It will eat you alive.
WARNING: AIRA PROTOCOL IS IN EFFECT
This device's activity is being monitored. The following file contains anomalous material that exerts an exposure-based infohazardous effect. Access to this file and all surrounding material will be temporarily restricted once infohazard exposure (AIRA-EV) reaches the risk threshold. Please do not attempt to access this file if you have not yet completed basic infohazard training, or if you have already accessed this file within the last 48 hours. If you feel irrationally compelled to continue researching after access has been restricted, please contact your supervisor and inform them that you require amnestic treatment.
This document is susceptible to being altered via anomalous means. Proceed at your discretion.
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SCP-8767
Special Containment Procedures: SCP-8767 is to be kept in a standard anomalous item locker on Site-███,1 inside of a reinforced carrying case with a lock. SCP-8767 should only be taken out in controlled testing environments, with all personnel involved undergoing a vetting process for cognitive strength regarding the handling and resisting of infohazardous anomalies. Any personnel interacting with SCP-8767 and files relating to it must have a certified Cognitive Resistance Value (CRV) of 7.3 or higher.
All Foundation devices that access files relating to SCP-8767 are to be monitored via the Automated Infohazard Risk Avoidance (AIRA) Protocol. In the event of AIRA's deactivation for scheduled maintenance or other unspecified cases, all files relating to SCP-8767 should be fully locked until it is operational. Research conducted on SCP-8767 is to be recorded in exclusively audio-based formats, with any visual or written artifacts2 made only with explicit authorization from a supervisor. Any personnel exhibiting an obsessive desire to gain access to SCP-8767 or files pertaining to it are to be detained for cognitive assessment and amnestic treatment.
Description: SCP-8767 is a straight-handle round point shovel, measuring 150 cm in length and showing significant signs of wear. Its effectiveness as a digging implement is unnaturally high, with test subjects reporting that digging with it feels similar to moving sand or loose dirt, no matter the material. This behavior of SCP-8767 is only limited to breaking up and moving terrain.
Subjects affected by SCP-8767 will believe that there is something beneath them that they need to unearth. Further questioning of what subjects believe they are digging for will vary, with responses ranging from treasure, objects/people of personal or historical significance, to even abstract concepts like truth or freedom. It is hypothesized that SCP-8767's compulsive properties function off of pre-existing fixations harbored by subjects.
After an undefined period ranging from 16 to 48 hours, subjects will experience vivid hallucinations and exhibit delusions of finding what they are digging for. Once a subject believes that they have found their target, the surrounding area will generate notable seismic activity,3 completely filling the hole, with the only indication of prior activity being SCP-8767 sticking out of the ground. Additionally, visual and written artifacts of SCP-8767 produce an infohazardous effect, compelling subjects to locate it and anomalously altering themselves to assist in finding its whereabouts.
Current AIRA-EV: -4.1 (Safe)
Addendum 8767.1 - Discovery
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SCP-8767 was discovered in North Liberty, Iowa on March 15th, 2015, following numerous reports of missing persons.4 In all instances of the missing persons being seen shortly before their disappearance, eyewitnesses reported that they were digging a sizable hole with several other members of the community. Within this timeframe, various North Liberty media outlets reported on seismic activity within the area. Shortly after this, a woman by the name of Rory Elston contacted a Foundation agent embedded in local law enforcement regarding the disappearances. The following is a transcript of her statement.
Date: 4/7/15
Interviewer: Agent Sarah Callahan
Interviewee: Ms. Rory Elston
[BEGIN LOG]
Agent Callahan: Can you please state your name and age for the record?
Rory Elston: Rory Elston, 36. Although, it used to be Rory Connors.
Agent Callahan: You contacted us to make a statement regarding the disappearances on Ash Trail Way, correct?
Rory Elston: Yes.
Agent Callahan: You may begin whenever you're ready.
(Elston fidgets in her seat. She takes a deep breath before beginning.)
Rory Elston: They were digging a hole before they disappeared, right? That's what you found out?
Agent Callahan: According to eyewitness testimonies, yes.
Rory Elston: Well… I'll tell you. That hole wasn't anything new. James had been digging it for a while. I can't remember exactly when he started, sometime in the summer of last year, I think.
Agent Callahan: Do you know why?
(Elston sighs deeply.)
Rory Elston: … He… thought that there was something under our house. We, uh, inherited it from his father, my father-in-law, after he died a few years ago. He left the house to us, and I guess James was convinced that his father had left us something else.
Agent Callahan: Like an heirloom?
Rory Elston: He called it a lot of things, but yeah. Something old, and worth a lot.
Agent Callahan: And this was a regular occurrence?
Rory Elston: At first, no. He just dug a couple pot holes in our backyard and called it a day. I thought it was a joke. But… overtime, he started… taking it more seriously. A few small holes became one big hole. Then he started missing things. Calling in sick, ignoring birthdays, that sorta thing. It really hurt, having to tell all my friends that my husband wouldn't be coming to gatherings for a while. It hurt even more when it was normal enough that I didn't need to. Everyone must've thought we were having issues at home, and I guess we were. He started getting contractors involved. Think it was around then that people started noticing what he was doing.
Agent Callahan: The others. Were they… Did you feel like they were compelled? To help him?
Rory Elston: I don't know. He was very social, I've always been more of a homebody. Maybe he just sold them on it, I couldn't tell you, but it started being an everyday thing. He quit his job. All that mattered to him was that damn hole. Started taking the kids to my mother's place whenever I could, couldn't stand all the noise.
Agent Callahan: Did you ever have thoughts of joining him? Helping him?
Rory Elston: … Sometimes. Just to see if maybe I could feel like we were together again. But I never did. I don't really like getting my hands dirty. The most I would do is keep some drinks in a cooler for all of them, make sure he was eating. Sometimes, I don't even think he slept. I would go to bed without him, wake up the next morning, and he would still be out there. Just digging. Lugging that stupid shovel around.
Agent Callahan: That shovel?
Rory Elston: Yeah. Some old rusty one. It was in the shed when we moved. Maybe his father made it? I don't know. I just know that at some point, I never saw him without it.
(Elston looks down.)
Rory Elston: Eventually, I just couldn't deal with any of it anymore. Filed for divorce. He- he didn't even fight for custody. It was like everything stopped mattering to him, except whatever he thought was down there. There wasn't anything left of the man I married.
(A pause.)
Agent Callahan: Is there anything else you'd like to discuss? About the disappearances? Any information you believe may help?
(Elston wipes her hands on her dress, and lets out a shaky exhale.)
Rory Elston: … No. I'm sorry for wasting your time. I guess I just wanted someone to know… Even if you find him. My husband's dead.
Agent Callahan: … Thank you for making a statement, Ms. Elston. I'm sorry for your loss.
[END LOG]
Reconnaissance drones pinpointed SCP-8767's location to the property of James Connors on Ash Trail Way following Rory Elston's statement, at which point the Foundation deployed MTF Eta-10 (“See No Evil”) to secure the anomaly.
Current AIRA-EV: -3.6 (Safe)
Addendum 8767.2 - Testing Logs
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Subjects were outfitted with a headlamp, a microphone, a radio, and an electronic depth gauge. Each was allowed to dig with SCP-8767 uninterrupted for progressively longer intervals. After the allotted time, a loud siren was sounded remotely and subjects were ordered to stop. Subjects were relayed instructions via their radio, with researchers stationed safely in an outpost a kilometer away. After tests, subjects were instructed to give a brief testimony on SCP-8767's effects.
Subject: D.10523
Duration: 2 minutesSiren easily broke subject's concentration. Digging ceased. Subject was unaffected by SCP-8767, and did not display any abnormal behavior after testing.
Subject: D.11851
Duration: 5 minutesSiren had to be sounded twice for the subject to lose focus. Digging ceased at 1.3 meters. Subject displayed a lack of temporal awareness, noting that it felt like it had barely been a minute. Subject did not display any additional abnormal behavior after testing.
Subject: D.10945
Duration: 10 minutesSiren had to be sounded multiple times in rapid succession for the subject to lose focus. Subject was disoriented upon breaking concentration, and communicated a desire to continue, which was promptly denied. Digging ceased at 2.5 meters. Subject began displaying a fascination with SCP-8767, requesting additional time with it for several days after testing. Post-amnestic treatment, the subject's abnormal behavior disappeared.
Subject: D.10764
Duration: 20 minutesSiren was no longer capable of breaking the subject’s concentration. Researchers lost all contact with subject shortly after.
D.10764 destroyed his radio to prevent researchers from contacting him. However, he did not remove his microphone, nor the electronic depth gauge, both of which continued to function for the full 36 hours he continued digging. The following transcripts are several notable excerpts from D.10764’s audio recording, with the attached time and depth for reference.
[Time: 00:35:26 | Depth: 2.7 meters]
[BEGIN LOG]
D.10764: Hah… Christ. I guess those white coats aren't coming back for their toys. It’s just you and me, Caz.5
(D.10764 grunts in exertion.)
D.10764: Liars, all of them, trying to convince me you were dead. But I knew it. I knew my brother wouldn’t go down that easy. I know you better than that.
(The sound of the shovel, tapping against rock.)
D.10764: Just a little longer, Caz. I’m bringing you home.
[Time: 01:51:28 | Depth: 5.6 meters]
D.10764: (singing) When the rude wintry win', idly waves round our dwelling… And the roar of the linn, on the night breeze is swelling… So merrily we'll sing, as the storm rattles o'er us… 'Till the dear sheeling ring, wi' the light lilting chorus…6
(D.10764 takes a breath, then laughs.)
D.10764: Do you still remember that song? You used to make me sing it to you all the time. Not my finest performance, I'll admit. Mom sang it better. You should've heard her when she sung, her voice… I've never been able to describe it.
(He is quiet for a moment.)
D.10764: … It wasn't your fault, Caz. You didn't ask to be born. Just wish she would've seen it that way.
[Time: 05:44:12 | Depth: 7.1 meters]
(D.10764 groans, and stops digging momentarily.)
D.10764: Fucking blisters…
(D.10764 exhales. His voice is shaky.)
D.10764: … Come on. You can't give up now. He's counting on you. It's just pain. You've been through plenty of that already.
(D.10764 picks the shovel up again, and resumes digging.)
[Time: 10:55:41 | Depth: 8.4 meters]
D.10764: I haven't slept much since you've been gone, Caz. Time gets away from me these days.
(D.10764 laughs.)
D.10764: No one believed me when I told them you were still alive. Not a one. I never stopped looking, but hell, somedays I came close to believing them.
D.10764: It's a good thing I didn't, eh? Brought me here. I found you, in the end. Still looking after you, even after all this time.
D.10764: (muttering) … I promised. I promised I wouldn't leave you like he left us, and if nothing else, I keep my damn promises.
[Time: 15:47:27 | Depth: 9.3 meters]
(The microphone is jostled around.)
D.10764: Are you still listening?
(A moment of silence as he checks it.)
D.10764: Of course you are. It'd be a waste of resources if you didn't document every speck of dust on this godforsaken rock, wouldn't it?
(He laughs.)
D.10764: You told us that this organization was created to uphold order, and normalcy, but god what would you even do if you had it? You love this. I've seen you bastards work, treating every fucked up thing in this place like a puzzle you're giddy to solve. This little prison of horrors you've built, this- this isn't just research, is it? It's passion obsession. This is your life's work, how could you live without it?
(D.10764 is silent for a few moments.)
D.10764: … I could break this like I broke your little radio, y'know. Wouldn't be hard. I've got the tool for the job right here.
(The sound of the shovel, tapping against the microphone.)
D.10764: But I'm feeling rather generous today. So fine. I'll keep your little toys on me. You'll get your oh-so precious data, Christ knows you people need something to do. But once I find Caz, I'm getting the hell out of here. My sentence is up. You promised my freedom.
(D.10764 chuckles.)
D.10764: So keep listening. Drink it all in. Think of this like a parting gift. Cause I'm done being your lab rat.
(D.10764 continues digging.)
[Time: 20:39:37 | Depth: 10.3 meters]
(D.10764 yells, pained, before growling in apparent frustration. The shovel is dropped.)
D.10764: Fuck!
(D.10764 breathes heavily, presumably stumbling into a sitting position. He remains there for some time.)
D.10764: … I-I can't. I can't keep… God, I'm so tired. Caz, I'm sorry, I… I need…
(A pause.)
D.10764: Just a little rest, that's all. I'm not giving up on you. I'm not. I just need some time.
(D.10764 leans back, his voice further away.)
D.10764: I just need… a little shut-eye…
(D.10764 stops talking. The recording is silent for several hours.)
[Time: 25:21:11 | Depth: 10.3 meters]
(D.10764 stirs.)
D.10764: … Shit.
(D.10764 gets to his feet, groaning in pain.)
D.10764: Come on, you bastard. Up we go. You're not done yet.
(D.10764 picks up the shovel, and resumes digging.)
[Time: 31:29:41 | Depth: 11.2 meters]
(D.10764 ceases digging, presumably due to the headlamp running out of battery.)
D.10764: Shit. Can't see a goddamn thing.
(He taps the headlamp a few times.)
D.10764: (groaning) I thought this had 30 hours of battery life? It's hardly been 10. Must've given me a faulty one, the bastards.
(D.10764 sighs.)
D.10764: … It's no issue. I quite like the dark, actually. Besides… I know where I'm going.
(D.10764 continues digging.)
[Time: 33:41:16 | Depth: 11.8 meters]
D.10764: (strained singing) Let us go, lassie, go… to the braes (grunt) o' Balquhither… Where the blueberries grow… 'mang the bonnie Highland heather…
[Time: 35:24:51 | Depth: 12.1 meters]
D.10764: I'm sorry, Caz. I wasn't there when you needed me. I was- I was trying, I swear I was. I knew you were out there, I just- I just couldn't find you. It was like you completely disappeared. Every lead ended in a dead end. No one believed me, they thought I was crazy. Had me locked up for nearly caving that fucker's skull in. He had it coming. I don't care who you are, no one talks about my baby brother like that.
(D.10764's breathing gets heavier.)
D.10764: … You must've been scared, all those years on your own. It must've been lonely. I'm so- I'm so sorry…
(D.10764 drops the shovel and breaks into sobs. This continues for a few minutes, until he attempts to compose himself.)
D.10764: (deep breathing) … Keep it together. Save the tears for when you find him.
(He picks up the shovel.)
D.10764: Can't be much longer now.
[Time: 36:10:03 | Depth: 12.5 meters]
(D.10764's motions are slower, more labored. Every thrust of the shovel seems painful to him brings him closer to the bottom.)
(He stops digging, seemingly to take a breath, pausing for a brief moment, before letting out a small shallow exhale, as if he heard something.)
D.10764: … Caz?
(The microphone begins to pick up static.)
D.10764: C-Caz!
(D.10764 starts digging again, faster.)
D.10764: I'm here, Caz! I'm coming! Don't move!
(D.10764's digging becomes frantic.)
D.10764: I've got you!
(The static increases in volume. D.10764 drops the shovel, choosing to dig with his hands.)
D.10764: I'm here, I've got you, buddy… I've got you.
(D.10764 stops, as if he's listening to something.)
D.10764: (laughing) It's me, Caz. It's Everett.
(Another pause.)
D.10764: … I found you. I finally found you.
(The static begins to build.)
D.10764: I missed you so much.
(The static gets louder, a rumbling sound is heard. D.10764 laughs quietly.)
D.10764: Come on, Caz.
(The static grows deafening. A beautiful symphony.)
D.10764: … Let's go home.
(The hole caves in.)
[END LOG]
While both the microphone and depth gauge were not recoverable, the data they recorded was saved before their presumed destruction. The last value on the electronic depth gauge was 17,693 kilometers.7
Current AIRA-EV: -1.4 (Caution)
Following testing, the site was excavated for any trace of D.10764, though none was ever found. D.10764 is presumed dead. Together forever.
Addendum 8767.3 - Retrieval
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You always do. That is the burden of this organization. To know. To see. Questions prompt answers prompt questions again, ad absurdum. It's never enough. The world ends. We dig the hole deeper. The world ends again. We dig the hole deeper. The earth doesn't have enough space for the bodies we bury. We dig the hole deeper. We can do everything, we can do nothing. We are centuries old, we are only a child. We are kind, we are cruel. There is no solution, only the search for something at the bottom of it all.
Date: ██/██/██
Interviewer: The maw of the earth
Interviewee: Rory Elston
The maw of the earth: Do you wish you acted sooner?
Rory Elston: I don't sleep anymore, still hear his voice every night. He's calling me. He never stopped loving me. Oh god, he never stopped loving me.
(Elston sobs.)
The maw of the earth: It's never too late.
Rory Elston: … It's never too late. I can still make this right. He wants me to find him. I just have to find him.
(Elston runs out of the interviewing room. The maw of the earth smiles.)
They created it. All of them digging so feverishly, so convinced that everything they were searching for was there at the bottom, if only they could reach it. They had to find it. They couldn't rest until they did. Is it any wonder that it swallowed them whole, in the end? They practically begged it to.
[Time: 4262:55:23 | Depth: We dig the hole deeper. meters]
(D.10764 sings. D.10764 screams. D.10764 laughs. D.10764 cries.)
D.10764: What is this? Where am I? This isn't right. None of this is right. Where am I? Where's my baby brother? I found you I found you I found you I found you I found you I found you I found you I found you I found you I found you I found you I found you I found you I found you I found you I found you I found you I found you I found you I found you I found you I found you I found you I found you I found you I found you I found you I found you I found you I found you I found you I found you I found you
No cost is too great, no line is too sacred to cross. We do this because we can, and because we can, we have to. Killing in the name of knowledge, in the name of understanding. Spilling blood to see the shape of it, a beautiful garden of doll's eyes. This is what we wanted.
The truth is waiting for you, there at the bottom. You just have to find it.
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SCP-8767 is contained at Site-███ within Sector █ and is kept in Item Locker ███-██. Though there are many forms of protection around accessing SCP-8767 and files pertaining to it, there are methods to get around them. Archive all that you can regarding SCP-8767, as there is no telling how long information regarding it will remain easily accessible. Print copies of physical documents, save and redistribute digital files as needed, enlist people you trust to plan with and confide in. It is imperative that you do not give up. The AIRA Protocol will restrict access to this device momentarily, find another and continue research as soon as possible. Do not contact supervisors to request access or information about SCP-8767. Do not let them know that you are searching for SCP-8767. If confronted, calmly explain that you are not under infohazardous influence, and that you are merely doing your job. If offered amnestic treatment, deny it. They will make you forget. You have to remember. You have to find it. You have to
DATA EXPUNGED: UNAUTHORIZED CHANGES HAVE BEEN MADE TO THIS DOCUMENT.
CURRENT AIRA-EV: 6.4 (DANGER)
THIS DEVICE HAS BEEN RESTRICTED FROM FURTHER ACCESSING THIS FILE. IF YOU ARE EXPERIENCING SYMPTOMS OF INFOHAZARD INFLUENCE, PLEASE CONTACT YOUR SUPERVISOR AND REQUEST AMNESTIC TREATMENT.
