Chapter 3

The Game

It was going badly before I slipped….now they have had their laugh and hopefully this will be over real soon.

I am soaked to the skin and there is dirty river water in my hair…so as the others walk on chattering and enjoying themselves I take off this stupid but necessary rubber helmet and empty is of water. I am almost expecting fish to fall out of my hair.

My clothes are stuck to me and I feel a fool

I'm glad it happened now though really. Get it out of the way. Give them something to snigger at.

Oh man I am in a bad mood today.

I wring my shirt out a bit where it is hanging out under my protective vest. I know…I know if I get hit by one of those paintball pellets that it's going to hurt.

At least I am walking behind them. At least they can't see the annoyed way I am walking. Rossi is up front and I am thinking about putting my helmet on again when he shouts out and puts his hand to his chest.

'Down!' Morgan shouts and then sort of flops to the floor.

Rossi is face down in the dirt and Prentiss is rolling out of the way as Hotch flies backward with an 'umphing' sound then something catches my shoulder….

……………..it hits so hard that it knocks me to the ground and in the sudden confusion I wonder how a pellet can hurt this much… but then as I roll and try to find something to shelter behind I realise that it's blood.

Someone shot me!

I get to my hands and knees and look over at Prentiss who is moving quickly towards a low building off to the side….she is nearly there when she screams and falls to the floor holding her leg….

………………………For a second I don't know what to do. Rossi is moving slowly towards Hotch who is groaning and clutching at his stomach……We've all been shot? How the heck can this happen?

Dave is looking at me and looking at the river and he gives a quick nod….I don't think twice…I get up and start to run for the raft and the river….I am so nearly there….I am wondering if I should just swim when something hits the back of my head. It smacks hard and stops me in my tracks….the world starts to spin and I can feel the blood from my shoulder running down my arm…and now something wet on the back of my head and I can smell the oil of the paintball pellet.

……………………I turn slowly to face the team laying bleeding and screaming in the dirt as something hits the side of my head and the world suddenly goes dark.

-o-o-o-

Hotch has taken a hit in the side of his lower abdomen. I'm crawling towards him hearing his moanings and listening to Prentiss howl in pain. Run Spencer…get out of here now….

…….I look at him and nod at the river and he is up and running.

"It's OK Hotch. Reid's going for help." I say as I place my hand over the bleeding hole on Aarons protective jacket. Protection against paintball pellets…not against snipers.

I look up again at Spencer just as something red explodes on the back of his head and he is dead. I there is no way he can survive that…..but he has stopped moving forwards and slowly turns on the spot. I can see the confused look on his face as something green smacks against the side of his head. Paint. It's paint….but he's not got his helmet on and the force of the hit puts him back on the ground again.

"Damnit." He's out cold by the looks of it. "Derek." I can just about reach his leg from where I am, but I don't want to move…I don't want to get in the line of fire of the bullets or the paint. "Derek!" and I give him a shake but he's not moving. I turn my attention back to Hotch. "Aaron." He has his eyes shut and he is taking deep breaths. "I need you to keep pressure on this." And firstly I open up the front of this stupid vest thing and then I take his hand and place it on the hole in his white flesh. My hands are covered in blood, yet I seem to be the only one not injured.

"Reid…." Hotch breathes the shuddery word.

…………….. I can't tell him…but I can't lie to him either. "Reid is fine. Worry about yourself. Keep the pressure on here Aaron…I need to help Prentiss."

"Morgan?" And I push Aaron's hand down hard. "I said worry about yourself." And quickly I start to crawl away and slither as quickly as I can to Emily. She has stopped the painful howling she was making and is just laying in a puddle of blood and I'm worried. I don't like this. I glance over at Reid again who is groaning and rolling over onto his back.

"Reid! Stay….don't move." I instruct and he lays deadly still in the dirt doing as I asked. I can see the way his chest is rising and falling that he is breathing deeply trying to stay calm. This is good. This is what I need him to do.

It's just as I reach Prentiss that it happens…something smacks into my back and I suddenly can't move. It doesn't hurt, but I know it's a chest hit. My breaths are bubbling and painful and I can taste the blood in my mouth. I want to reach out to Emily and let her know I am there. I need to tell Spencer to get away but I can't and everything is going foggy and dull.

……………………I cough…………………….

-o-o-o-

"Rossi." I call out, but get no reply. What the hell is going on here? Who the hell is firing at us?

My hand is pressed down hard on the place the bullet entered. I can feel the big wet bloody mess spreading around my fingers and the pain is shooting down my left leg. "Dave!" I call out again but get nothing.

"Hotch."

Reid's voice.

I turn my head and it hurts so much my eyes are watering but I am in charge and the only person still with it seems to be Reid. He needs to get out of here now.

"Can you move?" I ask him. I am trying to work out where the sniper is….but the trajectory has altered….whoever it is has moved…or there is more than one person.

"I think so."

And I can see him out of the corner of my eye and he is laying with a small patch of blood seeping out onto the ground.

"You've been hit?"

"I'll be alright. I'll go and get help."

But I need to be the one moving and getting the help and sorting it out. I don't want Spencer to have this responsibility over his head. This is my job not his. I roll carefully to my side and try to keep my hand pressed onto the wound but moving has made it bleed again. We are all going to lay here in the hot sun and die.

I manage to roll over onto my front and I can see him properly now…he also has crawled to his hands and knees but I can see blood on his back…the bullet must have passed right through…I want to ask him to hurry up but I can tell by the way he is moving that he is pain. Though he's trying his best not to show it. The heat of the sun is almost unbearable and I can feel it hitting the back of my neck. The rest of the guys are just laying unmoving…I have to help…

……………I have to help Reid get out of here……………

Trying to keep one hand on the sticky patch on my side I attempt to get to my knees and it is as I am doing this that it starts again.

……………….the dust flies up inches from my face…getting in my eyes as a bullet smacks into the ground.

I hear a yelp of surprise and I quickly try to get the dust out of my eyes again so I can see what is going on.

Spencer is face down in the dust again with his hands wrapped around his head. I can see the cracking of gunfire around him. As with me…inches from his head and around his feet.

"Don't move!" I call out. "Spencer don't move."

But I don't think he is going to right now. I don't think he would anyway.

Whoever this is – whoever is the sniper is….he – or she – is playing games now.

-o-o-o-

Oh this is funny.

I bet the kid has wet him self with fear….I hope he has.

Pop

Again…see him jump…..soon every soon….

Hotchner you need to keep still…I want to see the boy suffer a bit more first.

A quick blast with the paint gun I think…

One on the back of the head for Hotchner….

Ha! That kept his head down….don't move…don't move…I want to see the boy think he can save you all….

This is too amusing….I am beginning to laugh and that's not good….my aim will be out….ah shit….

Bugger….I hit Hotchner on the leg….

A nice howl of pain though and yes the boy is moving in….Come on Spencer…Save the day!

I wish I could hear what they are saying…

Time to move.

Just a little bit…around aways slightly …. Different angles….to confuse them.

-o-o-o-

I want to get up and run to Hotch…but he is hissing commands at me…telling me to get out now…run…get out of here….and so I do…I just stand and run….and I can almost feel the bullets tearing into my back as I do but nothing happens. I reach the river's edge and throw myself flat and roll into the water.

I take the chance to quickly wash some of the paint off me…the smell is making my eyes water…and then I can't see too well anyway because Floyd broke my glasses. I take some deep breaths. I need to get across the river now without the sniper seeing me and the only way I can think of doing that is to move down the river until I have cover from one of the buildings.

My arm is slowly going numb which doesn't help.

I thought sliding in mud was a nightmare…I have no idea what this is….what is going on. Keeping my head down slowly I walk along the very edge of the river. It's about fifty foot across at this point and pretty fast flowing. My trainers are slipping on the mud at the edge and I can't see properly what I am doing but I just need to get that building in the way then I will try to…………..

Then I hear it……

…………"Get back here boy before I take Hotchner's head off."

And I freeze. I keep my head down and I try to control my breathing because my breaths have started to come in the short sharp shallow intakes I recognise as the beginning of a panic attack. Resting my head on the mud at the side of the river bank I keep as still as I can.

My orders were clear…to get out…but if the guy doesn't know where I am……………………

……………..I can't leave Hotch…..

"Get back here before I start opening fire boy!"

I think….I have to think…I don't know the voice…which in a sad but comforting way is good. Not that I expected it to be Floyd….He wouldn't use guns….not after…….

Well he just wouldn't….

I hear the pop of the silenced gun and a grunt from someone but I can't tell who it was.

"Oh god…no…he is killing the team….he is killing them and it's somehow my fault."

-o-o-o-

Prostitutes know all the best tricks…and Ardal knows his job.

He is just about to get me all fired up again when it happens.

A feeling of such great fear that I roll to the side of the bed and vomit on the floor.

I can feel Ardal's hand on my back gently rubbing… "Floyd?"

"Get off …get out… get out!" and I am sliding off the bed and through the warm mess on the floor and dragging an old pair of jeans out of the cupboard. "Ardal….get the fuck out…now." I don't bother to check if he is moving…I know he will do what I tell him….he always does. A Tshirt joins the jeans which I quickly tuck in then a long sleeved shirt I pull out of the wardrobe and tie around my waist. I pull on a pair of battered boots and glance at Ardal who is quickly pulling on his clothes and looking worried.

My wallet is on the side so I grab it and pull out a handful of notes and place them on the side. "I'll call you…Let yourself out." And I am making my way to the door grabbing my shades and bike keys on the way.

I don't know exactly where he is….I will have to follow the fear… and it's increasing…not because I am getting closer but because something is happening….and if Derek Morgan has anything to do with this sudden fear I will rip his balls off.

………….no wait………….

I'm going to do that anyway.

Fucktard…………….messing with me when you mess with Spencer ….you should know that.

I wanted to have my fun with Ardal before I had to deal with Derek Morgan………………

But still there is something wrong…….maybe it's not him……?

What in the name of hades is going on?

………………………..the feel of the wind in my hair….the freedom of the bike…feeling it vibrate between my legs………..the sirens in the distance…..the fucking blue flashing lights………………….

I pull over….. "Why? Why now? I don't want blood all over my stuff before I even get there."

-o-o-o-

I pull myself out of the water and just stand there. I know I am going to die. I know it. I just hope that it's quick. I look over at Hotch who is laying still now, but I think it was Dave who was hit again by the looks of the blood on his arm.

"Move closer." The voice bellows at me and I try to work out where it is coming from but that acoustics in this place are odd and I can't work it out.

"Closer!" and there is a puff of dust as a round enters the ground to my side. "Keep walking."

"What do you want?" I call back…I try to keep my voice steady…I try to not sound as terrified as I feel but I'm not sure that it works.

"Just keep walking Dr Reid…Just do as you are told and everything will be fine."

But I don't know how it can be fine. I need assurance from someone. I need to know I am doing the right thing here and there is nothing. Derek hasn't moved since he fell and I wonder if he is dead…and my feelings I had for him earlier make me angry because I wanted to shout at him and hit him and tell him what he did was wrong, but now I don't think I can. I keep walking…and at the points I slow down I am reminded to keep going.

"The building in front of you Dr Reid. There is a pistol in there somewhere. Your job….find it….find me. Save your friends."

And I look into the pitch darkness of the doorway directly in front of me. He is letting me get out of range of fire….but…..

The others…………….

I have to hurry.

-o-o-o-

And it's a pisser cos I don't really have time to eat now….so I will have to have take out….

And that makes me laugh.