Okay this is just a little story I though of while I was bored at work. It probably takes place sometime after Hannibal.
I look forward to your flames and slash or reviews.
Disclaimer: I'm Not Thomas Harris OR the guy that made the movie so i don;t own shit. Except Kaitie cause that was supposed to be me and Eileen cause thats supposed to be someone else.
OH side note you might want to read all italics out loud and dripping with emotion or sarcasm.
LETSBEGINLETSBEGINLETSBEGIN
It was a slow day at work and with nothing to do I was jumping around the bakery itching for anything to distract me. The counters have been wiped down to many times to count, the dishes were done, and the floors had been swept so clean I could see myself in them, there was literally nothing to do accept wait until my shift ended. I sat in the corner, doodling randomly in my notebook when the chimes of the bell sounded. Quickly hopping down and walking to the front counter I stood waiting for the customer to walk closer, he was a slightly older man with dark hair and intense eyes. "Hello, how are you?" I say smiling.
"I'm good, how about yourself?" the man answers back looking directly at me it's a bit unnerving but so are a lot of the other customers.
"Good, thanks for asking." I smile wider bouncing a bit. "So what can I get for you today?"
The corners of his mouth tilt up a bit before he answers "I'm making a soup, what kind of bread would be good for that." The tone in his voice suggests he already knows the answer but I'm just grateful for the distraction.
"Well, it depends what type you're having, if it's a heavy beef type stew you'll want to have our rye bread, it comes in plain, seeded, and Russian. However if you're having a lighter chicken broth you'd probably want to go with one of our white breads, also our French bread is good with it too." I rattle off the information like a pro this questions and questions similar have been asked so many times I don't even have to think about it.
"It's a lighter soup."
"Okay, well we have different types of white bread." I turn around slightly checking to see what we have at the moment. "Well for starters our French Bread is mainly crust, so it's good on the side of a dish as something to eat separately, Our Sandwich Bread has slightly heavy dough with a thick crust, then we have English Toasting Bread which is lighter but will toast up to be quite crunchy, and finally we have our regular White Bread which is really soft and really good for dipping. And PB&J." I say nodding at the end. mmmm PB&J
He smiles a little bigger showing a bit of his teeth, a shiver runs down my spine as he answers. "I think the French bread sounds lovely."
I nod placing the bread in a bag and placing it on the counter, "can I get you anything else?"
"No that will be all, thank you." I quickly punch in the price while he gives me a card to swipe.
"It'll be just a minute, the machine is a bit old." I wait the few seconds for the first recite to print before tearing it off and handing it to him with a pen. "Sign please."
"Is that where you go to school?" he says pointing to my sweatshirt with the pen.
"Oh, no, my friend gave me the sweatshirt; I still go to Community College because I can't seem to find a major to stick with." He raises an eyebrow so I continue "well it started out as an art major, and then it changed to engineering and at the moment its criminal psychology. All pretty different subjects of study." He hands me back the sign recite and I place it in the bag with the rest of the credit card recites next to the register. "Well have a nice day, and dinner."
He takes his bag and proceeds to leave; opening the door he turns around and looks directly into my eyes freezing me in place. "You really should check the names people sign." And with that he walks out before I can reply.
Well that was weird. I take my seat back in the corner picking up my notebook, back to playing the waiting game. Ten minutes go by, then another ten does, soon an hour has past and still nobody has come in. "What did he mean!" I jump up digging through the bag at the register pulling out the few recites on the top going over the names one by one until I find the one that doesn't match. Printed the name reads William Harris, signed the name reads Hannibal Lector M.D.
My stomach drops to my feet.
HUMANSOUPHUMANSOUPHUMANSOUP
It's been a week since Doctor Hannibal Lector came into the bakery; most of the initial jumpiness vanished being replaced by questions upon questions. I did my research; read every single article published about him along with several ones published by him. He was a smart calculating man that didn't take risks; he didn't do something without knowing first, the reactions so he wouldn't just leave his name and then not do anything. He had to be measuring, waiting, something but I never called the cops so maybe he thinks I never checked the recite.
However he left me his name, there had to be reason, I just couldn't exactly figure out why. Why? Why? Why? Was it because I said I was studying criminal psychology, did he want to mentally mess with me before he killed me, did I peak his interest, was he just waiting for somebody to notice tired of being undetected? The answers where racing through my head constantly now, I thought about nothing else obsessing over the why. But I only had one meeting and with such brief conversation there was no way for me to start eliminating any of them. The bell rings startling me out of my thoughts. I've been getting more headish by the hour thinking about him. "One second please." I call out from the back placing the mop in the bucket before washing my hands. "Good evening how are you?" I wipe my hands on my apron as I walk out from the back stopping dead in my tracks when I see him.
"Splendid, how are you my dear?" he says grinning I curl my toes knowing he can't see them and hoping he won't figure anything out.
"Just dandy, how was your soup?" I inquire, testing to see his reaction.
There's a glint in his eyes as he answers "The soup was just wonderful, the bread went perfectly with the meal, thank you for the suggestion." I offer a polite smile while I shudder to think about what was actually in the soup.
"So what can I get for you today?" I smile, calling on all my years of acting class to help me stay calm.
"I'm having steak for dinner tonight, along with wild mushroom sauce, suggestions?"
"Well our Italian bread goes great with vegetable based sauces." I answer automatically and point to the bread "we have plain and seeded loafs."
He's quite thinking for a second while nausea starts bubbling in my stomach. Please tell me I'm not the steak he's having for dinner.
"I think I'll have a loaf of that then, plain, please." I wordlessly place a loaf of the bread in a bag before placing it on the counter, and punching the price into the register. He pays in cash this time, "keep the change." He says before he starts towards the door.
"Thank you very much, and have a nice evening." My stomach twists painfully "oh and one more thing," I breath in through my nose as he turns around at the door, my feet unconsciously shift towards the back door ready to run "enjoy your dinner, Doctor."
His smile grows, to bare all his teeth; I can feel the bile start to rise but I stay put until he's out the door and away from view before bolting to the bathroom. There's no way I'm sleeping tonight.
LOCKYOURDOORSLOCKYOURDOORSLOCKYOURDOORS
I didn't sleep for two nights jumping at every noise my house normally made; it was on the third day where I just stopped caring. I was lying alone on the couch in the living room alone; a knife under my pillow along with one in my pocket and a machete strapped to my back. Excessive? Not in the least. "Doctor, if you want to eat me I don't care anymore, just don't make me move please, okay?"
There's no answer not that I was really expecting one since I'm the only one home, my roommate already being at school for the day. The house is silent the only sound being the fan slowly spinning around as I stare at the ceiling, my eyes drift closed. "What was that?" I sit bolt right up wiping my head around scanning the room, something changed. My phone rings and the weight lifts off my chest.
"Get to work!" I hear my boss scream into the phone. I check the clock I'm only five minutes late and he's not really mad he just likes to give all of us a rough time when we are late.
"I'll be there in five minutes I just woke up." I hear him grumble as I hang up already packing my things together and getting ready to run out the door to work.
"Here." I enter through the back door throwing on my apron and getting to work, the few hours of sleep already making me feel more at ease and happier.
"You look like crap go have a cup of coffee." I really have a sweet boss.
Two hours pass along with three pots of coffee and I'm back at my normally perky self. "Okay Kaitie the bakery's all yours don't forget to mop." I nod my head as I place my headphones in my ears it's a Tuesday so no one really comes into the bakery this late.
You know what, fuck Hannibal, him giving me his real name was probably just a test and me not calling the cops was a pass; but why? There was that question again, so prominent and bold in my mind. Through all the fear keeping me awake it was that question that was constantly running through my mind it was that one simple question that I could not just answer that prevented me from relaxing that kept me on edge. He was in my mind, under my skin, and all he had to do was give me his damned name. "Fuck him. Fuck him so hard."
"Who are you fucking hard my dear?" the voice makes me jump about a foot; I never heard the bell go off.
"I'm sorry I normally don't talk-" the color drains from my face as I see who it is, his grin grows knowing from my reaction I was talking about him. "I didn't mean, well I did but not like what you're thinking unless you're not thinking about fuck as sex then it is what you're thinking but if your" I ramble off tripping over my words "why haven't you eaten me yet?"
I just give up hanging my head. "Why haven't you called the cops yet?" I can hear the amusement in his voice. So I did pass
I look up meeting his eyes knowing if I don't that nagging question won't be answered. "I was hoping I could pick your brain, before, you know" my eyes flicker to his mouth briefly "you eat mine." I finish, my heart feels like it's about to stop as a smile spreads across his face, he looks, happy?
"What a curious thing to say."
"Well, I'm a curious creature. So dinner? Tonight? Eight O'clock sound good for you?"
During the first few seconds of learning his name I knew it didn't matter if I called the cops or not I probably wasn't going to come out of this alive. Studying criminal psychology taught me sadistic serial killers wanted to cause fear and pain in there victims, to hear them scream and if I didn't give him that he couldn't, wouldn't be satisfied. However that didn't mean I'd live, living was a whole lot trickier, I had to peak his interest much like he peaked mine.
"I'll pick you up then my dear." He grins walking towards the door.
"You don't- you already know where I live don't you?" he's already gone, but that's answer enough. "I can't believe I just asked a serial killer out on a date." I brace my hands against the counter not trusting myself to stand on my own.
DINNERWITHACANNABILDINNERWITHACANNIBALDINNERWITHACANNIBAL
I stare at my closet, what the hell do you wear to dinner with a convicted cannibal? "Going on a date?" I jump out of my skin with my roommate's sudden question. "Sorry didn't mean to scare you."
I start laughing "its chill I just don't know what to wear not used to these types of things." That's an understatement.
I turn back to my closest thinking about what I know about Hannibal Lector besides the killing and eating people hobby of his. He calls me dear, or my dear meaning he's traditional. "Is he older?" I nod my head, he always say please and thank you "intelligent?" I nod again thinking of the articles he's written, highly intelligent. "Do you want to sleep with him?" The question catches me off guard making me gag a bit.
"No." The smell of rotting flesh fills my nose taking over my senses in my mind I see the grinning mouth coated with blood. I make a dash for the bathroom.
"Like this one don't you?" I hear my friend call from my room. "Last time you agreed to a date was a year ago when your fuck buddy at the time offered to do your homework."
I rest my head across my arm worshipping the porcelain god, this was a bad idea. I compose myself and brush my teeth again making sure to get the back of my throat there's no way I want the Doctor to know how nervous I am. Eileen appears at the door holding a white sundress I bought in Mexico when I was a teenager. It's a halter top that goes just under my knees, the dress doesn't show excessive cleavage but there's a strip going around the waist that's pure lace giving sneak peeks of the skin below. "That's perfect!" I take the dress from her scanning it if I could I'd go on this, date with a hazmat suit but I need to show some skin. I slip on the dress as Eileen goes to get a pair of shoes.
I was reapplying my lip stain for the fifth time when the doorbell rang. Resting my hand on the door knob I take a breath Leen flashes me two thumbs up as I shoe her away. "You're early Doctor."
"A gentleman is never late my dear." He offers me his arm, of course he fancies himself a gentleman. I eye him up and down he's dressed nicely, slacks, a button up shirt along with a suit jacket, I wonder briefly if I'm underdressed as his eyes comb my body the same way.
Slipping my lip gloss in my purse I accept his arm. He unlocks and opens his car door for me helping me into the car. "Careful Doctor the house has eyes." I say before he lets go of my hand. He eyes go to the front window catching my friend as she slips back from the curtains.
Closing the door he walks around the car, I lean over unlocking and opening his door for him. His eyes twinkle as he gets in. The drive itself is quite, filled with tension from the both of us sizing up the other.
When we arrive he opens my door and extends his hand to help me out. Taking it I slip my legs out first before leaning up into Lector slipping my other hand on his shoulder I take a step closer putting my mouth to his ear. "I'm fair game, but if you so much as think of going after my friends or family I'll do things to you that would make your victims pity you."
Mental warfare is my game; years of family issues with cheap shots and low blows have trained me better than anything else possibly could. His free hand that rests on my back starts slipping slowly down over my butt to my thigh he lifts slightly shifting his leg to press firmly on the knife I have hidden. "I wouldn't have it any other way." He grins shifting his teeth over my ear; sucks that mental warfare is his game too.
DIDHEJUSTCOPEAFEEL
"Dear I didn't make the food here you don't have to worry." He says as I separate the chicken from my salad.
The menu was in another language that I did not speak so I just ordered the house salad both out of nerves and simplicity the only problem was it apparently had chicken in it. Lector has a steak, rare; neither of us is shocked by the others choice. "Oh, I'm a vegetarian, I don't eat meat." He opens his mouth but I cut him off so used to the question he's about to ask. "It's kind of like cannibalism there's just something in your mind telling you not, never mind." I sigh remembering who I am talking to. Life sucks.
We sit in silence a bit longer; I guess I should have figured out what my plan of action was going to be before I dived into this mess. "Why me?" or I could just be blunt and get to it. "I'm nothing that special, pretty, smart yes, but nothing outstanding that would make you want to target me after one meeting so why me?"
It seems that's the question I really want answered, and it is, but there's another part of me, the part of me that will probably lead to my death that really wants to know why he does it. The why he does it question, I'm positive, that he will never consciously answer so it's the one thing I have to stay away from otherwise I'll never get the answer. "You're just assuming answers when you should know."
I think for a bit, my assuming was what? Me? Couldn't possibly be that there was no one I knew that he couldn't get to. Now that's not scary. But nothing outstanding that would make you want to target me after one meeting. I dissect the words in my mind; there are two assumptions there, nothing outstanding and one meeting. Obsession starts with a meeting whether both parties know it or not, thinking back to the first time we've met I rack my brain for the conversation, nothings there. Only a few most basic words passed, to open to really start an obsession, a wordless meeting, a side glace would all have been more likely for it to start. "You've met me before." Pride flashes through his eyes this is all some kind of twisted game for him. I search deeper into the last few months pulling every instant in public out of my memory every glace, every word, every breath taken by someone I did not know when it struck me. "You heard me talk about cannibalism."
His smile grows and I think about that day. I was food shopping and on the phone with Eileen, as a joke we were wrote a book called 'Cannibalism for Dummies' about a year ago, our publisher called just recently asking for a follow up book. And here I thought of chocolate covered eyeballs was a great idea.
Did he think I understood? That I would be impressed by him and would want to learn from him, was that why me. I should have stuck with engineering. I set down my fork no longer hungry. "You'll have to excuse me." I push my chair back abruptly standing and walking to the bathroom. Splashing water on my face I brace myself against the sink trying to even out my breathing before exiting the bathroom.
"You're curious my dear." I shake my head. No, no just no.
My stomach lurches, the book was a joke, just some way for us to help pay rent. But I was curious; obsessed to the point of no return just not on cannibalism on human nature the criminal mind. How someone could be so unattached so devoid of emotion that they made that decision to chop people up, to peal their skin off, even eat them. It was why my major changed, why I started reading dark books and thinking dark thoughts just to understand these people that everyone really guessed at. "Not in that." He doesn't respond "Just in you. I want to know why or how? I don't want to hurt anybody." I meet his eyes knowing I have to get back on equal ground and stop letting him control the topic.
"I can show you how." his smile is devious inviting and I can feel my head spinning rationality slipping through my fingertips.
Suddenly something just snaps, I start laughing unable to stop "really I rather you not." I manage to get out before I snap my mouth shut trying to settle my giggles but I can't. "Have you ever been so on edge that all sanity leaves you?" I try to explain I probably shouldn't be laughing in this situation. Oh shut up you giggle at horror movies. "Oh what am I saying of course you haven't, you're way too controlled for this. I'm the weird one for thinking that I can have dinner conversation with a cannibal, should have really thought this one out." He doesn't look to happy, actually he looks quite angry.
"Oh Doctor, I don't mean to be rude but given our different dietary choices dinner wasn't the best idea, it would have been better if I asked you to the park or hell, to snort cocaine with me rather than dinner when food is the primary topic."
There's a glint in his eye of pure amusement, this is definitely a new situation for him as well. Has no one laughed in his presents before? Or he just dines on less psychopathic food. I take a deep breath composing myself while making sure to not break eye contact.
"Food?" is all he says in reply, pointing out my mistake, I'm to giddy to feel bad though.
"I hear it tastes like chicken."
He makes a tsk sound before answering. "More juicy with very little fat, similar to a fine cut of steak."
I think for a second, imagining that he's just one of my friends trying to freak me out like normal. "So, that means you generally dine on mid teens to late thirties, young, semi athletic but not too thin. However small children could fall into that category to the baby fat being similar to having lamb." I take a bite of my salad it's actually quite good.
I look at the good doctor in front of me, he seems a bit surprised but I'm not too sure. "Dear did you just suggest I eat children?" he says cutting into his steak and taking a bite.
"Oh no, of course not, I'm just saying it's also an option. Much like you calling me dear instead of my name." I pause he hasn't used my name yet, does he know it? "Do you not know my name?"
He looks at me, no emotions on his face. Oh my god he has no idea what my name is! He may know where I live where I work but he doesn't know my name, he's not infallible. I start grinning like an idiot yet again. "here I am sitting thinking you know everything about me, and me nothing about you despite the amount of articles I've read, but that's just it you know nothing about me besides the where I work where I live and that I have a problem with having weird conversations in public. This evening is as much about information for you as it is for me!"
"Katherine" my blood runs cold, FUCK I was wrong I was so wrong not only does he know my name he knows my full name and no one calls me by my full name. "Every time you walk by your car you touch a sticker on it that says 'I Can't Save You' and frown. Katherine you know it's hopeless, you couldn't have saved them but oh you tried, and tried didn't you Katherine. Do you remember thinking if you were stronger, smarter, more involved everything would have turned out differently that it's your entire fault. They blamed you didn't they, cried and begged and as much as you did all the time you devoted nothing changed, you didn't help one bit did you. Who couldn't you save Katherine?"
He's calm, smiling, happy, even, my knuckles are white, the tips of my fingernails dig into my palms and never in my life have I felt the anger I feel now. The idea of reaching across the table and ripping out his throat has never been as welcoming as it does now. I can picture his blood on my hands, his blood on his neck the last few helpless gasps he tries to take before he dies, the image is comforting then a shiver runs down my spine.
I feel dirty, violated, like I've just been raped he's gotten into my head controlled my thoughts made me think things I never wanted to think in my life. I look down at my hands smeared with blood from my fingertips, is this something I want to become. Someone that has no bounds, feels no remorse for other peoples privet lives, that they will pick and pry until they uncovered everything that the persons trying to hide, every little thought that screams in their head keeping them awake at night. There are some things a parent will never tell their children, and some things that a child will never tell the world.
When I finally look up into his eyes I know my answer, he couldn't physically hurt me so he picked and pried until he got his desired results, I was falling apart and it was by a few simple words. "Tell me dear doctor do you mind rape all your victims before eating them?" I grit out my jaw tightly clamped shut.
I count backwards from ten trying to easy my anger, but it's not quite working. "Because according to the autopsy reports there was no physical rape involved. Do you know what no sexual contact means in your type of crimes? It means that they're not of sexual nature so you're either impudent or its family issues." I let out a breath making sure my voice doesn't get to loud. "Oh don't worry, I don't think your impudent, no, I think it's much deeper, has to be a family issue." I pause his eyes dilate just slightly, I've hit my mark. "Couldn't have been abuse, you don't lash out, so what could it have been?" I tap my finger to my mouth I'm stepping into dangerous territory but I'm way too angry to care. "You were starving. So hungry that you would have died weren't you. Who did you eat Hannibal?" I use his first name much like he used mine. "It wasn't Mommy or Daddy, you wouldn't have felt as responsible for them, oh it had to be a sibling, someone younger weaker that you felt the need to protect. But you know how it, is sometimes you just can't protect them." I finish he's glaring into my eyes with the same murderous intent I had earlier.
I'm no longer feeling angry, calmness has settled over me, it's soothing and cool to the touch which is a strange feeling when the eyes glaring into mine are white hot with anger. I have turned the tables on the ingenious doctor in front of me something countless others have failed to do before and I feel accomplished, but yet there's a sickening feeling in my stomach. I'm staring into the eyes of death while he stares right back. I swore to myself I'd never be a victim, never let them get into my head and control me, so I sit staring devoid of emotion, letting him take the next move.
It's been recorded in the animal kingdom that when a predator is confronted by its prey, the predator in question will be unsure how to act, giving the prey a way to escape.