The SCP Experience - Bubbles Pays a Visit | SCP-6290

Episode Date: October 24, 2025

A father keeping vigil over his dying son begins to question his sanity when an undead clown starts haunting the hospital’s dark, deserted halls. This story was derived from ⁠⁠https://scp-wik...i.wikidot.com/scp-6290 and is released under Creative Commons Sharealike 3.0. ⁠⁠https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/⁠⁠ Author: Jake Bible * * * CONTENT DISCLAIMER: This episode contains explicit content not limited to intense themes, strong language, and depictions of violence intended for adults. Parental guidance is strongly advised for children under the age of 17. Listener discretion is advised.  #thescpexperience #scp #scpfoundation #scpencounters #securecontainprotect #scpstories Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript
Discussion (0)
Starting point is 00:00:00 Lazzang sur-gillet, Puisance-Moyerned 15 minutes. Oh, you'd say that's the Dojo! Prere to play! Vive the pleasure with Leo Jo!
Starting point is 00:00:08 The casino in-line that proposes the most recent machine-a-sou and the games on Big Bas, Bonanza. Without exigance
Starting point is 00:00:16 to miss and with the payments instantane. Hey! I've gained! Woohoo! Sentire the pleasure! Play-Ojo! 18-10 and plus,
Starting point is 00:00:23 1-Depos only depose only depot only depose Big Bas' Bonanza, depot minimum, of 10 dollars, Veillage, I'm in a fashion responsible. The conditions apply. When you were little, you had braced
Starting point is 00:00:32 in course of recreat, always in trying to negotiate, exchange these cards of hockey, these bonhom, these bracelets, even of the collation. You know that each thing has a
Starting point is 00:00:39 good idea, well, before the same before the things have not really changed. Negoti T-D you can't to renewing with
Starting point is 00:00:47 your instinct of negotiation. With, without operation gratuit, no amount of minimum and nocule, you're made
Starting point is 00:00:54 for negotiate, and the apply the title T-TTT is Fette for you help. Telecharge it right now.
Starting point is 00:01:00 Welcome to via Rai. Embarked and profite. Embarque and celebrate. Rigolet. Publié.
Starting point is 00:01:09 Savourer. Admire. And, and profite. Via Rai, the voice that we love that we love.
Starting point is 00:01:25 The constant hiss of the oxygen, the constant noise from out in the hallway. There is no peace to be found in a hospital. The torment is constant.
Starting point is 00:01:34 Constant. Constant, constant. I watch my son roll over in his sleep, lines and wires and tubes sliding around him, but never tangling. My son is a pro when it comes to sleeping in hospitals. He should be, since he's been in and out of them
Starting point is 00:01:51 for half of his 14 years on this cold, cruel, unforgiving planet. I suppose it's not the planet's fault. Earth simply rotates, providing a home for scum-suckers like the human race. All we do is take and take and take. Parasites, vampires, a virus. We are monsters, every one of us. We consume. We defile.
Starting point is 00:02:18 We are the evil that this planet must purge. We are the... Dad? I startle and shake my head, a little drool flipping from the corner of my mouth and onto the floor. Both my son and I look down at it, then up at each other, and laugh.
Starting point is 00:02:35 Was I talking in my sleep again? My son nods, a huge smile on his deathly pale face. No rosy cheeks for my boy, not anymore. Yeah, you were mumbling pretty loudly. What was I saying? Something about the state of pollution and the end of life as we know it. Yeah, that tracks. Pretty much my go to anxiety these days.
Starting point is 00:03:02 Dad, we don't know why I'm sick. Yet. Garrett sighs and relaxes back into his hospital bed. He adjusts the tubes and wires and sensors attached to his body, moving them into positions where if he shifts, they don't detach or, God forbid, rip out. The last thing my boy needs is to get an infection at his IV site. The kid doesn't have the capacity to fight off a sniffle, let alone a full-blown infection. Dad? I snapped too, lost in thought once more. I swear I live in a constant dream state.
Starting point is 00:03:39 Sleeping every night in a recliner chair tucked into my son's hospital room is probably not helping my health any, physical, mental, or emotional. Sorry, pal. Still pulling myself out of Dreamland. You know you can go home and sleep, right? Not a chance, pal. Really, Dad, it's fine. I'll be okay here by myself.
Starting point is 00:04:01 Nope. We're in this together. together. Except we aren't, are we? His words stop me cold, and I have to grip the arms of my chair to keep from screaming. Not that I actually would scream. Those days are long over. After watching your child fight aplastic anemia for three years, you eventually run out of screams. How do you mean, pal? I know full well what he means. This isn't the first time we've had this conversation.
Starting point is 00:04:29 I'm the one dying, Dad. Not you. Right, I nod, not willing to argue the fact that he can't possibly know what it's like to watch your child's health slowly, then rapidly decline. Garrett can't even fathom what it's like to see a future disappear in a tangle of wires and IV tubes. All he can see is the now, this room, his body, his immediate circumstances. But I see all of that, and the emptiness that will be my life when he's gone. Garrett's mother died in childbirth, leaving the two of us to make a go of it on our own. And we were on our own. My parents are halfway across the country, drinking themselves to death in a single wide, set up on uneven concrete blocks next to acres of cornfields.
Starting point is 00:05:19 Olivia's parents died in a car accident when she was 11. So when she left us, that was it. Game over. Just Milo and Garrett Derrick's against the world. Dad! I snapped to and laugh. Sorry, sorry. Slowly, I set the recliner upright and push myself out of the seat. My legs are weak and wobbly,
Starting point is 00:05:42 and I give them a second for the pins and needles to dissipate before taking my first step. Although, I guess if I'm going to fall on my face, a hospital isn't the worst place to do that. I think I'll go for a walk around the hospital. I stretch, enjoying the pool at my tired. and knotted muscles. Want anything?
Starting point is 00:06:02 I can grab some dessert from the cafeteria or sodas from the vending machines. I'm not hungry. I smile at my son and study the lines on his face. A teenager shouldn't have lines like that. A teenager should also be out hiking and learning to drive and going to dances and planning trips to the beach with his friends, and texting crushes, and all that teenager stuff. I'll get you a snickers. I head to the door.
Starting point is 00:06:29 You love Snickers. No, Dad, I'm fine. I can tell by the tone of his voice that he's in pain. I point at the controller by his right hand. Have a shot, pal. Let the morphine take the edge off so you can sleep. I'll sleep when I'm dead. Jesus, fuck, Garrett!
Starting point is 00:06:49 Why would you say a thing like that? I put my hand against the door jam to steady myself. That shit isn't funny. Who's joking? We lock eyes for several, uncomfortable seconds. Then I nod and open the door. Snickers it is. I leave quickly before he sees the tears, spill up from my eyes. I'm down the hall and around two corners before I realize I'm heading in the wrong direction. Shit. Looking around for a sign on the wall or something
Starting point is 00:07:18 to tell me which way to go. I start to get dizzy as I swivel my head back and forth too quickly. I pause and take a breath. You'd think that after three years of being in a hospitals, I'd know my way around a hospital. But we've been in so many that the layouts all meld together in my head. Each one is built and laid out differently, and I swear to God they make these places like mazes on purpose. I look left, no help there. I look right, no help there. I could backtrack, but did I take a right at that last corner or a left? Shit. I need to find a map or directory or QR code for the hospital's website.
Starting point is 00:08:03 A shiver runs up my spine, as I irrationally think I'll never see Garrett again, doomed to wander these hospital halls for all eternity. A ghost built of grief and regret and longing for what could have been. Of course, there is no map or directory or QR code to be seen. And I come to the unfortunate realization, that I am completely lost. Shit. After a second of hesitation,
Starting point is 00:08:34 I choose a direction and just start walking. I study the walls and the plaques next to rooms. Nothing looks familiar. I don't know how, but I must have taken way more than just a couple of turns when I left Garrett's room. It makes zero sense, since I should have been on autopilot
Starting point is 00:08:53 and automatically headed toward the elevators. Garrett's right. I need to go home and get some room. real sleep. But even being away from him for this long is killing me. Look around, Milo. Figure out where you are so you can get back to your dying son. My self-admonishment doesn't help at all. I'm quickly becoming more and more frustrated with every wrong turn. And where the hell is everyone? How come I haven't seen a single member of the hospital staff for what feels like ages? Two more turns, and I come to a new corridor. The walls are covered in plastic
Starting point is 00:09:28 cheating, with various piles of supplies and construction equipment strewn around. I must have stumbled into a new wing or something. But as I take a deep breath, the pungent aroma of mold and mildew assaults my sinuses and I sneeze repeatedly. And after each sneeze, I hear what I think is, a honk? I don't notice it at first, since my senses are occupied with my sudden sneeze attack, but after the third honk, it becomes hard to miss. Hello? Anyone there? I peer into the gloom and try to see to the end of the hall. But so much of the plastic sheeting has come loose from the wall and is flapping about
Starting point is 00:10:11 that it's hard to make out any details. But there is something down there. I squint. Hello? Who is that? I swear I see someone standing a few yards away. Excuse me. Can you help me get back to my son's room? It's 614, Pediatric Ward.
Starting point is 00:10:30 I don't say he's terminal even though that would help locate his room. They keep all of the terminal children in one section, probably due to the amount of code blues that happen. Being mixed in with the rest would be terrifying to those children not terminal, especially considering the frequency with which emergency alarms are triggered as one child stops breathing or another's heart gives out. The figure shifts, and what little light in the course, corridor there is shines on something strange, a bright red nose. I move closer.
Starting point is 00:11:04 Um, are you one of the performers for the pediatric wing? The person doesn't answer, but they do take a few steps toward me. The red nose makes sense now that I can start to see the full outfit. A semi-crushed red hat over a shaggy pink wig, purple and yellow spotted shirt with puffy sleeves and oversized buttons along with what looks like rainbow Mardi Gras beads around its neck. Strangely, he's wearing a white laboratory coat, like that Patch Adams character wore in that old movie, almost fluorescent green trousers, and, of course, the ubiquitous, oversized, floppy red shoes. It's a freaking clown. Oh, hey there, did you get turned around two? Maybe we can put our heads together and figure out how to get back to the pediatric wing. Do you have any idea
Starting point is 00:11:57 which way to go? Without saying a word, the clown continues to move closer, his shoes slapping at the dirty industrial tile. Hello? I'm sorry. Can you not hear me? He keeps walking, silent the whole way. Instinctively, I take a step back, and another, and another. Uh, yeah, okay, Hey, never mind. I'll find my own way. Thanks. I spin about and start to rush away from the silent weirdo. But my way is blocked. 20 feet ahead is a second identical clown. I glance over my shoulder and the first clown is gone.
Starting point is 00:12:37 When I look forward again, I scream. The clown is now only six feet away, and he doesn't look healthy. I put the back of my hand to my nose to try to block out the stink of rot and decay wafting off the guy. At first, I thought it was part of the corridor stink, just another layer of mold and mildew. But now this close, I know the rot is the clown itself. You roll in roadkill or something, buddy? I gasp around my hand, trying to take short breaths. Then I get a closer look and realize the clown didn't roll in roadkill.
Starting point is 00:13:11 He is the roadkill, or at least the dead and rotting part of roadkill. His skin is gray, and parts of it are sloughing off where we're. what used to be white pancake makeup was applied. One ear is dangling by a thread of tissue. I even think there's a hole in the right cheek, because I swear I can see into its mouth where black nubs of what might be molars reside. What the hell are you? I look down and see the plastic toy horn, the freaky clown holds in his left hand. He lifts it up and points it at me. I jump and stumbled backward. I want to turn and run, but I don't dare take my eyes off the thing. Oh, screw it! I run!
Starting point is 00:13:54 My hands brush aside the flapping plastic sheeting, or try to. With every step I take, I feel my arms getting entangled in the plastic, and I have to yank and pull and rip my way through the construction zone. Jesus! What the hell is it? A clown? Yeah, sure. But it's not like any clown I've ever seen. Well, except for in horror movies.
Starting point is 00:14:14 Christ! Am I having an episode? Maybe I'm having a stroke. Strokes can cause hallucinations, right? Yes, sure, but hallucinating in, and I'll just say it. An undead clown is a little specific. I don't even have a fear of clowns. They're a non-issue for me.
Starting point is 00:14:33 Garrett, on the other hand, does not fuck with clowns. He never has. A left, a right. Another right, a left again. I see elevators. Sprinting as fast as my fatigued body will allow, I make it to the end of the hall and jam my thumb against both the up and the down call buttons.
Starting point is 00:14:51 I do not give a shit which direction I go, as long as it's away from the horrid thing chasing me. The elevator bell dings, and the door slide open. The clown is standing right there. Fuck! My feet tangle up as I try to turn and run at the same time, and a nearly faceplant against the stained and ancient tile. Luckily, I get my hands out in time, and I'm able to scramble my ass a few feet away before I manage to get back upright.
Starting point is 00:15:17 My legs pump, and my lungs burn. Paying attention at all, I turned corners, my only thought to put as much distance between myself and the nightmare clown pursuing me. Left, left, right, left, right, right, left, right, left, right, right, right. I'm back at the elevators. The doors closed and open, close then open, over and over. But, thank God, there's no clown inside. However, there is a clown nose on the ground, keeping the elevator doors from closing.
Starting point is 00:15:52 I bend and pick the red foam nose up, then immediately throw it as far away as possible, almost retching as I do so. There was a real nose still inside the fake one. I wiped my hands on my jeans and hurry into the elevators. To my surprise and horror, I'm three floors above the pediatric wing. How the hell did that happen? I never went up any stairs. I only made turn after turn after turn.
Starting point is 00:16:18 I look up as the door slide closed to see the clown walking straight, toward the elevator. The doors close before he reaches me, and I sigh with relief, leaning my head against the back wall. Finally free of the thing, I let my eyes close for the remainder of the ride back down to the pediatric wing. I scream as I scramble into the corner of the elevator car. The undead clown is standing by the bank of buttons.
Starting point is 00:16:44 Its horn held up, like he's saying hello to me. What are you? I nearly pissed myself. Just stay back, okay? right there. I swear, if you come near me, I'll fucking kick your ass. You hear me? Huh? I will go fucking nuts on you, buddy. Stop that. I said stop that. I slapped my hands over my ears as the undead clown squeezes the horn's bulb over and over and over and over and over and over. I said stop. Please stop. Stop! Stop! Stop! Stop! Stop! Stop! The doors ding and slide open.
Starting point is 00:17:21 Mr. Derricks? I recognized the nurse. as she stands and waits outside the elevator. Are you all right? Where'd it go? Where is it? I shiver and shake as I look about the elevator car. No undead clown. It's vanished. Where'd who go? No one else is in there with you. She holds the elevator doors open and angles her body,
Starting point is 00:17:45 telling me she expects me to step off the elevator. With a buzz of phones ringing and conversations echoing up and down the halls, I gladly step off the elevator, so happy to be around people, to be around the living. Mr. Derricks, did something happen? She lets the door slide closed without stepping on. Do I need to call someone for you? Maybe you should have a seat over here. She gently guides me to a chair by the nurse's station. I sit down, and it's like the weight of the entire world falls off my shoulders.
Starting point is 00:18:19 I'd like to take your blood pressure and temperature if that's all right. I nod. She gives me a warm smile. Okay, great. I'll be right back. I watch her walk off. Eyes are on me. I can feel them.
Starting point is 00:18:35 But I don't look about. It's not out of embarrassment. Now, this crew has seen me at my worst. They've watched me shout and wail and cry. They've seen tears streaming down my face. and snot dripping from my nose. I've had more than one breakdown in this wing. Now, the reason I don't look around
Starting point is 00:18:57 is because I am terrified I'll see the damn clown. Here we go. The nurse wheels a blood pressure machine over to me. This will just take a second. She wraps the cuff around my upper arm, then presses a button on the machine. As the thing whores and buzzes, and as the cuff gets tighter and tighter,
Starting point is 00:19:16 she pulls a thermometer out of her pocket and points it at my forehead. Now fever. She tucks the thermometer back into one of the many pockets on her brightly colored scrubs. No drab blues or grays for the pediatric wing. The machine beeps three times, and the pressure on my arm slacks until the cuff is completely deflated. Your blood pressure is a little higher than I'd like to see. She frowns.
Starting point is 00:19:42 And your cheeks are flushed. Did something happen? I debate about telling her. I really do. But as the moment drags on, and a little bit of time and perspective starts to creep in, I decide not to mention the undead clown. Just exhausted, I sigh. Garrett told me to go home and get some rest. That's not a bad idea, Mr. Derrick's.
Starting point is 00:20:07 You're no good to your son if you want to make yourself sick. While your blood pressure isn't in the danger zone, it could get there quickly if you don't take care of yourself. She leans in and places a hand on my shoulder. No one here will think ill of you if you go home. Don't just stay to keep up appearances. We are all watching Garrett closely, and we'll call you if anything happens. Yeah, well, I can't risk that.
Starting point is 00:20:34 I swallow hard. Not again. She frowns, and I continue. His mother died in childbirth. I stepped out to go get some food, and when I came back, Garrett was in the world, and my wife wasn't. Oh, I'm sorry to hear that. So, I think I'll stay right here if that's okay.
Starting point is 00:20:57 My biggest fear is to get home, fall asleep, and then wake up to the worst news of my life. Tears well in my eyes. I know I can't save him. No one can at this point. But nothing will keep me from my son's side when this time comes. You will have to drag me kicking and screaming to get me to leave this hospital. I don't think it'll come to that, Mr. Derricks. No one will be dragging you anywhere.
Starting point is 00:21:22 We all understand that this is a waking nightmare for you. Waking nightmare? An image of the undead clown splashes across my mind and I jerk back. Mr. Derricks? Are you okay? Sorry, sorry, just a twitch. She watches me carefully, the nods. I'll tell you what. You've been sleeping in that awful recliner for weeks
Starting point is 00:21:45 and haven't complained once. Let me see if I can get a cot in there for you. No, no, I'm fine. I've actually gotten used to sleeping in that recliner. My ass and its cushions have become the best of friends. Are you sure it's really no problem? I'm sure. She shrugs.
Starting point is 00:22:04 Suit yourself. Then she smiles. I was about to head down to the cafeteria and grab some food. Care to join me? In my professional opinion, you look like you could use a boost to your blood sugar. I think about it, then smile back. Yeah, sure, that'd be great.
Starting point is 00:22:24 I stand up, and at the same moment I hear, I look about, but don't see the thing anywhere. God, is it only in my head? Have I finally cracked? Yep, the pressure of Garrett's illness has pushed me over the edge. It was bound to happen eventually. No one can endure the stresses that I have for all. these years and reasonably think they can stay stable and sane. My shoulders slump as I stand
Starting point is 00:22:51 and face the nurse. I think I need to... What is that noise? Do you hear that? It sounds like a horn. You can hear it too. My question elicits an even more worried look from her than had already been receiving. Glancing about, I see the rest of the staff starting to look up. There it is again, the nurse studies me. You can hear it, right? I nod and swallow. It's a clown. A clown?
Starting point is 00:23:21 An undead clown. Worry turns to fear. A few heads swivel in my direction. Out of the corner of my eye, I see a different nurse pick up the phone as she watches me closely. That sounds insane, I know, but I got lost earlier and couldn't find my way back here. Then I ran into this clown, and, well, it's a little rotten. Rotten? Its flesh is all decayed, and it smells like roadkill.
Starting point is 00:23:45 I try to swallow, but now my mouth is bone dry. It's a, nose fell off. I absent-mindedly wipe my hands on my jeans at the memory. Still a little wary, and with good reason, the nurse tries to smile at me, but manages only a grimace. It's coming from down there! One of the nurses at the station points down the hall, right toward Garrett's room.
Starting point is 00:24:10 I pushed past the nurse helping me and sprint down the hall, almost colliding with an orderly delivering meals. He shouts something at me. but I don't hear him. My attention is on my son's room. The door is cracked when I get there, and I slowly push it open. Garrett? No response.
Starting point is 00:24:27 I step into the room and head straight for my son's bed. Still breathing, but he's fast asleep. Jesus Christ! The nurse is standing in the doorway, having followed me. She points at the bathroom door. It came from in there. Call security! I look about the room.
Starting point is 00:24:46 A metal bedpan sits on the shelf above. where I stash my coat and backpack. I snag it and hold it up by my shoulder as I approach the bathroom door. The nurse jumps and pulls out her phone. Hey Martha, we need security in room 614 right away. My hand rests on the door handle. What are you doing? Wait for security! I shake my head.
Starting point is 00:25:07 No, I have to stop it before it wakes Garrett up. He's deathly afraid of clowns! I don't tell her why that's bad. Anyone in Garrett's shape can't afford a severe shock, even if it is from an irrational phobia. Although, considering what I've been dealing with, this is way more than just a phobia, and I'm pretty sure rational has long left the building.
Starting point is 00:25:28 I take a deep breath, grip the bathroom handle, and yank the door open. The undead ghost stands there next to the toilet, its horn held out. It sets the horn down on the sink, takes a bow, then we both watch, stunned, as it slowly fades away. After half a second, the horn fades too and the bathroom is completely empty once again.
Starting point is 00:25:51 When it's gone, I blink a few times, then look at the nurse. You saw that too, right? She nods. Good. Two security guards arrive a second later. Dad? Garrett's sleepy face is looking at me, trying to make sense of what he's woken up to. What's going on?
Starting point is 00:26:11 Nothing, pal. All good. I turned to the security guards. I'll be right out to give my side of things. They nod as the nurse leads them into the hall. I close the door and look at my son. Are you okay? Me? Fine.
Starting point is 00:26:27 He shrugs. Well, you know, as fine as I can be. Did you see anything? Hear anything? His face scrunches up, puzzled. Like what? Glancing at the bathroom door, I shake my head. Nothing, pal.
Starting point is 00:26:46 You go back to sleep, okay? I'm going to talk to some hospital, folks. Then I'll be right back in. Okay, Dad. He's already settling back into his pillow, his eyes closing slowly. After watching him for a few seconds, I head to the door. Then pause.
Starting point is 00:27:03 I hurry over to the recliner and drag it in front of the bathroom door, just in case. Then I head out and get ready to tell one hell of a story to the security guards, reminding myself that I never did get that Snickers and need to do that. but maybe I'll take someone with me this time. SCP 6290 is the corpse of a Caucasian male, approximately 75 years old at time of death. SCP 629 is in a state of advanced decomposition.
Starting point is 00:27:35 SCP 629 is dressed in a clown costume, comprising red hat, pink wig, white face paint, red foam latex nose, purple and yellow spotted shirt, multi-color plastic bead necklaces, white laboratory coat, bright green trousers and novelty oversized shoes. Despite SCP-629 state of decay, before-mentioned clown costume remains in pristine condition. SCP-6290 spontaneously materializes inside health care institutions within the continental United States.
Starting point is 00:28:11 For SCP-6292 to materialize, the structure in question must house at least one patient aged 4 to 50. afflicted with a terminal illness or an otherwise life-threatening condition. SCP-6290 will materialize in the nearest space, not under direct or indirect observation, often in toilet stalls, storage spaces, and maintenance areas. SCP-6290 will dematerialize anywhere from 20 minutes to six hours after appearance. After an additional 24 to 72 hours, SCP 629 will rematerialize at a different, suitable location. Attempts to remove SCP 629 from the premises of the facility it currently occupies result in early dematerialization. Objects placed within SCP 629 fail to dematerialize along with it.
Starting point is 00:29:10 Any damage inflicted on SCP 6290, save for natural wear. and decay will not persist following rematerialization.

There aren't comments yet for this episode. Click on any sentence in the transcript to leave a comment.