CHAPTER TEN

Both Mullin and Vanessa were absent from the hallways, and they only found a few officers on the way to the interrogation room. The found the first two around the first corner, two bodies splayed on the ground, an aggressive splattering of blood decorating both walls and the floor. The four officers in their group displayed visible reactions to their comrades deaths, but everyone continued onwards.

They opened every door they passed, clearing the room before returning to their journey. They found another officer dead in one of the offices, her neck slit over the desk. A few doors down they found a live officer, a man identified as 'Spike' when Carr saw him and ran into the room. The man had obviously encountered the demon, his backwards leg a testament to that.

"Just wanted to fuckin' play with me," Spike growled, accepting Garcia's shoulder to lean against. "I was with Orion and Madison, but they got dragged off by something. And that bitch witch stole my gun."

They saw another officer before they reached the interrogation room, but he was flipping out and just screamed at them when Hotch tried to calm him down. The man flipped them off, swore at them, and ran down the hallway they had just come from.

The group made it to the interrogation room without running into Mullin or Vanessa, and they shuffled into the center of the room with a vaguely lost feeling. Spike was laid onto the floor, propped up against the wall and shifted into a position where his backwards leg wasn't agitated. Endorphins were keeping him from curling in on himself in a sobbing mess, but Reid could see the thin sheen of sweat and the pale pallor of his face that he hadn't noticed when they were on the move.

There was a moment of silence before Prentiss cleared her throat. Reid looked up at her, then noticed all the eyes on him. He shifted nervously under their gaze as he realized they were looking to him to find out what to do. He was the one who knew what was going on, and he was the one that needed to lead them.

He swallowed a thickness in his throat and spoke up, cursing the crackle that escaped with his first words, "We need to make a salt line. We can do that for the hallway, seal off this corridor. Um, I'll reinforce the room with some devil's traps, so, um, just sit tight."

He knew he wasn't very convincing as a leader, that they needed someone more fearless than him to look up to, but Reid couldn't pretend. He was scared. He was facing against one of the strongest supernatural creatures there were out there for the first time, and he was severely unprepared. The only way they could defeat the demon themselves would be through an exorcism, which would be difficult to manage even if they lured him into a devil's trap. Dean and Sam were trapped outside of the building, with their magic bullets and demon-killing knife, and while they would probably find a way to get through the barrier, there was no way to know how long it would take.

Reid directed Wolfes and Emory towards where he wanted the salt line, making sure to tell everyone that it was not to be broken even slightly. He walked towards the two way mirror the looked into the interrogation room and pulled out the piece of paper Dean had drawn on. He uncapped the smelly marker and started on the devil's trap, glancing at the paper to make sure he was getting it right. He wasn't sure if putting the trap on the window would do any good, but it was good practice and let himself calm down, stop his hands from shaking so much.

The officers had finished salting a three inch thick line across the narrow hallway by the time Reid was starting on writing the letters in the outer circle. They peered over his shoulders at them, but offered no distractions other than a quick clap on the shoulder before they turned to the hallway and kept a careful eye out for any movement.

Eventually, Reid was satisfied with his circle and moved to do the same in the doorway, filling up all the space possible. The ambient sounds were muffled in that corridor, and the squeaking of his marker seemed too obnoxious in the tense silence. JJ walked over, her heels too loud, and she crouched across from him on the other side of the circle.

"Hey," she said softly. "How are you holding up?"

"Fine," he said shortly, tucking a lock of hair behind his ear. "Understandably freaked out, but at least now I know I'm not crazy." He glanced up at her with a self-deprecating smile, turning his real relief into a little joke. JJ smiled sadly and nodded, pursing her lips.

"Are our chances of survival good?" she whispered, her voice almost too soft for him to hear.

Reid hesitated, giving his devil's trap his full attention as he tried to make his pentacle's lines as straight and smooth as possible. "I don't know," he said after a short silence, his voice as quiet as JJ's had been. "There aren't any surveys done about the statistics of supernatural attacks, and the only chance we have of killing the demon ourselves is to exorcise it."

"Could we do that?"

He shrugged. "Potentially. I mean, I know the words, but unless we actually trap the demon in one of these devil's traps, he'll be able to attack me mid-exorcism. Our best chance is to gather as many people as we can save and keep them here until the Winchesters break the barrier and kill the demon themselves."

JJ was silent, eyes downcast as she watched Reid finish off the scorpion in the center of the trap. She sighed heavily, then looked up at him with a tired smile. "So you know how to perform an exorcism?"

Reid flushed. "I may have looked it up after I came to the conclusion that the supernatural existed."

JJ chuckled and patted his shoulder, standing up as she did so. Reid glanced up and stopped her. "Wait, since you're up," He paused to shuffle around in his bag and pulled out the can of spray paint. "Could you cover the two-way mirror with this? I don't want anyone to be able to spy on us without our knowledge."

"Good idea," she said as she took the can. She shook it as she walked away, the clacking sound echoing throughout the room. Reid finished up with the devil's trap as she began spraying the black paint all over the mirror and re-entered the room, stepping over the trap so as to not smudge any of the still wet lines.

He walked to the congregation of agents and officers who seemed to be discussing what formations they should use when searching the building. Spike couldn't go anywhere on that leg of his, and Morgan's arm was still causing him trouble, so it was obvious they would be staying in the interrogation room. Garcia would as well, and while Quinn had composed herself well enough, she was too scared to leave.

"We'll go in groups of four," Hotch said. "That should give us enough people to cover all directions and remain relatively safe. Reid, Emory, Prentiss, and I will head out first and start trying to find survivors. JJ, Wolfes, Carr, and Rossi will stay back here until necessary. Keep an eye out for any movement."

There was some argument, mostly from Morgan who insisted he was well enough to leave the room, but eventually they all agreed that Hotch's plan was best. JJ returned from the mirror, which Reid glanced at. It was completely covered, paint reaching out to coat the edges of the wall the window was framed in. Nobody would be able to use to watch them without their knowledge, and the dark paint obscured the devil's trap on the other side without breaking the drawing. He didn't know how effective it would be at capturing the demon, since it wasn't something the man would step on or under, but it was better than nothing.

The two officers outside returned when called and agreed to the plan. Wolfes returned to his position a foot inside the salt line, his gun drawn and bottle of holy water in hand. Emory led Reid, Hotch, and Prentiss out of the room, all of them careful not to smudge any of their protections. They walked slowly down the hall, guns held at the ready. Reid held his water bottle out instead, keeping only one hand on his gun, knowing what would do the most damage if face-to-face with Mullin.

The first corridor was clear, which was no surprise, as it was the one they had previously walked through. They branched off into a different direction, heading towards the chief's office, if Emory's directions were to be believed, and looking into rooms as they passed. They found empty rooms more often than not, but there were more corpses than survivors. The first body they found had all his limbs twisted and a number of cuts randomly crisscrossing over his body. They were too shallow for his death to have been quick, but he thought the man might have passed out from the pain and bled to death while unconscious.

The second body was less like a body and more like a mess. Blood splattered the entire room, and fleshy globs hung from the chairs and lamps. The third body they found in the hallway, and she was simply riddled with bullets.

"Madison," Emory growled, looking at the expression on the older woman's face, her chocolate brown hair pillowed behind her. It was one of the officers that had been with Spike.

"Her gun's missing," Prentiss noted, her eyes roving swiftly over the body.

"Spike said his gun was taken by Vanessa," Hotch said. "It's likely she was the one to kill Madison."

"Her damn witchcraft wasn't good enough for her?" Emory said, turning his back on the body, his eyes looking down the corridor, searching for anything to distract him from his murdered comrade.

"Vanessa probably won't be able to perform any witchcraft here," Reid said, looking around as well. "It requires magical items and rituals, and it's highly doubtful that either she or Mullin had the forethought or capabilities to bring any of the materials in with them."

"And she knew that," Prentiss said, nodding. "So she stole a couple of guns."

"Well at least that's a more normal unsub to deal with," Hotch muttered. "Let's keep going."

The next person they came across was alive. A rookie cop who was hiding in the bathroom, and shot at them when he heard them enter. Lucky for them, his panic made him a horrible shot, and there were only a few grazes. There was a silent agreement that he was to be taken straight to the safe room, so Prentiss talked to him and calmed him down so they could convince him to walk with them to a place he would be safe.

On the walk back they had to stop at one point, the sharp clack of footsteps echoing down the hall. The pace suggested a casual walk, so they were wary, but the footsteps faded without anyone seeing anything. They returned to the interrogation room, the officers giving each a slight wave upon catching each other's eyes. The group of four stepped back, letting their newest addition pass the salt line and the devil's trap first, breathing a sigh of relief when he passed without problem.

Garcia made a fuss when she saw Emory and Prentiss had gotten some bloodstains on their sleeves from their grazes, but they were thin and had already stopped bleeding. Reid suggested to Hotch they keep an eye out for any first aid equipment they might find. It was an easy agreement.

JJ walked up to him while the new officer was getting settled. She held the paint can in her hand. "I didn't know if you wanted it back."

Reid paused, but took it and stuffed it in his bag. "Might need it," he mumbled, flashing her a thankful smile.

The group of four returned to the corridors, but they held doubts about how many more survivors they would find. The sirens coming from outside showed that there were plenty of cops on shift that had been out on patrol, and there were only so many officers in the building. Seven were already confirmed dead. They had six working with them. More officers had been called on duty during the murders committed by Vanessa Barsky, but Reid doubted there were any more than five more officers in the building at the moment.

It wouldn't be long before the demon targeted their large group.

A scream pierced his thoughts, and the group surged forward, tracking the sound of a young man begging for his life. They rounded a corner and saw him, blond hair and freckled face firmly planted against the floor as he was dragged into a room. He was crying and clawing at the ground, scrambling for purpose. His eyes lifted and he saw the agents as he pressed against the door frame

"Please," he sobbed. "Help me!"

With a sharp tug, he was pulled into the room and out of sight, even as the group hurried closer. The wood of the door frame broke away from the wall, clasped in his hand. Reid clutched his water bottle even harder, the cap almost falling off from how loose it was.

They turned to the room, seeing Mullin perched on top of the chief's desk with his hand stretched out towards the wall, where the officer was pinned by an invisible force. The demon was looking at the agents in the doorway with a smirk on his face and a tilted head.

"My, my," he said, his soft voice practically purring the words. "Grouping together? Looks like you have better survival skills than most of these officers here."

"And the ones who do group together you rip apart, eh?" Emory spat out, his gun aimed at the demon's face. Reid glanced around, trying to figure out how he could get close enough to splash the holy water at the demon.

Mullin smiled and twitched his fingers, bringing the pinned officer into his hand. He held him by his jaw, but the man had his feet on the ground. "It's so much more fun, killing them off one-by-one. Little, stupid, ignorant humans who don't know how to defend themselves."

"Orion!" Emory shouted, lowering his gun to avoid hitting the struggling man.

Orion flailed, kicking his legs against the desk to push himself away from the demon, while he raised a hand to the grip on his jaw, trying vainly to pry the fingers off. Mullin grinned and squeezed even harder, a fingernail puncturing the man's cheek. Orion gave a strangled cry, then brought his other arm up to hit the demon's chest with the broken piece of door frame in his hand.

A piece of door frame that had been held together with iron nails.

The demon hissed and let go abruptly, tossing Orion away as he curled around his midsection. Reid didn't waste the chance and dashed forwards, tossing his holy water straight onto the demon's head. Smoke rose and Mullin cried out in pain.

"Exorcizamus te, omnis immundus spiritus omnis satanica potestas," Reid began saying, speaking as fast as he could while still pronouncing the words correctly. Mullin screamed and turned around, the flesh on his face still sizzling. He pushed out with one hand, shoving Reid across the room. He heard the other members of his team yell his name, then more screaming from Mullin.

He pulled himself up with a wince, his ribs bruised, and saw the other members of the group standing around Mullin, their water bottles at the ready and already half empty. He continued the exorcism chant.

"Vade, Satana, inventor et magister omnis fallaciae, hostis humanae salutis. Humiliare sub potenti manu dei, contremisce et effuge, invocato a nobis sancto et terribili nomine, quem inferi tremunt."

Mullin snarled and threw his power around even as the exorcism sapped it away. Prentiss was thrown almost as far as Reid, but she rolled out of it and returned to the group even though her water bottle was empty. Orion had joined them, wielding his stick with the tiny iron nails in it. Mullin growled and shoved them all out of the way and leaped out of the way of another splash of water. He pinned Reid to the ground and snarled at him, a terrifying sight of black eyes and sizzling flesh. Black smoke was already starting to leak out of his mouth, barely held in by sheer force of will.

"Shut up!" he yelled, moving his hands to Reid's throat to stop the flow of Latin that kept coming out. "Shut up, shut up, shut up!"

Reid gasped for air. His teammates were either dazed on the floor, or trying to pull the demon off him while being repelled by the demon's power. His hands scrambled on the floor around him, hoping to find a bottle with at least a little water left in it. He felt a cylinder and grabbed it, but it was the can of spray paint, having rolled out of his bag upon his impact with the floor.

Having nothing else to do but be choked to death, Reid shook the can and brought it up to the demon's eyes, spraying the liquid straight into his face. Shocked, Mullin reeled backwards and Hotch was able to grab him and throw the demon away from Reid, who greedily sucked in air. He barely waited before he was sure he could talk without collapsing into a coughing mess before he continued the exorcism.

"Terriblis Deus de sanctuario suo. Deus Israhel ipse truderit virtutem et fortitudinem plebi Suae," he gasped out, using Hotch as a crutch to get to his feet. "Benedictus deus. Gloria patri."

Mullin screamed and threw his head back, a jet of black smoke spewing from his mouth and falling downwards, dissipating into the floorboards beneath their feet. They watched warily until the vessel fell forwards, blood seeping from his numerous bullet holes.

"Is that it then?" Emory asked after a moment of silence.

Reid coughed, leaning heavily against Hotch. Judging from the worried look on his boss's face, he could only imagine how bad his neck looked. "Maybe," he said, worry niggling at the back of his mind. "Is the barrier still out there?"

Prentiss walked over to the window and jammed her hand outside. She was knocked onto her back, and everyone gave a small groan of frustration. She stood up and dusted herself off, wincing from the bruises Mullin inflicted on her. "There's still Vanessa out there, too. Unless someone else got her."

"We'll go back to the safe room," Hotch said. "Take a breather."

There was a round of agreement, though Emory had them wait a little while longer as he raided the chief of police's desk. He returned with some granola bars and bags of chips, as well as a small first aid kit, which they all packed into Reid's bag before they made their way out of the room.

Prentiss led, while Hotch followed, Reid still leaning against him for support. His legs felt like jelly and his throat and chest burned with every breath. Emory helped Orion along in the back, though the other man did not need as much help as Reid did. He clutched his piece of door frame like a sword and wiped away dried tears as they walked.

"I just want this to be over," he mumbled to Emory as they walked, and the other man squeezed his arm.

"It will be."