Understanding A Killer

Hannibal should return home any minute now. Eliana stood behind a hallway closet, her back touching the cool wall. She had no problems obtaining the entrance password or the details of his schedule. A person would think a killer like him would make his home security tougher. It almost seemed too easy to get to him. He must've been extremely confident in his skill.

Eliana could hear her heart beating in the darkness and gripped the taser in her hand tighter. She felt the gun behind her back one more time to feel secure, closing her eyes in an attemt to reassure herself. Minutes felt like hours as she focused on the clock ticking, counting every passing second.

She heard footsteps from the other side of the door, slowly approaching her range. Then, the door started unlocking. He was finally here. He took off his coat and turned on a faint hallway light. Eliana tried holding her breath, making sure her panicked breathing wasn't audible.

With a slow ticking sound, his footsteps got dangerously close to her. The time has come.

She jumped from behind the closet, pushing him into the parallel wall. She slammed a knee into his stomach, making him gag as his head tilted forward. Despite catching him off guard, he reacted swiftly, pushing her hand away and making her drop the taser she planned on using. He went for a punch, but she protected her head with one arm, her other arm's elbow going straight to his neck. The impact made him sway and she used the opportunity to push him on the floor. She used one arm and leg to hold him down, reaching the taser with her free arm. He hit her head-on-head, freeing his hand and pushing the taser away.

Eliana's head throbbed, making her loosen her grip. She let out a small cry as blood formed on her forehead. Hannibal felt the impact too and spit out a little bit of blood. He managed to get the upper hand, slamming her back on the floor instead. She gritted her teeth as she tried keeping him away with both arms. She managed to do it long to crawl towards the taser. Hannibal got up to his knees, trying to overpower her attempts to reach the taser.

With turning to her side quickly and a knee to his chest, she reached the taser, slamming it into his neck.

His remaining grip softened instantly, making his whole body shake. He tried landing a punch, but it came off as a weak embrace. The room suddenly went silent, with only heavy breathing filling it. They exchanged a long glare filled with heavy feelings of betrayal. Still not saying a word, Hannibal tried moving again, but was instantly met with another shock. This time, darkness filled his vision completely as he watched Eliana's rage-filled eyes send him off to unconsciousness.

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A blurry figure swam into Hannibal's vision as his eyes opened heavily. He felt a tight pressure on his wrists that were tied behind his back. He ran his tounge over his teeth, a taste of iron filling his mouth. A spacious, bright place covered with white tiles greeted him as his conciousness fully returned. Eliana stood in the middle of the room, leaning against a metal table. They were still in his house, specifically in the basement which the bedroom stairs led to.

"Well. Dr. Lecter." - She stteped closer, leaning in towards his face, "You're finally awake."

He cleared his throat and formed both eyebrows into a painful expression. "What did I do to deserve this, Eliana?"

"We're really gonna play this game?" - She formed a mocking smile, "I know what you did."

"I didn't expect this from you. I consider you a friend."

"Oh, really? Is that why you hid the fact you knew me before? Is that why you killed my best friend?!" - Eliana pulled his collar tightly, making him look straight at her. "I'm sick and tired of your pretending. I KNOW what you did. I just need to know... why you did it."

Hannibal glared at her with sad eyes for a moment before his expression changed into a smirk, breaking the fake facade completely. "Congratulations. You found me even earlier then I expected."

"Wha..." - She opened her mouth, "You knew I'd find you?"

"I did say I would be waiting for you."

She frowned, replaying the past few months in her head. "The flowers... On my doorstep? You... wanted me to find you?"

His eyes lit up with anticipation. "You said you wanted to kill me. I was curious to see what you'd do. Otherwise, I doubt you would've come this far. You're smart, but it's not your main talent."

"So you left me... Hints." Eliana took a step back, putting the pieces together, "The call, our little dinner performance... You gave hints, but only to me. Only I would be able to find you, but there would be no evidence of your murders."

"See, you're smart." - He smirked.

"But I never meant to hand you over to the police. Evidence doesn't matter." - She wakled to the metal table, picking up her gun and pointing it at his head. "Were you that confident I wouldn't kill you? What do you think now? With just a touch of my finger, you're dead."

He tilted his head forward, leaning into the cold touch of the gun. "You wanted to know the reason I killed your best friend. But you already knew the reason. That's why you can't kill me."

"You took what was most precious to me. Everyone back in my town called me a killer. And who could blame them, really? It made sense, I was the obvious suspect. And that... Almost made me go insane." - She pulled the gun away from him, tucking it behind her back. "So you're right. I shouldn't kill you with a gun. You deserve much... Much worse then such a kind death." - She gritted her teeth.

"You were the obvious suspect to them. But you knew you the truth that you weren't a killer." - Hannibal couldn't stop the smile covering his face. "Why did you let it get to you so much? Did you have something to feel guilty about?"

"No..." - She shook her head, "I had no involment in her murder. None at all."

"But it felt like you did. Because you felt thankful to the killer. He left you her heart... That you could keep forever."

"I-" - Eliana shook her head violently, not being able to utter another word.

"She no longer considered you her friend. She hated you." - Hannibal continued speaking eagerly, "She was jelaous. Someone awfully mediocre always living in the shadow of a brilliant violinist. So she wanted to leave you. And you knew it. You felt it."

"How would you know this?" - Eliana cried.

"It was obvious. I watched you long enough. And since you always gifted me with wonderful performances... I decided to give you something in return."

"Her heart as a gift... So I wouldn't have to watch her leave." - Eliana calmed down a bit, now staring furiously at Hannibal.

"But I didn't have to tell you all this. Because you understood it from the very start. You recieved my message perfectly. By killing me, you wanted to prove to yourself you hate me. So tell me, do you hate me, or do you want to thank me?"

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Author's note: Sooo I was very excited about this chapter. Continuation in the next part ofc. What do you think?