Work Text:
From Will’s Perspective
“I’ll be with you in just a moment, Will.” He says my name with such fondness that I had desired nothing but to cradle him in my arms. However, I simply replied how any person would, “Of course, Hannibal. I’ll be here.” He nodded before stepping out of the living room and leaving me with the ambient sounds of the crackling fireplace and the slight creaking of the old, wooden structures.
I opted to sit down and wait in silence but the voices kept screaming in my head – repeating thoughts I know too well, murders that replay every second of my consciousness. I eyed the whiskeys lined in his miniature bar setup. God, how I wished to just grab myself a drink. I turned away and forced myself to focus on something else and I noticed his array of recipe books by the kitchen counter. I decided to occupy myself with that instead. Standing up, I felt the signs of aging seep into my joints.
I walk over to the counter and held the book in my hands. Chef Bardy’s Top Secret Recipes. The book was hard-bounded and firm to the touch and heavier than I thought. I flipped through a few pages and seeing nothing which catches my interest, I closed the book and set it back on the white marble counters. My attention then shifted towards what seemed to be a small tin container, those used for containing mints. I took it and shook it slightly but heard no sound of mints rattling within. Invested by this new distraction, I opened the container and was met with small, white cards – a stack of them.
I took one out and then another. I read them thoroughly and over and over again. They were small list of main ingredients for recipes. And in comparison to Chef Bardy’s, they weren’t simple pork or chicken. They referred to human flesh.
I felt my throat constrict and my breath slightly increase.
This can’t be. I refuse…
“Mmph-!”
I looked behind me. Was that… a person? I set the tin container down and made my way through a dark hallway, going deeper into his kitchen. The floor was now pure white tiles with no crevices present. My footsteps echoed in the almost empty hall as my heart rate continued to spike.
I heard the pained groan once more and sooner than I anticipated, I was met with a door. It was one of those doors that are used for freezer containment units in restaurants. It had a small window with bits of frost building up. As much as I’d like to note how amazed I was that Hannibal was willing to invest in such an expensive structure to maintain, the person hanged up inside caught my full attention.
It was a woman with her arms tied behind her back and her mouth was tied up with a white cloth. She was stripped bare to the bone and I could visibly see the twitches in her body as the cold air surrounded her. She looked almost dead if not for the moaning she let out. Then, our eyes met. Hers looked foggy and dazed but when she noticed me, a glimpse of hope passed through her expression.
“Will?”
Shit. I stepped back. Hannibal was here. The woman begun to flail around and tried to scream through her restraints. I could not move.
“Will…”
I turned around to see Hannibal, standing stiffly by the hallway’s entrance. He noticed the woman flailing about through the small window and sighed, “I thought I’d killed her. Reckless.” He whispered to himself but I heard every word with an amplified volume.
Then, Hannibal turned to meet my gaze. I don’t know what my expression looked like then but seeing his softened expression and pitying eyes…
The last thing I saw before darkness consumed my mind was Hannibal caressing my hair.
“Will?”
I coughed as I shot up from my seat. I looked around me and saw that I was at the entrance of my office building. The cold air hit my lungs and I coughed again.
Someone supported my back as I felt a hand placed on my forehead, “Are you alright? What are you doing out here?”
I looked up and saw Hannibal. He had a worried look on his face, his eyebrows were furrowed and his eyes seemed sad, “H-Hannibal…” I said breathlessly before coughing again. I looked at my watch and noted the time, 4:58 PM. I was at his house at around 11 AM… Why am I at the station..?
I remembered the hanging woman. Hannibal seeing me. The recipe cards.
“Will?” Hannibal’s voice cleared out my thoughts and I slowly looked back at him once again.
You knocked me out.
At that moment, I felt everything too heavy for me to bear. I didn’t want to accept this reality. All those nights with him, those memories. Was it all a lie?
Did you truly love me or was it to… cover-up your sins?
I wanted to ask him but I had no courage too.
“Let’s get you inside the station. You seem to be catching a cold out here, Will.” He guided me back into the building but I stopped midway through, “Will? What’s wrong?”
I remained silent as I stared into his eyes but then, I averted my gaze.
“Nothing… I just had a bad dream is all.”
We went inside the station.