Hello everyone! I said in the last chapter that I would try and get this chapter out before school started. I'm sorry I didn't hold up to that promise. Classes started this morning. Oh well, phish posh, close enough! It's FINALLY complete! I hope I did the ending justice! I'm terribly sorry it took me 3 years to write this, but I hope you enjoyed it nonetheless!
Chapter 8 - The End of the Beginning
"Come on, Aaron. We need to get out of here." Rossi's voice seemed to snap the rest of the group to attention.
Hotch pulled away from his son in order to place his arms under Jack's back and legs and then lifted him to his chest while standing up. "We need to find Emily and Derek first."
Some of the children seemed to have disappeared and the others looked outraged. In union, they all started screaming. The birds woke up and flew from their nests. The wind picked up and the leaves started to twirl around them. The shrill pitch in their scream caused the group to flinch and instinctively cover their ears, but nothing stopped the sound from continuing to echo through their minds.
Their pace picked up and they ran toward the campsite.
Prentiss continued to grip Morgan's hand, not daring herself to let go.
Morgan's hand was numb but he didn't care at the moment. His heart was racing and sweat dripped from his brow down the side of his face. His lungs burned from exhaustion but neither wanted to stop to rest. So they continued to run with no sense of direction through the trees.
After a short while, Prentiss' foot got caught on something protruding from the ground. Her grip on Morgan got released as she fell to the ground. Her hands landed on loose dirt and her hands brushed against something squishy.
She sat up on her knees and pressed her right arm to her while and the other to her chest. Her breathing labored and forced.
"Come on, Emily, we have to go." Derek attempted to put his hands underneath her upper arms and help her stand, but she brushed him away.
She held one finger up at him. "Need to breathe."
Derek would have argued but a short reprieve from running was needed for them both. He continued to keep his eyes open and searched the shadows for anything lurking in them.
"Derek." Prentiss whispered. Her voice sounded strained and afraid. When he looked down at her, she wasn't look at him; instead her wide eyes were directed toward the ground.
He followed the trajectory of her eyes and all the air in his lungs he just gained back was lost again.
There, where her hand had just brushed the dirt on the ground, was a pale, ghastly looking face staring back up at them. Green eyes stood immobile and blond hair reached around her neck. Dirt had buried its way inside her mouth and blood rimmed her lips.
They had just unburied a woman's grave. A fresh grave, no less, as this woman looked to be only a few days into the stages of death. Maggots had welcomed themselves to her body and were crawling around. When Emily noticed this, she fell back and away from the body. She would have screamed if any oxygen had been left after the shock.
Realization dawned on them both as they noticed this woman death was only a day or two prior to today.
This could have been them.
They had just escaped from the exact same method of dying only a few minutes before. They each had been buried alive and the same fate had been waiting for them.
Rather than stick around to uncover more, Emily leap to her feet and grabbed Derek's hand to pull him along.
They didn't want out – they needed out!
They had been running for approximately five more minutes before the tents from the campsite appeared in their view. They sprinted and prayed the rest of the team were there.
Or, better yet, still alive.
When they arrived, the campsite was empty. They each looked around for anyone, anywhere, but no one appeared.
A few seconds later, the crunching of leaves echoed around them. It wasn't the brief crunch, it was more like a stampede. Almost afraid of what they could find heading toward them, they each looked in each other's eyes before turning their heads.
The rest of the team came into view a few seconds later. They looked exhausted and Jack still looked pale and dead weighted in Aaron's arms.
"Hurry, we need to get in the vehicles." Rossi ordered immediately upon seeing his two co-workers.
Everyone rushed into the vehicles and drove off, leaving the tents and laughing children behind.
It was well into the night and Jack was sleeping comfortably and soundly in his own bed. The team had returned home three nights ago and they had all attempted to forget the events from the forest. Aaron and Haley Hotchner had been reluctant the past few nights to leave Jack alone but they knew that they needed to move past the events from the weekend. Jack hadn't suffered from any nightmares yet and they didn't want to dwell on their own. Jack was safe at home. No more harm could come to him here.
Or so they thought.
"Jack!" A hushed whisper said. It took another few times calling his name before the young boy stirred. He yawned and stretched his arms above his head. His eyes opened slowly and he rubbed them with the knuckles on his fingers. Then he blinked a few times to get his bearings. "Hello there, Jack!"
"Annabelle!" Jack sat up quickly and excitedly shouted the ghost's name.
Quickly she held a finger to her lips to get him to speak in a softer tone. "Shh, Jack. We don't want your parents to hear us. They don't like us."
He lowered his voice but continued to smile at them. "What are you doing here?"
"We missed you, Jack!" Jack looked around and noticed for the first time that all the other children from the forest were surrounding his bed. They were all smiling happily if not a little mischievously. Annabelle's eyes twinkled and she leaned forward slightly. "Now, are you ready to finish that game?"