[ WP ] We finally get men on Mars and they discover an old Soviet flag placed down decades ago . The Soviets won the space race but for whatever horrifying reason did n't say anything .

Gallagher frowned at his instruments, sure that there must be some mistake. He tapped the scanner with a gloved finger and slammed the rover into park. 
 
 `` I'm getting something strange here, folks,'' he said into his radio. `` Scanning again.'' There must be some mistake, he thought again, as he pinged the scanner again. There it was. A faint reading, but it was there. 
 
 `` Uhhhh...'' he trailed off into his radio. `` Commander, I'm pretty sure I'm picking up a signal here.'' Yes, there was definitely a signal. A faint electronic reading from several miles out. He shifted the rover back into drive and began making his way towards the signal, not waiting for confirmation from the commander. He was sure she would tell him to investigate, and he smiled faintly when a few seconds later she did so. 
 
 Twenty minutes later he was at the source of the signal. He had pulled the rover into a small gorge and under a rocky outcropping. `` What the fuck...'' he breathed. A Soviet flag protruded from the rocks, next to what appeared to be an old bulkhead door. 
 
 `` Are you guys seeing this?'' Gallagher asked his team back at the habitat. `` Are you guys fucking seeing this?'' 
 
 There was a long silence. Finally the commander spoke, informing him that they were indeed seeing it. Gallagher could n't stop shaking. It made sense that they would n't have seen the flag on the satellites under the outcropping of rock. Gallagher climbed out of the rover, grabbing the portable scanner. He approached the bulkhead and began brushing the years of Martian dust away. He found an access panel adjacent to the door and popped the screws off with his multitool. 
 
 `` This door is still getting some juice. I'm going to try to bypass.'' As he said this, he realized that someone had scratched a few words into the bulkhead. He did n't speak Russian. `` Can you guys get that translated?'' The commander confirmed that they would get on it, and Gallagher was able to get the door open. It shuddered to life and slowly creaked open. The USSR had fallen almost eighty years ago. He wondered how old this bulkhead was. He wondered a lot of things, but he could barely process the information before him, let alone start speculating. He popped on his headlamp and stepped into the airlock. It cycled and he made his way inside. 
 
 The lights were still on, flickering on and off lazily. He found himself filled with an overwhelming sense of dread. `` Hello?'' he called tentatively. `` Anyone home?'' 
 
 He made his way through what seemed to be a natural cave complex, fitted with O2 scrubbers and other amenities. A rec room with a ping pong table, a poster of the 1980 Soviet hockey team. A kitchen, complete with moldy, desiccated food still on plates. 
 
 His footsteps seemed unnaturally loud as they continuously broke the sepulchral quiet. He passed an open doorway as he moved down the corridor and did a double take. Something had caught his eye as he passed. He turned, peering into the room, eyes widening in horror. He emptied the contents of his stomach into his helmet. The viewport heated up to allow the chunks to slide down into his suit, giving him a clear view of the horror that was this outposts bunkroom. Bones from at least a dozen humans scattered the room haphazardly, in great piles, as if placed deliberately. 
 
 `` Ohfuckohfuckofuck'' he began repeating, over and over with increased urgency. He did n't know what the fuck was going on but he knew he needed to get the hell out of here right now. 
 
 `` Gallagher!'' the commander shouted again. He realized she had been saying his name for several seconds. `` We translated the writing on the bulkhead. You need to get the hell out of there right now!'' 
 
 `` What does it say?,'' he breathed, feeling paralyzed. 
 
 `` Stay out! Hostile lifeform inside,'' the commander recited. From deeper in the outpost, a ghastly snarl sounded out.
