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Demonic Whispers	By : AngelAnastasia Category: 1 through F > Criminal Minds Views: 719 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Criminal Minds, nor the characters from it. I do not own Funny Games, nor the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
- 10
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- 12
Morgan wasn't planning on letting go of Reid. He held the younger man close to him while he searched for something to cover up the wound with. He could probably rip off more of his jeans, but that was going to be hard with only one hand to tear with. Reid still wasn't responding to any of Morgan's pleas, but he had to stop the bleeding. He wondered if Jenny would be against sacrificing a little bit of her undergarments for Reid's head wound, but he wasn't going to ask her. It took her what seemed like half an hour to just move Peter near the windows. She wasn't going to be ripping off her clothes to help Reid. If Morgan could get the book off his arm, he could probably use the cloths on that as a bandage for Reid. The boy genius needed something. The blood was soaking the carpet, and the black bruise underneath his shoulder looked even more painful up close. Morgan had to do something to help. Reid needed him now more than ever. "It's okay Reid," Morgan whispered. "I got you."
"Agent Morgan? Hello? You still with us?" Anthony asked. Morgan didn't want to look up. Nothing else mattered now other than helping Reid.
"I don't think he is," Michael said.
"Earth to Agent Morgan," Anthony continued as if Michael said nothing. Morgan didn't want to ever see Anthony or Michael again as long as he lived, but Jenny's whimpers made him turn away from Reid. Anthony was holding Jenny so close to him that her cheek was touching his, but pointed near the back of her head was the gun that Reid was shot with. "Let go of the body or I might forget the games and just blow her brains out. Want that to happen agent?"
"Guys, you don't have to do this," Morgan said. "Please." Reid just felt so cold in his arms. He couldn't let Reid go.
"Oh, no, we do," Anthony said with the biggest grin on his face. "Giving you five seconds to choose between screaming lady or dead friend. What's it going to be?" Jenny was begging for Morgan's help with her eyes. She didn't even look confident that Morgan was going to choose her over Reid.
Morgan almost said he didn't care. All that mattered now was getting Reid to the hospital. He refused to believe that Reid was dead. He brushed the hair away from Reid's face, but Reid still felt cold in his arms. If their roles were reversed, Morgan would want Reid to let him go to save the woman. There would be no reason for someone else to get murdered that night. Jenny was sobbing loudly, and even though Morgan wanted to spend the rest of the night keeping Reid safe in his arms, he couldn't do that. He kissed Reid on the forehead, and using his good arm, he laid the baby of their team on the stained carpet. He resisted every urge to attack Michael when the brat took Reid's arms and dragged him to Anthony.
"See how easy that was?" Anthony asked. "Now we can all be friends again." Anthony shoved Jenny in front of Morgan. She fell on her knees, and scooted next to Morgan as fast as she could. Morgan kept his mouth glued shut when both of the unsubs picked up Reid. Michael held Reid's feet and legs while Anthony held up Reid by his armpits. Reid's head was resting on his shoulder, and with ease, the murderers got Reid up the stairs. "We'll be back soon. As soon as he is buried, we are coming back for Peter. After the dead are gone, we can finish the bet. I wonder how many bullets this gun has left. Guess we'll find out together, right?
Morgan sat there in shock after they left. He didn't hear Anthony's threat, and he didn't notice when the unsubs failed to lock the door behind them. He felt numb. He couldn't save Sarah Nelson. He couldn't save Peter. He couldn't save Reid, and there would be no way in hell that he would be able to save Jenny when they came back. Morgan's spirits were sinking, but he wasn't about to just give up. He couldn't give up. Morgan wasn't going to let those assholes win. They were going to pay for what they did.
"I'm sorry," Jenny said. "I really am." Jenny looked like a wreck with tears drying across her face, and she had almost as many bloody marks across her stomach as Reid and Peter did. She didn't ask for any of this. Morgan wasn't going to just give up on Reid, but he was going to try his best to get Jenny out of there. He snapped himself out of the depression he was feeling, and rolled his neck to get the blood flowing again. It was still freezing in that damned room and he could only walk with one of his legs, but he was ready. Anthony and Michael weren't going to be the end of him. "I'm really sorry."
"Are you alright?" Morgan asked her. He didn't see any new marks on her, but he hadn't really memorized her before. "Did they do anything while I was with Reid?"
"No," she said. "I'm fine. Well, they didn't stab me again or anything if that's what you mean. I'm glad they didn't shoot me."
Morgan nodded. He was glad they didn't either. He didn't want to be alone. "If either Anthony or Michael comes in here alone, we need to jump then. I think that's our best shot. We get that gun and threaten to kill one of them. Promise I won't shoot if they let you go, and then you can go get help. I know my team is nearby. Maybe they are trying to find the cabin. Do you think you can look out the window? You might be able to see where Anthony and Michael are."
Jenny didn't need to be told twice. She got up, and slowly made her way over to the window. Morgan noted the bruises on her legs. Jenny was held captive there for hours before the others go there. It was a miracle this woman was still alive. She cautiously stepped over Peter, and put her face next to the window. "I don't see anything. Like, at all. It's black outside."
Morgan thought it was a long shot anyway. He didn't even know if the den faced the front of the house or the back. He was just hoping to find out what the unsubs were doing to find out how much time they had left before Anthony and Michael returned. They might be able to pull off what Peter originally suggested. If Jenny could find the biggest book on that shelf and slam it on Michael's head, that might be enough force to knock him out cold.
"Wait, I hear them talking," Jenny said. "I can't hear what they are saying, but it's them. It sounds like they are arguing or something."
Morgan lifted up his head. That was surprising. He didn't think Anthony and Michael would ever argue. Michael didn't seem like the type to disagree with anything that his good buddy told him. Were they devolving even more? Morgan couldn't imagine why they would be fighting outside in the cold while trying to get rid of a body. This couldn't be good.
"You can't hear what they are arguing about?" Morgan asked. "Are they mentioning Reid at all or is it about us?"
It got quiet in the room for a moment while Jenny strained her ears to find out what the argument was about. All Morgan could hear was some reporter telling any listeners that they still had no idea where the kidnapped victims were, and begging the audience to call with any new information about the abductors. "I can't hear what they are saying, but they both sound mad."
This wasn't good. Morgan put his good arm on the carpet, and pulled himself over to the bookcase. There weren't many books to choose from, but this was probably their only shot of getting out of there alive. He found an encyclopedia on the bottom shelf, and he could just see a few more on the top shelves. He could probably slam the book on Michael's knee while Jenny attacked his head. Morgan didn't even know if that would work. What if they didn't come in separately? Anthony might not care if Michael was killed. "Jenny."
"Wait," she said raising her hand up. "They stopped. I don't hear anything at all now. I thought I heard footsteps, but now it's quiet out there. No digging or talking or anything."
Morgan held his breath, but he couldn't hear the front door opening or anyone coming down the hallway. All he could hear was the damned reporter, and the sudden silence was scaring him. Something was wrong.
"I still can't hear anything," Jenny said. "Want me to turn off the TV? I'm sure that's blocking some of the noise from outside."
"You heard them earlier though," Morgan pointed out. Jenny looked back out the window, but she didn't tell Morgan that she heard them arguing again. The unsubs were just gone. Morgan didn't know what was going on, but he still wanted the book. He took the heavy book off the shelf and put it in his lap. That's when he could smell something in the air. It wasn't strong at first. He could barely tell the difference, but the longer he sat there, the stronger it became. The air felt thick, but the sudden warmth in the room was what got his attention.
"Where did they go?" Jenny asked.
Morgan tossed the book aside. "We have to get out of here. Now!" He pulled himself back towards the little staircase and looked up at the shut door.
"Why? What's wrong?" Jenny finally left her post at the window. She stepped over Peter, and slowly made her way over to Morgan.
"Fire," Morgan said as calmly as he could. "I think they set the house on fire." He didn't think they set the house on fire. He know they did.
Calvin was a talker, but Rossi barely heard a word he said. Rossi didn't want to seem rude, but he was nervous. His gut feeling was telling him he was going to find a body somewhere in that cabin and all he could do was pray it wasn't going to be Morgan or Reid. Calvin parked the car behind one of the many trees. Hotch reminded them to stay hidden before they left so none of the police cars had their lights on, and none of them parked in front of the cabin like they usually would. Rossi didn't mind walking, but he felt more like running. He wanted to get there as fast as he physically could. He pulled out his gun, and kept it by his side.
"Remember where the kitchen is?" Calvin asked. He was a few steps ahead of Rossi. Rossi normally wanted to be in the front, but Calvin knew the woods better than him. With Rossi's luck, he would get lost and end up in the middle the forest alone and cold. They would have to a search party just to bring Rossi back to the ranger's station. That would make for a funny story later on, but that wasn't going to help bring his friends home. He let Calvin lead the way, and never let the officer out of his sight.
"Side of the house," Rossi said thinking back of the map they saw. "Near the back. Shouldn't be too hard to find, but we aren't going in until Hotch gives us the okay."
"Of course," Calvin whispered and stopped walking. Rossi caught up, and he could just see the cabin through the trees. It was a good sized cabin with a wooden fence around the property. The fence wasn't going to be a problem. It looked like there were a few lights turned on inside the cabin, and parked out right by the front door was the same car that Reid and Morgan were abducted in. Rossi recognized it immediately. Rossi looked around the property, and he could just see Hotch with the sheriff waiting behind another large tree. The unsubs weren't outside.
"We just need to stay hidden until Hotch gives the order," Rossi said. "Or if something happens like if the unsubs come out."
"What about smoke?" Calvin asked pointing. Rossi followed Calvin's point, and Rossi saw black smoke coming out from one of the windows. Rossi nearly dropped his phone in an attempt to get the thing out of his pocket. He called Hotch with one button.
"You see something?" Hotch asked.
"Smoke," Rossi said. "Looks like it's coming from one of the bedrooms, and there's a lot of it. I think they set the house on fire." The smoke was getting thicker. It would only take a few minutes for the fire to block off the kitchen door. If any victims were tied up in that area, they were going to be dead if Rossi didn't act fast. "Watch the front door for the unsubs. I'm going to the kitchen with Calvin."
"Go." Hotch said. "Be careful."
Rossi nodded at Calvin, and they both proceeded to the kitchen door. They had their guns drawn, but they didn't talk. They weren't giving each other orders or anything. They tried to blend into their environment so in case the unsubs were watching, they wouldn't be an immediate target. The smoke was getting thicker though. Rossi went first towards the door when the door opened on its own. Rossi turned around with Calvin to get out of the way and hide, but it wasn't the unsubs at the door. It was a woman with dirty blonde hair wearing only her undergarments, and she had Morgan leaning against her. She was supporting his weight as she guided him through the house. Morgan was only wearing a ripped up pair of dirty jeans, and there was some kind of book tied to one of his arms. He was in bad shape, and it he could barely keep his eyes open. The woman screamed when she saw Calvin and Rossi approaching. She positioned Morgan back inside the cabin and tried shutting the door.
"It's okay, it's okay," Rossi shouted. "We're the good guys. Is Agent Morgan okay?" She opened the door a little bit more when Rossi said his name, and looked over at Calvin's police uniform. That seemed to convince her, and she opened the door back up.
"I'm okay," Morgan said with a weak voice. "The unsubs aren't here." The woman brought Morgan back out towards the door when Hotch ran towards them. "Get Reid."
"Where is he?" Hotch asked. "There are officers guarding the front door. Those men aren't getting away. Is Reid inside?"
"No," Morgan said. "They took him out back to bury him." Hotch didn't wait for him to say more. He ran around the house.
"I don't know where the unsubs are though," Morgan continued. "One of them has a gun." Rossi made a mental note to tell Hotch this as soon as Morgan and this woman with him were out of that cabin.
"Here, let me," Rossi told the woman. Rossi stepped up to their level, and the woman helped put Morgan's arm around Rossi's shoulder. It was clear that the arm with the book attached to it couldn't have any pressure put on it. Rossi had a million questions, but now wasn't the time. There was still a fire, and they were much too close to the cabin. Calvin came up behind them. He took off his jacket to wrap it around the woman, and she started crying when he put his arm around her to help her get out. Rossi let them get ahead, and saw an ambulance just pulling up in the front yard. Prentiss and J.J. ran towards Rossi.
"I knew you guys were coming," Morgan said with a smile. "When I didn't see J.J. talking on the news anymore, I knew you guys were almost here." More ambulances were pulling up next to the first one.
"Do you think we can get over to the ambulance or do you want them to bring a bed over here?" Rossi asked. He couldn't tell how badly wounded Morgan's leg was. There was dried blood on the jeans, and the pants were actually torn right where he was shot. It was wrapped in some make shift bandage, but Morgan wasn't putting any weight on it.
"It's only a few steps," Morgan said. "Gotta get away from this damned cabin."
"I know," Rossi said. "I don't know if the fire department has been called yet, but they need to get here fast. The fire will probably spread quickly to those trees."
"Where is Peter?" J.J. asked. Morgan hadn't mentioned anyone other than Reid, and Rossi didn't see anyone else hiding in the kitchen. He didn't know which woman they found with Morgan, but there were at least two more missing women along with Peter. That wasn't even counting Tatiana Garland who most likely was in the house when the unsubs took over.
"In the den," Morgan told her. Just like Hotch, J.J. was gone before Morgan could say more. She had a handkerchief over her mouth, and Prentiss ran into the cabin after her. Rossi didn't like them going into a burning house, but Rossi had to get Morgan to the ambulance. He wasn't doing too well. He looked extremely pale, and Rossi noticed that he was supporting less of his weight than he was before. Rossi whistled to get the attention of the paramedics. Morgan wanted to walk over there, but Rossi didn't think they were going to make it. Rossi couldn't carry Morgan all the way over there. The paramedics saw Rossi, and got the bed out of their ambulance to put Morgan in.
"Stay with me Morgan," Rossi said as they took another step forward.
"Did Hotch find Reid yet?" Morgan asked. His voice was cracking, and when he tried to step forward he fell. Rossi caught and saved him from the fall.
"Hotch is getting him," Rossi assured Morgan. He didn't know if Morgan even heard him though. Morgan's eyes rolled back into his head and he collapsed just before the paramedics got there. They lifted Rossi's friend from the cold ground and onto the bed.
"He's breathing," one of the paramedics said. One of them unwrapped the bandage from Morgan's leg, and Rossi was surprised to see the leg relatively clean. He could see a bullet hole, but the blood around the injury was wiped away. Reid must have done that. Reid was probably the one who wrapped it up too. "We have to get him back to the ambulance. We're too close to this smoke. Was the fire department called?"
"Checking on that now," Rossi said pulling out his phone. He wasn't sure if he should stay back with Morgan or if he should find out what Hotch was doing. He didn't like it either that Prentiss and J.J. were still in the burning cabin. Calvin walked the woman over to a second ambulance, but he didn't stay with her. He was back with Rossi while the paramedics were checking over Morgan.
"I'm sure she's going to be just fine," he said looking back at her. "And the fire department is on their way. Sheriff already called them."
"Did you get the woman's name?" Rossi asked. It was either the young lady whose parents owned the cabin or one of the two abducted women.
"Parker I think she said," Calvin said. "Jenny.
"Okay," Rossi said thinking back. "Parker is safe. Morgan is with the paramedics, and Hotch is getting Reid. Hopefully, J.J. and Prentiss can find Peter in the house. That leaves Sarah Nelson and Tatiana Garland."
"Do you think they could still be in there?" Calvin asked.
If they were, it was too late for them. Half of the cabin was up in flames, and Rossi was thinking about going in there himself until he saw J.J. leading the way out. He could hear the sirens from the fire truck coming their way, and he took another step back. Where were the unsubs? He never saw them fleeing the cabin, and Hotch never called for backup. Morgan said the unsubs weren't in the cabin, but where the hell were they?
J.J. could barely see. She couldn't believe that Morgan would just leave Peter behind, but maybe he was unconscious. That woman couldn't have supported Morgan and Peter. J.J. got past the kitchen without any trouble, but when she got to hallway, she didn't know which way to go. There was no way in the world for her to go left. All she could see was smoke from that direction so she had to go right. She saw an open door a few steps away from the kitchen so that was the room she chose. She was praying that this room was the den. She went through the open door, and found it was already covered in smoke. Morgan was smart to leave when he did. Breathing in the smoke would be enough to kill them.
The room around her was fuzzy. She could see a bookshelf, a couch, and what looked like a television that was still turned on. J.J. recognized the reporter talking on the channel. She was just talking with that woman an hour before. It was funny that the unsubs let them watch the news. At least Morgan and Reid knew the team was looking for them. She took a step further into the room. She didn't see any closets that Peter could be hiding in, and he wasn't resting on the sofa that for some reason, didn't have any cushions on it. There was blood all over the carpet though. There was more in some places than others, but J.J. rarely saw this much blood at a crime scene. This had to be the room where the murders took place. She was turning around to check the other side of the couch when she saw a body lying near the window.
She kept the handkerchief close to her nose and mouth as she hurried over. The blonde hair gave the body away as Peter, and she dropped on her knees to find a pulse. She put her fingers up to his wrist when she saw his throat. The cut itself didn't look all that deep, but it had done its job. Peter was dead. She felt like crying herself. She came all this way, and she kept promising this boy's father that Peter was going to come home safe. That was never going to happen now. Boyle was never going to talk to his son again. There was blood all over his stomach, and even his underpants were drenched with it. The boxers the kid was wearing were torn up badly. One more rip would have rendered the boxers useless. What was going on in this room, and how in the world was she going to tell Peter's father?
"J.J.? You in here?" Prentiss shouted. J.J. didn't even turn around. She knew that Prentiss was coming into the den.
"Yes," J.J. answered, but she didn't get up. She put Peter's arms back on his stomach.
"Is that Peter?" Prentiss asked. She got on her knees beside J.J. "Is he…" Prentiss put her hand up to her mouth. J.J. didn't have to tell her anything. "Poor Peter."
"I think the unsubs were doing the killing in this room. There's blood everywhere." The carpet that Peter was lying on looked relatively clean when compared to the rest of the room. He probably wasn't killed in that exact spot. He was moved to the window after he died for some reason.
"We have to go," Prentiss said standing back up. "The smoke in here is getting worse." Prentiss put her sleeve up to her nose to block out the smoke.
"We can't just leave him," J.J. said. She couldn't give Boyle back his son, but she could make sure he got his son's body. She knew they didn't have time to get Rossi in here, but J.J. wasn't confident she was strong enough to pick up Peter. Peter didn't look all that heavy, but J.J. was never that big of a person.
Prentiss looked over at the door like she was thinking about calling Rossi, but she didn't. She turned around, and with J.J.'s help, she picked up Peter in her arms. J.J. made sure his head was supported so it wouldn't just be hanging there, and when Prentiss looked ready, J.J. led the way out of the room.
"Don't get too far ahead," Prentiss said. "I can't see that good right now." Prentiss coughed once. She didn't bring anything to cover up her mouth with. Even if she did have something she could use, she probably couldn't while she was holding Peter. J.J. just slowed down her pace so Prentiss could see her.
"Kitchen door is right there," J.J. said. The door was still partially opened from when Morgan and that woman escaped. J.J. was relieved when she saw the door too. She was just getting use to the thick smoke, but the extreme heat from the fire was just reaching them. J.J. didn't get scared easily, but her heart was just pounding. She prayed that there weren't more victims trapped in the other rooms that she couldn't get to, but she didn't hear any screams. J.J. opened the kitchen door wide, and stepped aside so Prentiss could get out first.
Prentiss got out of the house without tripping. J.J. was right behind her, but didn't look back. She couldn't stress herself out even more thinking that there might be more victims trapped in there. There was nothing she could do about it, and she still had no idea where Reid was. Morgan was still getting looked over by the paramedics, but Rossi was running towards them.
"Here, let me," Rossi said holding his hands out. Prentiss gently put Peter in Rossi's arms, and Rossi held the boy close to them as the four of them ran out of the way of the firemen just arriving on the scene. Rossi didn't ask if Peter was alive or not. Just looking at the kid gave Rossi all the answers he needed. Rossi brought Peter over to one of the ambulances, and put the boy onto the bed without telling the paramedics anything. "Did you see any other bodies in there? There are two women still missing."
"We didn't see anyone else," Prentiss said. She pulled a sheet on the bed over Peter's body. She kept his face uncovered, but none of the paramedics moved to check his pulse. Every single one of them got a good view of his throat.
"I don't think we're going to recover much evidence from the cabin," Rossi said. The flames were already destroying the den that J.J. and Prentiss just escaped from. It was terrifying to see how fast that fires could spread. The firemen were working as hard as they could, but J.J. did agree with Rossi. The cabin couldn't be saved at this point.
"Any signs of the unsubs?" J.J. asked.
"No, but we should probably go see what Hotch is doing," Rossi said looking towards the back of the house. "He's been gone for a while, and I haven't heard from him. He might need help." Prentiss nodded, and both of them ran behind the house pulling their guns out. J.J. stayed behind for a second. She looked at Peter, and then at the paramedic standing behind him.
"Would you mind taking him to the hospital instead of the morgue?" J.J. asked. "I know that sounds strange, but he needs to go to the hospital first."
"Alright ma'am," the young paramedic said. He got Peter into the ambulance, and J.J. ran to catch up with the others. She was more than ready to help save Reid. She didn't have any bad feelings that something was wrong, but why wasn't Hotch back? Reid wasn't next to Morgan on their way to the hospital, and the unsubs weren't rotting in the back of a police officer's car. Something had to have gone wrong.
Morgan was safe, J.J. was going to rescue that Boyle kid, and now all Hotch had to do was find out where Reid was so the boy genius could go home. When Hotch got in the backyard, he didn't see a single thing. There was dying grass and more pine trees, but he didn't see Reid anywhere. The sheriff was having the officers search the nearby area after one of the officers thought they spotted something, but Hotch didn't care about catching the bad guys right then. His only concern was finding his youngest agent.
"Reid?" he called out. He didn't expect an answer, but he tried all the same. "Reid? Can you hear me?" There was no reply. The unsubs might have taken him into the woods when they ran off. Hotch couldn't figure out how those monsters knew the team was coming, but they did and they got of there without a trace. If Hotch wanted to find Reid, he was going to have to go into the woods himself, but he couldn't do that without help. He didn't know the area that well, and it would be far too easy to get lost. He needed Calvin's help, but he didn't see Calvin either. For all he knew, Calvin was one of the officers sent out looking for the unsubs. Hotch kicked his foot against a rock in frustration when he noticed something. The dirt wasn't a frozen block against the dead grass. The dirt was loose, and the rock went flying when Hotch kicked it. Hotch pulled his flash light out, and bent over for a better look. Almost none of the dirt in the yard was frozen. It was loose like someone was recently playing with it. Or digging in it.
Hotch dropped to his knees, and used his own hands to push the fresh dirt out of the way. Someone was buried in the yard. If it was Reid, he didn't have time to wait for a shovel. His hands were good enough. "Calvin!" Hotch shouted. He needed help if he was going to get Reid out in time. He was digging as fast as he could, but it still didn't seem fast enough. Calvin ran out from the side of the house, and stood there for a moment watching Hotch dig.
"Help me," Hotch said. "I think the unsubs buried Reid." Calvin didn't need further explanation. He got on his knees right next to Hotch, and started digging out the grave. When Hotch's fingers finally brushed against hair, he held his breath. The body was he was touching felt cold, and Hotch began digging even faster to pull the person out. He found the back of the head, and with Calvin's help, he uncovered the face. It wasn't Reid. It was a young woman with dark hair and delicate facial features. If Hotch had to bet, he'd say this girl was Tatiana, but he felt like he was running out of time.
"There's more of the these," Calvin said pointing out. Hotch counted four other graves. "I'll get this one. You get the next one." Calvin scooted over to the next grave, and started his frantic digging. Hotch got up, and ran over to the one next to Calvin. "Hang in there Reid. We're coming," Hotch whispered. Hotch didn't think they would have enough time to dig out all of the graves. If someone was still alive in them, they wouldn't last long so Hotch was grateful when Rossi sat down beside him and started digging into the next grave. Prentiss started on the last one without anyone telling her to.
"What are we looking for?" Rossi finally asked after his fingers were caked in mud.
"Reid," Hotch said. "Morgan saw the unsubs take Reid out here, and we found one of the girls buried in the first grave."
"And another one them buried in this one," Calvin said grimly. Hotch peaked over, and saw another woman. This one was older than the first, but she wasn't as clean. There was a bullet wound in her forehead which was now covered in tiny stones and thick dirt. That explained where the last woman was, but then who was buried in the graves that Rossi and Prentiss were digging out? Hotch didn't think he wanted to know. J.J. came around the house, and joined Prentiss digging out the last grave.
Hotch kept digging though and found out the grave he was working on wasn't as deep as the first one. For this, he was grateful. The unsubs must have done this one in a hurry. Hotch pulled out a hand from the early grave, and recognized Reid's long fingers immediately. "Reid!" He shouted without giving much thought to what he was saying. Rossi helped uncover Reid, and Hotch pulled out the younger man from the dirt. A white cloth was placed over his nose and mouth, but what worried Hotch the amount of blood on the side of his head. Reid's hair was wet with it, and the young man wasn't breathing. "Come on Reid. Come back to us."
J.J. forgot her efforts to help Prentiss as soon as Reid was uncovered, and she ran over to them. Rossi was pulling Reid's hair back looking for the bullet hole, and Hotch wrapped Reid up in his jacket. Reid's skin felt ice cold. All he was wearing was a badly ripped up pair of baby blue boxers. As soon as he felt that Reid was covered up properly, he laid Reid down on the dead grass to start CPR. "J.J., can you bring the paramedics back here? Quick!"
J.J. nodded, and ran back to the front of the house shouting at the top of her lungs. Rossi was still looking at the side of Reid's head, but he stopped at stared at Hotch. "Aaron, there's no bullet hole here. There's a lot of blood, and I can feel broken skin, but no bullet hole. I don't think Reid was shot. Not in his head at least."
"Are you sure?" Prentiss asked. She sat down next to them, and brushed the dirt away from Reid's face, but there wasn't a lot of it to begin with. The white cloth placed over Reid's nose and mouth kept his face cleaner than the girls. Hotch continued with the CRP, and every few minutes, he would bend over to blow air directly into Reid's mouth. Whoever buried Reid either didn't want him breathing up dirt or they wanted to keep his face clean. Both sounded strange.
"Look," Rossi said. He moved Reid's hair around, and Hotch didn't see a bullet hole either. The damage looked like a bullet just grazed Reid's head, but there was extensive bruising to Reid's thighs and one of his arms looked broken. What did those monsters do to him? Hotch pressed down in the technique again, and Reid's mouth dropped open in a weak cough.
"Oh my God, Reid," Prentiss said. Hotch stopped with the CPR, and watched Reid struggle to take in some air. Reid coughed again. "It's okay Reid. Just breathe. You're safe now."
Rossi took off his jacket too, and wrapped it around Reid's shoulders. It was cold enough to see their breath outside. Hotch would have given Reid his socks if the kid needed them, but the paramedics ran onto the scene. Prentiss got out of the way, and Hotch helped them lift Reid onto the stretcher. Reid never opened his eyes, but he was still coughing.
"He's breathing," Hotch told the paramedics. "And we don't think he's been shot in the side of his head. We couldn't find a bullet hole."
They nodded at Hotch, but Hotch wasn't even sure if the workers heard him. They secured Reid to the bed, and then wheeled him out of the yard and into the closest ambulance. Hotch didn't run after them. Morgan was safe, and Reid was going to be safe. That was all that mattered.
"I'll ride with them," Rossi volunteered. "If Reid wakes up, he's going to need to see a familiar face. I'll tell all of you the second he wakes up." He looked down at his muddy fingers and shrugged. "Sure one of the guys in the ambulance has something to get this off."
Hotch nodded. Reid would need to see a familiar face when he woke up, but Hotch didn't think he was going to wake up before he got to the hospital. Hotch didn't know how much dirt Reid actually inhaled from getting buried alive, but he was still coughing when he was taken away. Hotch thanked God that they found Reid alive. The doctors were going to help him.
"And I'll ride with Morgan," Prentiss said. "I don't think he wants to be alone right now either, and if he does wake up, I'll tell him that we found Reid. I think that might help him more than any surgery can." She brushed off her pants and hurried over to the ambulance leaving Calvin, J.J., and Hotch alone with the graves. Calvin was already working on the one that Rossi left behind, and J.J. went back to work on the last one. Hotch was still shaking. He came so close to losing Reid. He could barely focus on the fire blazing behind him, or the two still partially buried bodies beside him. He just kept telling himself that Reid was safe.
"There's a man in this one," Calvin said. He used his flashlight to shove the dirt off of the face of the man in the grave. He looked to be in his 30s, but Hotch didn't recognize him. Maybe it was because Hotch was tired or the man might not have been reported missing yet. A bullet to the head caused this man's death. "I don't know him, but I'm betting wrong place wrong time?"
"Probably," Hotch said agreeing. Door to door salesman or maybe even the boyfriend of one of the victims. Valentine's Day was right around the corner, and this guy seemed like the right age group to be dating the young lady in the first grave. "Who is in the last grave?"
J.J. stopped digging after Hotch asked, and she reached inside. Hotch was waiting for her to pull out a hand or a clump of messy hair, but she pulled out a handful of clothes. Hotch could see several pairs of pants, shirts, and even some jackets. Most of the clothing was dripping wet like it just came from the wash. J.J. looked through the clothing and pulled out a pair of mis-matched socks that had been tied together. Hotch looked down. The unsubs tried killing Mogan and Reid, and after they thought that deed was done, they buried all the clothing.
"Look," J.J. said. Hotch looked over at the clothing again, and saw J.J. holding a black wallet. She opened it up, and Morgan's ID fell out.
"Agent?" Hotch nearly jumped when the walkie talkie went off. J.J. did too. "My men think they may have spotted some movement out here. You have been chasing bad guys like this longer than half my men have been alive. You can probably spot something that we might miss. Want to join us?"
"On my way," Hotch said. "J.J. can you wait here in case the unsubs come back?" Anything was possible with these two. They probably knew the woods better than Hotch, but they weren't smarter than the team. They couldn't hide out in the woods forever.
"Of course," J.J. said. "As soon as the fire is out, we have to get someone out here for the bodies. Pretty sure those reporters will find out what's going on pretty soon."
"Calvin, would you mind taking me? I don't think they are that far out," Hotch said. He had no idea where the sheriff was, but the sheriff wouldn't ask for Hotch if they were on the other side of the forest. They had to be easy to find.
"Stay close," Calvin said. He pointed his flashlight towards the black forest, and pulled his gun out of its holster. Hotch stayed right behind him.
Hotch always loved the serenity of the forest. He enjoyed hiking and camping, and breathing in fresh air that was hard to come by in the city. It seemed like murderers also enjoyed the forest. The forest was usually owned only by nature so the deeper a person got into the woods; the less likely it would be for a crime to be caught. Laws didn't apply out here to people with sick minds, and the trees would never tell what they were witness to. People died in forests all the time from simple things like falling and not being able to get to help in time. Hotch could only wonder how many poor souls already met their ends in this forest.
It was hard to keep up with Calvin. It was almost like he had the route memorized even though Hotch couldn't see a path on the ground. Leaves were crunching underneath his feet, and he ran into more trees than he could count. Calvin never ran into one. Hotch didn't hear anything. He didn't hear animals rustling around in bushes or owls singing one last song before day broke. Hotch didn't trust the silence.
"Almost there, I can see lights," Calvin said. Hotch couldn't see anything, but he trusted the officer. Hotch kept his gun in front of him, and just about a minute later, they came into a clearing where the sheriff was hanging around with two other officers.
Hotch lowered his gun and went over to them. They were all crowding around something. Hotch was hoping it was the body of one of the unsubs. Maybe he got scared and killed himself, but the area was too small for that. Hotch walked up right beside the sheriff and looked down. It was a gun placed very neatly between two twigs. Just from looking at it, he knew this gun belonged to either Reid or Morgan.
"One of my guys thought he heard something a while back, but we haven't found anything else yet," the sheriff said. "Just this gun. I'm having other men searching the forest more though with dogs. The dogs will be able to catch their scent."
"But they haven't yet," Hotch said. Dogs had an amazing sense of smell, and if those bastards were hiding in a bush or something, those dogs would find them. Hotch just wasn't convinced that the unsubs were even there anymore.
"We're going to find them. Don't worry agent. They didn't disappear into thin air or something," the sheriff assured him. "Even if they are hiding up some tree, we are going to find them."
Hotch didn't think they were hiding up in some tree, but he didn't know where they were. The unsubs obviously knew that the FBI was coming. He couldn't figure out how they knew, but it looked like they tried burying Reid before they even knew he was dead, and burning the cabin down with the other victims inside. They knew they were out of time. The last thing they needed to do was ditch the gun they had. Hotch was willing to stay up the rest of the night to arrest those bastards, but he didn't know if they would ever to find them.
"I'll be at the hospital," Hotch said after another moment of staring at the gun. "Just let me know if you find anything. I need to be with Reid and Morgan."
"Do whatever you need to," the sheriff said smiling. "I'll have my men out here looking all night till we find those murderers. They won't get away this time."
"Can you take me back?" Hotch asked Calvin.
"Yeah, just follow me," Calvin said. Hotch stayed close behind the officer, but he never put his gun away. He had to be prepared for an ambush attack. The unsubs could have been watching and waiting to attack when Hotch wasn't ready, but Hotch was ready. He didn't think they would be stupid enough to try attacking Hotch and Calvin, but he was ready.
Calvin felt terrible for Hotch and the rest of his team. He was happy that they found their team members alive, but neither one of them were in good shape. Calvin was positive that the kid in the grave was already dead so he was shocked when the kid started coughing. Their agent was stronger than he thought, but he was going to need a lot more help than simple trip to the emergency room. Calvin got the FBI team leader through the forest with no problem. He couldn't even begin to imagine what that poor man was going through. Hotch thanked him for his help, and went over to talk to the firemen. The blonde agent got up from looking at the bodies when she saw him.
"Do you think you could give me a ride?" she asked him. She put her black gloves back on her hands and zipped up her jacket.
"To the hospital?" There was no doubt she also wanted to be with her friends. She almost screamed earlier when they found Reid.
"To the dance studio," J.J. said. "We can go to the hospital after."
"Why the studio?" Calvin asked. There was nothing at the studio. He was sure those annoying reporters were already on their way to the cabin.
"Boyle," J.J. said. "He's still there. Waiting. I told him I would let him know. I can't keep him waiting anymore."
Calvin bowed his head. He knew Boyle well, and that man was waiting at the dance studio all night long. He barely remembered that man after all the events that just went on, but he wasn't an agent working for the FBI. He didn't want to suggest to her that Boyle waited a few more hours for J.J. to check up on her friends so he just pulled out his keys and led her to the car.
He turned the music on in the car to break the silence. He hated complete silence of car rides, especially long ones. It would drive him crazy if he couldn't listen to anything while driving. He found a station playing some pop music and just left it on there. J.J. just stared out the window for most of the trip. She checked her phone whenever it buzzed, but if she got any news about her friends in the hospital, she kept it to herself. He could see the colors changing in the sky when they got on the highway. It wasn't long until sunrise, but he didn't feel sleepy. For the first time in his life, he didn't need coffee to keep him awake. He just wanted all of this to be over. After he got this agent to the hospital, he wanted to wrap himself up in his covers for the next week. Even if he didn't feel tired, he was mentally drained and more than ready to go home.
J.J. didn't say one word until they were around the corner from the studio. "Thank you," she said softly. "For the ride. You didn't have to take me, but Boyle is waiting for me."
When he pulled into the parking lot, he saw that J.J. was right. Boyle was standing in the doorway watching Calvin park the car. "No problem," Calvin said. "I mean, you would have done the same thing for me. Did you um, want me to talk to him? Haven't had to talk to many parents like this yet. Sheriff usually does it himself, but I'm sure I'll be telling the parents of one of those women. Or even that man in the grave. Once we find out who he is, his parents need to know. They are probably worried sick about him."
"I need to do this myself," J.J. said unbuckling her seat belt. "Can you wait for us? I'm sure he's going to want a ride to the hospital too."
"Sure thing," Calvin said. He got out of the car, and watched J.J. go over to Boyle. Most of the reporters were already gone. He wasn't sure if they got a tip about the cabin, but there were only a few still hanging around like vultures. It was going to make their news stories even better if someone died from all of this. They fed off crap like that.
Calvin took a place in between J.J. and the reporters. He wasn't going to let a single one of them harass J.J. or Boyle. Boyle stepped towards J.J. when she got close enough. Calvin couldn't hear what she was telling him, but after only talking to him for about 30 seconds, the man collapsed on the cement. J.J. got right down with him, and she wrapped her arms around the now sobbing man. Boyle kept shouting his son's name, but he rested his head on J.J.'s shoulder and just allowed his tears to fall. One of the reporters heard Boyle's desperate cries, but she kept her distance when she saw Calvin standing at his post. Boyle could stay there as long as he needed to, but Calvin didn't think it would be long. Boyle was going to want to see his son soon.
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Demonic Whispers