Understanding A Killer

Shaking

The variety of sharp tools, organs and unfinished bows in Tobias's basement was astonishing. To kill for that long and have no one suspect a thing, how good of a killer do you have to be? Will and Eliana pointed their guns at every passing shadow and every dark corner of that dreadful site.

The only audible sound came from the edge of the room, and it shaped into clear water drops as they came closer. The only thing that stood now between them and the sound was a stained white curtain. Will removed the curtain carefully, gripping his gun harder.

Right behind it, there was the second cop who's head was submerged in a shallow tub. Will pulled his head out with one hand, revealing the young face wrapped in a metal wire.

"H-he hasn't been under too long." - Eliana said shakily, putting his body on the floor with a plan to try CPR.

"Right." - Will continued keeping watch.

Eliana put her gun back in the holster, removing the wire from his face swiftly. She prepared to do compressions when all the lights went out with a boom. Complete darkness covered the room, so she reached for her gun instinctively. In a matter of seconds, something hard hit her head, making her face touch the wet floor.

In a blur, she could hear Will struggling and a few shots going off. She felt something sharp underneath her hand, making her wince in pain. When her vision cleared a little, she was met with a sight of Tobias trying to choke Will with the same wire he used on the cop. The only light in the room came from a flashlight Tobias was using. He used a moment of darkness to his advantage, now clearly having the upper hand on Will. 

Will's gun was now on the floor and his head under the shallow water. He struggled to get Tobias off in a panic, feeling his lungs lose air rapidly.

"Will!" - Eliana tried shouting, but her voice came out a wisper. She reached for her holster, quickly realizing she doesn't have the right visibility or neurological stability to shoot.

Instead, she picked up a glass shard that laid on the floor beside her. She pulled herself up weakly, using all of her strength to run up to him, stabbing him in his side. The wound was shallow, but made Tobias lose his grip on Will.

Eliana threw Tobias on the floor, giving Will time to pull himself out of the water. He fell on his knees, couging frantically, barely able to see anything but a blur of two figures fighting.

Eliana tried to keep Tobias down with her whole body, keeping one elbow on his chest and punching him with the other hand. He managed to wiggle out a leg, his knee hitting her in the stomach instead.

She gagged as her hands got weaker from the punch, giving Tobias a chance to pin her down with both hands. She tried pulling his hands away, but his grip only got harder as he started choking her. Tears filled her eyes, vision and hearing both getting more faint by the second.

Tobias's lips started moving as a smile formed on his face. "You're tough, but stupid. I don't understand what he..." - Eliana couldn't understand the last part of what he said as darkness came over her.

*bang*

Eliana was pretty sure she heard a gunshot, or multiple gunshots, before slipping into unconsciousness.

"...liana... Eliana. Hey!"

A familiar frantic voice shook her awake.

"Mm... Yes?" - Her eyes fluttered open to Will's pale, soaked face. His hands shook violently as he gripped her shoulders protectively. The worry and despair was obvious, somehow even more in her dizzy state.

"Oh God... Thank God you're awake."

"What... happened?" - She muttered.

"I-I shot at him. But he got away. You were only out a few minutes. But I couldn't wake you up... I don't know where he went." - Will talked frantically.

Eliana used his arms to pull herself up from the floor, putting her arms around his body. "You did your best. I'm fine... I told you I'm not going away." - She whispered as his shaking body relaxed into her touch.

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After getting checked out by medics, they headed towards where Tobias went, and has apparently died. It was none other than Hannibal's office. The place was now in shambles, with pretty furniture flipped over and mirrors broken. Every object in the room seemed to have suffered from a massive fight that occured there.

On the way in, they saw medics covering a man's body in a black bag. Eliana recognized this man as one of Hannibal's patients. Tobias's body was handled as evidence with forensics still taking picitures.

Hannibal sat in his desk chair, head held low to his chest. He wasn't looking at anything but the floor and was covered in cuts and bruises from head to toe. Police informed them that he was the one that killed Tobias in self-defense, but the investigation was still ongoing.

Eliana dropped to her knees, taking his hand into hers. "Hannibal, are you okay?"

"He killed my patient... Franklyn... Right in front of me." - He refused to lift his head, "At least he didn't kill the two of you."

"I'm so sorry, Hannibal. I hope you get all the rest that you need." - Her voice was compassionate.

"Thank you. I'm so thankful for you two." - He whispered as a tear came down his face.

Eliana kept her gaze on his hand as he seemingly wasn't comfortable with eye contact, but someting kept bugging her. Something about the blow on the head made her thoughts clearer, making her hyperfocus on one thing. She rememembered Will's shaking hands and frantic voice when he encountered Tobias earlier. She remembered even more vividly his bloody hands from when he killed Garett Jacob Hobbs and the way they shook all the way to his house. Hannibal had always been a calm, composed man who could pull you back to reality. He was nothing like Will, so of course he wouldn't react the same way as him, but...

His hands were completely still, not a trace of grief or regret on them.

At least his hands should've been shaking a little.

But they weren't.

Why aren't his hands shaking?