Boots and Socks

Dorothy Thompson: - Fear grows in darkness; if you think there's a bogeyman around, turn on the light.

Disclaimer: Criminal Minds is not mine.

The way was lit by sudden flashes from what was quickly becoming a storm. Aaron started to move faster now as more rain made its way through the trees. He was worried now in case too much rain covered the tracks. He was already noticing how the blood scrape marks and spots had become fewer so he was having to look more carefully. Yes this was obviously the way the creature had come but he needed to make sure it hadn't just tossed Reid aside at some point broken and dying or dead. He couldn't afford to miss him and now he was without his blood hound he was becoming more and more nervous that he had missed something vital.

It was because he was looking with extra vigilance though that he spotted something else. A scrap of something colourful slowly getting covered by the leaves. He stopped and looked down at it and frowned. A small photograph. He bent down and plucked it up from where it was laying. He recognised it immediately. It was the snapshot Gideon had given Reid. The picture to remind him that sometimes there was a happy ending. Reid's ward against his nightmares. He knew Reid kept this secure in his wallet, so how was it here on its own. Why would some primitive beast remove a photograph and leave it for him to find? Carefully he moved his hands around in the leaves to see if there was anything else already buried, but there didn't seem to be. Just this small snapshot. He put it in his pocket along with the cell and walked. How many other little things like this had he missed in his rush?

Another bend in the path. Aaron stood. He swallowed and took a deep breath. Far in the distance he could still hear the faint cries and screams so around the corner can be nothing worse than something to spook him. The creature was playing games. Sick deadly games.

It was a single blue sock. It was blood drenched and it was hanging from a branch directly in front of him. It could have been anyone's sock, but he knew it wasn't. It could have been anyone's blood though and he wasn't about to taste Reid's sock to see if it was 'sweet'. He pulled it down from where it had been snagged. This item had been placed. This wasn't something torn from him as he was dragged. He stood looking at it in his hand and then closed his eyes against the visions he was having. He wasn't expecting to find Reid alive. There was too much blood –this was too much of an animal.

He kept the sock clutched in his hand as he carried on walking down the trail. The wind now picking up and blowing the leaves in whirls in front of him. If anything else had been dropped it was unlikely he would find it now. Aaron noticed that the sounds of screaming had stopped. If because the wind was dragging the sound away or if because the creature had finished with Floyd he didn't know.

Branches snapping and whipping around now in a howling wind. The wind blew down the trail and as the trees thinned out the rain fell in a sheet of freezing needles. All signs of a trail gone. A small clearing gradually filling with water and Aaron had no idea which way to go from here. He could hear nothing through the sound of the rain the ground shook with every crack of thunder. It was so dark now he could hardly see and the lightning lit the clearing with spooky shadows of the trees bending in the wind.

Hotch decided to move. The he couldn't just stand doing nothing. He put the sock in his pocket and stroked the phone. Part of Reid – and he moved forwards out of the clearing into darkness.

Suddenly there was nothing underfoot. They ground disappeared and he pitched down onto hard rock beneath him. He let out a yell of surprise and then a howl of pain as he felt his body smash on the rocks. His head cracking and as the rain continued to fall he lay breathing painfully with what he suspected was broken ribs. Another crack of thunder – another sudden flash of light and the pain ripping through his body and soul 'I'm sorry Spence. Oh god I am so sorry.' And the darkness took him.

…………………….

Something smacked Reid across the back causing him to swing slightly forwards and his face to hit the rock face. He could feel he was being lifted from the hook and as he hit the floor he groaned in pain. He could hear the creature breathing and he could smell its vile breath. Reid attempted to move forwards away from it but he was dragged back into place by his feet.

An object was dropped in front of him and the noise the thing was making almost sounded like a laugh. Slowly Reid put his hand out to see what it was. A boot. A familiar boot. Floyd's boot. Another object joined it. The other boot. They felt sticky and he could smell blood on them. Spencer let out a small sound of distress. The next thing dropped was the leather jacket Floyd had been wearing. It was ripped and sodden with blood. Spencer pulled it close and held it tightly. The last thing dropped made a soft sound. He moved his hand out to see what it was. About the size of a fist. Cold and wet. A human heart.

Spencer wanted to scream. He opened his mouth and all that came out was a strange keening from deep down. He lay on the cave floor and cried deep howling uncontrolled cries of pain – and he knew the creature was still there holding his feet still, not allowing him to curl up around these last treasured items.

……………………..

When he opened his eyes again he was choking and spluttering laying in water. It was still raining and as he turned onto his side he could feel his ribs digging into places they shouldn't. Slowly he pushed himself to his knees. He had to keep going. He had to help Spencer. He needed to know what had happened to him.

Crawling in the darkness he saw in a flash from the sky a cave mouth. At least if he could get there he would be out of the rain and would be able to see if he could do anything for his ribs.

He moved slowly. Each crawling movement made him want to yell out in pain but he didn't know if that creature was nearby – he moved as silently as he could.

He stopped once to try to control the feeling to be sick. Curling up tightly still on his hands and knees with his head on the wet forest floor letting out a sob of pain and grief Aaron rested. Again he moved on – slowly, painfully to the cave mouth.

And there it was, laying open just inside the cave mouth, dry except for the smears of blood – Reid's wallet. Hotch reached out for it and saw where the photo had been taken from it. He picked it up and pressed it to his face and then looked into the darkness of the cave.

Somewhere deep down inside in the darkness he could hear something. At first he thought it was an animal in pain, and then he recognised words.

"Please don't – no please stop." Spencer! Then a howl of pain and the talking stopped.

…………………….

It was a small comfort for Spencer, holding onto two bloodied boots and a ripped jacket, but he could still smell that heavy musty smell which always accompanied Floyd. He wondered where Aaron was and thought hopefully that he was alright, that the creature hadn't taken him or it would have shown him his things too. As he felt his feet being released he curled up on his side hugging the last bit of comfort – clinging to it as he grieved for its owner.

Something rough grabbed his shoulders and flipped him onto his back. He could feel its breath on his face as it pulled the items out of his hands. He begged it to stop. He pleaded with it not to, but the things were torn from his grasp as rough animal hands touched him and a hot stinking tongue ran its way over his face then down his chest to his stomach. A knee like object was pushed hard against his groin and a hand held tightly onto his hair as it licked and slimed its way back up – along his jaw line – around his ear – across his eyes and down to his mouth. Another hand was pulling at his belt.

Thankfully it was now that fear overtook Reid's brain and permitted him to fall back into that safe dark place of unconsciousness.

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