So I decided to try writing this story. I have no idea how long it will be. I just got home from school, sat at my computer, and started typing. This is my first foray into Criminal Minds fan fiction, and I must say, I have some pretty big shoes to fill! Also, unfortunately, I do not own Criminal Minds. With that said, on with the story!

Cammi Carroway paced in front of the high school, impatiently jabbing the keys on her cell phone. Her parents were supposed to pick her up an hour ago from her debate meet, and their tardiness was grating on her already dwindling patience. Darkness was creeping over the sidewalk. Sighing, Cammi glanced at the numbers illuminated on her phone. It was edging on eleven o' clock at night, much too late to be out, especially with the recent rash of murders that had plagued her tiny hometown in Pennsylvania. Sure, they were usually a result of break ins, but that didn't mean she was about to take chances. A serial killer could be hiding out in the chem labs on the other side of the building, for all she knew.

"Stop it!" she whispered fiercely. Working herself into a panic would do nothing for the current situation.

Her best friend Crystal was on vacation, a sort of break from the September glum. Other than that, there was absolutely no one she could call. Except my parents, she silently fumed.

Once again, she tried the house phone. Receiving no response except the cheesy answering machine message they had recorded last year, Cammi pressed the end button in disgust. She was well aware that Tommy had a soccer game that her parents just had to attend, but that should have ended ages ago.

When her dad's cell phone put her straight to voicemail, Cammi shouted "Fine! This is the tenth time I've tried calling you. It's either sit here and freeze or walk!"

Knowing her father would be angry with her for walking home in the dark, Cammi pulled her jean jacket tighter around her slender shoulders. Her long brown hair whipped around her face in the oncoming breeze. She hadn't realized exactly how cold she was until this very minute. In order to warm herself up, she began to jog.

Home was only a few miles away, but that night, it seemed endless. Every slap of her Converse on the pavement resonated through the clear night like the strike of a gong. Closing her eyes, Cammi let out a breath. Every horror movie she had ever watched flashed against the back of her eyelids, set against a backdrop of blood and shadow. She and her mom would curl up on the couch with a bowl of Doritos and scream at the characters that made foolish choices. Say, the high school freshman running alone at night. She almost laughed, imagining the comments her mom would hurl at the screen if this moment were a horror movie.

At once, her street materialized before her eyes. Breathing a sigh of relief, Cammi darted down it, passing the familiar basketball hoop lying broken in the ditch. The frayed net grasped at the chilled air. To Cammi, it seemed as though the aged string were pointing to her house.

For some reason unknown to her, she increased her speed, shedding her messenger bag somewhere in the middle of the road. Her mom's car sat parked in the driveway. A set of keys laid glimmering in the asphalt beside it. Bending over, Cammi scooped the cool metal in her hand, stroking the braided lanyard keychain she had created one year in Sunday school. The beaded letters had fallen from the rope, lying scattered across the garage.

Pocketing the keys, she edged inside, rolling her feet the way she did whenever she wanted to walk slowly. It was a trick she had picked up in marching band, the geek that she was. Tommy was constantly making fun of her for it. He always said the voices in her head provided a tune she just had to keep in step with. Smiling once before a mask of anger settled over her face, Cammi threw open the door, wincing when it smashed into the drywall.

A dull pain rippled from a spot beneath her heel. Automatically, Cammi grabbed her ankle to identify the problem. Swearing, she picked a shard of glass from her shoe.

"What the…" Looking down, she took a step backward. Tiny bits of glass sprinkled the ground like droplets of rain. "Tommy, what did you break this time?" she demanded.

A crash echoed from her parent's room. A lithe shadow slipped across the space she could see from the open door. Cammi's breath hitched in her suddenly dry throat.

"Mom? Dad? Tommy?"

Breathless, she sprinted up the stairs, taking them two at a time. The door to Tommy's room was closed, something not unusual, considering the war zone state it was constantly in. What was odd though, was the lack of metal music blaring from his stereo.

"Hey Tommy! Did you win?" She called tentatively. Nobody answered. Creeping closer, Cammi's fingers closed over the knob. It was warm, as if someone had touched it recently.

A streak of light coming from the desk beside his door momentarily blinded Cammi. Blinking, she stepped inside, her foot crushing a pizza box.

"NOOOOOO!" She screamed in a voice raw with horror.

Her brother lay spread eagled over a mass of clothes, blood dripping from his chest. Pressing a hand to her mouth, Cammi turned from the scene, stomach heaving.

Flying around the railing, Cammi tumbled down the stairs. Her parents lay sprawled over their normally pristine room, blood staining the hardwood floor a deep red. Her heartbeat quickened as she scanned the room. The phones had been slashed from the lines, cell phones nowhere to be found. Patting her pockets for her own, she remembered stashing it in the front pocket of her backpack after hanging it up back at the school. She was about to run for the road when something growled from somewhere near the bathroom. Frightened, Cammi sprinted up the stairs, lunging for the front door. Something slapped on the glass from the other side.

Closing her eyes, Cammi said a quick prayer to a God she was sure had fled this horrific scene. Whoever had killed her family was still in this house. Well, actually, awaiting her outside. Surely if she didn't attempt an escape soon, he would come in after her.

Until recently, Cammi's worst irrational fear had been of clowns. Ever since she had read Stephen King's It a few weeks ago, she had imagined the painted face of one of those satanic beasts around every corner. It was that face she imagined pounding on the other side of the door now. That face fueled her step.

She pictured Pennywise chasing her through the house, claws outstretched. Wanna come play Cammi? Every thing floats down here Cammi! He whispered. Whimpering, she scrambled into the bathroom, huddling in the closet.

Now, even though she was beginning to doubt it, Cammi wasn't your average horror movie moron. She never would have picked the closet without a specific purpose. She would not be easy prey.

When she was little, Cammi's had been obsessed with Harry Potter. Upon finding out that their house lacked a cupboard under the stairs, she had been devastated. Her father had told her about what he claimed was the next best thing. The perfect hiding spot for any serious hide and seek player. It was there she climbed now, pulling the false ceiling aside and hoisting herself into the crawlspace above the bathroom. Virtually undetectable to the untrained eye, and further concealed by a mess of towels on the shelf, she felt safe in these walls, or as safe as one could possibly be at a time like this.

Clutching the screwdriver her father had carelessly abandoned the last time he'd attempted to make repairs, Cammi curled into the fetal position in the corner. As she replaced the towels and pulled the crawlspace door shut, she closed her eyes and allowed the tears to flow. She remained completely silent, an ear trained on the precarious floor she laid on, waiting with bated breath for the slightest noise.

So, what did you think? I think the team should be coming in around the next chapter. I will try to update regularly, at least weekly, and I would love to know what people think. Please review!