Archive of Our Own

“There you go. SCP-049 is normally pretty peaceful. That is, if you follow these rules here on that paper. It is really important to do as they say. 049 is very intelligent and can be manipulative, so please be careful, doctor.”, Dr. Davidson nodded. He knew that it was the best not to tangle with the SCP’s in this foundation. Each and every one was dangerous if not treated accordingly. He has learned that the hard way and he really didn’t wish anyone to undergo what he went through. 

“Please remember: He can manipulate the human brain. We do not know what exactly he can do but whatever you do, you should never touch him. He can kill you just by touching you. And- and always wear your mask. We can’t afford to lose you.”, the brunet smiled at the other’s words, that were echoing in the empty hallway they stood in. He knew that they wouldn’t lose him, he knew too well how to deal with the SCP’s since he has worked with them during his entire life.

“Whenever you plan to transport him, please let us know. If you plan on entering his cell, there are different safety mea-“ – “Its fine, Dr. Smith.”, Dr. Davidson had no bad intentions by interrupting the assistant that has led him to the door, behind which he would meet the SCP that he would have to work with in the future.

He noticed though, that he has hurt the other and tried to make it up by thanking him, even though it was audible that he wasn’t really meaning it: “Thank you for your information.”. In fact, he had already known everything the boy has just told him. But the other didn’t have to know that.

“I would like to see him now”, there was impatience in the doctor’s voice. “May I enter?”

Dr. Davidson noticed the growing anxiety within the person in front of him and he really would love to calm him down but he was afraid that he didn’t know how. It was only natural that someone as young as Mr. Smith here would be scared in an institution like this. It honestly has surprised him to see him working here. He has thought that only adults could work in a dangerous and secret place like this. Children, or teens for that matter, just didn’t belong here.

The SCP Foundation was responsible for locating and containing SCP’s, meaning individuals, entities, locations, and objects that violate natural law. Secure, Contain, Protect, was their slogan and they did everything to be worthy of that. There are over three thousand SCP’s documented and Dr. Davidson was sure that there were even more out there.

SCP-049 was one of those SCP’s. A human like looking creature, wearing black clothes and a white circular mask, which was covering his whole face. The mask used to be a plague mask but the foundation has decided to change it since the it ‘has been too dangerous’ and they thought that changing it would weaken the entity itself.

Nobody knows if that measurement really did something though.

SCP-049 was also referred to as the plague doctor. Dr. Davidson could only huff at that. The plague. A sickness that has long stopped to terrorize the world. It wasn’t the plague the SCP tried to cure. Instead, according to what his coworkers have told him, the doctor keeps on referring to the pestilence, something that made him aggressive, given there were subjects infected with that sickness only the plague doctor seemed to see.

“O-Of course…”, Dr. Smith gave Dr. Davidson the keys with a shaking hand, backing away shortly after the doctor has taken it. “Take care…”, Dr. Davidson just nodded before inserting the keys in the lock, turning them as he took a deep breath, mentally getting ready for whatever he was going to face behind it.

The door opened with a metallic creak. One that left him shivering. He wasn’t one to be scared during horror movies. His work has made him nearly immune to shock or surprise. But he still would entitle a creak like that as scary.

The room behind the door was a white and very clean one. On one side of the room, there was an almost aseptic laboratory while on the other side, separated by a special double-sided glass wall, there was another one. One that was more bloody and messy, obviously freshly used. Dr. Davidson didn’t have to search for the doctor responsible for this mess.

On his side of the room, there was a humanoid creature, black clothed, and white masked, just looking at him with a face that wasn’t visible. The brunet doctor had no idea who has drawn that black, dry smiley face upon that mask but he was certain that these emotionless, dull black eyes were looking right through his soul.

He has seen many entities, one scarier than the other, but this one was a creature that he would never be able to erase out of his mind. “They sent another one, I see.”, SCP-049 had a voice that was too normal to belong to a creepy monster. Dr. Davidson smiled at the discouraged undertone in the entity’s voice. “They did.”, he confirmed, stepping nearer to the glass in order to get a better view on the creature he would have to work with from now on.

“What’s that accent of yours? Are you from France?”

“England.”, he corrected the entity with a cold voice.

“England, interesting. You’re a doctor, too aren’t you?”, Dr. Davidson nodded at the entity’s question. “Indeed, I am.”. The SCP stayed silent as it stepped closer. Slowly but with movements that were thought through. “Tell me, doctor, what is your profession?”, the SCP was a bit too curious for Dr. Davidson’s liking but somehow, he had the feeling that it wouldn’t hurt him to answer his questions truthfully.

“I am a cytotechnologist.”, his words hung between them for a second before the plague doctor hummed. “That is perfect.”, his voice sounded a bit relieved. “You can help me with my work then.”, Dr. Davidson nodded. This was why they have sent him here. “I will try my best.”, he tilted his head, observing the proud creature on the other side of the glass. “I am afraid, though, that you will have to tell me first what exactly you do to your patients…”

The creature shook his head, walking away from the glass that he has approached just a second earlier. “You wouldn’t understand.”, the creature huffed. “No one here in this prison has ever understood me nor my doings. Your minds are too small to understand what it is and how it acts. You can’t feel it.”, the entity shook his head, slowly returning to that bloody mess he has left behind after doing whatever.

“That may be true. But I am the first cytotechnologist that talks to you. I know more about human cells and how they can change, than everybody else here. I have seen many corpses before and examined so many that I have stopped counting.”

“You don’t understand, Dr. Davidson.”, named doctor blinked surprised. Did he ever tell that creature his name? “When I arrived here, Dr. Raymond Hamm has said the same thing. He has given me the hope that you doctors are able to understand me and the pestilence. But then, when he suddenly had it himself, he has stopped believing me and when I cured him, everybody has stopped believing me. Calling me a murderer.”, he huffed. “Ridiculous. Rude! I saved him. Yes, I saved him…”, the entity lost himself inside of this mantra, turning his back to the doctor, continuing his work on that bloody bunny corpse in front of him.

Dr. Davidson shivered. He remembered Dr. Raymond Hamm. And he knew too well what this SCP has done to him. That doctor has been the first doctor responsible for SCP-049. But then SCP-049 has killed him, stating that the doctor has had the pestilence. It horrified Dr. Davidson to think about that incident. It has been a horrific accident. One that they couldn’t allow to happen again. Dr. Raymond Hamm has been found after three hours of undergoing the plague doctor’s autopsy.

He has been different. Turned. The plague doctor had this habit of not just killing the test subjects the foundation was giving him every second week, but starting to experiment with them, turning them into instances of SCP-049-2. Dr. Davidson has read the file about these entities and he still knew each and every information it has given him.

SCP-049-2 instances are reanimated corpses that have been operated on by SCP-049. These instances do not seem to retain any of their prior memories or mental functions, having only basic motor skills and response mechanisms. While these instances are generally inactive, moving very little and in a generally ambulatory fashion, they can become extremely aggressive if provoked, or if directed to by SCP-049. SCP-049-2 instances express active biological functions, though these are vastly different from currently understood human physiology. Despite these alterations, SCP-049 often remarks that the subjects have been "cured"

It really hurt him to think about Dr. Raymond Hamm, who has ended up as one of those reanimated corpses. They have interviewed SCP-049 about that incident but the plague doctor has just kept up his “I cured him.”-act up.

It was tiring and, as funny as it might sound, the whole reason for why Dr. Davidson was here now.  The doctor has always worked close with the staff members of SCP-049. Named creature has broken out of this prison one time, taking an SCP-3774 with him. SCP-3774 was a prototype for a genetically and cybernetically modified subspecies of mosquitos. Dr. Davidson has been one of the leading specialists concerning this SCP.

These SCP’s have been designed to find certain persons of interest. To locate them, to take a sample of their blood in order to compare it with the samples of the data bases and to confirm that it was the SCP they have been searching for. The idea was to use these instances in order to keep track of the movements of different entities but with the latest update on giving them the ability to speak, they have gone out of control by confessing their love to these SCP’s, ruining the entire plan.

The project SCP-3774 has been shut down and Dr. Davidson has had the secret order to modify them. He knew the craft of programming. It has been something he has studied beside his medical education and he was happy that he has done it. After SCP-049 has broken out with one instance of SCP-3774, he has been assigned to the plague doctor because the foundation wanted to know what exactly the doctor has done to the other SCP, since the instance he has changed has been different from the instances of SCP-049-2 they have examined before.

It was an order that Dr. Davidson has accepted even though, he really would have loved to continue with his old one. He was an optimistic man, though. He was sure that this new job would be fun, too.

“I really don’t care about what you did to Dr. Raymond Hamm, everything that matters to me is-“ – “Oh, but you should!”, the plague doctor turned around hectically, observing him again with these scary eyes. “I made him a gift. Freed him from the pestilence and allowed him a healthy life. The cure that I have found isn’t the best, yet but I am working on it! Perfecting it! Oh, it is going to be world changing, believe me, doctor!”

The entity motioned to that corpse lying behind him and Dr. Davidson’s eyes followed his hands, watching with fascination as the fluffy and still dirty animal slowly came back to life. It stood up, moving as if it has drunken too much, swaying in the direction of SCP-049. Named creature was observing Dr. Davidson’s reaction, dull eyes filled with curiosity and carefulness.

The bunny hopped down the countertop, meeting the floor very roughly, head turned into an angle that was everything but normal. After it stood still for a few seconds, the doctor was sure that the bunny has broken its neck but then it stood up again, head resting in that weird position. Dr. Davidson gulped, looking up again.

“How did you do that?”, yes, he has read everything about the instances of SCP-049-2, but he has never seen one. It filled him with interest. He needed to know how this bunny was still able to live, when its neck has obviously snapped and the bunny itself has gone through way worse before.

“Come in and see it yourself, doctor.”

To be fair, he had the order to kill every instance of SCP-049-2 the plague doctor would create throughout their time together. But Mr. Smith has told him to warn them before he stepped into the cell of SCP-049. He needed security to do that. It was forbidden to have direct contact to that creature.

“Please remember: He can manipulate the human brain.”

“He can kill you just by touching you.”

“049 is very intelligent and can be manipulative.”

Mr. Smith’s voice rang through his head, the moment he stepped out of his side on the room, inserting the keys into the lock of the heavy metal door that would open the cell of SCP-049.

“We can’t afford to lose you.”

He bit his lip. His hands were shaking. Not out of fear, though. They were shaking because his entire body was filled with anticipation. He needed to get that SCP-049-2 instance. Its appearance and behavior remembered him on the horror novel “PET CEMENTARY” that Stephen King has written. He has read that book years ago and yet the memory of these revived creatures was as good as ever.

If there really was a way of reviving dead organisms that would change a lot.

Fuck it

He thought.

I’ll hurry and nobody will notice that I broke the rules.

It was a naïve thing to believe that. He knew it. He knew the SCP’s of this foundation and he knew that each and everyone was dangerous. It was stupid to just enter the cell of one of these entities, especially when you don’t know what exactly they could do to you.

But on the other hand, there was no time to call anyone. He needed that bunny now. He needed the cellular information now.

The noise of that door opening was just as loud as the other creak has been and for a second the doctor was afraid that someone could have heard it. But then he tried to calm himself down again with the knowledge that, usually, this part of the building was rarely visited by anyone.

The moment he heaved the door out of the way, he scrunched his face at the metallic smell that was reigning this room. It was a horrific sight. One that was worse when seen in reality as through that thick pane of glass. “Please step away, SCP-049.”, his voice that has been so secure before now sounded anything but strong. It was more of a whisper. One that was hard to separate from uncertainty, fear and fascination.

But the entity did as he was told, moving into the corner that was the farthest away from Dr. Davidson, giving him the possibility to close the door behind him, locking it again (just to make sure that the creature wouldn’t get out) and turn around. Dr. Davidson’s veins were filled with adrenalin now. He knew that whatever he was doing wasn’t just forbidden but also extremely dangerous.

Carefully and filled with ecstatic he approached the bunny that was standing on two of his legs now, scenting carefully after having noticed that new smell. “You can touch it. It won’t hurt you.”, the doctor flinched the moment 049’s voice reached his ears. But he did, slowly reaching out for the revived bunny that has started to wash itself, cleaning up the crusty blood in its fur.

Immediately it stopped, reaching out, sniffing on Dr. Davidson’s hand before hopping forwards to snuggle it carefully. “Do you want to analyze him, doctor? Do you wanna know what I did to him?”, Dr. Davidson got goosebumps when the plague doctor’s voice suddenly came from right behind him. He looked into the direction the voice has come from, only to figure out that while he has petted the dirty bunny, the entity has creeped up behind him.

“Come on, take it and kill it. I want to see you work.”

Dr. Davidson gulped again, trying desperately to get the control back over his lungs and his heart. Controlling his breath and his heartbeat. “I uh-“, he then started, before picking the bunny up and standing up again. “I am not allowed to work in… in here…”, just to make his point clear, the cytotechnologist motioned towards the bloody instruments neatly placed upon a dirty countertop.

“My laboratory is on the other side of the glass.”

The SCP shook his head. “Oh, come on, doctor. My laboratory already is dirty and the instruments already used. It would be my pleasure to assist you.”. Dr. Davidson honestly considered accepting the entity’s offer. But then his logic brain seemed to work again and he declined nicely.

“You’re nice, 049, but I am afraid that I can’t accept your offer.”

With these words he cleared his throat. “Now please go back into your corner. I would like to leave now.”

Dr. Davidson didn’t sleep well that night.

Throughout the entire night he has gotten woken up by nightmares. Figurines talking to him, warning him from the pestilence and the undead. A contrast that drove him crazy, stealing his sleep and instead giving him nightmares.

Therefore, his mood wasn’t the best when he returned the next day, stepping into the well-sealed room with that thick glass pane in the middle and a little cage in one corner. A cage owned by a little bunny that looked a bit more alive than it has yesterday.

“Good morning, doctor.”, Dr. Davidson flinched by the sound of that deep voice, filled with a certain curiosity that wouldn’t leave his head. “Good morning, SCP-049. “

“Dream.”

“What?”

“Call me Dream, doctor. I figured that even though I couldn’t care less, it could be annoying for you to keep using that other name for me. Please do yourself a favor and call me Dream.”

Honestly, it surprised the doctor to hear something like that from the entity he has only seen twice during his time working here. Giving him a name to call him, was an act of friendship. He knew that and it filled him with confusion, considering that the same entity has killed the past doctor without blinking.

The others have told him that SCP-049 has learned to hate the stuff members, thanks to their inability of understanding what he tried to prevent so badly. Just because they couldn’t understand what he did and how much time he spent working for a cure for a sickness that -the entity was sure- would once ruin the entire humanity.

“I appreciate your consideration. Even though I don’t think that I can do that.”, it was hard to tell if the masked monster there on the other side of the glass was disappointed by his answer. They stood quiet, instead of showing a reaction, it looked like it was thinking.

“I can tell that your intentions are different from the others.”, it then said, tilting its head. “I haven’t been able to decipher them yet, but I think that you actually want to help saving the humanity. I can tell that your heart is a good one. Throughout my life, I have met a lot of different people and I have examined them well enough to know that all of them have been the same. If one of them died then I wouldn’t care, given that the death has been important for either their healing process or my studies.”

Dr. Davidson wished to be able to take notes. He hasn’t studied psychology but he knew that whatever this monster was saying right now was important information about how it was thinking, maybe even explaining things that are yet to be discovered.  

“If you were to die, I could tell that the world would lose something very important.”, the entity stepped closer to the glass, touching it with its gloved hands. “I wonder what it is…”, it sounded creepy, there was something in that voice that sounded like a promise. A promise of finding out what made him different and Dr. Davidson wasn’t sure if he liked it or if he didn’t.

However, he decided to leave it be, looking back down at that revived bunny inside of that cage. It tingled inside of his fingertips to go and find out what made it so special and yet, there was this tiny voice inside of his head that tried to convince him to not kill it.

If that bunny wouldn’t still move as if it has drunken the entire collection of wine he had at home, he wouldn’t have been able to tell if that bunny really was the same one, he has caught yesterday evening.

And then the doctor decided to ignore that voice. He needed to test that bunny. He needed to know what it knew, how it was able to move, if it had intelligence and so on. There were multiple tests he had to do with that cute bunny and he was more than ready to finally start.

He has worked hard yesterday, to find an appropriate way of checking all these things. He needed it to stay alive during the entirety of his test. If it was to die before he would finish, then he would have to start the autopsy immediately. Something that wasn’t included in today’s schedule and therefore something that he hoped wouldn’t happen.

SCP-049 watched him attentively as he started to build a labyrinth for the bunny.

“You’re testing its intelligence, aren’t you?”, Dr. Davidson flinched as the entity’s words echoed through the room. “Yes.”, he then confirmed and the SCP hummed in an understanding tone.

“Did you ever do that?”, he didn’t know why he asked but somehow, he felt as if it was only polite to do so. “I did.”, the answer came slowly, the entity has thought about it. “What did you find out?”, now the doctor looked up, observing the SCP on the other side. “That it was cured.”

This was an answer the doctor hasn’t expected. “Cured?”.

“Yes.”

“What do you mean by that?”

The entity shook his head, humming again. “Hmm, I don’t think that you would understand me, doctor. Most of my clients are cured when they reopen their eyes, laying them upon a world that is so very different for them. Let me tell you one thing.”, the entity stepped closer to the glass pane.

“You can test that bunny down there. But I have given you important information. It is cured.”

It confused him. Dr. Davidson got confused about these weird ways to put things. How was it important to know that this bunny was cured? Would it change the outcome of his test? And if yes, then in which way?

There was just one way to try it out. He had to just go through them.

“I wished to be able to follow you, 049. But I am afraid that I can’t.”

The creature chuckled silently. A sound that made him shiver. “Of course, you can’t. Just go on with your experiment and learn what I meant by that.”

And so the doctor did, finishing the build, opening the bunny’s cage and placing it inside of the labyrinth. The exit was marked by a carrot. He just hoped that, even though this bunny was somehow a zombie, it still liked them.

He grabbed his notebook, attentively watching the bunny as it started to move, sniffing the paper walls, slowly following their system, finding that carrot within seconds.

Name of entity: SCP-049-2

Test 1: Labyrinth

Outcome:

Try 1: Subject-2-A has been able to find the carrot within 6.87 seconds.

He wrote down.

Guessed intelligence level : High

“Try it again, doctor. Place him exactly where he has been before.”, he looked up, observing SCP-049, with a certain mistrust in his eyes. Named entity was now standing in front of the glass, meeting his eyes with dull ones that looked challenging. “Please. Try it.”

Dr. Davidson complied. He was sure that the second experiment would go even faster than the first one. Usually bunnies were intelligent animals. Normally they would be able to find the carrot without any problems, especially when they have walked the path before. Bunnies had a really good nose. They were able to follow their own scent.

And yet, this time the bunny behaved differently, walking through the labyrinth without any orientation. As if this whole build was new to it. Dr. Davidson watched as the bunny walked against walls, turned around, stood still, sat down, sat up again, just to begin walking in circles.

It made no sense.

Slowly, he noted the result. 

Outcome:

Try 1: Subject-2-A has been able to find the carrot within 6.87 seconds.

Try 2: Subject-2-A has not been able to find the carrot.

Guessed intelligence level:  High Low

Biting his lip, he looked at the ink stained page. It made no sense. “How?”, he then asked, looking back up again. “As I said, doctor. The bunny is cured. It now is just as intelligent as I want it to be.”. That answer scared him. “What do you mean by that?”, Dr. Davidson stood up, walking towards that creature behind that glass pane.

“I mean that this bunny is under my control now. I can tell him what to do and what he wants.”

The doctor got goosebumps. “You mean, it is like… your slave or something?”. The entity shook his head. “It is way more than that.”, the brunet raised an eyebrow. But then the entity added: “It is cured.”

“Cured from what?!”

Dr. Davidson started to get impatient. The doctor always talked about the cure and-

“The pestilence!”

The pestilence.

“Would you be so nice, SCP-049-“ – “Dream.”, “Dream.”, Dr. Davidson breathed out audibly, more than done with this SCP, “Would you be so nice and finally explain to me what exactly that pestilence of yours is?”

There was a short pause before the entity spoke up again, now changing its undertone from annoyed to something challenging. Alluring almost: “How about I show you?”. Dr. Davidson blinked surprised.

“Show me?”, again there was mistrust in his voice.

“Show you.”, the entity then confirmed, nodding slowly, before it added: “All you have to do is bring me a new subject.”. It wasn’t a strange request in particular. The foundation has agreed to help this SCP with its studies. Even when it meant to give it animals he could play with. And yet, the doctor had to think about it for a second.

The bunny has been the subject for the last and this week. Normally the new subject would come on Monday, three days from now. He wanted to know what that pestilence was, yes, but he wasn’t sure if he could manage to get the leading positions allow another subject this week.

“I don’t know if I can do that.”, his voice sounded apologizing and he really meant it. He was sorry for his disability to give him another animal it could experiment on. He was sorry that he hadn’t the chance to get this monster to show him that mysterious sickness it was talking about all the time.

“You don’t know?”, the SCP’s voice broke through his worries, the undertone of its voice now deeper. Dangerous almost.

Dr. Davidson looked up. “No, I don’t.”, he repeated and shook his head. “This bunny has been your subject for this week and the last one. The lead-“ – “Please, doctor.”, Dr. Davidson stopped as the entity interrupted him. “Don’t tell me you are planning on giving me another animal.”

“What do you mean?”

“What I meant?”

There was anger inside of the SCP’s voice. “If they were to teach you how to analyze the cell structures of just animals then you would get a bit further in understanding them and their system. But when I give you the cells of a human just shortly after you would notice some differences. Of course, humans are animals but still. The cell structures of bunnies and monkeys are still different to the structures of a human body.”.

The doctor tried to follow the other’s words.

“You understand that, don’t you?”

Dr. Davidson nodded.

“It’s the same thing with my studies. I can work with animals just fine. But I need some humans, too. The orang-utans and the bunnies have been fine but yesterday I realized that I need another human to work with.”

He froze. The entity wanted another human. That- “That is impossible.”, he said out loud. His eyes searched the ones of the SCP and they found them. Black, dull, drawn upon that mask. “I can’t ask them to give you a human.”

The entity laughed silently.

“Oh, but you don’t have to ask them.”

“What?”

Dr. Davidson didn’t understand. He really didn’t. Normally he understood many things and yes, he has started to think that maybe he was the only one that would be able to understand this creature there behind that thick glass pane but suddenly that thought occurred to him very stupid. How was he supposed to understand what this creature wanted from him?

He couldn’t just give him a human, that-

“Didn’t you say you wanted to know what I meant with the pestilence?”, he could tell the creature was smiling as it continued: “I can show you.”

Oh.

The realization hit him like a hard rock. Like a rock coming from the sky, big, heavy and with the intention to crush him.

Oh.

It wanted him.

It wanted to use him.

“No.”

He said.

“No, I can’t-“ – “You can, doctor. Come on.”, that teasing undertone was back. The entity watched attentively as the doctor made a step back from the glass pane, turning around, absent mindedly watching the rabbit nagging at its carrot.

“I can show you the pestilence, doctor. You are my colleague. I won’t hurt you, no worries.”

It was smiling. Still. It was smiling, that was so fucking noticeable.

“I am not allowed to enter your room, I am afraid.”, Dr. Davidson turned around again, a sudden seriousness inside of his face. “Oh, come on!”, the creature shook its head. “That didn’t stop you yesterday, did it? I promise, I won’t do anything you don’t want me to do.”

“Was that what you told the other doctor, too?”, Dr. Davidson heard that his voice has gotten a tone higher. His voice always did that when he got angry. Normally he hated swearing or getting loud but right now he suddenly felt the urge to do exactly that.

This entity wasn’t in the place to make demands like this. It was their prisoner. Not some hotel guest that could just order something, knowing that it would just come. This entity had no right to talk to him like that. To challenge him.

“Wow, now you really are hurting me, doctor. I would never -and I mean it- never kill you.”, SCP-049 shook its head again as if to underline its words. “I just want to show you what I meant. I want to show you what the pestilence is. I need to show you, please.”, there was a despaired undertone in the entity’s words.

A despair that left the doctor a bit flabbergasted. He hasn’t expected that challenging undertone to change that fast.

“Please allow me to show you, doctor. I- I need it!”

Fuck.

“How can I trust you, hm?”, Dr. Davidson stepped back towards that glass pane, now dangerously close to the entity he was told to stay away from. “How can I be sure that you are not going to- to hurt me? Or to- to turn me into a zombie?”

The entity tilted its head. “You can’t.”, suddenly it was calm, speaking with consideration behind its every word. “You will have to trust me like you did yesterday. You came here and took that bunny, didn’t you? I didn’t hurt you then, did I?”

The brain of the doctor started to hurt. He was thinking. Thinking so hard that it started to hurt. Yes, the entity was right, he has been able to step into that cell yesterday and nothing has happened. But what could tell him that today it was going to be the same?

“Now, don’t you want to write something useful inside of that notebook of yours?”, Dr. Davidson bit his lip. “Don’t you want to get some progress?”, the plague doctor was teasing him, he knew. “All you did so far was taking this bunny and watching as it found a stupid carrot.”, the entity pointed towards the bunny.

“It is cured, Dr. Davidson. Cured.”

“Alright!”, named doctor opened eyes he couldn’t remember to have closed and held up his hands in defense. “Alright… Dream. Just please.”, it was weird to use that name the entity has given him. Really. It didn’t fit him at all. Nightmare would have been more fitting. Or monster maybe. Lullaby would have been fine too, since that entity seemed to have lulled a lot of creatures into an everlasting sleep but Dream. Come on.

The doctor searched for the entity’s eyes again.

“Please stop talking.”

And the entity did. Waiting patiently as Dr. Davidson once again made his way towards that thick metal door, unlocking it with shaking hands and opening it, while he was watching the SCP antsy and with sweating fingers. This time it felt different to step into this cell.

Something was different. Alarming.

Probably because you just volunteered to be his new subject, you dumbass.

He knew that whatever he was doing was wrong.

He has known it from the very moment he has closed that thick door behind him.

But then again, he hasn’t expected that this entity would react as fast as it did, once he finally has turned back around.

He almost had no time as the SCP walked towards him, pushing him against the back of the door with an irony fist. “Thank you, doctor.”, it said. “It really means a lot to me that you trust me enough to step into my laboratory once again. It is an honor to be able to demonstrate you what the pestilence is.”

Dr. Davidson immediately regretted his decision of coming in. Almost desperately he tried to free himself out of that tight grasp of that creature but his attempts remained fruitless. Instead all he could do was watch as the SCP leaned towards him, burying his face inside of his neck.

He shivered as he felt the plastic of that mask against his warm skin and he flinched as the entity started talking again. “I can smell it already…”, Dr. Davidson closed his eyes. “I can smell it; it is growing inside of you. Like a virus, slowly building itself a home inside of your body, making itself a nest inside of your brain.”, Dream started to get nervous, Dr. Davidson noticed his hands become sweaty, body trembling with anticipation.

“Oh, I knew it! I knew that you were easy to get infected!”

“Infected?”

No, he had no idea why out of all words, this one has gotten his attention, making him speak out loud again but somehow it just did. Infected? So, did the plague doctor infect his subjects himself?

“Are you the one causing the pest-“ – “Shush, you dumb human!”, the SCP leaned back, letting go of the scientist. “The pestilence is waiting in each and every creature on this earth, everybody has it waiting deep inside of it. It is only a matter of time until it gets triggered and until it starts infecting you. But of course, what would you know?”

Dr. Davidson gulped. “I-“, he started not really knowing where to go with his words. The sudden anger of the SCP made him want to go outside again. Into that safe room that is right beside him and yet still so far away. “I am sorry, Dream…”, he hoped that by calling him by his real name the creature might calm down but his hopes got destroyed the moment the SCP made a step back, watching as the bunny left his half eaten carrot, now turning its attention towards something else.

“Look, Davidson.”, the doctor looked back to the SCP, knowing that it probably has been stupid to let his gaze wander to that tiny creature there on the other side of the glass. “I said I wanted to show you what the pestilence is and I meant it.”, Dr. Davidson shivered as the creature’s cold eyes landed upon his slim figure again.

“You have a good heart, that’s why I offered to be your partner. But I have underestimated that inner stupidity of yours that still is taking so much space inside of your tiny human brain.”, he still hasn’t moved a muscle since that plague doctor has invaded his personal space, loosing himself inside of the anticipation that ‘smell of the pestilence’ must have woken up. He was scared that one false movement could trigger that same anticipation again, causing that creature to attack him again.

To be fair, it hasn’t hurt him, but it has scared him and the sudden touch of their bodies still laid there deep inside of his memory leaving a bitter taste inside of him.

“I don’t need anybody to watch us, though.”

Now that sentence really was the proof for why his last action to step into this room has been a stupid idea.

“No, please. I- You don’t need to show me anymore, I think I already know more than I have-“ – “Be quiet, human.”. Dr. Davidson shut his mouth, swallowing his next words. He watched in silence as the bunny somehow found its way over cupboards and papers, towards the only camera they have installed on the safe side of the laboratory, shutting it by attacking it, mercilessly biting through cables and glass.

It was a terrifying sight. The bunny has been scary from the very first minute it has taken another breath after having been sent to the kingdom of the dead and right now, George finally understood where that fear he has felt has come from. This bunny wasn’t like other bunnies.

It was cured.

Whatever that meant.

“You know nothing, Davidson. Honestly, you should be honored that I invited you to get a lesson about the pestilence. Normally I wouldn’t spend my expensive time on something like you. A stupid cytotechnologist that wants to get to know what I am doing and why I am doing what I am doing. It just is none of your business, don’t you get that?!”

Dr. Davidson watched as the doctor held up his hands in frustration, shaking his head as he turned away from him. The entity looked as if it had to calm itself down and the scientist accepted that silently, not daring to move a single muscle.

And then the entity spoke up again, its voice calmer now, sounding like a box of tnt that was burning and just waiting to finally explode: “But you are different, Doctor so I decided to try and explain it to you. Explain to you what the pestilence is. Help you understand it better.”, the more the entity has started to talk again, the louder the voice has gotten.

There was a tension between them, Dr. Davidson could feel in his every bone. But then when the entity rushed forward again, right into his direction, he flinched, closing his eyes. He has started trembling, veins filled with adrenalin. “You should be able to feel it now”, the plague doctor said, voice suddenly so silent it could be entitled as whispering.

“Can you feel it? Hm?”, he wanted to run. To get away from this monster.

“Can you feel it?!”, it started to speak louder, voice ringing inside of the cytotechnologist’s head. “Because right now it is reigning your every muscle.”, the entity breathed audibly. “I can smell it inside of you. I can practically feel it, how it invades your brain, making you its slave. Its marionette.”

“Stop.”

The creature’s words started to scare him now. He still wasn’t able to understand and he knew that Dream knew that, too. He could tell by that dangerous undertone inside of his voice.

“No! Because you still can’t understand it! It is there right inside of your brain, controlling you and your every heartbeat. It is what makes your heart beat faster, causing your blood pressure to be that high. And you still are too blind to see it!”

Fuck, what has he thought? Why has he been so stupid to step into this cell once more? What has had him thinking that-

“Please-“ – “No, Davidson! How can you still not see it? It is there right inside of you! It doesn’t make you stupid or anything, you should be able to get it now, everyone should have gotten it by now – Why are you so blind?!”

He tried! He tried to get what the SCP tried to tell him! His brain was working, he wasn’t stupid and he knew that. But still something prevented him from getting it. “Is it the fear, is that what you call-“ – “Fear?!? It is way more than that, come on now, doctor! Do I have to provoke it any further? Do I have to make it roar up like a beast so that you can finally hear it? Is that what you want?”

“No, I-“ – “Yes, Davidson. It seems like I didn’t do enough. You still don’t get it, I can see it in your eyes!” and with that Dream’s hand reached out to him, grasping him on the shoulders almost painfully. He was sure that the entity has caused various blue spots by now but he didn’t care because right now, he had bigger problems.

“What is it that scares you, George?”

George?

How did he know his surname?

“What do I have to do in order to make it even more obvious?”

He didn’t know, he didn’t know!

“I know what you have experienced in your past, I know that by threatening you with violence I can’t make that beast inside of you do anything that could help you finally getting aware of its presence. What can I- Oh…”

George squeezed his eyes shut as the entity pushed him to the ground, suddenly allowing the room to get silent. The ground was hart and still covered in the bunny’s blood, now dried but still fresh enough to color his white coat in a dark reddish tone.

“I have an idea.”, Dream looked back down at him and the doctor gulped as he eyed the door that was to his left side. The key was still waiting in its hole and he knew that if he was fast enough, he would be able to turn it and finally get himself out of this- “I have an idea, George.”

The entity was everything but harmless. He should have known.

Dream turned around and almost immediately George found the inner strength to push himself off the ground, rushing towards the metal door. His hands found the keys. His body felt electric as he pushed it to the side, somehow loosing his grip, letting the key fall to the ground with a loud rustling noise.

He stopped in his tracks.

It was silent again.

He was facing the door, unaware of whatever happened behind him.

Until suddenly:

“There you go.”

Dream spoke up again. George felt a shiver running down his spine as he suddenly felt a strong clothed hand on his waist.

“This is what the pestilence is. It is what makes you want to run away. It is what defines your inner desires. It is what ruins your capability of being of use to anyone. It is what reduces your efficiency as a person.”, he closed his eyes as he felt Dream’s other hand slowly running up his back, reaching his brown hair, entangling themselves inside of it.

“You don’t have to fear it anymore though, George. I can help you.”

And with that, Dream suddenly tore his hand away, making George whimper in pain as the pressure got pushed to his head, causing him to look upwards almost looking over his back now, facing Dream with tears in his eyes. “There, I can see it. You do understand me now, don’t you?”, Dream was smiling as he leaned in. “What is it, George? What is it what I am trying to cure? Hm? Come on, tell me!”

George gulped. Yes, maybe he started to get it now.

What was it that defined his inner desires? What has it been that has caused him to try and flee? What could it be that was reducing his abilities?

“You- my conscien- I-”

Dream looked up.

George gulped. “You can’t find the right words for it, can you?”, the entity asked calmly again and George shook his head. Whatever it was that Dream was talking about was like the free will that every person had and yet ‘free will’ somehow still wasn’t enough to describe it. The pestilence.

And then -suddenly- Dream let go of George who fell to his knees and right after that there was a loud scream invading the room. In shock, George looked up and watched the SCP and it was screaming something that could be described as a scream of victory but something that also could be pain. As if it hurt him to think of the pestilence once more. About ways to describe it.

“It is!”, Dream shouted, “It is! Now, now let me help you, hm?”, Dream turned around and looked at George through those dull eyes of that mask. “I can cure you-“, he said, “I can cure you- please, please look at me, George, look at me!”, the voice of the entity sounded inhuman again. It was the same one the creature has used when it has begun to ramble yesterday about how it has cured the other doctor, not killed him or anything.

It was scary, that voice, it was animalistic, insane, mad, it was making this creature look crazy. Waisted.

Dream was out of his mind, must be now with this voice.

“C’mere, George, let me help you, help you…”, George screamed in pain when the creature reached out and dug his irony fingers inside of his waist painfully, picking him off the floor, pushing him against the table that still hasn’t been cleaned yet from yesterday’s autopsy. “Please, please- oh, you smell like it, smell like it – so much of it, fuck, the pestilence is still so very deep inside of you…”

George gulped as he heard the entity curse for the very first time. So, this was who Dream really was? This was SCP-049’s real personality? This was how it behaved whenever it got a taste of the pestilence it wanted to destroy so badly?

George tried to free himself, he didn’t like the tight grip of the creature, he didn’t like the feeling of blood staining his hands as they were wandering over the table in a hurry, trying to find something he could use to defend himself. To get Dream off him.

“Stop!”, Dream screamed, wildly trying to stop his movements by taking a piece of rope from a counter near them. He needed just one hand to push George against the table. George’s breathing was almost frantic -fuck!- Dream needed one hand to fix him against this table, how strong must he be?!

“Stop moving so much!”, Dream made a move that could also be entitled as ‘grinding’, pushing George, who has finally made it to back away from the table, back onto it with his groin, using both his hands now to tie small pale wrists together. “It is annoying!”, the entity continued, “I don’t want to kill you, George, I need you to go through this alive! I need you; you are too pretty to die the same way the others have died here before, please stop moving! I am trying to help you – help you!”, Dream has started to ramble again, completely must have lost his mind and when George pushed back against him, letting their bodies collide almost aggressively something happened that made them both go silent.

There was a silent ‘hnng’ coming from George right before Dream screamed: “Please stop moving so much!”

-and then there was silence.

George looked up at the entity with big eyes, stopping in his tracks, heart beating fast.

And Dream also stopped this psychotic ramble, finally falling silent.

“You know what?”, Dream was smiling again, George could hear. And he wanted to die. Fuck, what has gotten through him that he could fucking moan right now?!

“Let us start a little experiment, yah?”

George didn’t know what to say when suddenly Dream backed away - grabbing that white mask with that stupid black smiley face. George’s eyes widened the moment the plague doctor let the mask fall to the ground and pushed the black hood away, allowing him to see Dream in his entirety.

Fuck.

The entity turned around, looking at himself through the light reflection the double-sided glass pane was allowing him. Dream smiled.

And George noticed because now his eyes were fixed upon these pretty dark freckles that had been dusted over pale cheeks. Upon bright golden eyes that were staring down at him with amusement and false excitement, attentively watching him through their reflection in the glass, revealing all of George’s thoughts and secrets.

Why was Dream pretty?

George suddenly found himself inside of a bubble. A warm bubble that let him forget what has just happened. He stopped caring about that rotten core, that was resting deep inside of this creature. He stopped caring about this pestilence that was driving Dream crazy. All that mattered to him right now was this pretty face, these golden perfect dirty blonde locks and this-

“Interesting…”, George’s breath got a bit quicker the moment the entity turned around now looking directly at him with those hypnotizing eyes. Immediately he felt exposed.

“What’s that look on your face?”, Dream’s smile was self-confident. Knowing.

“Where did that panic go, hm?”, George shivered. “Where is that fear inside of your pretty face?”

George didn’t do anything as the entity came near to him again, carefully grabbing his tied wrists, pushing them on the table. “Don’t tell me you find me attractive?”

George wanted to shake his head, but yes…

“I know that you do…”, Dream buried his head inside of George’s neck, pushing away the white coat with his nose, letting his warm breath wander over exposed pale skin. “They always stop resisting at this point.”, the brunet bit his lip as he, subconsciously, leaned his head to the side, allowing Dream to have more space he could attack with his lips that now parted as the entity laughed silently.

“You know, George…”, Dream finally let his lips meet thin skin, kissing it carefully. “That mask that I am always wearing has a cause.”, George got goosebumps as Dream spoke against his skin, carefully letting a gloved hand wander under the white shirt George was wearing under the coat.

“I was born with the one and only reason to find a cure to the pestilence. It is my only goal and my only task in life.”, Dream started smiling as he felt George’s body reacting to his feather like touches. “My DNA allows me to get myself some subjects to work on. If I find someone that I need to work with, I can use my outer appearance to make the subject come to me, like the bees come to their beautiful flower.”

George closed his eyes as he realized that the SCP has changed its tactic. He suddenly understood that Dream had known that George would stop trying to free himself if he used his looks. “And look at you, George.”, Dream chuckled. “It is working perfectly.”, George made two fists with his hands that were now tied together even tighter than before.

Dream must have used one hand to enforce the knot he has started earlier. “It is a shame that you can’t write that down right now, isn’t it? Bet I gave you some important information during the last minutes we’ve spent together.”

George felt Dream pull back and opened his eyes, watching as Dream pulled a pouting face, pure amusement inside of his eyes: “It is a shame that you will never be able to give that information to anybody but me.”

George shivered. He knew that he should try to run away once more. He knew that he could try and free himself again. He knew that he shouldn’t just allow Dream to touch him like that.

But nevertheless, he was just a man and he felt his blood boiling inside of a certain area of his body. It truly was nerve-racking but the lust has started to invade his inner pond of feelings.

“There are so many things I would love to tell you about me, doctor.”, Dream reached out again with a gloved hand, holding George’s chin up, looking at him deep in the eyes. George looked back, loosing himself inside of that fluid gold, aware of that mocking undertone that has underline the ‘doctor’ inside of Dream’s last sentence

Attentively did he follow Dream’s lips as the blonde continued: “For example, that my sweat is able to drug others. It really hasn’t been very clever to visit me without a mask on. Bet they told you to wear it.”. George nodded absent mindedly, not really minding that last part.

Yes drugged… That was how he felt.

George felt drugged.

Drugged by love and lust.

Drugged with the longing for touch.

“Can you feel it, George? Can you feel the clouds inside of your brain?”, George just continued nodding, eyes still fixed upon those so very kissable lips. He has completely lost his fear. That panic has lost itself inside of this thick fog that was invading his brain right now.

He didn’t feel numb, he felt foggy. Like a cloud. Light. Unimportant.

Yes, he felt them, the clouds…

“I can see that you need physical touch right now. I learned that you humans, sometimes, get aroused by pain. It hasn’t been a surprise that you are one of them. I already told you, I know about your past. I know why you have decided to be part of this SCP-Foundation.”, George understood him just fine.

But he didn’t try to pay attention to Dream’s words. He just wanted this creature to touch him so badly. He felt the pain inside of his crotch. He knew that his pants haven’t been the right ones to treat a boner like his nicely. They hurt him.

He needed to free himself.

He needed Dream to give him some friction. Something to release that hot pressure inside of his lower stomach.

“Don’t look at me like that, George. I am not like you. I am not able to feel something like arousal. I don’t need to reproduce myself. I live forever. I live until I find a cure against the pestilence. I can’t help you the way you want me to help…”, George closed his eyes in defeat.

This, he has heard.

“Pwease Dweem…”, he slurred, his tongue suddenly felt heavy. “Nneeed it…”, he said and rolled his eyes to the back as he laid back onto the table.

“Do you now, huh?”, there was a hand against his cheek, almost lovingly stroking it. George leaned into the touch, whining silently as he relished the warmth. He felt like a cat in heat. There was a vulnerability that has been unknown to him, now invading his every bone.

“I have to admit…”, Dream watched him attentively. “You are prettier than the other humans I have met before…”

George hummed approvingly.

“You know what?”, Dream leaned over him, placing his hands to George’s sides. “How about we make a deal?”, George wasn’t able to see that mischievous glare inside of Dream’s golden eyes, he was too waisted to notice emotions like that anymore.

George has reached the point of full acceptance. He only cared for himself right now. For his will to get sexual tension, to find his release. He didn’t care for anything else.

“I help you with your problem here and you let me cure you…”

George nodded, he nodded as fast as he could.

Anything to finally feel those strong big hands on his body.

“Please…”, he whined, suddenly finding the ‘L’ again inside of his inner alphabet. “Please Dweem…”

George didn’t care that Dream has grabbed a scalpel to tear the white, blood stained clothes off his body. All that mattered was that they finally were off. He didn’t care that Dream has made sure to secure his legs on that table now too and now, George didn’t mind the metallic hand cuffs that were now replacing the rope on his hands, attaching them to the table.

George felt no shame now that his boner was completely bare, all that George cared for was Dream’s hands on his body, worshipping it with light touches. He moaned as Dream leaned down with the words “Oh, you really are beautiful” and started to bite into the thin skin on his collarbones.

The air inside of the laboratory was cold and George shivered from the sudden heat radiating off Dream’s hands and lips. He shivered from the sudden pain those ivory teeth were causing and he relished the feeling of Dream’s locks, brushing against his chin as Dream started placing kisses upon George’s chest, going higher and higher until he stopped on George’s neck.

He started to suck on one spot and George started trembling with lust, moaning loudly as he felt one of Dream’s hands upon his dick, touching it just slightly as if it was something forbidden. Dream had large hands. Hands that had lost their gloves at some point George hasn’t noticed.

He noticed it now that warm skin was brushing against sensitive one, sending shivers over his body. “You like this, right?”, Dream sounded unsure and George just nodded, trying to lift his hands, causing them to push against the metallic handcuffs.

“Do I really need to be handcuh-oh-“ – The hand that has only teased that hurting dick grabbed it tightly to make George shut up. “Don’t worry about that, George…”, Dream shushed and connected their lips as he started moving his hand up and down George’s dick.

Dream’s lips felt nice against George’s. It was strange, sure but it was nice. Dream was a dominant kisser and George wasn’t able to make it make sense inside of his cloudy brain since Dream has said before he didn’t need sexual contact or anything.

The blonde didn’t kiss like he has never done that before and it burned on George’s tongue to break that kiss only to ask Dream if he has kissed others before but he couldn’t because those lightnings going up his body left him moaning against Dream’s lips. He knew that even if he wanted, he wouldn’t be able to form a sentence that made sense.

Dream was dominating his mouth with his tongue, almost aggressively exploring it as George suddenly felt something cold and sharp on his stomach. He flinched and wanted to push Dream away from him to show him his malaise but it didn’t work.

Dream was merciless, even as George felt a sharp pain inside of his stomach that made him scream. “Dream- what- Aaargh! Whaa- mmh…”, the clouds that had been invading his mind slowly moved away, making place for the pain. Suddenly he was aware of that thick hot fluid running down his stomach and he knew that it was blood, getting drawn out from that wound Dream must have caused.

Dream bit down on George’s lip harshly, fastening the speed on George’s dick. There were tears inside of George’s eyes but Dream just ignored them. Dream knew that he could just kill George whenever he felt like the brunet could get dangerous or could destroy his work but right now everything followed that inner plan of his.

George was here on that table, pinned down and fixed. Dream knew that George had no chance to escape and now that George started to rebel again, Dream was able to smell that pestilence inside of him, making him go crazy. He had known that by showing himself to the other he would be able to shut that pestilence away but now that he was actively removing it, it was just natural that it would roar up again.

George was torn between pain and lust. He couldn’t deny that Dream’s hand against his dick felt good but that pain inside of his stomach grew more and more sincere and it didn’t last long until he wanted Dream to stop.

He started screaming out for the doctor and then when the pain started to get unbearable, he just screamed, not even able to feel any arousal anymore. The pain was now coming from his dick and his stomach and he could feel that knife diving deeper and deeper, turning and playing inside of him, the pain overcoming any lust that has been left inside of his dying body.

“George, I am sorry. I told you that I would cure you and I really meant it…”, Dream’s voice broke through him just barely. “I know that I told you I wouldn’t kill you but I am trying to help you so I am afraid that-“, it was annoying, that high scream was annoying and yet George knew that he was the one causing it. Dream’s voice grew dull, George felt the clouds coming back, the fog invading his mind once more but this time coming along with a certain coldness that was running over his body, making it grow numb.

“George-“, the pain suddenly stopped and the cold faded away.

“I am afraid that I lied.”