Humanity set foot on the moon for the first time on July 2, 1969, using the spacecraft Apollo 11. Another five spaceships landed on the moon until 1972, but after that they only sent machines. For the following sixty years, nothing much happened, until August 24, 2036. On that day, NASA found something that could change our knowledge of the universe. A group of scientists supposedly got pictures from one of the moon rovers that somehow ended up on the dark side of the moon: An alien lifeform. Most who’ve heard of the rumor find it stupid, because life can’t exist without an atmosphere and minerals.

Two years after that incident, NASA started project “PROMETHEUS”. Three astronauts got sent to the moon to look for that lifeform and find the rover. My team reached the moon on July 26. The spacecraft landed with a soft impact on the surface on the moon and we departed to officially start the mission. Our spacesuits were the newest generation from NASA which fit like a jumpsuit. The carbon fiber-like substance granted us protection from any hazard known to man. They didn’t exactly tell us what it was made of, though. It could also change its weight to let us walk like on earth, like how fish use their swim bladder to stay in place in the water. Our spacecraft also brought a moon rover to drive on the surface. It looks like the Lunar Roving Vehicle NASA used in the 70s, but with stronger material and with three seats. We got it off of the spacecraft and started driving to the exact location the picture of the supposed lifeform was taken. “Do you both really believe that life could form on here? Look around, there’s neither an atmosphere nor any minerals!”, exclaimed one of my crewmates, John Armstrong. “Just because your grandfather was here and didn’t find anything doesn’t mean that you should also say the same thing with pride, John”, said my other crewmate, Daniel Miller. I tried stopping them from arguing, and they stayed quiet for a while. The silence of space made this whole mission scary. I already regret accepting the offer, although what happened next was way worse. After half an hour of driving we got to the dark side of the moon. I have to tell you: It has a lot ofbcraters. We had to stop our rover because there was no sunlight and had to continue on foot. I should’ve put the damn rover on battery mode now that I look back. I had a whole argument back at NASA years ago because if the rover is on the dark side of the moon and we want to go back, we would have to push the damn thing back to where it’s sunny. They luckily built a little emergency battery in.

We were near the place where the picture was taken and the rover should have been, but we didn’t find a trace of it. Armstrong reported the situation to NASA when he suddenly noticed something far away that instantly made him stop talking. I looked in the direction he was facing and noticed a faint green-yellow light source around 300 meters away from us. It looked like a four-legged animal. Like a small cat but without the tail and ears. Miller ran towards it like a blind animal, even though we both told him not to approach it yet. That poor bastard should’ve listened. When he arrived at the light source something grabbed him from the ground and pulled him down. We could hear his scream through the radio. I ran for it and noticed that Armstrong disappeared. Both were nowhere to be seen, gone in the void of space. I still wonder how he disappeared but I’m still alive. I reached the rover but forgot to turn the emergency battery on, so I had to push it back to where there was enough sunlight for it to driveproperly. Imagine losing both crewmates and just standing there like a deer about to get hit by a truck. You don’t have time to think about it. I wasn’t like that. Probably also the reason why I got sent here. After reaching our spacecraft I immediately entered it and started the engines. While I was also reporting to NASA about the current situation, I noticed something from the window next to me that still makes my skin crawl when I think about it. Armstrong was standing 500 meters away from my location motionlessly. I could notice blood stains on his spacesuit. Suddenly he started walking toward me with jerking motions, like a zombie from those movies you all probably watched once in your life, just without the arms up. Slowly but surely, he approached the spacecraft. I didn’t stop the engines though. I wouldn’t let a literal zombie in the spacecraft just to get myself killed. Suddenly he started walking faster, running, and then galloping on all fours like a monkey. Miller’s body also joined in from the left side. I can’t exactly describe how, but the two astronauts fused together. I was more focused on getting everything ready to depart. When I looked back, a longlimbed spider-looking monster in a space suit charged at the spacecraft like an enraged bull. I can’t describe how scared I was in that moment. Fortunately, my spaceship started flying upward. The monster jumped at the ship but probably got burned by the engines’ heat.

The spaceship smoothly flew toward earth, although I knew that it would take me a few weeks to get back. As usual, I reported my situation to NASA. I joined back in 2024 when they planned to bring humans back on the moon but decided not to. Elon became the new leader of NASA in 2028, and everything changed from that day. The researchers had to work more, but they got way more research done and got paid more. He planned on cultivating mars but that got delayed to 2045, and I’ll hopefully be part of the crew that sets foot on that red planet for the first time.I felt a wave of relief for a few minutes. Imagine looking out of the window of a spaceship and seeing what humanity will conquer, hopefully in the next millennium. Suddenly I heard a knock on the window on the other side. Armstrong’s and Miller’s fused faces smiled at me with a torn open, bloody mouth. Their eyes burst and left craters in the wide-open eye sockets, staring at me.