The Horse That Cried Meltdown. (An SCP Fan Tale)

Chapter 5. Manifest of illness

This was already getting old. The further into the sector I walked, the quieter it became.

The archives were the most boring part of every site, the only inhabitants being foundation veterans over the age of 60, and the occasional rat, but given that this facility is state of the art, impenetrable government security, im starting to think the rats were just added to set the mood.

The files stored there were outdated and explained already. Old documents that needed expunging, or a place to find a good piece of scrap paper when you run out, or a place to dump old shopping lists.

As I wandered away from the crowded areas like the testing chambers, kitchens and cafeterias, my surroundings became quieter, the lighting got more stale as the old and flickering bulbs hung above.

I could no longer hear the constant chatter and commotion in the common rooms, it was quiet... Far too quiet for comfort.

'I couldnt have wandered THAT far- could I?'

It was as if everyone had suddenly disappeared. There was no way it could have gotten that quiet so fast.

Paying the occurrence little heed, I wasted no time pulling open the dozens on file cabinets, flicking through each folder like pages in a never-ending book.

"Security protocols, personnel files... EX-SCP files!" I found the folder and happily dropped my slip of paper in the gap, after putting in a good effort to create said gap among the tightly stacked leaflets.

I was about to walk back to the comfort of the crowd when I heard a slight crackling noise from further down the hall.

I turned my head to look.

"Hello-?" I muttered, sort of under my breath.

I couldnt remember if someone had passed me to go to the bathroom or not, but I thought nothing of it.

I was about to turn back again when I heard a shout coming from the same bathroom

I jumped on the spot, my gut froze.

"SHES ALL I HAVE LEFT!!! TAKE HER PLEASE!!!" The shouting man's voice echoed down the halls.

I bolted down the corridor to try and help.

I noticed the clicking sound again as I ran, Intensifying with every beat of my heart.

The crackling got louder and louder until it was an electronic screaming in my ears, cutting away once I reached the door.

The silence was even louder. All the noise was gone, everything was gone.

I stared into the bathroom, there was nobody there.

'Was I imagining it?'

I stepped into the bathroom, looking around.

'theres no way-'

The door slammed behind me, making me jump.

"FUCK!" I spun on my heel, trying to yank the door open. It was locked tight.

"If this is a prank, youre screwing with the wrong guy!!" I shouted.

Usually I would hear a giggling or footsteps associated with the apparent prankster. There was no such noise.

I spun back around.

I thought of grabbing my radio, but decided against it. I didnt need another lecture about abusing security time. Besides, whoever was doing this would probably give up after about 2 minutes.

"Just gotta wait in this... Old... Dead bathroom" I said to myself.

I looked around, trying to find some use of my time being punked.