The Chase (Criminal Minds)

Vibe

Prentiss forcefully kicked the front door open and walked inside. She held her gun firmly out in front of her, ready for anything, as she began searching the house.

After she had cleared the first floor she ran upstairs, her heels clicking against the wooden steps.

She forcefully swung the Guest Room door open, revealing nothing but a neatly made bed and a small work desk.

Clear.

She approached the next room. A bad vibe crawled down her spine as she walked. Ignoring the feeling, she continued on with her investigation.

Stealthily jumping into the hallway bathroom, she carefully pulled aside the expensive shower curtains that elegantly wrapped around an old, porcelain bathtub.

Clear.

It wasn't until she reached the Master Bedroom that she figured out the reasoning behind the bad vibe she had experienced before and the aching feeling that secretly wretched in her stomach before they even got there.

Entering the room, she checked the closet before putting her gun back in its holster. She ran over to the lifeless body laying in the middle of the floor and checked for a pulse.

Nothing.

On her knees, she could feel the warmth of blood slowly soaking her jeans.

Warm.

Lifting herself off the floor, she found Dallas' home phone hooked up on his bedside table. She shakily grabbed the telephone, staining it with blood, and dialed Hotch's number.

"Hotchner."

"It's Emily," She quickly stated.

"Where have you been? I've tried to get in touch with you for several hours!" He quietly yelled into the phone, not wanting anyone to hear.

"Hotch, Jeffrey Dallas is dead. When I found his body the blood was still warm. Our unsub was just here and we still managed to miss him." Prentiss rambled, avoiding his question.

The line was silent for a moment.

"It's a shame we couldn't save him...We were so close. Now that Dallas is dead, we have less than 24 hours to catch our assailant before he strikes again."

Emily took a deep breath.

"Do we have any leads?"

"Prentiss," He began slowly.

"We know who the unsub is. I've tried to tell you that, but neither you or Reid have answered my calls. The unsub is Hunter Prescott."

Reid.

"Oh no..." Emily trailed off as she sprinted out of the Master Bedroom.

"What is it?" Hotch asked, concerned.

"Reid," She ran down the stairs, taking them two at a time.

"I-I told him to come in through the back door while I took the front. It's been about twenty minutes since I've last seen him. How could I have completely forgot about him?!" Her lip began to quiver slightly.

"Reid!" She yelled as she made her way towards the back of the house.

Silence.

Finally making it to the door she realized it was open.

"Reid!" She yelled once more.

Hearing the same longing silence as before, she ran out the door and looked around.

"Hotch," She softly spoke as she held the phone against her ear again.

"Emily, What's going on?"

"His gun..." Fear crept into her voice.

"It's on the ground."

She bent down and picked it up, placing it in her jacket pocket.

Hotch sighed.

"This isn't good. Reid doesn't even know that Prescott is the unsub. If they cross paths with each other who knows what might happen."

"I know," She solemnly agreed.

"I have to go look for him, but I don't know where to start. Hotch, there's about one-hundred acres of forest here."

"I know this is hard, but I need you to stay where you are. I can't risk losing you, too," He said with all seriousness.

"But-"

"Stop. I'm going to have JJ call for an ambulance and back-up squad to be sent to your coordinates. Stay put until they get there and then you can help them search for Reid."

"Fine," Emily spat angrily.

She hung up on her boss as she walked back inside the house. Putting the phone down on the kitchen counter, she nervously paced the room, subconsciously picking at her cuticles.

A decision had to be made.

She could either anxiously wait around until the search-team came or she could disobey Hotch's orders and try to find Reid on her own.

She stopped pacing and sat down on the cozy, brown leather couch that occupied the living room. She stretched herself out, positioning her head on a pillow and closed her eyes.

As much as it pained her, she ignored the voices inside her head screaming at her to run into the forest and find the missing member of her team.

Hotch was right. If Emily went to look for Reid by herself, it was most likely she would get lost or be put in danger.

Laying on the couch, she thought back to Jeffrey Dallas. If she would've just broken down that door instead of waiting for a response, she could have saved him.

But she didn't. He bled out right in front of her and there was nothing she could do.

If she would have checked on Reid before going upstairs, she probably would've stopped him from disappearing.

But she hadn't and now one of her best friends was on his own, in a town he had never been to, with no weapon or fighting skills, and was most likely with a man he would soon find out is their unsub.

A tear slipped from her eye as guilt quickly took over her conscience.

This is all my fault.

I'm so sorry.

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Hey Guys!

So here's chapter 16!

I'm so happy that this story's finally Rollin'!

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You guys are amazing and thank you for reading!

-Sammie