"Clarice! No!" came the thundering voice of Dr. Lecter as he reached out to push Clarice to safety. His efforts were wasted. Clarice fell instantly. Dr. Lecter lunged at the store clerk and yanked the shotgun out of his hands. He then took a large bite out of the clerk's neck in a matter of seconds. Dr. Lecter then returned his attention to Clarice, laying on the cold tile floor with two gunshots in her chest and one in her side. Dr. Lecter picked her up and quickly carried her out to her car.
Dr. Lecter brought Clarice to her house. Luckily, only a ten minute drive from the convenience store. He carried her upstairs and put her on the bed. She had been unconscious the whole time since she was shot. Dr. Lecter retrieved some first aid supplies from Clarice's bathroom and gathered a few more random things from the house that he'd have to improvise with.
After what seemed like hours, he had removed the bullets and sewn her up, but the bullets had done so much damage. If he chanced taking her to the hospital, she might lose more blood in the drive there, and he figured there was a chance that she'd be okay if he kept her still and allowed the blood to clot. Any strenuous movements could cause the vessels to tear further and she'd be dead in seconds.
He wished she had more supplies in the house for him to work with. He couldn't chance leaving her to go get more in case the cops had found the body and the surveillance video in the convenience store. He'd be caught in no time and he'd be of no help to Clarice that way. He figured she had a fair chance, if he could just keep the wounds clean, and if the bleeding stayed under control.
For the next several hours, she was doing well. Still unconscious, but no sign of infection or heavy bleeding. The stitches were holding up well, and he was changing the bandages regularly. Dr. Lecter sat by Clarice's side, gently stroking the hair hanging down from the side of her face.
He quietly bore his soul to her. Told her all about his childhood. Told her that he may have stopped his killings by now, had it not been for her. Not that he was blaming her, but he admitted, "It's the only way I could ever get you to pay attention to me."
As if in response to his confession, Clarice opened her eyes for a short moment and smiled at Dr. Lecter. It was barely recognizable as a smile, but he knew it was one, nonetheless. Just then, Clarice slipped back into unconsciousness and suffered a violent spasm. She had internal bleeding and the blood had filled her lungs.
Dr. Lecter tried everything he could, but he just didn't have the means to help her. He hadn't expected this. He thought he had stopped the bleeding for the most part. Within seconds, she was dead. A small stream of blood had escaped the side of her mouth. At any other moment, he may have found it intriguing, but not now. He sat by Clarice, held her hand in his hand, hung his head, and sobbed. A sight unknown to anyone. He had lost his only true love.
In an incalculable time, Dr. Lecter was disturbed from his sorrows by the sound of several police cars pulling up to the house. They had found the body at the convenience store and seen the video footage of what happened. Once they located Clarice's car, they knew they'd find her and Lecter inside the house.
Dr. Lecter stood and retrieved Clarice's gun from the dresser top where he'd placed it. "Come and get me" he said almost in a whisper. He could hear the cops entering the house and asking him to come out with his hands up. He remained in the bedroom, standing next to Clarice's side.
The door to the bedroom was shut, and he could hear the cops outside the room. They had followed the trail of blood upstairs to the bedroom. Several times, they called for him to come out. He gave no response. The door was suddenly kicked open and the cops took their cover behind the door frame. They saw Dr. Lecter standing in the bedroom with a gun to his side, pointed towards the ground.
"Put down the gun, now!" shouted one of the officers. Lecter did nothing but stare at his beloved Clarice.
"My dear Clarice. We'll be together...." he raised the gun towards the doorway and the police officers shot several shots into Dr. Lecter's chest and stomach. He fell back on the floor, his back against the side of the bed. The gun had dropped from his hand and was out of his reach. The cops stayed back in the hallway to make sure he didn't have any other weapons.
"There's no clip in the gun" acknowledged one of the officers. "Put your hands up!"
Dr. Lecter managed to turn slightly, to face Clarice. He lifted his arm up onto the bed and reached for her hand. Smiling, he took her hand in his and with his last breath, he finished the previous part of his promise, My dear Clarice. We'll be together.... "At last."
The End.