The Offering.
Leo Buscaglia: -Only when we give joyfully, without hesitation or thought of gain, can we truly know what love means.
Disclaimer: Criminal Minds is not mine.
Spencer felt the binding holding his hands rip into his wrist as he was dragged downwards. He let out a yelp of pain and surprise and suddenly the bindings snapped and he fell onto the hard-packed floor. The back of his head smacked and bounced and smacked again. He was then flipped onto this front, one arm was grabbed and he was dragged across the ground.
He hoped that whatever this was would drag him outside. At least then he could see what it was and begin to calculate how much time he had left to try to escape but he couldn't see the light, and the sounds of thunder became more distant and the air became stale and old and thick with the stench of death. He tried to call out for help, but with each noise he made the creature shook him. The fear that it would tear his arm off forced him into silence. For now.
Finally after what felt like an eternity of ripping pain he was released. As soon as his arm was released he started to drag himself away. He tried to stay silent knowing now that noise just made the thing more angry.
The pain across the back of his legs however forced an unwilling scream from him. Spencer had no intention of just laying there waiting for his fate. He was going to at least try to get away. Something hit him across the back and all movement stopped. He lay on hard rock floor and moaned as it smacked him again.
"Please no. Stop" in a voice barely audible. He could now feel his feet getting bound. "No no no" and he was kicking out. He stopped suddenly and lay.
"No!" The creature growled back. "Still." And pulled the socks off Reid's feet.
Reid tried now to twist to see what this was but even if he had managed it was total darkness. As he was lifted from the ground by his ankles and hung from a hook he had the nasty feeling that this was it. Game over. He closed his eyes tightly against the horror of being hung like a slab of meat and let the tears fall. He was against a wall –facing it. His fingers just touching the ground. One hand was pulled behind his back and he felt a sharp pain as something sharp dug into his wrist. What ever this was held his arm for a while. Squeezing just above the elbow and then released. He clamped a shaking hand over the wound as he heard the creature shuffling away.
…………………..
Hotch took one last look at the torn up body and ran after Flanders. The ran through the thunder storm. Beyond where they had found the body the trail had continued. The blood trail was back but now there were signs that the other body had been dragged this way too. Huge smears along the ground, but also the smaller splatters they had been following earlier.
Big drops of rain were making their ways through the trees as it gradually got darker. Hotch had no idea now how long they had been running for, but he was at the point where he was going to have to take a rest when Flanders suddenly stopped again. He moved up next to him and again felt Floyd put his hand on his arm and grip tightly.
"There is something. I can smell it." He whispered. "I smell fresh blood. A lot of fresh blood." He moved down to a crouch his hand sliding down and now gripping Aaron's hand. Hotch watched him sniff at the air and put the fingers of this other hand on the ground. Feeling for something. Feeling for movement. He stood again. "Move slowly." He dropped Aaron's hand and they moved on forwards. There was a huge old tree blocking direct route and the drag marks went around to the right of it. They moved slowly. Aaron making the occasional noise in the dead leaves, Floyd moved in total silence.
They stood and looked.
Laid out on the path was a carpet of green leaves. They had been carefully placed each slightly over lapping the next. They were big shiny waxy leaves and they held like a huge serving dish a puddle of fresh deep red blood. Around the edges were bits of torn flesh and standing central was a small metal beaker. The type you would take on a camping trip.
"What the hell?" Aaron muttered and moved his hand to grip Floyd's arm. He could feel Flanders was very slightly trembling.
"An offering." He said. "It is evolving."
"What? An offering? Evolving from what into what?"
Floyd turned to Hotch and frowned. "You don't have to watch but I think I need to do this." He moved forwards but Hotch didn't release him and moved forwards with him. The 'bowl' of blood was about three foot across and a couple of inches deep. Floyd crouched and Aaron moved to stand behind him. Aaron watched a shaking hand move over and pick up a lump of flesh. He put it slowly to his face and inhaled. "It's not Spence." He breathed. "This is female." He then moved his hand forwards and dipped it in the puddle of blood and moved it back to his face and slipped it into his mouth. "The blood belongs to the female too."
"Flanders. Spit it out." A hand on the top of Floyd's head. He could feel he was chewing.
"I said I need to do this. Close your eyes. Don't watch." Aaron did watch though. He watched the hand move over and pick up the beaker. It made a slurping noise as it squelched out of the mess it was sitting in. Floyd put it slowly to his mouth and drank. Aaron felt Floyd's body jerk and watched the beaker shake in his hand as the carefully put it down. "That however is definitely Spencer."
Floyd stood and looked around. "We are being watched. I can feel it." Flanders could feel something probing his mind – trying to get in – trying to contact, but it wasn't Reid. This was something bestial. Something primitive. Grabbed Aaron's arm again. "This isn't good. We need to hurry." He took a step forwards and felt something crack underfoot. He could hear a whooshing noise. Floyd spun and pushed Aaron hard to the side.
Aaron tripped back a couple of steps from Floyd. He heard the crack and he saw Floyd stagger forwards making an 'Umph' sound as something hit him. Ramming him up against the tree. He watched expecting him to fall, but he just stood and jerked again. Hotch watched Flanders for a second before he noticed the spike sticking out of his back.
He didn't say anything as Flanders turned his fact to look at Hotch. Floyd opened his mouth and coughed blood out and down his chin. He could see his hands trying to move up against the tree.
Hotch suddenly burst back into action and he moved forwards and put an arm around Floyd to take his weight. "Tell me what to do." Hotch could feel Floyd shaking.
"Get Spence." His voice was quiet and distant. "I think it will be safe. Go find him."
Aaron felt Floyd's hand move and grip hold of his shoulder. "I'll go. Soon." He put a hand around Flanders' head and pulled him closer. "Tell me how to help you."
"Leave me. I will be fine. Go help Spence. He will be scared. I'm not. Find him Agent Aaron Hotchner."
Hotch wanted to stay. He didn't want to leave this man to die pinned to a tree, but the possibility of helping him now was fading as he felt Floyd go limp in his arms.
He stepped back away from him, avoiding the feast which had been left and started to walk. His heart thumping, tears in his eyes Floyd's blood on his hands. "I'll come back for you Flanders." He said to himself as he took one last look and rounded the next bend.
………………………..
Once he was sure Hotch had gone and he could hear his footsteps pass into the forest he put his hands back up onto the tree trunk and started to push. He took a shaky step backwards pulling the spike back through slightly and then he smelt it again. That smell of death. That familiar smell. He felt the hands gripping him around his middle as he was ripped off the spike and thrown to the ground. He moaned and put a hand to the hole in his chest. Shaking he rolled over and looked into the face of the monster.
……………………….
Running through the forest eyes streaming with fear and guilt. He heard something behind him. It made him run faster. A mad panicked belting run. He heard the howls of an animal, the screams the sounds of something and someone in terrible pain. He could hear Floyd's scream of rage and he ran faster. Something glinting again. Wet from a drop of rain. A light blinking. He stopped and looked down. A cell phone? Slowly he picked it up and flipped it open. Reid's cell phone. His stomach knotted and turned and holding the treasure in his hand he chucked up onto the pathway. Not food, he had nothing left, but bile and stomach lining. Hotch went down to his knees holding the phone and listening to the terrible screams behind him. Thinking of Floyd and what must be happening to him brought fresh tears and a newly found surge of adrenaline. "I'm coming Spencer. I'm on my way." He pushed himself up again and started a slow jog forwards, trying to listen out for something behind him, but in a sick comforting way, all the time he could hear the screams he was safe.
………………………
