The Gospel According to Artyom (Russian: Евангелие от Артёма), by Russian author Dmitry Glukhovsky, is an epilogue to the novel Metro 2033 that was written and published several years after Glukhovsky finished his first book. Initially it was released in the form of a short story, as part of the Last Refuge collection of short stories from the Universe of Metro 2033 series in 2012. Later it was also included with some Polish and German books of the series, years later finally translated into English and adapted into comic form in time for the release of the video game Metro: Last Light.
Synopsis
In the epilogue to Metro 2033, Artyom describes his time after Ostankino Tower and the fate of the Dark Ones. Once returning to VDNKh he was welcomed like a hero as if he was "coming down from the heavens in a shiny chariot". Artyom thought of himself as a murderer and that he wished himself being dead, that a monster would eat him or that he could hang himself from a tree. Artyom wishes that he could tell the inhabitants of the Metro the truth about the Dark Ones, that they were there to help, that they wanted peace. He believed that they would laugh in the face of the truth or that he had been indoctrinated by the Dark Ones into believing them.
Artyom describes his past in a little more detail, about the time when he, Zhenya (named Eugine in the game) and Vitalik the Splinter went to the botanical gardens and opened the airlock. Where as in the original novel the events happen very quickly and they are scared back into the metro, the new epilogue goes into detail about what really happened. While wandering the surface, Artyom is cornered by wild, mutated dogs. His shotgun not working, he tells the others to go. He is saved by a Dark One who scares the dogs away, some of which start to uncontrollably convulse. The Dark One pities Artyom, he sympathises with him. The Dark One shows him visions of his mother (similar to the scene in the video game level Dead City). It then parts with Artyom leaving the words "You are the First" in Artyom's mind. The brief, non-hostile interaction with the Dark One inoculates Artyom, giving him a barrier against the dark ones' messages.
After the events at Ostankino, out of guilt, Artyom returns to the botanical gardens regularly. No mutants occupy the former home of the Dark Ones, only soot and ash. During one such trip, Artyom sees a lone Dark One. Whether or not an illusion, Artyom runs towards it, taking his mask and gloves off. The Dark One is small, roughly half the height of Artyom. Artyom tries to communicate with it, he touches the Dark One's head with an un-gloved hand. Artyom sees the emptiness in the creature's eyes and understands that he is alone in this world as well (similar to a vision at the end of the level Ashes in the Metro: Last Light video game).