The forest didn't feel like Earth.
That was the first thought that crossed Devin's mind as he opened his eyes.
The sky above him was pale gray, not overcast, but… muted. Like someone had drained the color from the world. Tall pine trees surrounded him in every direction, their trunks stretching upward like pillars holding up a silent ceiling. No wind moved. No birds called.
Silence.
Devin pushed himself up slowly. His body felt small, too small. He looked down.
Child-sized hands.
He flexed them. His nails were slightly sharper than normal, but otherwise human. He was barefoot, dressed in dark clothes that didn't quite match any brand he recognized.
"I'm… younger," he muttered.
His voice was higher. Ten years old, maybe.
He frowned.
Memory flickered in partial, fractured. He remembered things, but not everything. He knew what he was. He knew the bloodline sleeping inside him. He knew the predator waiting beneath skin.
But more importantly…
He knew stories.
Fragments of them.
The SCP Foundation.
Containment.
Anomalies.
Things that shouldn't exist.
He didn't know everything, just scattered knowledge. Dangerous knowledge.
His expression tightened.
"That's… not good."
He stood up slowly, scanning the forest.
No trails. No footprints. No insects buzzing. Even the air felt… thick.
Wrong.
He started walking.
Minutes passed. Then maybe an hour.
The forest didn't change.
Every direction looked the same. The trees weren't identical, but they felt repetitive, like a looping background in a dream. Devin's instincts prickled. His senses, slightly sharper than a normal child's, picked up faint smells.
Cold soil.
Rot.
And something metallic.
He froze.
The metallic scent wasn't strong, but it was there. Like rust. Or old blood.
He crouched instinctively, moving quietly now. Even as a child, his body moved with unnatural grace. His muscles coiled, steps careful, breathing slow.
Something was off.
He didn't hear animals.
Not even small ones.
No squirrels. No birds.
Just silence.
That meant one of two things.
Predator.
Or anomaly.
Neither was good.
He found the first sign fifteen minutes later.
A deer.
Or what used to be one.
The body lay partially hidden behind a fallen log. Its ribs were visible, but not from decay something had… peeled the flesh back. Not eaten. Not torn. Carefully removed.
Devin's stomach tightened, but he didn't panic.
He studied it.
No bite marks.
No claw marks.
No scavenger activity.
The body looked… staged.
His mind flickered.
Containment breach?
No… if the Foundation were nearby, he would've heard helicopters. Vehicles. Something.
Unless…
He frowned.
Unless this was a low-population area. Observation zone. Or…
He didn't finish the thought.
Because he heard something.
Crunch.
Soft. Behind him.
He turned slowly.
Nothing.
Trees.
But his senses were sharper than human. He knew he heard it.
Crunch.
To his left.
He stepped back, heart starting to beat faster not from fear, but from anticipation. Something was circling.
He inhaled deeply.
The smell hit him.
Wet stone.
Cold iron.
And something… wrong.
Not animal.
Not human.
Anomaly.
Devin didn't run.
Running triggers predators.
Instead, he slowly stepped backward, positioning himself near a thick tree. If something lunged, he'd have leverage.
He felt the first stir of his bloodline.
Warmth.
Muscles tightening.
Bones aching slightly.
Not transformation just instinctive preparation.
Crunch.
Closer.
He saw movement this time.
Between two trees.
A shape—low to the ground, thin, elongated.
It didn't step into the open. It slid between shadows, too smooth.
His breathing slowed further.
"Okay…" he whispered. "Stay calm…"
He didn't know which SCP this might be. There were too many possibilities. Some harmless. Some… not.
The shape stopped.
Silence again.
Then
It stood up.
Too tall.
Too thin.
Limbs slightly too long.
Its face was… blurred. Like his eyes couldn't focus on it properly.
Devin's instincts screamed.
Danger.
He felt his heart slam once.
The creature tilted its head.
Then it moved.
Fast.
Devin reacted instantly.
He ducked sideways, the creature's hand slamming into the tree where he'd been. The bark exploded outward.
Strength.
Not human.
He rolled, scrambling to his feet, and ran not blindly, but weaving through trees.
Behind him, he heard it.
No footsteps.
Just movement.
Sliding.
Too fast.
His lungs burned quickly he was still a child. But his body was already pushing beyond normal limits. Muscles strained. Vision sharpened.
He leapt over a fallen trunk.
The creature cleared it effortlessly.
Closer.
He felt fear now not paralyzing, but sharp.
He couldn't outrun it.
Not like this.
He needed to fight.
He skidded to a stop suddenly, turning.
The creature lunged.
Devin's body reacted.
His nails extended slightly.
He slashed.
The hit connected.
The creature recoiled, not wounded but surprised.
Devin's eyes widened.
His strength was… higher than expected.
Good.
He circled slowly.
The creature tilted its head again.
Then it attacked.
This time Devin stepped inside its reach, striking its torso. The impact felt like hitting dense rubber. It stumbled back.
His arms trembled.
He was stronger but not enough.
Not yet.
The creature grabbed him.
Cold.
Its grip tightened.
Pain shot through his ribs.
Something inside him snapped.
Warmth surged.
Bones creaked.
Muscles expanded slightly.
His eyes darkened.
He growled low and instinctive.
He twisted, ripping free with sudden strength. He dropped low, then lunged, tackling the creature. They crashed into the ground.
He bit.
Not fully transformed, just instinct.
His teeth pierced its shoulder.
The creature shrieked, it was distorted and wrong.
It shoved him off.
Devin rolled, breathing heavily.
He felt it.
Growth.
Small but real.
His regeneration activated, ribs knitting slowly.
The creature hesitated now.
It had expected prey.
Instead, it found resistance.
They stared at each other.
Then, suddenly, it backed away.
Slowly.
And vanished between trees.
Gone.
Silence returned.
Devin stood there, shaking slightly not from fear, but from adrenaline.
He looked at his hands.
Stronger.
Just a little.
He exhaled.
"Okay… this place is definitely the SCP world."
He glanced toward where the creature vanished.
"And I'm definitely not safe."
He started walking again—more cautious now.
He didn't know it.
But from far away…
A camera blinked.
Hidden.
Watching.
And miles away, inside a quiet underground facility…
An analyst frowned at a screen.
"Sir… we have movement in Sector Pine-17."
Another voice responded.
"Animal?"
The analyst shook his head slowly.
"…No. It looks like… a child."
Pause.
"Zoom in."
The screen sharpened.
Devin walked through the forest, unaware.
The analyst leaned closer.
"…He just fought something."
Silence filled the room.
Then the supervisor spoke quietly:
"Keep observing. Do not engage yet."
Back in the forest…
Devin stopped suddenly.
His instincts flared.
He looked around.
"…I'm being watched."
The wind finally moved.
And somewhere deep in the woods…
Something else woke up.