Case file: Experiment 0551
“Experiment 0551” is confirmed to be destroyed. According to the notebooks and illustrations of Dr. Alastair Haines, “Experiment 0551” was a puzzle box of some volition. It appeared to be a mess of golden pipes, forming a cube. Each opening in the pipes would host a key from an antique typewriter.
Even in the photographs that Haines had taken, many of the letters were worn. There is no way to tell how worn they were when “Experiment 0551” achieved its goal. All that was recovered of the device itself was a pile of ash and burned remains of pieces of the pipes. Each of the six sides of the cube had four letters within it.
Side one had “A”, “D”, “E”, and “T”
Side two had “K”, “M” “S”, and “V”
Side three had “I”, “N”, “P”, and “R”
Side four had “G”, “M” “U”, and “Y”
Side five had “F”, “H”, O”, and “L”
Side six had “A”, “E”, “L”, and “W”
“Experiment 0551” had exploded in a garage in a rural house in [censored], Iowa. Our agents had found a metal safe within the explosion site. While it was blackened, it remained in tact. The locking mechanism was slightly damaged, forcing us to pry it open. Inside was the handheld camera of “Experiment 0551’s” victim. The camera held several days worth of recordings, with the earliest time stamps of a week before the explosion. The majority of our knowledge about this box has been learned from the footage on this camera.
<B>The first recording is from July 7th, earlier this year.</B>
The first video began with the victim of “Experiment 0551” staring at the camera. He was a man in his mid 30’s, lanky, clean-shaven. Out of respect for the dead, his name and that of his family have been expunged from all public releases of “Incident 0551.”
“I um… I don’t know how to start this recording,” he said.
He “Experiment 0551” on the desk in clear view of the camera. He angled the camera to show that his hand was stuck in between the pipes. The victim took another sigh at the camera, clearly embarrassed at the events that had transpired.
“Funny story. I got this old… I don’t really know what it is. I think it’s a puzzle box. It was just lying up in my attic. My daughter had brought it down. I pressed some of the buttons and I guess the pipes moved. I typed in a few random words off the top of my head. Eventually I got a little window open, see this here?”
At this time, the victim shows the window where he reached into “Experiment 0551”. The pipes seemed to be holding his hand in securely.
“Well, inside was a shiny whatever. I reached for it, and I dunno what I did, but the box reset itself, or tried to and well, now I’m stuck. I been trying to use all my tools to get this thing open, but I got no idea what the fuck this box is made outta. I can’t saw the damn thing. I can’t hammer the damn thing. Not a scratch on it. I tried to dismantle it, but I can’t even find the fucking screws.
“So uh… fire department. When my wife hands this to you, know that I’m a little embarrassed. If you could, keep it on the down low.”
The first recording concludes here. Interviews had stated that the wife had never gotten the opportunity to talk to the fire department, as the victim had had further experiences with “Experiment 0551” before she returned home from work.
“Experiment 0551” is confirmed to be destroyed. According to the notebooks and illustrations of Dr. Alastair Haines, “Experiment 0551” was a puzzle box of some volition. It appeared to be a mess of golden pipes, forming a cube. Each opening in the pipes would host a key from an antique typewriter.
Even in the photographs that Haines had taken, many of the letters were worn. There is no way to tell how worn they were when “Experiment 0551” achieved its goal. All that was recovered of the device itself was a pile of ash and burned remains of pieces of the pipes. Each of the six sides of the cube had four letters within it.
Side one had “A”, “D”, “E”, and “T”
Side two had “K”, “M” “S”, and “V”
Side three had “I”, “N”, “P”, and “R”
Side four had “G”, “M” “U”, and “Y”
Side five had “F”, “H”, O”, and “L”
Side six had “A”, “E”, “L”, and “W”
“Experiment 0551” had exploded in a garage in a rural house in [censored], Iowa. Our agents had found a metal safe within the explosion site. While it was blackened, it remained in tact. The locking mechanism was slightly damaged, forcing us to pry it open. Inside was the handheld camera of “Experiment 0551’s” victim. The camera held several days worth of recordings, with the earliest time stamps of a week before the explosion. The majority of our knowledge about this box has been learned from the footage on this camera.
<B>The first recording is from July 7th, earlier this year.</B>
The first video began with the victim of “Experiment 0551” staring at the camera. He was a man in his mid 30’s, lanky, clean-shaven. Out of respect for the dead, his name and that of his family have been expunged from all public releases of “Incident 0551.”
“I um… I don’t know how to start this recording,” he said.
He “Experiment 0551” on the desk in clear view of the camera. He angled the camera to show that his hand was stuck in between the pipes. The victim took another sigh at the camera, clearly embarrassed at the events that had transpired.
“Funny story. I got this old… I don’t really know what it is. I think it’s a puzzle box. It was just lying up in my attic. My daughter had brought it down. I pressed some of the buttons and I guess the pipes moved. I typed in a few random words off the top of my head. Eventually I got a little window open, see this here?”
At this time, the victim shows the window where he reached into “Experiment 0551”. The pipes seemed to be holding his hand in securely.
“Well, inside was a shiny whatever. I reached for it, and I dunno what I did, but the box reset itself, or tried to and well, now I’m stuck. I been trying to use all my tools to get this thing open, but I got no idea what the fuck this box is made outta. I can’t saw the damn thing. I can’t hammer the damn thing. Not a scratch on it. I tried to dismantle it, but I can’t even find the fucking screws.
“So uh… fire department. When my wife hands this to you, know that I’m a little embarrassed. If you could, keep it on the down low.”
The first recording concludes here. Interviews had stated that the wife had never gotten the opportunity to talk to the fire department, as the victim had had further experiences with “Experiment 0551” before she returned home from work.
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Recording 2
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The record recording is timestamped later on the same day. The victim looks somewhere between visibly shaken and angry.
“Okay, so, this box is fucking talking to me now. I’m recording it because I don’t think anyone’s gonna believe me. The box didn’t talk to me before, but—”
The box creaks out the word “Immortal.”
“See, there it fucking is again. I don’t know why it’s doing that, but it’s been going on for about the last half an hour.”
The victim thinks for a moment or two, and then comes to a realization.
“I wonder… This better not break my fucking fingers.”
He goes on to press the keys that spell out the word “Immortal.” The man is visibly nervous has he does so, however he shows no signs of pain as he inserts the next combination.
“Do you fear the knowledge that you’re going to die?” comes from the box, in the voice of Dr. Alastair Haines.
The victim stares at the camera and recording two ends.
“Okay, so, this box is fucking talking to me now. I’m recording it because I don’t think anyone’s gonna believe me. The box didn’t talk to me before, but—”
The box creaks out the word “Immortal.”
“See, there it fucking is again. I don’t know why it’s doing that, but it’s been going on for about the last half an hour.”
The victim thinks for a moment or two, and then comes to a realization.
“I wonder… This better not break my fucking fingers.”
He goes on to press the keys that spell out the word “Immortal.” The man is visibly nervous has he does so, however he shows no signs of pain as he inserts the next combination.
“Do you fear the knowledge that you’re going to die?” comes from the box, in the voice of Dr. Alastair Haines.
The victim stares at the camera and recording two ends.
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Recording 3
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Recording three begins in a similar manner to recording two.
“Do you fear the knowledge that you’re going to die?”
“This is a creepy fucking toy,” the victim says.
At this point, he isn’t even unnerved. He stares at “Experiment 0551” until it rattles off the same pre-recorded message.
“It just keeps saying that over and over again. Maybe it’s the next clue. Why can’t I get my hand out of the box?” the victim says as he attempts to force the box off of his hand, to no avail.
“Let’s try F-E-A-R, hopefully I got the right ‘e’.”
“Please answer the question ‘yes’, or ‘no.’”
“What even is this thing?”
“Do you fear the knowledge that you’re going to die?”
“N-O. There you fucking—”
“Do you fear the knowledge that everyone you love will die?”
“N-O, now get this damn thing off of me.”
“Please answer the questions honestly, or are you really that heartless?”
“What even is this thing?”
“Do you fear the knowledge that everyone you love will die?”
“Fine, Y-E-S. Is that what you want, you piece of shit?”
The box goes silent. The victim waits for five minutes for it to start again, glances at the camera and turns it off.
“Do you fear the knowledge that you’re going to die?”
“This is a creepy fucking toy,” the victim says.
At this point, he isn’t even unnerved. He stares at “Experiment 0551” until it rattles off the same pre-recorded message.
“It just keeps saying that over and over again. Maybe it’s the next clue. Why can’t I get my hand out of the box?” the victim says as he attempts to force the box off of his hand, to no avail.
“Let’s try F-E-A-R, hopefully I got the right ‘e’.”
“Please answer the question ‘yes’, or ‘no.’”
“What even is this thing?”
“Do you fear the knowledge that you’re going to die?”
“N-O. There you fucking—”
“Do you fear the knowledge that everyone you love will die?”
“N-O, now get this damn thing off of me.”
“Please answer the questions honestly, or are you really that heartless?”
“What even is this thing?”
“Do you fear the knowledge that everyone you love will die?”
“Fine, Y-E-S. Is that what you want, you piece of shit?”
The box goes silent. The victim waits for five minutes for it to start again, glances at the camera and turns it off.
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Recording 4
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Recording four happens later that night. The victim has not left his garage and he stares at the camera. As if the victim was expecting it, the box talks with the next pre-recorded message.
“Are you prepared to die?”
“Every two minutes and thirty seconds, the damn thing keeps saying this, over and over again. I’ve typed in ‘no’ more times than I could count and it didn’t do jack shit. It just keeps going on and on. What do you want, you stupid fucking box?!”
“Please answer the question honestly.”
“No! No! No! How many times do I have to type it in for you get the picture?!”
The box starts clicking, as if it’s counting down. Click. Click. “Safe.” Click. Click. “Safe.” Click. Click… nothing.
The victim appears rattled, as if a part of him believed that the box would have exploded then.
“Perhaps you should get prepared.”
The victim visibly pales. Then he laughs, uncomfortably.
“S-spooky toy.”
“Perhaps you should get prepared.”
“N-O.”
“I gave you your chance.”
“W-H-A-T.”
“Do you fear the knowledge that you will die?”
“Y-E-S.”
“Do you fear the knowledge that everyone you love will die?”
“Y-E-S.”
“Which do you fear more?”
“What is this thing?”
“Please answer the question honestly.”
“Let’s try… L-O-V-E.”
The victim is actively trembling at this time.
“You will die. The box is primed to explode.”
Once again, the victim laughs nervously.
Click. Click. “Safe.” Click. Click. “Safe.”
“S-T-O-P.”
“I gave you your chance.”
“H-E-L-P.”
“The explosion is primed to reach a vicinity of twenty-five square feet. It will kill anyone in the blast.”
Click. Click. “Safe.” Click. Click. “Safe.”
Recording four ends.
“Are you prepared to die?”
“Every two minutes and thirty seconds, the damn thing keeps saying this, over and over again. I’ve typed in ‘no’ more times than I could count and it didn’t do jack shit. It just keeps going on and on. What do you want, you stupid fucking box?!”
“Please answer the question honestly.”
“No! No! No! How many times do I have to type it in for you get the picture?!”
The box starts clicking, as if it’s counting down. Click. Click. “Safe.” Click. Click. “Safe.” Click. Click… nothing.
The victim appears rattled, as if a part of him believed that the box would have exploded then.
“Perhaps you should get prepared.”
The victim visibly pales. Then he laughs, uncomfortably.
“S-spooky toy.”
“Perhaps you should get prepared.”
“N-O.”
“I gave you your chance.”
“W-H-A-T.”
“Do you fear the knowledge that you will die?”
“Y-E-S.”
“Do you fear the knowledge that everyone you love will die?”
“Y-E-S.”
“Which do you fear more?”
“What is this thing?”
“Please answer the question honestly.”
“Let’s try… L-O-V-E.”
The victim is actively trembling at this time.
“You will die. The box is primed to explode.”
Once again, the victim laughs nervously.
Click. Click. “Safe.” Click. Click. “Safe.”
“S-T-O-P.”
“I gave you your chance.”
“H-E-L-P.”
“The explosion is primed to reach a vicinity of twenty-five square feet. It will kill anyone in the blast.”
Click. Click. “Safe.” Click. Click. “Safe.”
Recording four ends.
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Recording 5
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Recording five begins the following morning. It is clear that the victim has not slept.
“Every hour it goes off. I don’t know what kind of game this is, but… if it’s real. If this is real—”
The victim stares at the camera.
“I don’t even want to say it—”
There’s a knock on the door. The voice from behind is confirmed to be the victim’s wife.
“Honey, are you coming inside? You’ve been in there all night!”
“Y-yeah, I’m fine. I’ll be in there in a few.”
“Are you alright?”
“Yeah… just fine.”
Click. Click. “Safe.”
Recording five ends.
“Every hour it goes off. I don’t know what kind of game this is, but… if it’s real. If this is real—”
The victim stares at the camera.
“I don’t even want to say it—”
There’s a knock on the door. The voice from behind is confirmed to be the victim’s wife.
“Honey, are you coming inside? You’ve been in there all night!”
“Y-yeah, I’m fine. I’ll be in there in a few.”
“Are you alright?”
“Yeah… just fine.”
Click. Click. “Safe.”
Recording five ends.
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Recording 6
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“So uh… the box is going off every 30 minutes. I’ve been typing in random words, hoping that it can get the box off of me, but nothing is doing anything. The box isn’t even talking to me. I’ve typed in just about every word that I can think of. Yes, No, Love, Hate, Life, Death, Kill. I would have typed in “explode”, but the thing doesn’t have an ‘X’.”
The victim pauses for a moment.
“Assuming it’s real…”
The victim doesn’t want to continue.
“Like… people don’t make toys of material like this, right? I should be able to break a toy with a tablesaw…”
“Assuming that it’s real…”
The victim pauses once more.
“I know what an explosion can do. Just in case, I’ll stay out of the way of my family, or anyone else. It’s said ‘safe’ so many times, it’s gotta be a fake, but there’s something that nags at the back of my mind.
“I have a safe here in my garage. The thing can tolerate just about everything. I’ll try recording after it goes off, and place the camera back in the safe when I’m done. Maybe whoever or whatever will get my story in the end. I need to sleep, and eat.”
The victim pauses for a moment.
“Assuming it’s real…”
The victim doesn’t want to continue.
“Like… people don’t make toys of material like this, right? I should be able to break a toy with a tablesaw…”
“Assuming that it’s real…”
The victim pauses once more.
“I know what an explosion can do. Just in case, I’ll stay out of the way of my family, or anyone else. It’s said ‘safe’ so many times, it’s gotta be a fake, but there’s something that nags at the back of my mind.
“I have a safe here in my garage. The thing can tolerate just about everything. I’ll try recording after it goes off, and place the camera back in the safe when I’m done. Maybe whoever or whatever will get my story in the end. I need to sleep, and eat.”
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Recording 7
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“It’s been twenty-two hours,” the box says.
The victim blinks. He doesn’t say anything.
“They miss you.”
The victim doesn’t say anything.
“You should say goodbye before you die.”
The victim looks to the camera.
“Even if this is a joke, whoever made this fucking thing is sick in the head.”
The victim blinks. He doesn’t say anything.
“They miss you.”
The victim doesn’t say anything.
“You should say goodbye before you die.”
The victim looks to the camera.
“Even if this is a joke, whoever made this fucking thing is sick in the head.”
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Recording 8
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“I don’t know what to do,” the victim says, almost sing-songy.
“Daddy, are you almost done in there?”
The victim’s daughter is heard from outside the garage. Before the victim can say anything, the garage door is opened and she scurries inside.
“Oh Daddy, you’re playin’ with my puzzle?”
“[Censored], get outta here, you shouldn’t be in daddy’s garage—”
Click. Click. “Safe.”
“Get outta here now!”
“I’m sorry daddy!”
The victim’s daughter runs off screaming.
“You should say goodbye before you die,” the box repeats.
“W-wait!”
The recording goes on for a few minutes as the victim waits, expecting what’s going to happen. The victim’s wife enters the garage, holding the victim’s daughter.
“Why did you yell at our daughter?”
“It’s uh… hard to explain. You shouldn’t be here right now.”
“And just why not?”
“Daddy’s been playing with my puzzle.”
“A puzzle? You’re in here because of some puzzle?”
The victim pauses for a moment.
“It’s stuck on my hand.”
“You can’t get it off? Do you want me to call the fire department, or should we go down to the emergency room?”
“N-no, too many people. You need to take her and get out of my garage. Now.”
“Alright, be that way—”
“Daddy, are you almost done in there?”
The victim’s daughter is heard from outside the garage. Before the victim can say anything, the garage door is opened and she scurries inside.
“Oh Daddy, you’re playin’ with my puzzle?”
“[Censored], get outta here, you shouldn’t be in daddy’s garage—”
Click. Click. “Safe.”
“Get outta here now!”
“I’m sorry daddy!”
The victim’s daughter runs off screaming.
“You should say goodbye before you die,” the box repeats.
“W-wait!”
The recording goes on for a few minutes as the victim waits, expecting what’s going to happen. The victim’s wife enters the garage, holding the victim’s daughter.
“Why did you yell at our daughter?”
“It’s uh… hard to explain. You shouldn’t be here right now.”
“And just why not?”
“Daddy’s been playing with my puzzle.”
“A puzzle? You’re in here because of some puzzle?”
The victim pauses for a moment.
“It’s stuck on my hand.”
“You can’t get it off? Do you want me to call the fire department, or should we go down to the emergency room?”
“N-no, too many people. You need to take her and get out of my garage. Now.”
“Alright, be that way—”
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Recording 9
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“It’s almost a game at this point, typing in random words, and seeing what answers I get. D-A-U-G-H-T-E-R.”
“Are you happy with your life?”
“Y-E-S.”
“Does the happiness hurt?”
“Y-E-S.”
“Are you prepared to die?”
“N-O.”
Click. Click. “Safe.”
“Are you happy with your life?”
“Y-E-S.”
“Does the happiness hurt?”
“Y-E-S.”
“Are you prepared to die?”
“N-O.”
Click. Click. “Safe.”
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Recording 10
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The camera shows the victim closing his eyes and cringing in incredible pain.
“I made a mistake. Oh fuck I made a mistake. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.”
The victim pushes against the camera and reveals his buzz saw. The buzz saw had been stained with blood. The victim was incredibly hesitant to show “Experiment 0551” on screen for the entirety of recording ten. He continued wincing in pain.
“I made a mistake. Oh fuck I made a mistake. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.”
The victim pushes against the camera and reveals his buzz saw. The buzz saw had been stained with blood. The victim was incredibly hesitant to show “Experiment 0551” on screen for the entirety of recording ten. He continued wincing in pain.
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Recording 11
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The victim sits in front of the camera. The wrist stuck to the box is covered in sheets of some kind that have been stained with blood. The victim is sleep-deprived. He has lost weight. It is quite possible that he had eaten nothing in the week up to the incident.
“They… they left me. I’m the only one left,” the victim says, sing-songy. “They are safe.”
The victim stares at “Experiment 0551”
“Why… why did you do this to me? W-H-Y.”
“Zero-Five-Five-One.”
“Not even going to give me a fucking answer. Fine.”
“They miss you.”
“N-O.”
“Isn’t it better that way?”
The victim stares at “Experiment 0551.”
“N-O.”
“Do you want them to feel pain?”
“N-O.”
“Do you want them to miss you?”
“Y-E-S.”
“Are you selfish?”
The recording ends.
“They… they left me. I’m the only one left,” the victim says, sing-songy. “They are safe.”
The victim stares at “Experiment 0551”
“Why… why did you do this to me? W-H-Y.”
“Zero-Five-Five-One.”
“Not even going to give me a fucking answer. Fine.”
“They miss you.”
“N-O.”
“Isn’t it better that way?”
The victim stares at “Experiment 0551.”
“N-O.”
“Do you want them to feel pain?”
“N-O.”
“Do you want them to miss you?”
“Y-E-S.”
“Are you selfish?”
The recording ends.
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Recording 12
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Recording twelve
Recording 12 begins with the victim staring at the camera. It’s clear that he had been crying.
“I… I want—”
The victim swallows hard.
“Assuming that it’s real—”
The victim stops.
“It can’t be real, there’s no way… not after six fucking days. It’s just click click nothing. Click click nothing. Over and fucking over. I may as well be dead. Wife probably thinks I’m crazy, and you know what, yeah, I’m crazy. I’m crazy because of this fucking box.”
“Did you tell them that you loved them?”
“N-O.”
“Are you heartless?”
“I don’t have to answer this fucking thing.”
The victim leaves the camera running. The box repeats the question every minute exactly.
“Alright, you win. Y-E-S. I probably am in their eyes anyway.”
The victim pauses once again.
“I should… apologize.”
“They don’t miss you.”
The victim closes his eyes and cries.
“Are you prepared to die?”
The victim places the camera inside the safe, locks and bolts it. Three keys faintly pressed can be heard.
Click. Click. “Die.”
An explosion is heard. The rest of the footage is darkness until, presumably, the batteries had died.
Recording 12 begins with the victim staring at the camera. It’s clear that he had been crying.
“I… I want—”
The victim swallows hard.
“Assuming that it’s real—”
The victim stops.
“It can’t be real, there’s no way… not after six fucking days. It’s just click click nothing. Click click nothing. Over and fucking over. I may as well be dead. Wife probably thinks I’m crazy, and you know what, yeah, I’m crazy. I’m crazy because of this fucking box.”
“Did you tell them that you loved them?”
“N-O.”
“Are you heartless?”
“I don’t have to answer this fucking thing.”
The victim leaves the camera running. The box repeats the question every minute exactly.
“Alright, you win. Y-E-S. I probably am in their eyes anyway.”
The victim pauses once again.
“I should… apologize.”
“They don’t miss you.”
The victim closes his eyes and cries.
“Are you prepared to die?”
The victim places the camera inside the safe, locks and bolts it. Three keys faintly pressed can be heard.
Click. Click. “Die.”
An explosion is heard. The rest of the footage is darkness until, presumably, the batteries had died.