A Star's Descent: Book Two: Star Fall
By evolution-500
Disclaimer: House of the Dead and Resident Evil are properties belonging to SEGA and Capcom respectively. I do not own any of these characters.
WARNING: This story contains violence, coarse language, mature and disturbing themes and imagery. Reader discretion is advised.
Chapter Nine: Surprises
Darkness fell over the mansion as the pinkish hues of the sky turned to inky blackness.
Rebecca peered through the door cautiously as the wind whistled against the mansion walls. Before her was a long stretch of corridor with grey flowery wallpaper and a black and white checkered floor, lit by an overhanging electrical chandelier. Moonlight poured in from a series of arched glass windows to the right, the shutters creaking, groaning and slamming angrily into the frames.
Stepping inside with Star, Rebecca carefully and quietly stalked forward, looking around. She watched as her albino companion moved to the window, peering out at the moon and night sky in contemplation.
"'O thou, who plumed with strong desire,'" he spoke aloud unconsciously,
"'Wouldst float above the earth, beware!
A Shadow tracks thy flight of fire—
Night is coming!
Bright are the regions of the air,
And among the winds and beams
It were delight to wander there—
Night is coming!
'The deathless stars are bright above;
If I would cross the shade of night,
Within my heart is the lamp of love,
And that is day!
And the moon will smile with gentle light
On my golden plumes where'er they move;
The meteors will linger round my flight,
And make night day.'"
Rebecca raised a brow.
"...O...kay..." she said, put-off by the poem. "...You alright, Star?"
Looking back to her, Star gave a small smile.
"Sorry," he shrugged. "Seeing the night sky...it just made me think of the poem by Shelley."
"Who?"
"Percy Shelly," he clarified. "The husband to Mary Godwin Wollstonecraft Shelley."
"Ahh," she nodded in understanding.
Waving for him to follow, the teenagers continued down the corridor together. Turning her attention to the series of brown glass cabinets that lined the walls over to the left, Rebecca studied their contents as they passed by anxiously. In one cabinet were some skeletal remains of a person, a skull and vertebrate, presumably an anatomical model that was used for display purposes.
'At least, I hope it is,' Rebecca thought nervously as she took out her pistol.
A second cabinet contained various animal specimens, what appeared to be the skull and bones of a cat and dog, while a third had the remains of a human child and infant. Others had various sculptures, dishware and pottery. One in particular had some ghoulish-looking African tribal art that represented some animal, spirit or monster (it was hard to discern which).
Just as they were about to take another step forward, Star froze, raising up a hand.
"Star what-"
He shushed her, indicating for her to listen.
'What's gotten him so spooked?' the Bravo wondered.
It was then that she heard the sound; something was sliding and shuffling through the floor from the direction of the exhibition room behind them.
Something big.
Turning slowly around without making a sound, Rebecca tilted her head to the side, straining her ears.
Looking to Star, she mouthed the words 'What is it?'. The albino didn't answer - he just warily listened, not moving a muscle. The teenagers were deathly still as the shuffling continued toward them, the youths unconsciously looking to the floor, following the sound. At first, Rebecca was going to ask the albino if it was a rat, but the more she heard the racket, the more the medic doubted it to be such. It sounded massive, like a giant sack of potatoes being dragged across the ground. At one point, Rebecca heard what she could have sworn sounded like hissing.
'What is that?' she wondered. 'Steam?'
The sound traveled from the floor, moving up along the wall, causing the teens to follow with their eyes. It was now directly above them, the wood bending and creaking as something pressed against it. Swallowing back bile, Rebecca stared at where the ceiling bent and swelled, certain that at any moment, something was going to burst through the wood and reveal some horrific, ungodly immense body.
Rebecca's pulse drummed in her chest, her heart threatening to leap out at a moment's notice.
The bulge remained for a moment, then disappeared as it continued moving upward, the sound receding. Finally, it was gone.
The duo remained still for several minutes, staring anxiously at the ceiling. When they were certain it was no longer around, they relaxed.
Letting out a shaky sigh of relief, the medic wiped her bandaged forehead.
"What...the hell...was...that?" Star whispered, struggling to speak.
"I don't know," she whispered back. "Let's get out of here before it comes back."
Rounding a corner to the left, the teenagers continued their examinations of the various cabinets when there came a crash behind them. Whirling around, Rebecca paused as she saw Star struggling on the floor beneath a gigantic dog, the window smashed in, pebbling the floor with glass. It wasn't the size that startled her, which was admittedly intimidating, but rather the fact that it was covered in scales and had wings!
"Get off me!" Star yelled as he held back the creature by its neck as it hungrily snapped its jaws at his throat. "Get off!"
Just as she aimed her weapon, Star's eyes widened in alarm at her.
"Rebecca behind you!"
The Bravo medic turned just in time to see a bloody dog charging toward her from the other end of the hall. Raising her weapon, she aimed and fired, the rounds causing the animal to trip and slide along the floor. Turning around, Rebecca fired at the creature on top of Star, knocking it off of him. Reaching into his pocket, the albino pulled out his pistol, pointing it at her.
"What are you-?"
"Get down!" He yelled.
Dropping to the floor, Rebecca heard a bang followed by a yelp, then turned in time to see the canine behind her collapse lifelessly onto the floor. Looking back to Star, she gave a grateful nod as he tilted his head back onto the floor in relief.
"Are you okay?" Rebecca asked as she helped him up to his feet.
"Yeah," Star said as he brushed himself off. "Thank you."
"Don't mention it," she winked.
Turning their attention to the winged animal, the teenagers curiously approached it.
"So..." Star started, "...it's definitely a winged dog."
"My God!" She gasped. "Look at the size of it!"
"I know," the albino nodded. "It's also very heavy." He looked at her curiously. "Do you think the T-Virus has further mutated these dogs...somehow?"
"Hard to tell," Rebecca shook her head.
Kneeling over it, Star grabbed hold of a wing, then lifted it up for examination.
"This is definitely no costume," he muttered.
Rebecca kneeled beside him, studying the wing.
"Vestigial wings," she commented. "They're far too small to support its weight, so there's no way it can fly..."
"No, but it seems like it could potentially climb up surfaces like walls," Star noted.
The medic looked at him, startled. "What?!"
"Look at its feet," he pointed. "See how the toes are kind of shaped like a gecko's?"
"I'll be damned! You're right!" She gasped. Reaching into her pocket, she took out a piece of cloth, then watched as the creature's foot clung to it. She then tried prying it off. "They seem to have some form of adhesive on the toes. Possibly hair follicles. So, while it might not fly around like a bat, the creature could probably climb around, using its wings as support."
The hooded albino then touched its crest, pulling upward.
"I wish I was able to feel something with my hands," he muttered. "I can't tell if this is bone or not."
"Is it hollow?" Rebecca asked.
He tapped it, listening. "Possibly. Why?"
She shrugged. "The crest sort of reminds me of Parasaurolophus, so I can't help wondering if the crest is used as a kind of resonating chamber for it."
The albino grunted in acknowledgment. "It would make sense, I suppose." Star then quirked a brow as he looked at the creature's mouth. "It also seems to have serrated teeth."
"It does?" Rebecca said in surprise.
"Yes," he nodded, pointing to its partially open mouth. "See? Like a shark."
The teenagers stared at the fallen animal, then looked at each other.
"...What is this thing?" Star asked.
Rebecca stared, speechless.
"I...I don't know," she said incredulously. "Whatever it is, though, we have to warn the others about this."
Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap.
Joseph let out a groan as he pushed himself off the floor, the tapping getting on his nerves.
"Joseph? Joseph are you there?" his radio crackled. "Joseph pick up!"
Rubbing his eyes, the Alpha glanced around.
Where the hell was he?
"Joseph here," the Omni Man grumbled into the radio.
"Are you okay, man? You don't sound too well," Chris said with concern at the other end.
"Negative," Joseph answered. "Something knocked me off my ass and dragged me around the fucking building. Now I don't know where the fuck I am."
"Tell me what you see."
He looked around. "I'm at some sort of stairway that has a bird cage beside it," Joseph answered. "There's a door in front of me."
Before he could say anything else, the door opened, revealing Chris.
Joseph sighed. "It's good to see you," the Omni Man nodded.
"You look like you're in rough shape," Chris commented.
"Yeah, well fuck you too."
The Alpha Point Man scoffed.
Tap. Tap. Tap.
The duo whipped around, drawing up their arms.
"The hell is that?" Chris asked.
Tap. Tap. Tap.
"I don't see anything," Joseph said. "What is that?"
Tap. Tap. Tap.
God, where the fuck was that tapping coming from?
Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap.
Twisting around, Joseph and Chris aimed their weapons, looking in all directions.
Nothing.
Tap. Tap. Tap.
The sound was still approaching. Joseph's brows furrowed.
"What the hell?" he muttered. "Where's it coming from?"
A growl overhead caused the Alphas to freeze and look up.
"JESUS FUCKING CHRIST!" Joseph yelled, startled.
Climbing around on the ceiling like some sort of fucking lizard or bat was a winged dog.
Raising their weapons, the duo fired just as the bizarre animal dropped from the ceiling, its carcass crashing down lifelessly with a sickening thud.
"Yeah, oh yeah!" Joseph said to the animal, giving it a kick. "You thought you could get the drop on us?! You thought could just get the drop on us?! Well fuck you!"
Chris shook his head. "Unbelievable," he glanced around, then took out his radio. "I'm gonna contact Jill. Keep your eyes peeled and make sure there aren't any more lurking around, okay?"
Joseph nodded. "Got it."
Chris raised up his radio. "Jill, are you there?"
"Jill here," she replied. "Everything okay?"
"I just found Joseph," he answered. "He's in pretty rough shape, plus Rebecca had called to warn us-"
"About the winged dogs, right?"
"Yeah. How did you know?"
"She called to warn me, too."
"Well, be careful and stay alert. Joseph and I found one of these fuckers crawling over our heads on the ceiling."
"You're kidding."
"I wish," Chris replied.
"So this is what it's come to. Bird men flying from the sky, dead guys coming back to life, winged dogs climbing on the walls and ceiling...what is with this crazy place?!" Jill muttered.
He shrugged. "No idea."
"Isn't it obvious?" Joseph retorted into the radio. "It's Junior's fault. The moment God found out Wesker had a kid, the gates of hell opened."
Chris and Jill both gave short nervous laughs.
"Any word from Barry or the Captain?" the former asked.
"Negative," said the latter. "No sign of either."
"What about Richard?"
"Haven't heard a peep from him. I found a couple of doors, but they're locked off. Not even my tools can get me inside."
Chris frowned. "We should probably move onto the next wing."
"Rebecca? Rebecca are you there? Over."
The medic raised her radio. "Rebecca here. Over."
"Have you heard from anyone?" Chris asked, the line crackling. "Barry? Richard? Captain Wesker?"
"Negative," Rebecca answered.
"Okay, let's regroup back at the dining room."
"Roger. Over and out." Turning to her companion, she waved to him. "Come on."
Moving away from the dogs, the teenagers made their way back from whence they came.
Stepping into the dining room once more, Rebecca watched as Jill, Chris and Joseph looking around in confusion.
"Hey guys," she greeted.
"Hey," Jill nodded.
"What's wrong?" Star asked.
"One of the bodies has disappeared," Joseph replied.
"What?" the medic said, startled.
He pointed where the zombie's dismembered carcass had been. Looking to the spot, Rebecca was surprised to find it gone. Only a bloody mess on the floor indicated where it had been.
The teenagers looked around the room, then to the railing above.
"What the? Where did it go?" she wondered.
Star looked at her worriedly. "You don't think it's still alive, do you?"
"How?! It was practically just a pair of legs!" She exclaimed.
The two teenagers looked around the dining room, eying every corner with suspicion. Rebecca felt something crawl up along her spine as her heart thumped in her chest.
"There's no way it could still be walking around," she assured herself. "That's impossible."
And yet...if Rebecca had learned anything from last night, the impossible had a way becoming possible, with horrifying results. Rebecca looked around, trying to find some possible clue as to what happened.
"Assuming it's not alive," Star spoke, his eyes glancing around at the corners and at the doors, "where did it go?"
"Maybe-maybe someone took it," Rebecca said as she listened nervously.
Part of her was desperately hoping that that was the case, because the idea of that thing bursting through the door as it was...Rebecca wouldn't be able to handle it. She felt like throwing up.
"Wait," Chris said, raising up a hand. "Do you hear that?"
The survivors listened. It sounded like something wet. There was a series of nasty-sounding squelches.
Star and Rebecca looked around listening as they approached the collapsed dining room table, moving toward Gilman's body when the former froze.
"Oh my God!" Star groaned.
"What?" Rebecca said, then looked to where he stared. As she did so, Rebecca screamed.
"What?!" Jill asked, "What's- AW!"
The survivors gathered, staring over at Gilman's body. Feasting on his flesh were dozens upon dozens of massive maggots, their pasty yellow-white bodies over a foot long and six inches thick.
"MOTHER OF GOD!" Joseph yelled in disgust.
Gilman's body wriggled violently as a massive worm poked its slimy eyeless head out from his stomach, its mouth lined with razor-sharp shark-like teeth. As it did so, it turned towards Rebecca, snarling as it arched itself back, coiling like a spring before darting up into the air.
Rebecca shrieked at the top of her lungs as she felt it narrowly miss her, leaping up onto Star, causing him to nearly lose his balance and drop his bags as the medic climbed all the way up onto his shoulders, the girl still screaming as he stomped and kicked anything that moved close to his feet.
"KILL IT! KILL IT! KILL IT!" The Bravo shrieked as she clung to the hood, curling herself into a ball as she brought up her legs as much as she could.
"YOU HEARD HER, GUYS!" Chris yelled as he and the others open-fired and stomped on the fat buggers.
One maggot bit onto Star's booted leg, forcing him to shake his leg about while Rebecca screamed even louder. Joseph kicked and stomped angrily, shooting everything that moved.
"DIE! YOU! FUCKING! BASTARDS!" Frost yelled with each stomp or shot, the floor stained with their yellow slimy entrails.
Chris booted one fat bastard into the fireplace, the worm letting out a dying screech as it writhed around in agony. Jill swung a chair at another as it was airborne, squishing it against a wall.
"GET IT OFF!" Star yelled as he shook his booted foot around. "GET THIS DAMN THING OFF ME!"
"HOLD STILL!" Chris yelled. The Alpha aimed carefully, then fired, blasting the worm off from his leg.
Once the worm fell, the survivors cast their eyes around.
"See anymore?" he called.
"All clear over here," Joseph said.
"This corner is clean," Jill said from the other end.
Chris looked around, then up at the railings.
"Is that all of them?!" Rebecca asked from her perch, squeezing her arms and legs around Star's head and neck.
"I think it's clear."
"Are you sure?!"
"It's clear, Rebecca," Jill assured. "You can come down now."
Rebecca closed her eyes, shivering as she sat atop the albino's shoulders.
"Rebecca...I can't...breathe."
Hearing Star's voice, Rebecca opened her eyes, remembering where she was.
"Sorry," she said as she let go, climbing down slowly. The medic was just a foot off the ground when a worm suddenly leapt up from beneath a rug in her direction, causing her to scream and climb back up again as Star smacked it aside with one of his suitcases, stomping on it angrily several times until the entire damn thing was flattened.
"Okay, you can come down now, Rebecca," Jill called.
"No!" Rebecca sobbed, shaking and trembling furiously.
"Rebecca sweety-"
"I'm not coming down!" Rebecca yelled. "Not until we leave this room!"
Rebecca didn't care that she was making a spectacle of herself. She was too scared and disgusted to even set her own feet down.
Chris watched the girl as she curled up into a ball on the giant's shoulders. The way she shook, pouted and cried reminded him so much of his sister Claire when they were kids. Even though she faced so many obstacles and had more experience, relatively speaking, than any of them in relation to these creatures, she was absolutely terrified. Seeing her in tears like this...
Jill frowned. "Rebecca-"
"It's okay, Jill," Chris waved. He looked to Star. "Take her out of here."
Star nodded. "Okay."
Chris watched as the hooded giant turned quietly around, carrying her out the room back into the main hall.
Once the doors closed, he turned to face the others.
"Poor kid," Jill murmured.
"Yeah." Redfield glanced around. "Let's make sure there aren't any more lurking around."
As the doors closed behind them, Star nodded to the girl on his shoulders.
"It's safe to come down now," he assured.
The medic scoffed. "Nowhere in this place is safe," she muttered.
He shrugged. "True. Still, there shouldn't be any worms here. It should be relatively safe."
He felt the medic hesitate and shift around, as if she were casting untrusting eyes around them. If she was, the albino couldn't blame her. Everything about this damn place was corrupt and deceptive. Corruption and deception were the debased currencies on which Umbrella seemed to have built its foundation on, its lifeblood. After waiting for an indeterminate period, Rebecca started to climb off him. Once she was back onto the ground, Rebecca shivered and trembled furiously in disgust as she cried into her hands.
"I hate this place!" she sobbed quietly. "I hate this place so much! I can't take anymore of this! I want to go home! I want to see my Mom!"
Star felt his insides being pulled as he sorrowfully watched the girl come apart before him. Rebecca was a remarkably brave girl, pushing on even when confronted with the most horrific creatures and discoveries, even the loathsome Dr. Marcus at his most grotesque and abhorrent. And yet...to see her in this state...the albino felt distressed. He wanted to do something to comfort her, but...he didn't know how, let alone what.
'What do I do?' he wondered.
Star stared at the girl uncertainly as she continued to weep.
"I...hate...Umbrella," she said between breaths, her cheeks stained with tears. "I hate them!"
Umbrella. Star repressed the urge to snarl as he looked aside. Until recently, he had been ignorant of the pharmaceutical company, but the more he learned about them, the more contempt he felt for them. Now, he just wanted to smash and burn everyone of them to the ground.
"So do I," Star said lowly. Looking back to the medic, his eyes softened, saddened by the sight of the girl.
'I wish there was something I can do for her.'
What would Eleanor do?
Thinking back, Star recalled how during his times of sadness and distress she used to hug him.
Hesitating, the albino glanced back to Rebecca, uncertain.
Would...such a thing help? Was it even appropriate?
'No,' one side argued. 'Eleanor is your mother, it's natural for mothers to hug their children.'
'So is hugging a friend, especially one in need.' Another side countered.
'Is it, though?'
He was unsure. For as long as he remembered, Star had always been friendless and alone. Certainly, he has made a great number of acquaintances, many of them friendly enough, but he had never in his life been a friend, and as far as he knew, none of them regarded him as such. They tolerated his presence, to an extent anyway. Not enough to invite him to parties or whatever else they would get up to, though.
And yet...he had seen Eleanor comfort people by giving them a hug, especially those they never knew. One such example was a fifteen year-old boy that had crashed into their parked car four years ago at a grocery story after suffering a heat stroke. Star recalled how the boy was so scared as he apologized profusely that he was crying, and how once Eleanor hugged him, he calmed himself down.
'But you're not Eleanor,' the albino thought to himself.
He was a freak, a towering horror show of scars.
As the girl continued to cry, the more guilt-ridden Star became.
Putting his suitcases down, he approached the crying medic.
He was going to regret this...but he needed to try.
Reaching out tentatively, the albino youth put a hand on her shoulder.
"It's okay, Rebecca," he said gently. "It's okay. Please don't cry."
When Rebecca didn't respond, the albino curled his long arms around Rebecca's diminutive form. Star felt her stiffen, causing him to draw his arms away in alarm.
"I...I'm sorry," the red-clad youth said. "I-I just thought-"
He wasn't able to finish as Rebecca's eyes softened, watching with surprise as she returned the hug. Putting his arms back around Rebecca, Star felt the corners of his mouth curl upward slightly as he embraced her.
He didn't know how long he held the medic for - time just seemed to cease altogether as the two teens just held each other. Part of the albino hoped to never let go, that this...feeling...could last forever. When he felt Rebecca let go, Star reluctantly did so himself, looking down at her.
"How do you feel?" Star asked in concern.
Rebecca wiped her eyes. "Better," she sighed, looking up at him with a small smile. "Thank you."
He shrugged. "I...didn't really know what else to do," Star admitted.
Her smile grew, her face shining. "It was a nice gesture."
It was then that the albino looked up with a start, his eyes widening in alarm. "Ah! Oh my God, what have I done?!"
"What? What's wrong?" Rebecca asked, startled by his reaction. "Why are you-"
She paused, finally realizing what it was that had him so worried.
"Rebecca...I'm...I'm so sorry!" Star said as he backed away from her, his eyes full of horror and sorrow. "How could I have been so stupid?!"
Rebecca swallowed. "It's...it's okay," she said.
"No it isn't, Rebecca!" the albino lamented. "Because of my carelessness and idiocy, I may have killed you with my good intentions!"
"It's okay, Star! It's just a hug!" She insisted. "No one has ever died because of a hug." The medic paused, then looked up thoughtfully. "Well, technically speaking boa constrictors and other snakes do so all the time, but I'm digressing. Really, Star, there's nothing to worry about! It's not like we've been...kissing..."
As the medic trailed off, Star lowered his eyes.
"I'm...sorry..." the hooded figure said in a quiet voice.
She shook her head. "Really, it's nothing! A kiss on the forehead is nothing!" the medic tried to assure. "It's not like we've slept together."
As the words left her mouth, the two teenagers stood awkwardly, both blushing.
"I-I mean it's not like we've been swapping tongues or having sex...I just made things worse, didn't I?" Rebecca said as she looked away, mumbling the last part, her cheeks crimson.
Exhaling, the albino turned away from her. "I think it would be best if I leave. I've put you and the others too much in harm's way already."
Star was just about to walk back to the exhibition room when he felt a hand on his upper arm, halting him.
"Don't go," Rebecca said.
He frowned. "Rebecca-"
"Look, I know you're scared...but I'm not going to just abandon you, Star," she said. "Let me help you. Please...don't give up on me."
He looked at her incredulously. "Give up on you? I never have, Rebecca, and I never will. It's just...I don't...want...to hurt you..."
"You don't have to worry, Star," she assured. "I promised you that my team and I are going to be there for you and that nothing will happen to you. Let me keep that promise."
Star stared, mystified and startled by the small girl. Even with the threat hanging over them, even despite the potential hazard he represented...she still wanted to help him regardless.
How could anything...anyone...be so...pure?
He sighed.
"...I can't say no to you," he admitted.
She patted him on the shoulder.
"Everything will be okay, Star," she nodded. "You'll see. Just have faith."
He looked at her, then gave a small smile and nod in appreciation. Smiling back, Rebecca pulled away, taking in a deep breath as she looked to the dining hall door with a frown.
"I-I bet the others in there are all laughing at me," she said miserably. "Here I am, a S.T.A.R.S. officer, and they all get to see me crying like a baby on my first day."
"There's no reason why they should," Star replied. "If they are, I have a way of relieving your embarrassment."
Rebecca looked at him curiously. "How?"
"By telling them about my having eaten dog food."
The Bravo let out a short surprised laugh.
"See? Even you know that's far more embarrassing than crying."
"I still can't believe how you missed the label with the picture of the terrier and the letters printed in bold!" the girl giggled.
Seeing her smiling again stirred and warmed Star's chest as butterflies fluttered in his stomach.
"Ah!" She exclaimed. "I forgot!"
"What about?" he asked.
"Your leg! I need to check your leg!"
The albino paled. "Really, Rebecca, there's no need," he said nervously as Rebecca started to shrug off her backpack. "That maggot hasn't bitten through the leather."
"Let me check," the girl said as she placed on some latex gloves.
"Really, Rebecca, it's fine!" Star insisted. "I'm not bleeding."
"Can I see?" Rebecca asked.
He frowned. "Rebecca-"
"It's okay. Please. Trust me."
The albino looked down with a dark look. He was hoping to avoid doing so.
'Damn it,' he cursed.
"...As you wish."
The red-draped youth watched as Rebecca approached. Pulling his boot off, he then drew up his pant leg, his white sock drawn all the way up. He made sure to expose nothing underneath.
"See? No bleeding," he said anxiously.
Just as he was about to pull the pant leg back down, he saw Rebecca's hand placed onto his own. Raising his eyes up in surprise, he saw Rebecca giving him a curious look.
"...Star...why are you acting like this? What's wrong?" she asked.
Star averted his eyes as he got his boot back on.
"...Are your legs also...burned?...Scarred?"
Straightening himself, the youth's shoulders sagged as he sighed.
"...Yes," Star merely answered, his voice barely audible.
"...Can I see?" Rebecca asked quietly.
The albino was quiet for a long time, his scarred eyes staring sadly away.
"...No," he replied.
"Star-"
"Believe me, Rebecca," he said in a hushed and despondent tone, "...it is better for you to not see."
Rebecca studied him, looking at him from top to bottom.
"...Is your...entire...body...scarred?"
He didn't answer. He didn't want to say anything.
"I understand," she nodded. "If you don't want to show me now, that's fine. I won't push any further. I won't tell anyone, either. You can trust me." Rebecca then placed a hand his arm. "But...if you ever feel the need to talk about it...if you want to show me later, just let me know. If you want it done discreetly, that can be arranged. Okay?"
He sighed in relief.
"Okay," Star replied.
"Alright then!" the Bravo smiled as she straightened herself up and replaced her gloves.
As the girl strapped her backpack on, Star opened his mouth.
"Rebecca." He watched as she turned to face him. "Thank you."
Rebecca winked, giving him another sunny smile, making the albino's pulse rise along with the corners of his lips.
'If she isn't a fairy or angel, then she is the closest thing to one,' Star thought.
There came a sound from the second floor above, drawing the teenagers' attention. Rebecca looked around, then saw Richard as he climbed down the stairs.
"Richard!" she said in surprise.
Aiken nodded. "It's good to see you, Rebecca," he smiled, his expression changing as he acknowledged the albino. "Wolf."
"I suppose you haven't found anything either, huh?" Rebecca asked.
He shook his head. "No. Afraid not."
Just as Rebecca was about inquire more, the trio heard a door slam somewhere.
"Did you hear that?" she asked uncertainly.
"I did," Star nodded. "It sounds like it came from outside."
Could it be rescue?
Running to the doors, the trio tried to pry it open.
"What the hell? It's locked!" Aiken frowned.
"Let's check the windows. Come on!" Rebecca waved as she and Star ran up the stairs, the latter stopping for a moment to collect his bags. Circling around the walkway up top, the survivors made their way to the windows that peered out at the front. Striding confidently away from the mansion were two men, their backs facing the trio.
Star studied the two men silently.
Both were tall, though one was considerably larger than the other.
The first man was, by Star's estimates, six foot six or six foot seven, with broad shoulders and a robust frame, his hair bushy and grey. From his manner and apparel, he seemed to be military, perhaps ex-military, wearing a long, thick, bluish grey military-styled coat that had a red collar and cuffs with a black belt tied around the waist, his feet clad in heavy black boots.
His companion, however, was an even stranger vision; a great, hulking giant that looked to be two feet taller and a good hundred pounds heavier than Star himself, the figure was clad in a long white coat, the garment straining to keep in the man's bulging musculature, his skin dark.
At first, Star took him to be African American, but the more he looked at his skin, the less convinced he was of that being the giant's ethnicity.
To the albino, the man's skin looked...grey.
As if he were carved from either stone or charcoal. The most unusual feature about this second man, however, were the orange sunglasses that he wore; in fact, Star wasn't sure himself if he could even call it that due to how thick they were and how they seemed to wrap around the entire man's head. He was inclined to call them goggles, but the truth was that he had no idea.
"Who's that?" Aiken asked.
"I don't know, but they're going into the forest," Rebecca said, surprised by their doing so.
The albino youth could tell just from observing the pair that the man in grey wielded some level of authority due to how he kept ahead of the other. That, plus the fact that the white-clad giant was carrying something one-handed on his shoulder.
"Unbelievable," Aiken shook his head. "I wonder what they could be up to."
"What is that man wearing on his head?" Star wondered aloud.
Rebecca frowned. "I don't know. What I want to know is what is it that they're carrying. It looks like some sort of body bag."
The survivors watched as the duo stopped momentarily as they were approached by dogs, winged and wingless alike, the animals gathering around and snarling viciously.
The man in grey tilted his head to the side curiously, giving the impression as if he were intrigued. He displayed no signs of fear as his grey-skinned companion walked past him, stopping just in front of his master as the dogs charged and leapt toward the pair. Craning his arm back, the giant backhanded three to four of the animals away with a mighty swing of his arm, smacking them aside.
"Whoa!" Aiken winced, watching as the animals flew back pitifully. "Did you see that?!"
"Who are these guys?" Rebecca wondered.
As one of the winged animals struggled to get back up, the man in white raised his foot up into the air, slamming it down pitilessly on its head with a loud crunch. Once the other animals were dealt with, the man in grey approached and kneeled down, examining it. As he finished, he said something to the giant and proceeded onward unimpeded.
Star watched the pair until both servant and master were gone from view.
"That was crazy!" Rebecca exclaimed. "Did you see that guy, Star? He was just swatting them away like they were flies!"
"I know," Star nodded. "Even I can't do that!"
It was then that a vision came to him.
The man in white studied him, his face shadowed and grave, his eyes covered in thick black sunglasses, his arms folded behind his back.
Star stumbled backward.
"Star!" Rebecca exclaimed as she and Richard caught hold of him. "Are you okay?"
"I-I'm fine," he said as he straightened himself.
"Are you sure?"
He nodded. "Sorry."
"I'm just glad you're alright," Rebecca sighed.
Star felt a warmth in his chest. She truly was a marvel.
Hearing a door opening below, the trio glanced down to see Chris and the others as they entered the Main Hall.
"Where did they go?" Joseph muttered.
"Up here!" Rebecca waved.
"There you are," Chris sighed, then gave a concerned look. "Everything okay, Rebecca?"
She shifted around uncomfortably.
"I-I'm sorry about that," the medic fidgeted.
Chris waved.
"It's okay," he smiled, then nodded to Aiken. "Hi Richie!"
"Hey Chris."
"Find anything?"
"We saw two guys wandering around outside," the communications specialist replied. "One was bigger than Wolf and was just bashing the shit out of some winged dogs out there with one hand! Bam, wham!"
"You're joking," Joseph said in disbelief.
"He was also carrying a body bag of some sort," Rebecca added.
"Any ideas on who they were?" Chris asked.
"The smaller of the two looked like he was military, possibly ex-military from the way he moved and dressed," Star noted. "I don't know, but if I were a betting man, I'd probably say he's one of Umbrella's goons."
Chris and Jill looked at each other.
"You said the big guy was carrying a body bag," the latter said.
Richard shook his head.
"I don't know what that's about," he said honestly.
"I doubt that it's being carried for sentimental reasons," Rebecca said. "I don't mean to be judgmental, but...they didn't look friendly."
"So probably some project or test subject Umbrella was working on," Chris said with his hand on his chin.
"We tried getting the front door open, but we're completely locked in," Star added.
Chris looked up in surprise. "Seriously?"
The albino gestured to the door. "See for yourself."
He watched as the Alphas approached the door, trying to get it open. After several seconds of pulling, they gave up.
"This keeps getting better and better," Jill frowned.
Joseph sighed. "Damn it," he muttered.
"Anything else?" Chris asked.
"Star and I found a key in the grandfather clock," Rebecca said as she waved said-item. "We have no idea where it goes, though. We've also found a hidden closet in the exhibition room."
"Really?" Jill said interestedly.
"Yes," Star nodded. "It was filled to the brim with stuff. Some rather expensive suits and various costumes."
"Huh," Joseph said. "I wouldn't mind checking it out."
"Same here," Jill nodded in agreement.
"Well, we just might, because we cleared as much of the west wing as we could," Chris said. "There's still a couple of locked rooms and doors, but until we find a way inside, it might take a while. Unless we find keys to those rooms, our only option is to search the east wing."
"Oh!" Rebecca's eyes widened as she remembered, "That reminds me, Star and I found a map in that statue of the woman!"
Taking out the folded map from her backpack, she tossed it down to Chris. She watched as the Alpha Point Man studied it.
"This will be very handy," he nodded, handing it to Jill. "Joseph, you and Jill check the lower levels while I check the upper floor with Richard."
"What about us?" Rebecca asked.
"Do you feel up for it?" Chris asked. "You don't have to come if you don't want to."
The Bravo medic thought about it for a moment, then nodded. "I'll do it."
Chris then looked to Star. "How about you, Wolf?"
"I'll come," the albino answered.
"Then you two are coming with us," Chris shrugged. Looking to Jill and Joseph, he nodded to them. "Stay safe."
"You too, Chris," Jill replied as she studied the map.
The Omni Man shifted on his feet. "If you ever need backup-"
"I'll let you know," Chris cut Joseph off. "Thanks."
Turning to the stairs, he started to climb.
"Chris."
The Alpha paused, then looked back to Joseph.
"...Good luck, man," Frost nodded.
The Point Man smirked. "You don't get off that easy," he said, then looked at him seriously. "Good luck, Joseph."
Separating once more, the survivors wearily traveled onto the next section, wondering what horrors await.