Come Together. Right Now. Over me.

The text of this work was originally posted to my youtube channel as part of this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8lEeWjJU09Y It is licensed Creative Commons 3.0 SA/BY. The artwork was created by Rura and falls under the same license. ▸ More by this Author ◂ Translations: F.A.Q.

Dr. Bright held a pitch black shaving razor in one hand and pulled down on his skin with the other. He was looking down into his own reflection in the surface of what he could only assume was highly radioactive water.

He wasn't sure, of course, but the slightly warm fuzzy feeling was definitely stronger here than it was elsewhere. The face looking back at him had olive colored skin and prominent tattoos on the face and neck. Bright's amulet hung around that neck, dangling just over the water.

It was impossible to know how long it had been since the end of the world. Until a goat ate the ruby necklace he hadn't remembered anything but the on-site fail-safe nuke going off. Once he had control of the goat he knew it was only a matter of time before the animal would die of hunger, so he made the trip back to Site-19 and laid down to wait for Able to come back.

Still, the fact that the world was still radioactive meant it couldn't have been that long right? The serious part of him was worried. SCP-2000 should've already activated.

He didn't have much time to think about that, though, because a giant creature came over a nearby hill. The dead earth kicked up into the air as soon as it noticed him. The creature stood on two legs, maybe 10 or 12 feet tall.

Its dark green skin was pocked with pustules, each of them slowly oozing some sort of white fluid. The creature's head look like a cross between an anteater and a shark, with a long snout filled with hundreds of rowed teeth. Dr. Bright cracked his neck and materialized a grenade launcher out of the air. The creature raised its clawed arms into the air and roared.

Then, just as it came down on all fours to begin to run, SCP-682 came bounding over the hill as well and snapped its jaws around the green monster's neck. 682's mouth clamped down hard as the other creature began to thrash, but it couldn't find purchase on the ground as 682 arched its back and lifted it into the air. Suddenly an almost deafening crack sounded throughout the valley and the other monster fell limp. 682 let it fall to the ground and turned to face Dr. Bright.

"Oh. I'm going to enjoy this." It said with whatever passed for a smile on the thing.

Dr. Bright let the grenade launcher fall to the ground and it disappeared. He created a long black rope with a loop at the end and spun it over his head. 682 was almost upon him when he stepped to the side and let the loop fall around the creature's neck. Bright pulled the rope tight and was flung into the air and onto SCP-682's back. It wasn't clean landing and he felt himself slipping backwards.

"I see you've learned more tricks. Able. It won't help you."

Bright pulled hard on the rope and tried to keep himself from being dragged beneath the beast. "I'm not Able!"

SCP-682 stopped and sniffed. "BRIGHT." Then it began to buck against him.

"Wait, goddamn it. Wait!"

The creature didn't respond, flinging its back end into the air. Bright was being buffeted now against the back of the creature. Over and over. And hard.

"I know how to bring the people back!"

The creature stopped and snorted. Then it let out a low chuckle. "You are stupider than I remember."

"How did you feel when everyone died while you were still in a box?"

SCP-682 gave another hard buck against Bright. While he was in the air, Bright pulled hard again on the rope and he moved up the beast to just behind its neck.

"I've always wondered about you. Do you want everyone to die or do you want to be the one to kill them?"

682 pulled one of its front legs up and scratched at the rope. "Both."

"Close enough. I saw you kill that thing just now. You did it because you could. But you want to kill me. Think about that feeling but with 7 billion possible victims."

There was a long pause. "What do you need from me?"

"I could use a ride."

Dr. Bright let the rope disappear and grabbed one of the spines along 682's back to steady himself. Then the two of them set off for what was left of Yellowstone National Park.