The Last Transmission

The distress signal came from Erebus-4, a mining colony abandoned decades ago. No one was supposed to be there. No one alive, at least. But the message was clear, repeating over and over in a garbled, static-filled loop. “Help me. Please. Don’t let it find me.”

Captain Elias Vance stared at the transmission on the screen. “How long has this been running?”

His comms officer, Rina, adjusted her headset. “Two days, non-stop. But here’s the thing—Erebus-4 doesn’t have any active transmitters. This is coming from something… or someone… that shouldn’t exist.”

Vance exhaled, rubbing his jaw. “We’re going down.”

The Artemis touched down on the surface of Erebus-4 under a dark, starless sky. The colony was a graveyard—rusted structures, shattered windows, the remains of buildings barely holding together against the howling wind. The air smelled stale, heavy with the weight of something forgotten.

Vance and his team pushed forward, weapons at the ready. The signal led them to Command Center 2, a crumbling structure on the edge of the mining pit. The door hung open, creaking as it swayed. Inside, the emergency lights flickered. And then they saw it.

A terminal was active. Screen glowing. A chair, slightly pulled back, like someone had just been sitting there.

But the room was empty.

Rina swallowed. “This shouldn’t be possible. The power grid was shut down years ago.”

Vance stepped closer. The message was still running. “Help me. Please. Don’t let it find me.” He reached for the keyboard.

The screen glitched. A new line of text appeared.

“You shouldn’t be here.”

Vance’s breath hitched. “Who’s there?”

The radio crackled. A voice—hoarse, distant, desperate. “It knows. You need to run.”

Rina’s scanner beeped frantically. “Captain… I’m picking up movement. Ten meters. Right outside.”

The door slammed shut.

A new message appeared on the screen.

“It’s already inside.”

Something moved behind them.