Info
Article rewritten by Robert Goerman
Micro-critiqued by/Greenlit by
Original Phobic Centipedes page by s n o w y
Uses Liminal Sheafs theme by Sariastuff, edited by
MC_Crafter_24_7
CONTENT WARNING:
The following contains descriptions of
MUTILATION, MAIMING, TORTURE
Catching prey is only the beginning…
CONCORD ENTITY CLASSIFICATION SYSTEM
HABITAT(S): 148, 365, dark places
5BXX
Images or video of this extremely rare entity show only heavy distortion.
M.E.G. Archives
Description:
Few wanderers report their encounter with this apex predator.1 Measuring somewhat longer than a meter, the Phobic Centipede is mostly a non-reflective black color that absorbs light, similar to Musou Black, allowing it to be swallowed by the shadows that it inhabits. The body emits a black, smoke-like substance that increases this natural camouflage.
This entity exclusively hunts human beings, although there is no evidence that it feeds upon us. To this end, it possesses the morphing head and face of a smiling woman as a lure, including human hair. Her innocent face grins constantly until it transforms, eyes softly glowing white in the darkness. Phobic Centipedes often engage wanderers in a sapient conversation, setting the trap.
Reports suggest that close proximity to the creature induces a "twilight state," even sight unseen. This inexplicable zone of influence is not based on reality as we understand it and causes reduced awareness and mild confusion in its victims, who become less able to think clearly or take defensive action. Witnesses describe everything from overwhelming sensations of paralyzing anxiety and fear to euphoria and affection.
Whenever anyone contemplates attacking it or running away, two anomalous arms materialize from the center of its abdomen that can strike targets several meters away with powerful claws.
Witness sketch of Phobic Centipede.
(The arms have not materialized.)
M.E.G. Archives
[Two-Minute Interview]
Becky Morrison is more than a pretty face. One eye is gone. She wears ugly scars from deep lacerations. Nerve damage twists her smile into a permanent snarl. Becky spat in the Devil’s face. The interviewer today is Dr. John Rhinehart, PhD.
Rhinehart: Becky survived capture by a Phobic Centipede. Please, tell us about it.
Morrison: You should see the other guy. (laughs) I heard my mother calling me, even before I saw her face. It felt like a dream.
Rhinehart: You compared your experience to sleep paralysis?
Morrison: Yes, until the entity gouged out my left eye.
Rhinehart: Was that when you spit on the creature?
Morrison: Things went downhill from there.
Rhinehart: Your torture, both physical and psychological, is too horrendous to recount here and now. The important thing is that our M.E.G. team discovered your predicament and rushed to your rescue.
Morrison: They tried their best. Brave men and women suffered that day.
Rhinehart: What turned the tide of battle?
Morrison: My rescuers started dying. While the centipede was distracted, I snatched up the armed incendiary device and torched the (expletive). I earned a few burns myself, but I didn't care. It felt wonderful.
Rhinehart: Becky, your actions revealed the "Achilles' heel" of Entity 134. This confirmed that the creature is weak to fire. Every wanderer thanks you.
Morrison: (Smiles nervously) You are welcome.
Note: "Two-Minute Interviews" are presented as a public service of the Major Explorer Group.
Behaviors:
Deceit and cruelty are trademark behaviors for this solitary ambush hunter.
How a Phobic Centipede lures and captures its quarry raises several unsettling questions. Some wanderers mention the absence of ambient sounds and a dreamlike shift in the environment. All wanderers report the face and voice of a loved one (or a beautiful stranger) hiding in the shadows and enticing them to come closer.
Barring supernatural explanations, how does Entity 134 replicate the face and voice of a loved one? How does it know what the loved one even looked or sounded like?
Next, as this document asserts, "catching prey is only the beginning," because the cruelty of the Phobic Centipede is absolute and horrifying. Each and every encounter, verified or suspected, begins with the loss of a single eye and often the evisceration of the prey.2 The torment is both physical and psychological.
These vile creatures relish cackling joyfully and ridiculing their prey during the ordeal. Victims are constantly informed about what agony is to come and reminded that there is no hope or escape.
Biology:
Studying the biology of any animal without a corpse or living specimen is nearly impossible without utilizing high-tech equipment and techniques. Fire, the only effective means of killing Entity 134, leaves nothing more than a trace of fine ash behind. Living specimens of this creature are too dangerous to consider captivity and study.
[Statement]
Cho Joo-won and I were patrolling the Aquila Sector of Level 1, hoping to find anyone who escaped Level 0 or needed help. We always carry extra Almond Water, snacks, and basic medical supplies.
A piercing shriek stopped us cold. So close, but out of sight—just around the corner. My God, the evil cackle we heard next was worse.
No lie. I wanted to run. Ju-won reached her first and froze. I drew my katana, joined the party, and threw up.
This woman's insides decorated the place, and her blood was everywhere. No doubt; she was still alive.
Something snapped! I only remember my blade striking again and again and again. It cut the entity in half, then went to work on the part hugging the pillar. No bug guts. Just more black smoke. The clawed arms faded away, but the damned thing never stopped moving. The pieces still move today.
(signed)
Jason Jablonski
M.E.G. Team "Red Carpet"
Maintained in a secure M.E.G. location, the Cho/Jablonski Specimen is the only example of a Phobic Centipede that is considered safe enough to study. It is stored in five lidded, but dry, aquariums. Examination of the entity offers more questions than answers.
Can anyone please explain why even the smallest pieces continue moving?
Why does the "black smoke" never dissipate?
As a final mystery, the organ within its abdomen (proven to interfere with digital cameras and recording devices) was removed for examination. The "organ" is an implanted tooth (cracked open during the sword assault and issuing fresh blood). The fang appears to be crocodilian in nature.
Teamwork:
[Reprint]
It is confirmed that Sightless Seers and Phobic Centipedes are now engaged in mutualism for the benefit of both species. Sightless Seers are seen herding bewildered wanderers into the waiting arms of Phobic Centipedes. Without rhyme or reason, Phobic Centipedes take positions at dead ends, only to suddenly be in the perfect spot to intercept a fleeing wanderer.
The result of this mutualistic relationship is too gruesome to elaborate upon here. Led to one scene by the sound of horrific screams, four M.E.G. officers from Team "Looking Glass" discovered a maimed wanderer in the clutches of a Phobic Centipede, with a Seer flashing to the rhythm of the depraved torture. There was no hope of rescue.
This mutualistic relationship between predators cannot stand!
Thomas Oliver Greer
M.E.G. Team "Looking Glass"
Discovery:
No documented record of an "official" discovery of Phobic Centipedes exists. What we have sounds more like an urban legend from folklore:
Entity 134 was discovered hiding in the shadows while saying, in a voice similar to that of an elderly person, "Come here, sweetheart. Grandma misses you." When a young wanderer recognized that voice and approached out of longing, it was already too late.
The report is anonymous.
Claim to Fame:
Partygoer Zero was created when Deacon Duncan, a janitor with the Happy Times Aquarium back on Earth, accidentally no-clipped through their "Rainforests of the Sea" exhibit, along with assorted marine life, to physically merge with a Phobic Centipede.
Diagram by
Myra Oberlyn.
Note head, tail, and
anomalous arms of
the Phobic Centipede.
M.E.G. Archives
Inspection of the "insides" of a Partygoer reveals a human body (both arms turned into a composite with lamprey eels) that is physically merged with a Phobic Centipede and random marine life. Human organs no longer serve their original purpose. There is no functioning respiratory, cardiovascular, or digestive system. How the creature sees or thinks remains a mystery. While we know that Partygoers demonstrate consciousness and intelligence, we can only say that it is quite impossible, given our current knowledge.
When those external lamprey-eel arms latch onto a wanderer, the human victim quickly transforms into a new Partygoer. This echoes the legends of vampires and zombies, where a single bite dooms the sufferer to an undead future.
UPDATE - Breakthrough:
The Major Explorer Group Team "Epiphany" consists of Dr. John Rhinehart, PhD (science), Amy Cochrane (swords), and Anne Dunne (psychic). Dunne is currently employing clairvoyance and psychometry to learn hidden truths regarding a plethora of Backrooms-related topics. Psychometry (or token-object reading) is the psychic ability to discover facts about events or persons by touching objects somehow associated with them. It is a form of extrasensory perception, or ESP. Her talents are amazing.
Below are highlights from Anne Dunne's token-object reading of the Cho/Jablonski Specimen. Her testimony is in italics.
[Abbreviated Transcript]
The fingers of Anne's right hand tremble as she gently strokes the outside glass of the repurposed twenty-gallon aquarium. Severed centipede legs and hacked body segments, swimming in black smoke, react to her presence, like iron filings to a magnet. She uses locking medical tongs to secure one of the legs and retrieves the twitching appendage. Amy shudders and secures the glass canopy to the fish tank.
Puppets! Phobic Centipedes are puppets. Anne begins to cough and stiffen as she repeatedly touches the sample. This object has consciousness … but it is not biologically alive. The leg fragment recoils from direct human contact. These body parts and legs are carved and hollowed from an ebony hardwood, similar to what we find on Earth. The psychic removes the aquarium lid and, like a possessed soul, dives in with both hands. Any doubts that this centipede salad reacts to human touch disappear.
Phobic Centipedes are created with magic and controlled by incantations, engraved runes, and talismans. The puppeteers are reptilians from another universe who hate and hunt humans across the multiverse. The "smoke" is dark spiritual energy.
This "marionette" no longer has "strings."
Anne Dunne
M.E.G. Team "Epiphany"
Two index cards
with sketches of
the reptoid fang
(or talisman)
and strange runes.
M.E.G. Archives
Do's and Don'ts
Do's
- Stop, look, and listen! Mistakes costs lives.
- Avoid dark areas, unless absolutely necessary.
- Run and warn others.
Don'ts
- Approach strange voices.
- Believe everything you hear and see.
- Underestimate the value of retreat.
