Discerning

A Criminal Minds Story

People were still screaming.

They were still running.

And pushing and trampling.

It was sheer panic.

A chaotic mass of limbs and fear.

"Out of the way!" Morgan screamed as he squeezed through the hoard of people. The team right behind him. They had yet to see JJ and all were worried that they might find her dying or dead in a pool of blood all because they didn't see it coming. They profiled that he would make a statement and they should have known. What better place to cast mass panic than on live television?

"JJ!" He heard Emily call from behind him as they broke into a clearing. And they all stopped. Three bodies lay unmoving on the ground. Broken cameras and discarded microphones and recorders littered the frozen ground. A few stragglers, scampered away as they nursed injured limbs and hands.

The remnants of panic still evident in their eyes,

They hadn't made it through the stampede of people unscathed.

A harsh wind chilled bare skin, as the team continued to scan the eerie sight in front of them.

And then there was their friend. Sitting on the ground with her elbows resting on her knees as she held her head with her wrists, her hands stained with blood. The body of a young reporter rested in front of her and it was obvious what she had been trying to do.

Relief flooded them as soon as they saw that she wasn't part of the dead on the ground.

They cautiously trudged towards here being wary of debris and forgotten items. Each agent scanned their surroundings for any sign that the Unsub would strike again. It would go against the profile, but so did killing three people.

Emily placed her hand on the unresponsive blonde's shoulder, letting her know they were there. JJ looked up, her eyes vacant and unfeeling. She turned to Morgan.

"I saw a flash…," She told him, "From across the street. That building, that window."

Without another word, the boys flew across the street knowing the Unsub would no longer be there. Reid stayed behind with Emily as they patiently waited for their shocked friend.

"I tried," She continued, "But they just started running, running and screaming…. And she." JJ looked back at the body in front of her.

"It's not your fault Jayje," Emily comforted looking back at Reid worriedly.

"She was gasping for breath. I couldn't stop the bleeding."

"Let's get you cleaned up," Emily ushered as she reached for JJ's elbow and hoisted her up as medical workers and EMT's arrived on scene. Ambulances screeching to a halt.

"JJ, what happened?" Reid asked, as he noticed the large bruise on the side of her face.

"That looks like it hurts."

JJ brought her hand to her temple, forgetting about the blood that still stained them as she gingerly touched the sore spot.

"I think I caught a camera to the face," JJ replied, her eyes twinkled a bit as she began to return to herself, "I'll tell you one thing, reporters definitely know how to run ... and shove people out of their away."

Emily smiled.

"Do you think our Unsub is devolving? I mean this was pretty big; he goes from small public places to a live press conference. He ups his kill count."

"If anything, he has become more confident. And the more kills probably just resulted because of the large amount of people clustered in one area," Reid figured as he stuffed his hands in his pocket.

"What about the red dot. Was he aiming for me, or was it just like a taunt?" JJ asked.

"He might've been playing a game," Reid stated.

"How do you figure?" Emily asked.

"It was a live press conference. Maybe he just wanted to show everyone what was about to happen. Strike fear before it's even started."

"Could it have been directed at us. To show us that he can take any one of us out at anytime."

"If so. We need to rethink the profile."

"Can we do that inside?" JJ shivered, "It's freezing out here."

A young twenty five year old male grinned widely as he walked to his car. A large black duffel bag hanging over his shoulder. Opening up the trunk he threw it inside and leaned against his car as he saw a group of FBI Agents flying across the street towards the motel that he had just exited.

They were pissed.

White smoky spurts of his breath could be seen in the cold air as he chuckled loudly.

He would always be one step ahead of them.

With another large self-approved smile the man crawled into his car and turned on the engine. He was having a good day. A very good day. Closing his eyes, images of panicked faces flashed through his mind. Echoes of the scared screams and wails of the injured replayed again and again. And it was all because of him.

Yep, today was going to be a good day.

Thank you for all of the reviews and for reading! You rock! And please let me know if you have any suggestions, or criticisms.

Thanks!

-HCB