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 Fifteen: Pursuit
Jill let out a groan as she pressed all of her weight into the set of armor.
"This. Is. Bullshit!" She muttered through grit teeth as she pushed it into place.
Stopping momentarily, Jill wiped the perspiration from her forehead, glancing around miserably at her surroundings.
She was in a large spacious brown room with ten knights on stands at opposite ends against the wall facing each other.
In the center was a square pedestal and a button, labeled with an ominous message that read "Woe to those who disturb my sleep". What had caught Jill's attention, however, was at the back of the room; at the rear wall were four framed pictures of knights with a small depression below that contained something, but it was barred off.
When she first entered, four of the stands had slid forward.
Taking their movement and positioning as a clue, the past twenty minutes had been spent trying to solve the riddle of this area. Pressing the button only caused the room to be flooded with gas, forcing her to leave. Obviously, pressing the button came after. She had to push these suits of armor back into their original position, though in what order proved to be the tricky part. Once it had all cleared up, she returned and had tried pushing in the statues, but no matter how many times she tried, the Alpha couldn't get it.
Wiping her flushed cheeks, she gave a heavy sigh.
"This damn room is trying to kill me." Eying the depression, Jill gave it a determined and withering look, "You better be worth the effort."
It better have something extremely valuable in there, like a powerful weapon or something, because her patience was wearing thin, fast. If it all had been for nothing, so help her, Jill was going to be furious.
Starting with the knight in the far-right hand corner, Jill groaned as she pushed it into place. Once that was done, she then approached the one to the left of the door and repeated the same process.
"I should have followed Dad's line of work," she muttered, "but nooo, I had to be the good guy and go into the creepy, monster-filled mansion hidden in the woods!"
When Jill finished lining it against the wall, she then turned around and pushed the other suit opposite back.
Upon finishing, the remaining knight slid back into position against the wall. Approaching the pedestal, Jill took in a deep breath.
"Well, here goes nothing."
Pressing the switch, she watched as the bars receded.
"Yeah!" Jill cheered. "I won!"
She felt so proud herself right now. Old Dick Valentine raised no fool, that's for sure.
'Pop would be proud,' she thought smugly. And now to claim her prize.
Approaching the depression, Jill reached inside and extracted the item, studying it curiously. It was an ornate-looking jewelry box that had an elaborate design of the crescent moon and sun at the top. Jill squinted at the inscription written on the plate.
"'Sunshine will awaken me,'" she murmured.
Tilting it at different angles, the Alpha blinked at the sight of switches, then frowned.
Another fucking puzzle.
Jill sighed wearily. "Goddamn it."
Richard stared at the cover of the book, mystified.
"What is this?" he murmured to himself.
Drawing it open, he started to read.
Jill heard a click as she pressed a button on the side. Flipping open the lid of the jewelry box, she stared at the item inside, frowning.
"...Of course it would be this," Jill muttered.
Inside was a grey, gruesome-looking death mask that was devoid of eyes, nose and mouth, with some orange jewels embedded in the right side of its forehead. Picking it up, Jill gave a look of disgust as she studied her newest find.
"This is so gross."
Stuffing it immediately into her fanny pack, the Alpha wiped her hands on her pants, shuddering.
Time to get out of here.
Moving toward the door, Jill pulled it open, then stopped as she found herself staring at a giant armored chest. Looking up, she saw a red-lensed, gas mask-covered face leering down at her.
"Oh shit!"
The words had barely left her mouth when the titan grabbed her by the neck and hoisted her off her feet as she shrieked. Raising her pistol, Jill fired her weapon into its domed head, forcing the creature to drop her onto the floor. Massaging her sore throat, Jill coughed as she ran past, curling to the right of the U-shaped corridor as she tried to put some distance between her and that thing.
She was just a foot from the door to the main hall when a wall exploded in front of her.
"JESUS!" Jill cried as she skidded along the carpet, startled as the armored being stepped through the hole it made in front of her. Turning around, she bolted back down the corridor as it stomped after her, letting out an angry roar.
THOOMTHOOMTHOOM!
Every heavy clank of its step rumbled through her entire body as it charged, the noise so loud that Jill could practically feel it. Jill fired wildly over her shoulder, the rounds bouncing harmlessly off its armored chest and helmet as it single-mindedly followed her through room after room after room after room. From the pillar room, the attic, and back again, the creature followed unrelentingly in its pursuit, smashing through doors, zombies, even the corpse of that giant snake with a mighty swing of its axe.
"GO! AWAY!" Jill yelled as she fired her pistol into its domed helmet.
The creature wheezed as it stomped toward her, the axe brandishing overhead. No matter where she went, he followed.
Pushing through the door of the next room, Jill nearly had a heart attack as a zombie came out of nowhere and tried to grab her. Evading its grip, she bolted down the stairs, nearly tripping as her pursuer entered the room, swatting the zombie aside effortlessly. Reaching into her fanny pack, she felt around.
'Come on, come on, there must be something useful here!' She thought desperately.
Hearing a growl overhead, Jill looked up.
"You have got to be fucking kidding!" She swore as she ducked to the side, evading a winged dog as it fell from the ceiling. Running blindly through the various rooms and corridors, Jill moved swiftly past the various creatures as her heavily armored "friend" followed close behind.
The Alpha felt around in her pack. Come on, come on! There must be something-
Jill paused as she pulled out the flashbang.
Of course! How could she have forgotten about this?!
Looking back to the giant shadow lumbering toward her, Jill removed the pin.
"Hope this works."
She waited a couple seconds, then tossed the flashbang at the behemoth's armored foot. One second later, POW!
Jill groaned as her ears rang, her vision partially splotchy. Looking back to the armored giant, she watched as the creature roared and reached up to its lensed eyes, stumbling slightly.
'It worked!' She thought excitedly.
Gathering her bearings, Jill ran past the creature. Once she had put some distance between them, the Alpha climbed up the stairs and back to the U-shaped corridor. Entering the main hall, Jill slammed the door shut behind her, her breathing harsh and heavy.
"Jesus!" She gasped.
Inhaling deeply, Jill exhaled as she leaned back against the door.
"What did you get yourself into this time, Jill?" she asked herself.
Richard's mind was a maelstrom of thoughts and emotions.
At a glance, it just seemed to be an ordinary book. However, the more he peered into its pages, the more perplexed and troubled the Bravo became. It was a story of madness and horror, a story that made Aiken angry and vulnerable simultaneously.
His story.
At first, the Bravo thought it was some sort of sick joke on the part of Joseph's, but the more he progressed, the more Aiken started to sweat and regard everything around him with such fear and anxiety as he never had felt before. He felt as if the fabrics of reality were hanging delicately from a thread, his mind threatening to snap. The story recounted everything that had happened to Aiken and his team - all the creatures he encountered, all the things that he had said, his thoughts, private moments of Aiken's life such as his kissing his girlfriend Bridgette before parting for the Station after a heavy bout of lovemaking, right down to the exact words used! It even mentioned the guilt he felt for his baby sister, something he had never told anyone about!
"What the fuck?!" Aiken gasped. How was this even possible?!
Flipping eagerly further, the Bravo stared with disbelief, for the next set of pages featured events as they were happening at that particular moment. He read of how he read of how he read of how he read of how he read a section before ultimately closing the book in his trembling hands, his brain overwhelmed and terrified. He felt dizzy, the room spinning around him. Sitting down onto the floor, Aiken massaged his temples, trying to reduce the adrenalin flowing through his system.
'Deep breaths,' he reminded himself. 'Slow, deep breaths.'
Once he got himself under control, Aiken looked back to the book, regarding it anxiously. Reaching out, the Bravo suddenly paused, hesitating.
Should he continue looking?
Aiken feared what it contained...but by the same token, though...he felt...drawn. He resisted at first, but after tentatively brushing his fingers against its cover, the Bravo gave in to temptation and peered inside, continuing on from where he left off. Moving forward a couple pages, Aiken noticed a shift in focus. The next several pages detailed events that were to come, that have yet to happen. Flipping towards the end, the Bravo read on. The story ended with him being eaten by a giant shark.
Aiken did a double take.
The hell? A shark...? What...?
Closing his eyes, the Bravo scoffed, shaking his head as he began to realize what was going on.
"Fucking Joseph," he muttered.
This was fucked up, even for him, but it figured that the little shitbird would do something like this. But how did he know about his sister Annie? How did he know about his time with Bridgette?
Aiken tried thinking back, but he couldn't remember any time when he had. Perhaps he had mentioned something at the bar and had been really drunk. In terms of Bridgette, the little pervert must have been there, watching them go at it.
"You are a fucking asshole, you know that, Joseph?!" Aiken yelled. "Guess what, prick - there are no sharks this far inland!"
Nobody responded. Neither Chris, nor Joseph nor Rebecca replied. Not even the albino freak.
"Guys?" he called uncertainly.
Did they just leave him?
Aiken didn't hear the door open or close, and yet...the room felt so...empty.
Where had they gone?
It was then that Aiken's radio went off.
"Hello? Hello? Is anyone there?" Someone spoke from the other end.
"The hell?" The Bravo blinked as he raised up his radio. "This is Officer Aiken of S.T.A.R.S. Bravo Team. Who is this?"
"It doesn't matter who I am," the man replied. "Have you read the book?"
Aiken was still for a moment. "What book?"
"You know the one, Richard. The one in your hand."
Getting up slowly from the floor, Aiken looked around suspiciously, peering through and around shelves, then up at the ceiling.
"H-How...How do you know my name?" Aiken said hoarsely. "Where are you?! Who are you?!"
"Like I said before, it doesn't matter. What does matter, Richard, is where your story is headed. I have given you a brief glimpse of what awaits you at the end."
"So, what? I'm on a beach somewhere with my girlfriend and I end up eaten by a shark?"
"Unfortunately, no. Had you bothered to read the rest of the story, you would have known that you never leave this mansion. This is where, and how, you will die."
Aiken stared at the radio, then huffed. "Joseph you fucktard! You think this is funny?!"
"I'm afraid you're confused, Richard," the voice replied all-too coolly. "I am not Joseph."
"Then who are you?!" Aiken demanded.
"All in due time. Listen carefully to what I have to say - your end is coming soon, and it's coming quickly. If you want to change the outcome of your future and survive this night, you will need to follow my instructions. I can also arrange to change the fate of your sister."
Aiken paled. "My sister?! How do you-? Just who-?"
"There is no time for explanations," the voice impatiently cut him off. "We are being monitored as we speak. All you need to know is that I am an interested party. Tell no one, and more importantly, whatever you do, do not trust the boy."
Aiken blinked. "The 'boy'?" he repeated. "You mean Wolf?"
"We will speak again soon."
"Wait, wait!" Aiken called. "What do you mean? Hello? Damn it!"
"Is something wrong, Officer Aiken?"
Aiken jumped, startled as he whirled around to see the albino.
"Jesus, you scared me," the Bravo gasped.
The youth gave a polite nod. "My apologies. Is everything alright?" He asked concernedly. "You were just standing there looking blankly ahead."
The Bravo looked at him in surprise. "I was?"
"You were," the youth in red affirmed. "Are you feeling under the weather?"
Aiken blinked several times. The hell? Looking back to Wolf, he then nodded.
"Uh no," the Bravo replied. "No, I was just...looking. Do you know where the others are?"
"They're just wandering and looking around." The albino then looked down at something, then gave a small, genuine smile, nodding in approval, "I see that you enjoy reading Shakespeare. An excellent choice if I may say so."
Aiken hesitated. "Huh?"
"The book you're holding," the youth indicated.
Aiken glanced down to the book in his hand, then did a double take.
The cover had changed. It no longer said "Resident Evil".
Instead, it was "A Midsummer Night's Dream".
Raising his eyes, Aiken scrunched up his brows.
What the hell happened?
"...Officer?"
Aiken blinked. "Yeah. Yeah, it's fine. I was just curious," he lied, clearing his throat. "Out of curiosity...did you hear anything?"
Star blinked back. "Uh, no, not at all," he answered. "Why?"
Whatever you do, do not trust the boy.
Aiken eyed the albino suspiciously, watching his reactions.
Sighing, he closed his eyes and shook his head wearily. "It's-It's nothing," he shrugged. "Just the wind, I guess."
Blinking, the albino quizzically glanced around, then raised a brow quizzically at him. Shrugging, the youth turned his attention back to the shelves and moved away. Aiken observed him, taking note of his behavior.
I'll need to keep a close eye on him.
Looking back to the book itself, he leapt with surprise to see writing on the cover, nearly dropping it.
We will meet soon.
Raising his eyes from the cover, the Bravo eyed his surroundings, hastily putting the book back into a shelf as he briskly moved to a different section of the library, the hairs on his arms standing on end.
Curien stood before the pod, his eyes lowered.
Inside the fluid-filled glass container, a figure snapped his jaws as he struggled against his restraints, his snarls and roars muffled as long clouds of bubbly foam streamed upward from his mouth to the surface.
Raising a shaky hand up, he reached up longingly to the glass, staring at the face of its occupant.
"My boy," he said softly, his voice full of emotion, on the verge of cracking. "My poor little boy..."
He hated seeing him in this state, for every time he did, it always broke his heart.
"My poor...sweet little boy."
He used to be such a bright and happy child, so full of life and joy. Seeing him like this...Curien felt anguished.
The thing he has become...
He should have stayed on his treatment. Curien had tried to warn him, but he wouldn't listen. And now... here they were. What Curien would give to not be perpetually tormented by this unending nightmare. What he would give for the child to be himself again...
How long had it been since Roy held the child in his arms? How long had it been since he heard him laugh? Heard him cry? How long had it been since he last spoke?
He stared into the glass, trying to see something of the spark that he recognized, something to indicate some aspect of his child remained. Some flicker of recognition from those pasty dull white eyes. Finding nothing, Curien took off his sunglasses, allowing his heterochromatic eyes to tear up as the thing in the glass pod contorted its face into various bestial expressions.
"I'm sorry, Daniel," the man in white whispered. "God help me, I am so...sorry."
Resting his forehead against the glass, Curien closed his eyes, swallowing as he allowed tears to run free.
"I-I promise I will try to fix this," he said softly. "I will-I will...never leave you. So help me, Daniel, as long as I live, I will never leave you."
Daniel struggled and roared in his pod, his face a mask of animalistic fury while his father looked hopelessly and despondently on.