Disclaimer: I don't own Criminal Minds.
Warning: Rated for the mention of drugs, language, and torture.
Chapter fifteen: Pulse
"With my last breath, I'll exhale my love for you. I hope it's a cold day, so you can see what you meant to me."
-Jarod Kintz
Reid opened his heavy eyes. He looked towards Bates and a low growl escaped his lips. Bates, however, paid no attention. He just continued digging. You're going to regret this, Reid thought. He slowly rose to his feet a bit wobbly cringing. He took out a syringe with pure poison from his pocket. He noticed the difference from the one injected into him almost immediately.
He hovered over the crouching man and saw the pulsing vein in his neck. Reid took a deep shaky breath and lowered the needle just above the said vein. He plunged it deep into the skin and saw the liquid slowly disappear. Bates' eyes grew wide in pain. His head snapped to the agent he thought of dead.
"Next time learn to properly find a pulse," Reid said groggily.
"You bastard!" He whipped out a revolver, which Reid assumed was the one used on Morgan.
As Bates was about to pull the trigger he collapsed. He was shaking and blood spat from his mouth.
Reid fell on his knees and watched the horrific scene play out. That could've been him with the same dosage. He shivered and watched as the man's head rolled to the side. Big, blue, dead eyes peering at him. Reid wept in disgust, he never meant to kill any unsub he had encountered. It was his job whether he liked it or not. It was for family and in this case in order to stay alive.
Reid brought his knees to his chest and curled into a ball his arms losing grip on his legs. His body laid back on ground. Ignoring the sharp numbing pain on his back he laid flat. His body aching and begging for warmth. Warmth that was once provided by a friend who might be dead. His teary sad hazel eyes closing shut at the memories. The memories occurring slower and slower until they faded and only darkness remained. Tear tracks run down his abnormally pale face. His breathing started to slow down to a final gasp.
Rossi and Hotch had been walking with a small SWAT team and a few officers close behind. They set out on good time to follow the tracks but after five minutes they faded until finally they vanished under the piled snow.
"Sir maybe we should go back the storm is making it difficult as it is," the SWAT leader said.
"No, we will find Reid," he insisted.
"But-"
"Don't argue," Rossi intervened before Hotch snapped.
The man nodded his head and remained silent for the rest of the way.
After thirty minutes of wandering they came to a halt in the entrance of a small clearing. At first all they saw was snow but then they all noticed the all too familiar piles that were clearly bodies. Rossi immediately headed to one while Hotch went to the other.
Hotch looked at the ground and saw his missing agent. Quickly he got on his knees and gently brushed a hand to the man's cold face.
His lips were a light hint of blue and frost was forming. He didn't hear him breathing nor did he see the falling and rising of his bare chest. He leaned in further while he pressed his fingers to Reid's wrist and maybe, just maybe, detect a pulse.