A Star's Descent

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.

Chapter Fifteen: Imminent Danger

Note: Thanks to EcoSeeker247 for the title suggestion

When Enrico Marini climbed up into mansion foyer with his companions, his jaw stiffened.

"Looks like they had some trouble," Coen murmured as he eyed the massively barricaded door.

Turning away from the sight, Marini's eyes narrowed onto something else.

Aiken's eyes widened.

"Please tell me that's what I think it is," he prayed aloud.

Positioned right at the foot of the stairs was the desk with the typewriter, but what caught the trio's attention was the outline of what looked to be a pump-action 12-gauge shotgun propped behind the typewriter itself.

Coen stepped eagerly forward.

"Hot damn! That's a Remington Model 870!" The convict said excitedly, "And would you look at that, there's a box of shells just sitting on the barrel like a bow! Looks like Christmas came early."

"I wouldn't get our hopes up," Marini replied. "We don't know if it's real or in working order. Let me take a look."

Stopping just in front of the typewriter, he carefully looked all around. Satisfied, he gave exhaled.

'Okay, no sign of any traps, looking good. I hope this is the real deal,' he prayed.

Ideally speaking, it would be great if the Remington was - with its seven round magazine and force, it would be more than enough to keep these zombie fuckers at bay. However, when it comes to firearms, one had to take certain precautions and check. After all, it was not unheard of for owners to alter firearms so that it became more of a wall decoration than an actual functioning weapon by removing critical parts. What made Marini especially nervous, however, was its condition; if the weapon was in too poor a shape, chances were that it either wouldn't fire, or - in some instances - had the potential to explode within the wielder's hands.

Please God, don't let there be any problems.

Carefully moving the box of shells to the side, he was about to grab hold of the shotgun when something fluttered down to his feet.

"Huh?" he uttered, startled by the movement.

Looking down at his boots, Marini saw a piece of paper. Bending down to one knee, he picked it up with his right hand and started to read.

"'To my dear companions,'" he began aloud, "'To aid you, I left some items that I have found in a backroom near the dining hall. Feel free to make use of them. Yours sincerely, Star.'"

"Well, that was nice of him," Coen said.

"I don't think this was meant for us," Marini replied.

Convict and police officer alike shared a look of unease.

"Then who?"

Pocketing the letter, Marini straightened himself up.

"I don't know," he said as he dusted off his pants.

Turning back to the desk, Marini slung the hookshot's harness around his shoulders as he lifted the shotgun off from the table.

Beginning his examination, he first checked to make sure that the chamber was empty. Satisfied with that, he looked over its frame, noting how for the most part it was in pretty good condition, despite a few scratches in places. Lifting it up so that he took aim, Marini's trained eye looked down the barrel for any signs of dents or bulges while checking the stock fit in his grip hand to make sure that everything felt as it should.

"Okay, very good," he murmured.

He was about to check the stock when a door creaked audibly from the second floor. Quietly opening the box of ammunition, he grabbed a handful of shells, stuffing the rest down into his pockets. Once the weapon had been loaded, he cocked the pump.

Now he was primed for some action.

Raising the shotgun, he crept up toward the landing, followed by Aiken and Coen. Taking the stairs to the left, his aim faltered when he caught sight of Rebecca studying a statue of some woman holding a scale that looked directly over the landing itself. Turning around, the medic brightened upon seeing them, a look of relief flashing across her features.

"Captain!"

"You nearly had me there for a moment," he reproached.

A blush crept up the girl's face. "Sorry about that, sir. It's good to see you."

"Same here. Where are the others? What happened?"

Rebecca sighed. "Shortly after you left, we tried checking one of the rooms down there. There are...things, in there."

Marini raised a brow.

"What do you mean 'things'?" he asked.

She bit her lip. "Well, they looked like people, but...the way they moved, it was so disgusting, like they didn't have any bones."

Marini and Aiken perked up with interest.

"Like the one we saw back on the train?" The latter asked.

"Yeah," she nodded.

"Did they harm you?"

Rebecca shook her head. "No, we managed to get away."

From her tone, Marini was able to sense a 'but' coming on.

"And?" he pressed.

"After we escaped, Star suggested that we tried splitting up. He went off to check those doors down there," she said, pointing to a pair of double doors. "I tried to catch up with him, but he's disappeared."

Marini crossed his arms.

Damn.

He opened his mouth to respond when a shrill scream cut him off, shrieking repeatedly from one of the rooms nearby. Rushing to the nearest one, Marini yanked the door open. Upon doing so, he was nearly tackled by a badly wounded and bleeding Forest as he ran out the door.

"Jesus! Forest, what-" he was cut off as he heard fluttering. Turning to the source, he saw what could only be described as an approaching cloud of wings and beaks. "OH MY GOD!"

Marini slammed the door hard back into its frame, listening as dozens of loud caws echoed through the foyer.

"Follow me!" Rebecca cried out as she held a door open.

One by one, the survivors slipped past her. After making sure that all had been accounted for, Rebecca closed the door behind.

* * * *

While Rebecca tried to clean up Forest's injuries, the rest of the group silently eyed the door with grim anticipation. Currently they were in some sort of lecture room. No one dared to speak, partially for fear of summoning the attention and wrath of whatever was waiting for them out there. After fifteen minutes, maybe twenty, the silence was bravely broken by Aiken.

"The fuck happened back there?" He asked in a quiet voice. "What were those things?"

"Crows."

The group looked over to Forest as he spoke, who stared back with haunted eyes.

"They were crows," he said in a flat and dead tone.

Rebecca paused in her work, her throat tightening at this news.

"They must have been infected with the T-Virus," Marini surmised.

The moment the words left his mouth, a change came over the weapons specialist.

"Infected?!" he repeated.

All of the color drained away from his face, his lip trembling.

Rebecca raised her hands placatingly and spoke in a soothing tone, "Forest-"

"Those crows were infected?!" he repeated, his voice building with increasing hysteria.

"I don't think you have to worry about being infected."

"Really, ya don't say!" he said sarcastically, "Why are you so sure?"

"Well, you got me to treat those scratches as quickly as possible."

"That, and the fact that we don't even know if those crows were infected," Coen stated, catching everyone by surprise. "For all we know, they're just normal birds."

"Then why would they attack?" Marini countered.

The convict coolly regarded him. "Stress can cause all sorts of strange behaviors in animals. When I was in Africa, I read a story in a newspaper of how a horde of baboons in the Congo region attacked a bus full of tourists as they were passing. The civil war in that region was such that it caused animals enormous amounts of stress and behave inexplicably strange, even dangerous ways."

Forest blinked. "Seriously?"

"True story."

Though strange, the answer seemed to help calm the Bravo's fragile nerves and collect himself.

'How long will he be able to keep it together, though?' Rebecca wondered worriedly.

Watching Forest settle down, Marini nodded to Coen in thanks for providing damage control.

Because of him, a crisis had been averted.

Looking around, Marini took everything in. Based on its contents, this was some sort of classroom or lecture hall. Bordered by a set of concrete rails, sixteen wooden desks were neatly divided by pairs into two rows at the room's center, while right ahead at the front was stage with a podium and a microphone, along with a pair of speakers at each corner.

Lit by a lamp at the far right hand corner on a table next to a typewriter as well as an overhanging modern chandelier, the brick walls were a light brown, though it was unclear if this had been its natural color. The same could be said of the floors - cream-colored tiles that were interspersed with what looked like black diamonds, which, in a very morbid way, complimented the nature of Umbrella rather well. Moving toward the podium with curiosity, Marini tapped the microphone to see if it work.

Nothing.

Looking to his left, Marini saw two doors behind the railings, one of which was locked with some ornate mechanism involving a pair of knight statues. Turning to Rebecca, he nodded to the other one without the statues.

"Did you check that door already?" he asked.

"No," Rebecca answered before pointing to the furthest one, "I just came in through that one over there. It leads to a balcony."

Shrugging off her backpack, Rebecca started to dig through, pulling out a pamphlet. "I also found this on one of the desks."

Taking it from her, Marini fingered it curiously before opening it up.

"'Regulations for Trainees'," he read aloud.

"Sub-heading, how to become certified psychos," Aiken muttered.

Ignoring him, Marini continued, "'Training facility mission. This training facility will raise a new generation of model employees to serve the future of the Umbrella Corp. Applying the strictest and most rigorous training standards, this facility will, without regard for gender, race, or creed, produce only the best candidates to be the global future leaders of Umbrella Corporation. We look forward to the development of your leadership qualities.'"

"And what a fine job they did!" Coen muttered.

"'Training facility guidelines,'" Marini interrupted, "'Discipline. Obedience. Unity. These are the basic principals that govern Umbrella Corporation employees, and are considered to be the law of this facility. Keep those words in mind at all times. Devote yourselves to your training, and bring honor to yourselves and the corporation. James Marcus, Director, Umbrella Corporation Management Training facility.'"

Aiken shook his head. "Christ, these people speak as if Umbrella is some sort of holy sect or something, especially this 'Marcus' guy."

"Makes you wonder what happens to those who break Umbrella's 'unity'," Coen commented.

The Bravo Captain nodded in agreement. "That it does."

Rebecca looked at each man, horrified by the suggested implications. "You can't be serious! They wouldn't just-"

"I'm not saying anything, Rebecca," he replied as he pocketed the pamphlet. "With that said, though... I wouldn't rule anything out either at this point."

"So what's our course of action?" Coen asked as he placed his hands on his hips.

"Can I make a suggestion, Captain?" Rebecca asked.

"By all means," Marini nodded.

"I think we should take a look at the statue outside this room."

The Bravo gave her a puzzled glance. "Why?"

"Could you humor me?"

Marini frowned. "Rebecca, now isn't the time for art appreciation," he replied.

"I just want to check something. Just one minute. Please?" she pleaded.

Marini scowled. "Fine."

* * * *

Moving back onto the foyer balcony, Rebecca walked around the statue, running a hand on the smooth marble surface, checking for anything that felt like a switch. Moving to the front of it, she smiled.

"Captain, I think I found something!" Rebecca exclaimed.

Marini and the others looked at her eagerly.

"What is it?"

"Take a look at what's written across the base here." She said, pointing to an inscription at the foot of the statue.

Marini came over and read it aloud, "'When good and evil are brought into balance, a new path will be opened to you.'" Raising his eyes back up to her, he gave her a quizzical look. "What about it?"

Rebecca sighed. "It could be that I'm reading too much into it, but do you think it's possible this could be some sort of elaborate mechanism for unlocking those doors?" she asked.

The Bravo folded his arms.

"Doubtful," he said cynically before adding, "but, stranger things have happened tonight. So what do we use?"

Rebecca shrugged off her backpack. "Well, we could use something that we have to balance the scales."

It was now Aiken's turn to frown. "But we barely have enough to sustain ourselves. It's a wonder we haven't encountered any more infected."

A loud creak from the right caused her and the others stiffen. Twisting around, Rebecca watched with relief as Star emerged from a brown door located on the far right close to the corner, carrying along his suitcases. Seeing them, he blinked in surprise and gave a nod in greeting.

"Good to see you," Star said as he set his bags down. Bending down, he started to snap open the locks.

"Where were you?" Marini asked suspiciously.

"I was checking the other rooms," he replied as he shuffled around in his bag, "I wasn't able to find any sort of switch or phone, but I did find this."

Upon saying that, the albino produced a grenade launcher, causing Coen to whistle and Forest eye it like a kid at a toy store.

"Well well well, what have we here?" The Bravo said with a gleam.

Rebecca watched as Star held the weapon out in offering before it was eagerly scooped up by Forest. Studying it with the attentiveness of a jeweler, she saw the excitement in her coworker's trembling hands. In a way it seemed downright pitiful; it was like watching a man that had been deprived of water for so long suddenly finding a drinkable spring.

"An ARWEN-37...where did you find this?" He asked excitedly.

"I found it on a couch in some sort of study or art storage room."

Forest scoffed. "Well this is definitely what I would call a conversation piece, alright," he said as he checked to see if it was loaded.

Giving them a slight nod, the albino closed his bag, flicking the locks back on silently before straightening himself and turning away, bag in each hand.

"Where are you going?" she asked.

"To check these other rooms."

"You might want to reconsider that."

"Why?" Star asked with his back facing the group's direction.

"We found the switch."

Craning his neck around, the albino looked at her over his shoulder. "You have?"

"Yes, but your help would be much appreciated."

Turning around so that he faced her, the albino tilted his head to the side.

"What is it that you wish for me to do?" he asked.

Rebecca gestured to the statue, "Do you see this?"

"Yes?"

"We think that the scales act as some sort of weight-distributive-based lock mechanism for the doors down there. Could we use the contents of your luggage?" she asked.

The albino was silent for a moment, then gave a nod.

"Very well, on one condition, though; do not touch the journals," he replied.

Rebecca hesitated.

"What's in them?" she asked in spite of herself.

"They're of a...private...nature."

"I bet it's his stash of porn," Rebecca heard Aiken jokingly whisper to Marini.

Feeling her face flush, she closed her eyes and cleared her throat.

"Okay," she said as she looked back up.

Hearing that, the albino took twelve steps toward them, turning to his left at the fifth and proceeded until he stood beside the medic herself. For the next several minutes, the survivors were silent as they tried to carefully balance the scales. On several occasions, Forest let out a series of annoyed curses as they repeatedly failed and had to redistribute the weight for each bag over and over again. True to her word, neither she nor her team tried opening up the journals, though they were sorely tempting.

'What could he possibly be protecting?' she wondered.

From the way Star was holding on to them, one would think he was holding some holy texts. By what had to have been the eight try, she heard a grating sound from over the ledge.

"Did it work?" she asked as she turned around.

"No, but take a look below," Marini said as he peered over the railing.

Moving to where he was, Rebecca looked down. To her surprise, Marcus' portrait had disappeared, leaving a black gaping doorway.

"What the?"

Rebecca stopped speaking as she and the others climbed down to the landing below. Standing right where the portrait had been, she shivered as a cool breeze escaped from it, causing the flames on the nearby tripods to flutter. Peering in, Rebecca was able to make out a long stairway leading to some dim lights, which illuminated what appeared to be some sort of basement. In contrast to the elegant Baroque architecture on this level, the basement was plain with concrete walls and flooring while different pipes and wires layered its grotesquely filthy walls.

"Well, I didn't expect this," Rebecca nervously said.

"No kidding," Coen replied.

She tried to find her voice again, but it was becoming difficult.

"What do you think we'll find down there?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

Coen shrugged. "The Bat Cave?"

"Be serious."

"You're right, I should be thinking supervillain."

"Ha ha," Rebecca said sarcastically, though she had to admit he was on the mark.

"Enough," Marini interrupted.

Hearing the receding sound of footsteps, Rebecca turned around to see Star walking back up the stairs.

"Wait, where are you going?" she asked.

"I'm going to see if I can find the switch up here," he called.

"Even with everything we have seen, you still want to split up?" she said with disbelief. "There-there might be more of those...creatures, like what we had encountered in that washroom."

His tone remained neutral. "I appreciate the sentiment, but I can manage on my own."

"Even when they can make themselves look like us?"

Turning around to face her, he gave her a curious look.

"What do you mean?"

As Rebecca spoke, she felt everyone's' eyes on her, "According to Forest those creatures aren't just some variant of zombie, they're literally walking leech colonies! Somehow the T-Virus has granted the leeches some advanced form of swarm intelligence to collectively organize themselves into a humanoid shape! They even managed to replicate the features of the man that ran this facility, Dr. Marcus!"

The group stood still as what she said sank in.

"So, what...these things are mimicking us or something?" Coen asked with uncertainty.

The medic glanced down.

"I don't know any more than you do," she said, "which is why I think we should remain by each others' sides at all times."

The albino gave her a considerate look, then turned away.

"I appreciate your concern and your advice, but I can manage on my own," came the reply.

Rebecca frowned. How can a person be so damn stubborn?! "Wait."

He continued undeterred, infuriating her to the point that she started to climb up after him.

"Don't you just turn away from me!" she snapped.

The albino paused, now mere inches from the door.

"Did you even hear what I said?!" she said with frustration. "This isn't the time for heroics or for massaging egos! Whether we like it or not, we need each other more than ever now if we're going to live to see tomorrow!"

"This has nothing to do with ego," he said without turning.

"Then why are you refusing to cooperate?!"

"But I am."

Rebecca repressed the urge to growl. Taking in a deep breath, she exhaled slowly.

"Why are you so eager to get away from us?" Marini butted in.

Upon hearing that, Star stepped toward the balcony with surprise, "Come again?"

"Ever since we came here you've been acting funny, and frankly, I'm tired of playing these bullshit games with you."

"I'm not playing any game-"

"Then why aren't you being straight with us?!" Rebecca hotly demanded. "What are you trying to hide?!"

The albino's brows knitted with confusion.

"'What am I hiding'? What is that supposed to mean?" he asked. When she didn't answer, the red-draped figure looked to the others as they climbed up toward him. "What is she talking about?"

"How about you quit the act now, Pasty," Forest said. "The jig is up."

"What act?"

Forest gave him a condescending look.

"Do I really have to spell it out for you?" When he didn't receive an immediate answer, the Bravo shook his head, "Very well then; R-A-T."

Looking down at his own frame, apparel and glove-covered hands as if to illustrate how ludicrous the notion seemed, the albino lifted his eyes back to Forest, raising a brow upward.

"You believe me to be a spy?" he said with a deadpan tone.

"Maybe not a spy, but it makes me wonder how many people have a condition like yours."

Upon hearing that, the albino's posture became rigid, his grip tightening on the journals. What surprised Rebecca was seeing the white skin pale even further at the suggestion.

"Well? Are you going to say anything?" Forest asked audaciously.

Star turned away from them, staring straight ahead at the door.

"I pity you for your ignorance," he said in a glacial tone before addressing the others. "If any of you are certain of my being an orchestrator in all of this, then shoot me."

When he said that, Rebecca felt the air become thicker.

Warmer.

'Warmer?' Rebecca puzzled.

What in the world?

What was going on? Were they near some sort of heating vent?

Looking around, she tried to find the source, but was confounded by where this extra heat was coming from. There was a vent somewhere, that she was certain; Star's coat was proof that there was one concealed some place, for it fluttered and pulsed as if it were alive.

"L-look, just calm down," Aiken said placatingly.

"Don't tell me to calm down!" he snapped, his voice making the older man flinch. Though his voice was hushed, his words and tone were like barbed wire. Turning slightly in Forest's direction, he continued, each word coming out slowly, as if trying to restrain the full blast of his anger, "I understand that you are afraid, but if you think for one moment that gives you the license for insults and insinuations, think again. I hated bullies on the playground and schoolyard since I was eight, and I tolerate them no better as a doctoral student."

The air around them was now becoming suffocating in how hot it was, but for whatever reason, Star was seemingly oblivious to it, though how Rebecca was uncertain. Some of her fellow survivors backed warily away for some reason, as if sensing an unspoken danger, but she remained still as he sharply flung the door open and glided through. After he had left, the air cooled around them.

"You really pissed him off. Way to go!" Coen said sarcastically.

"Bite me!" Forest snapped.

Aiken wiped his forehead.

"Jesus, where did that goddamn heat come from?" he wondered aloud.

Rebecca's feet moved on their own toward the door. The albino obviously knew something, and she was tired of waiting. Whether he liked it or not, now was the time for answers.