The Nightmare
rating: 0+x

Item #: SCP-XXX

Object Class: Euclid

Special Containment Procedures:

330px-John_Henry_Fuseli_-_The_Nightmare.JPG
SCP-XXX-1. Image lacks properties of XXX-affected items.

SCP-XXX's current host image is to be contained in a 10 x 10 containment chamber at Site 175. Two security personnel, outfitted with vision-impairing eyewear, are to be stationed outside this chamber at all times. Security personnel should be rotated out hourly to prevent overexposure to SCP-XXX's effects. Researchers running tests on SCP-XXX, as well as security personnel rotating away from SCP-XXX's containment watch, are to be screened for SCP-XXX's effects immediately after exposure. Under no circumstances should non D-Class personnel be directly exposed to SCP-XXX. If exposure occurs for over one hour, protocol 9 may be enacted without prior authorization. Subjects affected by SCP-XXX should be contained in a secure location til [EXPUNGED] occurs.

Description:

SCP-XXX is referred to as two separate entities - the affected image, SCP-XXX, and the apparition itself, XXX-1.

SCP-XXX is a memetic agent which may affect any graphical illustration, regardless of subject. SCP-XXX is unable to affect images comprised only of text. Upon successfully 'acquiring' an object, SCP-XXX will immediately manifest within the image itself. SCP-XXX will manifest only when under direct observation by a human subject, and can alter the image in various, seemingly random, ways. Electronic observation of an XXX-affected image has been shown to be ineffectual, as SCP-XXX's effects will not manifest in recording, although standard cameras are capable of taking screenshots of SCP-XXX affected images.

SCP-XXX's one consistent effect upon an image is the inclusion of the head of a horse, hereafter referred to as SCP-XXX-1. The body of the apparition is never visible, regardless of the subject of the image. Images depicting wide open spaces will manifest XXX-1 on the left side of the frame. XXX-1 tends to manifest in a position suggesting it is observing the inhabitants of the image without their knowledge.

In the event that SCP-XXX acquires an image with no living subjects, XXX-1 will instead be looking directly at the observer.

XXX-1 lacks visible pupils, and appears to have stretched skin. XXX-1 possesses very little flesh on its' head. In addition, XXX-1 is capable of facial expressions which should be impossible to the musculature of a natural horse, such as smiling.

SCP-XXX-1 can only move from an image when SCP-XXX is observed by a human subject for more than one hour. After extended observation, SCP-XXX-1 will vanish from the image, and instead manifests in the vision of the observer(s). XXX-1 manifests at locations where line of sight is typically broken or unreliable, such as from around corners, windows, peripheral vision, inside storage cabinets, and darkened areas.

In this state, XXX-1 appears to be animate. XXX-1 will attempt to draw attention to itself by any means possible, including distracting noises, disrupting objects, and [EXPUNGED]. XXX-1 has displayed the ability to manifest in locations that should not be able to hold it - during initial testing, XXX-1 did not manifest within the testing environment, but instead manifested inside a comparatively small storage cabinet in the observation chamber.

If XXX-1 is ignored despite its' attempts, it will begin to display highly aggressive behavior to gain the attention of the affected subject, such as manifesting at increasingly close locations.

XXX-1 is visible to unaffected subjects. However, in the event that an unaffected subject attempts to interact with XXX-1, XXX-1 will immediately vanish and manifest at a different location.

With each subsequent manifestation, XXX is █ inches closer to the subject. Uneasiness escalates into extreme paranoia within ██ minutes. It does not appear that XXX-1 is able to directly cause these effects; it appears to be a natural reaction. After approximately █ hours, subjects will be driven to seek open areas with no visible cover and stay there. At this point, XXX-1 will manifest directly behind the subject, resulting in [EXPUNGED] at the approximate moment the subject becomes aware of XXX-1's presence. In the event that an affected subject is moved to an open location prior to this stage, XXX-1 will immediately and violently [EXPUNGED] the subject. After [EXPUNGED], XXX-1 will 'jump' to the nearest image. In the event that there is no nearby image suitable for XXX-1's occupation, XXX-1 will return to its' original image.

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