Why did | kick it? That wouldn't do anything. | can talk to the 
observer anyway... 


She pressed the microphone button by the door, feeling rather 
stupid. 


“Hello? Is anyone there?” 


There was no response. More important things to worry about, she 
supposed. 


Epon paced the room. Vents were no good, door was no good, no 
windows, no way to seduce the guard into letting her out (though 
granted, that would have been exceptionally difficult for her under 
any circumstances). 


Time passed. 


The door opened. A woman with glasses and a braid walked in. One 
of the doctors. Epon couldn’t remember her name. 


“What’s going on?” 


“A minor drill, nothing to concern yourself about.” She pulled out a 


chair from the desk. Her nametag read “Sophia Light’. “You have an 
interview scheduled for today” 


“Okay.” Epon sat down, out of politeness. She hated sitting. 
Standing was much more comfortable. What was the point? The 
fight was out there, she was needed out there! 


Clef was out there. 


“How are adjustments going for you? Everyone treating you all 
right?” Light said, as if nothing was the matter. 


“Everything’s fine, but | really think that...” 
“No major issues in adapting?” 

“Yes but...” 

“How does it feel to be Clef’s little bitch?” 


There was a definite mad twinkle in the doctor's eye. It wasn’t much 


of an insult, to be honest. 
“It feels like you're no longer welcome here.” 
Epon stood up, as did Dr. Light. She had a gun in her hand. 


“I’m not going to let this place fall into the madhouse. | know what 
they plan on doing. They’re not going to keep you locked up, they’re 
not going to keep Able locked up. They’re going to use you. Clef’s 
gotten them confident. They think they can handle it. They think they 
can control the unknown. They can’t.” 


Epon did the first thing that came to mind, and kicked the doctor. 
The total lack of knowledge regarding properly kicking someone was 
made up by the fact Epon, very literally, kicked like a horse. The first 
iron-shod hoof pulped Sophia’s stomach. The second shattered 
Sophia’s jaw. The third, which was more of a stomp than a kick, 
snapped her spine. She crumpled to the floor with a splat. 


Epon snorted and wiped her foot on the floor. 


Well, that was that. She had just killed someone. Directly this time. 
She took the ID badge and the keycard from her pocket. 


The door opened again. A terrified-looking man was holding a 
keycard. Able was standing behind him, two thick fingers casually 
held around his neck. 


[Able? You too? Now | feel like | should have tidied the place up.] 
[No time. There are traitors, attempting to kill my brother. ] 

That sounded about right. 

[One just tried to kill me.] 


[When you kill a man, you kill his sons and brothers, so that they 
may not avenge him. Cowards that they are, they know this.] 


Able squeezed the fat man’s neck and dropped the corpse to the 
ground. 


[Come then. We shall find Clef.] 
[We'll have to be quiet about it.] 


[Indeed. Let us go.] 


Clef sliced a man’s throat open with a razor, and subsequently came 
to the realization that he had no idea why he had a straight razor in 
the first place, or how he was still moving. Some part of him was 
dimly aware that there was significantly more lead and significantly 
less blood in his body than there normally was, and that this was a 
bad thing. His body was retreating, but this seemed to be a lot less 
important than observing all the pretty patterns on the floor and 
walls. The brief moment of realization faded away into the 
background. He was somewhere else, somewhere far away, 
watching the scene acted out around him from some mental Laz-E- 
Boy. Just faces on a screen. Like a movie. Like a cartoon. 


“Holy shit! Did you see that guy? Just went and offed himself! | 
mean, my breath isn’t that bad!” 


The commentary seemed just as natural as the violence on the 
screen. It passed in a blur, the voice taunting and cheering and 
jeering and laughing, the bodies dropping to the floor, the splashes 
of red. The world blurred together with runny watercolors. 


“Fucked your mom, fucked your mom, fucked your sister, fucked 
your dad...” 


“You know, you might want to look for employment opportunities 
elsewhere, this place really doesn’t have good dental.” 


“Hey there, friendo, gimme five!” 
“GET OVER HERE!” 
Sight and sound and experience blurred and drifted past. 


Then, Ben. Standing there in the hallway, holding a sword. He had a 
finger gently pressed against the tip, as if to prove his mastery of the 


tool by not getting cut. Clef watched him through his eyes, noticing 
how his body wasn’t moving. 


“You like it? Had it commissioned. Twenty k and two years for this. 
Would you just look at this craftsmanship? Folded over a million 
times by a master swordsmith, capable of cutting solid steel blocks, 
feared and respected the world over. This is the reason Europe 
never conquered Japan. This is the perfect weapon.” 


“You know, | think you have me convinced on this.” 


Clef watched his fist fly out and crush Ben’s nose. The man 
screamed, dropping his sword. 


“Clearly, it is the greatest weapon to ever exist.” 


Clef watched his left hand reach out and grab Ben by the collar, 
dragging him across the hall. 


“lam going to have to re-think my entire life after this revelation.” 


The other hand hit a button. A door opened. An air lock. Ben was 
tossed inside. The button again, the door cut off his “No!” 


“Or maybe you're just full of shit.” 


On the other side of the door, in a room with no windows, Ben 
Kondraki managed to get a gurgling half-scream out before he was 
knocked to the floor and his throat was torn out by a rather large, 
snaggle-toothed lizard. 


On the other side of the door, the voice snickered, and Clef watched 
the screen go black. 


It was Strelkinov who found them first: Clef looking like a paint 
explosion in a Swiss cheese factory, Epon holding his head on her 
lap, Able standing guard. 


Poignancy at its finest. 


URA-1902 


Heavily Corrupted Data Re ard g 
UR 902S P-©0O© © Fo ow.To 
Ensure The Integrity Of Your 
Computer's File System, Please 
Enable Antimalware Protocols 
Now. 


ltem : 9000 
O ect Cl s: 


Sp cia Co anmet oedur s: No document, digital or 
physical, is to give any more information on SCP-®O© 
© than this one. No one individual can know of the 
existence of SCP-® © © © for more than a month. 


D crip n: SCP-®O@ @ is an object with 
infohazardous effects that may affect documentation, 
regardless of the precautions taken in the containment 
procedures of this article. The original documentation of 
SCP-®O© © actively resists editing or deletion. 
Reading the documentation may have 


preacher in the woods outside of Muskogee, Mississippi. Following a 
cryptic exhortation from the deaf preacher to "look between the 
trees", Slumber embarks on a journey deep into the forest. After an 
attack by wild boar that costs Slumber his right index finger, he 
passes out from blood loss, only to awaken in a clearing far into the 
forest's interior. He is told by a hallucinatory figure that he has found 
his father's final resting place. 


Part Three is a poetic transcription of a vision experienced by Tyrus 
Murtry, Slumber's nephew. Tyrus, living in New Orleans as a 
dockworker, receives a letter from a person claiming to be his 
teenage daughter. Upon reading it, Tyrus retreats to his rented room 
in a Ninth Ward shotgun house and falls into an extended reverie. 
Laden with metaphorical imagery and narrative that at times 
appears to directly address the reader, the concluding portion of The 
Absent Willows focuses on a woman known only as "Hec'ba" and 
her various interludes in Tyrus' life. The novel ends with Tyrus 
recollecting his drowning of a female infant by a reed-filled 
riverbank, an event that may or may not be metaphorical within the 
narrative. 


Notes: No anomalous properties observed. Literary analysis 
confirms that thematic choices and settings do not conform to any 
previous works. However, word choice, style, syntax and narrative 
focus all indicate Faulkner as almost certainly being the author of 
this work. 


Pages 359-491 


Summary: This section consists of decoded messages appearing 
immediately after The Absent Willows. The messages form an 
untitled narrative that is apparently a retelling of a passage from Part 
Two of the novel. 


Synopsis: An unspecified Native American female enters a clearing 
in a forest very similar to that described in Part Two of The Absent 
Willows. She recalls the history of her father's tribe in the region, 
and in particular the slaughter of a European hunting party days 
before her birth. After entreating unnamed spirits to watch over her 
family, she conducts burial rites for her stillborn son. 


No, PEQOO OOOOH OS OOS9 OOS O OOOO. You 
mustn't touch the 


computer 


th 
i s makes it difficult to see. Only very vague shapes are implied by 
extr 


hows 
up in bright electric blue, so bright that specifics 


0 editing program, where the contrast could 
be made more stark. Any | iving? being s 


aordinarily dark gray in the background. Of note is that these 
shapes disappear when loaded into any image or vide 


We aaaaa_ aaaall w ays 
ddddddddddddddd 


beyond general shapes are difficult to determine. 
Of course, we have ways ar ound this. 


Addendum | Transcript of © ©8 

MTF Sigma- "Working Man" is deployed to deal with the SCP-®O 
© © phenomenon. The team is supplied with type-4 hazmat suits, 
flashlights, and _—. The team is the team is plit up into 5 groups - 
group A, B, C, D and E. Each has two teammates, designated with 
numbers (group A has A1 and A2). Each enters SCP-SCP-®O© © 
from a different point on the perimeter. The group is monitored 
vivivia O® O® surveillance mainframe. The 


<BEGIN LOG> 


(Foundation Command-® © © © is still attempting to 
connect to the surveillance mainframe of SCP-®O© ©. 
There is no visual reference for another two minutes, 
though Command is communicating with "Working 
Man".) 

Command: anyone here? 

A1: here. 

A2: here. 

B1: Yes, 

B2: Yes, yes. 

C1: here. 

C2: Yes, yes 

D1: I'm good 

D2: here. 


E1: here. 


E2: Yes, 
A1: We're here. 


(There is a minute of silence as Command calibrates 
systems and continues to try and access the surveillance 
mainframe. The effort is met with minimal success, there 
are five bursts of sound, too short to be identified, and 
three still frames that are collected. Two are ambiguous 
views on what is thought to be a coyote, and another 
shows an unknown entity at the precipice of SCP-® O © 
©. The picture is not seen by Command in real time, and 
was only discovered upon review of the footage. The 
figure is assumed to be Sc ot t, but can not be 
confirmed.) 


Command: Move further in, 
A1: further in (pause) Sorry, we are going further in. 


("Working Man" pass the border of SCP-®O© ©, and 
begin their approach to SCP-® © © © -1. Progress is 
steady, but visual is still manifesting. Another four bursts 
of noise come into the feed, along with two more still 
images. One shows team B in an unknown location, and 
another shows a view of what is thought to be a large 
tree.) 


C2: Ah, listen to the sounds of nature. 
C1: What's that sound? 
C2: That's an owl. Look, there it is. 


(Command successfully accesses the surveillance 
maintrame, and is treated to a visual on team D. The 
team seems to be traversing flat terrain, as they continue 
in a Straight line with minimal deviation. The view soon 
transitions to team B, who seem to be in more rough 
terrain, with foot placements suggesting large boulders 
or similar protrusions from the ground. In another three 


seconds, Command also gets audio from the 
surveillance mainframe. Due to distortion and volume of 
audio, Command shortly mutes it, though it is recorded in 
the background for review post exploration.) 


B1: Ouch! 

B2: What? 

B1: A wasp! 

E1: | hate wasps. 


(E71 has never before, nor will ever again, express a 
distaste for wasps. The visual at this time depicted a 
dark slate of background. Vague motions suggest that 
either the view is moving or something within the view Is 
moving. Soon, motion stops, and team A comes into 
frame, moving in a way that suggests high bushes.) 


A1: | had the weirdest dream last night. 


A2: | love camping, sleeping in the open air with the 
stars above me. 


Command: Aah, | feel quite sleepy. 

A1: ls everything alright? 

A2: The important thing is that you are okay. 
A1: Guys? 


(A? pauses and checks his surroundings, looking up and 
shielding their eyes from the sun. Vernon is confused. A 
small, childish figure appears behind him for two frames, 
before the visual changes to a different view showing 
team D climbing out of a small ditch. Both D1 and D2 
freeze in place for three seconds, before continuing on. 
Visual cuts out two seconds after this event.) 


Command: You have to wait 


A1: Why? 
Command: Probably because 


(There is a pause of twelve seconds, where audio is lost 
as well. Three bursts of distorted audio can be heard, 
and two frames of visual are picked up. One is an image 
of A1 and A2 lying face down. Vernon is missing his right 
arm and right leg. A2 is bent at an odd angle. The 
second image is of SCP-®O®© ©-1.) 


Command: We just have to wait 
A2: Follow 


(Visual and audio come back, opening on a view of team 
C en route with apparent flat terrain.) 


Command: Move further in, 


(A small entity glides towards C2 and is about to make 
contact before visual changes to a view of an 
unidentified dark background. Some movement is 
visible.) 


C2: 
Whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa 
aaa a aaaaaa a aaa aaaa 


A1: What's going on? 

C1: | know. | know where he is. 
A1: Where who is? 
Command: Don't worry A1 

C1: 1 won't 


(Vernon is getting nosy. The visual shifts to a bird's eye 
view of SCP-®@O®@ ©. All 7 members of "Working Man" 
appear as bright blue dots, slowly moving towards SCP- 


®O© ©-7. Another blue dot appears from the edge of 
the visual, moving at speeds excess of . Visual and 
audio cuts out for four seconds.) 


E2: 

A1: E2? E2 are you alright? 

E1: He'll be fine, A1. 

A1: What was that garbled noise he was making? 
E1: He'll be fine. 


(Vernon appears to be getting very distressed. 
Command begins to cue up calming music to play to A1, 
when they face a system failure and lose communication 
with "Working Man". However, they can still hear the task 
force and continue to record. Technicians work on 
regaining communication with "Working Man".) 


A1: You are all acting very strange. 


Command: (Unaware that communication has been 
lost) help help help help helph elph elph elph elphel phel 
phel phel phel 


A1: (Unaware that communication has been lost) What 
the fuck is that? 


E1: He'll be fine. 


(Command deems Ver non's attitude a detriment to the 
team, and mutes him to improve morale. Visual changes 
to a view on E71 standing over the remains of E2. Sc ot t 
can be seen in the background.) 


Vernon: Holy fuck, oh fuck, oh fuck A2. A2 get up. 
C'mon, c'mon man no, shit shit shit. Isaiah, your name is 
Isaiah, wake up god damn it. Fuck. Fuck it got to him. 
Shit. Shit shit shit. 


Vernon: Hello? Command? 


Vernon: (Breathing heavily.) Team E? Team C? D, B, 
anyone? 


Vernon: Ah, shit. Aahh shit. 
Vernon: Okay. 

Okay. 
I'm going in. 
Vernon: Fuck you. 
Vernon: Fuck. You. 

You could almost see it now. 
Vernon: ... 


You could see the building. There's vines all around it, cracks all up 
the walls. The fence. The fence is busted in, something crashed 
through it from the outside. 


Vernon: Oh fuuuck you.