Between March 18th and March 23rd, 2023, all 1,245 students of Andover High School died.
Item#: SCP-8262
Level3
Containment Class:
neutralized
Secondary Class:
{$secondary-class}
Disruption Class:
vlam
Risk Class:
notice
Special Containment Procedures: All corpses identified as having resulted from SCP-8262 have been exhumed from their graves and interred into Foundation Cold Storage Site-86. No further containment procedures have been deemed necessary at this time.
The former Andover High School has been shut down and demolished and the lot left undeveloped. All former staff have been reassigned to nearby schools.
Funds from the Foundation's non-profit branch have been diverted for the creation of the Andover Memorial Scholarship, providing scholarships for future students of the Andover area.
Description: SCP-8262 refers to an event in which all 1,245 students of Andover High School died between the dates of March 18th and March 25th, 2023.
Addendum 8262.1: Interview with Alyssa Rosefall, former Andover High School nurse.
Following reports of SCP-8262, Foundation personnel were deployed to the town of Andover to investigate and, if necessary, prevent further SCP-8262 incidents. To rule out potential mundane or anomalous medical causes of SCP-8262, Foundation Agent Milly Thompson conducted an interview with former Andover High School nurse, Alyssa Rosefall.
«Begin Log»
Thompson: Thank you so much for meeting with me, Mrs. Rosefall. We appreciate your assistance with our investigation.
Rosefall: Of course. I'm glad to help in any way, just… know that FERPA limits what I can talk about here. I want to be as helpful as I can, I truly do, but…
Thompson: We're fully aware of FERPA restrictions. Rest assured we won't be asking any questions about specific students, we'll be keeping this as broad as possible.
Rosefall: I would appreciate that. I… just put in for a transfer to a new building, after all.
Thompson: Oh? How recent was that decision?
Rosefall looks to her lap and fidgets with her hands.
Rosefall: I… I've been fighting with the idea for some time now, since the… the incident. Andover High is very, very special to me. Has been for years. 20 years. Can you believe that? 20 years of service in one school. There was just something about Andover High, something… indescribable. It's hard to move on from a place that you've settled down in for so long, but…
Rosefall begins to sniffle. Thompson rests a hand on Rosefall's shoulder.
Thompson: You don't need to explain, I understand. If you'd like, I can come back for questioning another time?
Rosefall sighs and shakes her head before resting her hands on the table.
Rosefall: No, if I don't say it now, I don't know if I'll ever be able to say it.
Thompson: Alright. Just be aware that we can stop at any time, alright?
Rosefall nods.
Thompson: Okay, first… did you notice an influx of any unusual health issues among the students in the time prior to March of 2023? Anything at all.
Rosefall: No, no. Nothing particularly unusual I'm afraid. All we had were the standard issues you'd expect— coughs, vomiting, and a good handful of kiddos faking sick to get out of class. I did what I've always done; I made sure that the kids got the care they needed, sent the sick ones home, and sent the pretenders back to class.
Rosefall stares into the distance, eyes glassing over.
Rosefall: This was truly and sincerely something outside of anything that could be considered normal.
Thompson: You must get good at telling who is really sick from the fakers, huh?
Rosefall blinks, and chuckles softly.
Rosefall: You do. At the same time, you also get good at telling who's faking it because the issue isn't physical, but mental. Those are the young people I let stay anyway. I can tell when they just need a break. From all of it. In the few days before… everything, the student council practically lived in my office. They needed it the most.
Thompson: They did? I would guess they'd be the most likely to avoid leaving class.
Rosefall: No, no, they needed it. Especially Olivia, that poor girl.
Thompson: What was wrong with her?
Rosefall: She was really struggling, is all. They all were, but she was hit the hardest, I think. Actually, thinking about it now, she was the second to pass. It was her… and then the rest of the SCA, one after another, after another.
Rosefall stiffens up, and then begins to cry. Thompson rests her hand atop Rosefall's, rubbing her thumb over the back in slow circles. After a few minutes, Rosefall is able to settle back down.
Thompson: Do you think it was connected to the reason they started seeing you?
Rosefall shakes her head.
Rosefall: No, no. If that was the case the cause of death would've been… intentional. They didn't… they didn't do that to themselves, right? That's not what this was?
Thompson: We still aren't quite certain what exactly happened here, but no. We're almost certain it wasn't a mass suicide.
Rosefall grabs at her necklace.
Rosefall: Please, don't say that word. Please.
Thompson: My apologies, Mrs. Rosefall. Unless there's something you still need to tell me, I think we can conclude our interview here.
Rosefall thumbs over a cross pendant on her neck.
Rosefall: It almost feels like punishment, in a way.
Thompson: Punishment for what?
Rosefall: I wish I could say. I just don't know what we could have done to warrant a punishment this cruel.
Interviewer Notes: Following the interview, Mrs. Rosefall requested that I join her in prayer. The two of us took a moment to bow our heads, and I allowed her to lead. She seemed to struggle with finding the words needed to make whatever divine request she was trying to make. Tears seemed to come to her easier in the moment. I sat and held her hands until she simply asked for God to "forgive us our sins." When she was done, she thanked me.
I made the choice to end the recording before this. We'll have enough grief on camera to last a lifetime. Sitting in the suffering of one place will only suck whatever life we have left out of us.
~ Agent Thompson.
Addendum 8262.2: Interview with Hirai Jones, mother of Anderson High School SCA president Olivia Jones.
«Begin Log»
Agent Thompson approaches the Jones household and knocks on the door. The door opens slightly, and Hirai Jones can be seen on the other side.
Thompson: Mrs. Jones? My name is Agent Thompson, I represent the Massachusetts Board of Health Services. Do you have time for me to ask you a few questions?
Jones can be seen visibly tensing.
Jones: Please, no more. Just…
Thompson: Mrs. Jones, I understand that this has been exceedingly difficult for you and everyone in town, if we could just—
Jones: No, you don't understand. How could you possibly understand? You and everyone else who's knocked, all you outsiders who have stopped by day after day asking endless questions all while offering empty platitudes. Everyone keeps claiming they just want to help understand what happened here, that they want to help me understand.
Thompson remains standing on the doorstep as Jones continues to speak.
Jones: What is there to understand? Why does everybody keep thinking that it needs to make sense? I watched my perfectly healthy little girl go from perfectly fine to perfectly dead just like that. And then, next thing I know, I'm hounded by people like you bombarding me and everyone else with these endless questions and inane accusations.
Jones steps out from inside the house. She is visibly shaking, her knuckles white around the doorframe.
Jones: Are you here to blame it on me too, then? Hopefully you have something new to say. Let me help save you the effort, here's your headline— 'Heartless Tiger Mom pushed her innocent little girl to the breaking point'. I've been called neglectful, I've been called abusive, a monster, the works. I've seen what those papers have said about me and everyone else in Andover. I'm not your headline, I'm not your scapegoat, I'm a fucking mother. But please, go ahead, add another to the pile you heartless bitch. I—
Jones collapses against the door frame, and places her head in her hands, sobbing.
Jones: …Just go away. Please. I can't… I can't take this anymore.
Thompson takes a handkerchief from her pocket and hands it to Jones. Jones dabs her eyes and blows her nose.
Thompson: You're right, I can't even begin to understand how you and everyone else in Andover feel. I could apologize about what other people did, but… it wouldn't change how you feel. I'm not like them, though, I want to listen to what you have to say. I… I can imagine it, I have a little girl of my own, but I don't know it.
Jones lifts her head and meets Thompson's eyes.
Thompson: Every day I have spent here, I've spiraled out about what I would have done. So, no, I'm not here to accuse you of anything, to tell you how to feel… nothing like that. I'm here to listen, to try and understand what happened so that this never happens to anyone else ever again. So that no mother has to suffer what you have suffered. <Thompson wipes a tear from their eye.> If you're willing, I would just like to ask you a few questions about your daughter. I completely understand if you can't or won't, and your answer will not change what I think of you. We will only talk about what you want, and we can stop at any time. And, if you just want me to leave? I'll be on my way and we will ensure nobody will bother you ever again.
Jones: How old is she?
Thompson: Pardon?
Jones: Yo— your daughter. How old is she?
Thompson: <Quietly.> She's nine now. Almost ten, her birthday is in September.
Jones gives a small smile.
Jones: That's how old Olivia was when we first moved to Andover.
Thompson: Quite a tender age. Was it a big move?
Jones: Not for me. We had lived in Virginia a few years. Norfolk. My husband was stationed there. He had just retired. We wanted to start somewhere fresh. For Olivia… it was like her world came crashing down. New city, new school… that's hard on a little girl, especially at that age. It didn't help that she was painfully shy.
Thompson: I can imagine.
Jones: I was so glad when she made a friend: Susie Anderson, God rest her soul. The two hit it off almost immediately, and that girl… it was like Livvie became a different person overnight.
Thompson: In a good way, I'd hope?
Jones nods with a small smile.
Jones: In the best way. Susie was always an outgoing girl, the kind who did just about every activity she could. Livvie didn't join her in everything, but she always went out to watch. What's that English expression? "Thick as thieves?" That was what they were. One minute, I'm watching two kids, and the next thing I know, they're both in high school and planning the prom together.
Thompson: It is prom season, isn't it? With Olivia as SCA president she must've been busy.
Jones: Very, but it was good stress. She came home every night from her meetings telling me about the ideas they were batting around for the prom. Susie had some wonderful community connections from her church involvement, so they had exquisite catering planned and the like.
Thompson: What theme did they decide on?
Jones: 'Under the Sea'.
Thompson chuckles, attempting to hide her mouth behind her hand.
Jones: I know, I know. I didn't have the heart to tell them that they picked what everybody picks. They were so excited about it, the girls even bought matching dresses. They were these beautiful teal gowns with sequins, they looked like mermaids.
Jones's voice trails off, and she begins to stare blankly into the distance.
Thompson: Mrs. Jones? Are you alright?
Jones: How could I be? It's… Susie was like a second daughter to me. So many years, so much time spent here, at our house. I will never forget doing something as simple as laundry and hearing the girls giggling in the next room, just playing together.
A wind chime jingles, and Jones turns, smiling.
Jones: <Quietly.> I still hear them.
Thompson: You said earlier "God rest her soul". Again, you don't have to tell me if it's too much, but what happened to Susie?
Jones stiffens up, hugging her body with her left arm.
Jones: A car wreck. A horrible car wreck. It was… it was March 17th. It had been raining that night, and she was going just a touch too fast. That's what they said. All I ever got from her mother is that the car had flipped when taking a turn and she was thrown from it.
Thompson: That's horrible.
Jones: Yes. It was terrible. We all felt it, you know. That girl did just about everything in the community, we all mourned when she passed. Livvie… Livvie most of all. She had just received her college acceptance letter, but we were too numb to celebrate. She just holed herself up in her room, only coming out to eat. Then— Then the next thing we know, Livvie…
Tears begin to well up in Jones's eyes.
Jones: I just wish we had more time. I wish we had talked more. I wish she knew that she could have told me anything. I just wanted one more day with my little girl.
She begins to cry.
Jones: I'm… I'm sorry. Please, can we stop here?
Thompson: Of course, Mrs. Jones. Thank you so much for your time.
Jones: Mrs. Thompson?
Thompson: Yes?
Jones: Hug your daughter next time you see her. Hug her as tight as you can and don't let go.
Thompson: …I will, Mrs. Jones. I promise.
Interviewer Notes: What I didn't tell her in the moment was that her daughter and Suzanne Anderson were likely matching dresses for prom for a different reason. A few of our social media investigations discovered a private Instagram account for Olivia Jones that showed just how close she was with Suzanne, among other things.
Regardless, that wasn't my secret to share.
I just hope the daughter she mourns and the child she had were the same person, for both of their sakes.
~ Agent Thompson.
Addendum 8262.3: Abridged Log of Deaths
By August 25th, 2023, Foundation personnel concluded their investigation into the deaths of the Andover High School student body and were able to put together a timeline. Notably, all student deaths were via non-anomalous means. An abridged log has been provided below, sorted in chronological order. For the full log, please see Document 8262.43.
Individual
Time and Manner of Death
Notes
Suzanne Anderson
March 17th, 8:13pm EST. Injuries sustained when thrown from her vehicle.
First death believed to be associated with SCP-8262 phenomenon. Student was highly active in both her school and local community. Time of death taken from hospital report.
Olivia Jones
March 18th, around 7:00pm EST. Sudden onset cardiac arrest.
No prior health issues reported. Anderson High School SCA president.
Jackson Perry
March 18th, 7:09pm EST. Epileptic seizure that resulted in student suffocating on his own tongue.
Student had no history of seizures. Anderson High School SCA historian.
Josiah Nelson
March 18th, between 7:15 and 8:00pm EST. Accident during weight training resulted in student receiving what was initially diagnosed as a concussion, later discovered to be a brain hemorrhage.
Member of Anderson High School's football team, also highly active in the Anderson Community Bapist Church.
Monique Crews
March 18th, 8:16pm EST. Swerved to miss hitting a dog in the street.
Due to sudden influx of calls to 911 in the Anderson area, student was unable to receive proper aid until well after the accident occurred. Actual time of death is estimated as having occurred roughly a half hour prior to time reported by first responders. Anderson High School cheer leading captain.
Addendum 8262.4: Interview with Rachel Anderson, mother of Suzanne Anderson.
«Begin Log»
Agent Thompson and Rachel Anderson are seen sitting in the Anderson family living room. Thompson takes a small sip from a glass.
Thompson: Thank you for agreeing to speak with me, Mrs. Anderson. And for the lemonade as well, you didn't need to do all of that.
Anderson: I can't very well have it all go to waste now, can I? Please let me know if you'd like more.
She gives a small smile and takes a deep breath.
Anderson: And any questions you have, I'm ready.
Agent Thompson takes a slight pause.
Anderson: I know what this is about, Agent Thompson. You don't need to dance around it or try to soften the blow.
Agent Thompson nods before continuing.
Thompson: Very well. Tell me about your daughter.
Anderson: Susie is… It's hard to give an overview of her that paints a proper picture. I know I'm biased as her mother, but I was blessed beyond compare with the single most compassionate child any mother could have had.
Thompson: So I've heard. I've interviewed a lot of people about what happened here in Andover, Mrs. Anderson, and in every single interview your daughter has come up in some capacity, directly or indirectly.
Anderson: I can believe that. Susie insisted on doing everything she could.
Thompson: A natural over-achiever?
Anderson: In her way, yes, but that's not why. Even as a little girl Susie was concerned about leaving a lasting legacy. Gosh she had to have been around 6 when she started talking about wanting to be remembered for something.
Thompson: That's a big thing for a little girl to be thinking about. Did something in particular spark that?
Anderson thinks for a moment.
Anderson: She had a nightmare one night. She woke up in a fit, screaming and crying. She said to me "Mommy, I wanna live until I have wrinkles like you!"
Anderson and Thompson both chuckle.
Anderson: And of course inside I was like "What?! I don't have wrinkles!" But that wasn't the point in the moment. I just tucked her back in and said she didn't need to worry about that sort of thing.
Thompson: My little girl hit me with something not dissimilar a few weeks back. She started tracing the lines on my face and asked if she was ever going to get lines of her own. She cried when I said she would.
Anderson: And God willing, Agent Thompson, she will.
Anderson looks to a framed photograph of Suzanne on a nearby table. Suzanne can be seen beside Olivia Jones and Jackson Perry. They're smiling.
Anderson: The first wrinkles she would've gotten would've been those wonderful smile lines, I think.
Anderson smiles to herself, and begins to stare out the window. After a moment she snaps back to attention.
Anderson: …But, yes. After that nightmare she started becoming more and more worried about people remembering her. I tried to remind her that she didn't need to worry so much about those things, but there wasn't much I could do to stop her.
Thompson: And she seemed to legitimately enjoy what she was doing?
Anderson: Yes, that was part of it. She was involved in so many things, but she seemed to sincerely enjoy everything she did.
Thompson: Did those anxieties ever vanish?
Anderson: The anxiety did, yes, but the idea didn't. She wasn't worried about the idea of leaving a legacy behind anymore, but she still very much wanted to. It stopped being a fear motivation and more… a matter of fact? It's hard to describe. About two or so years ago I asked her why she was taking on so many responsibilities and such, and she just looked me in the eyes and said "Mom, I'm going to die young."
Anderson pauses.
Anderson: The conversation stopped there. She said it with such certainty, she just knew something. But you know what, Agent Thompson?
Thompson: What's that?
Anderson: In the end, I'm glad. She was so involved, she was so loved. Even if… even if all of her friends are gone too, she will never be forgotten.
Thompson: You're right, Mrs. Anderson. She won't.
Interviewer Notes: Following the interviews and wider Foundation investigation into the anomaly, I believe that the SCP-8262 phenomenon traces back to Suzanne Anderson. The specific reasoning for SCP-8262 cannot reasonably be determined beyond that. What can be determined is that SCP-8262 is unlikely to occur again, and that the anomaly can be safely declared neutralized at this time.
I humbly request that the Foundation reconsider current proposed actions regarding amnesticizing the city of Andover. We've seen enough loss here, we do not need to carve out what remains.
~ Agent Thompson