Mimic
By Owen McKenzie
By Owen McKenzie
About the Author: I like to read Stephen King and other horror stories like it.
Blurb: An Antarctic research base in 1986 finds a dog, but the dog turns out to not be a dog. Spooky things happen.
Antarctica
December,4,1986
15:47 PM
“Hey, Nilo… are those dogs? ”asks Ben.
“I… I think so Ben, wait are those people?” I ask Ben.
I reach for the mic, “PHANTOM to control, people spotted do we have an order OVER.”
“Permission granted OVER,” Eli says over the mic.
“Alright, Ben we have the order,” I yell at Ben, “this equipment will have to wait.”
“Ben to control, we are bringing the chopper down they might need help, OVER,” Ben states to the research base on the mic.
“Hey Jack Get the guns ready, we have company,” I yell at Jack.
The helicopter has just landed in the thick snow, me and Jack both jump out of the helicopter.
”HEY! YEAH YOU… WHY ARE YOU CHASING THOSE DOGS? ” Jack yells on the top of his lungs.
The three men are closer now, now seeing that have been out here for a couple of days with icicles hanging from their very long beards they almost look like a Viking.
As the three men point their guns at us I yell at Jack, ”GET DOWN!!”
As I tackle him down, RAT-RAT-RAT-RAT-RAT. I look down in shock and see that Jack has been shot twice in his shoulder, and I see that the snow below us has been dyed red with his blood.
“I'm… fine,” gasped Jack.
I quickly get up.
“AIM,” I grunted.
POW! One of their heads explodes with blood and brains. The other two start to run away.
POW! Shot one into the sky and screamed at them, “KEEP ON RUNNING”.
As I turn around to tend to Jack, the husky we had spoted had been licking Jack’s wounds, Jack is laughing and crying at the same time and it is really strange.
“Let’s get you to the chopper,” I tell Jack.
“Hey Ben, get the medkit ready,” I report to Ben on the walky-talky.
“Fuck that REALLY hurts!” Jack muttered as I help him with his bullet wounds.
”Yeah they got you really good,” I tell Jack as the helicopter gets closer and closer.
Jacks weight suddenly gets heavier. I look over and he is unconscious. The helicopter is right here Ben has his hands out to help Jack up.
We both grunt and gasp as we had lifted up the almost lifeless body. I grab the dog and help it up as it barks at Ben.
“A new friend?” questions Ben.
“Let’s hope he’s friendly,” Jack says after he gains his conscious because of the sound of the bark.
The dog barks again and starts licking Ben.
“WHO’S A GOOD DOG? YOU SURE ARE,” Ben excitedly says to the dog who is now wagging its tail.
“Alright let see this wound,” I say as I pull out a bullet lodged into his right shoulder with blood oozing out.
“FUCK,” Jack screamed.
The other bullet is a little deeper than the first so I tell Ben to hold him down.
“WHAT'S HAPPENING?? TELL ME NOW!” Jack demanded.
I dig the tweezers into his shoulder. I quickly put my hand down on Jack’s mouth before he can scream his lungs out. I can feel the bullet stuck into his bone.
“HOLY SHIT that is deep,” I say to myself as I yank the Bullet out with Jack screaming into my hand and the dog howling into my ear. And then he passes out.
“Alright get the copter going, I’ll tie him down,” I command Ben.
After I tie jack down I grab the door.
”Alright, there are pouches you're gonna want to hold on to,” I tell the dog with a calming voice as the dog wags his tail like a helicopter.
”That’s what we'll call you. Copter just like your tail!” Ben gets excited.
”We’ll have to wait for TJ to see if he likes it, because you know he’s in charge of the dogs.” I tell Ben.
“Man I’m tired, you mind if I take a snooze?” I say with a yawn.
“Nope, not at all,” Ben tells me.
I look out to the vast emptiness of the Antarctic snow. Everything goes darker and darker.
20:04 PM
American Antarctic Research Base
”Nilo, WAKE UP NOW!” Ben screams in my ear.
“I’M UP I’M UP!” I groan.
”We’re here, at the base.” Ben snapped.
Ben leaves the dog at the same spot I had seen it. Wagging it’s tail weirdly now, almost with a snarl on it’s face.
”Come on Copter we are gotta let you meet the other dogs,” I tell Copter.
TJ is waiting right outside in the dark snowfall.
“Hey man, sorry to hear about Jack,” Tj said with a worrying voice.
”Yeah man It was pretty dark, we don’t even know why they shot at us and Copter,” I say to Tj.
“Who’s Copter?” Tj asked weirdly.
“The dog,” I tell Tj excitedly.
“Let’s get you guys inside,” Tj says with a warm but awkward voice.
I start to walk over to the main part of the base until TJ yells up to me, ”Hey I’m going to go let Copter meet the other dogs. I'll be back in a couple of minutes, ok?”
“ Yup that’s fine!” I yell back to TJ.
I continue to walk forward on the icy steps up to the door.
”Shit,” I mutter to myself.
I hold on to the railing as hard as I can, I attempt to get up one more step and fall onto my back.
”UGGGHHHH,” I groan loudly.
I slowly get up and go around the stairs. I climb onto the railing, quickly testing the ground for ice. I slowly get down and look at the door. I start shuffling over to the door, looking down at my feet.
“AHA the door!” I say in triumph.
I open it up to Aaron with a portable camera recording me.
“Delete that right now or I will fucking kill you,” I order Aaron.
”Fine!” Aaron says with a scared voice.
I walk past him to see Eli bandaging Jack’s wounds. Eli waves at me, I wave back.
”HOLY FUCKING SHIT SOMEONE HELP ME!” TJ screams in the distance.
”What the hell was that?” Aaron asks me.
“It’s TJ, grab a gun,” I tell Aaron with a serious tone.
I start to run towards the kennels. I pass the armory so I grab a 12-gauge shotgun, load it up and then keep running. Aaron is right behind me. We get to the door to the kennels. Aaron tries to open the door but it's locked.
So I say, “GET BACK!”
POW! The door handle has completely come off of the door. Then Aaron kicks the door down.
“WHAT THE ACTUAL HELL IS THAT?!” Aaron yells.
Copter has been disfigured. A hole opens up in his stomach, then a weird tentacle thing comes out and grabs Tj’s leg.
”HELP, GUYS!” TJ screams for his life.
I’m frozen in place everything feels slower.
“Nilo, NILO WE HAVE TO HELP”! Aaron yells at me.
I pump the shotgun, I aim at the thing. It is now slowly pulling TJ towards it’s “mouth”.
POW… pump it again POW! The thing was still going at him.
“ARON, GO GET A FLAMETHROWER! THIS ABOMINATION WON’T FUCKING DIE!” I order Aaron.
Multiple tentacles come flying out at me so I duck for cover. Then I realize, the FIRE AXE! I get up and run to the other side of the room, then I use the butt of the gun to smash the glass. I grab the fire axe out of the case and drop the gun, I start to run at the tentacles that are holding TJ.
”JUST CUT THE DAMN THING”! TJ screams at me.
A tentacle comes and knocks me over. Tj gets pulled into the thing but it’s not eating him. It almost forms with the thing. Like he had become a part of it. A flame goes right in front of my eyes while a terrible, ear piercing screech comes out of its mangled body. It is almost like a flashbang had gone off. Nothing seemed to move but the thing. Until one of the real dogs ran up to me and started to bark at the thing. I held onto that dog with dear life until Eli had reached his hand out for me. I grab it get up and grab the dog by the collar.
”Hey, man are you ok?” Eli asked kinda weirdly.
”UMMM I don’t know, maybe TJ IS FUCKING DEAD!” I scream at Eli.
”WHAT, where is he?” Eli asks cluelessly.
I point to the fire.
”SHIT! ARON STOP!” Eli commands Aaron.
”The thing is dead, the flamethrower killed that terror of a dog,” Aron says seriously.
”That’s no Dog,” I say looking at the corpse of Copter and TJ.
”Is that the last living dog?” Aaron asks me.
”Yup,” I look at the name tag, ”it’s Nala.”
“Should we take the thing the medbey?” I ask Eli.
”Yes we should inspect this thing.”
10 minutes later
20:33 PM
American Antarctic Research Base
“What the hell? This thing has almost the perfect body of TJ in it’s… whatever that is,” Eli stated.
Eli has pulled out what looks like a hip joint replacement and a couple of fillings.
”So, it can mimic anything… right, just like the dog?” Ben asks.
”Not exactly, it has to have the host’s DNA in it,” Eli answers Ben’s question.
”How do we know if it isn't one of us?” I ask everyone.
”We can look through the records and if it says we have fillings and someone doesn’t then there one of those Mimics,” Ben answers.
“Alright, Ben and I will go and get the records. Everyone stay here and if any of you leave we suspect you’re one of the mimics,” I tell everyone.
“Did anyone find Nick?” Eli asks.
“Shit, alright. Eli and Jack, you go find Nick,” I order Eli and Jack.
“Let's go Ben,” I say.
Ben and I start running outside in the dark, cold emptiness.
“Right up here, Nilo,” Ben says with a jitter.
Ben grabs the keys out of his pocket and opens up the door. He walks into complete darkness.
A light comes on and Ben says, “Good to come in.”
I walk into shelves upon shelves.
“Alright, I'll look here and you'll look there alright… GO.” Ben said excitedly.
I run over and look at all of the bins with names.
`````, NILO REESE, TJ BRADSHAW, JACK COFFIN, ELI DENTON, BEN EBERSTARK.
”Hey Ben I think I found them”! I Told Ben excitingly.
I Look back at “Ben”.
”JESUS CHRIST WHAT THE HELL”! I scream at what ben is now.
His jaw looks like melted glue hanging down, his arms are now longer and slender and a giant mouth with blood covered teeth. He starts charging at me, I grab the bin and knocked the shelf onto the thing. The shelf blocks my way out.
“SHIT SHIT SHIT”! I yell.
The thing starts getting up I use the fire axe that “Ben” had been holding. I starting wailing on it with the axe.
“YOU FUCKING ABOMINATION,DIE,DIE,DIE!” I yell as blood splatters everywhere.
I'm out of breath. I look at the door, Eli is standing there with the impression of what the hell happened here.
”WHAT THE HELL happened here,” Eli asks out of breath.
“Ben was one of them, oh god, where's Jack… he could be one too!” I say with a jitter, the cold now slowly creeping onto my back.
Chills run up my back when I hear the sound of something going through the air vents.
”What the hell was that Nilo?” Eli asks.
“Jack!” I snapped.
“Wait can’t you only kill these with fire,” I say as I look back as well, what was left of Ben's mangled face, blood slowly coming down like A stream.
”We need everyone together and the heaters, I have an idea,” I say to Eli, “and torch what's left of Ben.”
I hand him a can of gasoline. Then walk over to the main base. I'm halfway there when… KABOOM. I look over to giant light as the helicopter lights up in flame the blast launches me into the air. Everything was slower, I thought I was I in shock… I could feel my heart pumping the fastest it’s ever been.CRUNCH, I feel pain in my left arm.
”ARGGGGGG SON OF A BITCH”.
I scream in pain as I look over at my arm. My bone has pierced my skin like a knife.
”ELI!” I scream for my dear life,
“HELP!”
”JESUS CHRIST WHAT HAPPENED!” Eli screams at me when he looks at my arm.
”The… the helicopter… it’s gone… were trapped man. I sputter at Eli.
“Let's get you up,”Eli says with a sputter as he grabs my arm and lifts me up.
I look at the wound even more blood has come out of it. I grab the bone, push it in my arm and hold it in there.
”ARRRGGGHHH!” I scream in pain.
”What are you doing Nilo!” Eli snaps.
”J-j-just let it happen,” I stutter at Eli.
We walk right through the door.
“HELP, SOMEONE HELP!” Nick is screaming in the corner for help as Jack’s mangled body climbs on the ceiling.
Eli runs to get Nick.
”ELI DON’T, HE’S ALREADY DEAD, just grab the flamethrower and a medkit and get OUT OF HERE!” I yell.
Eli runs to the medical room I start to watch Nick merge with the Mimic their two faces merging together like hot glue, Nick's body now dangling while Jacks crawl towards me.
”ELI HURRY THE HELL UP”!I yell into the almost quite room.
ELI comes bursting out of the door with the flamethrower. I quickly run out of the way so Eli can get through.
“CLOSE THE FUCKING DOOR!” Eli screams.
I quickly slam the door shut on the two faced creature.
”Let's light this place apart,” I say confidentially to the dog…
“Nala, WE HAVE TO GET THE DOG NOW”! Eli demands.
“OK… FINE”! I snap.
”Go around so you don’t have to meet that thing”!
Eli runs off to the kennels outside the door.
I can barely see him in the dense snow mixed with the heavy black smoke coming from the fire. A weird shape starts to form to the right of me It’s the dog.
”Wait If that's the dog Then what's in there with Eli?” I question myself.
”I should check the collar to see if it is the real one.”
I tell the dog to come here lucky enough it has it’s name tag and collar. A fire burst out in the kennel slowly moving toward where Jack, Nick, and creature were.
”Oh shit there goes the gas line”. I say in defeat.
”HELP Mmmmeeeeeeee”.
Eli's voice fades away with the fire drowning him out. The sound of the fire was almost calming. Ashes lighting up the sky with fire and snow as everything slowly fades away.
07:00 AM
American Antarctic Research Base
WHOP-WHOP-WHOP-WHOP.
”UUUUgghhhh,” I moan in defeat.
A tall man with a very big beard orange beard asks me. ”Hey, are you ok… you need a ride?”
”I've seen you somewhere haven’t I?” I asked the stranger.
”The names Alva how about you?” Alva asks.
”Nilo…Nilo Reese,” I say with a stutter and then point at the dog.
”This is Nala.”
”There's nothing There,” Alva pointed out.
”What there was nothing!” I mumble to Alva.
”Let’s get you up and out of here,” Alva says while slowly lifting me up.
”I think m-m-y arm is broken,” I faintly say.
”We have a medic on the helicopter he can help,” Alva answers.
We walk over to the very loud helicopter with the Norwegian flag.
”YOU’RE NORWEGIAN WHY DO YOU SPEAK AMERICAN?” I ask loudly over the helicopter.
”PART OF THE JOB,” Alva yells back.
He helps me up into the helicopter.
”LET'S GET THE HELL OUT OF HERE!” I yell as the helicopter lifts of the ground.
I look back the ashed base. I get farther and farther away.
“We knew what the dog really was,” Alva said.