Prop Hunt

“Liz. You and Gerard take the back entrance. New kid, you’re with me on the front door. On my count…3...2...1…GO” The fireteam split in two, Albert watched his two friends make their way around the large Victorian English building, their blackened tack vests making them look like ghostly shadows in the night. He griped his assault rifle tighter as he slowly approached the door with his Commanding officer. With a series of hand gestures that silently communicated what he wanted him to do, Albert slowly opened the door. Their leader, a 47-year-old veteran hunter named Luke, was the first to enter, followed swiftly by Albert. This was Alberts first official hunt. First time seeing a Mimic alive in person since his parents were killed by one several years ago. He was a kid back then and couldn’t do anything to save them, but a secret society called the Dark Beast Hunters had rescued him that night. The top-secret, ancient order had existed for thousands of years hidden to the rest of the world as their sworn duty was to protect it from creature of dark and sinister origins. They had trained the now 17-year-old teenager, at his request, so that he could exact his revenge.

As the two hunters moved silently down the flashlight illuminated hallways of the old building, all that could be herd was the winds howling around the structure making the floorboards and aged walls creak. The report said that there was supposed to only be between 2-3 Mimics hiding out in this place but there was supposed truth in Luke’s words that the report isn’t always accurate. Never the less, the team was well equipped and was ready for a multitude of possible scenarios, since even one Mimic can be an endeavor. No one knows what the sly creatures look like as they prefer to shapeshift and take the form of any inanimate objects around unsuspecting prey so they can ambush them. They also can grow to multitude of sizes, ranging from a small vase to some reports of them getting to be as big a car or shed. What’s even worse is that they are practically indestructible except for the inside of their razor-sharp teeth laden mouth. Sure, one could shoot off a portion of its arms or body, but if it’s not complete and total destruction of the centralized body mass then it will regenerate, and quickly.

As the two men made their way through the abandoned building, Albert kept his senses sharp. The only tall-tell sign that a Mimic was in the immediate area was the foul stench of their fetid breath. Like snakes, they swallow their prey whole, the resulting effect making their breath stink like a rotten corpse. The foul smell lingered in the air but was not abundant enough to pin point which room it was in.

“Liz what’s your status?” Luke said gingerly while touching the earpiece on the side of his head, his other hand steadily pointing his gun forward, alert and ready.

“We have entered through the back kitchen area and are moving up towards the dining hall. No sign of our quarry…yet.” Liz replied. Her and Gerard were only a year older than Albert but had a few more hunts under their belt. They were also the only beginner level hunters that gave him the time of day, which is why Albert considered them to be the only two friends he had in this world.

“Copy that”

As soon as Luke turned the mic off, the two men jolted suddenly as a crashing noise startled both of them. The noise came from behind a bedroom door to their immediate right. Albert looked at his CO for directions. Again, with a series of hand gestures the two men took up positions on either side of the door. Luke held up three fingers and slowly count down. On zero Albert breached the door with a strong kick, and immediately checked his corners as he rushed in, Luke following closely behind. The bedroom was your typical bedroom, albeit with a healthy coating of dust and cobwebs. The smell of death was heavier in here though, a clear sign that a Mimic was near. The queen-sized bed sat in the middle of the room and a small vanity mirror was off to the side. The closet door on the other side of the bed was slightly open, reveling that it had been disturbed recently. Luke made a gesture towards the open door for Albert to open it fully. When he did both of the men jumped back slightly, not knowing what to expect. Nothing. Just some old dusty cloths and some shoes on the floor. Albert relaxed slightly, a mistake he would soon regret. One of the small boxes on the top shelf of the closet sprang forward with supernatural speed and with its maw wide open, the Mimic attacked! Its target would have been Alberts head if Luke hadn’t been anticipating it. With several short but accurate bursts from his rifle he hit the creature dead center and it fell to the floor, purplish colored blood coating Albert’s face. He stood there dazed for a few seconds before Luke spoke up

“Gotta stay on your toes rook.”

The team had rendezvoused now in the dinning room, purple blood stained both Liz and Gerard’s uniforms.

“I see you two have been having fun as well” Albert said.

“Not as much as you apparently…what did you let the Mimic give you a facial?” Liz joked.

“Enough, we still have a job to complete.” Luke ended it. “Let’s move to the stairs and proceed with checking the upper level.

“What about the basement?” Gerard added.

“What basement? There was no basement in the blueprints.” Luke questioned

“We found it in the kitchen, we didn’t check it out for that exact reason.” Liz explained.

“Fuck all kinds of duck…” the Commander swore. They proceeded to the kitchen where a moldy old wooden door on the ground was. Lifting the latch, all that could be seen was a set of wooden stairs that lead down into a completely dark void. The stench mad Albert gag a bit, as it was thick and overpowering. There was definitely something down there.

Walking single file down the stairs Luke, Liz, and Gerard made their way down. Albert was instructed to stay above and cover their exit if things got bad. Albert didn’t mind, the kitchen reminded him of his home and his mom cooking dinner, right before his dad would come home from work and they would all enjoy sharing the day at the table. While the kitchen Albert currently stood in clearly needed to be cleaned, he still imagined the smell of food and the warmth this place must have had before the Mimics came and ate everyone many years ago. Albert was startled when he heard gunfire coming from below. The radio crackled with static as a medley of shouts came through. He tried raising the Commander but to no avail. He tried radioing Liz or Gerard but the only thing coming back was static. A memory flashed in Albert mind of his trainer giving him advice. The greying old man had stated ‘When things start to go sideways, the best thing to do is to get the hell out. Heroes don’t last long in this business’ He had not thought the old-mans advice would pertain to this as he was conflicted between getting more help and going after his team. It took him all of two seconds to make up his mind and he started down the stairs after them. The steps went on for an unusually long amount of time. Albert surmised that this basement must be several dozen feet down as he was now completely surrounded by darkness. Finally, he reached the bottom of the stairs. As he took his last step off, he slipped on something wet and fell. Albert had anticipated cold hard floor but was surprised by how soft and slightly warm the ground felt. He reached for the light on his rifle and was horrified at what he found. All around him he saw mounds of pinkish flesh the pulsed ever so slightly. It covered the walls, floors and ceiling but that was not what made Albert so afraid.

Enveloped in the mounds of flesh were his teammates. Luke and Gerard were both unconscious and could barely be seen except for a hand or partly exposed leg. Liz was on her stomach, slowly being enveloped from the bottom up, one of her hands held up towards Albert.

“Get….out…. its…. all…. a Mimic!” Those were Liz’s last words as she was suddenly completely enveloped by the moving flesh. The team had somehow stumbled inside the stomach of a huge Mimic! Albert had no time to think. He turned back towards the stairs only to come to the chilling realization that they were not there anymore.