SCP - 026 "Afterschool Retention"
Object Class - Euclid
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SCP-026 Perimeter, 07:30 Hours
Dr. Lena Morales zipped up her Foundation jacket and glanced at the boarded-up school. "You ready, Agent Jones?"
Jones checked his flashlight and nodded. "As I'll ever be. They say the halls change behind you."
Lena smirked. "Just don't fall asleep. That's when the real trouble starts."
They crossed the threshold. The air inside was stale, tinged with chalk dust and something older.
The corridor stretched ahead, longer than it should have been. Lockers lined the walls, some open, some sealed tight. Faded graffiti flickered at the edge of Lena's vision—names, formulas, and the phrase:
THE CHILDREN USED TO SING
Jones shivered. "Did you see that writing just move?"
Lena nodded, voice low. "Keep your eyes open. And don't trust what you see."
They passed a classroom. The chalkboard read:
Lesson 1: Escape is Impossible
Lena snapped a photo. When she checked her camera, the board was blank.
In the gymnasium, rows of teenagers in old-fashioned uniforms lay on the floor, unmoving.
Jones knelt by a girl with a braid. "She's breathing, but out cold."
Lena frowned. "She matches a missing person's report from 1982. How did she get here?"
Jones shook his head. "Let's try to move her outside."
They hefted the girl between them and retraced their steps. The exit seemed farther away with every turn.
As soon as they crossed the school's threshold, the girl jerked awake, eyes wild. "Where am I? What year is it?"
Lena tried to calm her. "You're safe. You've been missing for—"
The girl gasped, clutching her throat. Her skin shriveled, eyes sinking. Within a minute, she was dust in Lena's hands.
Jones recoiled. "Jesus. It's like she aged a hundred years in seconds."
Lena stared at the remains. "The school keeps them alive… but only inside."
That night, Jones sat at the perimeter, rubbing his eyes. "I keep seeing that classroom in my head. Kids singing. The teacher writing on the board."
Lena looked up sharply. "Don't fall asleep. That's how they get you."
He nodded, but his eyelids drooped. Lena shook him awake. "Stay with me, Jones."
He blinked, dazed. "They were calling my name, Doc. Like they wanted me to join them."
Lena shivered, glancing back at the dark windows of SCP-026.
Somewhere inside, the chalkboard read:
THE CHILDREN USED TO SING. NOW THEY DREAM.
End of Log