Per 
Item #: 5137
Object Class: Safe
Special Containment Procedures: SCP-5137 is to be kept in a 1.7-meter tall metal container. Cameras set up in two of the top and bottom corners of the inside of the container are to be kept running at all times for observation. At no point is the container to be opened for anything other than maintenance purposes on the interior cameras.
Should maintenance be required, a team equipped with blinders to avoid looking at SCP-5137 will move it out of the crate. Once finished, a tarp is to be placed over SCP-5137. Only once this is done is a technician permitted to enter to perform maintenance. Once maintenance is complete, SCP-5137 is to be brought back into the container and the tarp removed.
Description: SCP-5137 is a pillar of salt standing at approximately 1.57 meters tall. It shows general wear and tear from years of rain and wind, yet its resilience to such weathering is more consistent with that of stone, as opposed to salt.
SCP-5137 was discovered in the hands of a blind merchant in the city of ███████ in Central Jordan. The Foundation was brought to its attention after a mysterious set of deaths in the region. All victims were found with their bodies extremely dehydrated and as limp as ragdolls. Upon investigation, all of the victims were found to have come into contact with the aforementioned merchant.
SCP-5137 was brought to Site 19 by a five-man recovery team and initially openly observed by researchers. After a few days, however, the team that recovered the object began to complain of muscle soreness. The researchers studying SCP-5137 expressed similar pains. All afflicted personnel were given physical examinations and appeared completely healthy aside from heightened blood pressure.
As the days went on, the complaints became worse. All personnel were experiencing extreme muscle pains, burning sensations, and dehydration. Painkillers and IVs were administered to combat these effects, but to no avail. X-Rays showed what appeared to be a granular substance coating the bones of those afflicted. Additionally, their bones appeared to be excessively brittle, to the point where fractures were common among those afflicted when doing so much as moving them.
After a week, two members of the recovery team had died of dehydration, as well as three researchers. After the first death, seven days after recovery, SCP-5137 was quickly placed into a metal container by a team of four, with access to it denied entirely.
Two days after the object was moved into isolation, the personnel that moved the object began experiencing the same symptoms as the recovery team. They were given medical treatment immediately with painkillers and IVs but it made no difference. Eleven days after recovery, all of the personnel originally afflicted died. Eight days after the object was moved into isolation, the team that moved it all died, bringing the total number of casualties up to fourteen. The final death was facility guard Henry Jameson. See Addendum SCP-5137-A.
Autopsies were performed upon the bodies shortly after, as they had similar properties to those found around the area of recovery. Upon inspection, it was found that all liquid had been completely drained from the bodies of the afflicted. Additionally, the granular substance once found covering the subjects' bones was identified to be salt. Moreso, their skeleton appeared to have completely disappeared.
Research became far more cautious after this incident. One Class-D personnel was brought into the room every week for eight weeks, all under various conditions. After the first few weeks, it was observed that simply being in SCP-5137's presence does not trigger the anomalous properties. of the object.
During the fifth week, the D-Class personnel that was brought to SCP-5137, D-12602 was told simply to look at the object for a period of time before leaving. After two days, D-12602 began experiencing the same muscle pains as the researches initially affected by SCP-5137. After three days, X-Rays showed that salt began appearing on his bones. After four days, the salt became more prevalent. It was at this point that it was discovered that the subject's skeleton was not simply covered in salt, but becoming salt and dehydrating the victim from the inside out. It retains the shape of bones, but becomes extremely fragile and eventually dissolves into a granular form. After seven days, the subject died of dehydration. See Addendum SCP-5137-B for further information.
Further tests were conducted and it has been concluded that SCP-5137's anomalous properties only affect those who look at it. Being in its presence or even touching it does not have any effect on those near it. Only in-person viewings appear to have this effect. Recordings, pictures, drawings, and other images of SCP-5137 do not have an effect on those that view them. As a result, the object is constantly observed through video feed inside of its container. It has been classified as Safe due to its containment simply being to keep it out of sight.
SCP-5137-B
