Base Team: Junior Researcher Dr. Alex Markaby with two members of MTF Delta-10 ("Hellbillies") on standby.

Exploration Team: D-2172

Foreword: D-2172 was provisioned with a class D tactical vest, a body camera, a radio earpiece w/throat microphone, a headlamp, and a class D air mask.

<Begin Log>

[Bodycam activates, showing the front of SCP-3053-C.]

D-2172: Okay, mic check. Check check check.

Dr. Markaby: Mic is good, '72. Camera appears to be working too, but can you give us a quick hello?

[D-2172's open hand appears in the frame and rapidly moves up and down.]

Dr. Markaby: Camera is also good, thank you. Proceed to dash C.

[D-2172 approaches SCP-3053-C's front entrance. The wooden door is still open from previous drone explorations, revealing a darkened interior.]

D-2172: Ah, copy that. Operation: Get Inside the Spooky House is a go, sir. Ha! Irreverence.

Dr. Markaby: Please keep the commentary at least somewhat professional, '72. We're all on the clock here.

D-2172: No prob, just shaking out some nerves.

Dr. Markaby: Understandable, but keep it under wraps. The drones didn't show anything immediately threatening inside, so you should be perfectly safe.

[D-2172 steps through the doorway into SCP-3053-C's interior and stops. The only source of illumination is light coming in from the open doorway and between the slats of two boarded up windows. Small plumes of dust float through the beams of light. Aside from a few missing boards, the floor is mostly intact. The far walls cannot be seen clearly, but a roughly made wooden table can be seen on the left-hand side of the frame. Other, less discernible objects are concealed by the darkness.]

D-2172: Yeah, well, maybe whatever is in here just doesn't like the taste of drones.

Dr. Markaby: Please turn on your lamp and proceed.

[D-2172's headlamp illuminates the room as she steps further in and turns left.]

D-2172: Roger wilco. Now, what we see here is what is colloquially known as a "kitchen", complete with a dining table, counter, wood-burning stove, and pantry. Table looks a little rickety, scuffed up, but not too bad. Stove has … a couple of rusty cast-iron skillets sitting on top and … the dusty remains of a fire inside. If you cleaned this up you could probably get a good thousand for it, easy.

Dr. Markaby: We're not here to sell potentially anomalous antiques. Check the pantry.

D-2172: Sure thing.

[D-2172 opens the pantry, revealing several shelves that are empty save for small mounds of dust and seven broken jars with a black substance lining their interiors.]

D-2172: Gross. Got some canning jars, looks like. I can take the mask off and give 'em a sniff if you ask nicely, but I'm thinking even the mold here is dead. And, y'know, I really don't wanna do it.

Dr. Markaby: That's fine, just get a sample and let's move on.

[D-2172 pulls out a sample collection kit from her vest and takes scrapings from the inside of each jar.]

D-2172: Okay, off to the living room. We've got … busted up remains of a couch. Few portraits on the wall, faded to just about nothing. Fireplace full of dead leaves. One of them old-timey radios, which … does not seem to work. No surprise, I'm sure they ain't paid their electricity bill in a while. The walls are busted up worse here than in the kitchen. A lot of the boards have been torn down, so I can see some of the stone on the other side. And … oh, hey. This is hay sticking out.

Dr. Markaby: One of the drones already got a sample, and it's sage brush. It was used for insulation.

D-2172: Neat. Learn something new every-

[Silence for five seconds.]

Dr. Markaby: Is there a problem, '72?

D-2172: [whispering] Just heard something upstairs. Like kids laughing or something. You sure there ain't nobody else here?

Dr. Markaby: Reasonably certain, yes. We didn't pick anything up on our end. This may be an unforeseen hallucinatory effect. Please proceed to the second floor.

D-2172: [whispering] Yeah, okay, permission to get the hell outta here instead?

Dr. Markaby: Denied.

D-2172: [whispering] Well, shit.

[D-2172 moves slowly toward the door in the back wall of the room. When she reaches the open doorframe, she pauses momentarily, scans the wood of the frame with the bodycam, and points emphatically at several small cuts in the wood. Each cut is accompanied by carvings that read "Mary" or "Dorothy" and bears dates from the 1930's. D-2172 then points emphatically upward.]

Dr. Markaby: An interesting hypothesis. Let's see if it bears out.

[D-2172 gives the bodycam a thumbs up gesture then proceeds into the back room of the house. Assorted boxes, bags, and loose items are stacked and strewn about the room. D-2172 reaches down, picks up a rusty shovel with a broken handle, and hefts it before turning to the stairs.]

Dr. Markaby: Be careful, '72. Killing, injuring, or otherwise disrupting an unstudied anomaly may prolong your service time with the Foundation.

D-2172: [unintelligible]

[The stairs creak slightly as D-2172 ascends to the upper floor of the house. Her headlamp is the only remaining light source visible. She steps into a hallway with doors lining the right-hand wall and slowly moves to the closest doorway. Audio picks up the sound of two voices at this point. Analysis identifies both voices as belonging to female prepubescents but cannot discern any of the words spoken. D-2172 moves into the room and looks around until she spots two shadowy, vaguely-defined humanoid figures standing in the corner. The previously heard voices stop as the humanoids turn their heads to reveal that they have iris- and pupilless eyes but no other distinct facial features.]

D-2172: Holy shi- … are you guys seeing this?

Dr. Markaby: Yes, just stay there for a moment and-

[D-2172 kneels and sets down the shovel, stretching her arms out to the humanoids.]

D-2172: Hey, girls, it's okay. Don't be afraid. Look, nothing in my hands, nothing up my sleeves.

Dr. Markaby: '72, this is not a recommended course of action.

Child #1: [unintelligible]

D-2172: No, it's cool, I'm just talking to a friend of mine. He's a doctor. Y'all okay? How'd you get in here?

Child #2: [unintelligible]

Dr. Markaby: '72, exactly what are you seeing?

D-2172: Ah, one second, kids. Hey, yeah, you said you could see 'em, right? It's just a couple of-

[The image shudders for two seconds, accompanied by an explosive sound emanating from elsewhere in SCP-3053. D-2172 turns away from the humanoids, presumably to look through the doorway.]

D-2172: What the hell?!

Dr. Markaby: '72, what's happening? Talk to us.

D-2172: I dunno, sounded like a train wreck! Look, I'm gonna get these kids outta here. Hey-

[D-2172 turns back toward the humanoids. Child #1 has crawled up into a broken section of the wooden wall and is reaching down to help Child #2 up onto the same perch.]

D-2172: Girls, hey, not there. Let's go-

[Child #2 steps onto the broken wood and both humanoids step through the limestone wall, appearing to melt into the mortar.]

D-2172: Okay, what the fuck.

Dr. Markaby: D-2172, respond.

D-2172: Yeah, sorry. That was weird.

Dr. Markaby: Yes, but that's why we're here. We need you to focus and get back on task. Can you do that?

D-2172: Yeah. Yeah, yeah, I can do that. Okay, exploration. Gonna check the other rooms up here, see where that noise came from, find the girls again. On it.

Dr. Markaby: Thank you, '72.

[D-2172 picks up the broken shovel and moves back into the hallway. She turns to the right and stops. Another humanoid figure, similar in composition to Child #1 and #2 but taller, stands hunched over in the middle of the hall.]

D-2172: Shit! Uh, hey there, lady.

Woman #1: [unintelligible]

Dr. Markaby: What is she saying?

D-2172: That she's … sorry about something? I don't know, hey, just slow down.

Woman #1: [unintelligible]

D-2172: What the fu-

[The view from the bodycam lifts up and tilts forward as D-2172 shouts out in distress. D-2172 is thrown violently to one side, the camera feed going dead for one second upon impact with the wall. The view lifts back into its previous position and moves rapidly forward until another impact with the floor in front of Woman #1. D-2172 either rolls over or is rolled over until the ceiling fills the camera's view, presumably the latter as D-2172 has ceased all vocalizations and is assumed unconscious at this point. Woman #1 and another humanoid lean over D-2172 from opposite sides. The other humanoid speaks, its garbled voice deep and aggressive.]

Man #1: [unintelligible]

[Both humanoids lean down and pick D-2172 up, carrying her between them. They proceed down the stairs and into the storage room, whereupon D-2172 resumes movement and vocalization, struggling against the humanoids.]

D-2172: Hey! Jesus, fuck!

Dr. Markaby: D-2172, what is your status?

D-2172: My status?!

[The humanoids carry D-2172 into the main area of the house. As D-2172 attempts to twist out of their grasp, they approach the table in the kitchen area.]

Dr. Markaby: Try speaking to them, ask them what they want.

D-2172: Dammit, they're gonna-

[D-2172 is cut off as she is lifted into the air and thrown down on the table. Man #1 leans over her, hovering one hand in the air as its fingers shift into the shape of scalpels. It reaches down, out of frame, and D-2172 cries out in pain. When the male humanoid brings its hand back into frame, its fingers are covered in blood and small strips of flesh are in its palm. It holds its hand up to its face and, despite its lack of an oral cavity, appears to ingest the strips and lick the blood from its fingers.]

D-2172: Fuck you, you son of a fucking bitch!

[D-2172 attempts to punch the humanoid, but her arm is caught by Woman #1.]

Dr. Markaby: Site-272 has issued a mission abort. Hang tight, '72, we're coming to get you.

[At this time, MTF D10-B1 and MTF D10-B4 leave exploration base and prepare to enter SCP-3053-A. Man #1 reaches down to cut into D-2172 a second time but makes a sudden vocalization of distress as it collapses. D-2172 pulls her arm away from Woman #1 and rolls off of the table. As she stands up and reorients herself toward the front door, Child #1 and Child #2 come briefly into view as they are crawling on top of Man #1, who is attempting to remove them. D-2172 runs unsteadily out the door and into SCP-3053-B.]

Dr. Markaby: Okay, keep going, '72. Bravo 1 and 4 will meet you at dash A.

[D-2172 continues running toward the boxcar for five seconds, then slows and comes to a stop. She turns back toward SCP-3053-C.]

D-2172: [breathing hard] No. I … I gotta …

Dr. Markaby: Negative, D-2172, do not return to dash C. I repeat, do not return. Mission is aborted. If you do this, Bravo will be recalled.

D-2172: Then recall 'em.

[D-2172 removes her earpiece and proceeds to run back toward SCP-3053-C. She enters through the front door without slowing down. Though the bodycam footage becomes slightly distorted with her rapid movement, frame-by-frame analysis shows Man #1 standing at the table, holding down Child #2 and preparing to cut into it. Woman #1 is seated in the corner, holding Child #1 protectively. Man #1 looks up as D-2172 runs toward him, jumps up on the edge of the table, and tackles him.]

[Footage cuts out for approximately ten seconds. When it returns, D-2172 is rising up from the floor. Man #1 can be seen at the edge of the frame doing the same. D-2172 turns to the stove, picks up one of the cast iron skillets, and turns back to the male humanoid. It reaches out as she approaches, but she hits its hand away with the skillet.]

D-2172: Fuck! You!

[D-2172 uses the skillet to hit Man #1 in the side of the face and on top of the head. It reaches out again and grabs D-2172's vest, lifting her up into the air. A sound presumed to be the skillet hitting the floor can be heard as D-2172 grasps the humanoid's arm with one hand and punches it with the other. The humanoid slashes at her with its fingers, causing a thin line of blood to streak across the camera lens. D-2172 lifts her lower body and wraps her legs around Man #1's arm and neck. Caught off balance, the humanoid falls to the ground. D-2172 releases it and crawls over to the dropped skillet. She picks it up, stands, and turns back to Man #1. The humanoid has likewise regained its footing and is stepping back from D-2172.]

Man #1: [unintelligible]

D-2172: Yeah? Try me, bitch.

Woman #1: [unintelligible]

Man #1: [unintelligible]

D-2172: I'd listen to your old lady, man.

[The male humanoid pauses for six seconds, staring at D-2172, then backs up slowly. D-2172 follows it until it reaches the breach in the living area wall.]

Man #1: [unintelligible]

[Without looking back, it steps up into the breach and melts into the mortar. D-2172 turns back to the other humanoids.]

D-2172: Jesus wept! Are y'all okay?

Woman #1: [unintelligible]

Child #2: [unintelligible]

D-2172: Okay, good, good. Fuck. Alright look, lady. I don't know what the hell is going on here, but you can't just let that dude do shit like this. I know that's kinda harsh, but damn.

[Eight seconds of silence.]

Woman #1: [unintelligible]

D-2172: Ah. Ah, jeez. That's … I'm sorry. That's messed up. Look, the people I'm working for … well, I dunno if it'll be much, but I'll see what I can get them to do for you. Okay? Look, I gotta go.

Child #1: [unintelligible]

D-2172: Yeah. Sure, kid. You're welcome.

[D-2172 puts the skillet on the table and leaves SCP-3053-C. After she cycles through SCP-3053-A, MTF D10-B1 and -B4 take her into custody and shut off the bodycam.]

<End Log>