Historic photo of SCP-1840.
Item #: SCP-1840
Object Class: Euclid
Special Containment Procedures: The geographic locality of SCP-1840 is designated as a total exclusion zone. All aircraft and drones are subject to disinformation protocols replacing the contents of any photographs or recordings with a generic desert expanse.
In the event an armed trespasser crosses SCP-1840's border, they are to be rendered medical attention for tertiary symptoms of multiple center mass gunshot wounds after their recovery. These symptoms are largely psychological but psychosomatic complications have been known to occur. Authorization to use amnestics as a last resort has been preemptively granted.
Once treated, trespassers are to be released into the custody of local emergency services after amnestic treatment under the guise of being victims of a fugue state. Foundation operatives in the New Mexico State government are to sabotage historic preservation, mapping, and land management services to ensure SCP-1840 is excised from the public record. The fragmentary remains of SCP-1840's hanging tree were previously in containment and subsequently incinerated after being found not to exhibit any measurable anomalous properties.
Description: SCP-1840 is an anomalous plot of land in New Mexico, along with two free-floating gaseous spectral humanoids designated SCP-1840-A and SCP-1840-B. SCP-1840's area of effect corresponds to the borders of a ghost town formerly known as Shakespeare. Prior to manifesting anomalous activity, the town was a stagecoach rest stop, most well known for being the site of an 19th century outlaw lynching. Most of the structures no longer exist, although a saloon, a brothel/hotel, two troughs, most of a windmill, the cemetery, and half of an outhouse are still standing.
The terrain within SCP-1840's borders is part of the Chihuahuan Desert, consisting of a series of sandy dunes and basins. There is a constant presence of sun-bleached animal bones, although local animals are known to avoid crossing into SCP-1840's borders. Anomalous activity originating within these borders do not go outside them, though it does frequently manifest at the edges of the border.
SCP-1840-A appears to wear well-fitting formal clothing while SCP-1840-B appears in rags. After manifesting in the cemetery at sundown, SCP-1840-A and SCP-1840-B both begin drifting with a stuttering gait in slow circles within the confines of SCP-1840. If an unarmed human approaches, one or both will attempt communicating by nonverbal means. They do not coordinate, with neither one acknowledging the other in other way during the active period. The two entities do not always appear at the same time or move to the same areas, when doing so they give no clear signs of mutual recognition and do not interact.
Entering SCP-1840 while carrying a loaded firearm causes SCP-1840-A and -B to manifest differently. If the intrusion happens during the daytime, both will manifest on the exact center point of SCP-1840 at sunset. If this occurs after sundown, both -A and -B will move to face one another around that central point. The trespasser will not be able to exit SCP-1840 after entering it and will be inexorably drawn to its center. Once all three parties arrive there, SCP-1840-A and -B will engage in a quick-draw pistol duel. At the same time, regardless of the duel's outcome, the trespassing or formerly trespassing subjects report feeling intense abdominal pain centered around twelve discrete points before losing consciousness. During that time, the subject can be observed floating in the air, unconscious and spasming, with their body reacting as though they are being shot with twelve bullets.
Remote biometrics show body temperature rising to at least 102 degrees fahrenheit while undergoing heart palpitations. After regaining consciousness, subjects report tasting dirt in their mouths, which abates after rinsing the inside of the mouth with water. After this point, SCP-1840-A reverts to its routine behaviors until the end of their active period, while SCP-1840-B remains motionless or takes a prone position in the center of SCP-1840, making movements described by observers anecdotally as "frantic." At no point does any actual harm come to the trespassing subject, other than the typical psychological trauma expected from experiencing simulated death.
At sunrise, both entities will return to the northeastern edge of SCP-1840. This is where a western cottonwood used as a hanging tree once stood, though it no longer exists. After standing next to each other, both go limp and rise approximately 1.5 meters into the air, fading until they are no longer visible. Both figures are noted as struggling and clutching their necks as they fade away. This cycle repeats nightly with their final disappearance coming as the sun rises.
Genetic genealogical research has shown that multiple statistical spikes in observable SCP-1840 activity correlate to dates on which distant relatives of both William Tattenbaum and Sandy King had a family reunion, several hundred miles away. The significance of this data is undergoing peer review and is included here with that caveat.
Attempts at exhuming the two men's bodies have been unsuccessful due to a lack of accurate markers or records. Most of the gravestones have deteriorated past the point of recognizability, apart from a large granite stone in the center of the cemetery on which only the epitaph is still visible. It reads as such:
It was worse than a crime; it was a mistake.