Chapter 110
Hotch froze and looked at the only way out of the room. He thought the roar sounded distant, but he couldn't be sure. He took a step towards the door, but another roar, closer that time, made him freeze again. He thought for a split second about hiding behind the basin, but he knew that if whatever was coming had any sense of smell that he'd be found. Shit!
The next roar sounded very close, and Hotch's eyes scanned the room as his mind raced to come up with something. When his eyes landed on the basin again, he cringed. Is that thing gone? He imagined some sort of being made entirely out of water lurking in the depths of it, and it made a shiver run down his spine. Hell, it could have even been an invisible mermaid for all I know.
He shook his head. Focus on the damn problem, Hotchner! His eyes roamed over the long grass and he thought that he might be able to hide in it, but that still wouldn't help if the beast could smell him. Well, I am mostly wet. That should help, right?
Another roar made him take a step toward the grass, but his eyes went back to the water and then up the waterfall. Hmmm. . . is whatever it is just in the basin, or can it go anywhere it wants as long as it's in the water? He moved closer to the waterfall. It went all the way to the top of the wall, and Hotch thought he could climb it, he just wasn't sure if he should.
He studied the rocks. There was just a thin sheet of water pouring down them, so he didn't think that would be a problem. The rocks didn't look slimy or anything, either. He took a deep breath. With as thick as its hand felt, there shouldn't be enough room in that small amount of water for it, and it apparently can't come out of the water or it would have gotten me even when I was on the ground.
A deep chuttering sound made him cringe. It's now or never, Hotchner. Taking another deep breath, he reached for the side of the basin and climbed onto it careful not to touch the actual pool of water in it. Besides, if I can make it to the top, I can travel up there and maybe find the damn exit. Hearing something scrape on the walls and then the clinking of metal in the passageway, made him start climbing.
About halfway up, he had to bite back a yelp because his hand slipped and got sliced open by a very sharp rock. He took a minute to check the wound which wasn't too bad, and then continued.
He was just able to pull his last leg up onto the top of the wall when a giant horn coming through the door announced the arrival of the creature. Hotch sunk down as low as he could hoping to not be seen. I know I haven't seen any horned beast yet, so it is something new.
Once the monster was completely in the room, Hotch shook his head in disbelief. What was standing below him sniffing the air was the strangest looking thing yet. Really, the warlock has a pet dinosaur? He silently rubbed his eyes, thinking that the water he had gotten in them was messing with his vision, but it was still there.
Below him, moving closer to the basin of water as it sniffed, was what Hotch could only think of as a horrified triceratops. It stood about five feet tall and was about six feet long not including its tail. It had all the typical characteristics of the museum replicated triceratops, but it definitely did not look like the mild-mannered species of the Jurassic Park movies that Hotch had watched with his family. The beast below him looked mean, evil, and its glowing blue eyes chilled Hotch even though the water still dripping from him was warm.
When the beast snorted some of the mud where Hotch had been standing, Hotch ducked back even more. Its eyes roamed over the room, and then settled on the basin. After sniffing around it for a few moments, it lifted its head and roared. Hotch cringed from the deafening sound, but he didn't dare move his hands to cover his ears. He wasn't sure if the beast knew that Copper had been taken by whatever was in the water and was mad, or if it was communicating with it. Hell, they're probably buddies since they share a room.
When the beast was done with it's tantrum, it turned to go towards the grass. Yeah, that's it, go take a nice nap. When Hotch was about ready to start moving, the beast sniffed the air again, and Hotch hunkered back down. It walked on heavy feet towards the waterfall, and Hotch bit his lip. You don't want what's up here. You want to take a nap. A big, ugly boy like you needs all the beauty sleep he can get.
The demented dinosaur sniffed around the base of the basin and then moved even closer to the wall where the waterfall was. When it actually reared up and put its front feet on the wet rocks, Hotch's eyes grew. Shit!
Its nostrils twitched, and when it's snout moved closer to the middle of the fall, Hotch mentally huffed. Son of a bitch! That's great, Hotchner! Leave a fucking calling card why don't you? It was obvious that the beast was smelling Hotch's blood, and when it found it, another roar escaped it as it licked the blood off the rock.
Hotch flinched back from the edge because with the beast standing the way it was, Hotch could clearly see all the teeth within the gapping maw below him. That's definitely not an herbivore! Not only did it have several rows of teeth like a shark, there wasn't a molar present as every tooth was a jagged fang of varying lengths.
Another roar, which sounded madder somehow, echoed from out of the room, and Hotch didn't even bother to see what the beast was doing, he just jumped up and started running.
His eyes frantically searched the area around him as he ran. Not only was he looking for the exit, but he was also looking out for the wraith because he knew being atop the walls left him exposed. He couldn't see much, though, because he no longer had the torch and there was an eerie mist hanging in the air. He wasn't sure if it was caused by the humidity of the water or by some darker cause, but he really didn't care. All he cared about was getting as far away from the monster with three horns as he could. What the hell would Copper call that thing, a triterrortops?
Despite everything, that thought made him chuckle. Really? A triterrortops? What the hell is wrong with you, Hotchner? He shook his head as he took another turn. Running on top of the walls was easier than he thought it would be, and he was actually making good progress.
After a few more moments, he made himself stop his flight of panic. As he tried to catch his breath, he listened for any sounds of the beast following him, but he couldn't hear anything. Maybe its still trying to get up the wall. Maybe it isn't smart enough to go back out the door.
He huffed. Right, Hotchner. Keep dreaming. He looked back the way he'd come and could just make out the faint glow of the fallen torch. He sighed and then looked around him. Maybe that's why the wraith hasn't shown up. Maybe it was drawn to Lenny's torch. He wasn't sure about that, but he took a deep breath and started walking again. As he thought about it, he huffed again. Maybe you should have thought about those things before you tossed the little guy up there!
He blew a breath out and then cringed at the silence that surrounded him. As much as he didn't want to admit it, being alone really bothered him. Maybe I should have just let that water monster take me. Maybe that would have been easier.
His brows furrowed as he took another turn. Can I even drown now? He knew he didn't have to breathe to survive, so he wasn't sure. When he suddenly pictured being eaten alive by a soggy, invisible monster, he shook his head. Just stop it, Hotchner! Focus on the problem at hand, not on the nightmares you can conjure up.
XXXXX
After finding out that the harvester was in northwestern Pennsylvania, everyone who had been at Kahlan's house borrowed the DNI's jet for the little over an hour flight to the Dubois Regional Airport north of Punxsutawney. From there, they jumped into waiting vehicles for the almost two-hour ride toward the supernatural black-market dealer. They rode in mostly silence as they were each lost in their own thoughts about what they may or may not find once they reached their target.
The team had given Rossi the go ahead to join Kahlan as their case seemed to be routine, and they'd promised to call him if they needed him. He knew they wouldn't, but it made him feel better about skipping out on them. He winced as he watched Kahlan staring out the window. Her leg was bouncing, and he wasn't sure if it was nerves or fear that was fueling the anxious behavior. When he was about ready to nudge her and ask, she turned to the back seat where the two older vampires were sitting.
"You will be able to sense if Aaron is even there when we get close, right?" she asked with furrowed brows.
"If he's close enough, but I thought the whole reason for the charade is that we think he holds them somewhere away from where you will be meeting him," Sebastian told her.
She huffed and turned back around.
He reached forward and put a gentle hand on her shoulder. "But if he is there, I will know it."
"And if he can sense him, we may not have to follow through with all this," Christian pointed out.
Kahlan only nodded and went back to staring out the window.
Sebastian's eyes locked with Rossi's in the rearview mirror, and his look told the profiler that he was wondering why she had asked. Rossi shrugged because he wasn't sure.
After finding a secluded spot a few miles from their destination, they all got out to prepare for the meet with the harvester, but before anyone could do or say anything, Kahlan's eyes locked with Sebastian's. He closed his eyes but after a moment, he opened them as he shook his head. "Sorry, my dear."
She shrugged. "It was worth a try."
Rossi pat her on the back. "Yes, it was."
Willie pulled the hunter's trunk out of the back of the SUV and sat it on the ground as if it only weighed a few pounds. He went to open it, but Sebastian pulled him back. Willie looked at him in confusion. "What?"
"We don't know what's in there," Sebastian pointed out. "Let one of them open it."
Chuck huffed. "You don't really think we've booby trapped it or anything, do you?"
The detective immediately started shaking his head. "Of course not, but even seeing some things can hurt us, and I don't know what's on the top in there."
Chuck shrugged and moved for the trunk. Once he was sure the vampires were far enough away, he opened it.
Christian and Sebastian peeked into it and then moved closer. "We're good."
Rossi dug into it and grabbed the jar of blood that Morgan had thrown to Hotch and gave it to Sebastian. "I think this is it but be careful. That stuff almost made Aaron toss his cookies."
Sebastian opened it with careful fingers and then immediately shut it again. "Yep, that's dead blood, and I think it's the most potent I've ever had the misfortune to come across," he explained as he handed it back to Rossi and then shot concerned filled eyes towards Willie.
"Grab that crossbow and those bolts, too," Willie told Chuck as he looked in the trunk.
Chuck did but looked at him with furrowed brows. "Why do I need those?"
Willie smirked. "You're going to have to shoot me with that, and the bolt's going to have to have that blood on it." When Kahlan looked about ready to object, he gave her a smile. "That bolt isn't bad. I'll heal."
She studied him and then looked at Sebastian. "What the hell is that blood going to do to him?"
"It's poison. It's going to hurt," he started and then took a deep breath, "and by the smell of it, it'll probably hurt a lot."
"Whatever can be put on that bolt will only hurt where the bolt hits. What they're going to inject in him is where the real pain will come from," Christian added.
Kahlan's eyes caught Rossi's, and he winced. "Can't he just pretend to be poisoned by it," he suggested knowing Kahlan didn't want any of them to be put through pain. She probably doesn't want to see it firsthand because of Hotch.
Willie shook his head. "No, it leaves its mark on our skin and such. There's no way to fake being dropped by that stuff."
Chuck ran a hand through his hair. "So I'm gonna shoot you with this bolt and then inject some of that shit into you, too?"
Willie nodded. "The bolt would drop me giving you enough time to attack with the syringe to truly put me down."
"Can't we just use the van and say he's in it?" Chuck tried.
"But we know this isn't where he holds his victims," Cam told him as he looked away from his screens. He had the man's place on satellite and the only thing within a five-mile radius was a small building that they figured was for drop offs and pick-ups.
"But if we say he's in the van, we could lure him out of the building and then you guys could swoop in and do your thing, or Kahlan could," Chuck reasoned.
"And if he won't come out of the building? That whole place is liable to be booby trapped against the supernatural," Christian put in.
"Let's just do what we have planned, please," Willie wanted.
After a deep breath, Kahlan nodded and walked towards him with the shackles she'd brought, but he shook his head. "You better wait until I'm out to put those on me."
"Why?"
"Because I'm liable to destroy them as I writhe in pain from that blood. If you wait until I'm out, then they'll be fine."
"Writhe in pain?!" She shook her head. "That's it, we're not doing it. I'll just go in and get any information out of him my way!"
"And if he's not human?" Christian asked. "He's liable to be something you can't control, something dangerous even to you."
Willie placed a gentle hand on her arm. "Stop worrying about me; I'll be fine as soon as that blood wears off. There are no lasting effects."
She sighed. "You don't have to do this to try and make us like you, Willie, because we already do."
He smiled a crooked smile. "Yeah, but maybe once Aaron finds out, he'll like me."
She shook her head. "He already likes you, too."
Chuck laughed. "Yeah, it just takes a long time for him to show it." Willie's look told him he didn't agree, but Chuck nodded. "If he didn't like you, you would definitely know it."
"And the sooner we find him, the sooner you can ask him," Christian stated.
Kahlan took a deep breath and then nodded. "Alright."
Willie smiled and then looked at Chuck. "I would think a shot to the back shoulder would work."
"I'm not shooting you in the back like some coward!" Chuck insisted.
Sebastian laughed. "You wouldn't be fast enough to shoot him in the front. That's the only realistic way to do it."
Chuck smirked but cocked the crossbow, and Cam handed him the bolt after dipping it in the blood. Once it was ready, Chuck handed it to Kahlan. "Here, you're a better shot with one of these than me."
She nodded, took it, and then proceeded to walk away from Willie.
Christian frowned at Rossi, and he just shrugged.
"Why can't you just shoot him from where you were?" Sebastian asked.
"Because being too close would make it too deep," she explained.
"And too far, you will miss," Christian pointed out.
She huffed as she kept walking. Once she was to the place she wanted, she turned and nodded to Willie.
He took a deep breath and turned to expose his back.
