Buried Alive
Disclaimer: Same as the other chapters
Chapter 4
His sobs began to cease once the pain in his ribs intensified; the pounding against the wood weakened and soon enough his arm just dropped to his side, fingers bloody and arm burning. He had never pictured dying like this…he actually never pictured dying at all at this age. He had always been in the protection of his lab- minus the explosion incident- and now he just had to go out and be a stupid CSI. Greg pinched the bridge of his nose while sniffing and trying to focus. Nick wouldn't be doing this; the guy would try and keep calm…well after figuring out where he was.
"Alright Greg, pull it together. WWND: what would Nick do?" He always looked up to the Texan; he was his role model and he always wanted to be like him. So, he had to start now; calm down, take a breather, and think of a plan. But what the hell could he do inside a fucking coffin? He already screamed his lungs out, scratching the wood had just ripped his fingernails off, so what was he supposed to do? Sit here and wait for death to come? No, his team would find him just like they did with Nick…they would find him and everything would be okay. Greg closed his eyes and breathed heavily through his nose. He just had to relax. He put his hand to his forehead, disregarding that he was getting blood on his face. This was so messed up. And if something bad happened, what would his mom do? God, if Grissom had called his parents already his mom was probably hysterical right now. Greg sniffed, trying to not let another bout of tears escape his eyes.
~+CSI+~
Nick sighed sadly, rubbing his eyes as he watched Greg calm down and close his eyes. This was the worst day of his life, but he shouldn't be complaining, he wasn't the one six feet under in the middle of nowhere. All of a sudden, he noticed, as Greg put his hand on his forehead, that there was blood on his fingers.
"Oh god." Was Greg injured? How bad was he hurt? When Brass located Mason, he was gonna strangle him! "Greg I'm so-"
"Mrs. Sanders! You don't want to-"
"I have to see him, you said you saw him!"
"Emma!"
Nick looked away from the screen at the sound of familiar voices. Greg's parents. And before he knew it, the sandy blonde woman came bursting in, trying to get to the screen. He barely had enough time to stop her when she shoved him and froze.
"Oh Greg, sweetie," she cried. Mr. Sander's grabbed the woman and brought her to his chest.
"You found him, Grissom?" Mr. Sanders questioned, trying to hold it together as he looked as his scared, distressed son.
"No, unfortunately this is just a live video. We are trying to track down the person who sent this and then we can possibly find out where your son is buried."
Mr. Sanders clenched his jaw before looking at his wife. "Is there anywhere she can sit and take a break?"
"Of course," Catherine said and she led Emma towards the break room. Mr. Sanders turned to Nick and Grissom and sighed. "What the hell does this bastard want?"
"Revenge," Grissom stated. "And I think he just grabbed whoever was at the crime scene."
Nick gulped. It could've been him…it should've been him. But he had been such a dick to Greg and left him alone. This was all his fault. He tried to keep it together as he listened to the rest of the conversation.
"W-Well is there a ransom?"
"One billion."
Mr. Sanders swore under his breath, briefly glancing at his son on the camera. They weren't rich, but he had one million saved up for their trip to Australia they were going to take soon…that wasn't happening anymore. His son was more important, though. "I only have one million…but I can maybe get some from a friend. Do you think this guy can wait an extra day…maybe we give him the one million now to buy more time?"
Grissom shook his head. "I'm afraid that's not gonna work; this guy is very specific."
"Well, what the hell are we supposed to do then?"
"Find the guy who did this," Nick said. "We'll get him and we'll save Greg."
"What about the money."
"That won't be a problem," Catherine said, appearing in the doorway. "I've got it covered." With that, she disappeared down the hall, leaving Mr. Sanders confused.
The man sighed heavily and faced the screen. "Holde seg sterk Hojem, du vil komme gjennom dette, bare fortsetter å kjempe snill. Jeg kan ikke miste min eneste sønn." Without another word, the man went to go find his wife. Nick had no idea what the man had said, but he knew it had something to do with Greg and him staying alive.
"Your dad's right…er…with whatever he said," Nick whispered to Greg who had no idea what was going on. "But you keep fightin' bud, we'll get you home."
Grissom briefly put a gentle hand on Nick's shoulder and smiled weakly. "We got work to do."
~+CSI+~
"Sam."
"Catherine, what are you doing back here so early; two times in two months, that's a record." Sam Braun smirked as his daughter came to sit in a booth with him.
"I need money."
"Again?"
"Believe it or not, another one of our guys have been kidnapped and the ransom needs to be met in four…well now three hours."
"And what's the ransom? One million?"
"Actually, one billion."
Sam's eyes widened. He had that type of money, but damn that was a lot for a ransom. "Are you asking for this money as my daughter or as a cop…if it's the latter, then the answer is no."
"Sam…I'm asking you as your daughter. Please, he's just a kid and we have to save him. Do some good, Sam."
Sam sighed and looked at some burlesque dancers passing by with a smile before staring back at his daughter. "You're lucky I love you."
Catherine rolled her eyes but smiled. Here we come, Greg, just hang on.
~+CSI+~
It was so fucking hot. His face was covered in a thick layer of sweat and he felt like he was in a sauna; one where the temperature just keeps rising. His hair plastered to his forehead and beads of sweat dripped into his eyes. He coughed, sending another wave of pain through his entire body…well except for his arm, because now that just felt numb. Whimpering, he tried shifting to make himself more comfortable but only resulted in him bumping his head on the surface.
He groaned hoarsely. He didn't know how long he'd been in here, but he felt the air start to get thinner with every passing minute. Soon enough, he'd be wheezing, out of breath…and then dead. He wanted his big brother, he wanted his mom and dad, he wanted Catherine and Sara and Warrick…maybe even Grissom. He just wanted his family.
"Nick…please help me, N-Nick…Nicky p-please." Tears started to make their way back onto his sweaty face. But Nick was topside and he was gonna die if they didn't work fast. He let out a frustrated scream before placing his arm over his eyes, breathing shakily. "Please."
Meanwhile, Nick was trying to hold back the tears. He had just gotten back from the light table and he noticed Greg was getting worse. He was pale, sweaty and ill looking; they needed to get him out of there and to a hospital. All of a sudden, Greg started saying something and Nick had to look closer and turn the sound back on.
"-elp me N-Nick…Nicky p-please."
"Oh G." He put his head in his hands and could no longer hold back the tears. Hearing Greg's tortured sobs and desperate pleas were too much for him. "I'm so sorry, man, I'm trying. I swear to god I'm fucking try-"
All of a sudden there was a little ping on the computer, causing Nick to lift his head. Another window had opened, making Greg disappear, and it had a little microphone in the middle. Frowning, he moved the arrow onto the link and clicked it…the window disappeared, but nothing happened. Frustrated, he ran his fingers through his hair. "Well, that didn't do anything did it, bud."
"N-Nick? Nick is that you?"
Nick inhaled sharply as he swore Greg called out his name. "G-Greg? Can you hear me?"
"Nick! Yeah, I can; where are you?"
"I'm at the lab. I think there's some type of microphone…and we can see you."
Greg's eyes widened. "S-so…you heard me and…saw me, you know, crying?"
"It's nothing to be ashamed of, man."
"Yes it is, I need to keep myself together…I need- I need to stop acting like a wimp, I need to- I think I need to…" Greg kept rambling on, his breathing becoming erratic. And panic breathing took up more air.
"Greg. Greg! Greg, stop it! Take it easy, man, you'll be okay; I promise you'll be okay!"
His little brother began sobbing again. "No I won't, Nick! I'm gonna die aren't I? I-I'm not like you Nick; I'm not strong like y-you. I c-can't do this, I'm gonna d-die!"
All of a sudden there was a gun at Greg's head and Nick went into overdrive. "Whoa, whoa, whoa! Greg, put that down!" Mason had left a gun with the kid…just like Walter Gordon had.
"Nick, I can't do this, I'm sorry!"
"Greg, I know you can do this; you are the strongest person I know…so please put the gun down."
"Nick, I'm not strong; I'm stupid and weak and I can't do anything right, I'm a failure…you even said it yourself."
Nick felt a stake through his heart; he had completely forgotten about the incident before Greg had been kidnapped. He had gotten so angry and that anger had turned to fear. The last thing he had said to the kid was that he didn't think the kid would be a good CSI…a failure.
"G, what I said before, none of it was true, I swear to god. I was just scared that something bad happened to you. You have to believe me, so put the gun down."
Greg sniffed. "Nick, I'm gonna die anyways…I m-might as well end it now."
"What about your parents?"
"M-my parents?"
"Yeah man…they're here. You don't want them to see you do this, do you?"
"Oh man, my m-mom…she must be…she must be freaking out by now, right?" Greg chuckled nervously.
"Would you blame her?" Nick smirked.
Greg smiled unconsciously.
"So don't give her a reason to freak out anymore. If you do this, you know she'll be devastated…we all will. So please, Greggo, put the gun down. You just have to trust us; we will find you. I will find you if it's the last thing I do."
The young CSI was hesitant, remaining silent and Nick was praying he wouldn't hear the safety click off. Please, please, please, Greggo don't do this. And slowly but surely, the gun was lowered and Greg took a deep breath. "Okay. Okay."
"That's it bud, that's good."
Greg took a deep breath and closed his eyes.
"You alright man?"
"N-No…but could you…could you please go get my mom and dad?"
"Sure…but you're not saying goodbye are you? I promised you you'll get out of there."
"Can you just g-get them p-please?"
Nick pursed his lips, but nodded. "Alright, I'll be right back."
"Kay."
As Nick left, he looked at his watch nervously. They only had two hours left before…before Greg ran out of time. He quickened his pace, looking for the Sanders. Once he told everyone what happened- minus the gun part- Greg's parents left for the computer room. Nick turned to Catherine and Warrick, wiping his mouth.
"You okay, man?" Warrick said, clasping Nick's shoulder.
"I just had to talk Greg down from shooting himself."
"He tried to kill himself?" Catherine said, completely horrified. "Dammit, kid. Well, you did good Nicky."
"Yeah…um…I need to go take a breath-"
Jim poked his head in the room with a smirk on his face. "We found Craig Mason. We'll be on the move in five minutes. With a grin Nick jogged to the room where Greg was on the monitor.
"Mr. and Mrs. Sanders…Greg," he turned to his friend who seemed to be listening. "We found the guy who kidnapped you; we're headed over there right now, alright?"
Greg smiled weakly. He seemed to be getting tired and Nick wanted to get this guy to tell him the location ASAP.
"Okay…won't be going anywhere," Greg chuckled.
"Don't worry, G, you'll be out of there in no time."
"I trust you, Nick."
Nick smiled before nodding to Greg's parents and running out to follow the rest of the team for the takedown of Craig Mason. They were gonna get him and then they were gonna bring Greg home alive.
~+CSI+~
"Craig Mason, come out with your hands up!" Brass shouted as he, along with the S.W.A.T team, and five of the CSI's burst into the room. They had triangulated Mason's location to an abandoned warehouse and he was currently still there. It was dark, it was musty, and there were many areas where the bastard could be hiding.
"Mason!" Brass yelled as everyone spread out.
Nick's heart was pounding, his gun held firmly in his hand, stretched out in front of him. He desperately wanted to kill this guy the moment he laid eyes on him, but they needed information. However, once they found Greg…it might be a different story.
"Looking for me?" A voice growled out from behind him. Swiveling around, he came face to face with Craig Mason…who had a gun at his side.
"Drop the gun!" He shouted, which alerted the other officers.
"Craig Mason, you're under arrest! Now drop the gun," Brass boomed.
"If you want to see your CSI alive, you better hope you have the money with you right now. I'd say he has about one and a half hours left."
"We have the money," Catherine said, lugging a bag over and dropping it in front of her. "Now where's Greg?"
"Now wait a minute, I thought there was a no negotiation policy. That money is probably fake…or maybe there's a GPS inside it?"
"Nope, all-"
"Where is Greg!?" Nick shouted angrily, cutting Catherine off. They didn't have time for small talk; and he knew exactly what Craig was doing. Stalling so Greg would die. His whole body was trembling with rage yet his gun was still steady.
"Nicky," Brass warned.
"No! Where. The fuck. Is Greg?"
"Oh, someone's a little protective isn't he?" Craig grinned evilly. "In that case…" Mason lifted the gun and shoved it under his chin.
"Stop!" Catherine shouted. "Put that down, we can work something out!"
Nick swallowed nervously, his gun wavering for a second. If Mason killed himself, they were screwed…Greg was screwed. They needed the suspect alive.
"There's nothing you can say or do that'll stop me from doing this." Without warning, a loud shot went off and Mason crumpled to the floor.
"No!" Nick dropped his gun as he ran over to the guy. Blood was everywhere…but he was just barely alive. Mason was wheezing badly and blood was spilling out of his mouth…that had formed a sadistic grin.
"Y-You'll…never…f-find…him n-now."
Nick grabbed Mason's shirt and bunched it up in his fists. "Where is he? Where's Greg!"
Mason cackled, blood spraying onto his pale lips. Nick looked hard into the cold dark eyes, seeing into the soul of a killer. "Tell me. Where. He. Is. Or I swear to god-"
"God c-can't help you no-now…or your f-friend. He's gonna…gonna die and th-there will be nothing…you c-can do ab…out it." With that, Mason took his last labored breath before shuddering and his body going limp. His eyes were left open and a ghost of a smile was formed on his mouth.
"NO! Craig, wake up dammit! Tell me where Greg is!" He brought the man up to his face, but it was too late. "Fuck!" He slammed Craig on the ground violently while screaming in frustration and pushing himself to his feet. Kicking an empty crate, he ran both hands through his hair before covering his eyes.
"God!"
"It's alright, Nick," Catherine whispered, placing a hand on her surrogate son's shoulder.
"No it's not alright! He was the only one who knew where Greg is and now he's dead! How the hell are we supposed to save him now?" Tears ran down Nick's face as he pushed past everyone and left the room to get some air. Their suspect was dead…Greg was gonna die because they had no idea where the hell he was. Greg was gonna die and there was nothing he could do about it.
TBC…
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Holde seg sterk Hojem, duvilkomme gjennomdette, barefortsetter å kjempesnill.Jegkanikke mistemin enestesønn: Stay strong Hojem, you will get through this, just keep fighting please. I can't lose my only son.
I'm pretty sure that's right, but google translate can be wrong sometimes.