#scp-1529

[aughhghnoww-my-femur]

rewatched the thing again; 1529 thing that has probably been done before but 1529

[xhtns8192-blog]

SCP-1529 

[dumbstoriesandwhatnot]

The Man on the Mountain

Short story that's highly based on SCP-1529

It was summer of 2018, and I was attempting my first summit of Mt. Everest. I had been training hard for months, doing my research and getting into shape, and I was hyped to finally achieve my lifelong goal, the reason I had started climbing. Finally, the time came, and I made the climb. The climb to the summit was relatively uneventful, and we reached it about 3 pm. We got our pictures, and we promptly started the climb back down. We had reached about 6,500 meters, a couple hundred below the death zone, when a strap broke on my bag. I insisted on the group going ahead, and I stayed behind to gather my gear.

As I gathered up my things, putting them back in my bag as I did so, I suddenly thought I spied a shape over a ridge. I put it down to being tired, and maybe slightly oxygen deprived, and finished making the repairs I needed to make it back down to camp. At this point, the rest of the group was fairly far ahead of me, so I descended as fast as I could, while still being sure of my footing.

I had descended a little more when I saw it again: an indistinct figure, a little over 15 yards away. This time though, I was sure that there was something, or someone, there. I stopped a second to get a closer look, and tried to signal to the figure. They seemed to notice me, and they started approaching. As they did, I got a better view of them, and I noticed some peculiarities about them and their clothes.

Instead of the brightly colored, insulated modern parka's worn by most, their jacket looked to be much older, of a more simple cloth, and their gloves were of leather and fur, instead of modern synthetics. They had oxygen tanks, but instead of a more portable modern system, they had a large, cumbersome system attached to their back. Instead of modern goggles, they had goggles with large metal frames, almost comedic looking. In short, it was equipment that looked like it hadn't been used since the 1930's.

I looked on in confusion as the figure made their way closer. Finally, the figure stood in front of me, about 2 yards away. They looked at me, and I stared back at them. I could not see any part of their face, as it was covered in a thick scarf, and their eyes were obscured by the tinted goggles. Finally, I spoke to them.

"Who are you?" I asked them, getting straight to the point. They had no reply.

After a minute, I spoke again.

"Sir? Are you okay? Do you need any help?" I asked them, stepping closer. Still, they had no reply.

Finally, I decided to move on, and get some help for them once I reached base camp. But as I turned to go, the stranger grabbed my arm, their grip unbreakable, inhumanly strong. I looked back at them, and they slowly unwound their scarf. I looked on in horror as their face slowly revealed itself, showing mummified, pale skin, bleached white by the sun, covered in ancient cuts and scratches. Their lips were gone, rotted and frozen away, exposing their yellowed teeth, bared in an eerie smile. I cried out in fear, and tried to run, struggling against the things grip. Finally, it let go of me, and I bolted down the mountain, screaming, all regard for my safety forgot in my terror. It's a miracle I didn't fall off the mountain and die that day.

When I finally regained control of myself, my group was in sight, calling out to me. I called back to them, and quickly we ran to meet. I tried to describe the inhuman being I had seen, but I was quaking and incomprehensible. They assumed that I was suffering from hypoxia, and I was rushed down the mountain, an oxygen supply strapped to my face. To this day, I am still not believed when I tell my story. I am written off as either a warning for those travelling without oxygen, or as a crazy fool. But I know damn well what I saw on that mountain, and that smile shall haunt me for the rest of my life. That lip-less, yellowed smile.