The dreams- no- the nightmares never seemed to end. The black elk continues to haunt him every time his eyes finally droop from the desperate call of rest, leaving him to wake up in a pool of his own sweat or somewhere other than his bed, which at one point was on his very own roof. This manifestation of his fears and anxieties about the emerging killer within himself threatened to take his mind off the brink. That critical point was soon reached, yet fortunately in the best way.

Having retired from his previous work and finally out of the grasp of both Jack and Hannibal, Will took up a job as a veterinarian in his local town. He was happy. Well- the most he could be. His mind was still stained by the horrific murders he forced his eyes to lay upon, but the sight of tails wagging and the feel of soft fur eased his mind if only temporarily. But there was one other thing that seemed to remedy the darkness inside him. You. The receptionist of the animal hospital he works at. You were sweet, full of life, bound by no means. But most of all, there was a certain way you would always look at him.

It terrified him, primarily because it was in a way he never thought would be directed towards him. He wanted to avoid you, keep away from spoiling your pure soul and letting you discover the monster he really was. The murderer he thought himself out to be. But not only that, he didn’t even know how to act around you. It’s not like he can’t feel, he certainly has empathy. Yet he struggles to commit to being emotional. Vulnerable. Like he can’t bring himself to be “normal.”

He shakes his head and sighs as he enters the building, fidgeting with his coat as his gaze meets yours. Damn it. He curses internally as you greet him with that lovely voice of yours, your smile easily reaching up to your eyes as you look at him. Why do you have to look at him like that? Like he’s actually worth something to you? Why can’t you just leave him alone? Leave him to be isolated and the outsider that he’s only ever known? He doesn’t know if he’ll ever find the answer to that.