A bit later…
As things worked out, it was ultimately decided that I would move out with these three. They claimed they were soldiers in service of the Foundation Task Force Rho-71, AKA, the “Origami Toads.”
The SCP Foundation employed countless such task forces (just like in the military), which were dispatched to deal with emergencies. It commanded vast military forces equipped with cutting-edge weaponry, enough that it could easily neutralize an entire area the size of a small town.
Come to think of it, wasn’t the SCP Foundation a massive secret organization that covered the entire world…? It sounded so absurd—like something out of a manga—that it made me want to laugh, but the three before me were obviously trained soldiers. The guns they were equipped with were probably the real deal.
Nonetheless, the commander claimed sardonically that their guns wouldn’t do them a bit of good against a truly dangerous SCP object. Even so, any of them could probably break my neck in a matter of seconds, so I had no choice but to quietly do as they said.
They seemed to think I was a Class D dispatched on a whim by Dr. Bright. They let me off pretty much unscathed since we were on the same side, and allowed me to accompany them. Their attitude toward me softened and they actually treated me fairly well. They were surprisingly nice people.
Still, I couldn’t help but wonder what the deal was with Class D personnel… Iris never did give me a proper explanation, so I didn’t know what their classification entailed. Although I was curious, this didn’t seem like the right time to ask. The three soldiers were quietly making their way through the theme park as they whispered or made various signals.
They let me move with them, but they had no intention of protecting me. Their brisk pace seemed to say, “We’ll leave you behind in a heartbeat if you can’t keep up.” I was a normal high schooler; naturally, I never went through boot camp. Just struggling to keep from getting left behind had me winded.
“…Commander, why don’t we take a quick breather?” The woman soldier saluted before offering that proposal, out of concern for me.
“I personally think we should pull out. This place gives me the heebie-jeebies. For an amusement park, it isn’t very amusing. The whole place is like one big haunted house.” Rather than the commander, it was the young soldier who responded, taking the lead with a harsh grimace on his face. They never told me their names, so their roles were the only way I could distinguish them.
“Hmmm.”
The commander came to a halt and called into his walkie-talkie several times.
“I still can’t get through. If at all possible, I would like to rendezvous with the rest of the unit. If we don’t find anyone after sweeping the area, I’ll consider pulling out,” the commander said.
From the sound of it, other members of their squad were sent here as well. I could only assume as much from the snippets of their conversation I happened to overhear. But for some reason or other, they got split up and were currently in the middle of wandering this abandoned theme park, trying to regroup. But why? Why were fully outfitted soldiers sent to such a forlorn, decrepit theme park?
“I take it you weren’t told anything,” the female soldier kindly indicated, assuming as much from my perplexed expression. She sounded polite, treated me with consideration, and was a woman besides. The combination somehow reminded me of Iris.
I wondered what Iris was doing at the moment. Why was she leaving me in the photo (I thought) instead of pulling me back out? Was there also trouble on the other side—the world outside of the photo?
I was merely growing apprehensive and a little lonely, but the woman soldier mistook the look on my face for fear. In an attempt to bolster my courage, she offered me a heartening smile. “It’ll be okay. We’re professionals, trained to handle any situation. I’m sure you’ll make it back safe and sound.”
“Even if he does, the only thing waiting for him back there is his own execution. The kid’s Class D,” the young soldier said ominously, laughing as if it were the funniest thing in the world.
Execution? What was he talking about…?
“Hey, cut the chitchat,” the commander snapped at the two like a schoolteacher. A moment later, he sighed. “Don’t forget we’re in the middle of a mission. But I have to admit, we won’t get anywhere walking around aimlessly. That open café will serve as base while we take a quick break,” he said, jutting his chin toward a place that certainly resembled one. Out of business for ages, the creepy store was reduced to a jumble of tables and chairs, the tattered and torn tablecloths fluttering like the hands of the deceased.
“I wouldn’t get my hopes up for a good cup of coffee…but at least we can use it as shelter while we try to get our radios up again. If at all possible, I want to make contact with the others. If it doesn’t seem feasible, we’ll resort to more primitive methods, like burning some of this crap to send smoke signals.”
The two younger soldiers saluted and barked, “Yes, sir!” in unison.
What a relief! I was glad to hear we were going to take a break. Utterly exhausted simply from following them, it was music to my ears. The soles of my feet started aching quite a while ago.
“You don’t seem to know anything, so I’m going to quickly fill you in.” The woman soldier slowed to match my pace. Her eyes were fixed on the other two, who rushed ahead to the open café. They began rummaging through the chairs—probably to find ones with the structural integrity to support a person’s weight, so they could sit and rest.
“This theme park is SCP-823, also known as the Carnival of Horrors. The entire park is a dangerous SCP object with the Object Class: Euclid.”
The entire park was an SCP object, an anomalous place that surpassed all logic…? It didn’t seem like one so far. It was creepy, but only because it was in ruins.
“That’s right. At a glance, it looks no different from an abandoned theme park you could find anywhere,” she agreed.
I didn’t think you could find something like this just anywhere, but I didn’t disagree out loud. She was only explaining out of the kindness of her heart, and I wanted to learn as much as I could. If I remained ignorant, my fear and anxiety would only increase.