SCP-860 Object class: SAFE

A small pinch twisted your gut as you read the bright yellow sign. Yet another "Safe" SCP has now left you scared, whether physically or mentally. Your eyes drifted away from the bright yellow sign and focused on the hallway around you. Unfortunately, you weren't lucky enough to be in light containment yet. The dark grey walls and locked doors still surrounded you, mocking you and your failed attempts at finding your way out of this horrifying facility.

The hallways had just as many shadows, bumps, and flashing lights as you remembered. It was even darker than you had remembered since some of the lights went out as well as the bright red emergency lights overhead. It somehow made everything a little more ominous, you almost wanted to miss the forest. At least it had bright and beautiful moments, when those beasts left you alone.

Now, you were stuck again in a facility that reminded you of those cheap haunted houses you went to as a kid. But instead of fake blood, monsters, and plastic props, this time everything was real. Your stomach squeezed as you thought a little too long about your situation.

Grabbing your itching shoulder you turned away from the sign following after SCP-049 again. Suppressing your fear and instead focusing on surviving. Fighting through your limp you took a few quick steps you found yourself following him closer through doorways and long halls that seemed to only get darker. In a way, you were still surprised that you were still sticking around him. But at the same time, after all you have went through in the last few days it made sense. You didn't have many choices, and if anything staying around him had turned into being one of your safest choices.

Glancing up your eyes met his, and somehow, this time your heart stayed calm. You felt a hint of relief as you picked your pace. The haunting facility disappeared if only for a moment.

"We made it out," you mused, risking a glance back at the containment chamber.

"Yes. We did," he let out a small huff, "and somehow with all your limbs still attached," his voice had a softer tone. His eyes smiled as he chuckled when your mouth dropped slightly at his unexpected comment.

"What is that supposed to mean?" You said in a lighter tone taking his comment as a joke. You felt a touch of warmth in your chest, you didn't remember him joking very much before. He slowed down his pace to be in step with you.

"Hmmm, what do you think?" he hummed with his eyes still smiling.

Feeling the light moment, you couldn't help yourself but smile back especially when a few small laughs escaped your lips leading SCP-049 to copy you.

"We had a few close calls, maybe a little more than I'd like. But I think we did good all things considered." You smiled trying to make light of your experience.

Still, the nerves in your stomach and your pain disappeared. And a strange feeling of safety surrounded you when the two of you laughed. You escaped from the tension in your stomach and since the breach began you just felt happy to be alive. Somehow you were still alive.

Even if the feeling only lasted for a short time, it still felt nice. Refreshing even. You felt like you had when you fell asleep outside his chamber. You bit your cheek at the memory, you were a little embarrassed that you did fall asleep like that and you hadn't brought it up to him since. But that feeling, it was rare, yet so... Nice, it was nice to finally be able to breath.

A small groan from SCP-049-2 behind you brought your attention back to the facility. Passing grey hallways with papers, files, and other personal objects acting as small remnants of the personnel that used to fill these halls. Searching through hallways and intersections you spoke up again.

"Do you know where we are going?" You felt a sense of deja vu after you asked that.

He let out a sigh.

"Back where we were before."

"To that safe room?" Your gut twisted.

"No, just outside of 'light containment', as I've heard you call it."

You were both relieved and concerned about his answer. Your goal was to get to light containment and get out. But the tension in your stomach returned, how were you going to get out and not cause a zombie apocalypse at the same time? As difficult as it might be you would have to somehow escape alone. Right? Your eyes ventured up to his mask again. His eyes were out of view as he walked, as determined and calm as always. Almost always. After all he had done for you, you couldn't help but feel another pain in your chest while thinking up ways to get out alone.

It had to be done right? You couldn't just let him out with you, and you would have to live with all the lives he would end up taking because of you. You bit your cheek harder in an attempt to calm yourself. Even with your attention drawn away from your panic you still weren't sure what you should do. Because another problem still persisted, you still didn't have a key card. So even if you did get to light containment you would be stuck there in the same circumstance as before.

So maybe you wouldn't even have to face that problem. Hopefully you wouldn't have to figure out how to leave him behind. You pressed your eyes closed for a moment after the thought. Just a few days ago it would have been an easy choice. Your eyes opened back up and traced the floor as you walked, when had that changed? You thought you could have left him in that forest, you had the key. But, you followed SCP-049-2 and you didn't leave, even when the mountain was in sight and soon the door. It would have made your current circumstances much simpler.

Goosebumps rose up on your arm when SCP-049-2 breathed down your neck again. It was still here and just as close to you. You moved a little faster, slightly passing SCP-049 for only a minute to get through a doorway and away from SCP-049-2. Walking through you found yourself in another four-way intersection. All the doors were wide open and looking up there was a bridge above you. You froze when a small noise echoed through one of the hallways before you.

You gasped when a hand reached for you, grabbing your stomach, and pulling you back in a hurry. The next thing you knew you were pressed against the wall behind SCP-049. His hand pushing against your stomach sent your pulse rising higher than you thought you could handle.

"What are you?" You barely choked out.

"Shh.."

Your mouth clamped shut, and you tried to slow your breathing. He turned back around looking into the intersection waiting for something. Finally, the noise you heard continued, and became clearer the longer you listened. It was someone walking, the longer you listened it changed to multiple people walking.

Finally someone walked in, their suit was completely black with a shiny helmet on that covered half their face. Your eyes lit up when you read their sleeves, the MTF. Hope filled your heart as three others cautiously walked in behind him. Scanning all the doors with their guns pointed towards the halls. An intense fear shot through you when you thought one of their guns were pointed at you in your hall. You held your breath.

They stopped freezing in place, the MTF flicked on a flashlight in her shoulder, "SCP-049 spotted," she said into her radio. The other three immediately came over to her. And with that SCP-049 made his way out lifting his hand out towards them. Your eyes widened when he began to try and touch the MTF. Your mouth nearly opened to stop him, but quickly closed in fear that alerting them that you are here might scare them into shooting you. All four of them were already trying to restrain SCP-049.

"Get the poles!" One yelled, as they frantically extended a couple poles along with the large clamps on the end. Passing one pole to another MTF they wasted no time getting on either side of SCP-049, clamping the cuffs around his neck and began pushing him down. Unfortunately, it didn't work too well when SCP-049 reached his hand out and touched one of the MTF standing just a little too close and killed him instantly.

"Brian White is down, we are going to need back up," one of them said into her radio, switching out her gun and aiming for SCP-049. Your stomach dropped.

SCP-049-2 came out from behind you immediately heading for the two MTF still struggling with the poles.

"An instance of SCP-049-2 spotted," the woman said again becoming more irritated she switched her gun and aimed it at SCP-049-2.

The zombie didn't get far before he was shot. Your body shook as memories raced through your mind. You bit your cheek at the dead zombie. Somehow, its death saddened you even though it was never truly alive to begin with.

"SCP-049-2 terminated," Taking out her second gun again she shot SCP-049. You shook again, until you noticed the tranquilizer dart in his shoulder. Slowly he was brought to the ground enough for the third MTF to pull out handcuffs. And clamped them on his wrists before he could do a thing.

They forced him to stand up, preparing to take him away.

Your body finally seemed to calm, enough for you to move away from the wall. You cringed when your foot scraped against the meshed floors alerting the remaining MTF. The third raised up her gun again and pointed it towards you. Your panic rose as your shoulder and side pinched with the memory's.

"Wait!" You held up your hands. Your voice seemed to surprise her. Leading her to lower her gun slightly. She backed up letting you walk into the light

"Who are you?" She put her gun back up.

"I'm a scientist! My name is Dr. (F/N) (L/N)!" Your heart was racing. She put her gun fully down this time.

"I see," she looked you up and down. "Come out here."

You obeyed walking out of the hallway and into the intersection.

"You're injured." She stated, grabbing her radio "We need a medic ready outside site 19," She instructed.

"Do you have any ID? What happened to you and why aren't you with the other scientists? From what I understood they were all evacuated."

"No. I lost it with my lab coat and key card. And I-" you paused thinking of how to explain your story. "I was taken by SCP-106 and then I was mugged, ended up lost in SCP-860 and- " you paused looking towards SCP-049.

"I eventually ended up here."

The MTF stared at you for a while after your explanation. A second MTF laughed listening to your tale. "That seems pretty far-fetched." She nearly scoffed.

"I recognize her." The third MTF stated. "I've seen you before outside of SCP-049's containment chamber."

Your eyes snapped towards the third MTF, a spark of hope filling your heart. They could get you out of here.

She looked towards her coworker, "I'll take your word for it then. But if you do ANYTHING I won't hesitate to kill you." She threatened, allowing you to walk forwards again.

You continued until you passed underneath the bridge overhead. All that you heard were muffled voices from the MTF in front of you. Your eyes drifted over to SCP-049. He didn't look back at you. Instead, his head stared down at the floor. A small pinch touched your heart.

"how are you still-" a gunshot rang above you hitting the third MTF in the forehead, breaking her helmet in half, and sending her straight to the floor.

You froze in place staring wide eyed at the body, your mouth halfway open as panic rose in you. The hope you felt disappeared faster than it came. Your fear paralyzed you as you stared helplessly at the death before you. The two other MTF barely got a word in, barely even a reaction until three more gunshots rang out. Hitting one of their heads and the other twice in the chest. They fell leaving SCP-049 free from the poles and now trying to get those handcuffs off.

Your head snapped back to see just a blur of black and white dropping towards you from the bridge above. A strong arm wrapped around the front of your neck and pulled you towards a large body. Your heart could have exploded when you felt the tip of a gun pointed at your head.

"Hey 049!!" A man's voice rang out he was slightly higher pitched but had a sort of demonic rasp that appeared at the end of his words. You flinched as his loud voice went right into your ears.

SCP-049 turned around and his eyes widened as he messed with his chains.

"This lovely little creature has been following you around! You want me to take care of her for you?" The man laughed after that, you squirmed in an attempt to get out of his grasp feeling some sort of liquid dripped on your coat. It stung slightly when the liquid touched your neck. Your panicked breathing and struggling unfazed your captor.

"Let her go," SCP-049 said his voice serious, "She has done nothing wrong,"

"Hmm, really? Are you sure about that?"

Your hands pulled against his arm hoping to get the man to let you go. This only seemed to get him to grip you tighter, beginning to strangle you.

He removed the gun from your head to throw his arm out to the side, as if he was giving some performance with you struggling in his grasp.

"I could just be putting her out of her misery. I mean look at her! What did you do to her? I must have really missed out!" The man chuckled again at SCP-049's serious expression.

"Oh, you're still no fun." You felt the man's eyes burn into your skull. "And not only that... But it seems you really have forgotten!"

SCP-049 stayed quiet and stern while the man tightened his grip. Crushing your neck in his powerful arm, you began to feel lightheaded.

With some sort of scoff, he finally released you sending you stumbling away from his arm, coughing and gasping for breath. Reaching your hand up you gently rubbed your neck and wiped off the burning black liquid. You quickly flicked it off your hand. Scrambling far enough away you looked back at the man who grabbed you.

He was wearing a scientist's coat, with a name tag and everything. But he was also wearing a bright white mask, your brow furrowed, it was some kind of comedy mask looking at you with dark, lifeless eyes. It smiled big and its eyes almost seemed to portray sinister expressions. Black ooze dripped from the mask's eyes and mouth, covering his neck, shoulders, and hands. You began to think that this wasn't a man at all. At least not a human.

You held your throat as you carefully made your way towards SCP-049 in hopes to get even more space between you and the thing. Your cautious steps avoiding the dead MTF littered across the floor.

"Here let me help you," the man lifted up his gun aiming for SCP-049. You immediately froze and SCP-049 lifted up his hands, spreading his wrists out to pull the chain tight. A gunshot made you hold your hands over your ears, and you stared impressed at the shattered chain in front of you.

SCP-049 rubbed his wrists and neck. Pulling out the tranquilizer dart, he stepped over a dead MTF and stopped beside you, "It's good to see you old friend."

"Is it really?" His demeanor seemed to change as he tapped the cleft chin of his white mask. "Because if I remember correctly you were supposed to meet us during the next breach."

SCP-049 sighed while the masked man looked around dramatically.

"And would you look at that?! It IS the next breach!!" His voice grumbled more than usual that time, your breathing caught when his smiling comedy mask suddenly changed. It was now had somehow shifted into a tragedy mask, it changed in a blink of an eye.

"Forgive me, I was held up,"

"Hmm yes, I see. I get held up too with random scientists whom you just, you know, for some reason I trust or whatever the hell you're going to tell me." He waved his hand around as he spoke. "Yeah, you know we'll just all escape next time!" He nodded his voice and held a condescending tone.

"We still have time, haven't we?"

"Yes, yes of course. But you know, I just missed out on something," he rubbed the barrel of his gun as he spoke.

"What do you mean? You missed out on some-?"

"YES! SCP-682 ALREADY ESCAPED!!" You jumped back when bright purple lights flickered out of his mask and the lights above you flickered as well. Now you really didn't think that this was a human. Some kind of SCP, you racked your brain in an attempt to remember any SCP similar to this.

"Oh my.."

The masked man scoffed, "Oh my? That's all you have to say?!! He got away and guess where I was!?" He was squeezing the barrel now. "I was stuck in a stupid containment chamber waiting for your ass to come let me out!! So many SCP's have escaped by now!!"

Your stomach dropped and your throat tightened at the weight of what he just said.. Did he mean out, like out of the facility? There was no way the MTF would have stopped them. Your eyes drifted over towards the dead MTF on the floor. Wouldn't they? Even if they failed, we had the Nine tailed foxes who would have come as soon as the breach happened.

"But noooo, instead I had to wait for some D-class to somehow get a key card and finally let me out!"

You bit your cheek at his outrage, processing the information you looked up at SCP-049 for his reaction. Despite everything he still remained calm watching the guy yell at him.

"Like I said, I was held up, I'm sorry."

The man shook his head, "Fine." He aggressively wiped a drop of black ooze off of his chin.

The room was silent for a moment, quiet enough that you could hear a pen drop. Your gut twisted and turned as you hesitantly asked the question burning at your brain.

"What did you mean so many SCP's escaped? They are still in the facility, right?" Your voice trembled as you spoke. Your stomach plummeted when the tragedy mask switched back to comedy.

"What do you think sweetheart?" He nearly laughed delighting in your panicked expression.

You staggered back when he said that. If SCP's got out who all escaped? What were the MTF and Nine Tailed foxes doing? Your eyes trailed down to the dead MTF beside you, maybe you had a clue. But, they didn't act like anything had escaped at all so maybe this guy was just messing with you.

Your eyes met SCP-049's golden ones. Again, he was nowhere near as scared as you were, if anything now you knew that he was one of the SCP's trying to escape the facility. Which should come to no surprise to you, who wouldn't want to break out from this literal prison.

"Who are you?" You asked, finally breaking eye contact with SCP-049 and staring back at the masked man. The man looked at you almost with a surprised and hurt expression.

"What do you mean who am I?"

Your eyebrows furrowed slightly at his comment.

"Well here I thought the foundation told all you scientists about the most... Interesting SCP's." He seemed to have a slightly happier tone, with only hints of the anger he displayed earlier.

You pressed your lips together. Before replying, "The foundation only told me what they deemed necessary. Not just what was interesting."

His smile seemed to widen at your reply, "Oh yes, and look where that got you."

Your left arm grabbed your injured right arm after his comment.

SCP-049 sighed, finally making a noise and detouring the man from making any more snarky comments. "Doctor (L/N), this is SCP-035 and SCP-035 this is Doctor (L/N). SCP-035... That is what they call you isn't it?"