SCP-4999 someone to watch over us | object class: keter
ITEM#: 4999 LEVEL3 CONFIDENTIAL
CONTAINMENT CLASS: KETER
DISRUPTION CLASS: EKHI
RISK CLASS: NOTICE
Special Containment Procedures: Due to SCP-4999's unwillingness or inability to appear before
more than one person at a time, in addition to the subsequent and immediate death of any
who witness it firsthand, SCP-4999 is effectively self-containing.
Any reports of SCP-4999 manifestations captured by security camera feeds, photographs, or
similar are to be investigated, and the media confiscated for analysis.
All secondhand witnesses among the civilian populace are to be amnesticized.
Description: SCP-4999 is a humanoid entity of unknown origins and composition.
Its physical appearance varies, with dark formalwear being the only constant between
manifestations.
Due to the rarity of recorded SCP-4999 manifestation events and the highly specific circumstances
in which they occur, little data concerning its nature or intent is available; however,
its behavior is consistent across all recorded sightings.
SCP-4999 will manifest only in the presence of one solitary human person at a time.
All subjects recorded to date have been in terminally poor health, critically injured,
or on their deathbeds, with SCP-4999 appearing nearby and within sight of the individual
not more than 20 minutes before their expiration.
SCP-4999 will only appear if the subject is conscious and alone.
It will not appear if the subject is comatose, asleep, or unconscious; nor will it appear
if they are being cared for by, in the company of, or otherwise being directly observed by
another person.
Upon manifestation, the entity will seat itself directly adjacent to the subject's bed, if
such furniture is available.
If not, it will remain standing or sit on the floor/ground in whatever configuration
will allow it direct physical access to the subject without causing disturbance.
Once situated, it will remove a pack of cigarettes from its left inside jacket pocket and offer
one to the subject.
If the subject accepts, SCP-4999 will place it between their lips, remove one for itself,
and light both.
If the subject declines, SCP-4999 will light and smoke the cigarette instead.
The entity will make physical contact with the subject, typically via holding their hand,
placing its hand atop theirs, or resting its hand on their shoulder.
SCP-4999 will then remain with the subject, silent and unmoving, until they have passed
away.
SCP-4999 has not been seen to engage in any other activity or behavior, and demanifests
immediately upon the subject's death.
The subject's cigarette, however, will remain, providing the only physical evidence of SCP-4999's
presence.
No subject thus far has been seen to recoil from or otherwise resist the entity, nor have
any attempted to engage it in conversation, despite multiple instances of subjects acknowledging
the entity's presence via eye contact, adjusting posture to reciprocate or facilitate the entity's
touch, breaking into tears when noticing its presence, or verbally thanking the entity
when offered a cigarette.
Individuals affected by SCP-4999 share a number of common attributes.
Research into identified subjects has indicated that SCP-4999 is more likely to appear if
an individual:
lives alone is nonreligious
is impoverished or homeless displays a history of mental illness
is a military veteran has no criminal record, or has never been
convicted of a violent crime has no currently surviving family
is unmarried or otherwise lacks a significant other
has little to no social standing in their community
does not exhibit any record of significant professional or personal accomplishments
has few to no mutually beneficial interpersonal relationships,
or exhibits qualities and life history that have rendered the individual nondescript,
anonymous, neglected, or otherwise unremarkable or insignificant by the standards of their
respective society.
No testing involving SCP-4999 has been authorized or attempted, due to available data indicating
that observation of a subject precludes its manifestation, as well as ethical concerns.
Discovery: SCP-4999 was initially discovered as the result of its emerging status as an
urban legend, with footage of the entity appearing on hospital security cameras worldwide being
disseminated via the Internet and various television programs.
A minor disinformation program was put into effect to maintain this public image, and
SCP-4999 was officially registered on November 27th, 1998.
In the years following SCP-4999's classification, additional research and cross-referencing
with accounts of similar phenomena have suggested that while concrete evidence of SCP-4999 appearances
has become more commonplace due to the advent of photography and video recording technology
in the modern era, writings and artistic depictions of a figure exhibiting similar properties,
behavior and physical resemblance to SCP-4999 exist throughout world history, culture, and
mythology, with some accounts being thousands of years old - in some cases predating human
civilization.
It is not currently understood how pre-modern cultures would have been capable of detecting
SCP-4999's presence.
Investigation is ongoing.