BUON VIAGGIO
It took several hours for Hannibal to be truly comfortable with all of the equipment in the birthing suite. He and Lora tested each machine and adjusted all of the settings. He would have everything perfect for the birth. No matter the complication, Hannibal considered the possibility and had prepared a response.
When they finished setting up the equipment and organizing the supplies, Hannibal made fresh pasta with a rich Bolognese sauce. He served it with homemade crusty Italian bread. The trio ate together, but when the meal was finished, Hannibal went to the kitchen and washed the dishes in order to give the women time to bond.
Clarice and Lora were talking, sharing stories about their husbands as Hannibal worked in the kitchen.
Lora was impressed, "I heard all the accounts of what an epicure Hannibal was but I only half believed them. It's incredible what a great cook he is. My husband couldn't boil water. Maybe that's why I'm divorced."
Clarice beamed with pride. "My H is a remarkable man. I'm really, really, lucky."
Hannibal returned to the room focused on the task at hand. He was carrying latte's for the women and a plate filled with homemade anginetti.
"Ladies, if you'll excuse me, I've already tended to the dinner dishes. If you wouldn't mind, I have to step out for a brief errand. Enjoy your coffee. I'll finish the remainder of the dishes upon my return."
Clarice dunked one of the cookies in her coffee as she spoke, "Where are you going, H?"
Hannibal shrugged on his suit jacket and explained, "I must run quickly to the mall before it closes to pick up the gift we discussed. I will have my cell phone if you have need of me."
"I'm sure I'll have need of you later, H."
The women laughed at the innuendo. Hannibal, not at all concerned by their behavior, stood politely and waited for a response. When it appeared they were beyond an immediate break, he questioned, "Is this a private joke, or may anyone be privy?"
Clarice flapped her hands in front of her face, trying to stem the giggles. Finally, she got a handle on herself, "We were just laughing at how Lora's going to be the only person alive who's seen us both naked!"
As Hannibal buttoned his jacket he humored his wife, "A singular distinction to be certain."
Lora blushed and joked, "I'm honored, truly."
Hannibal kissed Clarice and excused himself, "Ladies, enjoy your time together."
As Hannibal left the women, he opened the closet in the front hallway and grabbed the bag he stowed earlier in the day. He went out to his Bentley and locked the bag in the trunk. Hannibal then drove the ten minutes to the area where the intruder lived. Passing the home, he could see the lights on in the living room.
Visiting with your cyber-harem my soon to be deceased friend? Enjoy your last pathetic sexual experience. It will fulfill my needs as well.
The Bentley would stand out in this neighborhood; that was obvious. Hannibal drove to the jewelry store he chose specifically for its presence in a small strip mall and proximity to the intruder's neighborhood. Hannibal parked his car, went inside and spent several minutes talking to the owner as he picked up the custom piece he commissioned.
Hannibal went to his car, and placed the gift in the trunk. He then opened the bag he placed earlier, switching his wingtips for running shoes. Hannibal then left the car and walked to the coffee shop located in the same shopping plaza. Approaching the counter he purchased a coffee and a pastry. Sitting at a table in view of the cameras he drank his coffee. After several minutes he stood and asked about the rest room, leaving his suit jacket on the back of the chair and his coffee on the table. He went to the bathroom and locked the door. Hannibal removed his tie and dress shirt, folding both. He neatly wrapped the clothing in towel paper, stood on top of the toilet and placed the bundle within a panel of the drop ceiling. Now wearing a tank style tee-shirt, Hannibal ensured he would not return in sweaty clothing, thus raising suspicion.
As there are only female patrons currently, I'll have several minutes before anyone attempts to use these facilities. If I spend to more than ten or fifteen minutes at the home, I should raise no suspicion.
Leaving through the window he quickly jogged the three minutes to the intruder's home. He had nothing with him aside from the Harpy tucked in his waistband, which he promised Clarice he would not use.
I will rely on you for my weapon, you insolent ass.
Hannibal quickly scaled the trellis and moved across the garage roof to the window he designated as the easiest access point to the home. Within moments, Hannibal was in the home, moving quickly to the man's bedroom to retrieve a length of climbing rope. Making his way to the area overlooking the stairs, Hannibal hid himself, studying the movements below. As he waited, he fashioned a noose.
The young man sat on his couch, watching the pornography that was his nightly habit. Hannibal averted his eyes, waiting for the man to approach his end. Minutes later, Hannibal was still waiting. He checked his watch.
Six minutes have elapsed. One would think with the frequency of your self-gratification, that you might be more efficient, my friend. Please be expeditious, my coffee is growing cold and my patience is wearing thin.
Seconds later as the man began to vocalize his end Hannibal began to descend the stairs. With stealth, the good doctor moved behind the couch and slipped the noose around the offender's neck. Hannibal turned quickly, pulling the rope over his shoulder. He then slowly lifted the young man from the couch and onto his own back.
The men were currently back-to-back therefore Hannibal could speak softly and be clearly heard.
Hannibal held him above the ground, cutting off the offender's precious supply of oxygen as he hissed in the surprised man's ear.
"You seem surprised to have me here, though I am forced to wonder why as your behavior demanded my presence. I told you this morning when you visited my home uninvited a second time that your life was forfeit. Now you see that I am indeed a man of my word."
Twisting against Hannibal's back the surprised thrill seeker struggled. He attempted to reach for his attacker, but he was much smaller than Hannibal and didn't have the length of arm required to grasp him.
Now raging, Hannibal's voice was more a snarl than anything approaching normal discourse.
"You twitch on the end of this rope like a marionette on a string, dancing for my amusement. You who dared comment on my lovely wife? What was it you discussed? Ah yes, whipped cream on the first occasion and fucking her on the second?"
Enraged as he stepped back from the door of his memory palace and released Predator, Hannibal leaned back, tormenting the man by giving him just enough slack to slap at the ground with the balls of his feet attempting to find relief. Leaning forward again, the beast denied the respite and gibed at his victim.
"It seems from your addiction to masturbation and pornography, the females in your world think better of themselves than to turn to you for sex."
Again, he tipped back and allocated a brief inhalation thus permitting the man to speak.
"I'd…fuck…your…wife…" Hannibal's quarry gasped.
Hannibal growled his response, low in warning as the beast demanded to be fed, "Do not disrespect my wife or I will forgo my promise to Clarice and use my Harpy to flay you."
He then jerked the rope and raised his prey's feet from the ground once more as he goaded, "Rest assured my wife is perfection and even if you lived beyond this evening, which you will not, you would never be man enough to please her."
Relishing the torture, Hannibal continued to dangle the man but did not yank the rope, as his intention was not to break the man's neck but to suffocate slowly. Though he was aware of his time constraints, Hannibal would enjoy this.
He lowered the man slightly by bending backward and allowing just the tips of his victim's toes to light on the floor. This relieved just enough pressure to buy the man a few more moments of life.
The man's lung's almost burst as he sucked at the air and gasped, "Let…me…go!"
Hannibal was amused by the demand and taunted, "You actively sought my company on two separate occasions and yet you have tired of my presence already?"
He dipped the object of his torment, allowing several gulps of air.
"Get…out…I'll kill…you!"
By now, the man's heart rate was dangerously high. Hannibal could feel the speed of the beating increase. Though he denied his fear with false bravado, Hannibal could practically taste the panic oozing from the man's pores.
"Your fear is delicious, though you wish to deny it. It fortifies me."
"Your…wife…will…find…out." The man offered in desperation.
Hannibal adjusted the rope on his back as he again lifted the man.
"This visit was her idea, my soon-to-be-deceased friend. I am certain you cannot be offended that I arrived unannounced as you yourself have made a habit of it. You claimed to have left my home because you wanted to, yes? Not because I frightened you? I wonder if you will admit that you are indeed frightened now?"
Gasping, able to squeeze out just the slightest bit of air the younger man gasped, "I'm not… afraid of you… you old bastard."
Hannibal leaned forward and denied the intruder his next breath. As the man's heart pounded with such force that Hannibal could feel it thumping against his back the good doctor lifted his chin, nostrils flaring and searched the air.
"As I have said before, your fear doesn't interest me, though the stench of it floods the room. Shall I admit to you how much this pleases me?"
The panicked man began to twist and turn. Hannibal, not wanting unplanned ligature marks to form set the man down slightly.
The man gasped and spat out, "You're…gonna…regret…this! Put me… down and …we'll make this a… fair… fight."
Hannibal laughed as he tightened the rope and stretched his target's neck.
"Does a lion regret taking down an antelope? No. My only regret is that I cannot see the life ebb from you, and my only interest is to kill you. Even if I were to let you down, this would be no more a fair fight than a kitten taking on a lion."
"I'm…gonna…kill…you!"
"No, you will die on this night in this way with that pathetic excuse for manhood barely projecting from your pants. The last sounds you will hear will be the loosening of your bowels as you pass from this life. Too, enjoy your last view of the lovers you wish you had, having the orgasms you could never give them."
Easing his grip as smoothly as a fisherman letting out line, Hannibal allowed four quick gasps to permit a response.
"Let me… go I fucked… plenty of… women."
The torment meaning no more to Hannibal than dangling a piece of yarn beyond the reach of a kitten, he lifted the man slightly, again denying him precious air. Hannibal was carrying his victim on his back, much like a backpack slung over one shoulder. He hefted him, momentarily readjusting the body weight wanting to feel the last twitches of life shake free. Hannibal educated, as if the man were a willing participant in this experiment.
"Precisely. You fuck women. I have a spectacular wife because I make love with her. You will never hear the sweet sounds of a woman truly in orgasm. You believe the pants and screams of porn stars are how women sound in ecstasy. If she is truly orgasmic a woman can barely breathe, much less scream. You will die now, never having truly shared that experience with a lover. I pity you."
Again, Hannibal prolonged the agony and by extension, his own pleasure as he allowed the man to breathe.
Gasping, the offender threatened, "I pity…you when… I get… down. I'm gonna… cut your nuts… off! If… you were… man enough..."
Hannibal closed his fingers tightly around the rope and tugged just enough to lift him to the tips of his toes, forbidding the end of that sentence. He corrected, "If you were man enough, you wouldn't have to ask me to set you free. If you had me in this position, I would be free by now. As to the part of my body you wish to cut off, I think my wife might have something to say about that and trust me, in my marriage, she is the one to be truly feared."
Suddenly, the cell phone in Hannibal's pocket began to buzz. He reached into his pocket, securing the rope with the opposite hand. He flipped it open and read the text.
COME HOME NOW H! BABY IS ON THE WAY!
His chest bursting with pride, Hannibal continually held the man off the ground finally choking off the offender's final supply of life's breath. As the man began to twitch out his last, Hannibal hissed, "Speaking of the proverbial devil that indeed was my wife. I do apologize, but I must kill you now. Though I have been enjoying our discussion my son is going to be born tonight as my lovely wife Clarice is now in labor. I am going home to the woman I love to assist in the delivery of my son. Sadly, after this night, your mother will be without hers."
The offensive man convulsed for several seconds before going limp. Hannibal quickly carried him to the door that faced the television. Tossing the excess rope over the door he then used the interior doorknob to secure the end. He allowed the body to lean forward, allowing the unconscious man to come to.
That was too easy on you, my friend and my enjoyment of it, far less than I would like. Perhaps you will come back and grace me with a front row seat to your agony.
The moment the intruder's eyes, opened Hannibal lunged forward, teeth bared as if he was going to tear the flesh from the smaller man's face. Flinching in fear with the shadow of death upon him, the man began to cry.
Maroon eyes flashing like hellfire, Hannibal sneered, "Forgive me for refusing you a quick death, it is far too tempting to watch the life leave your eyes. Of course, being a good host, I am certain you would not deny me that pleasure. Please allow me to say, your tears are my nourishment; your suffering my sustenance. Your death will be exquisite."
Hannibal then tugged slightly at the rope, lifting his kill from the ground.
In sheer panic the dying man tried desperately to crab crawl backward up the door. Unsuccessful, the panicked victim attempted to reach for the rope. Hannibal grabbed a foot and tugged him free.
"Tsk, tsk…die with some dignity. Oh, forgive me that would be difficult with your sub-standard organ exposed. By the way, the stench of fear combined with the terror in your eyes was worth every moment of irritation you have caused, my dying friend. Before the light leaves your eyes, allow me to thank you. I would say, God Bless, but there is little chance that is the direction you are headed. In any case, Buon Viaggio."
Still holding the man's foot, Hannibal moved backward several steps. This action pulled the man's body away from the door. Humming Brahms's lullaby, Hannibal began to move the foot from side to side causing the body to swing freely. Smiling and thoroughly enjoying the process, Hannibal's voice was peaceful and soothing, though there was nothing peaceful in this death. The man thrashed and twisted for a few seconds. He lost consciousness in less than a minute.
Hannibal continued to swing the body humming cheerfully until the man's tongue protruded and the eyes began to bulge.
I must say you are a lovely shade of mottled blue.
He then gently released the foot and allowed the man to dangle from the door, feet now touching the floor, though the man was beyond respite.
As the dead man hadn't the time to adjust his clothing, he was fully exposed with his own ejaculate still slick on his hands.
Surveying the sight Hannibal's skin crawled.
"Enjoy the carnal pleasures of hell."
Thankful the man had already presented him with the physical evidence and even more thankful he didn't have to come in contact with it, Hannibal wiped down the length of rope to be certain he hadn't left any evidence behind. Not that they would look closely. The death had all the earmarks of a classic case of autoerotic asphyxiation. It would be ruled an accidental death.
Leaving the residence by accessing the back door being certain to secure the locks, he left no evidence of either his entry or his presence.
I am wrath…I am vengeance…all is safe.
Hannibal now raced to the coffee shop careful to stay out of sight. He moved through yards and in shadows as he breathed deeply, the adrenalin surging as his lungs expanded, drawing in additional oxygen. His heart pounded slow and strong as his feet struck the ground below. Hannibal's eyes darted detecting movement as he picked up animals moving in the background, foraging. Recognizing he was a predator, they moved slowly away.
The thought of the dead man hanging on the door like a carcass in a butcher's window caused the Predator's mouth to flood with saliva, imagining his teeth sinking into the flesh. The metallic fluid would have sated his appetite, as normally, he would have dined on some part of this man.
If I hadn't promised Clarice…
Forcing the thought from his mind as he slipped into the bathroom window somewhat relieved to find the door still secured and no one the wiser. He unlocked the door, washed quickly, redressed and exited, sitting for a few moments as he continued to enjoy his coffee.
His body highly tuned, Hannibal was aware he needed to come down from this before going home. He could not face his wife or trust himself to deliver their child in this condition. His body surged with electricity, his mind spinning with thoughts he dare not share. He was rage. He was fury. He needed to become husband, soon father.
Go to Clarice…she needs you. Leave this behind. The family is safe…you must leave this behind.
Hannibal stood. As his mind began a long checklist, assessing his physiological responses in an attempt to regain some measure of control, he put on his suit jacket and walked to the front of the shop in full view of the cameras. He stopped at the counter and purchased an additional coffee to go.
Fussing with his watch he asked the barista, "Excuse me, my watch has stopped, can you please tell me the time?"
By the surprised look, Hannibal was certain the young lady recognized him.
She checked the time on her cell phone. "Sure, it's eight-thirty."
Hannibal nodded and smiled, "I must get home. I just received a message that my wife is in labor."
The girl smiled. No longer frightened as somehow the doctor's comment humanized him, she responded genuinely, "Congratulations, Doctor Lecter."
"Thank you…" Hannibal paused and read the nametag, "…Selena."
"You're welcome, Doctor. God bless you and your wife tonight. I'm sure the baby will be adorable."
Hannibal nodded and after placing a one hundred dollar bill in the tip jar, thus securing his alibi, left the coffee shop.
To anyone viewing the footage, it would appear as if, other than his visit to the bathroom, he was at the coffee shop the entire time.
Hannibal walked to his car and texted Clarice:
ERRAND FINISHED- COMING HOME!
She responded:
THANK GOD. H, HURRY.
As Hannibal drove home, he allowed himself the final indulgence of briefly reliving the last moments of his conquest's life. He then opened the door marked Predator and slowly, wholly forced his primal urges within. Leaning against that door of his memory palace, he turned the key and secured the beast within…for now.
His baser instincts now fortified, Hannibal entered his home calmly humming Brahms's lullaby. He was genuinely relaxed as he ascended the stairs, right up to the moment he heard his wife scream.
Until the next chapter my friends,
LH