The Star Within (Poohpavel)

Chapter 8

Disclaimer:
This chapter contains mention of blood

"Pooh?" Pavel watched the younger man who was standing alone in the unfamiliar place. The human was wearing a loose white shirt as he watched something on his hand - the extraction device.

Pavel's eyes went wide, "Why do you have that?!"

Pooh looked at him, sadness was obvious in his eyes. Pavel watched the man silently, too shocked to say anything as he watched him holding onto the device. Pooh then opened his mouth, mouthing something that Pavel could not understand.

"What are you saying, Pooh?"

Pooh opened his mouth again, Pavel watched the lips moving until it suddenly stilled followed by Pooh's mouth sporting red liquid that stained his white shirt. The device in his hand fell on the ground making a thud sound that echoed through the room.

Pavel was screaming so loudly, but he himself could not hear his own voice. He watched in terror as Pooh's limp body fell to the ground, blood pooling around him from a knife stabbed in his back.

"Pooh!" Pavel was about to run towards Pooh when he felt someone kick him, causing him to fall on the hard floor. Wincing in pain, he slowly looked up at the shoes before him. There stood a man wearing a black raincoat with a mask and hood, looking down at Pavel while holding a knife pointed at Pooh's neck.

Pavel watched in disbelief as the person who was lying in his own pool of blood was now locked in the stranger's tight grip, but this time Pooh was wearing a black shirt.

"Don't look, Pavel"

That was the last thing Pavel heard before he opened his eyes to meet the white ceiling of the hotel room which he and Pooh had booked the day before. Gasping for air, Pavel quickly sat up on the bed, his eyes wide as he scanned the room frantically for Pooh.

But Pooh was nowhere to be found. The spot where Pooh was lying last night was empty, devoid of the younger man who had been sharing the room with him. Panic gripped Pavel's heart as he realized he was alone, his mind racing with a million terrifying possibilities of what could have happened to Pooh.

With panic rising in him, his heart racing in fear of something bad happening to the younger man. Just as he was about to jump out of bed and start searching for Pooh, Pavel's eyes landed on a small yellow sticky note placed neatly on the bedside table. With trembling hands, he reached out and picked up the note.

The handwriting on the sticky note was unmistakably Pooh's. A wave of relief washed over Pavel as he read the words written on the paper: "I'm out buying breakfast for us, be back soon."

Breathing a sigh of relief, Pavel sank back onto the bed, the fear and panic slowly fading away. He clutched the sticky note tightly in his hand, grateful that Pooh was safe and would be back soon.

As he waited for Pooh to return, Pavel's mind drifted back to the dream he just had. The masked feline, with its piercing eyes and menacing aura, seemed to be a recurring presence in his subconscious lately. It was as if it were trying to convey a message, one that Pavel couldn't quite decipher.

But what troubled him more was the strange occurrence involving Pooh in his dream. It was not the first time he had the human in his dream, but in this particular dream, there was something off about him. Something that Pavel couldn't quite put his finger on.

Maybe it's a sign for Pavel to investigate further about Pooh before completing the mission. About how the human radiates a large amount of energy from the star fragment, yet everyone failed to discover what power the fragment gives to him. Pavel himself never, ever since he got close with the human, saw Pooh using anything out of the ordinary. Yet there was an undeniable aura surrounding him that hinted at something far greater than meets the eye.