Running Man

Darkness enveloped him like a cocoon yet seemed to offer him none of the protection usually afforded its occupant. He ran, his feet thudding on the pavement with each step. It felt like they were gaining on him. He looked back but the same darkness that hid him provided cover for his pursuers as well, but he was sure he could hear the pounding of feet on the unforgiving surface behind him. He pushed himself to go faster. He could feel the breeze in his hair as he broke through the thick night air like a marathoner breaking the tape at the finish line. Perspiration trickled down his back, between his shoulder blades as well as on his chest. His hair was soaked as was the sweatshirt he wore. The musky odor of his sweat overcame the freshness after a recent rain. Or, was the acrid smell the stench of fear. Faster, he told himself, faster.

Sweat meandered down his face and he licked his lips and felt the saltiness, assault his taste buds. Well, that figured, he had been eating a lot of carbs lately and with the sodium and urea…Stop, do you have to analyze every little thing? Your sweat tastes like goddamn salt. Live with it. His mind came back to the moment. He looked back again but saw nothing. Was that good or bad? Did he want to see what was steadily approaching him or not?

Faster. Faster. He tried to lengthen his stride, the searing pain in his thighs reminding him that lactic acid was building up quickly and soon… Stop it! His breathing began to come in gasps as his chest heaved to keep up with his continual increase in exertion. How much longer could he go on?

He looked ahead. Light. Was that light. Water. Water cascading from a fountain. Okay, now you're hallucinating! He looked once again at the cement as his feet continued to cover ground.

"Hey, slow down there Spence. You're here. We're done." He looked up again and JJ stood before him dressed in FBI workout wear. Part of the long, still reddish scar, the remnant of her injuries from the car accident engineered by Scratch, peeked out from beneath her skin tight shorts. She was just lifting her head from the water fountain where she'd quenched her thirst after their run.

Reid stopped, bent over, hands on his aching thighs and tried to catch his breath. He had no choice. There was no way he could speak. He reached for the water fountain himself and allowed the cool liquid to sate him and wash away the taste of sweat. "Hi," he finally gasped.

JJ chuckled, still recovering and trying to get her leg back to its pre-accident condition had figured they'd be a fairly even match. She patted his back. "Don't worry about it Spence, you'll feel better after doughnuts." Reid nodded, still unable to provide a intelligible sentence. "Hey, look at the bright side," JJ looked at her stopwatch, "You're getting faster. C'mon," she turned and headed towards their favorite doughnut hangout.

Reid looked back in the direction he'd come. "Not fast enough," he whispered into the darkness.