Running

by mondayofthemind

Emily and the team are determined to catch the young killer behind their most recent case. When there is a sudden change of events, Emily's life will be changed forever.

Running. Fast. Hard. Until her lungs were screaming for air. All of her surroundings were blurred as she sprinted past. This was quite the contrary to her thoughts, though. Emily's thoughts were sharp, focused.

Breathe. One, two, breathe, one, two.

It was the tactic that she found most helpful during her FBI training. It evenly spaced her intake of air, a necessary part of running hard and fast. This tool became key to her case this week, which had involved lots of running. Lots of chasing. To say that this UnSub was a "slippery one" would be an understatement. Finding J.S. Walder was the easy part. He hadn't made it particularly challenging for the FBI.

A simple fingerprint here, data search there had lead the BAU straight to the rural ranch where Walder resided. Now, catching him, that was the hard part. Emily and her team had miscalculated. He had been expecting them, and was long gone before they had burst through his front door. All that was left in place of his belongings was a circle in the middle of his hardwood floor. Ten feet in diameter, painted using some sort of blood. It would be nice to say that you remained optimistic. That you perhaps hoped that the blood was an animal's, or even not blood at all. But this job had taught you that optimism left you three steps behind the UnSub, and besides, Walder's kill history was equal parts gory and creative. There was no doubt in the teams' minds that the blood was from his most recent victim, drawn there to mock you.

The boy was from the city. Probably around 18 years old, although his body was almost too disfigured to be able to tell. He was hanging from chains in an old factory, sliced and diced as if he was meat. Although, to the UnSub, that's probably all he was. There was no hair left on his head, for it had been scorched off, but he was presumed to be blond. The last four were. All from the local colleges, each with a bright future.

These victims were the reason that Emily ran. Faster, harder, until she caught the son of a bitch and held him accountable for fucking up so many lives.