A/N A bit shorter today – I am so tired!

THE VILLAGE
Chapter 10
Reunion

When in Rome do as the Romans do – old English proverb

Morgan and Rossi entered the forest with a certain amount of trepidation. These trees shouldn't exist. The Nevada desert was quite large, (Reid could tell you exactly how large) but not large enough to hide a forest and a village. They both felt wrong, but neither voiced their feelings.

The forest floor was quite overgrown, and like Julia not being dressed for a walk in the desert, they weren't dressed for walking through the forest. The plants seemed almost alive in the way they stretched out their fingers and caught hold of bare skin when ever they could. It wasn't long before they were both badly scratched and wishing they had jackets with them. It wasn't long though before the trees thinned out and the forest changed to more temperate woodlands. They stopped short of the village and watched for a few moments before entering. Neither had got used to this yet, and didn't quite understand what they were seeing.

It looked like a cross between an Amish village and a medieval English town.

In the middle of the Nevada Desert.....

Dave took out his phone and took some photographs – no one would believe it!

'Let's go and introduce ourselves.'

The two men stepped out of the trees. The people on the green gradually became quiet as they noticed their visitors one by one. A man stepped forwards out of the crowd. He was wearing a long coat and carried a club in his left hand. Rossi stepped forward and extended his hand. The man shook hands with his right hand while he swung the club with his left. The last thing he noticed before his head was cracked open was Aaron's gun on his belt.

Morgan pulled his gun and pointed it at the head of the attacker. The crowd closed in behind him.

'Go ahead', he said, 'and shoot. But take a look around and see how many of us you can take out before you are killed where you stand.'

Morgan slowly lowered his weapon and dropped it on the floor. It was picked up by one of the villagers..

'Your sort is not welcome here, but now that you have found us, you and your 'familiar' will be kept in holding until we know how to dispose of you.'

Morgan was grasped by the arms from behind, and dragged away. Dave was pulled along the ground and both men were thrown into a small stone built hut by the green. As soon as the door closed, leaving them in pitch darkness, Morgan crawled over the floor to find Rossi.

Dave was out cold. Morgan touched the side of his head and felt blood. He checked his pulse and it was just a little faster than normal. He took off his shirt and rolled it into a pillow to support Dave's head, and he sat leaning against the wall, waiting for him to come around.

'He's got Hotch's gun.' Dave said into the darkness. Morgan crawled over to him.

'You ok Dave? We have to get out of here, get Hotch and Reid, and go.'

'We at least know they were here.' Dave sat up. 'Do you have your gun?'

'No they took it.'

'Mine too.' Dave said. 'So we use our wits. Let's go.'

Shakily he stood on his feet. He was glad it was dark and Morgan couldn't see how much pain he was in. Morgan was at the door. It was locked but they expected that. Morgan stood back and ran at the door, hitting it with hios shoulder. The first time the door didn't move, but it did the second time. The third time Dave heard a splintering sound. The two of them pushed the door and it opened.

Night was on their side – a strong moon shone in the sky, and they ran silently to the trees, after pushing the door closed.

'How did the woman describe the oubliette building?' Morgan asked.

'Brick and stone, at the edge of the village.'

'So we circumnavigate the village until we come across it. By the looks of it all the other buildings are of wood.'

'Except our little prison.' Dave said. 'How's the shoulder?'

'About as good as your head.' he answered.

Carefully, keeping to the shadows, the two men crept around the edge of the village. It was Morgan who saw the Building they were searching for first.

'So how do we get in?'

'Through the door. We might need your other shoulder.'

They bent forwards and ran to the door.

It was a heavy wooden door. Morgan expressed doubt that he would be able to break it open.

It was Dave who turned the handle and pushed it open.

-0-0-0-

Aaron and Spencer hadn't moved. Aaron was breathing shallowly and Spencer tried to feel the beating of his heart with his hands against his chest, but it was too weak for him to find. He could feel the warmth of flowing blood between them, and was aware of his own blood loss.

Somehow, he had to get Aaron away from here, but he had no idea how he was going to do it. There was no way out of the oubliettes until the men came to take what they wanted from them, and then the ladder would be lowered. That was their only chance of escape.

But there would be three of them, and he had no chance against three opponents.

He rested his head in Aaron's matted hair and tried to think They could only come down thwe ladder in single file. That is when they are the most vulnerable. As soon as the ladder is down. He crawled to what he thought was the centre of the room. He could see the flickering shadows of the torch on the floor. He hated leaving Hotch – He had to prise his fingers off him, and he made a small sound of protest as he left him alone on the cold hard floor.

Aaron instinctively curled his body protectively. Reid crouched in the centre of the room.

There was a sound above him. The sound of the door opening. Hotchner cringed at the sound. He knew what followed. Surely it hadn't been a whole day yet – they only came once a day.......

Sounds of people talking, the clanging sound as the grating was dropped back, and the scraping sound of the ladder as it was lowered.

Reid was ready. He was ready.

-0-0-0-

The smell in the hovel was overpowering – smells of death and the near dead and human waste. The jailer was surprised to see the two strangers – he knew they weren't from the village. Rossi walked up to him confidently as if he had a question for him,

'Excuse me sir, we seem to have got lost.'

and the smiling jailer got a punch on the nose.

'Quickly, Derek, open the hatch, I'll get the ladder.'

Morgan opened the grating and let it drop back. Dave took the torch from the sconce and lowered the ladder and began his descent into the hell hole. He was almost reached the bottom when something jumped at him. He dropped the torch and hands around his neck tightened, and the rope that held the hands together pressed into his throat.

His hands went to the ropes, and pulled at the arms pressing either side of his neck. he managed to choke out, 'Derek.... help...' as his vision, such as it was in the now pitch dark room, started to fade.

Morgan skid down the ladder and dragged Reid off Dave, who collapsed in a heap in the dirt and squalor on the floor. Reid jumped at the second man. He thought the first was incapacitated. This second guy was strong though, and he no longer had surprise on his side. The big man held a squirming Reid by the upper arms and shook him.

'Reid, it's us. Dave and Morgan!' he shouted at his stunned colleague. 'Now are you going to let me check on Dave?'

'Dave and Morgan?' Reid repeated, not sure if he understood. 'Oh god I'm....'

'Never mind that.' Morgan said, letting go of Reid and going to Dave's side. Dave was recovering and was on his hands and knees, coughing onto the floor.

'Now where is Hotch? Is he here?'

'Over here.' Reid said, thinking he was hallucinating. Dave and Derek went to his side and lifted him between them. He was unconscious, but they couldn't help him until they could see what they were doing.

Rossi went up the ladder first, and Reid followed him. Morgan lifted Aaron onto his shoulder and carried him out of the oubliette.

The jailer was still out cold, and they left the building.

The position of the building, right close to the forest ring, made it easy to escape to. They ran to the trees and threw themselves down in the bracken.

The sun was starting to rise, and the eerie night shadows were slowly being replaced by the colours of day. They laid Hotch out on the ground and checked him. A head injury, broken arm and collar bone, multiple fractures of the fingers. Internal bleeding from multiple rapes, and ulcers and sores on his legs. He was breathing, although not smoothly, and he had a strong but erratic pulse. He was still wearing the coat, although it was now ripped and filthy. Reid was wearing a torn shirt. Reid took it off and wrapped it around his hips and paced.

'We can't stay here.' he said. 'They have dogs.'

Dave stood up, rubbing his neck.

'Let's move then, we need to keep going.'

Gently Dave lifted Hotch. He was feeling dizzy still from the crack on the head, and being throttled by Spencer. As they walked through the woods, he glanced at him Rossi was surprised that Reid had the strength. For field work agents had to pass certain physical tests – but still, Dave always assumed he had a way of passing without actually doing anything. He had definitely underestimated the boy!

The trees got bigger and closer together as they traversed the ring, and it wasn't easy to keep together. They heard the dogs in the distance, and they all thought at the same moment that they had no weapons. Morgan pulled a thin branch off a tree and as he walked he pulled leaves and shoots off it. He would go down fighting. They were not going to take him again so easily.

They continued on, the sounds of the dogs quickening their pace, and behind the dogs, the sound of the crowd following them.