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 Twenty: Ghosts
Wesker pushed up his sunglasses, giving an annoyed scowl as he typed into the keyboard.
"Come on, come on," he muttered impatiently. This had better work this time. His plans hinged on the system working again, and if he can't get access...
ERROR.
He slammed his fist on the keyboard.
"Damn!" he growled.
At this rate he'll never be able to record the data. He had tried accessing the security terminals, but no matter what monitor or override code he used, Wesker still had problems. None of the security cameras in the facility were working, which spelt disaster for his plans. Letting out an angry snarl, he took in a deep breath, then exhaled.
Once his mind cleared, Wesker placed both hands together, resting his chin on his thumbs as he assessed the situation. The facility had a top of the line and impenetrable system, making it extremely unlikely for anyone to have hacked it. None of the S.T.A.R.S. members had such knowledge, that Wesker was certain of, and yet, all evidence pointed to some outside influence.
He tilted his head contemplatively.
...Could Spencer have known about his plans?
He had been certain that he had been careful, but the old man was about as straightforward as a dog's hind leg. It was near impossible to ascertain his intentions - a lot of the time he liked to play things close to the chest. Then again, nothing about Spencer's actions made sense to Wesker; the whole point of producing a bioweapon was so that it would be done as inexpensively as possible. And yet, Spencer insisted on pouring vast amounts of money into the various R&D projects under Umbrella's wing.
'Perhaps the old man had gone senile, as William had suggested.' Came the thought.
The lights and monitors flickered, then shut down, leaving him in darkness.
Wesker pressed the on/off switch several times, then huffed in irritation.
"What now?"
The cabin shutters slammed into their frames, causing Rebecca to leap up with a start.
Relaxing a little, the medic sighed.
The damn place was getting to her.
As she was just about to turn away from the desk, Rebecca paused. There was a crumpled up note on top that she had missed. Picking it up, she scrutinized its contents. The handwriting was messy, the paper stained, but it was still eligible enough for her to make out.
'dadddy atached first
momm atached scond
iNside reD and sLimy
whiTe and haRd
not true moM wheRe
dunno dadd
found mum again
whne atachd momMy
she moved no more
she screaming
why?
Jst want to b with her.'
'Not true Mom'? 'Found mum again'?
What does that even mean?
Had Lisa...been driven to kill her own parents by Umbrella?
Rebecca shook her head sadly.
What awful people...
The sound of the shutter slamming again stirred the medic from her thoughts, the girl pocketing this latest item.
Time to finish checking this place out.
Moving to the open doorway at the other end, Rebecca entered a slight hallway with a chest to the left. Approaching it, she opened it up, sighing with relief as she took out a box of ammunition. Pocketing it, she closed it, then turned around, moving toward the other end. The floor had a slight drop. From what she could tell, the cabin seemed to have been in construction, but the floor was unfinished, leaving the earth floor exposed. At the other end was a large board with a lit lamp and a handle, probably for a crank.
Looking down at the spiderwebs, Rebecca sighed.
"Is it too much to find a place around here that isn't covered with creepy crawlies?" she muttered.
Hopping down, Rebecca brushed her legs with disgust, removing cobwebs from her pants.
"Ewwww!"
Shuddering, she checked herself to make sure nothing was crawling on her. Once she finished, Rebecca moved toward the board, then picked up the crank, stuffing it into her backpack.
'Now to get out of here before something crawls up and bites me.' she thought, eying the walls and floors with distrust.
Twisting on her heel, Rebecca moved back to the raised flooring, pushed herself up, then walked through the open doorway. She had just stepped back into the bedroom when she heard a distinctive noise that made her pause in her step - the sound of the front door opening and closing.
"...Hello?" she called.
The hearth continued to burn, her question left unanswered.
Taking a nervous, shaky breath, Rebecca cautiously moved forward one trembling step at a time. She had just stepped outside the bedroom when the medic suddenly felt a sharp pain as something struck down onto the top of her head, her vision dimming as she fell to the floor.
Star looked around, lost and confused.
How did he get here?
He was in a long, white featureless stretch of hallway that extended indefinitely. Every now and then he would pass by a door, and whenever he attempted to turn the handle, he would find it sealed shut. No matter how much he struggled, no matter how hard he struck, the doors would remain closed, at which point Star would then resume onward in his aimless wandering. Turning left, he found himself in a hallway of flickering light, the walls flashing images, showing a scene like from an old, used black and white film reel. Walking down this corridor, Star glanced at the walls, watching the scene in intrigue. At first, he thought it to be a scene from "The Maltese Falcon" or some other film noir classic, but as he studied the characters, scenery, settings and camera angle, Star then realized his mistake.
The woman from his memories, Amy, had her back to the screen and was looking fearfully at a man, his features cast in shadow. From the angle, it seemed like camera was on the ground looking up at the two.
"What are you doing?!" she demanded.
"Get...get away, Amy!" Star heard someone speaking in pained and rasping gasps, drawing her attention to the screen. "Get away! He killed them! Get out of here! He's killed everyone!"
"What?!" Amy exclaimed in horror. Turning her eyes to the man in front of her, she hesitated as he raised up something in his hand, pointing it in her direction.
A pistol.
"N-no," she said fearfully, taking a nervous step back.
"Oh yes, my dear," the man said with a flat and neutral tone, his weapon trained on her. "Just like this."
Amy jerked back as the weapon fired, falling lifelessly to the ground.
"NO!" Star screamed, shooting up from the bed.
The room was pitch black. Looking around, the albino tried peering through the darkness, then waited until his eyes adjusted. Once he became certain that he was alone, he settled back onto the bed, his head touching the pillow.
He frowned. God, this fucking pillow! Rebecca wasn't kidding when she said it was like some pervert constructed it from a camel's pubic hair.
A smile tugged at the corners of his mouth as he thought of her voice and expression when she told that to him. It was strange how she had completely endeared herself to him. There were plenty of attractive women back in Arkham, but Rebecca's laugh, smile, and eyes...
How could anything or anyone be so...perfect?
Thinking to his own person in comparison, Star couldn't help noting the contrasts; whereas she looked like a creature from Heaven, made with the utmost care and delicacy, he, in contrast, looked like a thing cobbled together from Hell, and he felt a little envious of the girl. As the thought crossed his mind, the albino guiltily lowered his eyes in shame.
What was he thinking? He had no reason to envy her - if anything, she deserved every bit of good fortune that came her way.
'I hope she is alright,' he thought worriedly.
Star stared up at the ceiling, the image of Rebecca locked in his mind.
As minutes passed, Star stirred from the bed, sitting himself up. He was tired of lying around. As sore, hungry and exhausted as he was, Star knew that this was something he needed to do. He didn't care what happened to him - what mattered was saving her before history repeated itself.
When Rebecca awoke, she found herself lying on her back in front of the fireplace.
Raising a hand to her eyes, she fought the urge to throw up as she let out a groan.
"Uhh," she moaned softly, sitting up as she rubbed her scalp. "Aw, my head."
Pushing herself off the floor, she was barely off the ground when she became aware of a putrid smell, causing her to rear back in disgust.
"Aw! Oh God, what is- ugh!" Rebecca coughed, covering her nose.
The stink was just awful; she could only describe it as wet feces mixed with decay.
Hearing a clank, Rebecca turned to the doorway beside the fireplace and froze.
"Oh my God."
Dressed in a torn, tattered and filthy grey hospital gown was a wretched vision - an emaciated, hunched back and pale woman with long spidery limbs that gave her a kind of orangutan-like appearance. On her ankles were a set of a manacles that clung so tightly around that they cut deep into the woman's skin, her wrists bound by wooden cuffs that were lined with iron. Concealing the woman's head was a hideous mask that looked like it was made from human skin, but it wasn't just the face of one person in particular, but a whole collection of faces stitched together.
Even worse, at certain angles, Rebecca could spot some hints of what its wearer actually looked like through some of the seams and holes, making the medic shiver in repulsion.
And the smell - God, it was coming from her! The air was so thick with the smell that Rebecca practically breathed it in, making her want to gag! It was as if the woman had never bathed in her entire life!
The hearth lighting up her monstrous form, the woman stepped into the room, causing Rebecca to take a nervous step back before suddenly ducking to the side, narrowly avoiding a swing from the woman's unnaturally long arms.
Retreating even further, Rebecca then ran one side, then another, trying to find a way to navigate around the crazed person, warily watching the woman as she matched her movements step per step. The woman herself stared back, watching her through that disgusting mask with the attentiveness of a hawk. Lunging forward a second time, the woman slammed her fists angrily down on the spot where Rebecca had been, forcing the medic back up the small set of stairs, the younger girl wincing at the impact. From the corner of her eye, Rebecca spotted something fluttering down, causing the duo to briefly pause.
'What is she doing?' Rebecca wondered.
The woman remained still, focused on the slip of paper on the floor.
Lowering herself down, the woman remained hunched over, exposing her entire left side to the medic. A gaping hole in the on the gown's back revealed what Rebecca had at first thought to be a giant wart or tumor on her left shoulder. When the "tumor" suddenly blinked at her, Rebecca visibly flinched and turned away, trying to avoid looking at it. Looking back to the spot that the woman was focused on, she leaned in slightly, then did a double-take.
'The photograph!' Rebecca gasped. It must have slipped out from her pocket! But...why was-
"Mooo...thheeeer…"
It was a hoarse cry of pain and longing, a voice that sounded as if it hadn't been used to human speech for a very long time. It was a voice that belonged to a woman who knew of no peace, of perpetual torment, and loneliness. It was a voice of a woman whose only sources of companionship - at least, so it seemed to Rebecca - were madness and despair.
Long fingers traced around the picture's ruined outline of the woman in the black skirt.
"Oh my God," Rebecca said softly in realization. "You're...you're Lisa Trevor!"
Hearing her voice, the woman looked back in her direction, letting out a deep growl as the eye on her shoulder narrowed its pupil accusatorily at the medic.
"Lisa..."
The woman stomped foward.
"Don't take another step, Lisa," Rebecca warned, shakily raising her pistol.
Lisa continued moving closer, the eyeball on her shoulder blinking.
"Lisa-"
Raising up her arms with a roar, Rebecca screamed as she curled herself up into a ball, waiting for the coming blow. When it never arrived, Rebecca risked raising her eyes back to her would-be attacker, wondering what caused the delay. Lisa's head was tilted to the side, listening.
"...Mooo...therrr?"
Blinking, Rebecca did likewise for a moment, then looked around the cabin. She couldn't hear anything aside from the wind.
Could Lisa be hallucinating?
Rebecca didn't bother moving at all; in fact, she was doing everything in her power not to move, wanting to avoid bringing attention to herself as Lisa lowered her arms.
"...Mooo...therrr…" Lisa said softly, a tear dropping from her swollen eyes through a hole in her mask onto the floor.
Rebecca stared at the wretched woman, watching her closely, the medic's heart racing as seconds turned into minutes. Lisa remained quiet, looking as if she were paying close attention to something being said. As time passed, Lisa's docility faded.
"...Rrrreeeedddd...maaaaan..." Lisa broke the silence, her tone angry.
Rebecca blinked.
"Redman"? Who was Redman?
Whoever...or whatever, this "Redman" was, it was upsetting Lisa.
Could this "Redman" be responsible for what happened to Lisa and her family?
Rebecca watched as Lisa's hands tightened into fists.
"...Kkkkkiiiilllll…..rrreeeeedddd….mmaaaannnn," the latter said in a hoarse whisper.
Slamming her manacled hands onto the ground, causing Rebecca to flinch and the floor to crack, the maniacal woman continued to work herself into a frenzy as she became more and more agitated.
"RRRRREEEEEDDDDD...MMMAAAAAN!" The demented woman roared, slamming her hands onto the ground like a gorilla about to charge. "KKKKIIIIIILLLLL...RRRRRREEEEEDDDD...MMMMAAAAANNNNN!"
Letting out a howl of rage, Lisa lurched back from where she came, exiting the room. Rebecca remained still, waiting until she heard the door opened and closed.
"RRRREEEEEEDDDD...MMMMMAAAAAANNNNN!" Came the cry from outside.
Raising herself up, Rebecca stared to the doorway, her form shaking.
What was that all about?
'I should get out of here before she decides to come back,' came the thought.
As much as Rebecca felt sorry for the poor woman, she was lucky Lisa hadn't attacked and killed her on the spot. Pushing herself off the floor, she quickly picked up the photo and stuffed it back into her pocket, making sure it remained secure, then headed out the door.
Stepping out from the cabin, the medic glanced around.
"I wish I knew where to go," she said softly.
Somewhere down below, she heard Lisa's screams, her chains rattling loudly.
"RRRRREEEEEEDDDD MMMMMAAAAAAANNNNN!"
Rebecca shuddered. God, that sound! Together with the chains, it sounded as if an angry spirit had returned from beyond the grave to wreak vengeance on the person responsible.
"I should get back to the others," she said to herself as she wandered down a path to the right that led downhill.
As Rebecca descended, she gave one last look to the moon, discomforted by its shining eye.
Star closed the door behind him as he entered the F-shaped hallway.
"Rebecca?" he called. "Officer Redfield? Can anyone hear me?"
He was just about to enter a room in the middle when the door opened, drawing his attention as he tensed up. Upon seeing the source, however, as she stepped into the hallway, the albino felt the muscles in his body loosen. Turning to face her, Star smiled.
"There you are!" he sighed. "I had been so worried."
Rebecca said nothing. Instead, she merely looked around in fear. Lowering his smile, Star scrutinized the girl.
"Are you okay, Rebecca?" he asked, approaching her slowly.
Rebecca took a step forward, still shifting her eyes about.
"Rebecca?"
The girl ignored him. A piece of wood creaked somewhere up above them, the two teenagers flinching at the sound. Staring up warily at the ceiling, the two waited, then shakily let out nervous breaths.
"God, this place," Star muttered, the knot in his stomach sitting unpleasantly in the middle like a stone. Turning to face her, the albino nodded. "It's good to see you."
Rebecca didn't answer.
Knitting his brows, Star blinked at her. "Rebecca?"
She kept ignoring him, continuing to eye her surroundings with a frightened expression plastered onto her face.
What had happened to her?
He frowned.
'Perhaps the better question should be what hasn't happened to her?' Came the thought.
Since entering the mansion, it was one horror show after another.
The albino lowered his chin in shame.
"...I'm sorry, Rebecca," he said softly. "I'm so sorry for letting you go."
He waited for a response. The girl let out a nervous breath as he exhaled.
"You don't have to worry, Rebecca," Star assured, "you're safe now. Let me just contact Officer Valentine to take a look at you-"
He cut himself off as the medic looked in his direction. She didn't even seem to register what he was saying. The stone in his stomach shifted.
Had her head injury gotten worse?
"Rebecca?" Star said uncertainly.
Rebecca stepped wordlessly toward him.
"Rebecca are you okay?" Star asked as he took a step toward her.
When she failed to respond, the albino started to feel nervous.
'Please God, let her be alright,' Star prayed.
"Rebecca, please. Say something. Are you hurt?"
Rebecca kept coming toward him, looking up at the corners, tilting her head from side to side like a scared animal.
"Rebecca-"
Star nearly had a heart attack as she suddenly passed right through his body!
Staring ahead with wide frightened eyes, the albino stumbled back and felt his chest, his body shaking as he looked back to her departing back. Raising his shaking hands up to study them, Star watched his limbs violently tremble as he huffed furiously, the scream in his throat coming out in harsh, sharp yet short gasps.
'What the hell is going on?!' his brain demanded, his head thumping with adrenalin.
Looking back to Rebecca, he watched as she headed further down. Twisting on his heel, he hurried to her side.
"Rebecca? Rebecca!" he said frantically. "Rebecca? Rebecca! Rebecca it's me, Star! For God's sakes, can't you see me? Can you hear me? Please say something!"
He repeated himself over and over again, but no matter how many times he tried, no matter the volume, Star was unable to do anything. All of his attempts at getting her attention resulted in failure, leaving him powerless. All he could do was follow her down the rabbit hole into madness.
The storeroom light flickered repeatedly, the sound mixing with Rebecca's shivering and soft crying as she sat on the edge of the bed. Star stared with concerned and sad eyes as he sat on the chair beside her.
"Why can't you see or hear me?" he asked quietly. "Why-why can't I dry away your tears?"
What can he do to make her stop crying?
No matter what he had done, no matter how loud he yelled or screamed, his efforts were futile.
Raising up his gloved hand to her face, he watched as his fingers sank into her tearstained cheeks, his digits phasing through her skin as if she were nothing more than empty air.
He felt absolutely powerless.
Pulling his limb away, Star lowered his eyes, letting out a sad exhale as he absentmindedly got up from the chair and quietly headed out the door, opening and closing it shut as he left the room.
"Hello?"
Hearing Rebecca's voice, Star paused, then looked back behind him. "Rebecca?"
The door cracked slightly, revealing a scared green eye as it peaked out.
Star turned around to face her. "Rebecca?"
"...Is someone there?" she called.
"I'm right here, Rebecca!" he called back.
Rebecca pushed the door open more, allowing him to smile. The smile died down as she looked in various directions, completely oblivious to his presence.
"I'm right in front of you!" he said in frustration. As she disappeared back behind the door, Star raised up his hands, feeling the urge to tear his own hair out.
Taking in a deep breath, he exhaled, then calmly grabbed the door handle. Pulling it open, he watched as Rebecca let out a startled scream, causing him to jerk back in alarm.
"Ah! What?! What happened?! What happened?!" Star asked as he looked about, his body tense. "Why are you screaming?!"
The girl had curled herself up into a ball on the bed, her frightened eyes staring ahead.
Blinking in confusion, the albino stared back at her.
What could have caused her to-
He stopped himself. Scrunching up his eyebrows, he looked back to the door, then back to her.
Grabbing the handle, he drew it open slightly, causing her to elicit a startled squeak.
Closing it, he looked at his hand, then the door handle.
'So I can still touch the door knobs...but...why can't she see me?' he wondered.
A lightbulb went off in the albino's head. Reaching into his pocket, he took out a pen, then started to write on the door itself.
"Can...you...see...this message?" Star said while writing.
Hearing panicking breathing and a creak, he turned to see Rebecca backing away, the girl staring with terrified eyes.
"No no no no!" Star said worriedly. "Please...don't...be...afraid! It's...me, Star!"
Rebecca shivered, then crumpled to her knees.
"REBECCA!" Star yelled, running to her, sinking down beside her. As he attempted to touch her shoulder, his hand sank through, causing him to draw back in surprise, looking at his hand and at the girl in bewilderment. Rebecca then started to break down and cry, making the albino stare at her in alarm.
"I'm-I'm going insane!" Rebecca wept. "Oh God, I'm-I'm-I'm losing my mind!"
Star tried to reach up and clear away the tears from eyes, watching as his gloved fingers pass through her cheeks.
Looking at the pen in his hand, Star hesitated for a moment. Would it work, or would it just make it worse?
He sighed, moving beside her. It was worth a try.
"Please don't cry, Rebecca." He wrote on the floor in front of her. He watched as the girl stopped and stared down at the message. Taking her pause as a positive sign, Star continued to write more, spurned on by something within him.
"'I fear thy kisses, gentle maiden,'" he said softly, "'Thou needest not fear mine;
My spirit is too deeply laden
Ever to burthen thine.
"'I fear thy mien, thy tones, thy motion,
Thou needest not fear mine;
Innocent is the heart's devotion
With which I worship thine.'"
Star watched as Rebecca read the message, then cleared her eyes.
"Great, I have a ghost haunting me now," she said to herself.
Star gave a soft and amused snort.
"I wonder who this "Star" is," Rebecca wondered aloud.
The albino looked at her in surprise.
What in the world?
At first, he thought the medic was joking, but after seeing the serious expression on her face, he became completely confused.
She looked around. "Are you still with me?"
Star wrote.
"Yes."
He then looked at his pen, then at the writing on the floor.
"Can...you...see...this...pen?"
He watched as Rebecca shook her head.
"No."
Star stared at the pen, completely confounded. So she can see his writing, but not his pen? How was that even possible?
Looking back to Rebecca, he suddenly froze. There was something...imperceptibly...different...about her.
She still had the same wide green eyes, still had the same oval-shaped face and short nose...and yet...Star knew that something was off.
It was then that he noticed a mole close to her left ear, just slightly hidden by some hair.
'Had that always been there?' he wondered.
He was positive that Rebecca never had such a mark, so how could he have missed it?
She didn't even have the bandage wrapped around her forehead.
'And her scent!' he realized. Even her scent was different! When Rebecca had leaned in earlier to help with his bandages, Star couldn't help noticing an appealing aroma that vividly reminded him of fresh berries and leaves. This...doppelganger, for lack of a better word, smelled of oranges.
"Tell me about yourself, Star," Rebecca encouraged.
Star continued to stare, writing as he spoke.
"We met on the Ecliptic Express, remember?"
Her eyes widened in surprise. "We had? When?"
"You saved my life. Several times, in fact."
Rebecca shook her head.
"I don't remember any of that." She paused. "Billy? Billy is that you?"
Star hesitated, both at the name and the tone she used as she spoke.
"I am not William," he wrote.
He watched as the girl's features fell, and as he did so, a feeling of resentment started to form in the albino's mind. From her tone, she seemed to be...smitten for William Coen, but...that couldn't be.
He continued on.
"You are in love with Albert Wesker," he wrote.
Rebecca made a face.
"Ew, God no!" she replied, shaking her head rigorously. "He's old enough to be my father! I mean, yeah, he's a hottie, but Billy...he's amazing!"
Rebecca's eyes shined as she spoke his name, causing Star to clench his teeth.
Taking in a deep, angry breath, the albino closed his eyes and exhaled. Once he calmed down, he wrote on.
"You told me your middle name is Elizabeth when I asked what the 'E' on your ID card stood for."
Rebecca smiled. "I'm afraid that's wrong. My middle name is Mary."
Star's brows knitted in confusion as she took out her wallet and opened it up. True to her word, it read "Rebecca M. Chambers".
'Okay, I know that it had been Elizabeth, so why-'
Before he could interrogate any further, something creaked behind. Turning around, Star stopped when he saw a shape stumbling through the doorway toward her. Seeing it, Rebecca screamed.
"No, NO!" He yelled, lunging toward the zombie. "GET AWAY FROM HER!"
Throwing a punch, he stumbled through the creature. Turning around in confusion, he glanced at his fist, then back at the zombie. Charging forward with a yell, Star threw a series of punches and kicks, but no matter how fast he threw them, no matter the angle, no matter how high or low, all of his attacks passed right through it. Even a swing with his pen resulted in no damage.
Panting furiously from exhaustion, the albino watched in horror as the zombie grabbed hold of Rebecca and bit into her neck, causing her to let out a shrill scream of pain. Blood gushed onto the bed and walls as it hungrily chomped away.
"NO!" Star screamed as he ran forward, trying to grab hold of something, anything.
The creature viciously mauled into Rebecca's neck, the girl coughing up copious amounts of blood as her jugular was torn apart.
Staring helplessly on, Star stood there in shock, his body frozen.
The sounds of frenzied feasting filled the storeroom. Once it had finished, the zombie stood up and lumbered away, taking no notice of Star as it left him alone with Rebecca's torn body.
"No," he said in a hush voice, sinking to his knees. Tears welled up from the corners of his eyes.
"No..." he repeated.
Star shook his head furiously as he crawled toward her.
"No..." he murmured. "No..."
Reaching for her hand, sadness turned to horror as he found that she had solidified. Holding her limp hand up, the albino's stared, then lowered his chin. Picking her up as delicately as he could, Star watched as the girl stared up at him, a whimper escaping his lips as he held her up in his arms. She had some life left, but it wouldn't be for much longer.
"I'm sorry," Star said in a tiny sob-filled voice. "I'm so sorry. I should have protected you. I'm so sorry!"
Giving one final cough and gasp, the girl shuddered and shivered, then sagged, the color fading from her eyes.
"No," Star whispered. "No. No no no no! No! NO!"
Holding her up in a tight embrace, her head resting on his neck, the albino wept loudly as his scarred eyes locked shut, his wails echoing.
"NO!" Star yelled as he shot up from the bed. Putting a had to his mouth, he stifled a sniffle as he glanced around.
Rebecca's body was gone.
Disoriented, the boy checked for indications of her presence.
Nothing. No blood trail, no footprints of any kind. Nothing to suggest she had ever been here in the first place.
Not even the bedsheets were stained. Nor were his clothes.
Settling back onto the bed, Star wiped his eyes, taking a sharp breath.
God, that was awful!
He could still feel the spot on his neck where Rebecca's head had rested. Raising a hesitant hand, he was just about to touch the area when the door opened, revealing Officer Valentine as she carried in a pair of suitcases. His suitcases.
"Hey, big guy," Valentine greeted. "How are you feeling?"
Star didn't answer.
"...Bad dream?"
"I...suppose?" he said uncertainly.
Valentine nodded sympathetically. "Well, given the circumstances, I can't say I'm surprised. Hell, I had a couple earlier," she sighed.
Star looked at her curiously. "Did you?"
"Yeah. Scary stuff," she replied, looking uncomfortable. Star opened his mouth to respond, but the woman cut him off as she looked away, clearing her throat nervously as she gestured to the suitcases in hand. "I had found your bags in the middle of the hall and just wanted to drop them off." She then placed them down by side of the bed.
"Pretty heavy."
Star nodded. "I'm sorry that you had to carry them around," he said softly. He then added, "And thank you. Thank you for finding and bringing them."
Valentine shrugged. "Don't mention it," she replied.
She was just about to leave when he called out, "Could you stay for a moment? I don't want to fall back asleep and I just...want to talk, if it's alright with you."
"We could talk in a little bit, okay? There's a room upstairs I need to check out. I promise I'll be quick."
Star nodded. "Okay."
As Valentine left the room, Star stared up at the ceiling, then raised up his hand to feel his neck.
"That feeling is still there," he whispered to himself.
Rebecca squinted as she tried peering through the thick wood surrounding her. "Where do I go?"