What people do for love… no, I don't mean the "normal" stuff. If that were the case, everything would be calm around here. Sometimes, passion and rejection give rise to things… different, stronger. Things that don't rest, and that don't stop. In ancient times, they always took the easy path, cried "witchcraft!" and there was always a bonfire ready for those cases. But if we've learned anything from all this, it's that on certain occasions, fire doesn't consume… but feeds..
Containment and Appearance
SHL-3998-1 is a completely fireproof, vacuum-sealed space to prevent oxygen from entering. Small home of our resident SCP-3998, merely a simple precaution against its… fiery expressions. Several Class D personnel learned this the hard way. Do you know the smell of burnt human flesh? I hope you never have the chance…
I guess you've already gathered some details about its appearance: SCP-3998 is a corpse, human, deceased at the end of the 17th century. Its fourth-degree burns are extensive, and it has no legs. Its current "scarecrow" configuration was created shortly after its death. Wicker, nails, wire… something or someone wanted it to remain in that position. Those in charge of its containment also detected signs of trauma. Massive blows to the head and the rest of the body. A lot of unleashed fury. They don't even know precisely what the cause of death was. The burns? The impacts? Both…?
The Flammable Threat
Our main problem with SCP-3998 is that its bones give off a combination of ethanol and human fat. Calling that liquid "flammable" is… an understatement, and every night, between 11 PM and 4 AM, SCP-3998 ignites. It burns with an intensity rarely seen around here. The strangest thing is that it doesn't suffer damage when doing so. The bones don't fall from their position, everything remains the same. But there's more.
SCP-3998 has no intention of burning alone. If someone nearby matches a certain profile, it will engulf them in flames as well. SCP-3998 focuses on those who have killed their partner, or committed physical abuse against them. If SCP-3998 isn't burning, the only effect it will have on its victim is pain in the chest or at the base of the skull.
Otherwise, a huge amount of boiling ethanol will appear in the stomach. The ethanol vomit only feeds the flames devouring the victim. Body fat begins to melt, and its mixture with ethanol causes the stomach to explode. The victim is already dead by that point… but the only way to stop the flames is by extinguishing SCP-3998 first.
The Salem Origins
Now, I bet you want to know who SCP-3998 really is. Many times we navigate in the dark, but I must admit the Foundation did a good job here, and traced its origins back to Salem itself. The story begins with a certain Candice Hayes, forced by her father to marry a local man, Aiden Hayes. Apparently, the "respected" Mr. Hayes had quite specific ideas about the duties his wife should fulfill. The marks on Candice's body appeared quickly.
The relationship between them became even more violent. Candice took every opportunity to be alone and "escape to the woods." Accusations of witchcraft and demonic possession were not long in coming (after all, gossip was lethal in Salem), and we have a record from June 8, 1693, in which Candice openly admits to "conspiring" with a spirit, though she refuses to call it evil. In fact, she said its name, "Clovis"… and it was a woman. Two days later, Candice burned at the stake.
The rest of the information comes from a local legend, an urban myth about a Wicker Witch. They hung Candice like a scarecrow, broke her legs, and left her to burn. They threw her bones in the mountain, but the demon, her "Clovis," found her. Candice had given her soul in exchange for power… and now Clovis wanted her. She tried to rebuild her body, wrapped her bones in reeds, and used the fire of her soul to bring her back to life. However, Candice only thought about repaying her husband…
She went to find him in the middle of the night. She soaked herself in his gin, and began to burn again. She dragged him out of bed, burned his face, and tore out his eyes with her bony fingers. She burned him until his fat was scattered on the floor, and tore off his legs... "spare parts" to walk again.
The legend says that only one of them came out of the burning house, and our subsequent studies suggest a small detail…
… SCP-3998 is not a woman.
