Course Seven – First Main Course
When they got to her dorm, Kalisi was walking in. They all headed up together, Hannibal insisted that he go in both their rooms first to look around. They stood in the hall and waited for him to come out.
"So," Kalisi said.
"So…" Fynn replied.
"Oh come on," Kalisi said.
"What?" Fynn giggled.
"You spent the night, did you guys do it?" Kalisi asked.
"Shh…" Fynn chastised, then whispered, "yes, but not now, I'll tell you everything later."
Hannibal came back out and grinned at them, he'd clearly heard them, Fynn could tell by the look on his face but he seemed amused and didn't say anything.
"You can come in now," he said. They all went into Fynn's room and she started looking around herself for any clues.
"Who do you think it was?" Kalisi asked.
"Nathan," Hannibal and Fynn said at the same time.
"That makes the most sense," Fynn continued.
"That guy is such a creep," Kalisi said.
"He won't be for long, if I find out this was him," Hannibal said.
"Don't talk like that, we should call the police," Fynn said.
"Call them, you have no evidence," he said. Fynn sighed and looked around her room some more. She saw nothing until suddenly she saw a piece of paper sticking out of one of her textbooks she hadn't seen before. She quickly ran over and pulled it out.
"What is it?" Kalisi asked.
"It's a letter," Fynn said.
"From who?" Hannibal asked.
"It doesn't say but it's obviously Nathan… or whoever was in here last night," Fynn said.
"What does it say?" he asked.
Fynn shook her head, she didn't want to read it to him for some reason. Something inside her felt his rage and it frightened her, even though he was just looking out for her.
"Read it," he said again, sternly this time.
Fynn fumbled with it, her hands shaking, she started to read aloud, "Dearest Fynn, I have watched you since you turned me down, I know you feel the same as me, I can't be seen with you because of that…" she paused, "I can't," she said.
"Give it to me," Hannibal said, she handed it to him and he started reading it, "because of that weirdo who threatened me," Hannibal grinned as he read this, he continued, "please meet me Sunday night behind the Basilica 409 Cathedral, at midnight."
"You have to go," Kalisi said.
"What?!" Fynn shouted.
"To get proof it's him," she said.
"You are not to do that under any circumstances," Hannibal said, "I will go."
"No!" Fynn said. He looked at her curiously waiting for an explanation, she shook her head frantically, "n-no, he could be dangerous." Hannibal just smiled. She walked over to him and tried to take the note, he crumbled it up and put it in his pocket.
"Don't do this," she said. He sighed and she started biting her thumbnail.
"Maybe I should go," Kalisi said.
"No… well, just, I'll call you," Fynn said. Kalisi waved and went out the door, Fynn turned her attention back to Hannibal, "why are you doing this?"
He scoffed, "I didn't do anything, we need to find out for sure if it's him like your friend said, and it's too dangerous for you to go."
"If it's dangerous you don't need to go either, we will take this to the police," she said.
"Call them, in fact I will drive you to the station, you will see they won't do anything," he said.
"Okay," she said. They drove to the police station and she told them everything and they just told her no crime has been committed so there was nothing they could do. She started to get angry and argued with a few officers before Hannibal had to calmly drag her out kicking and screaming.
"Say it," she said as he drove her home.
"I'm not going to say I told you so," he said.
"But you did," she said.
"I'm sorry that I was right," he said.
"Hannibal, please, promise me you won't go there tonight," she pleaded.
"I will promise, if you promise the same thing," he said.
"I promise, but I don't know what else to do," she sobbed.
He took her hand and kissed it, "we will figure it out."
"Say I promise I won't go," she said.
"I said I would promise if you did," he said.
"Okay," she said, she started biting her thumbnail again and he watched her out of the corner of his eye.
Later that night she was studying with Kalisi, she had filled her in on everything. They ate fast food and giggled, and she tried to forget about the whole ordeal for a while.
"Do you believe him?" Kalisi asked.
"I don't think he would lie but I think… it's the way he refused to say the words 'I promise'," Fynn said.
"But you did, and he said that was the stipulation," Kalisi pointed out.
Fynn sighed, "I don't know, I just don't feel right about letting this go, maybe I should…"
"No, you are not going over there," Kalisi said.
"I know, anyway, I'm going to get to sleep I have class in the morning," Fynn said. Kalisi left and Fynn looked at the clock, it was eleven, she had an hour to get ready.
Once she got to the diner across from the church, she got out of the cab and looked around. She didn't see Hannibal's car, so she made her way across the street quickly. It was eleven thirty and she wanted to get there in time to hide somewhere. She was dressed in all black and had her hair back and under the hood of her black hoodie. The backyard of the church had lots of pillars and statues. It was dark and shadows danced and played on the ground like ghosts and she shivered. There was a graveyard on the other side of the fence, and she wanted to be anywhere else in the world. She spotted the perfect place to hide between a pillar and mausoleum. She knelt down behind a bush that was place perfectly in front of her when she wedged herself between them. Anyone even a little wider than her wouldn't be able to get in this spot, she barely fit herself. It was a little scary that she couldn't get out quickly, but it gave her comfort that someone larger would have trouble getting to her. She hoped to see Nathan quickly come and go, but she knew he would probably wait all night unless someone showed up. But she still hoped Hannibal wouldn't come, something about the way he looked at the letter made her uneasy.
Not long after she had hidden, she saw a large shadow coming across the back of the building. She searched for a face or indication of who it was. The moon came out from behind a cloud and she saw his face, her heart dropped, it was Hannibal. He quickly found his own hiding place and waited. She wondered if he was doing the same as her and would just watch to find out for sure it was Nathan. She hoped. She breathed as slowly as she could and her legs started to ache, she had to be quiet. After what seemed like hours, someone else entered the yard. It was Nathan. She looked over to Hannibal's hiding spot, where she hadn't been able to see him since he had hidden. Nothing moved for a moment, she wondered if he was still there. She started to think he had left when suddenly she gasped as he jumped out and ran towards Nathan. He grabbed him by the collar of his jacket and threw him against a pillar. Nathan was larger than him and played sports. Hannibal still held his own as Nathan swung his arms uselessly, missing every time as Hannibal bobbed and weaved and then roundhouse kicked him in the face. Nathan went down. Fynn didn't know what to do, she couldn't get between them and she wasn't even sure which one was more frightening at the moment.
Hannibal picked Nathan up and threw him up against the pillar again, this time he was talking. Nathan was sobbing and begging him to let him go, the moon came out again and Fynn saw that Hannibal had a knife. She slid out from her spot and crept closer so she could hear them better. She saw Hannibal pause and she lowered herself slowly behind another bush. From here she could hear.
"Please don't kill me," Nathan was saying, he had also wet himself and Fynn put her hand over her mouth to keep from making any noises.
"I told you what would happen if you didn't leave her alone, I'm going to cut out your heart and eat it," Hannibal said, he didn't even sound mad. Fynn had to bite her fist to keep from sobbing.
"Please, I will leave her alone, I swear, ouch you're poking me," Nathan said.
"Oh, poor athlete, I gave you a chance, you didn't listen, you went into her private space, you waited on her, what were you going to do? Kidnap her? Rape her?" Hannibal asked him.
"No, no I wouldn't do that, I just wanted to talk to her," Nathan said.
"Don't lie to me," Hannibal said, "it won't help you, nothing will help you now." He started to shove the knife against Nathan's throat, and he began to gag and squirm.
"STOP!" Fynn shouted, running toward them. Hannibal let him go and backed up slowly, lowering the knife. Nathan grabbed his throat as he fell, coughing and crying. He started to stumble toward Fynn, but Hannibal grabbed the arm of his coat and spun him around.
"Don't," Fynn said before she even knew what she was telling him not to do, Hannibal lowered the knife again as he was about to slit Nathan's throat open. Hannibal let him go and Fynn shoved Nathen, "run!" she shouted, and he did. She fell down to her knees, unsure if she was fainting or just overwhelmed. Hannibal caught her before she fell face first to the ground. She shoved him away and threw up. He held her hair back as she knelt on her hands and knees getting all her sick out. Once she finished he helped her to her feet. She looked down at the knife he still held in one hand.
"You wouldn't," she said.
He looked stunned, "hurt you? Of course not," he said as he put the knife into his trench coat, an inside pocket that was completely hidden.
"You promised," she said.
"So, did you," he said.
"I only came to make sure you didn't, I wasn't going to let him see me," she said.
"I'm surprised to see you myself, I guess that means I trust you more than you trust me," he said.
"I guess so," she said.
"But I was wrong about you, and unfortunately you were right about me," he said.
"If it's unfortunate, why did you come?" she asked, tears welling in her eyes.
"You know you've known all along, you felt it, you have this ability to know people as soon as you meet them," he said.
"What do you mean?" she asked.
"You might not be aware of it, but it's deep down, an inkling, you are attracted to danger, it's why you kept that," he gestured at where Nathan had fled, "around, but that was just your typical college boy douchebag wasn't it, when you met me…" he sucked in air through his teeth. She shook uncontrollably as he spoke.
"What does it feel like, this desire? Is it hunger? Lust? This need to feel the rush of danger. When I touched you, the first time, in class when I shook your hand, you shivered, your eyes lit up, you felt it," he said.
"You're crazy," she said.
"Yes Doctor," he said. She didn't know what else to do so she turned around and started walking away. He called after her, "I'll be here waiting if you want to inform the police."
She stopped in her tracks, she spun around and marched back to him, "no, no, you don't get to do this, you don't get to be in love with me and then push me away, what are you going to do? Hide in jail? Abandon me?"
"Abandon you? You surely don't plan on being with me after what you saw," he said.
She wiped a tear from her cheek, "you didn't do anything he left, he's fine."
"I was going to kill him," he said.
"Why?" she asked.
He laughed, "of course, the constant question."
"The one you always avoid," she growled back through clenched teeth.
"You want to know why?" he asked, "I. am. A. killer."
"No, that's not it," she said.
He raised an eyebrow and grinned, "oh it isn't?"
"No," she shook her head, "no, if you were a killer why did you stop when I told you to?"
"I didn't want to do it in front of you," he said.
"Because?"
"Don't do this, you are looking for a justification for loving me, even if I am damaged beyond help, I have killed many… though I do love you; I have meant everything I said to you, but…" he paused and looked away, "you deserve better."
"Fuck you," she said and turned to walk away.
He laughed, "that's it?"
She stopped, but didn't turn back to him, "if you're too much of a coward to own up to what you are, to face what makes you do what you do, I can't help you, you don't call yourself a killer because you know you're 'bad', you do it because you're scared, scared to examine the real reason." She crossed her arms and waited for a response. She knew turning her back to someone who just told her he'd killed people and who had a knife was stupid but somehow she knew he wouldn't hurt her. She stood there for a while before she heard footsteps toward her, she felt a hand go around her neck and grip. It wasn't tight enough to cut off her air but it was tight.
He pulled her back and whispered in her ear, "are you scared of me?"
She swallowed, "no," she whispered, barely audible.
He squeezed a little more, "do you trust me?"
"No," she whimpered.
"So, you think I'd hurt you?" he asked.
"That's not the same question," she said.
He let her go and she turned to look at him, he had tears running down his cheeks. She put her hands on his face. He grabbed her hands and started kissing them.
"You should run, you should run from me and never look back," he said. She couldn't say anything because he was probably right but instead she kissed him. She ran her hands through his hair and kissed him, then kissed his face, kissed his tears. He grabbed her chin and made her kiss him deep.
"We should go," she said pulling away from him.
"You'd leave with me?" he asked. She nodded and they walked to his car which was in front of the church.