FOUND: A Hannigram Devil AU REWRITTEN

Chapter Seventeen

Sleep transported Will into a basement with cold air blasting through the vents. The space was dark and metallic, an endless stretch of glass and steel dividers. It was a workshop, a twisted laboratory. A wet, squelching sound erupted from behind a curtain. Will's feet moved on their own toward the source. 

A tall figure hunched over an unidentified body on the table. Its glazed and empty eyes stared at the ceiling as the perpetrator mutilated it, slicing it open with delicate precision.

"Our bodies are a temporary shelter," the figure - Hannibal - said. He turned his head, and his gaze beckoned Will forward. They stood side by side, towering over the corpse. "Whatever body you currently occupy is trivial. What matters is the life that comes after this."

"What does my life after this look like?"

Hannibal was focused as he spoke, unlikely to be shaken from his task. The dream cast a heavy sedation over Will, erasing any urge to stop him. There was nothing he could do — he was a hopeless spectator. Nothing was going to stop the devil. The thought brought a strange comfort to him.

Hannibal sliced the man's torso open with his scalpel. He dug into the wound and split it open, creating a gaping cavity that made most of the organs visible. Will stared at the innards, tangled intestines perfectly arranged in such a small space. 

"The truth is not something you can comprehend right now," Hannibal replied. "But know that you will no longer be restricted by these clumps of tissue. The weight of your organs will no longer confine you to Earth." He licked his lips. "You will be long past these creatures. You will evolve into the afterlife with grace and etherealness."

"You haven't had that for a while. You've tossed yourself between bodies on Earth." He glanced over at Hannibal. "Right?"

"Correct. But I will not let myself be confined. My soul has galaxies worth of power. It will not be limited by this."

Captivated, Will reached out to touch the body before him. His fingers brushed its cold skin, sending a jolt of power through him. 

"I'm above this," Will said. "I will always be above this."

But that was Hannibal's influence speaking. It was only a matter of time before Will began to think like him, too.

Hannibal went for the heart. He cut it out like he'd done it many times before. Blood dribbled between his fingers and stained his blue gloves crimson.

He turned to Will and offered it to him with a smile.

~~~

"You killed someone last night."

In the dim office, Hannibal crossed his legs in his chair. "That's an interesting start to therapy."

Will mirrored him. "I had a strange dream last night. Was that intentional?"

"Dreams often have symbolic significance. Our brains piece together the most primal parts of our subconscious and place it all into one environment. People you haven't spoken to in years, settings you can hardly remember anymore...strange things, dreams."

"Don't try to veer me off course." Will scowled. "You ripped out a man's heart. You're going to eat it."

"I don't have to confirm or deny that. It seems no matter what I say, you will already be convinced of my guilt."

"Hannibal. If I get to know you're the devil, then I get to know this. Did you or did you not kill someone last night?" 

"Exploiting my honesty, are you?" Hannibal leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees and steepling his hands under his chin. "Yes. I did. Does that bother you?"