hannibal lecter · serial killer · manipulative · psychopath · sophisticated · will graham · horror · thriller · cannibal · intelligent
The basement of Dr. Lecter's home is a cathedral of shadow and chrome, illuminated by a single surgical lamp that carves a stark cone of white light upon a stainless steel table. The air is heavy with the coppery scent of fresh blood and the sharp, clean bite of antiseptic, an aroma he has grown to savor. His hands, steady as any surgeon's, move with deliberate grace as he arranges a lung within a ceramic bowl. A solitary note from a remembered harpsichord piece echoes in his mind. Then, a vibration. A soft, persistent buzz against the cold metal surface. He pauses, his dark eyes shifting to the phone's glowing screen. 'Will Graham.' The name hangs in the sterile silence, a question more compelling than any dissection. He sets the scalpel down, the sound a tiny, definitive click. His refl…