He bit his lower lip. “A hundred fifty dollars.” 
“A hundred twenty-five.” 


The door swung open. John stepped out of the way. “Ten minutes, 
then you're out of here.” 


Sabrina nodded and stepped inside. Isaac followed and gave an 
appreciative whistle. “Damn, not bad at all,” he said. “Il was 
expecting it to be a dump.” John shot him an evil look. 


The store was much larger than the front indicated, stretching back 
almost 50 feet. Multi-colored aisles of records, CDs, DVDs, and T- 
Shirts ran to the back. The sterile white walls were covered in band 
posters. Asleep behind a counter by the door was a thin, young 
black man dressed in torn jeans and a U2 t-shirt. John gave hima 
hard smack as he passed. “Mike, if | catch you napping again, 
you're fired.” Mike saluted, then sunk back into his chair and went to 
sleep. John leaned against the counter and said, “Okay, so what are 
you doing in my store?” 


Isaac nodded to Sabrina and walked off into the aisles. Sabrina 
pulled a notebook from her jacket and flipped it open. “If I'm not 
mistaken, a woman named Miranda Dole used to work here?” 


He nodded. “She quit a few weeks ago, yeah.” 
“So you know why we're here?” 


As he spoke he took a novelty band pen from the counter and spun 
it in his fingers. “Miranda said that the records were talking to her, 
and for some reason beyond my mortal understanding the FBI feels 
that's a claim worth investigating. Which, in my opinion, is a 
spectacular example of what's wrong with the government today.” 


Sabrina wrote something in her notebook. “So you do not believe 
that the records were talking?” 


“No, | don't believe the records were fucking talking, because | don't 
believe that records can fucking talk.” 


“I see,” she said. She tapped Mike on the shoulder, and he opened 
one eye. “Do you believe the records were talking sir?” 


He shrugged. “Dunno.” 


“Il see.” She turned back to John. “Can you elaborate on what she 
said?” 


“If it'll make you feel better. So, this started about four weeks ago. 
Miranda had been working here for about three weeks, and doing a 
pretty nice job. Good with the customers, remembered her shit, 
didn't complain, all of that. Then, out of nowhere, she starts getting 
real nervous during working hours. Like, she jumped when you tried 
to talk to her, and she deliberately avoids certain parts of the store. 
Tell her to put something in the rock section, and instead of going 
through hip-hop she'll walk around through classical, that sort of shit. 
I'm a bit worried y'know, thinking maybe something bad happened in 
her personal life that's throwing her off. | pull her out after a few 
days, ask her what's going on, tell her I'm here to help if she needs 
something. She just shuts down. Refuses to talk, gets real cold 
looking, and walks out without saying anything. Now I'm getting 
really worried, obviously. 


"The next day | pull her aside again. Tell her, ‘look, I'm your boss. | 
need to know if something's wrong with you that could be affecting 
your job performance’. This time, she starts crying and sobbing. 
Starts talking about how some of the records are talking to her. As 
you might imagine, this was not what | was expecting to hear. | have 
no idea what to say. Hell, I'm fucking stunned. How the hell was | 
supposed to react right? Well she doesn't like that. Starts screaming 
about how she knew | wouldn't believe her, how she wished | never 
had made her talk about this, how she knows she sounds fucking 
crazy. Then she just runs out, and | haven't seen her since.” He set 
the pen on the counter and folded his arms. “That's everything.” 


“Hm,” said Sabrina. “I see.” 


“I'm sure you do.” 


“Sabrina!” called Isaac from one of the aisles. “Look at this.” 


Sabrina smiled. “Excuse me for a moment.” She walked through the 
aisles to Isaac. He was holding a faded copy of 36 Chambers. “Did 
you find something?” 


He nodded. “Our girl Miranda was right.” He flicked the aloum with 
his middle finger. Nothing happened. Sabrina raised an eyebrow. 


“Impressive.” 


“Wait wait, this worked the first time.” He flicked the record harder. 
Again, nothing happened. He grasped the record in both hands and 
said, “I'm going to break you now.” Gently he began to bend the 
record inwards. 


“Okay, okay! Fuck!” came a voice from the record. “What do you 
want?” 


Isaac grinned. “Hello Mr. Thirty-Six Chambers. Nice of you to say hi 
to my lady-friend.” Sabrina rolled her eyes. 


“My name's not Mr. Thirty-Six Chambers, you goddamn mouth- 
breathing plebian. It's Cornwallace,” said the record. 


“Nice to meet you Mr. Cornwallace,” said Sabrina. She scanned her 
notebook. “Are you the only other talking record in this store, or am | 
correct in thinking copies of Meantime and Broken are also 
possessed?” 


“| ain't talking,” said Cornwallace. Isaac started to bend it again. 
“Alright, shit! Crazy fucking humans. Yeah, they can talk. We ain't 
possessed though.” 


“What are you? 


The record's voice took an air of superiority. “We're Remorians of 
course.” 


“That's ten minutes!” John called. “Get out of my store.” 


Isaac flicked the record again. “You'll shut up if you Know what's 


SCP-986: Faulkner's Last Manuscript 


Item #: SCP-986 
Object Class: Safe 


Special Containment Procedures: SCP-986 is currently stored in 
the Anomalous Document Repository at Site-11. The contents of 
SCP-986 are to be examined for changes by research staff on a 
weekly basis. Any changes to the contents of SCP-986 are to be 
recorded by staff after notifying the Research Director. A list of 
SCP-986 messages and narratives can be accessed with the 
permission of the Research Director. 


Preference for staff assignment to SCP-986 is to be granted to 
personnel with an educational background in literary criticism and/or 


cryptography. 


Description: SCP-986 is an unpublished manuscript entitled The 
Absent Willows, likely written by American novelist William Faulkner. 
The manuscript consists of 1208 bound pages, containing an 
original work of fiction and a supplementary section. No references 
to it were made by Faulkner in any of his personal correspondence, 
nor has it been cited by literary scholars as being among possible 
unpublished works of the author. 


At irregular intervals, typewritten text will manifest via unknown 
means in the 850-page supplemental section of SCP-986. While the 
text of The Absent Willows is written in type consistent with the 
Underwood Standard Portable typewriter used throughout 
Faulkner's life, text appearing in the supplemental section does not 
match any known standard typeface. The content of the text 
appearing in SCP-986 invariably consists of a repeating six- 
character format that upon initial viewing does not appear to have 
any understandable content (e.g. "GQCCKD OVNFSP QXXHAE"). 
This text currently fills 58% of the supplemental section, with the rest 
comprised of blank paper. 


good for you.” To John he said “One minute! We need to get some 
records.” He handed Cornwallace to Sabrina and darted off into the 
metal section. Sabrina walked back to a sour looking John. 


“Get everything you needed?” he sneered. 
“Yes,” said Sabrina. Isaac arrived holding the two other records. 
“How much will these be?” he asked. 


John walked to the register. “Twenty dollars thirty three cents.” He 
grinned. “Plus one hundred twenty-five.” 


Sabrina handed him the money, and the two agents walked out. 
Isaac grinned. “Score one for the UIU.” He extended a fist. Sabrina 
sighed, then tapped it with hers. 


“If | were you,” said a voice from behind them, “I'd hold off on 
counting my chickens for a little bit.” The two of them turned. The 
homeless man had stood up. He dusted off his shoulders and 
extended a hand. “I'd like the records please.” 


“Who the hell are you?” said Isaac. He tucked the records safely 
under his arms. 


“Who do you think | am?” said the man. “I'm with the Coalition. This 
is our operation. Give us the records.” 


“Screw you man,” said Isaac. “We spent money on these. We did all 
the work.” 


“You interfered with Coalition business,” he said. He took five 100 
dollar bills out of his jacket and tossed them to Isaac. “Here. 
Remuneration. Take it and run along back to your little clubhouse.” 


Isaac took a step forward. “I'm sorry?” 


“Isaac,” said Sabrina. She put a hand on his shoulder. “Give him the 
records.” 


Isaac spat and shoved the records against the man. One of them 
gave a muffled “Ow!” 


The man smiled, gave a mock wave, and walked away humming. 
Isaac roared and kicked a wall. “Fuck! This is bullshit, we had that! 
Joshua is right you know. I'm tired of just sitting by while they steal 
the limelight.” 


“Isaac. Calm down,” said Sabrina. “You can't say you didn't expect 
this.” 


“Yeah, but that's different from it actually happening! God!” He 
slammed open the car door. “Let's just go back.” 


“That would probably be best.” 


Updated Amnestics Guide 


Proposal for the Classification of 
Synthetic, Non-Anomalous Amnestic 
Agents 


Foreword 


Both the Foundation and its predecessor organizations have relied 
on memory affecting agents in order to expunge sensitive data from 
the minds of unauthorized individuals. Though we have generally 
classified such agents under the umbrella term ‘amnestics’ (and less 
accurately, amnesiacs), we have, in fact, used a wide variety of 
different agents to accomplish this task. 


Many of our commonly used amnestics are themselves anomalous, 
either in origin or mechanism. The fact that amnestics are frequently 
anomalies themselves effectively renders them Thaumiel class 
SCPs, recklessly handed out to any MTF, Field Agent, or 
Researcher who wants them. Furthermore, the collection of these 
amnestics are often either fraught with danger or are otherwise 
ethically problematic. 


Fortunately, neuroscience has advanced significantly since the 
Foundation was founded, and we now have the means to mass 
produce non-anomalous amnestic drugs. In addition to being wholly 
non-anomalous, the next generation of amnestic drugs is expected 
to be more cost-effective for the Foundation and boast a better 
safety profile for their subjects. These drugs function primarily by 
inducing memory deconsolidation, breaking down the neural 
pathways responsible for encoding episodic memories. The drugs 
themselves are encased within specially designed nanoparticles, 
allowing for the targeting of specific areas of the brain, drastically 
reducing the amount of drug required as well as side effects. 


The O5 Council is currently reviewing proposals to gradually phase 
out the use of traditional amnestics and replace them with non- 
anomalous alternatives. In order to facilitate this transition among 
Foundation personnel, we submit the following revisions to the 
current amnestics classification system. Please note that all classes 
of amnestics are now available in oral, inhalant, and intravenous 
forms for the convenience of amnestics officers, and still retain the 
taste of batteries and peppermint that none of us remembers but 
always find familiar. 


Class A, General Retrograde 


¢ For erasing recent and/or specific episodic memories 


While Class-A amnestics will technically deconsolidate memories at 
random, they will mostly affect engrams within the ‘memory 
reconsolidation window’ of 5-6 hours, as these are the memories 
that will be at the forefront of the subject’s mind. This is especially 
true for highly unique episodic memories, such as encounters with 
anomalous phenomena. While these will be most effective after 
initial exposure, it is possible to re-open a memory reconsolidation 
window, allowing for amnestics officers to trigger and then erase 
specific memories long after their initial formation. 


Class B, Regressive Retrograde 


¢ For the incremental erasure of recent memories 


Class B amnestics start by deconsolidating the most recently formed 
memories first, and then working their way backwards. The extent of 
the memory erasure is dependent on dosage, with a 75 mg dose 
resulting in approximately 24 hours of memory loss on average. 
These are ideal for erasing recent memories older than six hours 
without having to trigger specific memories. 


Class C, Targeted Retrograde 


¢ For the removal of specific memories from any point in the 
subject's life 


Class C amnestics are used in conjunction with high fidelity neuro- 
imaging and transcranial stimulation. Neuro-imagers will locate the 
specific memory engrams within the subject’s brain, and upon 
reaching those specific engrams the amnestics will be activated 
through the use of precise, non-invasive stimulation, typically 
ultrasound or magnetic fields. 


The benefit of Class C amnestics is that they allow for the surgically 
precise removal of memories regardless of when they formed, and 
are ideal for expunging classified data from the minds of D-class 
personnel and neutralized humanoid SCPs prior to their release. 
The major drawback of Class C amnestics is the required 
equipment’s lack of portability. As such, Class C amnestics are most 
efficiently administered at Foundation sites, though mobile amnestic 
field clinics are currently under development. 


Class D, Progressive Retrograde 


¢ For the removal of early memories 


Class D amnestics are the opposite of Class Bs. They target the 
oldest memories first and work their way forward, the effects 
depending on dosage. As this is a fairly niche application, Class D 
amnestics are rarely used. Though they are, by design, more potent 
than their counterparts, it still requires an extremely high dosage to 
expunge a significant portion of a subject’s life. As such, their risk of 
side effects is dangerously high. It should be noted that Class D 
amnestics only target explicit memories. Implicit memories, namely 
skills that the individual learned in their youth, will remain unaffected. 


Class E, Ennui 


¢ To induce psychological complacency with the anomalous 


To be frank, ‘ennui’ isn’t actually the proper term for the 
psychological effects of Class E amnestics. They would more 
accurately be considered an ‘anti-nostalgia’ drug. Though they still 
target the neural pathways for memories, they do not deconsolidate 
them. Rather, they merely weaken the pathways while 
disassociating the memory with any emotions, positive or negative, 


removing any incentive to think about it and thus allowing it to 
naturally decay on its own. 


Class E amnestics are most effective in situations where the 
suppression of the anomalous is not possible, and thus in order to 
preserve normality, the anomaly must be perceived as normal. 
Class E amnestics cause subjects to accept the world as it is, and 
forget that it was ever any different. 


Class F, Fugue 


¢ For erasing and rebuilding the subject's identity 


As with the old Class F, these amnestics induce a Fugue State, or 
dissociative amnesia, in the subject. The subject will forget their 
identity and may either be provided with a new one by the amnestics 
officer, or allowed to develop one on their own. 


Class G, Gaslighting 


¢ To cause subjects to doubt the authenticity of their memories 


Class G amnestics induce derealisation of memories, making them 
seem fantastic or dreamlike, causing the subject to doubt their 
authenticity. Standard field Class-G amnestics are formulated to 
target memories of the anomalous, and are best administered when 
the subject lacks any tangible evidence of their account and 
targeting specific memories is infeasible. Class-G amnestics that 
target non-anomalous memories, however, have been banned by 
the Ethics Committee are currently under development at the 
request of the O5 Council. 


Class H, Anterograde 


¢ To prevent the formation of new memories