Dangerous Trio

The Basement Part 2

*SCENES OF VIOLENCE* **TRIGGER WARNING**

I sat on the cold stairs for what felt like hours. My body was stiff, frozen in place as I stared blankly ahead, my mind numb from the shock. Suddenly, I heard faint footsteps above me. My heart leaped in my chest, and I jolted upright, snapping me out of my daze. The footsteps grew louder, I didn't think twice before I started yelling for Hannibal, my voice raw and desperate, hoping he could hear me. I then started to bang on the door as hard as I could. I soon heard Hannibal unlocking the latch, as soon as the door opened I looked up to see his face looking down at me. His eyes were dark and unreadable. Without a word he bent down and gently lifted me out in one movement. I was weightless and powerless all at once. I wanted to speak but instead I headed straight to the kitchen sink as I threw up. I gripped the kitchen counter as I heaved until nothing was left. I was shaking so badly my hands started to lose grip. My legs started to shake and I felt as though I was about to collapse. Then I felt it - A steady hand on my shoulder. Hannibal's touch was firm, yet soft, almost anchoring me in that moment. I was still in shock, but somehow his touch alone managed to hold me together. I turned my head, looking up to his gaze. He was calm, he knew what I had seen. He didn't need to ask, so he didn't. I swallowed, tasting the acid from the stomach bile.

"Do you want me to be terrified of you?" The words barely made it past my lips, my voice trembling despite my effort to sound strong.

Hannibal tilted his head slightly, his gaze steady, almost curious. "Quite the opposite," he replied, his tone calm, measured—as if we were discussing something mundane, not the horror in which I just saw.

I didn't want to ask it—I shouldn't ask it—but the words came anyway

"Are... are you the Chesapeake Ripper?"

The silence that followed was suffocating. It stretched between us, thick and heavy. Hannibal didn't flinch. He didn't blink. He just watched me with those dark eyes, as if waiting for something—maybe for me to take it back, or for the fear in my voice to catch up with the truth I already knew but refused to accept.

"Yes," Hannibal's single word struck me like a physical blow, stealing the air from my lungs. My knees buckled under its weight, and for a moment, the world blurred around me. Before I could collapse completely, Hannibal's arms were around me—catching my limp body before I hit the floor. I was weightless in his grasp, too stunned to resist as he lifted me, cradling me like a child.

"Are you going to kill me?" I whimpered

Hannibal said nothing at first. Instead, he gently rested his chin on the top of my head, the gesture oddly intimate, like a predator pausing before the kill. My heart pounded in my chest, each beat echoing in my ears as I waited for his response.

"Of course not," he said softly.

This almost put me at ease, but then his next words served as an additional blow

"I want you to join me."

I quickly looked up, my breath catching in my throat.

"What?" My voice cracked

"I thought you wanted me for Will?" I said protesting

"I do," he replied "But I want you with us—to join us."

I started shaking my head.

"Does Will know?" I managed to choke out, "Does Will know you're the Ripper?" I said louder

"I believe that he is aware, however, there is nothing that can be done about it."

Hannibal was confident, which somehow made me feel even more unsettled. My mind started to race, my chest soon began to tighten, my throat went dry, suddenly I felt like I couldn't breathe. I wrenched myself from Hannibal's grasp, collapsing onto the floor in a desperate attempt to catch my breath. The hard floor beneath me was unforgiving against my skin as I lay face down. But Hannibal was swift. Within moments, he was on top of me, his weight pressing me into me. My hips were pinned flat, my body immobilized beneath him. I could feel his presence, his breath against the back of my neck, as he straddled me from behind. Panic surged through me, making my chest feel like it was being constricted by an invisible vise. I could barely breathe, each inhale a struggle. My chest was even tighter. He was moving, fidgeting with something and I realized there was no hope to fight back, or crawl away. He had me pinned so tight I must have looked like a fool trying to escape from him. His large frame hovered over me. Soon he took my arms behind my back, tying them with rope. I wanted to scream, but what good would that have done? The hard, relentless surface beneath me, the weight of his body pressing down—everything was closing in, suffocating me, erasing any hope of escape. Tears silently streamed down my cheek and onto the floor as he slowly tied my hands together.

He then gently lifted me, easing me onto my knees with a care that was almost tender. Despite his delicate touch, his body remained pressed against mine, his warmth a constant, oppressive presence. I could feel the steady rhythm of his breath against my neck as he nestled closer to my face.

"My dear Gabby," he murmured, his voice a velvety whisper that sent a shiver down my spine. "It's time for you to be adored, to be transformed into the gift you are."