Life of Lies

Chapter 17-Waiting Game

Elizabeth POV

Will was immediately taken to the hospital nearby. After Dad shot Will, he tried to grab me and ask me questions about what had occurred, but I ran away, headed straight for my car, and followed Will in the ambulance. I know that eventually, I would have to face my father, but I couldn't deal with him now. My main focus was on Will and his injury. 

An Hour Later

The doctors had to run some tests, and I felt so tired, so I decided to sleep in the chair next to Will's bed. A few minutes passed, and I could hear the door open. I hear footsteps approaching me. I shift my body and open my eyes. My vision is blurry, and I can't make out who is in the room. As my vision comes into focus, I see that it is Hannibal. I stand from my chair and fix my shirt. 

"Well, your rescue was unsuccessful. You were too late to save Will from his mental state declining rapidly." Hannibal says in a taunting manner.

"Shut the fuck up, Lecter. You were no help either with your doubting commentary. You're so lucky that we are in a hospital that carries resuscitating equipment in case I have to knock you on your ass again." I say threateningly. 

Hannibal smiles at me. He throws his jacket on the chair I was sitting on and walked closer to me. Instinctively, I walk back towards the wall. 

"For someone who talks a great deal about fighting me, you sure do shirk away from me whenever I get close to you," Hannibal says in a soft voice. 

"You're a man, I'm a woman, and I don't trust you. You do the math, Lecter." 

My back hit the wall, and Hannibal was an inch away from me. He kept sizing me up like he was getting ready to swallow me whole. I could hear Hannibal inhaling as if he was smelling my hair. He exhaled slowly and grabbed my face to look at his eyes. 

"Your eyes are so powerful, and they burn so brightly. When you show your passion, your eyes speak volumes. But, when you and I are alone, your eyes tell me another story; deep down, you are afraid of me and of what I can do. I consider myself a powerful man, Ms. Crawford, and I don't like to be made a fool of." 

My breath is shuddering. Hannibal takes his hand and brushes his finger along my face and jaw. I want to scream for help, but I can't. Hannibal continues to stare into my eyes, and then he says to me, 

"You know, you remind me of someone that I once knew a long time ago, but the memory is faint. No one will believe you about what has occurred between you and me, so it would be best not to say anything at all. Try anything or say anything, and you'll regret being born, my dear. Try to remember what kind of man I am and what Will has accused me of. You wouldn't want to go missing as well, would you?" 

We were then interrupted by the nurses and a doctor coming into the room. Will was placed into a medically induced coma. It had turned out the right hemisphere of his brain was inflamed, and the doctors decided to put him in a coma and treat him with antiviral steroid therapies. I look at Will, who is lying in bed, with an oxygen mask on his face. I keep looking at Hannibal, who only looks at me with a stoic expression. Dad walks in just as I gather my belongings. I feel like my soul has been crushed. My entire existence has ceased to exist. Even with the experience, I had with Abel Gideon, I wasn't scared of him. I am more afraid of Hannibal than ever. I need to keep my guard up, no matter what. In a way, Hannibal is right; even if I were to say anything, no one would believe me because, in the end, Hannibal cannot do any wrong. I walk away, and I stop in front of my Dad, and say, 

"I wanted to save Will from hurting himself, and you two narcissists foiled that plot. If you need more of an explanation, I'll answer your questions back in Virginia." 

I leave the room and shut the door. Neither Dad nor Hannibal came after me. After a while, I went back to stay outside of Will's hospital room. I could hear Hannibal saying something to Dad, but it was muffled. I then move a little closer to the door, and I can listen to Hannibal saying, 

"I believe I've failed to satisfy my obligation to Will, more than I care to admit." 

Dad then replies to Hannibal, stating, 

"Well, he's not your victim, Doctor." 

My back slid along the wall. Will was Hannibal's victim. He became the patsy, and he was nothing but a pawn in Hannibal's deluded game of psychotic chess. I then take my leave and head to the hospital's front, where there was a taxi waiting to take me to the airport.