SCP-3386

Night Owls

An instance of SCP-3386-1.

Special Containment Procedures

A thaumaturgical research team is to be assigned to the ritual site associated with SCP-3386, and tasked with determining a means to reverse the summoning process.

A population count of observed SCP-3386-1 instances is to be made once a week. Should SCP-3386-1 exceed 50 individuals, the Senior Researcher assigned to the SCP-3386 case is to be informed immediately, and more stringent containment procedures implemented.

Discovered instances of SCP-3386-2 are to be kept in custom-designed humanoid containment apartments in Hinyankaga, Missouri, assigned employment close to the area, and allowed to continue with their daily activities. Foundation agents are to be dispatched to initiate the relocation from these individuals' previous areas of residence and ensure limited contact with other individuals; amnestics may be applied to facilitate these transfers. SCP-3386-2 instances are to be informed that SCP-3386-1 are a species of legally-protected birds, and instructed not to display any signs of aggression or panic when in close proximity to SCP-3386-1. The Foundation-affiliated landlord is to conduct brief monthly interviews with SCP-3386-2 instances under the guise of regular housing and facilities checkups.

Two D-class personnel convicted of murder are to be kept in the Hinyankaga, Missouri, Foundation apartments and assigned to the SCP-3386 case. Upon the death of any instance of SCP-3386-2, one of the D-class individuals is to be exposed to the SCP-3386-1 population immediately, and then designated the replacement instance of SCP-3386-2.

SCP-3386-3 instances are to be retrieved upon manifestation, and allocated to the thaumaturgical research team for their investigation. SCP-3386-3 instances may only be handled by staff who have not been directly involved in causing the death of another human being. Should an instance of SCP-3386-1 attempt to retrieve an SCP-3386-3 instance from a staff member, action should not be taken to prevent this.

Foundation staff assigned to the SCP-3386 case are to attend twice yearly counseling sessions, with additional meetings allotted for any stress induced by proximity to SCP-3386-1 instances. Requests to be rotated out of the assignment will be honored if a replacement has been confirmed prior to the proposed rotation date.

Description

SCP-3386 refers to several correlated anomalies, believed to originate from an occult ritual site in Hinyankaga, Missouri, designated as follows:

SCP-3386-1 are small avian entities closely resembling Barred Owls (Strix Varia), possessing feathers that absorb almost all visible light, resulting in a distinct pitch-black appearance. SCP-3386-1 have demonstrated the ability to pass through solid objects to approach otherwise inaccessible targets. No effective means of dispelling or physically containing these entities have been determined.
SCP-3386-2 refers to any human individual associated with the manifestation of SCP-3386-1 instances, and subsequently targeted by them. There are currently ██ SCP-3386-2 individuals identified by the Foundation.
SCP-3386-3 refers to small pellets disgorged by SCP-3386-1 instances, composed of highly compacted human bone. Lab analysis confirms that bone samples correspond to deceased SCP-3386-2 individuals.

While the exact prerequisites regarding SCP-3386 manifestations are unknown, individual SCP-3386-1 entities are typically observed during nighttime hours, trailing SCP-3386-2 instances and perching within viewing distance of their targets when possible.

Instances of SCP-3386-2 vary in age, gender, and physical characteristics. Based on current Foundation investigation, the sole constant between cases is that all SCP-3386-2 individuals have been convicted of or associated with crimes involving the death¹ of a human victim. It is believed that SCP-3386-2 targets are selected upon sight rather than as a preexisting condition, as SCP-3386-1 instances have been observed peacefully roosting near densely populated apartment complexes without following any of the tenants occupying the homes.

SCP-3386-3 pellet instances are produced following the expiration of an SCP-3386-2 target. Upon appearance, the pellet will then be cared for by SCP-3386-1 instances, which will surround the pellet and rotate shifts sitting on it until two to eight days have passed. During the next night, the pellet will "hatch" into a new instance of SCP-3386-1. The entities will typically react defensively to attempts to approach SCP-3386-3, but personnel who are not SCP-3386-2 targets have been able to safely handle the pellets.

The standard progression of the anomalous activity involving SCP-3386 is as follows:

An SCP-3386-1 instance selects a human target (an instance of SCP-3386-2). When questioned, these persons report awareness of all instances of SCP-3386-1 targeting them, and a constant feeling of being observed, which in some cases may lead to sleep deprivation and emotional instability.
During nighttime, a large group of SCP-3386-1 individuals will congregate and begin to amass around the SCP-3386-2 target's place of residence.
Should an SCP-3386-2 individual display any form of aggression towards SCP-3386-1, or attempt to drive them off using physical force, SCP-3386-1 instances will move progressively closer to the target, often passing through obstacles to do so.
Eventually the SCP-3386-2 individual will be completely engulfed by the SCP-3386-1 instances, which will proceed to consume the individual. At the conclusion of the feeding, SCP-3386-1 instances will then disperse, carrying the remains of the body (typically scraps of clothing, personal accessories, locks of hair, whole fingernails, and fingers severed at the first knuckle) in their beaks and talons.
SCP-3386-1 instances return to the Hinyankaga recovery site and deposit the bodily remains in the ritual circle. An instance of SCP-3386-3 is then regurgitated for incubation in the circle, amidst the human remains. During this time, the SCP-3386-1 individuals remain at the ritual site, and do not actively seek out new SCP-3386-2 targets.
Following the incubation of an instance of SCP-3386-3 and the manifestation of a new SCP-3386-1 instance, the population of SCP-3386-1 will then seek out a new SCP-3386-2 target.

Recovery: The Foundation was first alerted to the existence of SCP-3386 on 9/24/████, when a flock of SCP-3386-1 was photographed and featured by local Missouri newspapers. In the following weeks, several inhabitants of Hinyankaga and surrounding towns were reported missing, and the flock was sighted several additional times. Shortly after, a recovery team was dispatched to secure the anomaly and distribute amnestics. During subsequent investigation, the team discovered a recently abandoned cabin on a mountain outside of town, with a large occult sigil etched into the ground outside.

Attempts to remove the sigil and ritual site using physical means proved ineffective; Foundation specialists were later assigned to the site in the hopes of determining a procedure to neutralize the SCP-3386 anomaly.

A damaged but intact pocket notebook was recovered among the various human remains and personal effects discovered within the ritual site. Several notable excerpts were transcribed for Foundation records-keeping:

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August 9th

It's been a month now since she was murdered in cold blood. The police still haven't found the bastard who did it yet. Useless. I don't even know why we pay taxes. I'm going to use the life insurance to hire a private detective. Justice will be served. It MUST be served. I'm going to find the killer, and I'm going to make him suffer for what he did to her. I'll make sure to draw it out as much as he did.

August 30th

The detective failed me. Just like the police did. I can't rely on anyone. There has to be something I can use. Something that the police and the detective don't have. I'll try anything at this point.

September 3rd

I found something there. An old bookshop², some voodoo shit or whatever Jeff told me about last year. Thought it was garbage. Never questioned why the shop never closed. Good thing it didn't.

It looks like a weird owl pellet made of bone or something, but the paper it came with says it can track anything down. Hell, you can even "instruct" the damn thing on what to do when it finds them. I need some stuff to start it though. I'll be amazed if this works. I don't know what I'm doing, but I've got nothing to lose.

Where the hell do you buy an owl carcass?

September 7th

Apparently you can buy dead birds online. Yeesh. But alongside those herbs from Cameroon and the crystals, I have everything I need. It said any owl corpse would work, but I'm really not sure if that applies to roadkill. At least I'm supposed to burn the thing, so I won't have to smell it for long.

September 8th

Burnt owl carcass smells worse than normal owl carcass.

September 12th

It worked.

Damned if the thing isn't creepy though. I don't like the way it looks at me. I'm about to activate it, and I've planned out its orders. I just have to use the crystal to write in the ashes, and then it'll obey.

September 15th

Today, it came back to me. Brought me some shreds of clothing and the bastard's wallet. I knew it. I knew it was him, but nobody would listen. This proves I was right.

The owl coughed up a pellet just like the first one and sat on it. Weird. It's over and done with so it should disappear soon. Thank god, it gives me the willies.

September 21st

The owl didn't disappear. Now there's two of them. The pellet hatched into another one, and they flew off. I guess when I wrote the invocation, I never told the first owl when to stop.

Maybe it's okay. I got my justice, but there are so many other people who didn't. This way, no death will go unavenged. Let others have my peace of mind.

What if I just… let it keep happening?

Foundation investigation regarding the owner of the journal, with relation to human remains recovered from the ritual site, is underway.