The Invite

Disclaimer: Criminal Minds isn't mine….and neither is the theme to Clockwork Orange!! Ggrr

Reid woke up from a nightmare.

He had been chasing monsters again, and he failed. He lay on his stomach and wondered just for a second where he was.

Then he remembered.

The pain was intense and as he tried to roll over he screamed out as it felt like someone had set his back on fire.

He was laying in filth in the room he was being kept in. He was still in his sweatpants but he could feel the cold rough floor beneath him, so he knew his top had been removed. He didn't know when. He didn't know why. He just knew that no person should be in this much pain and still be alive. Sobbing in agony he reached his hands behind him to see why his back hurt so much. It was sticky and it felt like someone had removed a good few layers of skin from his back.

"Don't worry, it will heal." Reid could hardly hear the voice talking to him through the screams of pain in his head.

"What – what did y y you do to me?" He whispered to the man standing watching him.

"Sorry boy, but it wasn't me. She did insist on it."

"On – on what?"

"Oh, on starting to un-wrap you of course. I did warn you. Keep her amused I said. But she gets bored easily and a few card tricks won't keep my princess amused for long."

He crouched down next to Reid's head.

"As I said, it will heal and she is really quite good at it now and I promise it won't hurt for long."

He ruffled Reid's hair and stood up.

"Oh and Spencer, she will need to be protected and kept safe from the monsters. You must understand that. They can't be allowed to get her. She is very special." And he dropped a paper cat on the floor which Reid automatically reached for and sniffed.

………………..

The team sent the DVD to Garcia who was going to analyze until it melted if needs be.

The package was sent to the CSI's and they waited anxiously to see if they had been sent bit of Reid or not. They then decided that a trip back to the scarecrows was the best option. JJ insisted on coming with them this time. If Spencer was in trouble she wanted to be there to help, not sitting at the hotel waiting for his body parts to be mailed to her. They took with them a large amount of local police and some forest rangers. They also made sure they could all stay in contact with each other with radio.

"I still don't know why this hasn't been reported before." Emily was saying to the officer in charge. "You must have noticed something was odd."

"To be honest missy, I never really took much notice of it before. Never realised there were so many." He stood shaking his head and scratching his chin looking puzzled by what he was looking at.

They walked into the forest. Gideon walking in front with Hotch close behind. The smell was unbelievable. A rather sick mixture of decomp, rotting pumpkins, and a sort of mouldy odour. Some of the scarecrows had real heads. Rotting heads, of real people. Some of them had limbs. Some of them had feet still in the shoes. Nearly all of them had some body part attached. Those that didn't probably had done once, but had been taken by animals.

They could hear the occasional "Oh my god." And other curses as different people found different bits of different victims. What the team were just not able to understand was how this had gone on for so long and no one had thought to see what it was.

Why had this place not been searched when the people got reported missing? And how many victims were there here? Was each one a different vic, or had the unsub mixed the parts around? At this point they had no idea.

It seemed to be quicker this time reaching the tree where they had found Reid's things. There was something pinned to the tree.

Morgan went to move forwards quickly but was stopped by Gideon.

"Wait." Was all Jason said.

Emily took pictures and Hotch and Gideon walked slowly forwards to see what it was a picture of. It had been printed off then laminated. It showed Reid laying down in a dark room wearing just sweatpants. He wasn't shackled or tied up in the picture, and sitting with her back to the camera was what appeared to be a little girl. The way he was splayed out on the floor of the room it was not possible to say if he was dead or alive. His eyes were closed, but his mouth seemed to be open in a silent still scream.

Gideon snatched the picture from the tree and saw that under it was a letter addressed to Hotch. He took the letter in his gloved hands and passed it over to Hotch. He opened it carefully.

Hotchner, go back to the hotel. There is something waiting for you there.

He silently handed the letter over to Gideon. Emily read it over his shoulder, and JJ just stood and stared at the picture. They all suddenly regretted not leaving someone behind at the hotel. Morgan was moving at a run back the way they came.

"Oh god, the unsub has killed him." Moaned JJ, and she seemed to go a bit wobbly on her feet.

"I don't think so JJ." Gideon said, "In fact I know he hasn't. They are playing games. If they kill Reid the game is over and they are still playing with us."

With that Gideon started to walk briskly back to the cars.

So the search was called off yet again. They all noticed how they never seemed to get further than the tree, but still again they didn't feel compelled to go beyond it. No one mentioned this. They just ignored it and went back to the hotel.

Waiting for them was another letter. Printed again. Hotch opened it and inside was a party invite.

To, Agents Hotchner, Gideon, Morgan, Prentiss and Jareau.

You are invited to a party in the cottage garden.

Just follow the tree.

They were going to a party.

Morgan contacted Garcia to see if there was any news on anything from the DVD to help them.

"I have looked at that recording and put it through every test and whatnot that you can even begin to understand, and nada. There is no background noise. There are no distinguishing features showing in the room. No windows, nothing. Just what you can see. Only what you can hear. It's wrong. There should be something in the background. Some static even, but nothing."

……………

Reid was wearing the strange clothes again, but the waistcoat was laying over the fence and he was wearing a blue t-shirt. He was smiling and pushing the princess on her swing. She was wearing denim shorts with over the knee socks (one blue/green stripes, and one red/black spots), she had her favourite silver sandals on and a much too small for her pink shirt which was popping open at the tummy. Her hair was matted and dirty, and she had done her makeup with lots of black eyeliner and too much lipstick. It was badly done and very smudged and she was covered in ground in filth. She smiled with a smile that was too big, as she kicked her legs out to go higher and higher.

The man was standing watching and making little animals out of twisted paper.

It was her birthday and she intended on enjoying her present to the full. Floyd had arranged more guests it was just going to be so much fun. She giggled and drooled in excitement.

"Push harder Spencer!" she laughed, and he did.

Reid couldn't feel the liquid oozing from his back onto the t-shirt. He couldn't feel the agony of his split flayed skin. All he could feel was happiness that the princess was having a good day today. He was also looking forward to the guests arriving. He had no idea who it would be. Different faces would be nice for a change, as long as she was happy. As long as he entertained her and she didn't get bored.

Floyd came over to Reid and put some little things in his hands. "Put them in your trouser pockets, you might need them later."

And smiling Reid did as he was told, as his skin cracked and wept and bled onto his shirt. The man then put a baseball bat into Reid's hand. "Purely for entertainment value, I think it would amuse the princess if you used this later." And with a smirk he walked back into the house.

The birds weren't singing. It was a world with just the princess and Reid, and he liked it and wanted nothing to spoil it. She was singing a song and smiling her big sharp toothy smile, and she was waiting to un-wrap Reid properly tonight. Body and soul.

Suddenly the child leapt off the swing, and ran towards the gate "They're coming!" she shouted.

And Reid could hear people walking quickly towards the garden.

And Floyd was suddenly there again, smoking a cheroot, offering up a paper gift and warning Reid. "Protect her."

Reid nodded and took a step forwards placing his hand on the girls shoulder and gripped the bat tightly in his hand.