Title: Four Steps Back and Twelve Meters Down
Word Count: 1187
Summary: The un-sub had said he would get revenge for his brother's death in the cruelest way possible. Written for Vampire-Act's competition.
Disclaimer: I do not, and never will, own Criminal Minds/
EDIT: Sorry to anyone who read this without the breaks! Fanfiction took them out and I hadn't noticed...
EDIT2: ... Apparently Fanfiction likes to eat my equal sign breaks.
The birds chirped merrily, the squirrels and rabbits romped among the thick forests, and you could hear the peaceful sounds of rushing water right next to you. It was a normal day, for any normal valley town citizen from this area. Until you gazed upon the cliffs, crowded with the tallest and oldest gnarled trees that hung over the salty Pacific Ocean.
A cool, pine scented breeze passed through slowly, gently tugging at his golden locks that framed his determined face. His bony hands were pressed tightly over his head. "Look, I don't have a weapon. I'm not going to hurt you. So... why don't you just put the gun down?"
His assailant growled and stuck out the weapon even farther. It glinted silver as the pale sunlight caught it. "You never had to kill him, Doctor Reid. You could have put one in his leg, one in the arm. But no! You just had to put four in his heart."
He took one step forward.
Reid took one step back.
"Morgan, Prentiss!" SSA Hotchner beckoned the two agents near the black SUV. He held a well worn notepad and pen and was searching through it's messily scribble contents spastically. "Where's Reid?"
There was brief moment of awkward silence. Agents Derek Morgan and Emily Prentiss exchanged worried glances.
"Where is Reid?" Hotchner asked more forcefully.
The young woman gulped before staring at her boss dead in the eyes. "I saw him last at the edge of the forest, near the road, five maybe seven minutes ago. I thought he was with you, Hotch..." Prentiss trailed off, eyes dropping to the grass covered ground.
Hotchner was silent, but inside his brain was at a flurry.
The stiff body, marred with numerous giant spots of purple, black and blue, was sprawled across the ivory carpet. Her black hair was tangle and knotted with clumps of it floating daintily around her. Dark crimson and sticky red blood was splattered across the white-washed walls, indicating her head and been bashed in several times. Above the giant splatter was a message, written clearly for him in the victim's blood.
Solely for him.
'Take one of mine, I take one of yours.' it said, mocking him, taunting him.
"Her name is Rachel Coronado. Age twenty-six, no father or siblings. Mother lives in New Mexico." he heard Morgan say, handing the fingerprint scanner back to the officer behind him, "She works as the owner of a day-care a few blocks down."
Suddenly, he was aware of a presence beside him.
"Suppose that this message is meant for us, that means he would take another FBI agent's life. This girl has no connection whatsoever. What's the point of killing an innocent?" Reid rattled off.
"To make sure the message sticks. For the thrill." he mumbled before briskly walking away from the crime scene.
"The un-sub's captured Reid." Hotch said, not meeting his fellow agent's gazes. "He said he would take one of ours... Morgan! Get Hossi, get the other police officers. I want everyone in the forest, around the forest, I don't care. Find Reid!"
The two agents exchanged glances once more before darting their respective ways.
"Your brother, he killed innocent people. I had to do what I did." Spencer Reid said as he stared down the barrel of a silver gun in the hands of a sadistic man..
The man who stood across from him was average. He wore average clothes, brown hair and green eyes, average height, and average weight. He has been seen around observing the activity around crime scenes, just watching. It was all like the team had profiled. And no one had noticed.
The mans palms were sweating. He readjusted the gun in his head, eyes never leaving from Reid's face. "No. You're a liar."
Voices echoed in his head.
"You don't know what this whore did to me!" the dark-skinned man yelled at him as he shoved the barrel of the gun harder into the captured woman's head.
The remorseful sound of JJ, "Mrs. and Mr. Keller, I'm sorry to say that your son, Marcus was shot today after he escaped from police custody."
His boss, "For the thrill, Reid. He's making sure it sticks."
Reid took one step back. "You know that this is the wrong thing to do. And if you didn't, you would have shot me by now. Please, put the gun down."
He took another step back.
"We can talk about this, we can get you help."
"Shut-up!" the un-sub screeched. "Shut-up, I can't think with you talking all the time!"
"Prentiss, I've found something." Morgan said over his walkie-talkie. He bent down to examine the branches in question. It was broken as if someone had fallen into the bushes. But what had really caught his eye was the strip of blue polyester fabric that was in the mess of bent branches.
"What is it?" came the muffled reply from the walkie-talkie.
"I found a piece of blue fabric, looks like it's been ripped from something." Morgan answered. "Reid was wearing blue."
"We're on our way!"
"J-Just calm down--"
The un-sub was getting angrier by the second. His palms were sweating profusely and his index finger was closing around the trigger. He glared at Spencer with his dark, beady coal eyes. His jaw clenched and veins were becoming visible on his forehead. He took one step forward.
Reid took another daring step back, mentally smacking himself for getting into this. He was on the edge of rocky cliff above the ocean... at gunpoint.
"I said shut-up."
Bam!
The bullets lodged themselves into the crevices of his ribs. Pain washed over him and he could feel the warmth of blood pooling out from the wound. And suddenly, he was falling backwards. Rocky shards scraped against his arms. He plunged into the salty depths of the ocean, the force making his head snap backwards. He willed his arms to move, to swim and save himself, but he couldn't. He was too numb.
He was slipping.
Dark spots clouded his vision, and in a mere moment, he was out.
Bam!
The echoes ricocheted off the sides of the valley, making heads turn from miles away. The crows cawed and quickly soared from their roosts in the branches of the tallest trees.
"Oh my god." Prentiss whispered.
As soon at Hotchner registered what he has heard, he quickly rounded up his three slightly distraught agents and pushed them towards the sound of the gunshot. They all broke into a brisk run, withdrawing their guns. After what seemed like a life time, they could hear the sound of crashing waves against rocks. A lone, shaking figure stood watching the sea.
"FBI, put your hands up over your head!" Hotch yelled as they closed in on the man.
The un-sub put up no fight, dropping his gun immediately. Hossi and Hotch apprehended him quickly, roughly shoving him to the ground.
Prentiss put her gun away and slowly walked over to the edge of the cliff. She peered over cautiously and gasped. "... Reid."