The Phantom Freshman

Jaxton exited the car, the ancient backpack in hand. He had been told that he just had to walk about 50 meters drop the backpack, and stay there for twenty minutes. After that he could do whatever he wanted. The Institute had even given him a $1500 debit card and promised to wipe his record. He smiled as he walked off, expecting to be in Tulsa by morning. The weather wasn't bad for an October evening.

The spot he had been told to drop the backpack off was as unremarkable as the backpack, which only had a pair of huge slug patches on it. He checked the digital watch he had been given, and noted that he could walk at 8:23.

Before he could get bored he heard someone jogging. He turned to see a thin adolescent wearing nothing but running shoes running in his direction. He smiled at the poor kid. The kid slowed down and kneeled to open the backpack.

He grabbed his underwear first. “Thanks for waiting. I was sure the campus security would have chased you off.”

He watched the boy get dressed. “Yeah, no problem.” The boy was a little thin for him, but it had been a long ten years in prison.

The boy zipped his pants. “Man, this is so unlike home. You would never be able to do something like this in Idaho.”

Jaxton mentally fingered the debit card in his pocket. “Sort of a brisk night, isn't it?”

He slipped on his sweatshirt. “Yeah. There's a nice little coffee shop in Kresge. Great bagels.”

Jaxton debated if he could seduce the boy over a cup of coffee. “Lots of cream cheese?”

The kid tied his shoes. “Yeah. Nice and toasted.” The kid sighed, then stood up, grabbed the backpack, and started walking off.

Before Jaxton could yell after him, he suddenly felt itchy all over. He glanced at his hands; his skin dried, became powdery, blew off into the wind even as he watched. Before he could truly panic, the skin had blown away. Before he could scream, even his bones were reduced to ash.

Ten minutes later an agent retrieved the backpack and Jaxton's clothes. The backpack was a meter further from the body than expected; the lab boys would be excited over that! The agent silently mused to himself that it was somewhat sad that the debit card hadn't been used in the five years since it had been minted,but there was no way he was going to use it. At The Institute you did as you were told to avoid any ramifications, and he hadn't been told he could use card.

He drove off into the night. The backpack would be back in its locker before midnight.

SCP 1968: The College Backpack

Class: Euclid

Description: The backpack is a brown canvas backpack with banana slug patches.

Containment: The backpack can be kept in a standard security locker. It must be watched: Every year around October 13 the backpack fills with one set of clothes (a pair of brass spectacles, a University of California sweatshirt, a white T-shirt, a pair y-front underwear, a pair of white socks with green stripes at the top, and a pair of jeans with belt, wallet containing student identification, and sundry items). When this happens the backpack must be delivered to a specific location, preferably by an ephebofiliac anthrophage; after approximately thirty minutes it may be retrieved with no safety hazards.

Effect: If the preferred subject makes the delivery, the subject will meet a naked college freshmen who retrieves the backpack and dresses. The young man then walks off. When he reaches a point approximately 20 meters from the subject, the subject glow will calcify and then crumble; all that remains of the subject is his clothes and other belongings. The young man simply disappears. The backpack may then be retrieved safely.

If these events are not followed then the backpack with the force of a pound of plastic explosive.

History: In 1989 Santa Cruz college freshman/chemistry major Charles Anton Page was dared by several other freshmen to streak on University of California, Santa Cruz, campus; they had been joking around about how life was different in college and one of the boys brought up that the campus was clothing optional. They had taken Page's backpack and were waiting for him when they were chased off by campus security. His partially eaten remains were later found at the scene of a house that had exploded due to a chemical explosion. Strangely, there were no other chemicals in the area than those surrounding the backpack. Upon further investigation, other bodies were found; the house had been the lair of an anthrophage who preferred young male victims.

His backpack was returned to his parents along with the rest of his belongings, and removed to the garage. Over the next few years, the garage exploded yet the backpack remained undamaged. An insurance report was filed each year and eventually The Institute received news of the backpack.

The means of the containment were determined through research (the location was where Page was taken, the time was when he was taken, and the preferred subject was based on the alleged crime of the owner of the home). While it the Ethics Committee has debated asking the site administrator to just let the backpack explode, the radius and power of the explosion exponentially for each anniversary missed. Considering that it was been determined to just follow procedure to avoid a potentially larger explosion.