SCP - 017 "Shadow Person"
Object Class - Keter
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The hum of arc lamps filled the control room, bathing everything in harsh, clinical brightness. Dr. Emily Reyes peered through the thick observation window at the acrylic cage, where SCP-017 sat curled in the center—a small, smoky silhouette, shifting and restless.
"Still gives me the creeps," muttered Technician Harris, double-checking the lamp status on his console.
Emily nodded, not taking her eyes off the figure. "It's not a child, Harris. Don't let your guard down."
As if sensing their gaze, the shadowy form lifted its head. Two pinpricks of deeper darkness seemed to focus on Emily.
She shivered. "Lamp status?"
"All green," Harris replied. "Backup generator's online. We're good."
Emily exhaled. "Let's keep it that way."
Later that night, a warning flashed on the control panel:
SPOTLIGHT 3: MALFUNCTION
Emily's heart skipped. She grabbed the radio. "Maintenance, we've got a lamp out in 017's chamber. Full suits, now."
Minutes later, two figures in gleaming reflective gear entered the concrete room, their every movement casting wild, fractured light.
"Stay in the beams," Emily reminded them over the intercom. "Don't cast any shadows."
The taller technician, Patel, approached the dead lamp. His partner, Lopez, kept the replacement ready.
As Patel unscrewed the faulty bulb, his sleeve slipped, momentarily blocking the light.
SCP-017's shroud rippled, stretching toward the new shadow.
"Patel, MOVE!" Emily shouted.
Patel jerked back, the beam restored. The shadow recoiled, shrinking back into the cage.
Lopez's voice trembled. "Did you see how fast it moved?"
Emily's hands shook as she logged the near-miss. "Just get the lamp fixed and get out."
After the shift, Harris found Emily staring at the video feed, lost in thought.
"You ever wonder what it's thinking?" he asked.
Emily shook her head. "I don't think it thinks like we do. Shadows are its prey. Maybe that's all it knows."
Harris frowned. "It looks so… lonely."
She glanced at him. "Lonely things can be the most dangerous."
On the monitor, SCP-017 pressed its smoky form against the glass, as if longing for something just out of reach.
Epilogue
The lights never dimmed. The shadow never left the cage. And the Foundation watched, always wary of the darkness that waited for even a moment's lapse.