The Pretty Boy

Dorothy Thompson: - Courage, it would seem, is nothing less than the power to overcome danger, misfortune, fear, injustice, while continuing to affirm inwardly that life with all its sorrows is good; that everything is meaningful even if in a sense beyond our understanding; and that there is always tomorrow.

Disclaimer: Criminal Minds is not mine.

He knelt and looked down into the darkness. He had nothing to give him light. It would be a matter of just crawling into darkness and hoping there weren't too many nasty surprises. Hotch just wanted to reach Spencer. He was aware realistically that there would be nothing he could do to fight the creature but he didn't want Spencer to be there alone. He needed Spence to know he tried. Even though he knew he was going to fail.

Hotch could hear yelps and yappings of a creature a lot further down. Spencer will still silent. He thought about calling out to him, but that would draw the creature away possibly to come up here and kill him and that once again would leave Spencer alone. Aaron started his slow painful crawl down the tunnel.

………………

Reid was vaguely aware now of what was happening.

He had been flipped over onto his front and so had taken the opportunity to try to get away again. Digging his broken bloodied fingers into the ground and pulling himself away. He didn't get far. It picked him up by his hair, pulling his chest up off the floor and then smacked him down again. He let out a moan of pain as the wind was knocked out of him. The creature was behind him now grabbing hold of his hips and pulling him up to his knees. There was nothing he could do. Reid could barely breathe now. He couldn't even scream in pain.

"Still. Keep still." It hissed in his ear.

……………..

He moved on all fours. Slowly at first but gradually gaining strength and getting to his feet. He stood in the rain and let it wash the blood from his torn skin and growled from deep down inside.

……………..

The floor was sloping slowly downwards, but not so much that he would slip but it was noticeable. The sounds he could hear were still distant and muffled. Acoustics being strange in this environment he was unable to guess how far away he was. He kept a hand on the cave wall and continued crawling forwards into the darkness.

The smell got worse and he started finding bits on the floor. Bits he wasn't sure he wanted to know where they originated from. He crawled through puddles of blood. He knew it was blood he could smell it wafting up as he broke the surface of the congealing mess. He wondered if any of it was Spencer's. In response to his thoughts he had to stop moving and force him self not to be sick. His hands were wet with slimy blood and gore from the cave floor. He took deep breaths and listened for sounds in the distance.

……………

He crouched down and sniffed at the air. The rain had dampened things down, but no so much he couldn't smell it. He curled his toes to feel the damp leaves and then stood and started to walk again. Still in the back of his mind something was probing and pushing.

…………..

Reid was laying on his side now. His eyes open just staring into the darkness. His fear of the dark forgotten for now. Now that his nightmare was here stroking his hair and muttering to him.

"Pretty boy. I have the pretty boy."

………….

He could hear someone talking. A deep low growl of a voice. It wasn't Spencer he was sure of that. Hotch stopped and tried to work out what it was saying, but there was too much of an echo to be sure. He moved forwards again – occasionally putting a hand to where his ribs were digging and wondering briefly if they were doing lasting damage. Not that it mattered really now. Hotch wasn't expecting to leave here. He just needed to reach Spencer so he knew. So he could be with him.

………….

He crouched at the cave mouth and took deep breaths through his nose. He could smell a mixture of things. Blood, death, fear, Hotch and Spence. He could also smell It and It was doing something it shouldn't. Something it will die for.

Floyd stood and started to walk down the tunnel towards where Aaron had gone what seemed like a life time ago.

………...

Now he could hear the voice clearly.

"Sweet pretty boy. Wake up."

Then a whimpering sound.

The sound of something hitting flesh followed by a cry of pain. "I'm sorry." A small broken voice.

He continued to move forwards. He wanted to call out to Spencer now. Let him know he was here. He was so close.

"Stop moving." The rough growl again, followed by a yelp then a long drawn out howl of pain.

Aaron moved faster. He tried reaching out for Reid. "Spencer. I'm here." Soft calming voice. "You leave him alone."

In a way he was glad he couldn't see. For Spencer's sake as much as his. He didn't want to see what this creature was doing to this beautiful man, and he didn't want Spencer to know he was watching.

Another moan from Reid and a muttering that Aaron couldn't hear. "Spencer – talk to me. I need to hear you."

A small sound and in the darkness – finger tips.

Just as they touched Hotch felt something grab him around the neck. "My pretty boy." It picked him up off the ground by this neck and just as he thought it was going to simply snap his neck or pull off his head it threw him at the wall.

His back hit first, followed by his head. For a second he saw stars and a flash of something and as he slid to the floor he felt something rush by him towards the creature. Something howling and screaming in a rage. "My pretty boy you son of a bitch!" a thudding ripping sound and then, "Get out of here Agent Aaron Hotchner and take Spence with you."

Spencer tried to block out the sounds of the ripping and tearing and crawled slowly towards where he had heard Hotch. He pulled what was left of his clothing back into place. "Aaron?" And moved forwards. "Aaron are you there?"

A hand touched his and then entwined his fingers. "Reid – come on."

"Floyd."

"We can't help him. We have to move."

Slowly he guided Reid back the way he had just come. The screams from down the tunnel, unearthly as they echoed around the cave.

Hotch slowly stood and tried to pull Reid to his feet. "Come on Spence. We need to get out of here."

"I can't leave him Aaron. This is my fault. I can't leave him."

Hotch knelt back down on the floor and put an arm around Spencer pulling him close. "He wants you to get out of here Spence. He is doing this so you can live. Don't let him down. Come on. I am with you. Floyd will catch up."

……………..

Reid could feel those arms of comfort around him. The only ones who never hurt him. The place he always felt safe and all he wanted to do was curl up in those arms and let everything else pass by. Here he couldn't be hurt. Here nothing could get him. Aaron moved his arm from around him and he let out a whimper of anguish.

"Where are you going? Don't leave me!"

"Move Reid. Don't just stay there it will come back for you. Move it now!"

Hotch had decided that gentle persuasion was going to get him no where. Reid always obeyed an order though and he was pleased to see it worked. Slowly Spencer started to move forwards.

He now allowed himself to listen to the words being shouted from where he was crawling from. Floyd was screaming and howling in a primal rage.

"I told you not to touch him! We had an agreement."

More shouting and growling and ripping and tearing sounds.

"I don't give a damn about it! I told you no."

…………….

The feel of air movement against his face made Reid gasp. A feeling he thought he would never experience again. He tried to keep his mind on the outside. On the smell of the rain in the forest – on the occasional flash of light up ahead. Anything to take his mind away from the sounds behind him.

It was a noise such as Reid and Hotch had never heard. A cry of despair and pain so loud it hurt their ears. It cut off suddenly. And it was this which made them both stop. Hotch froze and Spencer turned and looked back the way they had come.

Now a new noise. A new scream.

"Where are my fucking boots you bastard?!"

……………………..