Whispers of Hannibal

Prologue: The Jumbled Ramblings of a Serial Killer's Survivor

My flight back from Russia had been a long one and it was already night when I finally landed at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport. My mom was supposed to have been there when I arrived but she wasn't. I waited for two hours before getting tired of waiting so I hailed a taxi and paid him to take me back home.

The driver dropped me off just down the road from my house on Long Island Dr. I wasn't happy that he made me walk the rest of the way down the drive to my house but I couldn't complain too much because it was a beautiful night. The breeze was warm, better than the weather in Russia. I was glad to be back from my music trip. I was ready for my own bed and a very hot shower.

As I hauled my suitcase down the driveway I noticed that all of the lights were off in the house. But I guess it wasn't that unusual considering it was around midnight.

I unlocked the front door as quietly as possible and stepped inside. The house was silent so I locked the door again and left my suitcase off to the side of the door and walked through the livingroom and into the kitchen to grab something to eat.

Just before I got to the fridge I stopped when I stepped on something that sounded like glass on the floor. I frowned and pulled out my phone, lighting the screen so that I could see what it was. It was one of mom's wine glasses.

I sighed and walked over to the wall where the light was. I turned it on before heading to the closet to fetch the broom. I quickly cleaned up the glass and dumped it into the trashcan before I went back to the fridge and grabbed a yogurt from the bottom shelf. It was too late to fix anything big so I figured I'd just settle for a snack.

As I was walking upstairs I thought I heard someone moving upstairs but when I paused and didn't hear anything else I shrugged and continued upwards. I resisted the urge to peek into my parent's room to check on them; instead I went straight to my room and closed the door. I flopped down onto my bed and scarfed down my yogurt, glad to have even that little of a snack. Plane food was just nasty.

When I was done I showered and then dressed myself in one of my silk nightgowns, happy to feel the soft texture against my skin. I'd been wearing cotton nightgowns on my trip because I didn't feel comfortable with the group that I'd gone with. Most of them had been men and they had looked at me like I was a piece of fruit, ripe for the picking.

It was so good to be home.

By the time I got in bed my clock read 1:40 am. Sleep didn't take long to embrace me and I slipped into a dreamless sleep.

When I opened my eyes next my clock read 3:28 am.

I groaned and was tempted to roll over and go back to sleep but something had woken me up. I don't know what it was but I didn't feel comfortable just leaving it uninvestigated.

I pushed my covers back and stepped out of bed, grabbing my robe hanging across my desk chair. I pulled it on as I walked over to my door and opened it. The hallway was still dark. I stepped out and closed my door gently behind me, listening for the sound that had woken me up.

There was a small scratching sound coming from my parent's room. I frowned and walked over, opening and peeking around the door. The room was only lit by the moon coming through the massive bedroom window.

I stepped in, leaving the door cracked open and inched my was towards the bed. I could make out the bed but neither my mom nor dad was in it. I touched the blanket and pulled it back to make sure but there wasn't anyone there.

Just as I was turning back to leave the sight of a large trunk in the middle of the room caught my attention. I took a step towards it but stopped when the scratching sound I'd previously heard came from it.