PlaguePJP & J Dune: L
by PlaguePJP & J Dune
Centralia, the locus of SCP-2003.
Special Containment Procedures: Access points to all areas affected by SCP-2003 are limited to steam vents obstructed by gas and smoke.
As Centralia’s surface has no anomalous significance, its status as a local landmark and frequent target of urban exploration poses no risk to SCP-2003’s containment. As of 2025, the US government has seized all real estate within Centralia under eminent domain, and the borough’s population has dwindled to five residents.
A Foundation outpost masquerading as an abandoned home has been established within the vicinity of SCP-2003. Containment is limited to preventing research institutions from attempting to examine the area’s underground. The natural deterrent of the fire’s toxins as well as the general inaccessibility of the area are considered adequate containment measures.
Description: SCP-2003 refers to the anomalous phenomena located within the subterranean expanse beneath Centralia, Pennsylvania, USA. The affected area exhibits the following properties:
- The presence of humanoid entities, henceforth SCP-2003-1, inhabiting the former coal mines;
- Rapid, automatic regeneration of bodily structures following any damage or injury;
- The cessation of biological death.
SCP-2003.
Beneath Centralia lies a non-anomalous coal-seam fire that has been actively burning since 1962.1 SCP-2003’s anomalous effects extend approximately 200 meters underground, which is well beyond the depth of Centralia’s original mining operations. This is due to continued expansion carried out by SCP-2003-1, which has, in turn, increased SCP-2003’s range of effect.
SCP-2003-1 designates the total population of humanoid entities located within the anomalous zone of SCP-2003. These entities are visually indistinguishable from baseline humans; however, efforts to establish contact have been fruitless. This is caused by Centralia’s naturally hazardous underground conditions and SCP-2003-1's state of constant, unrelenting pain.
SCP-2003-1 instances spontaneously materialize within the underground through unknown means. As a result, steady population growth has been observed since initial estimates were made in 1993. At present, approximately five to six thousand entities have been observed within the SCP-2003 affected region.
Current Foundation research efforts are primarily focused on documenting SCP-2003-1’s behavior and obtaining lab-usable tissue samples.
Addendum 2003.1: Recorded Observations
As traditional exploration of Centralia’s underground is exceedingly impractical and excessively dangerous, the Foundation has chosen to visually document the mine through remote observation. The following descriptions are compiled from footage captured during descents into the SCP-2003-affected area by specialized heat-resistant drones and micro-excavation equipment.
Layer A
0 - 15 meters beneath the surface
Surface vents emit smoke, toxins, and gases into the atmosphere. Below, combustion zones sustain the fire. Layer A, being nearest the surface, remains least affected by SCP-2003. Most original infrastructure has burned away, leaving only steel supports intact.
Within shaft C30-1, a collapsed tunnel, the first SCP-2003-1 entities are first observed. A large combustion zone rages at the entrance. While local supports have charred away, the shaft is held up by a mass of SCP-2003-1 entities crushed between the ceiling and floor, estimated to be in the hundreds, congealing into a 46-meter blockage.
These entities are completely constricted, piled atop one another, and engaged in a constant cycle of suffocation and subsequent resurrection. The unending state of panic within the tunnel, combined with the sheer mass of entities inhabiting an ill-fitting space, has prevented any progression or escape whatsoever.
Some entities will attempt to escape through a narrow hole near the front of the crush, but the fire continues to trigger panic within the mass, exacerbating the congestion. Entities packed at the entrance are prone to inciting mass suffocations throughout C30-1, caused by sudden thrashing and shifts in orientation.
Layer B
15 - 43 meters beneath the surface
Beyond the crush at C30-1, several shafts converge at the mine’s former hub, a spacious administrative center for Centralia’s laborers. Scorched remnants of collection depots, storehouses, and repair terminals are the last remains of Layer B’s infrastructure.
Tunnels, elevators, and rails remain, though the collapse has severed them from the surface. SCP-2003-1 entities attempt to use these paths in escape efforts to Layer A, all of which are futile, forming minor crushes at several access points.
Layer B’s spaciousness has allowed the fire to spread wildly, with vast areas completely overwhelmed by flames. Massive combustion zones, especially near mineral veins and processing areas, reach over 800℃. This has not prevented a significant portion of SCP-2003-1 entities from attempting to progress through the layer, though some become discouraged during their initial incineration.
As awareness of the crushes and the impossibility of escape becomes undeniable, many SCP-2003-1 entities decide to migrate deeper into the mine.
Layer C
44 - 48 meters beneath the surface
The smallest documented layer. An on-site hospital intended for use by Centralia’s laborers remains. Due to its particular position within a collapsed service tunnel, it has managed to avoid incineration.
Approximately 150 SCP-2003-1 entities presently occupy this structure. Small, unstable factions compete for dwindling resources, usually blunt objects or tunneling gear found within the three-story building. These micro-tribes dissolve and reform constantly, as entities incessantly harm one another.
Although SCP-2003-1 entities do not require sustenance, it's believed that the sensation of hunger remains. The freedom from the constant presence of flames has allowed the majority of entities within Layer C to engage in cannibalism. Entire corridors of the hospital are now dominated by singular instances that hoard resources and prey on weaker instances, until they are consumed by another instance or tribe themselves.
The regenerative effects do not cease upon consumption. Ingested SCP-2003-1 matter remains active, growing and reassembling inside its host. This has given the majority of SCP-2003-1 within Layer C distended, grotesque appearances, and in some cases has hindered their function completely through physical incapacitation.
Layer D
48 - 62 meters beneath the surface
Layer D consists of a series of shafts and tunnels consumed by the fire, as well as a single remaining structure, the mine’s former stables. While mules had fallen out of use as an element of mining by the time of Centralia's fire in 1962, the stables remained as an abandoned, free-standing building within the subterranean network.
SCP-2003-1 entities are split in behavior. Those within the stables display submission, crawling on all fours, occupying stalls, tethering themselves with scavenged straps. Cannibalism and violent behavior are incredibly common among those within the stables. Some entities appear to enter nearby fires willingly, laying within them until death. No change in behavior occurs upon regeneration.
Other entities remain upright, actively searching the tunnels for tools, marking paths downward, and returning to the stables in silence. Occasionally, they gesture to those within the stalls. Most do not react.
Layer E
62 - 154 meters beneath the surface
The largest section of SCP-2003. It comprises 25 interconnected tunnels in various states of operation and convergence. The majority of SCP-2003-1 are housed in this layer. With the fire concentrated in the upper strata, Layer E is defined by absolute darkness and massive deposits of accumulated ash and soot.
Entities in this layer exhibit reclusive, but exploratory behavior compared to those in other layers. While violence and cannibalism still occur, they are largely limited to entities with direct contact due to the absence of light. Most entities in Layer E will hide themselves from others, using the cover of darkness to obfuscate themselves from potentially predatory instances.
Some entities, when not hiding or feeding, attempt to navigate the tunnels of Layer E. These instances display a significant impulse to tunnel downwards, and in some cases have been observed to originate from as far up as Layer B.
Centralia’s mine had reached an approximate depth of 90 meters before its closure. Any subsequent depth has been realized through unknown means.
Layer F
155 - 160 meters beneath the surface
Layer F consists of a chapel constructed in the style of a Protestant church. Floor maps of the Centralia mine originally place it in the central hub between a general store and the onsite hospital. It is not known how the structure escaped this locality.
Several SCP-2003-1 instances have occupied the chapel, exhibiting notably passive and at times reverent behavior. Violence, cannibalism, and conflict are rare; when they do occur, the offending entity is punished through collective retaliation.
Signs of a fledgling culture emerging within Layer F have been observed, with entities engaging in collective chanting, dancing, and apparent meditation. Occasionally, they will leave the chapel to gather coal, which is then added to a growing pile of ore at the building’s center. The purpose of this ritual remains undetermined.
Layer G
160 - 200+ meters beneath the surface
The deepest section of SCP-2003. It is occupied by isolated entities who continuously tunnel downward using scavenged equipment. This behavior is believed to stem from a compulsion to find alternate routes of escape. Some instances have been traced back to as high as Layer B.
SCP-2003-1 within Layer G will irregularly abandon this task, opting instead to excavate crevices suitable for long-term rest. They then bury themselves, entering a semi-hibernative state, motionless but conscious, where they remain entombed indefinitely.
Entities within the deepest portions of Layer G continue tunneling.