ᴄʟᴏsᴇʀ ʜᴀɴɴɪʙᴀʟ x ʀᴇᴀᴅᴇʀ (Discontinued)

Chapter 19: Fear of Speculation

Your eyes shot open and you found yourself standing in front of the harsh chair you had been tied to. The pain in your knee had dissipated and you didn't even feel the throbbing from your burned skin. Will was sitting in the chair opposite you, the bag still over his head. In your hand was the hunting knife. The same one that was given to Will. You were suddenly confused. This wasn't what happened. Or at least that's what you thought.

"Go ahead." Danum said, his voice right in your ear. "I could show you exactly where to stab him that could kill him quickly or even slowly if you want."

Your hand tightened around the hilt. "You're just going to kill me too." You had already heard these words. But they weren't yours. Without thinking, you swung around and rammed the knife deep into Danum's gut. His blood was so warm as it spilled over your hand. It was satisfying. It was beautiful. You pulled the knife out and promptly reinserted it into his gut again, smiling at the stunned man. "You were right about there being real power. Holding a life directly in your hands and then taking it away." The gushing sound of blood and tearing flesh filled your ears as you twisted the knife. The deep iron smell filling your nostrils. "You only know false power, Danum... Or is it Oliver, now?" You said, now looking at the face of your uncle whose face was half gone and clearly rotting.

The sound of a gun going off and an abrupt burning in your body startled you. You turned your head and saw Will standing behind you, his gun aimed at you. And then you realized, you had been shot. That was what caused the burning. You looked from the weeping wound to the man you stabbed, but no one was there now. You had no knife in your hands and the blood that stained them was your own. "Will?" The tone in your voice was strangled from the disorientation of it all. But Will said nothing as you met his furious eyes, the next bullet pierced your forehead and instead of falling, you flew up in bed with a scream.

Hands grabbed at your shoulders, trying to restrict your thrashing around. "Y/n! Calm down!" A nurse's voice urgently ordered. You didn't know where you were now, but you knew that the pain you felt from the shots were real. The pain from it consumed your entire body and you couldn't stop the panic. Another voice chimed in and another set of hands came to rest on your still swollen cheeks, attempting to center your focus. "Y/n." The steady voice was familiar. It belonged to Hannibal. "You're in the hospital and you are suffering a panic attack." If it wasn't for that panic attack, you would reply with some smart ass comment, but you were too busy trying to breathe. Hannibal reached for your hand and lightly squeezed it. "Allow me to guide you through this." And you both sat quietly, only hearing your breathing and the beeping of the vital signs machine.

Time passed and you slowly regained composure. Finally grounded again, you remembered what happened. Jack shot Danum before Will could be executed and you were both rushed to the hospital in separate ambulances. Will's life was hanging in the balance and it was crucial he got into surgery as soon as possible. You tried to fight the exhaustion, but your body immediately crumbled into unconsciousness as soon as the ambulance started moving.

You looked down and saw your leg was wrapped in a cast and the rest of your body was bandaged up to care for the burns. "How long have I been out?"

Hannibal cleared his throat, looking at the time. "I'd say you've been asleep for about nine hours." He answered. "But that's to be expected. You were taken into surgery for your knee. So you've been unconscious significantly due to medications."

"And Will?" You asked, the anxiety returning to you at the thought of receiving a certain answer. You couldn't look at Hannibal. "Is...He okay?"

Of course, Hannibal noticed this body language from you and his lip twitched into a smile for a brief moment. "He was in critical condition from the wound. He was very lucky that the bullet narrowly missed his right lung. The surgery went well, but he will remain in the ICU for a few more days." At this, you nodded in relief. "You know that Jack is going to ask you about everything that happened, don't you?" You nodded again.