A Star's Descent

Chapter Nine: Unpleasant Discoveries

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 Nine: Unpleasant Discoveries

Walls shook and trembled violently around the group as they moved forward. Rebecca eyed every surface within touching distance anxiously, her palms sweating within her gloves. Despite her own attempts to calm the others earlier, she had none of the confidence in what she had been saying. Viruses were insidious and volatile organisms that could be transmitted through any number of ways. Blood, sweat, coughs, feces and other excreta were common sources for contracting infection. Hell, the very oils within an infected person's hands and fingers would be enough. The fact that this "T-Virus" was zoonotic suggested something incredibly lethal.

Rebecca blanched as a word slithered its way into her mind, one that held diabolical implications; Plague.

It took tremendous effort to keep a shudder from making itself visible on her person. She recalled lectures from her old biology classes, particularly those that had discussed the Bubonic Plague. Known infamously as the Black Death, it had wiped out a third of Europe in 1347, the result of poor hygiene. Rats and fleas were said to have been carriers for the disease.

Rebecca felt her heart stop and jaw hurt as one of the words repeated itself. It lingered unpleasantly like an echo in a cave, ringing with a blaring loudness for the silent girl.

Carriers.

Her mind furiously worked on overdrive as she looked at everyone in her group.

Were they all infected?

She had no way of knowing what symptoms to look for. She doesn't even know what kind of treatment should be given in the event that one of them turned out to have contracted something.

Was there even any form of treatment in existence?

Surely the creators of this disease had enough sense to keep an antidote! They wouldn't just let an outbreak run rampant!

Frustrated and terrified, bleaker thoughts bombarded her.

Was she herself infected?

Part of her wanted to weep.

Rebecca was horrified of not knowing. Even if she doesn't turn into a ghoul, there still existed the possibility of her being an asymptomatic carrier.

She swallowed, her nerves shot.

The idea of her being an unknowing vector for this pestilence, of bringing it back and allowing it to flourish, made her skin crawl.

What would the point be of going back home if she was either going to become a monster herself or watch with horrified eyes as others do so before her? As much as she loved her mother, she couldn't bear the thought of turning her into a cannibal.

Was death their only option?

Rebecca tried furiously to rebel against the thought. As much as she hated the idea of being infected, she was at heart a coward. She wasn't a trained soldier or action hero, she was just a gawky teenager with an interest in medicine, a geek. She highly doubted that she would be able to muster up the courage to kill herself. Despite the circumstances that she and her mother were in, Rebecca had a great love for life. There were so many things that people just took for granted, and for Rebecca, the possibility of never being able to see her mother again frightened her. At the same time, however, it would be incredibly selfish of her to deny others their right to live.