
ultimate sacrifice eases the pain of those who also suffer their fate.” 


The doctor opened the window, watching the new-fallen autumn 
leaves skitter across the concrete ground. “I wish we had such a 
reliable pact here.” 


Investigation log 

Item Class: Not Applicable (anomalous object) 

Upon Dr. Kiryu’s request, the hive and the entire colony 
were transported to a meadow under Foundation 
ownership, within the boundaries of Site- . Access to the 
hive is to require Level 2 clearance and proper 
documentation; a population count is to be carried out 
twice a month. 


symptoms will persist through a natural withdrawal cycle. 


If the subject gives in to SCP-666-1's temptations, the entity 
becomes increasingly hostile. There is no set time-table nor degree 
of indulgence, but if left unchecked, SCP-666-1 will invariably begin 
assaulting the subject and forcing the subject's vice upon them to 
levels of extreme overdose. If the subject is not forcibly removed 
from SCP-666 during this period, they will die; cause of death is 
typical of their addiction, whereby an alcoholic will suffer extreme 
kidney or liver failure, a cocaine user will develop cardiac 
dysrhythmia, a subject addicted to video games or television will 
suffer extreme muscle atrophy and health issues associated with a 
sedentary lifestyle, etc. 


To date, there has been no clear connection between who will and 
will not succumb to SCP-666-1; the working hypothesis is that it is 
simply a matter of the individual's willpower and conviction. All 
attempts to interview SCP-666-1 directly have failed, with the entity 
either redirecting the conversation or bluntly refusing to answer. The 
only statement that reveals anything to its nature was a single 
instance of "We're not important here, this is all about you." This 
indicates that there are either multiple entities attached to SCP-666, 
or there are additional instances of SCP-666 in the world. 
Investigation is ongoing as to whether similar stories have arisen; 
should another instance of SCP-666 be discovered, it is to be 
transferred immediately to Site 73. 


Addendum SCP-666-1: Nearly identical stories have recently arisen 
in remote areas of northern Canada describing a "Wendigo Hut"; 
while unconfirmed, their similarities point to at least one additional 
instance of SCP-666 at large. 


Addendum SCP-666-2: Interview log with Test Subject D-14390, 
regarding experiences in SCP-666 (audio only) 


Access Interview 666-13 


Interviewer: Dr. Lanis 
Interview Subject: D-14390 
Date: 04/17/19 


Note: The honey produced by the bees following the 
transfer has been proven to possess no anomalous 
properties. 


A few months later: 
“Doctor, are you going to visit the bees again?” 


“Yes, Riven. Don't look so surprised.” Dr. Kiryu wound a 
scarf around his neck, wearing a wistful expression that 
his assistant couldn't place—not quite sadness, not quite 
happiness, just a little hopeful, just a little weary. 


“Why not just have the hive classified as a skip? Then 
you can visit and work with the colony all the time. Isn't 
that what you want, to learn from the bees?” 


“No. Whatever we should learn from these bees can’t be 
found in a laboratory or testing room. Besides, it’s lovely 
outside this time of year.” Dr. Kiryu considered the small 
pile of paperback books on his desk. Canterbury Tales, 
John Donne's Meditations, Beowulf. He eventually 
selected Faust I. 


Riven absentmindedly prodded the potted bamboo plant 
on Dr. Kiryu’s desk as he watched. “What’s the watering 
can for?” 


“The gladiolus | planted there last time, of course.” 
“Can | go visit the bees too?” 


Mark Kiryu smiled. “Naturally. You'll be carrying my lawn 
chair, by the way.” 


Irrational 


Dr. Kiryu hummed absentmindedly, prodding the back of his 
assistant’s chair with his foot. 


The assistant in question gave a long-suffering sigh of annoyance. 
“Mark, what are you doing?” 


“Practicing my flamingo stance, Riven,” came the easygoing reply. 
“Hii-yah.” Dr. Kiryu kicked an empty water bottle off his assistant’s 
desk. 


Riven groaned. “Okay, okay. The new item went through preliminary 
scans alright, nothing dangerous noted, so they’re letting you check 
up on it in two hours.” 


“Excellent.” Dr. Kiryu hunted for the water bottle on the floor. “Where 
was it recovered from, again?” 


“Some high school,” Riven replied, kicking the water bottle away 
from the doctor out of spite. Kiryu simply rolled his eyes, shoved his 
assistant’s swivel chair, and recovered the water bottle while Riven 
tried to prevent himself (and his chair) from crashing into a wall. 


“Background if you please, Riven?” Dr. Kiryu lobbed the bottle at the 
recycling bin. 


Riven shrugged. “The notepad was some sort of urban legend. If 
you were worried about something, you could write about it in the 
pages, and the fear would be completely gone by the next day. It 
never ran out of pages, and it would randomly turn up in people’s 
backpacks, purses, even athlete’s sports bags.” 


Dr. Kiryu nodded, standing up and adopting the flamingo pose once 
more. 


Riven looked at him deploringly. “You’re not going to evict my 


stapler to the floor next, are you?” 
Kiryu didn’t move. “No. Keep talking.” 


Picking up a stack of computer printouts from his desk and rifling 
through them, Riven continued. “Hmm... no one tried to keep a 
close eye on the notepad, since there was apparently some rumor 
that if you hogged it to yourself, you’d suddenly be scared of 
everything written there. One kid kept it for three days and ended up 
needing to see a psychologist because he kept having panic attacks 
about stepping on sidewalk cracks.” 


Wobbling slightly, Kiryu frowned. “That sounds terrifying.” 


Riven nodded. “The retrieval team sent over a few scanned pictures 
of the pages and the things written. Most of them are the usual 
things, for high schoolers, | guess. Dating, grades, getting a car. 
Riven flipped a page. “Some weird stuff though. Did you know that 
anatidaephobia is the fear of-” 


“-being watched by a duck? Wasn't that a joke phobia?” Kiryu 
walked over to his potted bamboo and prodded one of the leaves. 
“Certainly out of the ordinary, yes, but it doesn’t seem like it'd be 
debilitating... anything else?” 


Blinking, Riven flipped another page. “The kid’s favorite food was 
roast duck. Oh, and the first page had some sort of repeating 
design. Two sentences printed over and over. ‘Think you have it 
bad? Walk in someone else’s shoes.” 


Kiryu had obtained a tissue from somewhere and was wiping dust 
off the bamboo stems. 


“So you'll look into the query, Mark?” Riven said in exasperation, 
tossing the papers back onto his desk. 


“Yes. Go ahead and take your lunch break, and say hello to my 
sister for me. Fellow researchers should communicate and all that.” 
Mark flopped into his own swivel chair and closed his eyes, thinking. 


My chest felt tight today. When | woke up. last time that 
happened, | panicked and blacked out a few minutes 


later. What if I’m going to have a heart attack? What if | 
already did have a heart attack? when | was asleep? | 
know I’ve been stressed out because school and shit, | 
bet I'm overworking, but | can’t have a stroke or 
something now why now? 


Everything is supposed to be perfect for tomorrow. I’ve 
got it all planned out, I’ve already asked a bunch of 
people to help out, already bought the dance tickets, so 
why am |! still worried? 


| wish my house wasnt so far away from school | heard 
about one family that died because they left a candle 
burning and their house caught fire. What if my house 
starts burning while no one is home? Some of my friends 
live close and theyd be able to see smoke if their house 
was on fire why cant | be so lucky?!?! 


Fucking math teacher made me retake the fucking test 
during first period instead of after school like he 
promised. What if my test gets mixed up with all the 
other stuff on his desk? What if | was supposed to put it 
in the inbox and not the desk? By the computer?? | don't 
remember. This used to not be a problem. | thought 
about going to check, but what would | do if | did really 


Everyone’s saying that the test doesn't count for much 
but | really need good grade on this. 


| don't trust cars. Mom and Dad are always away at work 
and at night its dangerous to drive so far. What if they 
crash? What if no one is there to call for help? What if 
something bad happens? 


“| thought you reserved the testing room for the next session.” Dr. 
Kiryu looked up as his assistant closed the door of the testing room. 


“| did, but since no one’s using it now and no one is scheduled, | 
moved my time half an hour earlier. The notepad is rather 
fascinating. A plethora of fears, mostly irrational, | think, all in the 
palm of my hand.” 


Riven glanced at the small spiral-bound notepad, smaller than the 
doctor's hand. “How far have you read through it?” 


“About halfway. Some D-class took a look at the pages earlier, so 
I’m decently sure the notepad is safe to read. Precautions, though. 
I’m going to run a few more tests.” 


Preliminary setup: Notepad was placed on table in 
center of testing room, various empty bags (backpacks, 
purses, shoulder bags, sports bags, etc.) were arranged 
around the table. 


Procedure: D-3549 instructed to copy a short paragraph 
detailing agoraphobia into notepad.