november 18th 1993

bronx, new york

The night air was thick with the scent of blood and the distant hum of sirens. Olivia sat on the edge of the ambulance, her small frame wrapped in a blanket that felt too heavy for her to hold. The red and blue lights flashed intermittently, casting eerie shadows across the scene.The ringing in her ears made the paramedics' words sound muffled, like they were speaking underwater. She barely registered the sting of antiseptic on her wounds or the gentle touch of the paramedics tending to her, but her mind was elsewhere. It had only been a few hours since she escaped, but it felt like an eternity.

Three days since she had witnessed her cousin Celeste being brutally murder. She can still hear her cousin screams telling her to run.

Three days since she had been kidnapped.

Three days of pure, unrelenting torture.

Her body bore the marks of the ordeal, but the psychological scars ran deeper.

Her father stood a few feet away, deep in conversation with the police, his face lined with worry, anger, and fear while her mother was desperately trying to reach Luke, who was still deployed in Iraq. She could see the tears streaming down her mother's face, her body shaking with sobs as she clutched the phone to her ear.

"Está en mal estado... No sé qué hacer.... Cuando la policía la encontró, nos dijeron que no había pronunciado una palabra."

"Solo quiero saber qué le hicieron a mi hija!"

Olivia stared off into the distance, her eyes unfocused. The events of the last three days replayed in her mind like a horror movie she couldn't turn off. The dark room, the cruel laughter, the sharp pain. She had escaped, but the shadows of that place still clung to her, whispering in the corners of her mind.

"Olivia?"

The voice cut through the fog of her thoughts. She blinked and turned her head, her eyes meeting those of a man who had knelt down in front of her. He had a kind face, lined with age and experience, and his eyes were filled with a gentle concern.

"Olivia, my name is Agent Gideon," he said softly. "I'm with the FBI. I know you've been through something terrible, but I need to ask you a few questions. Can you do that for me?"

She clutched the blanket tighter around her shoulders, her eyes wide and filled with pain. She could only remember fragments, flashes of horror that played over and over in her mind. She nodded slowly, trying to focus on his face.

Gideon offered her a small, encouraging smile as he waited for her. "Take your time."

"After he shot my cousin and took me... I remember the screams," she whispered, her voice trembling. "There was so much blood. Everywhere... blood."

Gideon nodded, encouraging her to continue. "Can you tell me anything about the man who took you? Anything you remember could help us find him."

She closed her eyes, taking a shaky breath. Her mind struggling to pull details from the haze of her memories. "He... he took me to this dark place. I couldn't see much. But I remember it was dark and cold"

"You're doing great. Can you remember anything else? Any sounds, smells, anything unusual?"

She thought for a moment, then nodded. "There was a clock. It chimed every hour. I remember smelling something burnt."

He nodded, making mental notes of everything she said. "That's very helpful, Olivia. You're doing great. Can you tell me what the man looked like? Anything about his face, his voice?"

She shook her head, tears welling up in her eyes. "I can't remember his face only that he was wearing a black mask and his voice was deep." Her eyes filled with tears, and she looked down at her hands, which were trembling. "I was so scared," she whispered. "I thought I was going to die."

He reached out and gently took her hand in his. "But you didn't. You're here, and you're safe now." Reaching into his pocket and pulled out a small notebook. Flipping through it, he showed her a sketch of a branded mark, a bullet-shaped scar seared into the skin. "Olivia, have you seen this mark before? "

Olivia's eyes widened as she looked at the drawing. Without hesitation, she pulled the blanket from her left shoulder, revealing a painful, raw wound. The skin was red and burnt, the mark unmistakable.She could still remember the burning sensation and the smell of her own flesh sizzling. Gideon's expression grew more intense as he examined it.

"That's the mark," he said, more to himself than to her before turning to the police and his colleagues. "The same one we've seen on the other victims."

Her eyes filled with tears as she looked up at him. "It hurt so much," she whispered. "I can still feel the burning, and the smell..."

Gideon placed a comforting hand on her uninjured shoulder. "I'm so sorry you had to go through that, Olivia. You're safe now."

Her father approached, his face pale and drawn. "Is she okay?Is my daughter going to be okay?" he asked, his voice shaking. What did she say?"

Gideon stood up and faced him. "She's a very brave girl, Mr. Alvez. She's given us some important information about the man who did this."

Mr. Alvez nodded, his eyes filled with gratitude and sorrow. "Thank you, Agent Gideon."

Gideon placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder. "We'll be in touch. In the meantime, take care of her. She's been through a lot."

Olivia's gaze drifted back to Gideon. "Mr. Gideon, sir..." She called out as he turned around, "...you'll catch him right? You'll catch the bad guy?" she asked.

"We'll do everything we can to catch the man who did this and once we do he won't hurt anyone else ever again." Gideon smiled reassuringly.

As Gideon walked away, Olivia's father knelt beside her, pulling her into a gentle embrace. "Mija, I'm so proud of you, Olivia," he whispered. "You're so strong."

As the paramedics continued to tend to her, and her father stayed close by. She was safe now, but the shadows of those three days would linger in her mind forever. Yet, as she looked up at the flashing lights and the busy officers, she vow to remember everything she could, every detail, to aid in the hunt for the man who had already taken so much from her. That night she decided if they don't find him, Olivia would everything in her power to bring justice for Celeste and ensure that no other child would endure what she had.

criminal minds season four -- season: tbd

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