SCP Short Stories

Over and Over

Please don't hate me

The buildings all crumble to dust and bricks. The air is polluted and contaminated. All trees and plants have been burned to ash or buried beneath all the rubble. The sky turned gray and red.

No life insight. No life in miles. Except for one. And he stood there in tears. Everything was gone. Everyone who he loved died. His companions. His friends. His children. His husband. Everyone. He was the only one left.

Finally, his knees gave away and he kneeled down to the floor. Right in front of him was a broken mask. He was in pieces with all life completely drained from him. The plague doctor grabbed a few pieces of his husband close to his chest and cried harder.

He couldn't understand why this was happening. He couldn't understand how this even happened. He wanted everything back. He wanted his family and friends back.

The dark power inside him came out and swallowed him in darkness repeating words over and over to him.

"Your fault."

"They're dead."

"Pathetic."

"You never had a chance."

"You can never stop this."

"Hopeless."

And so on. Over and over again.

The guilt was eating him alive. Yet he held the pieces closer to him. The darkness made it worse by showing him past memories of everyone he loved, everyone he cared about. The voices became louder and unbearable.

He screamed. He screamed in hopes he can mute the voices but he couldn't. They just became louder and louder, showing him, making him see how pathetic and useless he really is.

"Enough."

The voices stopped. Soon the doctor as-well. The darkness then retreated back into the body of the doctor and he saw the reality of the world once more.

He still cried but could no longer wail. His voice was much too horse.

"Stop crying."

The doctor didn't flinch, nor was he surprised. He stayed there on his knees as he desperately tried to stop his tears.

Through his teary eyes, he could see a bright light circling around him until it was right in front of him. He knew who it was. He's already seen it so many times he lost count. And yet every meeting is as excruciating as the last.

"So, it was you who they chose to keep." it said. "Why?"

His head was kept low. He choked back a cry. Through stutters, he managed to speak. "I-I-I do not k-know, g-good ssir." he swallowed the large lump in his throat. He knew what to do yet he dreaded it.

"Well then, I should not have asked. It is not my place to be asking questions."

After a few moments of silence, the light detached a piece of itself and made it float to the doctor.

"You have one wish. But you must give me something in return."

It was silent for a few moments.

"And what would that be, good sir?"

"I want the freedom of the darkness that has been bestowed to you and taken shelter inside you for all these centuries."

Without a second thought, he told the light his wish.

"Take me back to the time where we were all together. Where everything was fine and it was just another day like the last. Take me back."

"Hm. Are you sure?"

"Yes."

"Then," the light grew, "your wish is granted."

The light blinded him. He could not see, feel, hear, or move. It lasted like that for only a few short moments before all of that came back.

The first thing he gained back was his hearing. He heard the children's voices singing a nursery rhyme. Then he could feel someone next to him. Soon after he could see. He saw everyone. The children, his friends, the building structure. Everyone and everything was here.

"Are you alright, mio amore?"

049 moved his head to see the children on the floor singing the Itsy Bitsy Spider, 682 curled up on the floor with a robotic 079 laying his back on him and talking, 096 and 847 walking towards the children, 105 making sure 076 doesn't try to rip 073's head off again, and 106 appearing from the floor and angrily stomping and shouting towards 173 for something he did.

He then looked to his right and saw 035 with a concerned face. He sighed and leaned towards him; placing his head in his neck.

"Yes. I'm fine. Just tired is all."

035 wrapped his hand around his lover's shoulder. "Would you like to go lay down?"

"No no. It's fine." He breathed in then out. "It would be a waste to sleep when we have so little time together."

The mask brought him closer and placed a kiss on his forehead. "Mio amore, we have till the end of time."

Once the Mask's possessed head turned towards the children, 049 carefully lifted his sleeve to see his skin.

Still gray.

Good. He still has his cure.

He wonders just how much longer he can trick and outsmart it before it begins to realize what exactly has been going on and what he has been doing. But still, he will do everything he can to prevent that future no matter how many times he sees the same thing over and over again. He knows there is a way. He just has to find it.

He won't stop doing this over and over again until the future changes. No matter how unbearable it is to re-see it. He will not let that be his future.