SCP-2773

Panic Attacks

Connected to: SCP-084

Thermogram of SCP-2773-1.

Special Containment Procedures

The Foundation privately owns the property SCP-2773 occupies. Any trespassers are to be turned away with the explanation of ongoing renovations. Radiation and thermal sensors are to be placed around the perimeter of SCP-2773 and checked twice daily for any fluctuations in the size and intensity of SCP-2773-1.

At least four security personnel are to be stationed at SCP-2773 and assigned a rotating shift; eight additional personnel with background experience in psychology are to remain on standby in the staff quarters located on the nearby property. A surveillance team stationed outside of SCP-2773's range of anomalous effect is to closely monitor the physical and mental condition of any Foundation staff currently within SCP-2773.

All testing involving SCP-2773 must be approved by SCP-2773's lead researcher. Personnel entering SCP-2773 are to be equipped with a video camera, GPS tracking system, and walkie talkie. Spares of this equipment are to be kept on-site as necessary.

Twenty D-Class personnel, comprising four teams of five D-Class personnel each, are to be housed close to SCP-2773 premises. Additional D-Class support may be requested as necessary. See SCP-2773-1 Log-2 for detailed containment breach protocol.

+ SCP-2773-1 Log-2: Containment Breach Procedures

Description

SCP-2773 is an abandoned apartment building in the city of ███████████, ████████, with approximately 7400 m² of floor space. The building possesses three above-ground stories and a basement, and is composed of 20 apartments (ranging from one to three bedroom suites for a total of over 100 rooms). All of the apartments retain the furnishings from when they were inhabited.

Any individuals entering SCP-2773 will intermittently observe various changes occurring in the inner structures of the building, though corresponding changes are reflected by the building's outward appearance. Observed anomalous activity has included:

Light sources and other electrical objects resonating with an irregular "beating" sound
Floors tilting at disorienting angles
Thick moisture¹ developing on mirrors, windows, and other reflective surfaces
Sudden extreme temperature drops accompanied by tremors throughout the structure
Loud creaks, groans, and "wheezing" noises from hinged or free-swinging objects
Sudden pressurization of a room's walls and ceiling "clenching" inward

These episodes generally last no longer than 10 minutes, and have been confirmed to correlate in occurrence with the behavior of SCP-2773-1.

SCP-2773-1 is a phenomenon centered on SCP-2773 characterized by unusually high levels of thermal radiation and size fluctuations, occasionally extending beyond the premises of SCP-2773. The cause of the changes in temperature levels is unknown; thermal readings are the only known means of detecting SCP-2773-1's extent of occurrence. All attempts to limit the range of SCP-2773-1 using physical barriers² have failed.

When a human is exposed to SCP-2773-1, neural activity in the brain is stimulated, and the individual will report experiencing various sensations of physical discomfort and uneasiness corresponding to bodily areas exposed to SCP-2773-1. Lower bounds of perceived discomfort are reported in the forms of nausea, abdominal cramping, dizziness, shortness of breath, feelings of choking, and chest pain. Extended exposure to SCP-2773-1 has resulted in many cases of inability to focus, derealization³, hyperventilation, and persistent paresthesia⁴.

Approximately 85% of the individuals exposed to SCP-2773-1 for periods of time exceeding 15 minutes have required psychiatric care, though no outward physical harm has been noted and said individuals are otherwise physically healthy. As lingering psychological damage⁵ has been observed in survivors, the research director has suspended all human testing.

At the time of discovery, SCP-2773-1 spanned an area of 240 m² around SCP-2773. Subsequent calculations indicated that if left without Foundation intervention, the extent of occurrence would have steadily increased at a rate of 5% per 10 days. Later experimentation involving human testing revealed a correlation between human exposure and lowered readings of SCP-2773-1. Despite aggressive Foundation attempts to restrict SCP-2773-1, the phenomenon shows no signs of ceasing size fluctuation.

Addendum SCP-2773-1: Public records indicate SCP-2773 was constructed in ████ and considered abandoned 22 years prior to Foundation intervention. No additional documentation pertaining to the building during this time period has been found, though cross-referenced patient charts from nearby hospitals indicate that ██% of tenants housed at SCP-2773 during the most recent 50-year period had received some form of mental health diagnosis. Outbound phone records of note include two (uncompleted) calls made to a national suicide hotline, and several series of short 911 calls containing incoherent or rambling dialogue from the caller.

It is presumed that prior inhabitants expired due to excessive exposure to SCP-2773-1, though currently only trace amounts of human remains have ever been recovered from SCP-2773.

Addendum SCP-2773-2 As of ██/██/████, personnel assigned to maintain SCP-2773-1 contact began receiving additional training in an effort to build resilience to the anomalous effects. Some individuals deviated slightly from training protocol and attempted to engage in reassuring conversation with inanimate objects present within SCP-2773 living areas. These personnel maintain the view that doing so helped them to remain calm while enduring SCP-2773-1 exposure, with greater success than the recommended training protocol.

Visual records of the building indicate a decrease in the levels of anomalous "symptom" activity exhibited by the building when personnel engage in this supportive behavior. The formation of an SCP-2773 team comprised of crisis intervention specialists is currently in discussion, pending further examination of the primary anomaly. Researchers have been requested to temporarily halt observation of SCP-2773-1 and instead direct focus towards SCP-2773 and its symptomatology.