Tainted | Hannibal Lecter

20. Taken

Madison woke with a pounding headache. After her blurred vision finally focused, she realised that it wasn't morning, the room was almost pitch black and silent. She looked beside her, expecting to see Hannibal, but instead was met with an empty space. She then looked to the clock which read 3:00Am, which only increased her confusion. Where would Hannibal be at 3 in the morning if not next to her?

Madison debated on trying to go back to sleep, however, she decided against it once she heard the sound of the front door closing downstairs. She slipped out of bed, pulling Hannibal's shirt down past her thighs as she begins to walk out of the room. When she got to the stairs she questioned whether it would be a better idea to just wait until he came upstairs to ask where he'd been. But suddenly, a terrifying thought occurred to her - what if that wasn't Hannibal?
After everything that had happened in her life, she wouldn't be surprised if another traumatic event took place.

She thought back to the note.
"Do not think for a second that you've escaped me"
Did he find her? Has he hurt Hannibal in order to get to her?
She panicked and began to walk slowly backwards.

She heard the floorboards beneath her feet creek... did he hear it too?

She stared down at the stairs, as much as she wanted, and needed, to move, she couldn't.
Her heart started rapidly beating against her chest when a tall black silhouette stood at the bottom of the stairs.

However, all fear drained out of her body when the calming, familiar voice called out.

"Madison, is everything ok? Why are you awake?"

She let out a sigh of relief and felt the life come back into her body.

Hannibal walked up the stairs, meeting her at the top.

"Where were you?"

"I left some notes at the office, i needed to collect them before the morning." He said as he embraced her body, "You're shaking, what happened?"

He lowered his head to hers and checked for any signs of sickness.

"Hannibal, i'm fine, i just panicked."

Hannibal smiled; she was almost entirely dependent on him for her safety, and he loved it.

"Wait, why would you need to get notes from the office at 3Am?"

Hannibal placed his hand onto her back and guided her back into his room.

"Will you be alright up here for a bit while i sort something out downstairs?"
He said, changing the subject

"Yeah, i'll be fine"
She smiled

Hannibal returned the smile and then made his way downstairs. When he got into the kitchen, he lifted a portable freezer box and placed it on the counter. He started removing fresh pieces of meat and placing them in the fridge, smiling as he remembered plunging the knife into a rude secretary worker. After he'd finished stocking the fridge and freezer, he walked upstairs.

Madison had wrapped herself in the blankets while waiting patiently for Hannibal to finish downstairs. When he walked through the doorway, she couldn't help but grin. She loved him so much, she lit up at only the sight of him. Hannibal walked over to the bed and lay next to Madison, immediately turning to face her.