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Info
SCP-8796 - Haunted Horror Fun Time!
Author: GwenWinterheart
Five hidden speakers are spaced evenly throughout the attraction; these play pop covers of Christmas carols at barely audible volume. (800 words)
SCP-8796.
Item #: SCP-8796
Object Class: Zeno
Special Containment Procedures: The SCP-8796 facility has been acquired through a front company. Civilian access is to be restricted while the attraction is in an active state. Individuals known to have traversed SCP-8796 in an active state are to be kept in low-security detention until the end of their activation window.
Description: SCP-8796 is a haunted house attraction located in Stanford, Kentucky. It was constructed in 1982 and sponsored by Benson Grocery despite the local retailer's poor financial situation at the time. The attraction consists of a linear, winding, dark hallway, which visitors are expected to navigate on foot. It is considered active when the following elements are present:
- Three human sized, animatronic, anthropomorphic vegetables1 wearing the aprons and uniforms of Benson Grocery customer service workers. At two minute intervals, these animatronics will be lit by powerful backlights and a nearby speaker will broadcast a short advertisement for cooking utensils in extremely poor quality audio. Despite animatronic function, objects do not move.
- Two large replicas of human heads constructed from fabric and wire, one male and one female. These drop from the ceiling on rope when a nearby weight sensor on the floor is triggered, resembling a hanging. Both heads noted to smell faintly of formaldehyde.
- One staff member covered in a white bedsheet and carrying an instant camera. This individual will periodically approach visitors and demand money in exchange for its services as a photographer. As the attraction is dark and the camera's flash is disabled, nothing will be visible in any photographs taken.
- One staff member dressed as a brightly-coloured anthropomorphic bird, wearing horn-rimmed glasses. This individual will not initiate interaction with visitors, but will be continuously present in the dark space. If questioned, it will reply only by incorrectly identifying itself as a mascot for Rice Krispies cereal.
- Five hidden speakers spaced evenly throughout the attraction, which play pop covers of Christmas carols at barely audible volume.
- The preserved, decapitated corpses of Fredrick and Lia Benson, posed standing in an unlit glass case near the exit. Fredrick Benson's corpse is missing the left arm in addition to the head — this was lost in the traffic accident which caused his death in 1977.
Staff member roles can be filled by any individual capable of wearing the required costume and carrying out the role with reasonable accuracy. Visitors who fully traverse SCP-8796 while the above elements are in place will experience the following immediate effects:
- Lack of clear memory regarding events experienced in SCP-8796.
- A generally neutral or positive opinion regarding SCP-8796. About 60% of visitors stated they would recommend the attraction to friends or family.
- Despite the above, complete unwillingness to personally enter SCP-8796 a second time.
- Mild stiffness of the neck and shoulders.
- Detailed knowledge of fluctuations in the price of bread and milk across various local and national retailers over the past 25 years.
- Loss of any previously held ability to whistle or juggle.
- Unwillingness to enter any large chain grocery establishment without the accompaniment of at least two trusted, able-bodied friends or family members.
In addition to the above, individuals who have traversed SCP-8796 in its active state will, invariably, within two years of the event, attempt to organize, participate in or otherwise contribute to one of the following:
- Corporate sabotage against either the Valdez or Konstantinidis supermarket syndicate.
- Assassination of Demetre Konstantinidis.
- Assassination of Felipe Valdez (No longer relevant, see appendix 1).
Paranormal effects appear to have begun in 1984, following the death of Lia Benson. Her body was found hanged in the produce department of Benson Grocery one week after filing for bankruptcy.
Thus far, it has not proved possible to modify SCP-8796 in order to select alternate targets. All significant modifications to the layout or contents of the attraction simply disable the effect entirely. Research on this front is ongoing.
Appendix 1: On March 24th, 1997, the decapitated corpse of Valdez Corporation CEO Felipe Valdez was found in his car in the garage of his primary residence. Valdez's driver, Joyce Mckinley, who was found to have visited SCP-8796 approximately six weeks prior, was the primary suspect. A confession was obtained through extra-judiciary examination at Site Black.
No information regarding co-conspirators, related third parties, or the location of Felipe Valdez's severed head could be extracted under enhanced interrogation. Suspect listed her primary motive as "vengeance" without further elaboration.
