The Chase (Criminal Minds)

Fight or Flight

As Reid sprinted, dodging the constant obstacles nature threw his way, he couldn't help but think of Emily. It had been several hours since they'd last seen each other.

She had to know he'd gone missing by now, right?

C'mon Spence, you can do this. I believe in you.

"JJ?" He quietly whispered into the night.

You can do this, The voice repeated.

Henry's counting on you. You wouldn't want to let him down, would you?

He shook his head.

"Never."

...

Tripping over his shoes, he could feel his body weakening with every step. He hadn't slept in two days which caused his vision to blur at times. He also hadn't eaten anything since four-thirty that morning and never drank enough water due to his undeniable coffee addiction.

All of these life habits never seemed to affect him as drastically as they did now.

How do JJ and Henry know I'm lost in a forest if they're in two different states?

How can I hear JJ talking to me? It couldn't have been a memory, because she had never said those words to him before. She had said some like it, but never those exact words. I would have remembered.

He continued to question himself until he saw something move in the distance.

Moving closer, he could see two paths up ahead. He'd never seen them before, but Prescott might have. If only he'd known which one he had taken. If he followed the wrong one, it could lead him in the opposite direction of his target.

He stared blankly at the paths.

They both started out identical, sloping downwards towards a cluster of pine trees. After that he could tell that the paths split, but he couldn't see where they went, because they were both covered with a leafy canopy of vines and branches.

There was a 50% chance that he would choose the right path.

There was also a 50% chance that he would choose the wrong path.

He slowly stepped forward, statistics racing through his mind as his feet began to walk down the path on his left.

Stop.

Spencer froze.

Right.

"What?" He asked in confusion.

Why didn't you listen to your gut?

"I-I don't know...?"

You trusted statistics and ended up choosing the wrong path.

Reid turned around and took the path leading right.

I may not be old, but I've still got experience. Now go out there and be a hero, Pretty Boy.

He didn't know why he was hearing the voices of his team in his head, but he liked it. Smiling, he jogged the length of the path.

...

11:13PM.

The wind grew stronger as he climbed, blowing loose strands of hair away from his face.

"Hunter Prescott?" He yelled.

There was a faint noise, but no reply.

"I'm not armed, I just want to talk."

He watched as a deer trotted aimlessly through the grassy plains.