Chapter 13

A/N: Various nasties alert

Pictures and Cream

Disclaimer: Criminal Minds is not mine.

They stopped off at the local PD first to get information on the area. Where would the right area be to start looking?

They also got Garcia to fax over a picture of the missing Reid that they could show around. They took copies of it so they could hand them out and maybe contact them if they saw him or remembered him. Rossi wrote a phone number down on the back and with a local cop to show them the way the left to look for Spencer.

There was like in most major towns in this area which would be the most likely for them to start. The officer with them warned them that some people will get very defensive, but they already knew that. They knew that this was not going to be easy and to actually find Reid there was going to be heart breaking. Hotch walked with a twist in his guts hoping that they didn't find what they were looking for but this time of the evening would be the best time to start looking.

The road was brightly lit and full of mainly men of various ages. They followed the officer as they walked past a bar club and a bar and then he stopped at a dark side street.

"Your best bet would be to start here. Then try the bar."

A nod and with pictures in hand the three men started to walk down the street. Most people pulled back into the shadows but Hotch and Rossi especially were looking out for that one person they dreaded they would find here.

Someone walked over to Hotch. "You're not really welcome here – your sort."

Hotch showed him the picture. "I'm looking for this person. Have you seen him over the past couple of days – or nights."

"I don't look at faces. The face isn't what people come here for. You have other pictures I might be able to recognise." He was smirking.

Hotch pushed the bit of paper into the young man's hand. "This is very important. The phone number is on the back – if you see or hear anything."

"I won't." He gave it back again. "As I said – I don't go looking at the faces."

Rossi stepped in. "He's new to the area. He would have looked awkward. Out of place. Looking nervous. He's tall – over six foot – skinny."

He took the picture back again and had another look. "I don't remember – sorry." He folded the paper up and put it in his pocket. "Someone else might've…he's gone missing?"

"He would have been here a couple of days ago."

"Sorry – wish I could help….a few new guys went missing a month or so ago….no one's bothered though. What does it matter if one or two junky rent boys goes missing?"

Hotch nodded. "Thank you – we will keep looking and you have information on the other missing people?"

A shake of the head and now he was backing away. "As I said – can't help you. I don't know nothing." He turned and disappeared into the shadows.

They carried on walking and trying to talk to people but they few who would talk to them and would look at the picture said they hadn't seen him or hadn't been around that day or night.

"Sorry can't help you." Was the phrase for the night.

The visit to the bar was a bit more helpful.

"I saw him." The barkeep was holding the picture. "Noticed him cos he looked like he was nervous or waiting for someone. He got off his face on whiskey."

Hotch sighed. "Did he leave alone?"

The guy rubbed at his nose. "Like I said – looked like he was waiting for someone who never turned up. He was in the men's room for an age too. Thought he was up to no good and was going to check up on him…. but he came out and just left. Sorry – didn't see which direction he took. He was staggering though."

Rossi wanted to know what he meant by 'up to no good'.

"You know – either shooting up or giving hand or blow jobs. He looked like a junky whore boy. Sorry – he's not a friend is he?"

Hotch just looked at the picture on the bar. He didn't look like a junky whore boy in the picture. It was before all of this crap though. "Keep hold of the picture – it has my phone number on the back – if he should return…"

"I'll let you know." He took the picture and put it on the shelf behind the bar. "A lot go missing you know. The kids think it's easy money. They get involved with the wrong lot and they're never seen again.

-o-o-o-

It looked like he was sleeping.

He could see his shoulders were moving, but he could also see that he was covered in insects. There were maggots crawling over his head and in his hair. Pa could see where the side of his head was missing. A huge crater. His boys were right. This should be a corpse. So why was it breathing?

Maybe it was the light from the torch and the wind….maybe….a trick of the light. He sure smelt like he was a cadaver. But he didn't look dead. It was a confusing set of signals.

Pa took one of the feet and pushed up the leg of the jeans. He carefully touched the skin. He pulled off a boot and looked at the foot. He ran a finger over it. It wasn't warm as such, but nor was it the cold hardness it should be. He pulled out a knife from his pocket and flicked it open. He cut an almost straight line across the back of Floyd's heel slicing the tendons easily. It bled. It bled a lot. This was red fresh blood – not old dead stuff which had been laying in a corpse for a day or so.

"Shit on a stick." Pa said.

He moved around to the head end of Floyd and looked again at his face. His skin was white but not blotchy and not dead.

"What the hell?"

Pa crouched down and licked his finger and then placed it in front of Floyd's nose. He instantly pulled it back again when he felt the coldness of the air being exhaled from the 'body' on the shed floor.

Floyd wanted to eat him. Right there. Right then. Rip into the bastard and eat him raw. Sod the cooking. Sod getting worms….he wanted that stupid woodsman in his stomach - but all he could do was lay there. He could – he could heal quicker if he took back what he had passed onto Spence for now, but he wouldn't

Pa checked that the bonds were still tight on his hands and then went a step further by pulling off Floyd's other boot and throwing it to join the other. He noticed how revoltingly dirty this man was. He looked like a hobo druggy – which might account for the oddness….He tied Floyd's feet tightly together and then just stood there looking at him.

"I don't mean you no harm boy, but you freaking me out a bit."

'Well I mean you harm you son of a bitch whore dog.' Floyd thought back. 'Do you realise how much of a delay you have caused me by cutting my tendon?'

Unfortunately for Floyd – and fortunately for Pa the message was never received.

-o-o-o-

For Dave and Aaron it was time to book their own room – two single beds – at the motel and check in with Morgan and Prentiss.

They sat around and talked about what to do next.

It was already decided that Prentiss would go back and help Garcia. The rest of them would stay here and continue to try to track down Spencer. Tomorrow they would go out again. Different faces around at different times of the day. They also wanted to find out more about the other missing people and figure out if it had anything to do with their missing agent. Until then – they all needed to sleep.

Emily didn't mind sharing with Derek if he didn't mind – which he didn't. He was a gent and lay on the floor with a pillow and a couple of blankets. He didn't sleep well. A lot of the night he was awake listening to Emily shout out in her dreams. Unknown words and a jumble of things he could make no sense of. He didn't know she had nightmares, but something bad had happened. Again something out in that damned forest when she had been alone with Floyd and Morgan was very afraid for her. She was cracking up and he doubted that sending her back to base to watch violent porn with Garcia was going to do much to help. Especially knowing what sort of things Reid seemed to secretly be into.

Aaron slept fitfully. His dreams full of blood and mayhem. The normal stuff.

Dave dreamed about being an ant and living in a huge colony in Lanzarote.

-o-o-o-

The morning.

Spencer opened his eyes and could still feel the warmth of someone behind him. For the briefest of moments he thought it was Floyd and then it all came back in small jerking gap filled lumps. With a long sigh he rolled over onto his back and looked to his side at the man sleeping next to him. A pair of green eyes were looking back.

"They will bring breakfast in soon. It's a good idea to try to eat it."

"I'm not hungry." Ardal turned over so he too was laying on his back. Reid reached over and took hold of one of his hands. "Thank you."

"You still need to eat Spencer. They work you hard. They will work you very hard." He squeezed Reid's hand gently. "Come on. Get up and get washed. I need to check your back for you."

Spencer used the 'facilities' while Ardal washed and then they swapped places. He was still washing when he felt the hands on his back. They both had on short bath robe type things.

"Let me check on your back."

Spencer just shook his head. "Really my back is fine."

Ardal frowned and pulled up the hem of Spencer's gown. There were very faint marks on his skin, but they could have come from anywhere. "Holy cows you do heal quickly."

Reid shrugged. It wasn't something he was fully able to explain. He knew it had something to do with Floyd but that was not an area he felt comfortable talking to Ardal about.

Ardal dropped the fabric again and watched Spencer's reflection in the mirror by looking over his shoulder. "What do they give you?"

Reid looked in the mirror and talked back at the reflection. "Give me?"

"They have something for everyone. Don't know how they decide but they like to keep us doped up for the shows."

It was now that the door opened and someone walked in with a tray in each hand. "Food. Eat up quickly – they want you both ready in fifteen minutes."

Ardal just nodded and took the trays. Spencer stood and stared.

"Want us both?"

Ardal shrugged. "Just go with the flow. So – you didn't tell me. What do you give you?"

Spencer put his fingers to his mouth and sighed. "Ether."

For some reason this put a very big smile on Ardal's face. "Well that explains why they want us both. Eat! You are going to need all the strength you can."

It was a small green plastic bowl full of sliced fruit. A bottle of mineral water and a small pot of natural yoghurt.

"I really don't think I want to." Spencer poked the food with his fingers. They had no utensils to eat with. "Ardal – how long have you been here?"

He reached over and picked up a slice of fruit from Reid's bowl. He lifted it to Spencer's mouth. "Eat."

"I don't……….."

"Want to….I know I heard you, but the better you perform for them the better they treat you. You must've done good yesterday. If you don't eat you can't do what they want then you get down graded. Please eat."

Reid had managed to eat half of the fruit when the door was opened again. "Ready boys?"

Ardal put a hand on Spencer's shoulder. "Remember – go with the flow. There is absolutely no point in resisting it."

Spencer looked at Ardal and wondered what hell they must have put this person through for him to have reached this point.

-o-o-o-

They were taken to the room Spencer had been in the day before….only this time he was a bit more lucid. He hadn't noticed the video equipment before or if he had he had forgotten about it. He looked around the room with a growing panic building up inside him. Ardal walked over to the side and removed his robe and stood waiting to be told what to do. Reid just stood staring around frozen to the spot.

The command for him to strip got them nothing.

He couldn't hear what they were saying to him. All he could hear was his heart thumping and the blood rushing in his ears. He tuned slowly to face Ardal who was standing buck naked scratching at his inner elbow.

Spencer took two steps towards him before he was called to a sudden halt.

"Stop! Hands and knees now!"

………..and he was down. No hesitation. There was a sudden rush of sound behind him that he couldn't make out but it might have been laughing. But all Reid could think of now was 'keep still keep still keep still'.

Hands pulled off what small amount of clothing he had on and then a loud commanding voice in his ear. "On your back."

Which involved moving but the command seemed definite. He moved so slowly hoping that by making no sudden moves the pain wouldn't start. He felt sick with the fear of what these people could do to him if he didn't do what they said, but also Taki's rules mixed in with them were fogging his mind over and making his hands shake.

"Just lay still there." The same voice.

He lay staring at the ceiling with his arms wrapped across his chest and his knees pulled up close. He could hear the sounds of chains clanking and scraping.

One hand and then the other was unfolded from him and pulled to the side. They clamped wide cuffs around them and pulled them out so his arms where straight out. They left his feet how they were.

A harness was then placed over his head and his head was pulled back so that he wouldn't be able to turn his head sufficiently to look towards the camera. They wanted to keep this one for a while. This fast healer was going to be fun.

He wanted to – really – scream , that would have been a noise he needed to remain silent. He could feel angry tears though. He didn't know what he was angry at right now, but he thought it was maybe himself – but still his brain wouldn't connect properly and allow him to think straight.

Spencer didn't see them offer Ardal a rag – and didn't see Ardal shake his head slowly. He didn't hear the quiet – "No." that he said either…all he could hear was 'Keep still stay quiet. Keep still stay quiet.' Hammering in his head over and over in time to his heart beating much too fast.

The stinking cloth held over his face was almost a relief. He knew at least now that this wasn't him it was happening to anymore. He looked up at the face of the dark haired man with the cloth and wondered if it was him who was going beat him today but after a while and when he began to float he saw him walk away and Ardal join him.

Ardal pushed Spencer's legs down so that he could sit across his thighs. He ran a comforting hand over Reid's stomach.

"Was the head thing necessary?" He asked and was told it was. Ardal sighed and put his hand out. "Pass it over then." A metal canister was placed in Ardal's hand and from where Reid seemed to be watching from on the other side of the room down a deep long tunnel he panicked. He really wanted to scream out again but knew now he should try to keep his mouth shut but he could feel Ardal's hands slowly moving up his body and someone shout something off in the distance and Spencer watched from his hiding place as Ardal crawled up along his body and held the canister next to his face.

"Open up Spencer. Get it over with."

He could hear the words but they seemed to be jumpy and scratchy and too fast and too slow at the same time.

"Please." He asked. "They will tell me to hit you Spencer. I don't want to. Please open up. It won't hurt. I promise I wont hurt you."

He had heard promises like that before and they were lies …always lies. Everyone he ever met and got close to wanted to hurt him and Ardal was no different. Spencer blinked and slowly opened his mouth.

Whipped cream and nitrous oxide entered his mouth and system throwing all sense and knowledge of what was going on out of the window. He did try to whip his head from side to side as Ardal fed him and the chemicals mixed with the petroleum ether and too Reid to a whole new level of being.

As Ardal moved down Reid careful now with the canister and squirting little bits of whipped cream out and licking it greedily from Spencer's throat and moving down clawing and sucking at the skin and the cream…Reid was somewhere else. Not very pleasant either as the room got closer and the ceiling fell and threatened to crush him under the weight and angels sung to him love songs and Floyd –

Floyd was shouting at him….

'Are you stupid?'

'What the fuck are you doing?'

'You are going to just lay there and let them do that to you?'

'Get up. Kick him in the balls….Spence – babes – I want to help you but I can't do everything.'

'Get him off you!'

'Babes – where the hell are you? I can't hear you.'

And Reid was screaming back in a language he didn't even know he knew.

Now another rag was being placed over his face and he was somewhere else….Somewhere where this wasn't Ardal now on him taking him – having him in front of cameras – it was Raphael and he leaned in with the canister in his hands and …………..

………………he was standing against the wall again. His head dropped down in the dark and the whip being used over his back. This time he could feel it. It felt as though pieces of his flesh were being ripped away – as the warm blood oozed down his legs and he shook his head violently from side to side.

When his back arched and he began making odd noises, they stood back and watched Reid seize. It was interesting. The punters would enjoy that. They kept the cameras running. This new boy was getting a lot of hits and reviews coming in fast and thick…….

They would do something else tomorrow. Keep them interested in him. Eventually maybe let them see the face. It was such a pretty face. Such a sad face. When the fitting stopped and Reid just hung by his wrist from the chains they cut transmission and let Ardal take him away.

"Clean him up like yesterday. You did good."

-o-o-o-

Again Ardal spent time cleaning the blood off Spencer. They had used him for hours today, Ardal didn't know how this person had survived it. He thought when he had the seizure that they had killed him. How much can one person take?

He rolled Spencer over onto his back and looked down at him. Reid blinked back.

"What happened?"

Ardal shook his head and smiled. "Whip-it."

"Oh god."

"My turn." Ardal moved over and lay on his back and smiled at Spencer as he took the canister from his hand. "I told you they look after you if you perform well and you did a splendid job out there. We have a whole canister to ourselves and something to snort."

Reid moved so that he was on his knees and looked down at his new friend.

"Open wide."