Heart Still Intact

5. Unannounced Visits

There wasn’t a clock in the room. The windows had been covered with thick curtains, not giving Will a glimpse of the outside world. He had tried to move them but the chain wasn’t long enough. All Will had was Hannibal’s word that nearly 20 hours had passed since he was knocked out. Last he checked the time, it was 5 am, meaning that it was now around one in the morning.

Will had tested the limits of the chain, making sure not to injure himself this time. He was given access to the door and the bathroom. Because of the chain, he was unable to close the bathroom door, a slight gap was left. 

Will had more than enough time to think about his current situation. It would take people days to realise that Will was actually missing. Now that his neighbour was going to get the text that he was leaving for a few days, it would postpone any alerts. Will hoped that Jack and the others would know that Will would never just leave the dogs for a long time.

Part of him was angry that he couldn’t see through Hannibal’s guise sooner. He had been looking for the Ripper when he was right in front of him. Hidden behind a mask of politeness and elegance was the true monster. A monster Will confided in.

If Will wanted to escape from Hannibal, he would have to take Hannibal off-guard. The Ripper is known to be very methodical when it comes to his work. The fact that Hannibal had taken everything into account showed that he can adapt quickly. The only problem was that Will didn’t understand why he was still alive. It would have been quite easy for Hannibal to just end Will’s life and dispose of the body. He would have just been another victim of the Ripper. But for some twisted reason, Will was still alive, chained to a bed with no possibility of escape.

Time passed by. Will had no idea how long he had been alone. He had to restrain himself from falling asleep. Whatever Hannibal had injected into him was still in his system, slightly numbing his brain. Will’s head slowly leaned to the side, his eyes closing. Just as he was about to drift to dreamless sleep, the doorknob rattled, jerking Will awake. Mind on full alert, he scooted back into the bed frames, cautious eyes staring straight at the door.

Once the door opened, Hannibal walked in. His face was neutral as always. He took slow steps as if reminding Will that Hannibal didn't mean any harm. Will watched as Hannibal sat on the edge of the bed, making no further signs of moving closer. Neither decided to speak, letting the silence engulf the room. Will took this moment to finally look at Hannibal. Yes, Will had been staring at Hannibal this entire time, but he wasn’t looking.

Gone was the mask of politeness, the person shed like a snakeskin. Now, Will could see the cold and calculating eyes of a man that has managed to evade the authorities by manipulating them like a marionette. Gone was the concerning psychiatrist, now replaced with a man that wouldn’t hesitate to kill another. He had been standing right in front of Will for so long, yet for his own selfish reasons, Will chose to ignore him.

“What now?” Will asked, his voice quiet but loud enough for Hannibal to hear him. Will feared the answer. He had given his word that he will comply, yet, a small part of him didn't want to give up so easily. 

“We move,” Hannibal replied, his head turning to face Will. It was then that Will noticed the smear of blood on his temple. Something had happened. Scanning Hannibal’s body, Will saw that the doctor's clothes were rumpled as if he had been in a scuffle. “You never told me Jack liked to drop unannounced.”

Will’s heart stilled. Jack only did that when Will doesn’t answer the phone. Once when Jack dropped unannounced, he had found the young profiler in shambles, a case hitting harder than expected. Jack had then decided to randomly stop by whenever Will never answered his phone or seemed off. Millions of questions ran through Will’s head. Was Jack alright? Are his dogs alright? Is Jack dead? Where were they going to go? Does Jack know that Hannibal has him held hostage?

Hannibal seemed to sense the questions Will was having. He decided to provide a few answers to some of them. “He isn’t dead. I had to knock him unconscious.” Hannibal answered before continuing once he realised that Will wasn’t satisfied. “Your dogs are alright. He knows but he won’t catch us because we’ll be leaving soon.”

With that, Hannibal stood up, reaching into his pocket and pulling out a syringe. Will always hated needles but this was getting too much. Not wanting to go down without a fight, Will stood up from the bed and darted into the bathroom. Hannibal was quick but his movements were slowed down by the injuries sustained from his fight with Jack.

Will managed to shut the door, cursing when it didn’t shut fully. He still put his entire weight against the door, praying to whatever deity that was listening. He could feel his heart lodged in his throat as he pushed against the door.

Will could feel Hannibal pushing on the door, the gap slightly widening as Hannibal stuffed his hand in, grabbing at Will. Trying his best to evade the hand, Will moved to the side, allowing Hannibal to open the door and pull Will out. Whatever attempt Will made at getting away was futile. Hannibal never loosened his iron grip on the profiler.

Slamming Will onto the wall, all Will could do was stare at Hannibal, a fear filled expression on his face. It was obvious that he had managed to anger Hannibal. That combined with the pain from the injuries he got with his fight with Jack didn't help the profilers situation. 

Pressing his forearm into Will's throat, Hannibal carefully applied pressure, watching as Will panicked. Will only managed to whimper, the panic making him lose all control over his words.

Will could only watch in terror as Hannibal unclipped the syringe, bringing it closer and closer to Will.

"It is not the best choice to sedate you three times within 48 hours, but bear with me, dear Will." Hannibal muttered before injecting the dose. He didn't release the pressure on the profiler’s neck until Will's head slumped forward, his entire body going limp.

The next time Will wakes up, he's immediately met with the watchful eyes of Hannibal staring at him from the driver's seat. Taking a moment to process what was going on, Will finally realised that he was in the passenger side of a moving vehicle. A sort of pickup truck.

His head was leaning against the glass, that side of his shoulder acting from the weight of his body. Wordlessly, Will shifted in his seat, sitting up straight while blinking out the rest of his grogginess. Upon further inspection, Will found that his hand was handcuffed to the door.

Will didn't dare make a noise, he simply opted to try and figure out where they were. Looking around, Will could only see the dark shadow of forests but that's all. Will's perception of time was skewed to the point, he didn't know what day it was. The drugs didn't help him at all as it made him dizzy and nauseous.

"Best you get some rest," Hannibal spoke, gaining Will's attention. "I'm sure you are not feeling very comfortable but I assure you, we are close to our destination."

Not bothering to reply, Will simply laid his head back into his seat. After a few minutes, he shut his eyes, listening to the soft hum of the vehicle. He couldn't try to escape now but maybe, maybe there would be a chance to do so when they arrived at wherever Hannibal was taking him