Per 
5096-VHS01
Item #: SCP-5096
Object Class: Euclid
Containment Procedures: SCP-5096 resides on the 16km stretch of Highway-64 between exit 22B and exit 23. Highway-64 is closed off with two 3x5m steel barricades. The barricades are in place primarily to keep the public out. A permanent diversion has been implemented.
Motion detectors are spread across the site and will detect any movement within a 17.97km radius. In the event of a containment breach, where SCP-5096 leaves Highway-64, Epsilon-9 (Village Idiots) will be sent to Highway-64 immediately. All personnel are ordered to dispatch SCP-5096 on sight.
Description: SCP-5096 is a metamorphic entity that takes on the physical form of a hitchhiker. The subject's height usually ranges from 2.2 to 2.4 meters. SCP-5096's sex is in-determinant, lacking the features of the male or female gender. In most appearances, SCP-5096 wears a long cloth robe, similar to that of a vestment's ceremonial garments in the catholic faith, and a broad-brimmed hat.
When engaging with human subjects, SCP-5096 will typically mimic the form of the subject's family, or close friends. If SCP-5096 encounters a subject that does not have any close familar bonds, SC-5096 will mimic the appearance of local wild-life.
SCP-5096 has not been seen since August of 2002.
Addendum:
On the 11th of January in 1993, Dr. Quintero and Epsilon-9 were sent to rural Kentucky to investigate an obscure series of killings.
[5096-Audio1]: DATE: 1/11/1993 TIME: 13:23
“Speaking is Dr.Quintero from Site-23. Various reports in the bay area suggest a local anomaly, with several accounts of homicide. The nature of these deaths, while bearing a low mortality rate, has caught the eye of the Foundation nonetheless. And the Foundation has decided to waste our time in Middle of Nowhere, Kentucky. None. The. Less.”
[5096-Audio2]: DATE: 1/11/1993 TIME: 16:01
“Quintero again, we’ve been updated on the individual deaths and are working with the state police, convinced them we’re the FBI. One of the bodies was stuffed into the carcass of a dead deer, another impaled and mangled on a tree branch, some disfigured, and the rest just found laid out on the highway like roadkill.
Likely the handiwork of some small-town rural serial killer with a sad backstory yada yada yada and some glorified true-crime documentaries in his future. Locals have been calling him the hitchhiker, because rumor has it—you’ll never guess—he hitchhikes. And kills people when he hitchhikes, because he's a hitchhiker. Some real creative hicks Kentucky has, huh?
The scene is a two lane state highway, has these towering oaks or redwoods or something hanging over the roads.We’re currently in the process of collecting the witness interviews conducted by the local police. Tomorrow I’ll be interviewing some witnesses myself, several of them wouldn’t talk to the cops.”
Prior to the arrival of the Foundation, Detective Inspector █████████, from the local police, interviewed Anne F. Mason, wife of Greg Mason, on her interactions with the suspect.
[5096-Audio3]: DATE: 12/15/1992 TIME: 8:36
█████████: “Is it okay if we record this section of the interview, Anne?”
ANNE: “Yeah.”
█████████: “Can you reiterate what happened leading up to your husband's death, for our report?”
ANNE: “And you’re sure I can’t be put away for this, I’m not a suspect?"
█████████: “We know you didn’t kill Greg. What you saw was difficult and unexplainable, but you’re not the only one who’s reported something of this nature. This report is crucial to our investigation."
ANNE: “You’re sure?”
█████████: “We want to help you make sense of what you saw.”
[time elapsed 02.12.32]
ANNE: “It happened on the highway. We were coming home from the pub on east main and we saw a man hitchhiking. I remember him because his thumb was bent backwards at a strange angle, not like a regular hitchhiker's thumb where you’re double jointed or whatever, but laying flat against his wrist like it’d be broken backwards. Greg didn’t notice, I just assumed I was more drunk than I thought.”
█████████: “Is there anything else about his appearance you can recall?”
ANNE: “Not much, it was dark, there’s not any street lamps on that stretch. His figure was thin, and tall, sort of like one of the marionette puppets you see in the circus.”
█████████: “That helps, please continue.”
ANNE: “Between the two main exits it’s about 10 miles, a little ways farther we saw the man again. The same hitchhiker, I’m positive. I pointed it out to Greg but he was real tired and didn’t notice him the first time, told me I didn’t see no hitchhiker I was just seeing booze.
Then we saw him again, the fear’d sobered me up at that point and I started getting scared. The fourth time we saw him, he was standing smack center of the road. Greg stopped the car and locked the doors. It started walking towards our car. Greg looked at him and started bawling, saying Beth over and over.”
█████████: “Who’s Beth?”
ANNE: “Greg and I, all our kids are grown up now, in college or starting to work. They’re out of the house. We love them all dearly, of course, but we wanted to try for another, to have that feeling of bringing someone up into this world again. We're gonna name her Bethany but, it’s my fault I shouldn’t have tried to bring up another kid.
[time elapsed 01.03.23]
ANNE: “I had her three months too early, but I knew what was inside of me was dead before then. Her skin was dark red and solid like there was an oven burning her alive in my stomach. It’s been over a year since I saw her, but I know the thing that walked down the road was not my daughter. It had my eyes and Greg's lips and burnt red skin, but it was not my daughter."
█████████: “What happened to your husband.”
[time elapsed 02.03.34]
"Her—it’s skin was moving. Jet black buzzards came from the dark splotches of burn and swallowed Greg. When I close my eyes to sleep at night, the dark of my eyelids moves and crawls like the buzzards. She’s all I can see."
[time elapsed 01.03.34]
█████████: “Thank you Anne, we'll have an officer take you home.”
Prior to the arrival of the Foundation, DI █████████ and their partner, Drew Brady, went to Highway-64 at 4:24 AM in a white Toyota Camry, in pursuit of the subject. The NPD called the DI and their partner at 30 minute intervals to check in. Below are the mobile telecommunications transcript.
[5096-Audio4]: DATE: 01/01/1993 TIME: 22:59
[CAR RADIO FEED—Playing END OF THE ROAD (1991) by Boys II Men]
█████████: “There was a deer smeared across the road a ways back, I don’t think it was there before and we haven’t seen any other vehicles. We’re parked a little ways from the exit, thought we should call in case anything happens.”
NPD OFFICER: “Maybe the guy kills wearing a deer hide?”
BRADY: “A deer hide wouldn’t get a driver to pull over; they'd just go around, and there’s no sign of forced entry on any of the found vehicles.”
█████████: “It wasn’t a hide it was a real deer, the thing was bone thin, no way anyone could fit in there.”
BRADY: “Hey, you see that?”
█████████ “See what?”
BRADY: “Look, there, up the road.”
█████████ “Shit you think that’s the guy?”
BRADY: “No I think it’s Clinton we’re lookin’ at, yeah thats him, who the fuck else?”
█████████: “Cool it Drew.”
BRADY: “Sorry.”
NPD OFFICER: “Maybe you should stay where you are and wait for backup”
BRADY: “█████s’ gotta rifle, I think we can take a hick with a knife.”
█████████: “That doesn’t look like a man out there.”
NPD OFFICER: “What do you see?”
█████████: “It’s walking closer.”
BRADY: “It’s still far off, give me a minute. We’ll be fine █████.”
[rifle clicks]NPD OFFICER: “What’s he look like?”
█████████: “Fuck it looks like a deer. But it’s walking upright on it’s back legs like a person.”
BRADY: “Buddy look, the thing’s running!”
█████████: “Hey, stay in the car!”
[car door slams]
NPD OFFICER: “What’s he doing?”
[gunshots]
Below is an interview between DI █████████ and Quintero
[5096-Audio5]: DATE: 12/17/1992 TIME: 21:09
QUINTERO: “Can you tell me what happened to your partner?”
█████████: “I wish I knew.”
QUINTERO: “Was the suspect hit by the rifle.”
█████████: “No it—it looked like it ran straight through him. I think Brady got knocked out, it grabbed the top of his head and walked backwards off the highway into the woods. It was staring at me the whole time. I got out of the car when Brady did, but it didn't come near me.”
QUINTERO: “What did it look like?”
█████████: “You know the three kids in a trench-coat gag? It moved like that, like it wasn’t all connected under its skin. It was a deer standing upright, but I don’t think it had hooves. I don’t know, I couldn’t really tell. I just froze, I should have done something.”
QUINTERO: “What could you have done?”
█████████: “I don’t know. I should have went to look for him. We weren’t too far from the station, but I don’t think I moved until the other officers showed up.”
QUINTERO: “And you’re still on the case?”
█████████: “The NPD’s small, there’s not too many people that could take the case. Brady’d just transferred from narcotics elsewhere, he had a lot ahead of him. But regardless, I want to find the guy myself.”
[5096-Audio6]: DATE: 01/07/1993 TIME: 11:23
“The DI had me over for dinner last night, I only said yes because I wanted to talk about the case. He lives alone, except for his bull-terrier, Gatsby. Guy went to KSU to major in English and was considering journalism, didn’t know how he got to being a detective. He said it was probably all the episodes of inspector gadget, it’s a cartoon from when he was a kid. We watched a few tapes of it, and from what I got it’s about this robot man that solves mysteries. Sounds like something the Foundation would want to look into.
We went out to his back porch and ate canned peaches after dinner, god he knows so much about, everything. Went on talking for a straight 15 minutes about Ulysses and something about mortality, I think I fell asleep on his couch. He didn’t wake me up though until—oh shit right the drawing. Note to self, stop talking. He left me a note in the morning saying he’d gone to work, and a bowl of oatmeal and an aspirin. Thoughtful.
It was around 8:00 when I woke up, had the worst fucking hangover and I was looking for the bathroom, but I opened the wrong door and found his bedroom. I wasn’t snooping, I accidentally opened the wrong door. There were drawings taped to a bookshelf, in charcoal I think. I can’t ask him about it, he'll get the wrong idea. I took one of the drawings.
I had this dream I was driving down Highway-64, there was a green light in the woods, I didn’t stop. It was barely visible. A car passed me but it didn’t have a driver. It’s headlights were green too. I think I should have stopped. Note to self, break cassette tape."
On the fifteenth of January, Michael, 15, had an altercation with the subject.
[5096-Audio7]: DATE: 01/15/1993 TIME: 7:23
QUINTERO: “Goodmorning Michael how are you feeling?”
MICHAEL: “Great, can I leave?”
QUINTERO: “You will soon, I just need to ask you a few questions first. How old are you Michael, when did you get your license? You didn’t seem to have yours with you.”
MICHAEL: “I already said I wasn’t drunk.”
QUINTERO: “15, good. You made a call to ████████ county police station at 2:54am this morning, what did you report in that call.”
MICHAEL: “My family’s Protestant we don’t drink.”
QUINTERO: “In your call you said you and your friends pulled over for a hitchhiker and he’d threatened you. What did he do?”
[time elapsed 00.35.39]
QUINTERO: “What did you see Michael?”
[time elapsed 00.55.13]
QUINTERO: “Whose face did he have Michael?”
[time elapsed 00.13.45]
MICHAEL: "Dad’s.”
Six boys (aged 14-17) in ███████, Ohio went onto Highway-64 at Exit-B. The perpetrators walked a mile down Highway-64, found SCP-5096, at which point five of the group turned back and one remained in the presence of SCP-5096. The five who returned were stopped and apprehended by Epsilon-9 a half mile from the exit. In 5096-audiox Hal █████████ details his interaction with the subject on Highway-64.
[5096-Audio8]: DATE: 01/28/1993 TIME: 13:43
QUINTERO: “Twenty-third of July, 2002. Interview with Hal █████████ found trespassing with 5 others on highway-64. State your name, age, and county—for the record Hal.”
HAL: “Hal █████████, 17, are you the Feds?”
QUINTERO: “You live in are-you-the-Feds county?”
HAL: “███████ county. Are you?”
QUINTERO: “Officers found your group half a mile down the highway, what caused the rest to run off and you to stay?”
QUINTERO: “Did you see anything or anyone else on Highway-64?”
HAL: “No.”
QUINTERO: “Your friends say otherwise. They sounded scared, Hal, why’d they sound scared?”
HAL: “You’re a Fed.”
QUINTERO: “Why did you go out there to begin with?”
[Hal pauses]
HAL: “There were rumors about a killer in the woods, that he acted like a hitchhiker but once you let him in your car he’d snag you. Our friend Mikey called really late one night hysterical and rambling about his dad and a hitchhiker, but the next day he couldn’t remember calling us. We thought he had a blackout but he doesn’t drink much so it didn’t make much sense.”
QUINTERO: “Did your friend Michael call anyone else that night?”
HAL: “Don’t think so. Why?”
QUINTERO: “Your friends said that you ran into someone down there, they described a tall man with a long coat. Do you know what he-”
HAL: “It wasn’t a man.”
QUINTERO: “What was it?”
HAL: “I know how it’ll sound.”
QUINTERO: “How what will sound?”
[time elapsed 01.43.23]
QUINTERO: “Did it speak to you?”
HAL: “No it was dead silence the entire time. At first he looked like, you know, this skinny thing, but his skin started moving and his limbs got all twisted. I think he looked like Tom ██.”
QUINTERO: “Who’s Tom ██?”
HAL: “Guy used to run the corner store on █████ and ████████ street. We all went there a lot as kids. A 16 wheeler took him out a few years back. The rest of them ran off when they first just saw the thing, they didn’t see Tom. For a second I really thought it was him.”
QUINTERO: “The corner store’s close to the edge of the woods right Hal?”
HAL: “Yeah why?”
QUINTERO: “Curiosity, continue.”
HAL: “I think it was trying to be friendly. I don’t think it wanted to hurt me, and it didn’t. It never did. But I got scared, I froze when I saw Tom. It’d come really close to me, a foot or so from my face, it was dark but Tom didn’t look like Tom."
QUINTERO: “How’d he look?”
HAL: “He was way taller than Tom ever was, all his fingers were the same length, even his thumb. Corner-store Tom had silver molars n’ he used to pop open soda bottles for us by biting the cap off. We all thought it was really cool, for some reason.
The guy did the same gesture Tom did, he curled his fingers like he was holding a bottle and held it up to his jaw. But when he opened his mouth to pretend to bite off the lid, it was all red and mushy. There were no teeth, it was like his throat got pushed up where his tongue should be. I think he knew he scared me.”
QUINTERO: “Why do you say that?”
HAL: “He recoiled back after that, shrunk away from me. I felt bad for him. I don’t know why I just—I think he saw the fear in my face so I don’t think he meant to scare me. He tried to look like my rottweiler next, but it took him a while to change out of Tom's skin. He got on all fours and shriveled down like sunburned skin. His neck got short and the bottom half of his jaw jutted out while his eyes shrunk down to peas. I don’t remember what happened after I think I passed out.QUINTERO: “When did you wake up, where rather.”
HAL: “It was dawn. There were trees above me and I could see the sun at the edge of the road, we weren’t far from the highway. There were these metal, cardboard boxes around me, like the ones the homeless folk set up by the creek, but these ones had pointed roofs. The sun made everything a deep orange and red, I saw him standing behind one of the houses, kind of far from me.
QUINTERO: “Tom?”
HAL: “No, he looked like the hitchhiker again. I couldn’t hear the birds or deer or the wind. I just watched him peeking over the roof staring. He still had on this big dark sunhat, I couldn’t make out his face well. It smelled, smelled really fucking bad. Not like piss or rotten food or anything else, I can’t describe it right.I don’t remember what happened after that well. I know I got up and I started sprinting towards the highway, I think I made it there. Yeah—that’s right, I saw these grey trucks, we weren’t that far from the exit. I think a cop picked me up.”
QUINTERO: “I believe we picked you up a quarter-mile from the exit. Huh.”
HAL: “What do you mean huh?”
QUINTERO: “More than one town. Is that everything you can recall Hal?”[time elapsed 01.23.52]
QUINTERO: “Well we’ll-”
HAL: “I saw Tom again when I was in the back of the cop car, we were at a red light. Tom was standing a meter or so from the edge of the woods-facing the trees with his back to the street. He just stood and watched like he was having a staring contest with the trees. I don’t know what it meant. I think he wants me to go back to the hitchhiker's town.”
[time elapsed 00.30.23]
QUINTERO: “Our medical staff we’ll be in here shortly to check for any physical traumas. This was helpful Hal, thank you.”HAL: “What’s gonna happen to him?”
QUINTERO: “Your friends will be let off with a slap on the wrist given the circumstance, I wouldn’t worry.”
HAL: “No, the man.”
Hal and five others were given two doses of the
anesthetic propofol following the events of 7/22/02
POLAROID: THE HOMES
[5096-Audio9]: DATE: 03/18/1993 TIME: 2:03
“Quintero speaking. Drew Brady was found [March 26, 1993]. Male, 29, skinned and stuffed into the gutted carcass of a dead deer, similar to an earlier report prior to the arrival of the Foundation. This information has been kept from the local police.
Upon further examination, during the victim's autopsy and biochemical testing, it was discovered the victim had their teeth removed and replaced with the deer’s teeth, coagulation suggests this was done ante-mortem. The victim's teeth have not been found. We will begin searching the woods tomorrow morning, to determine if there are any missing persons still alive, as well as housing for the subject.
[5096-Txt1]: DATE: 03/19/1993 [Letter from Quintero to Site Administrator]
Transcription:
RESOURCE REQUEST
I would like to request more personnel be added to this case. We believe this subject is important and requires more attention. From our understanding, we are looking at a hitchhiker with metamorphic abilities. These abilities allow the subject to move at a rapid speed, faster than that of a car. Killings all take place in a 10 mile radius. Currently, 23 have died from this phenomenon, possibly more. Today we believe we’ve uncovered a motive for the subject. This morning [February 27, 1993] a squad went to the area of the deaths and into the woods where the subject likely lives. About five miles in, we discovered a makeshift home from a tarp, a rake, and used plywood. Inside a mattress and one of the missing persons’ torso, propped up against the wall, with two sticks poking out where her legs should be. Further into the woods, we discovered more makeshift homes, slightly more complex, resembling a neighborhood. In one, a dead man slept. In another a rotting woman, propped up with sticks, was positioned to mimic the motion of baking food, with mud and sticks mixed in a bowl. The same botched image of human civility and mundane tasks could be seen all throughout the woods. One of the larger, more complex homes was found empty, all the rest housed the dead. In the empty home we found a set of human teeth, the carcass of a man, several items of clothing, and two human hands. From this, we suspect that the subject cannot perfectly imitate human behavior, or rather, it’s shape-shifting abilities come in short bursts, hence why the killings are spaced out and quick. We believe the subject is attempting to become human. We do not think the subject is omniscient, rather we believe it to be an intrinsic watcher. It has likely lived in these woods since the town was built, and has become familiar with the residents given how small the town is. The potential for others like it could be monumental. The subject knows what it looks like to eat, sleep, and love, but it does not understand the functionality, and no matter how hard it tries to mimic humanity it is unable.
— Joseph Quintero, Site-23
[5096-audio10]: DATE: 03/29/1993 TIME: 9:22
QUINTERO: “It made a motherfucking city! Flesh city! Bug eyed! Cotton-mouthed! Wide-eyed city! Fuck these hicks and fuck this town!”
█████████: “Quinn, you need to calm down.”
QUINTERO: “You weren’t there, it was disgusting, it’s all I can think about!”
█████████: “Just wait for the letter from your boss and we’ll go from there.”
QUINTERO: “Yeah sure thing, yeah of course! Dear very kind and loving and caring and wonderful god looking Foundation. I don’t want to die at 27, so please, graciously, send some experienced staff and some artillery. If none of those will suffice then you can send my brother your condolences and a check for the funeral. Sincerely, Joseph Quintero.”
[car door slams]
█████████: “God.”
[car door opens]
█████████: “Yes, Quinn?”
QUINTERO: “Can you drive me back.”
LETTER FROM SITE DIRECTOR
Joseph, our resources are limited from the ongoing recession. We’re sending staff to block off Highway-64 and implement a permanent detour through the back roads adjacent to the wooded area. We will reopen this case if it is deemed a high-risk threat, otherwise, it is to be left alone.
We also understand that the DI who led the state police’s case, has become involved in the Foundation's own investigation. It is strictly against policy to involve non-staff in Foundation business. ███ █████████, and any others with knowledge of the subject's anomalous properties, are to be terminated immediately. We’ve sent a request to a member of your team to collect and send the investigation's current findings and reports, to be added to the Foundation database.
— Site-23
LETTER FROM SITE DIRECTOR: Following Up
Joseph, removing the DI’s name from your reports will not shelter his identity. We remind you noncompliance will result in the termination of both parties. We now ask you to dispatch the DI yourself. Epsilon-9 has been made aware of this adjustment.
The staff sent to blockade the roads are delayed from an incident at site-17, you and Epsilon-9 will likely remain at your current location for another month. To take advantage of this time, we recommend you continue to pursue the subject. Included is another tape and 5 body-camera recorders to document any findings.
— Site-23
[5096-Audio11]: DATE: 04/05/1993
QUINTERO: “Site-23, I’d like to report a new anomaly. We’ve found hell and it’s dancing on the bluegrass soil. I shot your security risk.”
Epsilon-9 and Quintero go into the woods bordering Highway-64 in pursuit of the subject
[5096-VHS01]: DATE: 04/07/1993
E-17: “Quinn you’re quiet, that’s a first”
[Camera feed shows Quintero walking behind the four members of Epsilon 9]
E-83: “We’re sorry about your friend Quinn, but we couldn’t do anything.”
[time elapsed 2.34.23, group still moving]
QUINTERO: “What, do you want me to thank you for killing him? So I didn't have to look him in the eyes, like you said!”
[time elapsed 01.21.10]
QUINTERO: “Sorry, I know it’s my fault.”
E-17: “It’s not. We’re—I don’t know. We’ll figure this out. ”
[time elapsed 01.42.42]
QUINTERO: “You know I started to write him this note on the back of a gas receipt” [camera feed quickly jolts to the left, epsilon 9 goes out of frame. E-17 yells (audio indeterminate) gunshots are heard in the background and quickly fade.]
[Quintero’s camera feed moves rapidly through the woods for 5 minutes and 13 seconds, the lense is mostly covered. The following 3 minutes and 32 seconds of footage are shuffled and it is unclear what’s happening]
[At 9 minutes and 46 seconds the camera is rolled over and shows trees above. Quintero can be heard breathing in rapid, shallow breaths. Quintero is inside a small enclosure. The surrounding room is narrow, estimated 2m^3 with no roof and a small rectangular opening across from the camera.]
[Quintero leans back, the subject stands over the structure, watching. Quintero remains silent. At 12 minutes and 6 seconds the subject moves out of frame, positioned at Quintero’s side, separated by the right wall of the structure.]
[The subject re-appears in front of the structure’s opening as the late DI.]
[Quintero makes an indeterminate remark and backs away from the doorway. The camera feed now shows more of the room: A mattress, a crate adjacent to the mattress, a lightbulb, and a copy of Damon and Pythias sit atop the crate. The room is otherwise barren.]
[The DI (subject) enters the home and squats across from Quintero with it’s hands on it’s knees. It does not speak.]
[Quintero talks softly]
QUINTERO: “I’m sorry, you have to understand. I didn’t have a choice. I did this for us. They would have shot us both. Please.”
[The DI (subject) places it’s ‘hand’ on Quintero’s shoulder, the rest of it’s form remains stationary. It’s arm is longer than the DI’s and is disproportionate to it’s form. Quintero flinches slightly and the camera shakes]
QUINTERO: “I’m sorry, I’m sorry. I wrote you a note.”
[Quintero reaches inside of his jacket, covering the camera lense, then removes a slip of paper. The DI mirrors Quintero’s actions, reaching across it’s own chest and pulling it’s hand back. However, when the DI pulls his hand back, it doesn’t mimic holding a paper slip. It makes the shape of a gun with it’s pointer and middle finger. The DI’s right hand remains on Quintero’s shoulder.]
[time elapsed 01.23.12]
[Quintero removes a pistol from the inside of his jacket. He places the gun and note in the free hand of the DI. The DI’s right hand remains on Quintero’s shoulder.]
[The DI holds the gun awkwardly, with it’s ring finger around the trigger handle. It presses the barrel of the pistol to Quintero’s chest, above the camera's view. The DI’s right hand remains on Quintero’s shoulder.]
[There is a single gunshot. The DI’s right hand remains on Quintero’s shoulder.]
The following paper was recovered from the scene.
