FOUND: A Hannigram Devil AU

5

Call to 911 Dispatch, Duluth, MN
January 28, 2013, 5:33 PM

Dispatch: 911, do you need police, fire, or medical?
Caller: Medical! We need medical!
Dispatch: Okay, ma'am, and where are you?
Caller: Right off the 35, coming onto..exit 55. Right by 55. You have to come quick!
Dispatch: What is the nature of your emergency?
Caller: I was driving back from work, and— and this girl just came running out of the woods. She damn near ran into the street! She's bleeding all over the place..
Dispatch: You said she's bleeding?
Caller: Yes! She— she had her throat cut. She's bleeding. She's awake, but she won't answer me.
[Screaming] It's okay, sweetie, it's okay. They're coming.
Dispatch: You pulled over to help? Do you know where she came from?
Caller: No, she just came outta nowhere.
Dispatch: Has she said anything? Does she know the person who did this?
Caller: I can't get her to say a word. Who did this? Who cut you?
Dispatch: Have you tried to stop the bleeding?
Caller: I've got my jacket wrapped around her neck. It's stopped some of it, but we need medical! Are they coming?
Dispatch: They're coming, ma'am, it'll just be a moment. Keep tending to her. What's your name?
Caller: [REDACTED]. Oh, God, I think she's fainting.
Dispatch: Okay, they're coming as fast as they can. I just need you to stay on the phone—
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     A young girl with dark hair lay helpless on the hospital bed, her face pallid and her throat covered in crimson bandage. Her breathing was slow, as if she were simply sleeping peacefully, and clear wires stuck out of her like veins. It had been hours, and she hadn't woken up yet.
     Will, filled with rage, shook his head. "I can't fucking do this," he muttered, turning and storming out of the room. Hannibal and Jack were left alone, watching the girl sleep.
     Jack swore. "I always forget about his sister. This is really going to hit him."
     Hannibal turned his head, eyebrows raised. "Will has a sister?"
     Jack returned a similar look of surprise. "He didn't— God. No, of course he didn't tell you. He thinks he can handle everything by himself." He rubbed the bridge of his nose. "His sister was killed when she was sixteen. He was eight. Guy broke in and slit her throat— he didn't know Will was in the house. They found him, but it still messed him up."
     Hannibal's eyes were wide, mouth slightly open in shock. "Wow. I..I really didn't know. I don't know what to say."
     "You gotta get him to talk about it. Otherwise this case will eat him from the inside out." Jack watched the girl with an unreadable expression. "Maybe you were right, Doctor. I don't think this is good for him."
     Hannibal pressed his lips together, hiding his annoyance. "He's in too deep now," he replied. "And if this girl lives, I don't think she nor Will would benefit from a relationship."
     With that, he turned and left the room, approaching a distraught Will leaning against the wall. He kept his gaze fixed to the floor, a world of heartache flickering in his eyes. The look captured Hannibal's interest; it garnered a sympathy in him that he wasn't used to.
     The hallway was cold, bright, and empty.
     "Will." Hannibal took his place next to him. "I apologize if I'm overstepping a boundary, but..we need to talk about your sister."
     Will let out an involuntary gasp, his shoulders stiffening. He didn't turn his head. "Jack told you."
     "Not much. I want to hear the rest from you."
     Will paused. "I..I don't like to talk about it. It feels like I'm giving a part of her away every time I talk about it."
     "Is she in your dreams?"
     Will's chin trembled as he nodded.
     "Your sister will always be with you, Will. You won't lose her if you talk about what happened." He put a reassuring hand on Will's shoulder, which made the muscle relax. "And even if you're right, and telling the truth means a part of her is lost..I hope you'll trust me to keep her."
     Will closed his eyes, trying to drown out the screaming in his head. The memory of the cold hardwood floor, waiting under the bed for hours because he was too scared to face what had happened, until the smell, dear God the smell, began to waft in and he knew something was wrong..he brought a hand up to his mouth and bit down on the knuckle, ignoring the pain.
     "She..Dad left her in charge," he said, his voice so soft that Hannibal leaned closer to hear. "She was sixteen, she'd done it before. He'd only be working until midnight."
     Hannibal just listened.
     "We watched movies, and whenever I'd talk through her favorite parts she'd throw popcorn at me..she was just so happy. She was smart and vibrant and..we didn't fight like most siblings." His eyes hardened. "We shared a room. When it was time for me to go to bed, she would sit and read under her blankets. At some point, I woke up because there was a really loud noise downstairs. Shattering glass.
     "The next thing I knew, Katie was pulling me out of bed. She shoved me under my bed and told me to stay quiet, and that she was going to try to call the police. There was a phone right across the hall in Dad's room. She was so brave, but so scared."
     Will stopped for a long time, seemingly lost in his own thoughts. His eyes glazed over slightly.
     "Will?" Hannibal lightly brushed Will's forearm with his fingers. "What happened then?"
     "Loud footsteps coming up the stairs. And she screamed. Every sound after that was just..wet." Hannibal watched the hairs on Will's arms stand up. "I waited under my bed for hours, long after I knew he was gone. My dad came home, and I thought it was the guy coming back to find me. I was crying when he found me under my bed."
     "Did your sister know her attacker?"
     "No. It was completely, utterly random." Will's voice was laced with disgust, the wound of the past being scabbed over with anger. "It just had to be her."
     "I'm so sorry, Will."
     "I was never the same." Will's voice cracked. "Neither was Dad. He was..when he would get really angry, he'd say he was mad that it wasn't me."
     Will's eyes shined, and he bowed his head. Hannibal, unsure of what else to do, wrapped his arm around Will. Will leaned into him, sighing.
     Hannibal suppressed a smile; he'd learned quickly that Will always responded positively to touch. It was as if his body craved what it had been denied for so many years, acting of its own volition whenever that touch came. He was captivating, entirely unpredictable. He left Hannibal yearning for more interaction.
     "I'm sorry," Will whispered. "I wasn't entirely honest, I guess."
     "Are you okay to continue with this case, Will?"
     "Yes." He looked up at Hannibal with a hardened fury in his eyes. "This girl is going to wake up, and we are going to find this bastard. I'll find him if it kills me."
     He suddenly extracted himself from Hannibal's grip and began to walk back towards the room, a new confidence in his step. He looked over his shoulder before he opened the door.
     "Thank you," he said, nodding. He pulled the door open, facing Hannibal with an expectant look on his face.
     Hannibal had no choice but to follow.