Insomnicat

Image of one of SCP-XXXX's shelves

Item #: SCP-XXXX

Object Class: Safe

Special Containment Procedures: The building that SCP-XXXX resides in has been remodeled to have trapdoors that give access to the second floor, which are to be padlocked from the inside at all times. Access to the second floor is to be strictly prohibited, on the pretense of mold. Windows on the second floor were bricked up and painted over. A secure, opaque screen is to cover the entrance to the bookshelves at all times. Two (2) armed guards are to be present by the second floor access trapdoors to prevent intruders or any others from venturing into the bookshelves. Any D-Class or MTF commencing an exploration will be provided with a video-capturing helmet that blocks all vision but transports the feed of the camera directly to the vision of the subject, as SCP-XXXX's properties do not appear to work over captured or recorded media.

Description: SCP-XXXX is the second floor of the ████████ Public Library, which exhibits severe spatial anomalies. Books in SCP-XXXX cover topics (inferred from the title of the books) such as mathematics, science, technology, human anatomy, history, popular fiction, and ████████-██████ ██████████████. Infohazardous books that are discovered will be removed and contained on-site will be marked accordingly but not removed from SCP-XXXX, as books removed from SCP-XXXX regenerate to fill missing shelf space. Books that are regenerated are infohazardous about 66% of the time.

About the first square mile of SCP-XXXX's shelves have been mapped — which far outsizes the library floor plan — but further mapping has proved to be impossible, as the shelves in SCP-XXXX generate seemingly at random whenever a subject enters SCP-XXXX again, changing from the previously known layout of SCP-XXXX. Comparison of previous layouts of SCP-XXXX reveals no discernable pattern. Physical samples of shelves and books have revealed no anomalous properties or structures. SCP-XXXX's shelves have not been officially classified as conscious, but investigation into this is continuing and new research is to be directed to Dr. ██████████.

SCP-XXXX exhibits more anomalous properties whenever a person sees a book present on one of the bookshelves. The first stage of the effects on the subject begins immediately, and the subject will be drawn towards the shelves unless forcefully restrained. The subject will wander around in the shelves exhibiting an inability to choose any book to look at. This inability to choose slowly spreads to everything the subject could possibly be doing, except for walking through the shelves, inadvertently wandering deeper and deeper into the labyrinth.

In roughly ██% of cases, the second stage of SCP-XXXX's effects begins when the subject first mentions "the Librarian," referred to now as SCP-XXXX-1. If the subject does not mention SCP-XXXX-1, the subject dies within 24, from exhaustion caused by the constant walking, combined with dehydration from an inability to decide whether or not to ingest fluids. If, however, the subject mentions SCP-XXXX-1, they will compulsively feel the need to quiet down every one of their actions, including stepping more quietly, breathing more quietly, turning off electronic devices, and in one case, stopping their own heart through no external means.

In about ██% of cases, the third stage of SCP-XXXX begins when the subject sees SCP-XXXX-1. Subjects who see SCP-XXXX-1 gain the classification of SCP-XXXX-2. Subjects who are avid readers and visit libraries often are more likely to enter the third stage, but if the subject does not reach the third stage then they will die, most often from a refusal to breathe. No bodies have been found inside SCP-XXXX. Video feed cuts out whenever the subject has visual contact with SCP-XXXX-1 and is reestablished exactly 204 seconds later, where the subject is found to be outside the maze of shelves. Subjects go through dramatic changes, most notably that they are completely silent. Subjects do not have a heartbeat, do not breathe, do not blink, or have any other unconscious bodily function that might produce sound, no matter how quiet. Actions consciously taken by the subject , and interactions with objects are completely silent. Also, the subject will find in their possession a library card similar to non-anomalous versions of the ████████ Public Library member card, but will be made of an anomalous material that absorbs all sound within a sphere roughly 3m in diameter. Signature on the card is of ████ ████████, which matches no previous or current librarians that have served at ████████ Public Library. Subjects do not go through any notable psychological changes, except for that they are perfectly contented with their newfound way of life and have no desire whatsoever to produce sound. Foundation personnel have captured █ subjects that have entered the tertiary phase of SCP-XXXX.

Interviewed: Mary ████████, now categorized as SCP-XXXX-2-A, who was recovered on ██/██/2███ in her home after reports of her unusual silence brought attention to nearby agents. SCP-XXXX-2-A was contained on ██/██/2███ at Site ███. Interviewer: Dr. ██████████ Foreword: Dr. ██████████ and SCP-XXXX-2-A are sitting across a table from each other. Mary has been provided with a pencil and paper to communicate with Dr. ██████████. <Begin Log XXXX-█> Dr. ██████████: Good evening, Mary, I hope you're finding your accommodations reasonable. SCP-XXXX-2-A: They are reasonable, although perhaps a bit loud. Is there any chance you could quiet things down a bit when you're working? Dr. ██████████: Wait, what? You're in your own containment cell. How could you possibly hear us? SCP-XXXX-2-A: You hear more the less you talk. Dr. ██████████: Well, anyways… What can you tell us about wha-, or who, rather, you call "The Librarian." SCP-XXXX-2-A: Ahhh, ████. They're a wonderful person, if a bit secluded. They're very, very old, but with age comes wisdom, right? They showed me this new way of life and I prefer it to the clutter and business of modern advancement. Dr. ██████████: Could you elaborate on how they "showed" you? SCP-XXXX-2-A: He took me around the different places in the world that were loud. Where there is noise, there is conflict. What do you think of when you think of peace? Silence. Quiet of some sort. The best way to have peace is to have quiet, and I'm living that in my own life to promote peace. It's simple, really. Dr. ██████████: Thank you Mary, that will be all for today.

<End Log> Closing Statement: SCP-XXXX-2-A was returned to their cell and a short time later, submitted a request for sound-proofing the inside of their accommodation. Approval pending.

Addendum: On ██/██/2███, an exploration inside SCP-XXXX discovered a structure similar to a librarian's checkout desk. Inside one of the drawers was found a record of what appears to be checkout records of books from SCP-XXXX. Upon closer inspection, however, it was dicovered that the records actually contained information about all the individuals who ventured into SCP-XXXX. A sample of the record is contained below. Cross-referencing these records with missing person reports in ████████ revealed a 100% match in names and dates of disappearance. Foundation records of handwriting were unable to find a match.