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-Four: Madness
"Oh my God," the three words tumbled out from Rebecca's mouth as realization struck her in an instant. "Chris, Lisa's-"
Rebecca cut herself off as she looked around, noticing that Chris was gone. "Chris? Chris, where are you? Chris?"
Mist coalesced with black shadows, the moonlight tinting it slightly, giving it a sort of iridescent glow.
Looking around her, Rebecca shakily searched through her surroundings, trying to catch some hint of her coworker.
"...Chris?" she said in a tiny voice, barely loud enough to be a whisper.
It was then that Rebecca suddenly became aware of an odd sound - a sort of grating, rattling noise akin to cicadas.
As the noise grew, the murky and misty darkness swelled thirty feet away like a pimple.
The mist suddenly parted as if it were a great curtain...and then he emerged.
He appeared so naturally out of the shadows that it almost seemed as if he were a living part of it, an extension of it. Hovering just a foot off the ground, moving slowly toward her, his eyes shined in the night, a pair of pale white lights that cut through the gloom and focused directly on her, a cruel smile etched on his devilish features.
Regardless of whether the sight before her were a dream or not, it was enough to make Rebecca shriek at the top of her lungs, to whip around and run all the way back in the opposite direction.
It wasn't the fact that she was being chased that made it terrifying. It wasn't even the fact that it was him of all things to be the one chasing after her; it was the fact that he was deliberately allowing her to stay ahead every step of the way.
Never before had Rebecca ever encountered something that could only be described as pure, unadulterated evil.
The various creatures that haunted these grounds were all in their own way horrible in their aspect and conception, grotesque parodies of their debauched makers, but none of them were inherently malicious. Even Marcus at his most loathsome couldn't even compare, despite his having intelligence.
This...this Magician Type 0...Rebecca was sure that it was evil incarnate.
At first, Rebecca thought that it had been her imagination, but the longer time passed, the more she became convinced that he wasn't just hunting her. He deliberately hung back as he pursued her, deliberately allowed her to get ahead.
But worst of all?
He was toying with her; even though he hung back a few feet, he made it a point of indicating that slowly but surely he was catching up, starting off distant and at a consistently, deliberately slow speed, but every so often, he would seem to just ever so slightly creep closer and closer to her.
It was all subtle at first - at certain moments, she would be running in one direction and he would move at a snail's pace...and yet...somehow...he always kept maintaining a consistent speed where he was just ever so slightly behind.
Rebecca didn't know how such a thing were possible.
Other times, he would suddenly disappear altogether, forcing her to flounder about aimlessly in the woods, leaving her lost, alone and disoriented. Trees started to look all the same, and her head felt as if a sledgehammer was bludgeoning her over and over again.
She was starting to see double of everything, and little by little, she could feel her mind being broken down piece by piece, her imagination running wild. The medic flinched at the slightest of noises that broke the silence, her form still yet alert, ready to flee at a moment's notice, like a hunted deer.
Sometimes, Rebecca would...or rather, she thought she would...catch glimpses of him lurking behind the trees.
Peeking around stones.
Bushes.
Even from the tree tops looking down at her with that awful smile.
At one point, Rebecca sought to loop around a tree, but as she did so, the medic found herself within arms length of her tormentor!
Her mind became nothing but a whirlwind of panic and confusion, her eyes wet with frightened tears as she became a whimpering child.
The medic ran so fast and hard that her lungs burned with every breath she took, her legs and feet protesting and searing with pain, but every time she looked over her shoulder it made Rebecca redouble her efforts and ignore the aches and pains.
She was now running all the way back to the cemetery, all the way back to the cabin.
Just when she rounded a corner, Rebecca found herself skidding straight into the Magician.
Letting out a screech, the medic barely had time to react when the creature seized her by the throat.
The world blurred and spun all around her, making Rebecca dizzy as she rolled her eyes up into her head. Turning to one side, she threw up, passing out when it became too much for her.
"Rebecca? Rebecca!"
Rebecca opened her eyes, wincing at the light, her head pounding.
"C-Chris?" she said weakly.
"I'm right here, Rebecca," Chris assured. "You okay, rookie? You don't look too well."
Shutting her eyes, the girl slowly sat up, massaging her head as she swallowed.
"I-I've felt better," she rasped as she wiped her mouth, her throat stinging from bile. "W-where-where are we?"
"I have no idea, but you have to check this place out," he replied.
Blinking, Rebecca raised up her head. "Why? What-"
She cut herself off as she took in her surroundings, the burning sensation in the back of her throat put to the back of her mind.
It was a dark and spacious stone room with a bunch of gears on the ceiling, all of which creaked each time they turned. Four niches were close to the left hand side of a gated opening, each niche holding some stone statue of a face, all of which varied in their appearance and completion, from the fully formed to the grisly disturbing and skull-like.
Underneath each statue was some form of writing, but Rebecca couldn't tell what the language was.
Possibly Greek.
The room itself was lit by a pair of oppositely facing, wall-mounted hearths with thick bars, some of which were bent, the crackling fire mixing with the creaking gears.
What really drew Rebecca's attention along with Chris', however, was at the far end of the room - suspended in the air by four chains was a coffin that hung over a pedestal with a book on top.
"What is this place?" Rebecca shivered. "Why is there a coffin hanging up there?"
"I don't know," Chris shook his head, "but I think it's time we got the hell out of here."
She nodded. "Agreed."
Turning to the gate, the duo tried grabbing hold and raise it up, both grunting with exertion.
"Damn it, it's too heavy." Chris started to yell, "HEY! CAN ANYONE HEAR US?! WE'RE STUCK DOWN HERE!"
"IS THERE ANYBODY THERE?!" Rebecca yelled.
"HELLO?!"
"SOMEONE! ANYONE! PLEASE, ANSWER US!"
The survivors' cries echoed as they shook at the bars trying to get out, the metal clanging in its frame.
Jill and Joseph stopped as they opened up the door, taking in the sight before them.
"You have got to be fucking kidding!" Joseph swore.
It was a long corridor that stretched all the way down to a door at the end, but the entire floor was covered with dozens upon dozens of still bodies.
"You're fucking serious, we have to navigate this shit?!"
Jill shrugged. "Looks like it."
Joseph gave the corridor one long look, then turned around.
"...Nope!"
Jill frowned. "Joseph, come on!"
"I am not going into that room!"
"Joseph..."
"Nuh uh! No way Jose!"
"Joseph it's only a little walk!"
"Yeah? Well fuck that! I'm gonna take a little walk in the opposite direction!"
"They're dead!"
"Are they?!"
The two looked over at the bodies. None of the them were moving, nor did they seem infected...at least, they think they didn't...but that only belied the deceptiveness of everything. Nothing in this damn place was ever simple or straightforward.
Like Umbrella itself.
Jill mentally scoffed.
How fitting.
Swallowing, she forced on a smile.
"It will be okay, Joseph," Jill tried to say in an assured voice. If only the confidence in her voice matched how she felt.
As Joseph opened his mouth to make a retort, the Alphas paused as they heard something.
Footsteps. Distinctive, heavy-sounding footsteps that sounded as if they were making their way toward them, although neither could be sure that they were.
THUMP! THUMP! THUMP! THUMP!
"...Doesn't that guy ever give up?!" Joseph lamented in a hushed voice.
"Apparently not," Jill said quietly.
"Does that sound close to you?" He whispered, looking around and listening.
Jill tilted her head, listening to the sound.
"...I don't know," she whispered back. "Let's get out of here before he arrives."
Looking back the cadaver-lined corridor, Jill nervously swallowed.
"Well...here goes."
Taking in a deep breath, she took the initiative, the first one to move forward.
Glancing down at the floor, Jill suspiciously eyed the downed bodies as she ever-so-slowly and carefully stepped around the cadavers, looking to avoid making contact and/or stepping on one of them.
So many bodies...
'Who were all these people?' Part of her morbidly wondered.
It was easy to think of Umbrella as a faceless amoral corporation governed by greed, but even corporations themselves employed people, were run by people.
She wondered about their day-to-day lives, their families.
Somebody out there somewhere must be wondering about what had happened to them.
Then again, perhaps not.
Perhaps they chalked it up as their being too busy, or perhaps they had other worries. Maybe some just didn't plain care. A few probably had, but given the things Umbrella has been doing...
As Jill stared down at the pile of bodies all around, a feeling of loathing for the corporation grew.
'I swear, once we get out of this, those bastards are going to pay!' she vehemently swore to herself.
CRUNCH!
Jill winced at the sound, turning to glare at Joseph.
"For fuck's sake, Joseph - watch where you step!" she hissed.
"Sorry," he said sheepishly. "Just so many goddamn bodies in this room."
He paused. "Hey, uh...Jill?"
Jill looked over her shoulder. "Yes?"
"All these bodies...what do you think they died from?" Joseph asked as he carefully climbed over a cadaver. "I don't see any bullet wounds, stab marks or anything. What gives?"
Looking around her, Jill studied them, a frown forming on her face.
"You're right," she nodded.
The bodies seemed to be in relatively good condition. So what killed them? Were they dead?
It was then that Jill remembered Wesker's note. Taking out a bottle of kerosene from one of her pouches, she opened the canister and started to sprinkle it along the bodies as she continued creeping forward along with Joseph. Once they got to the end, Jill turned around to face the cadavers, shrugging as she took out Chris' lighter.
"Just in case," the Alpha said as she lit a nearby cadaver. Lifting herself up, she watched as the body caught fire, the flame spreading to others behind them. One of them started to stir, then rose up, followed by another, and another, and another.
Grabbing the door knob, Jill and Joseph pulled it open and moved into the next room. Looking back, Jill suddenly paused at the sight behind them, watching the unholy scene in all of its horrible, nightmarish glory.
Corpses wandered amidst a great, growing pool of flame, their features melting and blackening as they caught fire, their cries filled not with pain and suffering, but of unending hunger. Looking wordlessly to Joseph, Jill saw him equally mesmerized and horrified by the sight. Giving her a nod, he gestured for them to go, leaving the damned to face their hopefully merciful end.
"CAN ANYBODY HEAR US?!"
Nothing.
Chris frowned.
"Well, looks like it's just us," he said with a shrug.
Sweeping her hands, through her hair, Rebecca looked around worriedly. "We've got to get out of here! Star is in danger!"
"Whoa! Calm down, Rebecca," Chris said. "What are you talking about?"
She turned to face him. "Lisa is going after him, Chris!"
"After Star? But why would she-" She watched as it all registered. "Oh my God."
Rebecca nodded vigorously. "Exactly! Not 'Redman' or 'Redfield', 'red man'!"
Chris paled.
"I need to contact the others and warn them," the Alpha said as he took out his radio.
Jill and Joseph paused as they heard their radios go off.
"Jill here," the former answered.
"Jill, thank God!" The radio crackled.
"Chris?"
"Yeah. Where are you?!"
"Joseph and I are on the second floor of the west wing, why?" she asked curiously. "Is everything okay?"
"Negative! Listen, where is Star?"
Star wriggled in his handcuffs, grunting as he tried to get free.
Why the hell did Officer Aiken have to leave him like this?!
Something shrieked outside, cutting through the rumbling thunder and the whistling wind, causing him to pause.
'What on earth was that?!' The albino wondered.
Part of him wanted to believe it was the shriek of some animal, a bird of prey like an eagle or something.
His brows knitted. Were there eagles around here?
The sound came again, much louder and clearer than before.
Closer.
That is no animal.
It didn't sound like the moans of a zombie; zombies by and large were just dead, walking pieces of meat, their vocalizations mere pitiful, empty and flat imitations of their former selves.
These cries, however, were different - there was a certain degree of...sentience in their tone.
Anguish.
Rage.
It was then that he heard clinking and rattling, something heavy being dragged. Chains.
Wind whistled and howled, mixing with the chains and angry cries, causing Star to look all around him fearfully.
What new trick of Umbrella's is this?!
To Star, it sounded like an angry ghost, the cries of a damned soul come to wreak horrible vengeance.
A door creaked behind him, causing cold air to enter and the hems of the albino's coat to flutter.
Turning around, Star felt his blood turn to ice. Goosebumps rose from his flesh, his throat tightening as he ceased breathing, his eyes widening in fright.
Just between the landings was a concealed door that lead somewhere outside, much to Star's surprise, but it was the being occupying the landing itself and stood by the door frame that drew his immediate attention.
It was a wretched vision - a multifaced, hunchbacked horror dressed in the tattered and filthy remnants of a hospital gown that stepped right out of a nightmare, its unnaturally long spidery arms shackled together in front of her, the chains pressing so tightly on her ankles that they looked swollen, with old and infected-looking cuts.
Star remained rooted to the spot, uncertain and horrified at what he was looking at.
Seeing him, the being stared at him, then said two words, its voice a low, horrible sound. "Reeeeeed maaaaaan."
The door closing behind her, she then lurched threateningly down the steps toward him, her hands clenched into fists, causing him to back slowly away.
"REEEEED MAAAAAAN! KILL RED MAN!" The creature cried dementedly.
Star backpedaled, wincing as a sour odor hit his nostrils.
Good lord, the smell!
He coughed, his eyes watering as he tried to maintain distance between them.
Letting out a shriek, the creature swung her chained hands over her head, swinging them down to smash Star as he cried out, falling backwards as he narrowly missed being hit.
Pushing himself up, Star scurried away as she pursued after him, crying out those three words.
"REEEEEDDD MAAAAAAAAAAN! KIIIILLLLLL RRRRREEEEDD MAAAAAAAAN!"
Ducking behind a column, he circled around, then ran back up the stairs with her in tow.
"HELP! HELP!" Star yelled. "OFFICER AIKEN! OFFICER AIKEN I NEED HELP!"
Running onto the top floor, he feebly grabbed for a doorknob, his useless hands grasping and feeling around for something, anything! Ducking out of the way from a coming blow, Star ran around the railing.
"SOMEBODY! ANYBODY! PLEASE HELP ME!"
Jill tilted her head, listening. "Do you hear that?"
Joseph nodded. "Sounds like Junior is in trouble. Come on!"
"REEEEED MAAAAAN! RED MAAAAAAAN!"
Narrowly dodging out of a horizontal swing, Star looked frantically around.
"FOR GOD'S SAKES, SOMEBODY HELAHHH!"
Star slipped on a section of carpet, kicking up his feet into the air with a yell and a grunt as he started rolling down the stairs, wincing as his spine, shoulders and arms hit the wall.
Getting unsteadily back onto his feet, the albino sharply drew in his breath.
"God...damn it!" he breathed, stumbling slightly.
Brushing his arm against a section of rail, Star pulled away as it wobbled.
Bloody rails. Somebody needs to-
A lightbulb went off in his head, causing his violet feline eyes to widen. Looking back to the chained woman as she clamored after him, he bared his teeth.
"Hey you! You want me? Come and get me!" he challenged.
The creature let out a shrill scream as she lurched after him down the steps.
Running back up the other end, Star kept his eyes on the miserable being, taking in her form beneath the candlelight.
A truly wretched wreck of a woman, if he had ever seen one, with all those faces stitched together. Through one of the gaping mouths, he could see a white eye, and just a little bit of her face underneath, causing him to feel ill.
How it was possible for someone to call out with no jaw bone, he'd no idea, nor did he want to know.
Slowing his step, he waited as the woman caught up just ten feet away, her back facing the dining hall door.
Just a little closer...
Nine feet.
Just a bit more...
Eight feet.
Seven.
Almost there.
Six-
At six feet, he charged forward with a yell, ramming his armored shoulder into her.
Letting out a grunt, the woman unsteadily wavered. Regaining her balance, she swung her arms, hitting his right upper shoulder, knocking him to the floor as the woman proceeded to charge, raising up her arms in the air all the while chanting dementedly.
"RED MAN! RRRRRRRREEEEEEDDDDD MAAAAAAAAAAN!"
Rearing back his legs, he let his feet catch her by the ribs as he pushed her back with every ounce of strength he could muster, propelling her backward. Star watched as the railing behind her cracked beneath her weight, the woman careening over the edge.
"REEEED MAAAAAA-"
CRUNCH!
Star flinched at the sound of a bone snapping.
Crawling onto his knees, the albino peeked down over the edge.
The woman's head and neck were broken at bent at angle, her form still.
Letting out a sigh and a shudder, Star sank to the ground in relief, only to jerk slightly, his eyes rolling upward into his head.
A young boy was inside of a bar kneeling down on the floor, holding onto his father's dead body as he cried.
In his hands was a smoking pistol.
Feeling a hand on his shoulder, he looked to his left and saw James looking at him, shaking his head slowly.
Swallowing, his mouth and throat felt dry as he tried to stop himself from crying himself. "I-I'm sorry, James."
"There was nothing you could have done, rookie." James said quietly. "You can grieve later. Come on."
"Star! Star?!"
Opening his eyes again, he found himself on the floor staring up at Valentine and Frost.
"Hey," the former said softly. "Are you okay?"
He groaned. "What-what happened?"
Valentine shrugged.
"From the screaming and the body down below you were busy," she said. "Can you move?"
He nodded. "Yeah. Can you get me out of these cuffs, please?"
"Sure." Valentine nodded back as he sat himself up.
Just as she bent over to uncuff him, there came a loud snap down below. Turning to the source, the survivors ducked down beside Star, staring at the body below.
"You cannot be fucking serious," Joseph muttered.
Star watched in fascination and horror as the woman's head snapped back into place with a resounding crack. Suddenly, a series of long, fleshy pink snake-like tendrils spurted out from her head and back, the albino letting out a muffled startled yelp as he covered his mouth.
"What. The. Fuck?!" Jill whispered.
"What the fuck is this?!" Joseph gasped. "What the fuck is even happening?!"
The woman looked blankly around, the tendrils flailing haphazardly about.
This was definitely no zombie...
"What..." Star said slowly and quietly, his voice a strangled gasp as he stared aghast at the thing below, "what is that thing?!"
Lisa looked blankly around.
What was she doing here? Why was she here?
For a brief moment, she could feel something prod into her mind.
Wincing, the woman reached up to her head, her fingers clasping at the sides and scraping what remaining flesh she had on her scalp.
Groaning, she shook violently, then threw her head back with a scream.
With that utterance, the sensation in her head was gone.
Something creaked, causing her to turn around.
Looking from side to side, Lisa scanned her surroundings as tendrils squirmed out from flesh, her skin creeping and rippling beneath.
Looking back to the dining hall door, she let out a long, wailing shriek as she continued on in her endless search.
"MOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOTHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEERRRRRRRRRR!"
Star anxiously watched the strange yet tragic creature wander away, the hall echoing with her sorrowful wails and cries as she repeatedly called for her mother, disappearing through the dining hall door. As the door closed behind her, the albino relaxed a little.
"...I hate this place." Star said softly. "I absolutely hate this place. I swear to God, I hate this place with every fiber of my being."
Letting out a nervous, shaky breath, not even realizing that he had been holding breath for so long, Star turned to face his fellow survivors, only to find them gone.
"Officer Valentine? Officer Frost?" He called nervously.
Looking confusedly around, Star found himself alone once again, then winced as he felt a sharp pain in his head. Images flashed in his mind like a reels in a running projector. Images whizzed so fast and with such abandon that his mind had trouble trying to make sense of it.
Letting out a groan, Star faltered, then fell back onto the floor as everything turned black.
Rebecca heard something whoosh, followed by a pair of loud cries and grunts.
Turning to the statues, Chris' eyes widened with surprise.
"What the hell?!" he exclaimed.
"Chris, what's-"
A pair of groans interrupted her. Turning to the busts at the corner, Rebecca hesitated, then hurried to the prone forms of Jill and Joseph.
"What the- Jill?!" Approaching the downed figures, Rebecca started to gently tap the ground. "Jill. Jill? Jill can you hear me?"
Jill moaned in response as Rebecca checked her.
"She seems to be in good condition. Just a little roughed up."
"Same with Joseph," Chris said as he kneeled over the Omni Man. Pulling away, he shook his head. "What the hell is going on around here?! Where did they come from?!"
Rebecca swallowed. "I-I think it's the Magician."
Chris groaned. "God, don't start that again."
"Chris, you saw for yourself the weird things that have been happening!" Rebecca insisted. "Something tore Kenneth apart! And in case you haven't noticed, the last time we looked, those two weren't there before!"
"I know that, Rebecca, but what makes you think it's that-that?" Chris asked.
"Because I saw it!"
She watched as the Alpha whipped around to face her.
"...What?!"
Before she could respond, the others stirred, drawing their attention as they sat up and groaned.
"Jesus Christ," Joseph swore.
"God, I feel like I'm going to throw up," Jill said as she massaged her eyes.
"Easy," Rebecca said, putting her hands on Jill's shoulder.
The B&E Specialist hesitated.
"Rebecca? Chris? Where- what's going on? Where are we?"
Chris shrugged. "We have no idea."
"How did we get here?" Joseph asked.
An uncomfortable silence filled the chamber as Rebecca and Chris looked at one another.
"...What?" Jill asked.
It was Chris that spoke, "...You said that you saw the Magician, Rebecca."
At the mention of that word, Rebecca suddenly noticed Jill and Joseph stiffen, their eyes wide awake and focused on Rebecca herself.
The medic nodded slowly. "I had."
"Are you sure?"
Rebecca nodded again. "I am. He had been chasing me all throughout the woods."
The survivors glanced around at each other.
"...I saw him, too," Joseph spoke up. "Back at the library. That goat-horned fuck was smiling at me."
Rebecca listened as everyone recounted their encounters and experiences, nothing held back. She couldn't believe some of the stuff she had been hearing.
All of it was nightmarish, and yet, there seemed to be a running theme, a pattern of sorts.
Whatever the hell this...Magician Type 0 was, one thing about it was certain: it was dangerous.
Chris frowned.
"But why would it put us all in here for? Why didn't it kill us? Assuming it killed Kenneth, why him and not us?" he asked.
Rebecca looked around nervously, fidgeting.
"Maybe he intends on killing us all one by one," she said in a low voice.
Chris then got off the floor.
"In that case," he started, "we need to find a way out of here before it comes back to finish where it left off, and fast. Let's look around - there has to be a switch or something around here to get that gate open. You guys check the statues here while I check over at the pedestal."
Star groaned as he opened his eyes, holding up his arms to block out the li-
He froze.
The handcuffs were gone.
Looking at his arms, he studied them for a moment, then looked around the top floor.
"Hello?" he called. "Is anyone there?"
Who uncuffed him while he was unconscious?
Pushing himself off the floor, Star brushed off dust and dirt from his coat, taking the pistol out from his pocket as he checked to see how much ammunition he had.
Nothing.
Turning around, he walked down the stairs, then stumbled slightly, letting out a groan as he felt a sharp pain in his head.
God, not now!
Clutching a nearby bannister for support, Star massaged his forehead, then his eyes.
Just a little bit longer. God, just a little bit longer, just so he can make sure Rebecca was alright.
Shaking off the headache, Star opened his eyes, then climbed down to the landing.
'Hard to believe that there had been a door here all this time,' came the thought.
Grabbing the handle, he twisted, but stopped as he was met with resistance.
Locked.
"Oh you have got to be kidding me," he muttered.
It seemed as if he were doomed to walk for perpetuity in this godforsaken mansion.
Exhaling tiredly, Star descended down the steps and glanced around.
There had to be a key somewhere...
Approaching the double doors to the gallery, he cautiously opened them and stepped through...only to find himself stepping back into the main hall again, right from where the doors to that were supposed to have lead from the dining hall.
Startled, the albino did a double-take as he looked back in confusion, then ran back through the doors.
"What the hell?" he muttered.
He tried the other doors, but no matter which one opened, it all lead back to the main hall.
In some of the rooms, he would find himself in a version of it that was completely inverted, with the stairs on the ceiling and the chandelier on the floor.
Wiping sweat from his fearful eyes, Star continued to run through several doors, watching in horror as the main hall appeared in all sorts of bizarre angles, shifting into more and more surreal shapes and images, looking less like a mansion and more like a madman's configuration, an MC Escher-styled nightmare that became increasingly more organic with bits of flesh and bone.
Walls, floors, ceiling and furniture were now twisting, folding, overlapping and changing before his eyes as he ran through door after door like clockwork.
Star was now running, falling, rolling and sliding through this ever-shifting amalgam of shapes, trying to avoid getting crushed by the multiple folds, the raising floors or lower ceilings.
Where paintings had once hung, slit white eyes blinked and stared at the albino, following his every movement.
Floors became veiny and pulsing.
Walls became lined with intestines and pulsating organs.
One door nearly had bitten his arms off, and if it hadn't been for Star's quick reflexes, he wouldn't have been so lucky.
Stairways became ragged and jutting vertebrate that dripped with slime, while doorways became grinning horizontal mouths with razor sharp teeth that laughed, cried, drooled copious amounts of saliva and uttered insane gibberings, breathing out noxious fumes that made the albino gag and want to hurl.
Feeling overwhelmed by the repulsive sights and smells, Star spun in an endless loop in this world of nightmares, his courage quickly retreating as he tried to find a way out.
The more he struggled, the more his sanity threatened to snap.
Star felt the whole room spinning around him. Falling to the floor, he allowed himself to black out, the laughter haunting him even as he lost consciousness.
When Star reopened his eyes again, he found himself in a pitch black room with a single spotlight hanging directly over him. Looking up, the albino raised a hand as he squinted, then stopped at the sight of a something that filled his heart with sorrow.
"Oh no."
All around him were the bodies of the various S.T.A.R.S. members.
Officer Sullivan's dismembered head.
Officer Valentine lying flat on her back with a pool of blood oozing out from the back of her smashed skull.
Pieces of what seemed to be of Officer Redfield.
The decapitated corpse of Officer Burton.
Moving to a kneeling position, Star felt warm tears form, a lump in his throat.
One body in particular drew his attention and caused those tears to fall from the albino's scarred eyes.
"Father," Star said weakly.
Lying on the floor with his golden hair in disarray with blood pooling from the corner of his stern mouth, staining his perfect skin and features, Captain Wesker stared lifelessly to the ceiling.
Crawling toward him, the albino shakily reached out and gently shook his still form.
"Father. Father wake up," Star begged in a tiny voice, his tears soaking the S.T.A.R.S. Captain's face. "Father, please! Please wake up!"
When he got no answer, Star sat himself down on the floor, gently cradled Wesker's head and wept.
"...Star?"
Sniffling, Star wiped his nose and looked up.
"...Rebecca?" he called.
Darkness greeted him, completely surrounding him.
"Star where are you?"
The albino swallowed. "I'm right here, Rebecca! Just head to where the light is."
"I-I can't, Star! It...hurts!" The voice cracked, crying softly. "It hurts so much!"
Star got onto his feet. "Hang on, Rebecca. I'm coming to help you!"
As he took a step forward, something crashed to the ground with a thud, catching him by surprise.
Rebecca lay on the floor, her eyes blank and lifeless.
Star's eyes widened.
"REBECCA, NO!" he screamed.
A deep, rumbling laugh echoed around him, causing Star to shrink.
'Poor little Star,' the voice taunted. 'How does it feel knowing that you are all that's left?'
"Who's there?" Star demanded. "Who are you?!"
The voice laughed again, longer, louder.
"WHO ARE YOU?!"
Clutching his ears, Star tried blocking out the awful sound.
"Stop...STOP! WHAT DO YOU WANT?!"
The laughter ceased.
Pulling his hands away, Star looked around him.
The air was still, and yet, he felt himself tense up in anticipation.
A body fell to the left, drawing Star's attention.
Turning to face it, he paused.
"What...?"
It was Chris' body...but...it was in a more preserved state. Looking incredulously to the other remains, Star let out a sharp yell as another body fell.
Another version of Jill, but blonde.
Another body fell, this one a version of Officer Burton with grey hair.
Another body. A version of Rebecca with strawberry red hair and a mole near the corner of her mouth.
Star stared at the bodies, trying to make sense of everything.
"What...why is...who...what-"
He stopped as he felt something wet touch his forehead.
Reaching up, he pulled his hand away at the sight of red.
More red droplets started to trickle down.
Looking up, Star watched with horror as bodies, body parts and pools of blood started to snow down from the sky all around him in an endless and horrific storm, painting everything crimson, including himself.
"No...no…" he whimpered, his form trembling.
Violet eyes rolled back as the albino youth gave a strangled cry.
He watched from above as the woman looked around the vast grey entrance to the building.
"It's almost like we're being invited in," she murmured aloud.
Leaping off from the balcony with swords in hand, he dove down to face them.
"What?!" her partner cried.
Somersaulting down with a thud, he rose up to his full height with one sword raised in greeting, as one would a fellow warrior.
"Come. You must prove yourself in a test of strength," he growled as he got into a stance. "This was Goldman's parting wish."
Collapsing onto his knees, Star winced at the pain as a flurry of images assaulted him all at once.
"Run, Twenty-Three! Run!"
"KEEP RUNNING, ROOKIE!"
"Just shoot the damn thing!"
"GARY!"
Star let out a cry as he fell forward onto the floor.
As his face touched the ground, he heard something escape from his own lips.
"James, please forgive me..."
When Star awoke, he found himself lying on a bed in a cell, dressed in an white jumpsuit, his arms bound by a straitjacket.
"What the hell?" he muttered.
Outside, people babbled, screamed and cried. One person maniacally laughed, causing Star to shiver.
A tiny slot in the door opened.
"Wakey, wakey, inmate - you got a visitor." A gruff voice spoke.
Star blinked.
"'Inmate'?" he repeated, sitting up from the bed. "Wait, what's going on?! Where am I?!"
"You know where you are!" The gruff voice snarked. "After all, you've been here for three years and counting."
"Three years! But that's impossible!" Star shot up as he approached the door. "Please, tell me where I am! What's going on here?! Where's Rebecca?!"
"Settle down, inmate. Control, this is security. Tell Dr. Rawlings his patient is acting up again. We're going to need to sedate him."
"Can someone please tell me what the hell is happening?!" Star said in frustration. "Where am I?! I want to speak to a lawyer! I want to speak to my mother! Please! For God's sake, let me out of here!"
After several minutes of pleading, the door opened, revealing a tall, bald man with spectacles and a scrunched-up rat-like face with four burly attendants and security guards by his side.
"Good morning, Mr. Wolf," the man greeted. "How are we feeling today?"
Star swallowed nervously. "Where am I? Where is Rebecca?"
The man frowned.
"Oh dear, it seems the patient has regressed again. Mr. Wolf, my name is Dr. Rawlings," he introduced himself. "I've been your attending physician for the past three years and you are in the Arklay Institute for the Criminally Insane."
Star's eyes widened.
"...W...what?" he said in shock, his voice weak.
Rawlings nodded. "I'm afraid you've had a psychotic episode on the Ecliptic Express," he explained. "You killed everyone onboard along with several police officers."
Star's lips trembled.
"...No. No, this isn't real!" he tried telling himself. "I didn't...Umbrella's responsible!"
Rawlings shook his head slowly. "I'm afraid you've been suffering from paranoid delusions."
"No. No no no no!" Star shook his head vigorously. "No! This isn't real!"
"I'm afraid that it is, Mr. Wolf," Rawlings said grimly.
"Where is Rebecca?" Star demanded.
"Who is this 'Rebecca' he keeps mentioning?" A young nurse asked.
"Another one of his delusions. Mr. Wolf, I need you to calm down."
"NO! I know what you are!" Star snapped. "You're not going to get away with this!"
Rawlings nodded to the guards. "Strap him down - I'll need to sedate him."
Star backed away as the guards approached.
"Get away from me! You think your masters at Umbrella are going to get away with this?! You can't do this!" Lunging forward, Star tried shoulder-checking his way through only to be tackled to the ground. "GET OFF OF ME! GET OFF!"
His violet eyes widened as Rawlings approached with a syringe.
"No, NO!" The albino violently shook and flopped around on the floor, bucking wildly like a bull. "GET OFF OF ME! YOU ROTTEN SONS OF BITCHES, I SWEAR TO GOD I'LL-"
Yelping as the needle was jabbed into his neck, the albino's vision started to dim.
"You...dirty...bastards..." he slurred. "You...won't...get...away with...this..."
All around him, madmen cackled and rattled at their cages, their shouts echoing as Star's vision darkened.