(The New) Power of the 8 Elements: Part Two

Chapter Seventeen: Research Night

"After all, the ultimate goal of all research is not objectivity, but truth." - Helene Deutsch
PRESENT DAY
CELESTE

"Good night, Mama," Silver stands up from the dinner table and walks upstairs.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, where are you going?" Mama asks her. "We're not even finished."

"Unfortunately, it seems I am not well enough to finish supper. Headache."

"Or are you just on a call with y your boyfriend?" Rune asks.

"Shut up," Silver hisses at our youngest sister, taking her pink sweater from the back of her chair and walking upstairs.

Seeing as Silver was able to leave, I assume that now would be the perfect opportunity to get up and go. I have a busy night ahead of me, and I want to make the most of my first summer evening. I stand up and take my marinara-sauce covered plate to the sink.

"Headache, too?"

"Uh...y-yeah, I guess staring at a computer didn't help."

"Don't spend your entire break on your devices," Mama says.

"I know!" I respond, turning my head for a second before walking upstairs. I pull off my shoes once I reach my room with a sigh. My ankles have started getting sore, I've noticed. It's an obnoxious trait that comes with pregnancy, and I doubt I'll ever get used to it. I set the SCP binder on my desk and begin to read the first pages. I know I've got a long way to go. After flipping to the last page, there's approximately 1,575 pages. I assume I'll have to stay up late in the night.

The descriptions are small, yet they provide so much information—more than I was expecting. I find it amazing how everything is able to be organized so well. It starts with SCP-000: The Lost SCP. The tales are just as frightening as the pictures. I'm sure they have more SCP encounters in other binders. With every turning of a page, it feels like a moment of truth. I brace myself to see the next creature, and the descriptions seem to get worse as they carry on.

At one point, I begin getting comfortable. A little too comfortable. So much in fact, that I turn through the book, skimming a pace faster than before. As I reach around the 26th page, my heart stops dead. The image becomes so horrifying that I jump back, nearly knocking the chair over as my heart races dangerously. It takes a few seconds to regain enough courage to scoot the chair back up to the desk and face what had scared me.

I think it's supposed to be a man, but he looks like he's fallen in a vat of acid and burned all over. He's dressed in what appears to be a vest and is bald with gleaming eyes and a lipless mouth with rows of teeth. It's been the most horrifying sight I've seen in this entire godd*mn book, and it's terrifying.

SCP-106—The Old Man. His name varies, but his origins are unknown. According to the brief description, he is a sadist and has one of the highest kill counts in SCP history. But also, according to the book, he's escaped. That means in three short words, "He's out there." Somewhere, he has to be. It means I'm walking on the same ground he does, breathing the same air he does, perhaps following his footsteps in a literal sense. My heart is swallowed up in an uncomfortable fear that explodes when I hear footsteps.

"Evening," Lucifer says.

I spin around and squeal.

"I hope I didn't scare you all that bad. Apologies, liebe."

"No, it's fine. I must've spooked myself," I say, moving over to allow Lucifer to pull up a chair to the desk.

He begins to skim the page.

"Is this what you've been occupying yourself with? All kinds of horrors...?" He sounds concerned for me, and the tone of his voice changes even more when he stumbles upon the image of 106.