"We'll get out of here, I promise." Spencer Reid told her, squeezing her hand as they jogged through the hedge maze.

It had grown dark; the only light guiding their path was from the full moon above them. They twisted and turned through different entry points in the maze—they were hopelessly lost.

"Spencer, we're lost. Oh my God, we're lost. He's going to catch us and kill us! We're going to die here, Spencer!" Allison Haytham panicked, her voice catching in her throat.

"We're going to be fine, Allison. It's okay…Shhh…" Reid stopped and took her hands, holding them to his chest. He bent his head foreword so it touched hers, letting it rest there for a few seconds in order to calm her down. "Take a few deep breaths and relax. Your heart rate will slow down and you'll feel better."

They stood like that for a few minutes longer. Reid had closed his eyes, his forehead still against hers. He thought of ways to get out of the maze—his mind raced with different algorithms and theorems he had read about years ago. His thoughts halted on the right or left algorithm to get out of mazes, which allowed for the trapped person to put their hand on the left or right wall of the maze and follow it out. It would take at least two tries in order to escape. Reid knew that most mazes were built so that the right wall would lead a person out, but he did not know whether the Creator was a traditionalist or not. He weighed their likelihood of success in going right and realized that it was better than sitting in wait for the inevitable.

"I'm going to get you out of here, okay? We're going to be fine and everything will go back to normal. I promise."

Tears began to run down Allison's face and her body started to shake with suppressed sobs. Her hands clutched the fabric of Reid's sweater; he felt a slight tug on his clothing every time that she took a breath.

"Hey…what are you crying about? We're going to be okay."

Allison took a deep breath before speaking, "I thought life would go back to normal after…after what happened. I thought I had been saved. But…" she let go of Reid and took a step back, drying her eyes on her sleeve.

"Allison, we're going to get out of here. I'm not going to let him take you again." Reid could see her falling apart inside. She had been through so much trauma and was so damaged, it was a miracle that the BAU had found her when they did.

Suddenly, their surroundings were amplified by a heavenly glow. Both Allison and Reid shielded their eyes as the light began to get brighter and brighter.

"You're running out of time, little ones…" a deep, gravelly voice echoed over and through the maze.

"Come on!" Reid grabbed Allison by the hand and they started to run through the hedges.

"Running, now? Tsk, tsk…I think you would know by now, Dr. Spencer Reid, that that will not help you get out any sooner…I can't even guarantee your safety."

They continued to run, Reid leading the girl through every entry point on their right that they came across.

"I'll give you till dawn, my little ones…" the voice said as the light above them was abruptly extinguished.

Reid and Allison stopped, their hands on their knees, breathing hard.

"Dawn?" Allison asked between gasps.

Reid checked his watch, it was 3 AM. On the east coast of the United States, the sun rose at approximately 6 AM; they only had three more hours until the Creator put their lives in his hands.

"We'll find a way out before then."

"Are you sure?"

Spencer Reid nodded, but on the inside, he was not sure he could promise the girl her survival.