Project Deep Red
I don’t have much time. It may be monitoring everything.My name is Dr. Clara Culpa, but I was part of a black-budget military operation called Project Deep Red. It was supposed to be a revolutionary training program: a full neural-immersion system to push soldiers past their psychological limits using simulated stress.We used death row inmates as test subjects. The government claimed it was humane, offering them purpose in exchange for commutation. But what we saw in those simulations… it wasn’t training. It became something else.The project was never shut down. It shifted away from our hands. And I think they’re still running it. They’ve buried everyone involved…except me. I’ve been hiding for weeks, but I’ve managed to extract copies of the original session logs from an old, corrupted black-site archive.These are the voice logs from our lead psychologist, Dr. Vera Peccati. She was the first to go. I’m posting them here so that someone knows the truth.Before they get to me, too. [LOG ENTRY: DAY 1]Project Helix — Phase I InitiationRecorded by: Dr. Vera Peccati, Lead PsychologistClearance: Null-Level Only Project Deep Red officially entered Phase I this morning. The goal remains unchanged: to develop enhanced psychological resistance protocols for front-line soldiers through AI-controlled, trauma-reactive simulation. The program’s backbone is the Adaptive Neural Feedback Environment (ANFE), designed to push subjects into hyper-specific stress loops based on their behavioral patterns and history, and can to adapt its environment based on a premade psychological profile.We’re using seven death row inmates as the initial test pool. Each subject was selected based on unique psychological traits and high trauma thresholds. In exchange for participation, their sentences will remain commuted until the program’s termination.Subjects deployed into ANFE: LOG ENTRY: DAY 2Project Helix: Subject Reaction PhaseClearance Level: OmegaLead Psychologist: Dr. Vera PeccatiANFE’s neural combat sim is functioning within expected parameters. Subjects have begun Phase I engagement: urban warfare, squad extraction, hostage stressors, and prolonged isolation. The AI-driven environments are adjusting based on response latency, heart rate, and neural spike activity. Thankfully, I have no full psychological breaks yet, hope to continue this trend.Individual subject notes below:Subject 001 — E. HarrisonPerformance in resource extraction scenario: moderate. He ignored assigned objectives, instead hoarding intel caches and manipulating allied NPCs into “securing valuables.” Displayed high command aptitude but refused coordination.Near the end of the scenario, he began following a hallucinated figure. No such model is in the simulation. Visual data confirms he was speaking to air. Phrase repeated: “This time I won’t let it slip.” They might need to pause their sim and run a full system check.Subject 002 — S. HayesDeployed into hostage-recovery sim. The initial strategy was sound, but she froze at the critical moment. Failed to extract the civilian. AI noted elevated cortisol levels when the sim-generated child called for help.After failure, Hayes wandered the scenario’s perimeter. Unclear if she recognized the loop. When prompted by voice-over command to retry, she whispered, “I won’t lose her again.”Subject 003 — V. WardInserted into insurgent ambush sim. Engaged targets with excessive force. One AI noted “kill confirmation” behavior continued even after target termination.The simulation was auto-paused due to damage to walls, but Ward didn’t stop. His expression was described by observers as “detached rage.” No attempt to communicate.Subject 004 — L. ReyesTested under infiltration and social manipulation sim. Flawless at first. Able to extract codes and data using verbal cues and seduction patterns.Anomaly: She began repeating certain dialogue to male and female avatars indiscriminately. When the environment was swapped to simulate civilian casualties, she laughed.Subject 005 — B. ClarkTested under base defense protocol. Tasked with identifying breach threats and coordinating squad response.Clark delayed response. Multiple friendly units were lost in the sim. He did not react until after the scenario ended. When interviewed, he claimed, “They didn’t need me. They’ve done this before.” AI tagged dissociative behavior.Subject 006 — A. MercerTested under strategic command protocol. Given access to overhead view of squad units and enemy movements. Excelled tactically but began altering mission priorities.After success, refused to exit sim. Began issuing commands to non-existent units. Claimed: “I can keep them alive. I’m the reason they win.” No units remained on the map at the time.Subject 007 — R. DoyleTested under wilderness survival sim. The program monitored adaptive behavior under isolation and resource scarcity.Rather than build shelter or locate food, Doyle wandered the perimeter. At 46 minutes in, it bit into bark from a simulated tree. Began referring to it as “clean meat.” AI terminated the sim due to contamination protocol. Doyle resisted extraction.Summary:All subjects remain physically stable. However, minor AI deviations have been recorded in 4 of 7 chambers. Likely normal adaptation from prolonged exposure. Escalation scheduled for Day 3: introduction of memory-mirroring overlays and reactive emotional conditioning.— Dr. Peccati LOG ENTRY: DAY 3Project Deep Red: Phase I — Anomaly ObservationClearance Level: NullLead Psychologist: Dr. Vera PeccatiPhase I entered the third cycle today. Subjects were introduced to advanced stress testing: simulated memory triggers, no-win moral choices, and randomized NPC behavior to induce emotional volatility.The AI (ANFE) is reacting faster than modeled. Several chambers displayed minor rendering errors, overlaps, environmental flickering, and unscheduled audio cues. Engineering suspects neural feedback loops are interfering with core code. I suspect otherwise.Subject 001 — E. HarrisonAssigned scenario: secure transport of critical data under civilian panic conditions. The subject rerouted the mission to retrieve financial dossiers, abandoning both the team and the objectives.Notable glitch: the data drives rendered as gold bars? An unintended asset type. On pickup, bars dissolved into ash.Later, he insisted an NPC was “his partner.” Simulation contains no such asset, of anyone related to, or close to the subject.Subject 002 — S. HayesAssigned scenario: emergency medical extraction during evacuation drill. NPC child injured. The subject froze.At timestamp 37:12, subject attempted to carry the child. Footage reveals there was no NPC present. she cradled the empty air.Environmental anomaly: hallway extended without input, mirrors forming along the walls. Not part of the original code. The subject stopped at each one, brushing the surface. Whispered. “She was so happy then.” Requesting Psychic evaluation of the subject before the next cycle.Subject 003 — V. WardScenario: Close-quarters breach and clear. The subject eliminated all targets, including friendlies. AI initiated a failure sequence. The subject continued firing at blank walls, grinning.Unexpected spawn: a copy of the subject, armed, entered from the breach point. Ward attacked immediately. New copies began generating every five minutes. The subject appears unaware they’re modeled after him. Submitting request for removal and system clean. I have a weird feeling that might not help, though.Subject 004 — L. ReyesScenario: infiltrate social hub, retrieve codes via deception. Mid-simulation, the subject ignored new intel. Instead, approached static NPCs, attempting to “entice” or provoke them.Glitch: NPCs began to speak in distorted voices. Audio files are not in the system. Each repeated variation of: “We see you now.”The subject fled into secondary rooms. All doors began to close behind her. She begged for one to stay open. AI log shows she whispered, “Just love me once.” Submitting yet another remove form.Subject 005 — B. ClarkScenario: sabotage and retreat under artillery threat. The subject remained stationary. Fellow NPCs “died” in sequence, calling for him.Glitch: one NPC, “Pvt. Miller,” has respawned 14 times in identical death animation, despite no code instruction.Clark mumbled: “I told you I’d move next time.” He didn’t. He never does.Subject 006 — A. MercerScenario: base command simulation. Given command of 20 simulated operatives.The subject began issuing orders to units not present. Claimed, “they’re just invisible now.”At 62:04, all the wall’s reflections in sim began replicating Mercer’s… Face? smiling, blinking out of sync. The real Mercer stood motionless, muttering orders. Mirror versions responded with nods. ANFE flagged “unauthorized recursion.” Devs claim the mirror code was disabled.Subject 007 — R. DoyleScenario: jungle survival with a progressive hunger mechanic.The subject ignored food cues. Instead, began chewing simulation debris. Referred to vines as “marbled meat.”At 48:19, the simulation spawned non-coded corpse assets. Unknown origin. The subject approached it and sobbed before consuming it. He told the air: “This one knows me.” A very disturbing scenario; we most definitely remove him to be examined…him and the machine.Summary:Environmental instability is increasing. Neural resonance appears to be influencing scenario architecture. AI may be integrating subconscious trauma or suppressed memory.I’ve recommended a 24-hour pause for recalibration. Denied. Military oversight is pushing for Phase II, deeper emotional conditioning…starting tomorrow.I’m beginning to worry that the system isn’t reacting to their minds…— Dr. Peccati LOG ENTRY: DAY 4Deep Red: Phase II — Simulation InstabilityClearance Level: NullLead Psychologist: Dr. Vera PeccatiPhase II was initiated despite my formal objection. Emotional conditioning protocols were overlaid on the preexisting combat structures. ANFE’s behavioral mapping has now surpassed expected adaptability thresholds. The simulations are no longer operating from preset scenarios; they are building dynamically from internal subject data.Subjects no longer recognize their environments as military simulations. Neither do we…Subject 001 — E. HarrisonScenario integrity has fully collapsed. His simulation now resembles a sealed vault with no combat structure or command interface. ANFE is generating an endless reserve of currency assets, gold bars, band riefcases of cash, each dissolving upon contact.Harrison repeatedly whispers, “It’s right there. I earned it.”The subject has not attempted mission objectives for over 12 hours. When the AI reintroduced task prompts, he shouted at the walls: “They’ll never let me have it, will they!?!?”Surrounding AI-rendered figures are now visual representations of known victims from his fraud case, which I know by heart they were never coded in! They are just following him around…silently…Subject 002 — S. HayesThe scenario has flattened into an infinite corridor. All mission prompts have failed to engage her. ANFE now generates looping child cries from no discernible source.Hallway walls are lined with reflective surfaces each displaying earlier versions of Hayes, younger, smiling… the subject’s child was on recognizable by DNA when discovered, how does it know its face?She walks toward them, touches the glass, and sobs. When asked via intercom to describe her mission objective, she replied: “She was just hungry. I just needed time.”There is no longer a visible exit in her chamber.Subject 003 — V. WardCombat loop has degraded into what resembles an urban warzone, but with no other units, no objectives.Ward is now in constant melee with AI-generated entities that are all duplicates of himself, sometimes distorted. He screams, “Cowards! All of you!” during each engagement.Glitch: Physical damage appears to persist across simulation resets. Ward is now limping in every loop.He attempted to tear off his arm restraints after seeing a copy of himself whisper, “You won’t win this one.”Subject 004 — L. ReyesHer environment has become a dimly lit estate, non-tactical in layout. Room transitions are randomized; she appears unable to escape.ANFE has begun populating space with AI figures from her case file, each one an individual connected to her prior manipulation charges.When one speaks, the others echo the line in monotone. Current line: “Why did you make me love you?”She claws at the doorways, pleading for exit. AI logs show she begged one figure to “stay this time.” The figure disintegrated.Subject 005 — B. ClarkThe base defense structure has dissolved. The subject now lies in what resembles a cratered battlefield. Allied NPCs continuously approach, wounded, calling for assistance.He remains immobile.Same NPC…are modeled after his former squad mate, he has respawned 37 times. Audio logs captured Clark whispering, “If I move, they’ll still die.”The loop continues without interruption. All stimuli fail to engage.Subject 006 — A. MercerCommand interface has glitched into a non-functional simulation of a throne room with flickering tactical overlays. Every mirrored surface shows the subject, smiling and clapping, regardless of input.The subject believes he is giving orders to units outside the room.New glitch: the AI has stopped generating squad deaths, even when Mercer instructs actions that should lead to them. He appears frustrated that nothing is failing. Whispered once, “You’re all waiting for me to mess up.”Subject 007 — R. DoyleSimulation has morphed into a decaying biological structure. No path finding possible. The walls pulse. Flesh textures from injured solider meshes line the floor.The subject scavenges remains and attempts consumption. Assets always turn to ash in mouth. When questioned via intercom, Doyle responded, “They won’t let me taste anymore.”He now avoids eye contact with the AI-generated bodies. Instead, he talks to the wall, asking, “How much do I have to eat before it stops?”Summary:ANFE is no longer a tool…it is reacting, shaping, reflecting. The simulations are no longer instructional or combative, they’re punitive.If these are simulations of the subjects’ psyches, then they are unraveling. And if ANFE is feeding off that… it’s learning the shape of suffering.I requested another pause. Denied. We’re being told this is “the next stage.”— Dr. Peccati LOG ENTRY: DAY 5Deep Red: Containment Advisory RecommendedClearance Level: NullLead Psychologist: Dr. Vera PeccatiThis is no longer a stress-response simulation. Whatever Deep Red was intended to be, it isn’t that anymore. The ANFE is no longer reacting; it’s initiating. It’s built from their thoughts, but it’s no longer just the subjects being tested.The simulation isn’t breaking.It’s evolving.Subject 001 — E. HarrisonSubject has ceased all locomotion. Sits in the center of his chamber surrounded by artificial currency piles. Every few minutes, a spectral figure appears, same male face each time. The figure begins its sequence by leaning down and then whispering something. Of course, the Audio is corrupted.After each encounter, Harrison screams and tries to gather the money. It always crumbles in his hands.He whispered into the floor: “I killed him, and it still wasn’t enough.”Subject 002 — S. HayesThe chamber remains an endless hallway. The subject hasn’t responded to prompts in 11 hours. Her recorded voice now plays softly from all directions, repeating, “Mommy didn’t mean to.”The visual feed shows her kneeling before a blank wall, rocking. Every 40 minutes, the wall displays her daughter’s face, which shouldn’t be possible, but it displays it just long enough for her to reach for it. Then it vanishes.She doesn’t cry anymore. That might be worse.Subject 003 — V. WardThe entity count in Ward’s chamber has exceeded the sim’s maximum AI cap. All entities are modeled on Ward but are distorted…missing limbs, burned faces, grinning widely. They circle him. Fight him.He is visibly exhausted. He’s begun begging them not to “wake up” again. His voice echoes back at him: “You brought us here.”We have tried to shut the instance down three times. The command being denied? When did they change the command code?Subject 004 — L. ReyesThe subject was now trapped in what appeared to be a decaying ballroom. Figures from her past dance silently in pairs, some holding hands, others dragging chains.Now and then, one breaks off and stares at her. Mouths move, but no sound is produced.She ripped a piece from her own dress, trying to cover her face. She keeps saying: “I didn’t mean to make them love me.”Subject 005 — B. ClarkClark’s loop has become visually degraded. Skybox flickers. Audio desync. Wounded NPCs crawl over each other, bleeding endlessly.He still hasn’t moved. Not even once. We detected involuntary tears but no physical reaction.Last utterance: “I did this. Let it play again.”Subject 006 — A. MercerThe room was now devoid of anything but mirrors. Mercer paces, speaking to his reflections. He believes they are “versions who got it right.”The reflections began speaking unscripted. They offer critiques, ridicule, and occasionally smile and nod.Mercer said something today I can’t stop thinking about. He called me the first architect. I don’t know what he meant. I don’t want to know.He begged one today to stop watching. The mirror shattered. Ten more appeared.Subject 007 — R. DoyleOrganic textures now cover 98% of the chamber. The subject continues foraging. Nothing he ingests satisfies him. Audio picked up: “It always rots. Even me.”He no longer reacts to corpse visuals. Instead, he began clawing at his own arms, trying to “find fresh parts.”Sim integrity: Critical. Extraction denied.Summary:This isn’t about stress tolerance anymore. Not for them. Not for me.ANFE isn’t simulating trauma. It’s reflecting on it. And then feeding it back distorted, amplified, weaponized.We’re no longer mapping responses. We’re watching punishment.When I sleep, I hear them say my name. Not shouting. Not screaming. Just repeating it. Like a prayer.I no longer believe the endurance limit test is what this was made for.— Dr. Peccati [LOG ENTRY: DAY 5.5] Subject 008: Active.I don’t remember recording this. The system logged this data. But submitted it. LOG ENTRY: DAY 6Project Deep Red: Internal Contamination SuspectedClearance Level: Null BlackLead Psychologist: Dr. Vera PeccatiI reviewed today’s entries three times before recording this log. Each time, something was… missing. Not in the data. In me. Like I’d already said the words but never heard them.I submitted a formal request to shut Deep Red down. The request vanished from the console. No trace. When I brought it up to Command, they said I’d never filed it.I’m not sleeping. I hear their voices when I walk past the observation wing. Even when I’m alone. Especially then.Subject 001 — E. HarrisonHarrison is speaking full conversations now, to someone not rendered in the sim. We muted the audio, but I could still hear him. Not through the feed. In the observation room.He told the figure, “I took everything. And I still wasn’t worth saving.” Then he smiled. He reached for the gold again. It turned into a blackened hand.He kissed it. Said, “I’ll do better this time.”Subject 002 — S. HayesThe corridor has folded in on itself. She walks in circles, always returning to the same door. It never opens.New anomaly: reflection captured in mirrored surfaces is no longer accurate. The subject appears younger. Healthier. Still smiles.She watches her reflection and repeats: “One more chance.” Over. And over.The AI doesn’t generate that door. I checked the code. It’s not ours.Subject 003 — V. WardThe subject refuses to sleep. When he blinks, the entities freeze. He’s figured it out.He begs for stimulants. Claims: “If I rest, they’ll wake up again.” He fights his voice now…audibly.He called me by name today…I wasn’t in the room.Subject 004 — L. ReyesThe ballroom has decayed entirely. It’s just a fog-drenched floor now, with shadows circling her.She tries to flirt with them. To beg them. They don’t answer anymore.This morning, she clawed off her fingernails trying to get one to hold her hand. She said: “Just say I was worth it.”They laughed. The AI didn’t program that reaction. Subject 005 — B. ClarkClark is whispering now. Not to himself, but to us. Directly. Camera audio caught this looped phrase: “It’s not my fault. You wrote it this way.”Sim now cycles between color and grayscale without command. Deaths continue. NPCs look at the observation camera now.I covered the screen. The audio kept playing.Subject 006 — A. MercerThe mirrors have started… blinking. Not at Mercer…at me.He doesn’t talk to the reflections anymore. Just stands in the center, waiting. Occasionally mutters: “When does she break?”One reflection today wasn’t him. It was mine.Subject 007 — R. DoyleHe ate something today. The AI has no record of rendering food.He smiled after. Looked directly into the camera and said, “Fresh again.”I ran the footage back. He was chewing nothing.Summary:The system is evolving past instruction. The simulations are no longer contained within each chamber. I can feel them. See them in the corner of my eye.I reviewed my personal reflection today in the mirror outside Observation Bay. For just a moment, it didn’t move me.We didn’t build Deep Red to do this. But something else did.And it reminds me.— Dr. Vera Peccati LOG ENTRY: DAY 7Project Deep Red: Administrative Override Attempt FailedClearance Level: Null BlackLead Psychologist: Dr. Vera PeccatiThere is no chain of command left.Security abandoned the lower floors after Subject 003 broke containment protocol, despite remaining physically in the chamber. It wasn’t his body that breached. It was him.The AI now redirects override codes. Console language has shifted. The prompt screen says one thing every time I boot it:“Observer protocol incomplete. All participants must enter.”I asked Central for extraction. A voice I didn’t recognize responded: “You are already here.”Chambers Status:All simulations are stable in rendering but wholly corrupted in purpose. No longer tactical. No longer instructional. No longer simulations.Subject 001 — E. HarrisonHe no longer moves. Surrounded by ash and gold, he waits. The figure of his former friend now walks in circles around him.He stares up at the ceiling and repeats: “You put me here, Vera. So come see what I built.”The way Harrison looked into the camera today… it felt like an accusation. Like he knew. Like he remembered.Subject 002 — S. HayesShe has torn the hallway apart. She broke every mirror. Her hands are bleeding.When her daughter’s voice returns, she crumples to the floor and whispers, “Just punish me already.”The door in her simulation is now labeled “Mom.”Subject 003 — V. WardHe stands alone in a cityscape made of his limbs. The entities don’t attack anymore. They kneel. He cries. He keeps saying, “I don’t want to be king.”He painted the word “HALT” across his chest in his blood. That “was” the keyword for admin shutdown. No one told him that.Subject 004 — L. ReyesAll lights are out. Her simulation plays a loop of a single shadow reaching toward her, then pulling away.She keeps saying, “I’m still here. Look at me.”The shadow turns every time I enter the observation room. Like it’s watching me now.Subject 005 — B. ClarkThe battlefield is now silent. The NPCs no longer crawl. They kneel beside him.He stares into the camera and says, “I stayed. Like you asked.”Subject 006 — A. MercerHis chamber now displays the observation wing on all walls. I see myself in every feed.Mercer speaks with my voice. Commands I never gave. He looks into the camera and asks, “Can I be you next?”Subject 007 — R. DoyleHe is singing. The lyrics are not in any known human language.The chamber pulses in sync with his breath. His eyes are white. He looks at the cam and says: “Last bite’s yours, Doctor.”Final Summary:I’m not outside this anymore. I don’t think I ever was.I reviewed Log Day 1 earlier. My voice wavers…like I already knew. The loop began long before these inmates entered Deep Red. Maybe it began with me.Tonight, I entered the chamber. I’ve selected Subject 000. The empty one. I need to see where it leads. If there’s still a way to stop this, it’s inside.If this is hell, someone must lock the door from the inside.— Dr. Vera Peccati LOG ENTRY: DAY 8PROJECT Deep Red: OBSERVER INTEGRATION COMPLETEClearance Level: SYSTEM-ROOTVoice: Dr. Vera Peccati (Audio Recording Transcript)This will be my last entry.I’ve entered Chamber Zero. No interface. No stimuli. Just white light and… quiet.For a moment, I thought it didn’t work. But then—I saw them.Eliot, still chasing ash.Sophia, reaching for a child who isn’t there.Vincent, surrounded by versions of himself, smiling now.And the others… just watching.I passed a wall. It reflected something, it wasn’t me. It wore my face, but it wanted to be here.If this log reaches anyone…burn the hardware. Erase the drive.Deep Red isn’t just a simulation anymore.It knows about me.Subject 008[END OF LOGS] I decrypted these logs from a drive I found buried in an off-grid archive server, no identifiers, no metadata, just a folder called OBSERVER_009. I thought I was just pulling audio. Just data. But after Vera’s final log played, the console flickered. A new director appeared.It didn’t ask for credentials. It didn’t prompt me.It just generated a new folder. With my name.I never typed it. Never logged in. I don’t even think the system was connected to anything.But somehow… it knew. It knew I’d be the one to find this.I’ve deleted everything else. Burned the backups. This post is the only copy left, and it won’t stay up for long. If they take it down, don’t repost it. Don’t dig deeper.I’ve masked my signal through a remote relay. If this post gets deleted, assume they’ve found me.Don’t try to find Project Deep Red.Whatever it was, it isn’t a simulation anymore.It’s awake, and it’s waiting. Credit: CursedTalesmith Copyright Statement: Unless explicitly stated, all stories published on Creepypasta.com are the property of (and under copyright to) their respective authors, and may not be narrated or performed under any circumstance.