Merry Christmas! I hope you all have had an amazing Christmas season. I also hope you will enjoy this next chapter! I don't own Criminal Minds.
The team made their way to the next room. This time the letter was addressed to Prentiss. She took the letter and read it to the team.
I am the unsub that took a great fall
My life fell apart, everything, all
What I really wanted, anything I'd give
To go back to the dumpsite, go and relive
The murders I used to unleash my rage
I'd kill any woman, no matter what age
After I killed them, I laid them face-down
And go back to see them when there's no one around
In parts of my life, I'm left in the dark
But the scars on their necks reveal my mark
The others automatically turned to Reid. They knew that his brain worked extremely fast, so he had probably already figured out the riddle.
"It has to be the Blue Ridge Strangler," Reid began, "He was angry at his birth mother for giving him up for adoption, so he strangled women whenever he got angry. He laid his victims face-down because he believed the spirits of his victims would haunt him if he didn't. He would often go back and revisit his victims. He fell off a building and slipped into a coma. That's what the riddle means when it says "in parts of my life, I'm left in the dark." He missed years of his life when he was in that coma."
"The answer is the Blue Ridge Strangler!" Prentiss yelled.
The team waited for the door to the next room open, but it never did. They all were startled when the voice came over the intercom.
"Your answer is correct. This next room is going to be a little different. When you enter the room, you will see spaces with your names in the center. You will walk your space and stand on top of your name. I will then read you the next riddle."
The door to the next room swung open. The team obeyed the unsub's instructions, walking to the spaces with their names on it. They stood there, nervously awaiting the next riddle.
"I can honestly say, I'm very impressed
But now your knowledge will be put to the test
I am an unsub and victim in one
I was shot and killed with my own gun
I have not one personality, not two, but three
Three in one, same as the Trinity
Religion, religion, that's my father's excuse
But I could escape with the drugs that I use
I know this riddle's simple, easy to solve
You will soon see that my methods evolve
After this room, you'll beg and you'll plead
Let's see how you do without Dr. Reid."
With that, Reid fell through the floor.
"Reid!" Morgan yelled, running to Reid's space.
The team realized too late that the space Reid had been standing on was a trap door. They tried to break through the door to rescue their youngest teammate, but the door wouldn't budge. It dawned on them that this room was a setup. The unsub must have been unhappy that the team had been solving the riddles so quickly. To really test them, he took the smartest team member away from them.
"Where is my agent?" Hotch demanded.
"Not to worry, your teammate is fine, for now. I am making a slight adjustment to the rules. You will still be receiving letters with your name on them. Now, however, if you can't solve the riddle, you can move on to the next room. However, Dr. Reid will be tortured if that is your decision. Jennifer Jareau, would you please solve the riddle?"
JJ had tears threatening to fall down her cheeks. She didn't want Reid to have to go through torture again. It was bad enough with Tobias Hankel. However, that experience had made him a stronger person. She had to have faith that he could handle whatever may come. She found the strength to answer the riddle.
"The answer is Tobias Hankel!" she yelled.
The door to the next room opened up. The team trudged into the room. They could only hope that they could solve the riddles that await them.
Reid felt himself falling. He landed on the hard floor in a dimly lit room. He didn't even have time to register if anything was broken before someone was on top of him, straddling his hips and pinning him to the floor. He heard his team calling for him. He wanted to respond, but the unsub quickly clamped his hand over Reid's mouth. He fought against the unsub, until he felt the cold blade of a knife against his throat.
"Don't fight me, Spencer. I don't want to hurt you, but I will if I have to," the unsub whispered to him.
Reid's eyes widened as he realized who the unsub was. His eyes adjusted to the light in the room, confirming the identity of the unsub. He took the knife from Reid's throat and pulled out a syringe. Reid squirmed as the syringe crept closer and closer to his neck. He felt a prick and his vision immediately began to fade. The hand was removed from his mouth, and he felt the hands grabbing him under his arms, beginning to drag him away. The last coherent thought Reid had was, "why would Gideon do this to us?"
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