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We Went to a Lunar Base. The Moon is Horrifying. · Creepy Stories to Fall Asleep To

0:00
The call came at 3:00 in the morning.
0:03
I was up anyway, staring at the ceiling, my mind running through
0:07
flight simulations and emergency protocols.
0:11
The phone rang twice before I grabbed it, Greg Nunes speaking.
0:16
Mr. Nunes, this is Riverside Care Center.
0:21
The woman's voice was practiced, gentle.
0:24
I'm sorry to inform you that your father passed away about an
0:27
hour ago. I sat up, swinging my legs over
0:31
the side of the bed. The words hit me, but not as
0:35
hard as I'd expected. Dad had been slipping away for
0:38
years. Was he?
0:41
I cleared my throat. Was anyone with him?
0:45
The night nurse was there. He went peacefully in his sleep.
0:49
I thanked her, promised to come by in the morning, and hung up.
0:54
The room felt too quiet. I looked at the framed photo on
0:57
my night stand, Dad and his NASA uniform arm around my 10 year
1:02
old shoulders, both of us squinting into the sun, his face
1:06
still strong, then his mind still sharp.
1:10
That wasn't the father I'd known these past few years.
1:14
The care facility had boxed up his belongings, 2 cardboard
1:19
containers for 78 years of life. I signed the paperwork and
1:23
carried them to my car, surprised by how light they
1:26
felt. Back at my apartment I sorted
1:30
through the 1st box, his watch, a dog eared copy of the Right
1:35
Stuff, a photo album with pictures of mom before cancer
1:39
took her. The second box held clothes
1:43
mostly, and a small wooden case that contained his NASA pins and
1:47
metals. At the bottom I found a sealed
1:50
Manila envelope with my name written on it in shaky
1:53
handwriting. I tore it open and pulled out a
1:57
single sheet of paper with lunar coordinates written in Dad's
2:00
precise engineer's script, followed by a note.
2:04
Greg, if you're reading this, I'm gone.
2:08
These coordinates mark a structure on the far side of the
2:11
moon. We found it in 72, but were
2:14
ordered never to speak of it. They called it Watchtower.
2:18
There's something inside that isn't from Earth.
2:21
It got into Jenkins head, then Martinez.
2:24
Stay away from these coordinates.
2:26
Whatever you do, don't go inside.
2:30
I read it twice then set it down.
2:33
Dad's dementia had worsened over the last two years.
2:36
He'd become increasingly paranoid, mixing up his actual
2:40
lunar mission with conspiracy theories and science fiction.
2:44
This was just more of the same, the ramblings of a mind coming
2:48
undone. I folded the note and slipped it
2:52
into my desk drawer. Dad deserved better than to have
2:56
his illness define him. I'd remember him as he was
3:00
before. The astronaut, the hero, the man
3:05
who taught me to look up at the stars. 6 months later I stood in
3:10
the pre launch briefing room listening to Commander Rita
3:13
Garson run through our final checklist for Artemis 7.
3:18
Nunez, you're on landing systems and secondary NAV.
3:22
She said, her eyes meeting mine. Any concerns?
3:26
No, Commander systems are green across the board.
3:30
She nodded, turning to the others.
3:32
Doctor Patel, medical and primary science.
3:36
Dylan engineering and habitat systems, Leo communications and
3:41
surface mapping. We touched down and Mayor
3:44
Christiam in 72 hours. Let's bring back something worth
3:47
the trip. We broke for our final equipment
3:50
checks. As I walked out, Leo caught up
3:53
to me. First time on the moon, Nunez.
3:57
Nervous, I shook my head. Just ready to get up there.
4:03
Following in the old man's footsteps, huh?
4:07
Something like that. Leo meant well, but he didn't
4:10
understand. This wasn't about Dad, This was
4:14
about proving I belonged here on my own merits.
4:18
The launch went perfectly. Three days later, we made our
4:22
descent to the lunar surface, the habitat module touching down
4:26
with barely a bump through the viewport.
4:30
The Gray landscape stretched out, beautiful in its
4:33
desolation. Nice flying Nunez, Rita said,
4:38
clapping me on the shoulder. We spent the first 48 hours
4:42
setting up our outpost, unpacking equipment, running
4:46
system checks, establishing our communication relay with
4:49
Houston. On the third day, Reader
4:53
assigned me and Dylan to conduct our first surface survey, 2
4:57
kilometer radius, she instructed.
5:00
Map any features of interest. Collect preliminary samples.
5:03
Standard protocol. We suited up and stepped out
5:07
onto the powdery surface. The earth hung like a blue
5:10
marble in the black sky. Even after all the simulator
5:15
training, nothing prepared me for that view.
5:19
Let's head E 1st, Dylan suggested, pointing toward a
5:23
small crater. We worked methodically, taking
5:27
samples and marking waypoints. About 90 minutes in, as we
5:31
crested a gentle rise, I spotted something that didn't belong.
5:36
A metallic glint catching the sunlight.
5:40
Dylan, you see that? I pointed.
5:43
He adjusted his position. Yeah, what is that?
5:48
We moved closer. The object was partially buried
5:51
in regolith, but it's artificial nature was unmistakable.
5:55
A curved structure with what looked like a flat panel on one
5:58
side Could be debris from an old mission.
6:03
Dylan said, already taking readings.
6:06
Russian, maybe. I checked our position on the
6:10
NAV system and my blood went cold.
6:13
The coordinates matched. Not exactly, but close enough,
6:18
within 100 meters of the numbers Dad had written down.
6:22
We should report this, I said, my mouth suddenly dry.
6:26
Back at the habitat, Rita studied our images with Doctor
6:29
Patel and Leo crowded around the display.
6:33
Definitely artificial, Rita said, and definitely not on any
6:37
of our charts. Soviet Lunicod, maybe?
6:41
Leo suggested. They had several failed missions
6:44
they never reported. Rita, turn to me.
6:49
What do you think, Nunes? You've got that look.
6:52
I hesitated. How could I explain a
6:55
coincidence this precise that my dementia addled father had
6:59
somehow known about this structure?
7:03
Just surprised I said. It's not in any of the survey
7:07
data. Well, we're here to find what
7:10
others missed. Rita straightened up.
7:14
We'll check it out tomorrow. Nunez, you and I will go with
7:17
Doctor Patel. Dylan and Leo will monitor from
7:20
here. That night I lay awake in my
7:24
bunk, Dad's warning playing in my mind.
7:28
Stay away from these coordinates.
7:30
Don't go inside. But how could he have known?
7:35
The dementia had started years before he died.
7:39
This had to be some bizarre coincidence.
7:41
Or maybe he'd heard rumors from other NASA old timers about an
7:45
undocumented Soviet probe. I should tell Rita about the
7:49
note. But what would I say?
7:52
That my mentally ill father left me lunar coordinates that
7:56
happened to match our discovery. She'd question my stability,
8:00
maybe even my place on the mission.
8:03
The next morning, we suited up in silence.
8:07
As Rita checked Doctor Patel's oxygen levels, she caught my
8:10
eye. You good, Nunez, you seem
8:14
distracted. I'm fine, just focused on the
8:17
task. We set out across the lunar
8:21
surface, following the path Dylan and I had mapped the day
8:24
before. With each step toward the
8:27
coordinates, Dad's warning grew louder in my head.
8:32
Structures just over this rise, I said, pointing ahead.
8:37
As we approached, the object came fully into view, larger
8:41
than it had appeared yesterday, with more of its surface
8:44
exposed. It wasn't random debris.
8:48
The design was too intentional, too precise.
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That's no Soviet probe, Rita said, her voice tight with
8:56
excitement. Look at the construction.
8:59
The materials. Doctor Patel moved forward,
9:03
scanner in hand. I'm not getting any radiation.
9:07
Structure appears stable. I hung back, watching them
9:12
circle what looked increasingly like an entrance of some kind.
9:17
Dad's words echoed in my mind. There's something inside that
9:22
isn't from Earth. Nunez, come look at this, Rita
9:27
called. I forced myself to move forward,
9:31
fighting the growing sense of dread that tightened my chest.
9:35
The coincidence was too exact to ignore.
9:39
Somehow Dad had known, and he had warned me to stay away.
9:44
Should I tell them? I wondered, as I approached the
9:48
structure. Or am I just carrying forward my
9:52
father's delusions? Rita pointed at markings near
9:56
what appeared to be a sealed doorway.
9:59
What do you make of this? I had to decide right now
10:04
whether to share what I knew or keep it to myself.
10:07
As we stood at the threshold of whatever waited inside, I looked
10:11
closer at the structure and froze.
10:15
This wasn't some alien artifact. The curved section wasn't a
10:19
mysterious design element. It was an airlock.
10:22
An American airlock with NASA markings partially covered by
10:25
lunar dust. Commander, I said, my voice
10:30
tight. This is ours.
10:33
Rita Crouch next to me, brushing away more of the Gray powder
10:37
with her gloved hand. The metal underneath caught the
10:40
harsh sunlight, revealing faded but unmistakable red, white, and
10:44
blue Insignia. That's impossible, she muttered.
10:49
But the evidence was right in front of us.
10:52
There's no record of any permanent structure built here.
10:57
Doctor Patel joined us, her helmet tilting as she examined
11:00
the panel. The design looks like late
11:04
Apollo era technology, but more advanced.
11:07
She ran her scanner over the surface.
11:10
There's an active power source inside.
11:13
Minimal, but definitely functioning.
11:15
Rita stood up, decision made. We're going in, Patel, Can you
11:22
access the entry controls? I think so.
11:26
Doctor. Patel moved to what looked like
11:28
a control panel and studied it. It's locked, but the interface
11:33
is compatible with our systems. She connected her wrist computer
11:37
to the panel with a thin cable. I can attempt to override it.
11:43
I hesitated. Commander, we should report this
11:47
first. Houston needs to know.
11:49
We will. Rita cut me off after we confirm
11:53
what we're dealing with. Her tone left no room for
11:57
argument. Doctor Patel's fingers worked
11:59
quickly across her wrist display.
12:02
I've got it. She announced after a few
12:05
minutes initiating override sequence.
12:08
The panel lit up with a series of green lights.
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A deep mechanical groan echo through our comms as the airlock
12:16
door slowly slid open, revealing a dark chamber beyond.
12:21
Suit lights on. Rita ordered, stepping forward.
12:26
Stay close. We entered the airlock, our
12:30
helmet lights cutting through the darkness.
12:32
The outer door sealed behind us with a heavy thud that I felt
12:36
through my boots. A control panel inside glowed
12:39
with dim red lights. Rita pressed a sequence of
12:43
buttons and I heard the hiss of air being pumped into the
12:47
chamber. Pressure equalizing, Doctor
12:51
Patel said, checking her readings.
12:54
Oxygen levels rising to 21%, temperature increasing to 68°F.
13:03
That's impossible, I said. After all these years, someone's
13:07
been maintaining this, Rita replied, her voice tense.
13:13
When the cycle completed, a green light appeared above an
13:16
inner door. Rita looked at both of us.
13:21
Environmental readings check out.
13:23
We can remove our helmets, but keep them handy.
13:27
She unsealed her helmet first, lifting it off carefully.
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I watched her take a cautious breath, then another when she
13:36
didn't immediately collapse. Doctor Patel and I followed
13:40
suit. The air smelled stale and
13:42
metallic, but breathable. We need to report this now.
13:48
I said, feeling the weight of my father's warning pressing on me.
13:53
This has to be classified. We need clearance to proceed.
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Rita shook her head. Communications might not work
14:01
from inside here. We'll explore first, then report
14:05
back with complete findings. Her eyes narrowed.
14:09
That's an order, Nunez. I wanted to argue, but kept
14:13
quiet. Rita pressed a panel beside the
14:16
inner door, which slid open to reveal a corridor stretching
14:20
Into Darkness. Our lights revealed a facility
14:23
that extended deep underground. Metal walls lined with conduits
14:28
and pipes. Dust covered floors with boot
14:31
prints preserved from decades ago.
14:34
The air felt heavy, like walking through an abandoned museum
14:38
after hours. Look at this, Doctor, Patel
14:42
said, pointing to a doorway. This place was evacuated in a
14:46
hurry. She was right.
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Personal items lay scattered everywhere, coffee mugs on
14:54
desks, jackets thrown over chairs, papers strewn across
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floors. In one room that looked like a
15:00
break area, playing cards were still laid out mid game, as if
15:04
the players had suddenly gotten up and never returned.
15:08
What is that? Rita asked, her light catching
15:11
something on the wall. I moved closer and felt my
15:14
stomach tighten. Dark brown stains splashed
15:17
across the metal wall. Blood, I said quietly.
15:22
Old blood. Doctor Patel examined it without
15:26
touching. Decades old, by the look of it.
15:30
We continue deeper into the facility.
15:33
Each new room revealed more signs of hasty abandonment and
15:37
violence. A medical Bay with overturned
15:40
gurneys, a dormitory with bed sheets torn to shreds, and most
15:45
disturbing of all, deep gouges and metal doors and walls that
15:49
looked like claw marks. What could do this, Doctor?
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Patel whispered, running her fingers along one of the gouges.
15:57
These are cut into solid steel. Rita didn't answer, her face
16:02
grim as she LED us forward. We reached what appeared to be a
16:07
central command center. Dust covered monitors lined the
16:11
walls, and in the center sat a large terminal that still had
16:15
power lights blinking. Nunez, see if you can access any
16:20
information. Rita ordered.
16:24
I sat at the terminal, brushing away dust from the keyboard.
16:28
The system came to life with surprising ease.
16:32
It's still operational. I said, navigating through the
16:35
interface. These are logs dating back to
16:39
1972. That's impossible, Doctor Patel
16:44
said, looking over my shoulder. But the date stamps didn't lie.
16:50
I opened the earliest entry. July 16th, 1972.
16:55
Watchtower Base Established Personnel Commander James
16:59
Jenkins, Doctor Elena Martinez, Lutheran Robert Dawson,
17:03
Specialists Keller and Wu, mission parameters classified
17:08
Black project to monitor Soviet lunar activities from far side
17:11
position. Watchtower.
17:14
My father's note hadn't been delusion after all.
17:18
Keep reading, Rita urged. I scrolled through logs
17:22
detailing the base construction, routine operations, and
17:25
surveillance activities. Then the entries changed.
17:29
August 30th, 1972. Specialist Wu reported unusual
17:34
sounds in the lower level. Investigation found nothing
17:38
possible. Equipment malfunction.
17:41
September 3rd, 1972 Doctor Martinez discovered unusual
17:46
material in rock samples from nearby crater.
17:49
Properties unknown. Further testing required.
17:53
September 10th, 1972 Lethet Dawson found unconscious near
17:58
sample storage. Claims to have seen someone
18:01
watching him. Medical evaluation shows stress
18:04
induced hallucination. The entries grew more
18:07
disturbing. September 15th, 1972 Specialist
18:12
Keller missing for six hours found disoriented and
18:16
maintenance shaft, no memory of how he got there.
18:19
September 18th, 1972, Commander Jenkins implementing buddy
18:24
system. No one travels alone in the
18:26
base. Then I reached the final entry,
18:29
dated September 21st, 1972. The text was fragmented, as if
18:35
typed in a hurry. It's in the walls.
18:39
We can't see it, but it sees us. Martinez says it feeds on the
18:43
entry, cut off abruptly. That's it?
18:46
Rita asked. I tried accessing more files.
18:50
That's the last log entry. There's nothing after that date.
18:54
A heavy silence fell over us. I thought about my father's
18:58
warning. He must have known about this
19:00
place, known what happened here. We need to leave, I said,
19:05
pushing back from the terminal Now.
19:09
As if responding to my words, the lights in the room flickered
19:13
once, twice, then stabilized. Just power fluctuations, Doctor
19:19
Patel said, but her voice wavered.
19:23
The coffee mug on a nearby desk suddenly slid across the
19:25
surface, as if pushed by an invisible hand.
19:30
All three of us stared at it. That was just Doctor.
19:35
Patel began, but couldn't finish.
19:39
The walls around us started to make a low vibrating sound, not
19:43
mechanical, more like a hum that seemed to come from the metal
19:47
itself. The pitch rose slowly, becoming
19:50
more intense. We're leaving.
19:53
I said, standing up right now. This time, Rita didn't argue
20:00
back the way we came. Stay together.
20:03
We hurried back into the corridor, but something felt
20:06
wrong. The hallway seemed longer than
20:09
before, with different doorways than I remembered.
20:12
This isn't right. I said, slowing down.
20:17
We came from that direction. No, it was this way.
20:21
Rita insisted, pointing to another corridor.
20:25
Doctor Patel checked her wrist computer.
20:28
The scanner can't map properly. Something's interfering with the
20:32
signals. We tried another hallway, then
20:36
another. Each one looked similar, but
20:39
slightly different from what we remembered.
20:42
The humming in the walls grew louder.
20:45
We're going in circles, Doctor Patel said, her voice rising
20:49
with panic. Stay calm, Rita ordered.
20:55
We just need to. A loud bang echoed from
20:58
somewhere ahead of us. Then another, closer this time.
21:03
What is that, Doctor? Patel whispered.
21:07
We froze, listening. The corridor ahead was dark,
21:11
except for our lights. Something moved in the shadows,
21:14
just a flicker of movement at the edge of visibility.
21:19
Hello. Rita called out.
21:22
No response. We moved forward cautiously.
21:28
The corridor opened into a larger room we hadn't seen
21:30
before. Our lights swept across
21:33
abandoned equipment and overturned furniture.
21:36
I don't like this, Doctor Patel said, staying close to me.
21:41
Something's wrong with this place.
21:44
The humming stopped abruptly. The silence that followed felt
21:48
worse somehow. Let's keep moving, Rita said.
21:52
The airlock has to be. A loud crash came from a room to
21:56
our right. Doctor Patel jumped, moving
21:59
toward the doorway. Don't, I warned, but she was
22:03
already shining her light inside.
22:06
I think I see something, she said, taking another step
22:10
forward. It happened so fast I barely
22:13
registered it. One moment Doctor Patel was
22:16
standing in the doorway, the next she was yanked violently
22:20
into the darkness. A startled cry cut short as the
22:23
heavy metal door slams shut behind her.
22:27
Rita lunged for the door, pulling at the handle.
22:30
Patel. She shouted, pounding on the
22:32
metal. Patel, can you hear me?
22:36
I heard Doctor Patel scream once from behind the door, a sound of
22:40
pure terror that made my blood freeze.
22:42
And then silence. Complete, terrible silence.
22:47
Doctor Patel's scream stopped so suddenly it made my skin crawl.
22:52
The silence that followed was worse than any noise could have
22:54
been. Patel.
22:58
Rita pounded on the door, her fist making hollow thuds against
23:01
the metal. Patel, answer me.
23:05
Nothing, just dead air. Rita tried the handle again,
23:10
putting her shoulder into it. The door didn't budget.
23:14
She kicked it hard, once, twice, but it held firm.
23:18
We need to get back to the others.
23:20
I said, my voice sounding thin in the stale air.
23:24
Get some tools, maybe a portable torch to cut through.
23:28
Rita stared at the door for a long moment, her face hard to
23:32
read in the dim light. Finally, she nodded.
23:37
You're right, we need equipment. She backed away from the door,
23:42
her eyes lingering on it. Mark this location, we'll come
23:47
back for her. I pulled out a light marker from
23:50
my suit pocket and then made a large X on the wall beside the
23:54
door. The phosphorescent paint glowed
23:57
eerily in the darkness. We backtracked as best we could,
24:02
following our own footprints in the dust.
24:04
When visible. The corridors seemed different
24:08
somehow, longer in places with turns I didn't remember taking.
24:13
On our way in, Rita kept checking her wrist computer,
24:18
muttering under her breath as the display flickered.
24:22
Signals completely scrambled, she said.
24:25
Navigation's useless in here. After what felt like an hour of
24:30
walking, we finally reached the central command center.
24:35
The room looked exactly as we left it, monitors covered in
24:38
dust, the single operational terminal still glowing with its
24:42
eerie blue light. But Dylan and Leo weren't there.
24:48
They were supposed to wait here, Rita said, moving quickly to the
24:52
com station. Miller Morris Report I checked
24:57
the doorways, looking for signs of which way they might have
25:00
gone. Maybe they went looking for us.
25:03
When we didn't come back, Rita tried the radio again.
25:08
Bass module, this is Commander Willis.
25:10
Do you copy? She adjusted some settings,
25:14
tried again. Bass module respond.
25:18
Static filled the room, not even the crackle of an open channel,
25:22
just dead air. Something's blocking the signal.
25:27
I said, moving to stand beside her.
25:30
Or the equipment's failing. Rita's jaw tightened.
25:34
We need to find a way out now. We gathered what we could.
25:39
Extra light markers, a tool kit someone had left behind, a first
25:44
aid pack. Rita found a handheld torch that
25:47
still worked, it's beam cutting through the darkness better than
25:51
our suit lights. We mark every junction.
25:55
She said as we headed out. Every turn, every doorway we
25:59
pass through. I don't want to end up going in
26:02
circles. I nodded, pulling out the light
26:06
markers at each intersection. I placed one on the wall,
26:12
drawing arrows to show our direction.
26:15
The base felt massive now, much larger than it had appeared from
26:19
outside. Corridors stretched on longer
26:23
than seemed possible for a lunar installation.
26:27
This doesn't make sense, I said. After we've been walking for 20
26:30
minutes. We should have reached the
26:33
airlock by now. Rita stopped, shining her light
26:37
down yet another identical corridor.
26:41
It's like the place is changing. I didn't want to admit she was
26:46
right, but I'd been thinking the same thing.
26:50
Doorways that should have led to the airlock instead opened into
26:54
storage rooms or empty quarters. Windows that should have shown
26:59
the lunar surface revealed only darkness.
27:02
In what looked like a crew dormitory, I found something
27:06
that made my blood run cold. The walls were covered in
27:10
frantic writing, some in marker, some scratch directly into the
27:14
metal, and some some written in what could only be dried blood.
27:20
Rita, I called softly. You need to see this.
27:25
She came over, her light joining mine on the wall.
27:29
Among the scribbled equations and fragmented sentences, 3
27:32
words stood out, written larger than the rest in rusty brown.
27:37
It feeds on fear. Jesus, Rita whispered.
27:42
What happened here? I ran my fingers over another
27:46
section of writing. They were trying to map the
27:49
place. Look at these diagrams.
27:52
They don't match up. Like they were trying to make
27:54
sense of a space that kept changing.
27:58
Rita stepped back, her light sweeping across the room.
28:02
We need to keep moving. As we continued through the
28:05
base, Rita grew increasingly agitated.
28:09
She'd stop suddenly, turning to shine her light into empty
28:13
corners. Did you see that?
28:16
She asked for the third time in 10 minutes.
28:20
I looked where she was pointing. Nothing but shadows.
28:24
See what? Something moved right there.
28:29
She pulled her sidearm, standard issue for mission commanders,
28:32
and held it. Ready, Rita?
28:35
There's nothing there. Her eyes were wide, darting from
28:39
shadow to shadow. I know what I saw.
28:44
We kept going, but Rita's behavior became more erratic.
28:48
She'd mutter to herself, jump at small noises, and keep her
28:52
weapon drawn. At 1 junction, she suddenly
28:55
fired at the ceiling, the shot deafeningly loud in the enclosed
28:59
space. What the hell?
29:03
I shouted, my ears ringing. It was right there.
29:07
She yelled back, firing again at nothing I could see.
29:11
I grabbed her arm. Rita, stop your wasting
29:14
ammunition. She yanked away from me, her
29:17
eyes wild. Don't touch me, don't you see
29:20
them? They're everywhere.
29:23
Before I could respond, she took off running down the corridor,
29:27
her light bouncing wildly as she went.
29:31
Rita. I shouted, running after her.
29:33
Rita, wait. But she was faster, and when I
29:38
reached the next junction, she was gone. 3 corridors branched
29:43
off in different directions, with no way to tell which one
29:46
she'd taken. Rita.
29:49
I called again, my voice echoing back at me.
29:52
Nothing. I was alone.
29:55
I leaned against the wall, trying to steady my breathing.
29:59
Panic clawed at the edges of my mind, but I pushed it down.
30:04
My father's voice came to me then, clear, as if he were
30:06
standing beside me. Fear is a choice, son.
30:11
When everything goes to hell, remember that fear is a choice.
30:18
He told me that after my first simulator crashed during
30:20
training, I'd frozen up, Let the fear take over.
30:25
He'd made me get right back in and try again.
30:28
Fear is a choice. I repeat it aloud, my voice
30:31
steadier. I placed another marker on the
30:34
wall and chose the right corridor, moving forward
30:38
methodically. I had to find the airlock, had
30:42
to get back to the module and call for help.
30:46
As I walked, I became aware of something following me.
30:50
Not footsteps exactly, but a presence, a weight in the air
30:54
behind me. Each time I turn to look, there
30:57
was nothing there, just empty corridor.
31:01
But the moment I started walking again and feel it, watching,
31:05
following, waiting, I kept moving, trying different paths,
31:10
marking my way, the feeling grew stronger.
31:14
Sometimes from behind, sometimes from beside me.
31:19
Once I swore I saw something dart across the corridor ahead,
31:24
a shadow darker than the surrounding darkness.
31:27
Fear is a choice, I whispered to myself.
31:31
After what felt like hours, I spotted a familiar marking on
31:35
the wall, an official NASA directional sign pointing toward
31:40
airlock A3. Hope surged through me as I
31:44
followed it, moving faster now. The corridor widened, and ahead
31:49
I could make out the distinctive shape of an airlock door.
31:53
I was almost running by the time I reached it, my hand reaching
31:57
for the control panel. That's when the temperature
32:00
dropped. The air turned so cold my breath
32:03
fogged in front of my face. The lights flickered once,
32:08
twice, then stabilized at a dim glow, and something stepped out
32:13
of the shadows in front of the airlock.
32:16
At first glance it looked human, the rough shape and size of a
32:20
person. But as it moved into the light,
32:24
I saw that it wasn't human at all.
32:27
Its body seemed to absorb the light around it, a silhouette of
32:30
perfect darkness. Where a face should have been,
32:34
there was only a deeper void. And then it smiled.
32:39
The grin spread impossibly wide across the featureless face, a
32:44
Crescent of terrible whiteness that had no right to exist.
32:48
It wasn't made of teeth. I don't know what it was made
32:51
of, just a curved slash of white against absolute darkness.
32:57
And as I stood there, frozen in place, I understood exactly what
33:03
my father had been warning me about all along.
33:06
I stared at the shadow figure blocking the airlock.
33:10
The thing had no face, just a void of perfect darkness where
33:14
features should be. Then that impossible Crescent
33:18
smile appeared, stretching wider than any human mouth could.
33:24
I thought of my father. How many nights had he woken up
33:28
screaming about this very thing? How many times had the doctors
33:33
dismissed him as delusional? All those years we thought it
33:37
was dementia, but he'd been telling the truth.
33:42
My heart hammered against my ribs.
33:45
Every instinct screamed at me to run.
33:48
But run where this place twisted and changed.
33:52
Rita was gone. Patel was gone.
33:56
There was only one way out. You took my father from me, I
34:00
said, my voice shaking. You broke his mind.
34:05
The smile widened. I took a deep breath and did
34:08
something crazy. I stepped forward.
34:12
You want me to be afraid? I forced to laugh.
34:16
It came out strangled and artificial.
34:19
Is that what you want? The shadows seem to waver, like
34:23
smoke disturbed by a breeze. I laughed again, louder this
34:27
time. My father was afraid for years.
34:31
You fed on that, didn't you? But I'm not giving you that
34:34
satisfaction. Each step forward felt like
34:38
pushing against a wall of ice. My fake laughter echoed through
34:42
the corridor. The thing's edges blurred,
34:45
becoming less defined. You're nothing, I said, still
34:49
laughing. Just a shadow.
34:51
Just a bad dream. I was close enough now to walk
34:55
through it. The shadow pulled back slightly,
34:58
it's smile faltering. I kept laughing, harsh mocking
35:03
sounds that hurt my throat and pushed forward.
35:08
The cold intensified as I stepped through the entity.
35:12
It felt like plunging into Arctic water, stealing my
35:14
breath. But I kept moving, kept
35:18
laughing, even as my teeth chattered.
35:22
I wouldn't give in to fear, not now.
35:25
The airlock was right where we'd entered hours earlier.
35:29
I punched the control panel with trembling fingers.
35:33
The outer door slid open, and I stumbled inside.
35:37
Through the interior window, I saw the shadow watching me.
35:41
Its grin returned, stretching wider than before, curving
35:45
almost to where ears would be on a human face.
35:48
I turned away, focusing on sealing my helmet and checking
35:52
my oxygen levels. My hands shook so badly I could
35:55
barely manage the connections. The shadow pressed against the
35:59
glass, it's darkness seeming to seep through the edges of the
36:02
window frame. You can't have me.
36:06
I whispered, still forcing out broken laughs between words.
36:12
I cycled the airlock as air hissed out of the chamber.
36:16
The shadows form rippled like a flag in strong wind.
36:20
The outer door open to the lunar landscape and I stumbled out
36:24
onto the dusty surface. The habitat module stood 1/2
36:29
mile away, its white bulk gleaming in the harsh sunlight.
36:33
I started walking, then running as much as the low gravity
36:37
allowed. I didn't look back, couldn't
36:40
look back. A laugh burst from my lips, then
36:44
another, and another. I couldn't stop.
36:50
Even as I reached the habitat and pounded on the airlocked
36:52
door, the laughter kept coming. It wasn't forced anymore.
36:57
It poured out of me and waves I couldn't control.
37:01
I made it inside. Somehow I remember Dylan's
37:05
shocked face as he helped me remove my helmet.
37:09
I remember trying to tell him about Rita and Patel, but only
37:13
laughter came out. I remembered his growing horror
37:17
as I laughed and laughed and laughed.
37:21
The next three days passed in fragments, moments of clarity
37:25
punctuated by uncontrollable fits of laughter.
37:30
I tried to explain what happened, tried to warn them
37:33
about the structure, but they sedated me.
37:36
When my laughter turned to screaming, I remember the rescue
37:40
shuttle arriving, the medical team strapping me to a Gurney,
37:45
the concerned faces hovering above me.
37:47
There, whispered conversations, complete psychotic break.
37:53
Just like the commander and Doctor Patel.
37:56
We found no trace of them. The structure was empty.
38:01
I wanted to tell them it wasn't empty.
38:04
It was never empty, but all that came out was more laughter.
38:10
Back on earth, they put me in a private room at a psychiatric
38:13
facility outside Houston. White walls, soft furniture,
38:18
locked windows. The doctors asked questions I
38:21
couldn't answer without dissolving into hysterical
38:23
laughter. They gave me a notebook when I
38:28
couldn't speak. I wrote page after page of
38:31
everything I'd seen. The abandoned base, the logs
38:35
from 1972, the blood on the walls, the message.
38:40
It feeds on fear. I wrote about Rita firing at
38:44
shadows, about Patel being dragged Into Darkness, about the
38:49
entity at the airlock with its impossible smile.
38:53
No one believed me. They nodded and made notes about
38:56
persistent delusions and trauma response, but they took my
39:01
notebook away when I wasn't looking.
39:04
And later a man in a dark suit visited.
39:07
He never gave his name, just asked questions about what I'd
39:11
seen inside the structure. 2 weeks later, a NASA official
39:16
made a brief statement. The Artemis 7th landing site had
39:19
been declared off limits due to geological instability.
39:24
No mention of Watchtower Base, no mention of Rita or Patel.
39:29
Just a restricted zone on official lunar maps.
39:33
The laughter eventually subsided, replaced by a hollow
39:36
feeling I couldn't shake. The doctors called it progress.
39:41
They reduced my medications, talked about reintegration and
39:45
coping strategies. But I knew better.
39:50
The entity was still there, waiting in that twisted base
39:53
beneath the lunar surface, waiting for more visitors, more
39:57
fear to feed on. And it wasn't just there.
40:02
The first night I saw it in my room, I thought it was a
40:05
medication side effect, a dark shape standing in the corner
40:10
watching me. But when that familiar Crescent
40:14
smile appeared, glowing faintly in the darkness, I knew it had
40:21
followed me home. Every night since.
40:24
It stands there, sometimes for minutes, sometimes for hours,
40:29
just watching, waiting for my fear to return.
40:33
I keep a small light on now. I've learned not to look
40:37
directly at the corner where it stands, and when I feel that
40:41
cold presence, I force myself to laugh.
40:44
Just one quiet chuckle to remind it that I won't give in.
40:49
But some nights, when exhaustion overwhelms me and my defence is
40:54
weakened, I feel it's cold fingers brush against my mind
40:59
and I wonder how long I can keep laughing before the fear takes
41:03
hold again.