parenthesisgrey's sandbox

Item #: SCP-3874
Object Class: Euclid
Special Containment Procedures: SCP-3874 is to be contained in a 5 x 5 x 5 meter hermetic cell furnished with a bed fixed to the floor of the containment and UV light fixtures of wavelengths between 185-254 nm which are to remain powered on. Cell is to be thoroughly cleaned and disinfected on a biweekly basis by D-Class personnel while subject is kept in a temporary hold for the duration of the procedure. Subject must be monitored at all times to prevent self inflicted damage and limit traces of SCP-3874-B. Under no circumstance is SCP-3874 to come into direct physical contact with human subjects.
Samples of SCP-3874-B must be kept in airtight petri dishes and may only be handled by authorized personnel. Samples and equipment in contact with SCP-3874-B are to be incinerated after use and all areas in contact with SCP-3874-B must be sanitized and treated with UV light of appropriate wavelengths.

Description: SCP-3874 is a featureless and colorless male humanoid of indeterminate origin. Subject is 190 cm in height and approximately 25 years old, recovered from █████, ██. The subject lacks any discernible facial features and instead has pits and holes of varying size and depth as well as pustules containing traces of SCP-3874-B. These holes are created after episodes of repeated skin picking and scratching of the pustules by the subject. Holes contain large amounts of SCP-3874-B and close after approximately 27 hours when left untouched. The subject becomes agitated when reprimanded and restrained from skin picking behaviors, but is otherwise fully cooperative and docile. Due to a complication during recovery, the subject’s lower left leg was amputated after it fell out of a window.
SCP-3874 has a near complete human organ system, excluding lower intestinal tract and facial sensory systems. The lower organs produce instances of SCP-3874-B and do not function in digestion. Subject has not shown the need nor expressed the desire to eat or breathe. SCP-3874 has demonstrated a need to rest frequently. Scans and biopsies have shown that the subject’s organs are alive and relatively healthy, but nonfunctional. Subject receives sensory information from a fully developed system of lateral line nerves and can sense light, sound, ████,██████████, and movement through these nerves. Removing organs aside from the lower intestinal tract and lateral line nerves has shown no effect on the subject. According to the subject, its anomalous properties manifested after an exploration of an unknown abandoned building in ████████, ██.
SCP-3874-B is a strain of parasitic bacteria belonging to the Hexamita genus that is specialized to infect human hosts. The infection occurs when a human subject comes into contact with either SCP-3872 itself or infected surfaces and objects that SCP-3872 has come into contact with.
SCP-3874 has an incubation period ranging from 48 hours to 3 weeks after initial exposure. Once symptoms begin to manifest, infected subjects, designated SCP-3974-1, invariably begin to experience mild abdominal discomfort and allergy-like symptoms such as irritated eyes and congestion. Common allergy medications have shown to mildly alleviate early symptoms. Approximately 3 days after symptoms start, subject will enter Stage 2.
Symptoms of Stage 2 manifest differently for each individual, but generally include the following in varying degrees:

  • Shallow breathing and shortness of breath
  • Lethargy
  • Nausea
  • Vomiting
  • Weight loss
  • Acute vision deterioration
  • Chronic congestion and sinus failure
  • Anemia
  • Loss of appetite
  • Unexplained numbness or cold sensations of lower extremities
  • Acute organ failure
  • Minor acne fulminans

In 68% of cases, treatment with the antibiotic metronidazole has shown to be effective in eliminating SCP-3874-B infection when administered before the end of Stage 2. After Stage 2 is complete, surviving SCP-3874-1 may feel their condition has improved and many of the symptoms have lessened in intensity compared to the beginning of Stage 2 as the bacteria enters a dormant state. Infected subjects will then enter Stage 3 upon experiencing any form of stress that causes an elevated level of cortisol in the bloodstream for more than 2 hours. Stage 3 symptoms include:

  • Complete vision loss
  • Loss of coordination and fine motor skills
  • Development of cysts
  • Acute acne fulminans, samples collected from discharge indicate trace amounts of SCP-3874-B
  • Complete loss of pigmentation in skin hair and eyes
  • Atrophy of [REDACTED]
  • Rapid deterioration of [REDACTED]
  • ████████ development in dermis
  • Complete loss of appetite
  • Major abdominal discomfort and pain

Once SCP-3874-1 has completed Stage 3, the subject becomes extremely restless and often will begin wounding themselves and aggressively rubbing or scratching their open sores and holes against any surface accessible, spreading SCP-3974-B in a concentrated form through the discharged bodily fluids. Any attempt to stop the subject results in hostility and agitation. SCP-3874-1 instances terminate within 48 hours after the completion of Stage 3, often due to blood loss or other complications relating to physical destruction rather than complications from the disease.

Addendum:

  1. SCP-3874 has demonstrated the ability to see fine details such as letters on a page and can communicate via writing or typing. It however is colorblind, only sensitive to the color red. How it “sees” such details is not fully understood yet. Commands directed at it may be issued verbally.