CHAPTER NINE
"I don't think this is a very good idea," Spencer called out to his boss. He wasn't sure if Hotch was thinking straight. The two of them following a killer on their own, without their weapons, didn't make sense.
"If the snow in these clouds start falling, we might never find out where the unsub is hold up," Hotch responded as he continued to walk in the tracks.
While the tracks made it easier to walk without getting his shoes full of snow, Reid was acutely aware of the fact that the span between steps was just a little more than he would normally take. That meant the person they were following was taller than either of them. Having been traveling with a basketball team, that didn't really narrow things down but it was still a detail he stashed away for further analysis.
"The snow hasn't started falling yet," Reid said. "When it does, we could get lost out here."
Hotch didn't respond. He simply kept walking. Walking seemed to take some of the ache out of his hip and was warming him up as well. He was only vaguely aware of the cold wind that was whistling down the valley against their backs.
Frustrated and scared, Reid continued to follow his boss. It seemed like the best alternative at the moment. He knew that didn't say much for the alternatives available to them. With his right hand, Reid caught hold of the top of his jacket and held it shut. A chill was passing down his throat to his chest. The cold seemed to be taking up residence in his bones. Sighing, Reid struggled to keep up.
OOOOO
The clouds made the world gradually darken around them. Reid was becoming more and more uncomfortable with the whole situation. The valley they were following was slowly getting wider. They were still above the snowline so all they saw around them were the bare rock walls, ice and snow. The chill blowing down his jacket had ceased but the young genius still felt like an ice cube.
"Hotch!" Reid called out to the dark shape now ten yards in front of him. Despite the older man's hip, he had continued to increase the distance between them. Reid was finding it harder and harder to keep up. He wasn't sure if it was because of the high altitude, his concussion, lack of food and water or just a natural response to the trauma they'd survived. Whatever it was, he desperately hoped it would go away.
The older man didn't appear to hear him. His head down, Hotch was concentrating on seeing the tracks in the dim light. One part of Hotch's mind knew he was being irrational and putting both of their lives in danger but it was the other part of him that was currently in control. One foot in front of the other, he continued along the valley floor. The snow was deep, up to mid thigh at times, other time it was ankle deep. Dimly, he heard a voice behind him. Coming to a halt, Hotch painfully turned in his tracks to stare at the dark figure several feet behind him.
"Hotch, we need to get back to the plane before nightfall. We're going to free otherwise," Reid called out. Fear was taking up permanent residence in his mind. It created an annoying buzzing sound that kept him from thinking things completely through. All he knew for sure was that he didn't want to freeze out here.
"We're almost there," Hotch called back. The more logical part of his mind took in Reid's appearance. The kid was beyond cold. Even in the dim light and the distance between them, he could see patches of white starting on Reid's cheeks and nose. He was becoming frost bitten. Bringing his hand out, Hotch touched his own face. There were numb patches there too. Damn.
Indecision burned through the Unit Chief. They'd moved too far from the plane to get back there before dark. The fact that they didn't have a flashlight meant that there was a chance they'd get lost once what little light was currently available was gone. A shiver passed through his body. They really were in trouble. Turning back toward the end of the valley, Hotch tried to think. He could hear Reid coming up behind him.
"Hotch, we're in trouble," Reid stated simply when he reached the older man. The fact that Hotch seemed to be at a loss sent Reid's level of fear several notches higher. Hotch was standing still, staring off in the distance. The wind had increased and the temperature had dropped. Reid knew they were in real danger of freezing to death. "We need to get going."
With a physical shake of his body, Hotch pulled himself out of his lethargy. Berating himself for allowing them to get into this situation in the first place really wasn't going to get them anywhere. Instead, he turned his attention to their surroundings. In the dim light, he scanned the nearest valley wall. They needed to get out of the wind ASAP. The patches of numb skin on his cheeks were slowly spreading. He was certain there were other patches on his legs, arms and back under the material of his clothes but he didn't have the strength to bother to check.
"There," Hotch said. While scanning the valley wall, he'd seen a dark spot. Hoping against hope, he moved out of the tracks and made for the area. He could hear Reid crunching through the snow behind him. After what felt like an eternity, the two men reached the wall. Reaching out, Hotch found a hole in the rock.
"Hotch?" Reid asked, unsure that this was a better idea than freezing. He'd just noticed that theirs weren't the only tracks leading to this cave. Without seeming to hear his young agent, Hotch crouched low to get through the hole and began climbing inside. "Hotch!"
Unsure of what else to do, Reid practically dove into the hole as Hotch's legs disappeared. As bad an idea as this was bound to be, he wasn't about to be left outside by himself. As soon as his head passed through the hole, all light disappeared. Fear spiked even further. As illogical as it was, Reid had an intense fear of the dark or, as he says, the complete lack of light. His chest tightening in reaction to the adrenalin passing through his system, Reid scrambled as fast as he could through the hole. Under his cold fingers he could feel gravel, then dirt.
Finally, he burst through the small confined space out into a much larger one. It took a few heartbeats for his heart to slow down enough for him to realize that something was wrong, very wrong. In a place where it should have been pitch black, he could see light. In the middle of the cave was a low fire that threw flickering images along the rock walls.
It took another four heartbeats for Reid to realize what he was seeing lumped on the ground between him and the fire. In the light from the flames, he could just make out Hotch's face. His boss was sprawled in the dirt, unconscious. Then darkness descended on Reid as pain exploded in his skull.
OOOOO
The storm had slowed them down. As much as Morgan had threatened, begged and pleaded, he couldn't get a helicopter pilot to take them up to the coordinates. Even skidoos were out of the question simply because of the amount of time it would take to get there. Instead, the FBI agents were forced to spend the night at the ranger station that housed the helicopter and its crew.
"We'll head out at first light," the pilot reassured the agents. He understood all too well their concern. He knew that if anyone had survived the plane crash that their survival time was very limited because of the cold. He could only hope that they had found shelter and some way to stay warm. The last thing he wanted was to add himself and his crew to the list of the missing by taking off in dangerous weather.
"We'll be ready," Emily assured the man. Outside the wooden structure she could hear the wind roaring around the building. Another storm had moved in. As much as she wanted to find Hotch and Reid and make sure they were safe, she also knew they didn't need to go off half cocked and create another group of people that needed to be rescued off these mountains. Looking around at Morgan, who was pacing menacingly around the room and Rossi, who was sitting quietly by the fire place staring at the flames, she hoped that they had enough time.
OOOOO
"Where pretty?" Emily asked. The toddler had spent most of the day wandering around the interior of the plane, finding interesting things to play with. Her personal favourite was a basketball that had survived the crash. If the sound of the ball ricocheting off the walls and ceiling bothered anyone they hadn't said anything. It was too much fun watching the girl and listening to her giggles.
Tobey and the others had returned just before dark, their arms loaded with too small, dry branches they'd scavenged off low growing shrubs. It was the best they could do but at least it was better than nothing. Laura looked down at her daughter. Emily's brown eyes were troubled in her upturned round face and she was no longer smiling.
"What's wrong, Emily?" Laura asked as she crouched down to face her child. She had no idea what was bothering her child. Or, more likely, she had a huge list and wasn't sure which one she was referring to.
"Pretty," Emily said, staring intently at her mother. When her mother looked back at her with somewhat of a blank expression, the child squawked in annoyance. Holding up one chubby finger, she pointed at the seat that Reid had slept in the night before. "Pretty."
Following her child's finger, Laura stared at the empty chair. Her stomach plummeted. With everything that had been going on and just trying to survive the day with her daughter, Laura hadn't had the time to think about the two FBI agents. Picking Emily up, Laura moved over to where Jake was again positioned by the entrance.
"Where are Agents Hotchner and Reid?" Laura asked the air marshal. "Everyone's inside and they're not here."
"Damn it," Jake swore as he pulled the barrier aside and stuck his head out of the interior of the plane. He too had had a busy day just trying to keep passengers from going hysterical and getting snow melted to water, etc, that he hadn't noticed the two men's absence. It was too cold and too dark to go looking for them. As hard as it was for him to make the decision, Jake knew he couldn't go outside and look for them. He had several other people to worry about. Besides, if anyone could survive a night on the mountain, it was probably them. Swallowing bile, Jake turned back to the young woman, sadness in his eyes. "If they don't get back by morning, I'll go look for them." It was the best he could do.
A/N: Thanks for the reviews! I'm grateful for you taking the time to let me know how I'm doing. Also, thank you to all of you who put this story on your alert list. I hope you enjoyed the chapter!
Susanne
