WARNING: GUN VIOLENCE AND ABUSE
After hours of staring at the body of the poor girl, we came to realise she had cancer, the meat was taint and therefore could not be eaten. The Minnesota shrike then took her body back home and let it rest in peace. There was a layer of something that would only be found in construction sites. Now, just me and Hannibal have gone to a construction site while Will and Jack went to the other. We had to work through a list so we had to move fast. This was our third search of a construction site and I felt like this is the perfect path to finding the Minnesota shrike. It was peaceful in the car, some would say awkward but I enjoyed the silence. I don't think Hannibal liked it since he played some classical music, it wasn't my taste but I still hummed to it. In the corner of my eye, I saw Hannibal look and smile at me, and then look back at the road.
"You think this is the site?" I asked Hannibal, looking out the window and watching the traffic go by.
"What do you mean?" Hannibal seemed confused at my question.
"Do you think this is where we'll find the Minnesota shrike?" I expanded on my question.
"I think this may, help us in finding the Minnesota shrike but I don't think we will find him there, if that is what your asking" responded Hannibal. "What do you think we will find there?" He glanced at me and saw me slowly move my head to the music.
"I think we will find what we've all been looking for" I responded.
We parked into the construction site, the property seemed quiet for a Wednesday afternoon. I stepped out the car and I adjusted my jacket, that was caught on the seat belt on the drive here. I looked back at Hannibal shutting the car door and he was wearing a scarf and a waist coat. I brought me back to that night, the night after our first session and I walked out into the road without looking. Was it Hannibal? I zoned out at that thought.
"Grace?" Hannibal touched my shoulder and it brought me back to reality.
"Sorry, must've zoned out again" although some stuff isn't my fault, I still apologise.
"Your day dreaming seems to be getting out of hand" he seemed concerned about my zoning out but I excused it. Together, we walked to the small trailer on the property. Hannibal knocked on the door and brushed at his coat. A woman opened the door and she didn't seem like she was in the mood to socialise.
"What's up?" She spoke, chewing on her gum without closing her mouth.
"Good day, miss. I am Dr. Lecter and I am here on regards of Jack Crawford. Head of the FBI. May I come in?" Hannibal spoke in an orderly manner, although he didn't introduce me.
"And who's this young lady?" She seemed more intrigued to know who I am Instead of the fact that FBI want to search the place.
"I'm Grace" I held a hand out the shake and she shook my hand, rather slowly.
"May we come in?" Repeated Hannibal.
"Sure, files of our workers are over there and files of our company are over there" she pointed at two piles of files that seemed to be a mountain compared to those on duty right now. Both Hannibal and I thought of checking the files of the workers.
Half an hour later, I came across a rather suspicious file.
"Hannibal, look at this" I showed Hannibal the file.
"How peculiar. May I ask why this file has no address?" Hannibal showed the lady the file that contained no address, but a telephone number.
"I dunno." She said blankly, not even bothering to look at the paper.
"Does 'Garret Jacob Hobbs' have a daughter?" I asked.
"I think so" she sat back at her desk.
"Does she have brunette hair? Blueish eyes?" I tried to recall the appearances of the missing girls.
"I've only seen her like twice, but I think so. Yeah" she started typing away at her laptop.
"I'll call Jack." Hannibal steps outside and dials a number instead of going on his saved contacts.
I began to put back the files me and Hannibal pulled out and I thank the lady.
"It's alright, love" she responds.
"How come your nice to me but, not the man outside?" Ever since we arrived here, she's been rather rude to Hannibal.
"He doesn't look right." She got off her chair and came too close to my face. "He's missing something in his eyes, like he died a long time ago" she stepped away from me and let me breathe again.
"Remember what I said love" she sat back at her chair. I gave her a bland smile and speed walked out of there. Hannibal seemed to be finishing up his conversation.
"Let's go" I speed walked to the car and tried to open the car door but it was locked. Hannibal unlocked the car and looked rather confused on why I was acting this way. I rushed to get my car seat belt on, when I clicked it on. I stared out the wind shield.
"What happened in there?" He asked, reversing out.
"That lady was nuts, for a moment I thought she was the Minnesota shrike." I let out a sigh of relief when we left the property.
Hannibal's phone pinged. I checked it for him and it was Jack with a text. He sent us the address of Garret Jacob Hobbs. I put the address in on his sat nav and the destination was 20 minutes away.
I don't know when, but I fell asleep during the drive to Garret's house and I woken up by a bumpy road.
"Apologies, I tried to drive as careful as possible"exclaimed Hannibal, his tires still acting as if we're driving up Mount Everest.
"It's okay, when did I fall asleep?" I asked.
"Cant tell for certain" he stopped his car slowly and it seemed like a sweet family home.
"You think we'll need protection?" I asked. I slowly turned my head away from the house and to Hannibal, he already had a gun in his hand for me to take.
"Are you serious?" I said, staring at the gun.
"I could not be capable of such things. You know how to use a gun?" Hannibal spoke to me as if I was the maniac we're trying to find.
"Yes, I know how to use it. Never thought I would have to kill someone though" I took a hold of the pistol and I kept flipping it about, seeing if it's in good condition.
"What makes you think I can kill someone?" I asked, a little offended he said I can do 'such things'.
"I never said kill" he stepped out the car before I could drag on the conversation. I put the gun in my jacket and we walked towards the front door, until it was burst open and a woman stumbled out, she was grasping on her neck using one hand and then using the other hand to reach out to us for help. I ran to help her as she collapsed on the floor, with blood pouring out of her body. Hannibal got onto his knees to help the woman.
"Go get him" Hannibal didn't shout but he didn't seem worried about what's about to happen. I ran inside, with the pistol in my hands. I slowly stepped into the kitchen and Garret Jacob Hobbs had a knife to a young girls throat. She was pleading for her dad to not do it, he was sobbing while building up the courage to kill her too.
"Sir! Put the knife down!" I shouted, aiming my gun at him. I was scared that if I shot, I would hurt the girl. He didn't care about what I said and he slashed her throat. In my rush of adrenaline, I shot him until I ran out of bullets in my magazine. Through the force of the gun, he fell backwards and was laying on the floor, with his back on some counters. He smiled while looking at me, then died. I threw the gun on the floor and rushed to help the girl. I gripped my hands around her neck to try stop the bleeding, she tried to speak to me but she was gurgling on her blood. I was now also considering about the threat of her drowning in her blood. Hannibal rushed in and put her head in a certain position and she sounded like she could breathe better. I stepped away and I fell backwards on the floor, I covered my face using my hands that was covered in the girls blood.
Jack later arrived on the scene, afterwards the ambulance came. I watched the girl get put in the back of the ambulance and Hannibal hauled himself into the back of the ambulance with her. He caught my glimpse before the doors shut on the vehicle. I saw Will walk over to me.
"Are you okay?" He seemed concerned and saw the blood on mu cheeks and nose.
"I had to shoot him, I- I had to" I tried to justify myself, thinking I was in trouble.
"No, no. It's okay!" He hugged me, and I was worried of getting blood on his shirt.
I had to stay behind to tell the police what happened. Jack sat beside me and offered me a water bottle.
"Thanks" I said, opening the cap to wash blood off my hands. However, it seemed I couldn't get the blood off my palms and I tried to pour more water on my hands and then I tried scrubbing my hands together. They would not come off. I stood up in panic and I dropped the water bottle while trying to wipe the blood on my jeans.
"Grace!" Jack stood up and tried to snap me out of it.
Will tried to restrain me and before I knew it, I was somewhere else.
________________________________
Monday, 10:34AM
2006
Grace sat in class, children were making happy Father's Day cards and grace had no option but to do a card for her grandfather, who was a massive drunk ever since her grandmother died.
"Everyone's cards are looking so good!" Said the teacher, praising everyone. Grace looked around the room and stared at the children's cards. Some had glitter on, or drawings on and they were all creative and original, she looked back at her card and all she had on her card was "Daddy's death anniversary". It wasn't Mark's death anniversary but it felt like it everyday for Grace since people treated her like she was special, and she hated that. The teacher strolled over and saw what she wrote on it.
"Well that's silly isn't it!" She snatched it and threw it in the bin.
"I liked it" Grace simply said. The teacher seemed disgusted and she slammed a new card in front of her, it didn't phase Grace.
"Do not ever come into my class with that attitude! Now, do a card for your grandad and put EFFORT in"
Half an hour past, all she had on her card was "happy Father's Day to Felix" Felix was Maria's new boyfriend. All he did was trash the house, raid the fridge and smoke 2 packs a day. The teacher saw her card and all she said was.
"That's better" and walked off. She didn't know what was happening with Grace and had no clue who Felix was, she was just happy that she wasn't writing down what she did before.
The day had ended and Maria forgot to pick up Grace, so she had to walk home.. again. Once she arrived home, she threw away the card she made in class and made herself some cereal. She put on she cartoons and Felix came downstairs. He also went to grab some cereal and saw there was none left, Grace had the last bowl.
"Greedy little bitch" he said to Grace, he went to turn off the cartoons and Grace only stared in confusion. He was shirtless yet again, showing all his ugly tattoos and scrawny body.
"You had the last of the cereal" he said, pointing at her bowl.
"Do you want it?" She offered, holding the Bowl up to him.
"I don't want your FUCKING GERMS!" He back handed the bowl and it smashed on the wall, with milk leaking down the walls. She didn't flinch, instead she just stared at him dead in the eye.
"You keep staring, I dare ya!" He said, trying to get Grace to obey. She simply tried to walk away but he grabbed her and threw her back. She hit the coffee table and the vase wobbled. She slowly looked back and she watched it shake side to side. It then fell and rolled off the table. Grace tried to catch it and missed, Felix laughed at her failure and she got onto her knees and tried to pick up the broken pieces.
"Oh just look what you did now!" Felix laughed at her trying to pick up the pieces. It only broke in 3 large pieces and could still be saved, but Felix grabbed her by the collar and dragged her to Maria's bedroom. He opened the door and threw her beside Maria. She was laying in bed, smoking.
"That little devil broke your vase" Felix blamed it all on her.
"She did what now?" Maria's face dropped and that was the only thing that scared her.
"Yeah, broke it. I watched it! She- she grabbed it and threw it at the wall and then grabbed my cereal and smashed that too!" Felix's story didn't even line up correctly.
"That's not what happened!" Grace sobbed, she was scared on what was to happen next.
"Shut up!" Screamed Maria. She got out of bed and stood in front of Grace.
"Why did you do this to me?" Asked Maria. She got down to Grace's height to see her cry, it made her feel powerful.
"After everything I have DONE FOR YOU!" Maria slapped grace across the face and she fell to her side.
Felix laughed at Grace's pain.
"Felix! Can you fix it?" Maria prayed he could.
"Yeah, yeah. She has to 'elp me though" he used his hand and wiped snot away from his nose.
"Fine" Maria got off the floor and stepped on her cigarette near Grace who was feeling her cheek where Maria slapped her. Maria jogged out the room to check on her vase.
"Get up!" Said Felix who grabbed her by the collar and dragged her to the shed.
"What do we do now, smartass?" Said Felix, hitting the back of her head. Grace stared at the broken vase pieces and looked around the shed.
"Super glue" she simply said, and went to reach the super glue but was too small.
"May you please get the super glue for me?" She asked politely, she did not want to be hit again.
"I don't have to do fucking everything for you, do I? Get a bucket or something!" Suggested Felix who seemed to 'royal' to help a child. Grace went to grab something to stand on. She grabbed a bucket and stood on it, she still had to go on her tip toes to reach. She then leaned on the shelf and she heard it give way. A nail popped out of place and she fell with the shelf. She coughed at the dust that was on the shelf and she looked to see if Felix was going to hit her, but he was under the shelf. She pulled the shelf off him and he stared at Grace. He didn't shout, he didn't try to hurt her, he gurgled blood up. She stared, mortified. She slowly looked down to his stomach and part of his intestine was hanging out. She screamed for help as she tried to tuck his gut back in. He died rather quickly and she stared at her palms, covered in blood.
sorry it was a long chapter!