Psychopathy

Chapter 83- Shadows In The Hall

Isabel wandered along the hallway, trying to ignore the figures moving in the dark. She didn't know how or why she had ended up here, but she had a feeling there was something important at the end of it. So she continued to walk, always on guard, watching and waiting for those shadows to jump out of the darkness and try to claim her.

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Reid sighed, running a hand through his hair as he walked the hall of the building, heading to Ciara's apartment. He'd heard about the conversation she had with Xavier Arrington- Hotch had told all of them, if for no other reason than for them to double down on finding Ty before he could get to D.C. Ciara had gone home very shortly after, and Reid hadn't gotten a chance to talk to her about it. He supposed that was part of the reason he was here, to make sure she was okay.

The other part was to tell her how everything had ended. Xavier had mentioned he had no intention of going to prison, and he had meant it. As he was being transferred to the prison to await trial, Xavier had escaped. No one was sure how he'd done it. He was there one second and gone the next. He had been put on the FBI's Most Wanted list, but Reid had a feeling that they wouldn't be able to catch him. Xavier had only turned himself in to talk to Ciara- once that was done, he was back to his mission of vigilante justice.

Reid assumed Ciara would want to know what had happened. And even if she didn't, he wanted to make sure she was okay. Technically speaking, he could have waited until the next day when they met up for their regular Saturday excursions. But he'd done that once, and it had led to the worst two years of his life. He wasn't about to make that same mistake again. So there he was, walking up to her apartment completely unannounced.

He wasn't sure she'd even want to see him. But even if all he got was an assurance that she was okay before she shut the door in his face, that would be enough. As long as he could see her, he'd be okay with that. So with a deep breath, he raised his fist and knocked on the door. He waited for her to respond, but when a minute passed and there was no sound from the other side of the door, he began to get nervous.

What if he was already too late? What if Ty had already gotten to her? He knocked again, but there was still no response, and Reid felt his heart starting to beat faster. Memories of when he first found out she was missing began to surface, and he immediately reached into the light beside the door, fishing out the spare key.

Maybe nothing was wrong- maybe she was just listening to music and couldn't hear his knocks. If that was the case, he would apologize for barging in so suddenly. But he couldn't take the chance, not when they knew Ty was possibly making his way to D.C. Reid had to be sure that she was safe. So with the spare key in hand, he unlocked the door and stepped inside. For a second, everything was quiet. Most of the lights were off, casting the apartment in shadows. And then, in a flash, there was movement.

Ciara finally came around a corner, tightly holding onto a kitchen knife that was pointed straight at him.

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They were everywhere. The shadows. The voices. They filled every inch of her perception, threatening to pull her under.

When she had slightly calmed herself down after her conversation with Xavier Arrington, she had asked Hotch if she could go home for the day. She needed time alone, and Hotch had agreed that she needed time to process. But what she hadn't predicted was how dangerous her home would feel.

It happened as soon as she stepped in the door. She had seen bloodstains on the floor and dents in the wall, exactly where they had been when James had come for her. She immediately went back into her room and locked the door, hoping that would keep any intruders out. But it hadn't worked. The shadows in the room seemed to move, some reaching out to grab her. From the shadows came the jumbled voices, all talking over each other and leaving Ciara unable to tell what they were saying. Just as she stood up, ready to see if another room was safer, she felt a pair of arms wrap around her waist, rubbing her stomach possessively. His was the only voice she could hear clearly.