No matter how different we are from each other,
everybody has a shadow. It’s a constant companion, always with us
no matter where we go...Unless where we go is a room with all of the lights off, of course. As a child, shadows seem mysterious or even
terrifying. But as we get older, we learn that shadows
are nothing to be concerned about, just your body blocking light. Of course, at the SCP Foundation, nothing
is what it seems, and a shadow is never just a shadow. Near an abandoned Air Force base in Afghanistan,
nestled next to a set of human remains, The Foundation discovered an unusual object capable
of turning a simple shadow into a prison. SCP-272 is an iron nail, 11.5 cm in length,
covered in engravings of an unknown origin. The engravings have not been identified or
traced to a specific civilization, but the research staff assigned to the object has
described them as “captivating, but scary.” It was discovered during a sweep, pulled out
of a rock face by a member of Foundation personnel. At first, he believed it to be an ordinary
nail. Until he dropped it. Suddenly, for no apparent reason, he was unable
to move from the spot. He stood there, calling out for help, for
20 minutes before another member of personnel picked up the nail and he regained full range
of motion. SCP-272, like many other objects in Foundation
containment, is almost eerily mundane. Aside from the engravings on its surface,
the nail looks like any other nail you might find scattered on the ground. Its true nature only reveals itself if you
happen to drop it. Determined to learn more about the nail’s
properties, limitations, and potential unknown adverse effects, the Foundation conducted
a series of experiments. The first experiment was conducted at the
discovery site for SCP-272, the rock face in Afghanistan. A D-Class, referred to as D-272-01, was handed
the nail and instructed to hammer it into his shadow, in the area of his feet. Once the nail was 2/3 into the rock, 01 was
no longer able to move. He attempted to run, but could not lift his
feet. He stood there, sweating and immobile, until
he collapsed from heatstroke. At this point, a researcher intervened and
attempted to carry the unconscious man out of the sun. No matter how hard they tried, his body could
not be moved until they removed the nail. 01 was taken to a hospital and administered
fluids and a medical exam, and testing was suspended for the day. After determining that the nail immobilizes
its victims by trapping their shadow, and them, in place, the research team wanted to
test the limitations of this effect. If the nail needs a shadow to work, then what
happens when there is no shadow present? A new D-class, 02, was selected and brought
to the same discovery site. This time, however, they went after dark at
approximately 10 PM. The nail was dropped at 02’s feet, and embedded
itself in the earth without needing to be hammered. Then, 02 was instructed to walk 10 meters
away from the nail. He managed this easily, with no adverse effects. The experiment was relatively uneventful,
until 02 attempted to flee the scene and was terminated for his escape attempt. The body was disposed of, and the research
team made note of their findings: the nail does not work if the subject is not casting
a shadow. So, if total darkness kept the nail from working,
and bright light meant it worked completely, what would happen if the light changed in
the middle of the experiment? Two hours before sunrise, the very same night,
another D-Class was brought to the site. The subject, 03, was instructed to walk away
from the nail in a straight line until he was told to stop. Two hours later, when the sun came up, all
hell broke loose. 03 was pulled into pieces as his body attempted
to make its way back to the direction of the nail by any means necessary. His legs were yanked back toward the nail
and were collected several feet from it. His torso, on the other hand, was located
106 meters away from the nail, with signs of road rash and severe trauma. Three clean-up teams were required to remove
all evidence of the carnage, the nail was removed to test facility 25-h, and the team
decided to put an end to any further experimentation involving sunrise. Several lighting-based experiments followed
the sunrise disaster, all with relatively uneventful findings. The research continued in this way, until
one member of the research team, Dr. Cho, posited a new question: What happens if the
nail is embedded in two overlapping shadows? Two other members of D-Class personnel, 04
and 05, were positioned under stadium lights so that their shadows overlapped. The nail was dropped onto a point where the
shadows were on top of each other, and promptly embedded itself in the ground. Both subjects were instructed to attempt to
move away from the nail. 05 was completely trapped, unable to move
her feet or walk away. Meanwhile, 04 was able to move freely with
no consequences except for the feeling of a “chill.” So, the nail is only able to hold one person
at a time. In an attempt to see if there is a pattern
present in terms of which person the nail will hold, if presented with multiple options,
a follow-up experiment was conducted with eight members of D-class personnel, ranging
in age from 18 to 59 years old. All eight subjects were placed with their
shadows overlapping, and the nail was dropped onto the point of overlap. The youngest subject, an 18 year old boy,
was held still by the nail. The other seven test subjects let out a scream
when the nail hit the ground, and were reported to shiver throughout the duration of the test. When the 18-year-old was taken out of the
study, and the experiment repeated, the second-youngest person in the group was held in place. The experiment was repeated four more times,
removing a subject each time, until Subject 07 collapsed from hypothermia. The next experiment was conducted outside,
in a grassy field near the test site. Subject 05 was placed on the grass and handed
a shovel. Once the nail was firmly in the subject’s
shadow, she was instructed to dig it out of the dirt. 05 began digging and proceeded normally at
first. After 90 seconds, however, she fell to the
ground, screaming in agony. A medic rushed to her side, but by the time
he reached her she was already dead. An autopsy determined that Subject 05 died
of a cerebral hemorrhage with no clear physical cause, though it was apparent that the attempt
to remove the nail is what killed her. The research team decided to take a break
from human trials and take a closer look at the physical properties of the nail itself. What weaknesses did it have? Could it be destroyed? Subject 09 was given the nail and a collection
of tools, then instructed to “go to town” on the object and attempt to destroy it. 09 placed the nail in a vice, and attempted
to go at it with an angle grinder. As soon as the grinder touched the nail, 09
fell to the ground, seizing and speaking in tongues, hands pressed to his temples. 30 seconds later, he was dead from the same
kind of cerebral hemorrhage that killed Subject 05. Examination of the nail revealed a small amount
of surface damage, showing that the nail likely can be destroyed, but is somehow able to defend
itself against destruction. Regular human trials were resumed the next
day, and Subject 10 was brought into the test facility. There, one stadium light was placed on a computer-controlled
track, allowing the light to be shifted incrementally from a remote point outside of the room. The light was set up to cast a long shadow,
and the nail was dropped into the shadow’s head. Immediately, Subject 10 was unable to walk
away from the nail, in keeping with the standard effects of SCP-272. Then, the light was slowly raised, moving
the shadow. The subject was dragged along as the shadow
moved, as if yanked by his feet. He stumbled and had to work to regain his
balance. Then, the light was moved quickly. Again, the subject was dragged along with
the motion of the shadow. However, due to the rapid pace of the light’s
motion, he was unable to keep his balance and fell to the floor, receiving scrapes,
bruises, and mild road rash. Finally, in an attempt to see what might happen
if the subject was unable to move even against his will, 10 was restrained. His feet were chained to the floor, and a
chicken wire screen was placed between him and the nail. Then, the light was moved again. To the horror of the research team watching,
these restraints did nothing to lessen the nail’s hold on the subject. He was pulled forward violently, the chains
ripped from the floor, and his body slowly forced itself through the chicken wire, landing
on the other side in a pile of tiny pieces, like a potato shot through a tennis racquet. No matter what is holding them down, or what
is in their way, a subject cannot escape the pull of their shadow, or the prison of the
nail. They will be bound to it, even if it kills
them. Testing was temporarily suspended while a
cleaning crew attended to the room, taking the rest of the day to get the bloodstains
out of the concrete. The final experiment on record was conducted
the following day. Subject D-272-04 was placed in the center
of the room, with one stadium light casting his shadow at a 45-degree angle. The nail was dropped onto 04’s shadow, and
he was held in place. Then, the research team simply waited. Food and water was provided every few hours,
as well as a bucket to use as a bathroom. For the first two days, the subject seemed
relatively normal, if exhausted and upset. On the third day, he did not respond to food
or water when it was offered. After a week had passed, the subject began
to speak in rapid, manic streams of what was determined to be a dead language. By day eleven, the subject was switching back
and forth between bursts of intense ranting and a catatonic state. Finally, after fourteen days pinned to the
spot by the nail, Subject 04 was set free. As soon as the nail was removed, they began
speaking English again. They were severely malnourished and visibly
traumatized but immediately began to recover once freed from the nail’s hold. Portions of the subject’s rants were recorded
and translated by Dr. Kimiro, who attempted to interview the subject on the fourteenth
day of the study. At one point, the subject said: “I cannot
sleep, the screams are heard, I am not warm, the shadow steals.” When asked how he was feeling, the subject
began to tear at the skin on his arms and shout: “I am the prisoner of my own foolishness…let
my flesh crumble like the apple whose ashes burn at my tongue.” Not the most cheerful thing to hear, but not
too out of the ordinary for a day’s work at the SCP Foundation either. Following this experiment, human experimentation
with SCP-272 was suspended until further notice. SCP-272 is kept in a small wooden box, hidden
in a vault at Sector-25. Because nothing happens to the object as long
as it is left alone, no further containment procedures are considered necessary. When the nail is removed from containment
for experimentation, staff have been instructed to take extra care not to drop it. SCP-272 is considered a “safe” class SCP,
due to its inability to act on its own. It does not appear to do anything when left
alone. However, there is clearly a great deal more
to that little nail than meets the eye. Somehow, it is able to wreak psychic havoc
on those it traps, and on anyone who might try to harm it. The more we learn about the nature of SCP-272,
the more questions crop up. Where did it come from? How does it get inside people’s heads? What did Subject 04 mean by, “the shadow
steals”? We may never know. But, if you find yourself picking up any strange
nails one of these days, make sure you don’t drop them. Now go check out “SCP-999 - The Tickle Monster”
and “SCP-978 - Desire Camera” for more of our favorite Safe-Class SCPs!
