Chapter Text
Cults were hard to take down. They were usually strategically organized and without actual evidence that they were up to something then it was hard to take them down. Even then, depending on how tight knit the cult was, they would defend whichever member was being targeted. It was very rare to be able to have evidence on the group as a whole.
They could still investigate and interrogate, they had plenty of cause, just no direct evidence leading them to the murders but they knew the group did it. They had to be cautious with their investigations. If any of them found out what they were doing then they’d become reserved and make the case difficult. The only way they could get the solid evidence that they needed was to send someone in.
There wasn’t much known about the group but Garcia was able to find information that was near impossible to find without her. She found some of the members and leaders. The leader was widely seen as a mafia leader in the group, no one dared to disobey him but he didn’t use threats to keep their loyalty. He was a charismatic guy who preached the one thing they all had in common.
Blood.
Blood could be indulged in for days.
Their cannibalistic ways were the normal in the bought small rural town. There were no officers because it was a private makeshift town. The leader had inherited the land and built houses on it. How he found the people who now lived there was through a website on the dark web. Because how else would one acquire cannibal best friends?
They found out a bit about the leader's preferences. He had a bunch of sexual harassment charges but none of them went very far into the court. He had paid the victims off with compensation money to get the whole thing called off. There was a type that stood out. There was a certain member who fit the type perfectly.
Reid. With a bit of hair styling then he would be perfect. The unsub, the leader at least because the whole cult was likely a part of the recent murders, liked them scrawny and weak looking. Innocent. He liked them young, which Reid was when comparing their ages but it worked in their favor that he looked even younger than he actually was.
In twenty minutes Garcia had found the website the unsub used to find his citizens. It was hard to find not only due to the preactuations that were taken when doing something illegal but because there were surprisingly a lot of pro-cannibal forums and such. Garcia did not like some of the things she had to see.
Funnily enough, the ‘town’ was called Cannibal Town. How law enforcement missed this was beyond them.
In their defense, in the description it was mentioned how the name was just for aesthetics because no matter the month that part of the state was foggy and cloudy, it gave off Halloween vibes so the leader of the town, Mitchell, made it a year-round aesthetic.
Thankfully, you didn’t need to be referred by a member to join, but it was said on the site that those who were would have the highest chance of getting accepted. Garcia was told to make Reid a profile. He was the Mitchell’s type so he had to be the one who went undercover. They couldn’t risk multiple going in, it would be too suspicious.
Reid being alone would look real. He would be able to gain his trust. He always did.
Morgan told him to act like how he did when he was with Gideon or Hotch in the first few years of joining. He needed to fall into that willing follower mindset to get the leader hooked.
JJ slicked his hair back in a boyish style in an attempt to make him look more to Mitchell's liking.
The leader took a liking to him immediately.
Not only did he appeal to his physical likings. Sad puppy eyes, low confidence, and sweet demeanor, but his personality had wooed him too. The facts he could ramble off interested him, the leader himself was known for being highly intelligent in his school days. He saw himself in him. His genuine kindness made the leader think he would be easy to take advantage of too. He was the perfect victim, maybe not for the murders but for Mitchell's own personal plaything.
Reid, in the side of his mind that wasn’t focused on the case, hoped it wouldn’t be like that.
The unsub accepted him and gave him an address that would be deleted in a few hours. He had to arrive that day.
“You’re welcome here in our neat little town, you’ll stay by me for the first few days. We don’t usually get new members suddenly so I’m worried the others may not take a liking to you instantly. I know if they see you with me though they’ll leave you right alone. I’ll show you around and you can see how this place works. It’s a bit different, I'm sure you know this place is privately owned,”
Reid nodded, “you must have a lot of money to own this whole place” he said genuinely, “how do you manage to keep track of it all? Like wouldn’t crime get too high?”
“Oh, no, never. These folks here are wonderful, they don’t do that sort of thing. I provide practically everything for them and if they have a problem with something then they come to me. Everything will be taken care of for you here, especially if you continue to stay by me” he said a bit sultry. “The only thing we don’t really have is a way of caring for the sick or injured, they have to drive out to the hospital. We have a few small stations but not enough for it to be considered professional. Your profile said you were a doctor, didn’t it?”
“I am, but I’m not actually a medical doctor, I just have three PhDs. I know enough about symptoms and diseases though that if you’d like I can help with that,”
“That would be wonderful! I like you Spencer, you’re a perfect fit I do believe” they finally arrived at his office.
The team took turns listening in. They still had to work the case and see if they could find any leads from outside the complex but they needed someone listening in case anything valuable was revealed.
Mitchell finalized things in his office, Reid tried to subtly keep conversation going. Mitchell was oblivious to the reason for his attempts, his own mind was also trying to keep conversation so they could get closer.
Reid cautiously mentioned the cannibalistic ways. He worried he was overstepping but he would've had to be told soon and there was a cup of obviously not wine right in front of him in the desk.
“Oh, had I not mentioned that? It’s been a while since I’ve updated the site,” he chuckled, “new ones aren’t expected to drink as much blood as the ones who’ve been here longer. We offer less than half a cup or half a cup for your type, but you must drink daily. Eventually the amount will increase as you realize how thirsty you are for it.”
Reid knew he had expected that. He knew he wasn’t going to be eating while here because there was a high chance the food was human meat. But knowledge could only be so comforting, he had been hopeful that he wouldn't have to.
“You don't want to?” Mitchell frowned,
“I just wasn’t expecting it, but honestly.. I had heard a few things about that. I can’t say it deterred me when choosing to live here” he said sheepishly, putting on an act that he enjoyed that type of thing but was simply too ashamed to indulge. Mitchell laughed and rubbed his shoulder.
“Well, I’ll have someone bring you a bottle. Speaking of which, let me inform housekeeping to get your room ready. I’ll show you the dining hall while they set it up for you.” Reid looked around his office while he made the phone call, he boisterously told the worker on the other line about the new member. Reid tried not to look suspicious as he searched with just his eyes for anything useful. There was a gun carelessly hidden behind papers and old blood puddles here and there.
He expected he'd be seeing a lot of those.
They continued the tour, Reid got shown every major building. There weren’t really any shops, that was likely because Mitchell gave them everything and the lack of personal money from selling things would make them more inclined to stay with him. There was a bakery but everything was free, the middle aged women who ran it just enjoyed baking. She wasn’t allowed to sell.
Her apron told him enough that he shouldn’t trust this food either. There were suspicious stains and her hands were permanently tainted red with what was both food coloring and blood. The partially artificial coloring of the food was becoming revolting to look at. The red was bright and too much.
The dining hall was nice looking. Everything was well taken care of. The place was secluded, it was surrounded by forests and dirt roads, it was far out. He noticed as they walked around that no car had passed. This wasn’t the kind of place one could just stumbled upon.
He wondered how many people genuinely wanted to be or if they were one of the few who found themselves here by accident or how many were born into this thinking it was normal.
“That’s everything. I just got a text, your room is ready. I’ll bring you to it”
“I think I could find my way” he said politely,
“You get the room right next to mine, I’m going there anyway. Everyone else's room are on the other side that I showed you earlier but.. Lucky you I suppose” he laughed. And touched him. He had been so touchy, finding any reason to pat him or brush against him. The fact their rooms were right next to each other was not a coincidence.
The walk back was awkward for Reid but he did his best to make it comfortable for Mitchell. He couldn’t blow his cover. Even when he had darkened eyes watching him in distrust or interest as he and the leader walked through. As weirded out as he felt, being side by side with the leader was probably for the best. It protected him from the other cannibals and allowed him and the team to get information.
Mitchell was happy to talk about himself and his town, it almost gave Reid the impression that he was trying to impress him. Reid of course obliged to the desired feeling and pretended to be impressed.
His phone buzzed, ‘are you alone?’ Hotch had texted him. He called him.
“Yeah, I am. I don’t think he went to his room, I think he said something about visiting the main area,”
“Are you going to have to drink blood?” Garcia, he hadn’t realized she was on the call too, had asked. Reid exhaled softly but heavily.
“I don’t think so. I mean, I’m supposed to but he’s not making me drink it in front of him so far. There’s a wine bottle and glass, I assume it’s not actually wine. I’ll probably find somewhere to dump it and make it look like I’ve been drinking ”
“Be careful, don’t let anyone see you” Reid wanted to reply that, no duh, he knew that. But he also knew Morgan was just worried that he had to go alone to a sadistic, cannibalistic cult.
“Any luck getting any leads?” He changed the topic.
They could only talk for a bit, the team had to get back. The prints they found at the latest, messiest scene were back. Garcia made him promise to call her if anything or if he just wanted company. She didn’t want to risk calling him first and exposing him. They didn’t know the policy on cell phones but they had profiled Mitchell as controlling, it was fitting for him to not allow outside communication or limited access.
With the free time he decided to find somewhere to put the blood. It couldn’t be on any cloth, he couldn’t afford to get it dirty, lest housekeeping rats him out. The sink was a possible choice but the pearly material tauntingly shone white. It was a risk, if he got desperate then that would be his last resort.
He couldn’t find anything. He left the bottle alone.