“We need to talk to him. If he didn't do this, then he probably knows 
who did.” 


| already know who did this, she thought. And / will make him suffer 
ten thousand-fold. Except, she wouldn't. She couldn't even get 
dressed by herself. She was powerless; even now, faced with the 
worst thing imaginable she could do nothing. The internal anger 
directed at Harold Maine gave up and died; it could not survive 
against the overwhelming numbness that was suddenly her single 
mode of being. 


“Can | go home?” 


“Sure,” Dimitri said softly. “But only to get some things together. 
Toiletries, change of clothes. Forensics are finished and the clean- 
up team - the place is habitable, | guess. But don't stay there 
tonight. I'll drive you there now, if you're ready. | don't want you to be 
there on your own.” 


Helen nodded. “I want to go now,” she said. “Please.” 


ooo 


Having verified the house was secure, Dimitri waited outside as 
Helen went in. She would call him when she was ready, and he 


would come in and collect her things and put them into her overnight 
bag. 


Helen walked into the living room. It was quiet without Angela. No 
cartoons, no music. And even now, she expected to see her head 
pop up from her play area. But it did not happen. No police, no 
forensics teams, no ambulance crews, no daughter. Just silence in 
an empty house that had suddenly become alien and unreal. 


She walked into the kitchen. It was familiar and yet wholly unknown 
to her. All the pans, and the plates, and the food; all of it absolutely 
mundane, all of it horrifically clinical and uncaring because of that 
mundanity. The chips in the bag didn't care, the washing up didn't 
care. Everything sat in place, as if everything were normal. How 
could the world be so changed and unchanged at the same time? 


She stopped, conscious of a background noise that should not have 
been there. A rustling noise, or wind? She looked back towards the 
front door in case the Lieutenant had followed her in; but she could 
still see his shadow, blocky and unmoving, framed outside as he 
smoked a cigarette. 


White noise? A television or radio left on? She moved on. She was 
not scared, not anymore. As she drew closer, the sound became 
clearer. 


Running water. 
Coming from the bathroom. 
The shower was on. 


She crept up to the door as quietly as she could and listened. 
Steady streaming jets, the sound of water glugging down into the 
faulty plumbing, the shower curtain sighing and whispering as the 
drips and drops hit it. 


And something else, something she didn't understand. Something 
behind the other noises, quieter and softer but somehow more 
demanding of her attention. She steeled herself and pushed the 
door open. 


The shower curtain was drawn. She stepped into the room. She 
could smell bleach; bleach and disinfectant. She was shaking - she 
was scared, after all. Okay, you piece of shit, let's see you. 


She grasped the shower curtain as best she could and pulled it 
back, not knowing what to expect. “What the fuck?” The background 
noise immediately became clear; crying. 


Aidan Brown looked up balefully from the floor of the shower and his 
whole disfigured body shook in distress. “I'm sorry,” he said, and the 
words were almost lost to sobs and snot. “I'm so sorry.” 


Helen looked down at the wretched creature that even now rocked 
itself backwards and forwards in the foetal position, sodden and 
miserable under the cold spray, claws clacking fitfully, antennules 
flicking this way and that. “I don't understand,” she said. “You've 
been here all along?” 

“| didn't know what to do. | didn't know where to go,” he said. 

“But you were here in the house when they - when...” 

“Yes,” Aidan said. “I was here.” 

“Was it Maine? Did he kill my daughter?” 

Aidan shook his head and wept. “No,” he said. “No.” 


“Then he made someone do it. He made someone come here and 
torture and kill my little girl. Did you see them?” 


Aidan shook his head. “No,” he said. “He didn't send anybody.” 
Helen stepped back. “What do you mean?” 


Aidan sobbed uncontrollably and gathered his assorted limbs 
around him. 


“Aidan, tell me. If it wasn't Maine, or one of his cronies, who killed 
my daughter?’ 


Aidan didn't respond; she regarded him intently. 


And then she saw the scratch marks on his face. Little scratch 
marks like nails. She didn't comprehend, and then suddenly she did. 
The world lurched again; it was all too much. She sank back against 
the wall, suddenly feeling faint, unable to take it in. Tears came 
unbidden and unstoppable. “No,” she said as the realisation hit 
home. “No, no, no...” 


“I'm so sorry,” he sobbed, the words broken and halting as they left 
his ruined mouth; and Angela Gwandoya's killer wept and wept, and 
his tears mingled with the shower run-off and flowed down into the 
rain-parched drains. 


Next 


A Video Oddity 


Anomalous Item 20224 is a series of eight DVD-Rs containing 
unedited footage of an apparent nature documentary, collectively 
labeled as “Documentary 23”. The picture and sound quality of the 
footage is substandard, with audio-visual distortions, cuts, and 
missing footage common throughout the recordings. The disks will 
play on any standard DVD player, and the contained footage has 
been copied and archived. 


No anomalous effects have been recorded regarding the disks 
themselves or the act of watching them. While the possibility of a 
hoax exists, such an undertaking would require several million 
dollars to produce equivalent special effects. 


Anomalous Item 20224 was recovered from on July 16, 

20 . The previous owner was unaware of the object’s origins, 
claiming to have received them through an anonymous seller on the 
internet. Anomalous Item 20224 is currently stored in Low Security 
Vault 2 of Site 19. 


The following transcript lists only a general overview of major events 
of note. 


Disk 1 


¢ 00:00 — Disk starts. The scene shown resembles the 
Serengeti Plain. A large group of wildebeests, gazelles, 
zebras, and other savannah wildlife are shown around a 
watering hole. 

* 00:12 — The voices of the filmmakers are heard for the first 
time. Three distinct voices are heard, one female, two male. 
(Subjects 1, 2, and 3, respectively.) The language spoken 
does not correlate with any known language, and has only 
been partially decoded. The Subjects seem to be describing 
the water hole scene, as the camera focuses on the drinking 
animals. Narration of this kind continues throughout most 


other segments of Anomalous Item 20224. 


¢ 05:15 — Subjects 1 and 3 appear on camera. Both are wearing 


similar outfits: utilitarian clothing in various shades of brown 
with backpacks for carrying equipment and supplies. For 
unknown reasons, the Subjects’ faces have been blotted out. 
Documentary shifts focus to a nearby termite mound. 


The next 34:06 of tape contains no anomalous or otherwise notable 
content. 


* 39:21 — First anomalous content seen. At this point in the 


documentary, focus is set upon a small bird, which on closer 
inspection is clearly a blue jay (Cyanocitta cristata). The bird 
displays no physical anomalies, besides being native to North 
America, not Africa. 

40:05 — Blue jay flies away. During the filming, the Subjects 
did not seem to find the presence of a non-native bird 
confusing or remarkable. 


The next 19:55 of tape contains no anomalous or otherwise notable 
content. All animals featured show no unusual characteristics or 
behaviors. 


60:00 — Disk ends. 


Disk 2 


00:00 — Disk starts. Scene shows a series of rocky foothills at 
the base of a mountain chain to the west. Scrub vegetation is 
common. 

00:10 — Camera focuses on a snake in the brush. 
(Researcher's note: Identified as a western diamondback 
rattlesnake.) Subject 3, grabs the snake by the tail and uses a 
stick to handle it for the camera as Subject 1 narrates. At 
01:01, the snake is released. 

01:01 — Cut. Next shot is the middle of a segment on a large 
ant colony. Ants are a light shade of blue. 

01:15 - Camera focuses on a group of roughly fifty soldier ants 
attacking a reef gecko (Sphaerodactylus notatus, native to 
Florida). Ants are tearing away chunks of flesh with their 
pincher-like jaws. The gecko survives for nearly a minute 


SCP-987: Gruesome Gallery 


Item #: SCP-987 
Object Class: Euclid 


Special Containment Procedures: SCP-987 is currently housed at 
Research Site-14 in an airtight 5 x 12 x 3 meter concrete-walled 
chamber encased in a Faraday cage. Continuous illumination is 
provided by conventional fixtures in the ceiling. Access is restricted 
to Level 2 personnel or D-class personnel assigned by Level 3 
personnel. The chamber is to be constantly monitored remotely by 
thermographic and standard cameras. In the event that SCP-987-1 
is not detectable by thermographic imagery, the site director and 
head of security are to be notified. Although it is probable that 
SCP-987-1 has vacated the chamber, a Containment Breach Alert is 
not to be sounded by personnel on duty unless expressly authorized 
by the site director or head of security. 


Description: SCP-987 is a collection of mirrors (SCP-987-a through 
hm) and an anomalous entity (GCP-987-1) that is only directly 
detectable by thermographic scans. 


SCP-987-1 (commonly referred to as 'the Curator’) is an 
endothermic area approximately 0.5 x 0.5 x 2 meters that moves at 
ground level. It drains heat in a radius that varies from 1 to 2 meters. 
It also has demonstrated the ability to manipulate objects up to 

150 kg in mass, at a distance up to 8 meters away. Objects 
manipulated at a distance of more than 2 meters are not subject to 
heat loss. Periodically SCP-987-1 dissipates and is undetectable for 
periods between 15 minutes and 1.5 hours, and there has been no 
record of anomalous activity during these times. It has not been 
confirmed that SCP-987-1 actually breaches containment. When the 
chamber is empty of personnel, SCP-987-1 moves about in no 
discernible pattern, pausing in front of different mirrors for up to 
approximately 30 minutes each. The entity exhibits awareness of 
any personnel that enter the containment area and maintains a 


before one of the ants cuts the gecko’s jugular vein. 
02:12 — Cut. Scene is now focusing on a pack of vultures 
feeding on the carcass of a large Bactrian camel. 

05:36 — Cut. The camel stands up and attempts to bite a 
vulture. The remains of the camel's internal organs are 
dangling from the hole in its abdomen. 

05:45 — Cut. 


There are no visuals for the next 10:45. Sound is in the form of five 
individual narrations on unknown subjects. 


16:21 — Cut. Camera focuses on a red panda drinking from a 
shallow stream. The creature is estimated to be roughly the 
size of a Kodiak bear. 

17:00 — Red panda leaves the shot, but not before defecating 
on the stream’s edge. Subject 1 makes a comment, followed 
by laughter from Subjects 2 and 3. 

17:06 — Disk ends. 


Disk 3 


00:00 — Disk starts. Scene opens with Subject 2 in mid- 
sentence, pointing the camera at a snowy cliffside roughly 
100-150m tall. Subjects are seen wearing mountain climbing 
gear, and appear to be discussing the best way to ascend the 
cliff face. 

02:20 — Subjects begin ascending the cliffside. 

02:43 — Cut. Following footage is a shot of the horizon from 
two-thirds up the cliffside. The savannah featured in Disk 1 
can be seen in the distance. 

02:56 — Subject 2 is startled by the sudden appearance of a 
large, indistinct creature (Researcher's note: believed to be a 
flying fox or similar large bat.) and nearly drops the camera. 
Subject 3 scolds him while Subject 1 laughs. 

03:00 — Cut. Subjects are at the top of the cliff, looking out 
over the edge. Judging by the shadows cast by the mountain, 
it is nearing mid-afternoon. 

03:15 — Cut. Scene takes place later in the day, near 
sundown. Subjects are walking up a winding dirt path. A small 
village can be seen ahead of them. 

05:23 — Subjects arrive in the village. Buildings are small and 


stone, with wooden roofs. There are no signs of recent 
habitation: many of the buildings are in states of disrepair, and 
much of the village is covered in deep snow drifts. Subjects 
walk through the village for the next 03:40, conversing 
sporadically. No other life is seen. 

09:03 — Cut. Subjects are now approaching a larger building, 
a large section of which has collapsed and filled with snow. 
Subjects 1 and 3 step inside first, Subject 2 follows with the 
camera four seconds later. 

09:07 — Jump cut. Subjects are standing on top of a fallen 
chunk of masonry. A large swarm of black insects 
(Researcher's note: Further analysis suggests that the 
creatures resemble terrestrial trilobites rather than any known 
insect.), each at least 30cm in length, swarms around beneath 
them. Subject 3 opens his backpack, taking out a plastic box. 
Checking its contents once, he throws it across the hall. The 
swarm moves towards the box and begins consuming it. The 
camera lingers on the creatures as the subjects escape. 
09:56 — Cut. Subjects are inside another building, and it is 
now night. The house’s fire pit has been cleared out and a fire 
has been set up. Subject 1 is feeding a black-furred chinchilla 
some of her rations, while Subject 3 narrates. 

10:28 — Disk ends. 


Disk 4 


00:00 — Disk starts. Subjects are walking through a thick forest 
of large fungal bodies. Judging by the slope of the ground, it is 
presumed that the Subjects are descending the foothills on 
the opposite side of the mountain. Available light indicates that 
it is mid-morning or mid-afternoon. 

00:15 — Movement is spotted to the right. Camera focuses on 
a dark shape moving deeper into the forest and out of sight. 
(Researcher's note: Further analysis shows that the creature 
is a quagga, a relative of the zebra which has been extinct 
since 1883.) One frame seems to show the creature unfurling 
wings, but the footage is too blurred to confirm this. 

00:45 — Cut. Scene shows a stone pillar, which has been 
partially eroded by encroaching hyphae. The pillar is clearly a 
marker of some sort, and Subject 1 is attempting to decode 


the symbols that are etched into it. 

01:30 — Subject 1 now steps away from the pillar. Judging by 
her tone of voice, she was incapable of translating any of the 
symbols. Subjects move onward through the forest. 

02:41 — There is a heavy seismic disturbance. The camera 
becomes unsteady as Subject 2 stumbles. The fungal ‘trees’ 
can be seen to sway in uniform motion. 

02:44 - The next ten seconds contain no visuals or audible 
sound. Analysis has shown an ultrasonic note within the blank 
segment. As it does not vary in frequency, it is hypothesized 
to be artificial in origin. 

02:54 — Cut. Subject 1 is now observing a large black beetle. 
Every few seconds she prods it with a twig. After she does this 
several times, the beetle flares its carapace outward, showing 
the brilliant orange-yellow coloration underneath. 

03:40 — The beetle sprays a yellow-green fluid from its 
abdomen at Subject 1, who doesn’t step away quick enough 
to avoid the acid. She shouts in pain and attempts to wipe it 
off. Subject 3 steps in to help her. 

04:02 — Cut. Scene now shows a shallow gully, populated by 
a species of cup-shaped fungi, the smallest being a meter 
across. Subject 2 sets the camera on a tripod and walks 
away. No unusual events are recorded over the next 14:12. 
18:14 — A juvenile Javanese rhinoceros walks into the gully, 
sniffing the air. It makes a direct route towards one of the 
larger cup fungi and walks inside. The cup closes over it, and 
sounds of distress are heard from within after a few seconds. 
The silhouette of the rhinoceros inside the fungus can be seen 
as it struggles to free itself. 

19:20 — Disk ends. 


Disk 5