If you hear heavy metallic footsteps echoing through frozen corridors after 2:00 AM... do not look back.
The Federation told us relay station Nord 13 was abandoned due to a mechanical failure. They lied.
When my assignment orders cleared, I didn’t think twice. Technician Kyle Morrison—that’s me. Just another name on a screen, or at least it was supposed to be. But when I boarded the transport shuttle Ardan’s Wake, the system glitched. Out of 42 passengers, my name wasn't on the manifest. Neither was hers—an alien woman named Ailen Ray, sitting across the aisle with cold, silver eyes and a file marked Federation Property.
The shuttle AI recognized our clearance codes, but the rosters kept wiping us out. It felt less like a bureaucratic error and more like we were being intentionally erased before we even arrived.
When the shuttle dropped us off and detached immediately—no confirmation checks, no delays, just a panicked flight back into the deep black—I knew Nord 13 was wrong. It sounded wrong. No ventilation hum, no power relays clicking. Just absolute, freezing silence and a supervisor named Dorne who looked at us with a mixture of dread and guilt.
"Technical level C is restricted after 0200 station time," Dorne warned us before locking us in our cramped quarters. "Restricted because you don't want to be there."
Ailen knew why. She looked at the station clock—1:43 AM—and whispered, "The station isn't dead, Kyle. It's waiting. And what's dramatic comes later."
Hours later, I woke up suddenly. The emergency lights along the floor were glowing a dim, blood-red.
Then, the noise started somewhere deep beyond our quarters. Metal against metal. A slow, rhythmic, impossibly heavy clang.
Clang... pause... clang... pause...
I checked the clock beside my bunk. 2:11 AM.
The heavy, mechanical footsteps were moving through the frozen corridors. And this time, they weren't staying below. They were getting closer. Right outside our sealed door, something massive stopped, its mechanical weight pressing against the metal frame...
Hey guys! I’m an independent creator, and I converted this story into a full-length cinematic audiobook (41 mins) with custom sci-fi visuals, ambient sound design, and a deep psychological HFY plot about what really happened to the crew of Nord 13.
If you prefer listening to your stories or want to know what happens next to Kyle and Ailen, you can check out the full video here: Watch the Full Movie on YouTube
I would absolutely love to hear your feedback on the pacing and style! Thanks for reading!