(Disclaimer: I do not own Criminal Minds or it's characters)
So I wrote this chapter before I even wrote the first chapter, so this story has actually been planned, unlike my others where I'd write a chapter a day and nothing was finalised. So I'd just like to prepare you all for this chapter, because lots of things are going to happen. I don't think it's too hectic, but...well you'll find out.
Woah, so I wrote that 2 weeks ago! I'm so glad I can finally post it.
Please review, and enjoy, I spent a long time on this chapter...it uh...it's not an easy one...
Good luck, happy reading!
"Reid, you check the back room with Morgan, Alex and I will take the workshop." They all nodded at Hotch and raised their guns.
Morgan led Reid into the back room; it was clear. Reid gazed around from the doorway.
"He's organised", Reid said, taking in the neat office space. Morgan walked slowly over to the desk to find more photos, like the ones the CSI team had found at Wolf's home. Except there was a new addition to this set.
"Reid, we're in these", Morgan mumbled, glancing down at the photos of the two teams. Reid was still by the doorway, glancing nervously out of the door, he turned his head, his face contorted in confusion.
"He's targeting us too" Reid mused, Morgan felt a deep panic take hold at the realisation. He was about to reply when gunshots echoed through the garage. Morgan grabbed his gun and noticed Reid had already dashed from the room.
Hotch and Alex entered the workshop of the garage. A single car was parked in the centre, up on the ramp, with the bonnet and 3 of the 4 wheels missing. Hotch stepped gingerly around the car. He caught movement near a tool bench.
"FBI!" He yelled, steadying his gun. "Come out with your hands up." There was no more movement from the tool bench. Hotch took a tantalising step closer, that was until he saw the slim barrel of a gun peek from around the bench. He pulled his trigger at the bench just as the barrel fired off its own shot. Hotch slipped involuntarily to the floor, a sharp agony taking hold of his right thigh. He managed to sit himself up on his elbows and shoot again. Alex was hiding behind the car, but when another shot bounced off the wall extremely close to Hotch's bleeding form, she hopped out from her hiding place, emptying her magazine at the tool bench. Hotch also shot, even though he was staggering about on the floor. Alex caught a glimpse of the hand holding the gun.
All three guns went off at once; followed by 2 grunts.
Hotch's bullet had missed, due to his trembling fingers, but Alex's had found its mark, blowing off the gunmans ring finger and blowing a chunk from his pinky (Hotch swore he saw the ruminants of a fingernail-with flesh attached-soar past him.) The third bullet also found its mark, the hand which had so recently mourned the loss of a finger and a half, was experienced, after all he'd been in CSI for most of his life. The shot had found a soft spot just above Alex's collarbone. It had sunk deep into her skin, but decided to keep residence within her body, rather than exit the other side.
Spencer burst into the room to see Wolf darting through the door, and two agents sitting in pools of their own blood. Hotch was dragging himself to Alex, who was struggling to breath.
"Alex! ALEX!" Cried Spencer, his hand pressed over the wound. Hotch was on them in a second. He took over pressing her wound, his hand also on his own. His and Reid's eyes locked for a moment before both turning to the door.
"I don't usually do this but, go Reid, you have to get him." Hotch whispered, knowing if he could he would already be chasing the bastard.
"B..but..." Reid's eyes looked down at Alex who smiled.
"Go..." she muttered, blood bubbling in her throat. Not a good sign, she thought. By that time Morgan was stumbling over. Reid knew he had to do this. He got off his knees, raised his gun and made a run for the same door Wolf had just used.
Morgan skidded to a halt beside his friends. Hotch's one hand was pressed firmly to Alex's wound, crimson seeping through his fingers, his other hand was latched onto his thigh, blood beginning to pool around them, at first in small drips which evolved into puddles.
"REID!" Morgan shouted as the door slammed behind a pair of retreating converse. Hotch took his hand from his bleeding leg and touched Morgan's shoulder.
"Morgan, go with him, he needs backup...he...I shouldn't of let him go alone...Morgan you have to...go...please." Hotch felt a sinking feeling at the realisation of what he'd just done. Had he sent Reid on a suicide mission? No, no, no, what have I done, how could you let him go alone, Wolf will...he lowered his head, his breathing shallowing.
"Hotch, I can't leave you like this", the wailing of sirens could be heard in the background. "Hear that? Ambulance will be here soon. You hear that Alex? hold on." Morgan tore the sleeve off of Alex's blouse, she whimpered when it sent a jarring movement through her. "Sorry", Morgan muttered. He moved Hotch's trembling hand off Alex's wound, placing the blouse over it tightly, the white blouse quickly darkened with blood.
"Hotch keep pressure on that wound", Morgan barked, motioning to the oozing blood coming from the hole in Hotch's thigh.
"M'gan", hissed Alex, her fearful eyes latching onto Morgan's dark ones.
"Alex don't talk, okay", Hotch fretted, taking Alex's pale hand in his red and sticky palm. Alex's eyes shifted to him and she smiled.
"That's it, just hold on a little longer." Hotch now heard what Morgan was talking about, sirens blared all around. "Just a little longer", he mumbled. His own pain was becoming unbearable. It had started off as a sharp sting that sliced through him and left him in shock. Now the pain became an overwhelming throb, thumping through his entire leg, sending bolts of pain down to his heal and up past his groin and into his lower abdomen. He gritted his teeth against the agony, knowing Alex couldn't be feeling much better.
Alex felt a wet hand grasp hers and she squeezed it back, looking over at Hotch and seeing the pain hidden behind his eyes. She knew something bad had happened; there was something wrong, she could feel it, a coldness in her body; starting at her fingertips. She could feel it inch up through her, the cold was like a hand, grasping around her throat. A dull ache reverberated around that area, she could feel it pulsate, combined with the growing cold, it felt as if she were drowning. A metallic taste filled her mouth. Her body began to numb, like she was floating, which would've been calming had it not been for the unpleasant pain that breathing had begun to cause her, it felt better not to breath, if she didn't she could continue floating peacefully, breathing just brought reality crashing back down on her.
"Reid..." she gurgled, blood filling her thoat, making the feeling of drowning all the more real.
"Shhh, EMTs will be here soon", Morgan said, putting more pressure over her neck, causing her to choke on her own blood. It was everywhere, she could see it swimming around her, there was more outside of her body than there was in. Alex didn't know one could bleed so much.
"H..he w..will find..." she coughed, Morgan saw the crimson blood that painted her pale pink lips.
"Blake, Blake just focus on yourself", Morgan felt his knees dampen, it wasn't uncomfortable, but he felt sick knowing that the sticky warmth seeping into his pant legs was Blake's blood.
Reid sprinted from the door just as a silver van pulled away from the scene. Reid cursed and sprinted for the SUV. He climbed in, fumbling with the keys, which Hotch had left in the ignition. He barely noticed the sound of sirens surrounding him, or his team exiting their vehicles and calling his name.
"What the hell's he doing?" Hissed JJ, watching Reid pull the car into reverse and swerve back onto the road.
Reid slammed his foot on the acceleration, chasing the silver van, which was only just in his line of sight. He knew he was going past the speed limit, but still he kept his foot on the gas pedal.
The silver van made a sharp left turn, and Reid's skinny fingers grasped the wheel, yanking it violently to follow the van. The SUV complied to Reid's demands, swerving and dodging past other cars.
Reid could've laughed if he wasn't so determined. What would his mother think, her Spencer, in a high speed chase!
Reid turned on his sirens and the cars around him stopped smashing their horns at him and instead pulled out of his way.
It was pretty dark, but the lights of the streets allowed Reid to keep his eyes on his target. However, Jason took a right turn that led across a dimly lit bridge. Spencer had to rely on his headlights as he high tailed it onto the bridge.
"Sound off!" Called a voice that the agents recognised as Micheal Harper.
"In here! Quick, Agent down!" Bellowed Morgan, absently pushing harder on Alex's wound, eliciting a soft whimper.
Harper burst into the workshop, gun raised, followed by Rossi, JJ, Emily and Stanley. They all dropped their guns instantly seeing the agents in such poor conditions.
"Where are the medics!?" Cried Morgan over his shoulder, his hands were beginning to tremble as Blake's breaths drew shallower. Rossi ran from the room shouting for help.
"Alex..." whispered Emily, kneeling gently beside Blake's head and stroking her hair. Alex looked up lazily and smiled. They all looked so worried, why? She thought, we're all here, together, safe... she continued to smile. She was with her family. She was happy, even as the cold snuck nearer, closing in on her heart. She heard a child's giggle behind her. She wrenched her head over, sending jolts of pure agony over her body and allowing more blood to seep from the gunshot wound. Ethan?
"Alex, stay still", Hotch ordered, tightening his grip on her hand, which was becoming more and more limp. She looked over to where she'd heard the laughter.
"E..Ethan...?" She whispered. Her boy, her Baby was stood next to the broken car. He was smiling down at her. The coldness took complete hold.
"This way, please hurry", Rossi's voice broke into the silent room. The medics rushed to the agent's side. Rossi's team remained silent. The EMTs were silent. There was little movement.
"What're...what..." Rossi yelled.
"Rossi..", Morgan's voice cracked.
Rossi pulled Morgan violently out of the way and the agent didn't object, he seemed almost weightless as he was thrown backwards. The EMTs weren't focused on Alex.
"You've gotta try! You've.. got to..." Rossi sent pleading looks at the medics who simply shook their heads and began to help Hotch, who was staring at the blood. Too much blood, Rossi thought, he had to wade through it to get to his fallen agent.
"Help...HELP HER! You son of a bitch, DO SOMETHING!" He screamed at the male medic, who scooted away from the Italian.
"Sir..." he started, but Rossi wasn't listening. He started pumping on Alex's chest. Her eyes were half open, staring off at something that wasn't there, the usual deep brown of her eyes were now dead and cold, no longer holding her enthusiastic personality. Rossi felt strong hands hold him. Get off Morgan, he shouted in his head. He tried to keep his position.
"Stop...MORGAN, GET OFF ME! NOBODY IS HELPING HER...GET O..." he stuggled against the arms that tried to pry him away from Blake.
"Agent Rossi! DAVE! You're just pushing more blood from her body...it's..it's too late", it wasn't Morgan's voice but Michaels.
"No...NO!" Rossi made one last attempt to get to Alex, he had to save her, he had to.
"Rossi", Morgan's voice sounded deflated and stonic. His voice muted all hope that Rossi had been so desperatly clinging onto. Rossi fell back into the arms that had been pulling him away. He lost control of his emotions and tears washed his face. Derek wrapped his arms around the Italian, dragging him out of the blood and holding him back. Rossi lay in his gentle arms, utterly defeated.
Hotch couldn't hear the medics talking to him quietly, he wanted desperatly to shake Alex awake, to show that she was alive. He wanted to embrace Dave, wanted to tell him it would be alright. Instead they lay, sat and stood, the only sound filling the room were Rossi's wretched sobs and the quiet crying from the rest of the team. Micheal stood up and closed Alex's eyes, none of the team had the strength to do it, it was the last time they saw her brown eyes.
Jason swerved around the slow travelling car beside him, Reid right on his tail. Wolf knew he had to get the kid off his back. He glanced into the window of the car beside him, spotting an elderly couple, who hadn't noticed his presence.
He overtook them with ease and then slammed his foot on the breaks. He heard their car skidding to a stop, smiling and speeding back off. He peered into his rearview mirror and grinned at the carnage that devolved.
The car in front halted sending Reid's brain into a flurry of panic. Out of instinct his hands turned the wheel suddenly, sending the car skidding to the left, his brain tried to fight the action causing his feet to slam on the breaks sending the car out of control. Reid's fingers gripped the wheel, he heard the squeal of metal against metal as the SUV kissed the car in front. He pummled the breaks in terror, but the car had a mind of its own. The bonnet of the car sunk its teeth into the barrier separating passing cars from the 20 foot plummet into icy waves below. The barrier gave way easily as the front of the SUV chewed into it. It was a strange weightlessness that followed, Spencer had been aware what the feeling of falling was like, but this was different. Realising control of the vehicle was a lost cause he released the steering wheel and covered his face with his arms, preparing for impact as the SUV nosedived over the bridge.
Reid could only watch; his breath drawn out by the feeling of weightlessness, as the water approached the steaming and broken bonet. He remembered watching a film that looked like this, Morgan, Rossi and Emily had dragged him to the cinema, conning him into believing they were going to watch a 2 hour historical documentary on the battle of Mazikert during 1075 AC. When they'd told him they were actually watching an action movie he hadn't had much choice, they'd also laughed at him for believing their lie.
"When have you ever heard of a cinema showing a documentary!?" Emily laughed, holding her sides.
"I uh don't come out to the movies that much", Reid admitted, rubbing his neck and blushing deeply. "Anyway, you tricked me!" He glared, pointing an accusing finger at the three of them.
"We had to!" Defended Rossi, his hands up in surrender. "My life goal is for you to watch an action film that's actually in English and under 3 hours long. I will rest happy when I've achieved that." Emily laughed, remembering the Russian movie Reid had invited her to a while ago, which had been 5 hours long.
"Hey pretty boy, I'll get you some popcorn to say sorry", Morgan offered with a smirk. Reid considered for a moment then smirked himself.
"Nachos and coffee", he ordered as if Morgan was his waiter and then he waltzed into the screen room with a beaming Emily at his heels.
Rossi and Morgan shared a glance and chuckled.
Reid was knocked from the flashback when the windscreen collided with the water, smashing the glass and causing Reid to collide violently with the steering wheel, knocking him unconscious. After the initial impact the SUV caressed the rippling waves as it slowly sank into the depths. Spencer's head rested on the wheel as blood trickled down his face. Water began to fill the car, it wasn't long before it was completely swallowed beneath the tide. The water had begun to lick at Spencer's knees.
The sound of sirens could be heard above, muffled by the surrounding water. The officers above watched as the roof of the SUV disappeared.
Uh oh...that's not good.
Before anyone berates me for my decisions in this chapter, just remember it's my story, and this was planned to happen before I even wrote the first chapter.
With that said, in the first chapter I warned that there would be at least one character death, and I think it really spoils the story saying that anyway.
Please review and I shall see you in the next chapter!