I regret taking the Last shift

"In that case," he continued, "I suggest we spend the next few days together, hoping the missing members return, and if not... then we will beg their forgiveness in hell."

I spent the day sitting in a daze. I just had no clue why we were all so distraught. We all layered up in the dark and hunkered down. We made small talk in an attempt to fill the void. The dancing candle light played tricks on our eyes and the dark was oppressive. The six of us sat there. Just sitting. Just waiting.

Finally, around 1800 (6PM) Jane suggested we check on the geologists. We stayed close down the hallway and heard the sobbing, it was softer but still present.

Jane knocked. Waited. Knocked again. Then she shouted she was coming in, but the door was locked. The maintenance man began pounding his fist and threatened to break in. He took out a kerning and picked out a key. It fit the door and he slowly opened it to the bedroom.

Inside was a nightmare. The first thing I noticed was the blood. It was everywhere. The walls, the bed, the ceiling, the floors. It covered the lamp and bathed the room in a deep red. On the bed was the male geologist. His eyes were wide open in shock and his mouth hung agape. His throat was torn out and his leg was chewed to the bone. His wife sate beside him with her bcd to us. She turned, covered in blood herself. She was crying and… chewing. She sputtered the bloody meat while sobbing. Her expression turned from sorrow to one of pure, unadulterated rage. She contorted her mouth to scream, but only a hoarse gargle and bits of flesh came out.

The maintenance worker closed the door and we all panicked in unison.

"Get the door!" The doctor shouted. We followed him to the kitchen and pulled tables in front of the door. We piled enough furniture to board that… animal in her cage.

We returned to the rec room. Everyone was crying and Jane was in the fettle position shaking uncontrollably.

"We leave tomorrow," huffed the doctor in between shudders.

The blizzard still raged outside. I swear, at times the wind was so loud I felt like it mocked me.

I must have fallen asleep at some point because a massive blast woke me. I looked up to see others jumping to their feet. We got ourselves to the ladder and climbed to the observation deck. Outside, we saw blackness expanding, all except for a large patch of light a few meters away. Through the white out conditions we could make out… fire. The SUV was in flames, gas tanks stacked around it. Atop the flames was… a person. Upon closer inspection I could see it was naked and dancing.

"Oh God," the biologist lifted her hand to her mouth, "Jane?!"

It was Jane. She was naked and being burned by the flames. Her howls echoed through the dark storm. We watched as the fire consumed her body. She shrieked and screeched until she finally fell, remaining silent forever.

We walked downstairs. Feeling hopeless. We sat in the dark of the rec room, and no one spoke until morning. The physicist was still in bed, he was trying to ignore everything, but at this point I knew he was too far gone. The footsteps were loud in the unoccupied rooms, but at this point I had given up. If I was to die here then so be it.

We huddled in blankets and coats against the wall. We sat and we cried. A candle in front of our feet was the only light source. I closed my eyes tight so not the see dark shadow pacing the room in front of us.

The next morning the power returned. The lights were flickering and we stood slowly in the dim, intermittent glow.

I heard music playing in the showers. We all walked together and looked inside. Within, was the song "Jesus Take The Wheel" being played on loop from an mp3 player. We walked into the dull grey room and saw the physicist naked, sitting on the floor in front of the ipod player. Blood appeared to be running into the drain beneath him.

He slowly turned his head to me. He held up his left hand to his lips and hissed a long, "shhhhhhhhhh."

With the other hand he lifted his bloodied, mutilated genitals. He closed his eyes and smiled a large toothy smile. He whispered behind closed teeth, "I like this song now."

"God," said the doctor. He slowly approached the bloodied man, attempting to keep him calm. He continued, "It's ok boy, I'm here to help."

The physicist snickered again, eyes still closed and teeth still bared in a snarling grin. As the doctor got close the man shrieked with inhuman volume and sprang forward. He tackled the doctor to the ground and sunk teeth deep into the old man's jugular. Blood ran down both the doctor's neck and the physicists teeth.

He stood, turning his violent intent at us. The Doctor sputtered blood and choked for air. As the brooding man crouched to leap a loud "BANG" filled our ears. I fell to the ground in agony, the screeching in my eardrums was unbearable. Finally, it cleared and I saw the physicist now laying dead in a pool of his own blood. In his head was a circular wound that bore all the way through his skull. One of the maintenance workers was holding a smoking pistol.

We were now four. Me, the biologist and the other two maintenance workers. The rest were now all missing or dead. Although the power was on the satellite was down, thus ruining our chances for radio and wifi. We all paced and cried and panicked for hours until finally one of the maintenance men spoke up,

"Our only chance at survival is to fix that dish."

We looked at him and silently knew he spoke the truth. The outside was still completely whited out from the amount of snow and wind.

"I'll go," spoke up the other man.

"We'll go together," said the first.

The Biologist and I knew we could not argue. We watched them in their coats leave into the unforgiving blizzard. We waited for what seemed like hours, searching for radio signals and wifi.

Finally, it came back. We smiled for the first time in a while and prepared for the men's return. We sat and waited.

And waited.

And waited.

We didn't say anything but we knew. We knew we were the last. She fell asleep in my lap after we cried ourselves tired. Before I closed my eyes I swear I heard the giggles of a child.

I awoke sometime… later. I was utterly alone. I yelled for the biologist. I searched each and every room until I found the last thing I wanted to find.

I found her in the observatory. She wrote a lovely note about wanting to see the outside world before she died. In her arm was an empty syringe that I guess is what she used to end her life. Her eyes were blank, staring into oblivion. I left her to her peace.

Now, the reason I write this in my probable last moments of clarity. The reason we were brought to this frozen hell, only to die. The reason I'm sending out this story before I put an emergency flair gun down my mouth.

I returned to the office I had been using. I was hysterical. I saw my reflection in the display mirror and noticed my eyes were totally black. This sight brought me to smash the mirror. I sliced my knuckles, which rocked me back to reality, and in my second of clarity, I noticed the slip of paper that fell from the shattered pieces.

It was a note with a picture attached. The note read:

"If you're reading this then I hope it isn't too late. This place is NOT what you think. The man in charge is not a religious kook. he is much more dangerous. By now you may have found that "undiscovered" lock box. In it you found some trinkets to spook you. There is probably a minister with you to comment on the materials as "evil." This is there set and setting. That black dust that flew out? It wasn't dust and it wasn't evil.

God, these people don't want to colonize. Ever wonder why you're so far away from any other bases?

This is WEAPONS TESTING FACILITY!

You have unknowingly been testing compounds for a private company. This particular compound is an untraceable, psychosis inducing strain of pathogen that is meant for world leaders. The concept is to have the enemy kill itself.

If you've breathed the black dust, then it is too late. All you can do is attempt to get this message out.

But DO NOT trust the maintenance men and DO NOT trust the tall therapist. They are working for Earl. They will disappear without a trace shortly after his visit. They've logged your behaviors so even if the blizzard (which is what I assume you're already in) subsides, you'll be found and killed if you escape.

I'm so sorry. I lost my entire team. I wish you never would have come.

I'm sorry- Dave"

The picture attached was what I assume was the previous team. In red ink a man was circled and labeled "me."

In the picture was a mousy man in an orange hoodie and jeans.