and now without further ado... When the hunters become the hunted Part 12 Karen Gunther April 11, 2000 This is part of an ongoing story posted on 4everknightfanatics list. They aren't mine (I would've treated 'em better!) Permission is granted to be archived with other parts of the story. As we left our friends in part 11: Schanke was on his feet the instant he saw Nick charging down upon them but Nat was still kneeling beside the victim. Nick didn't even slow down. He scooped her up off the floor with one hand and grabbed Schanke with the other, propelling them both into the morgue ahead of him and slamming the door behind them. As they both tried to catch their breath, and their wits, he looked frantically around the room for something to prop against the door and block it. Nat noticed with a sharp stab of concern that Nick was even more pale than usual and she watched him wipe away a smear of fresh blood from his cheek, but she wasn't able to tell if it had been his blood or someone else's. Or someTHING else's, she told herself. And that someTHING was still out there, still rapidly approaching, and the only thing between it and them right now was a fairly flimsy door and one obviously frightened vampire. And now.... Part 12 "Is there another way out of here?" Nick asked with urgency, hearing the slam of doors, and heavy soled clomp of approaching doom. "You aren't seriously thinking of running away, partner," Schanke interrupted, staring at Nick incredulously. He'd never seen Nick back away from any danger. Indeed, he had a reputation for being sort of a 'John Wayne', always the first one on the scene. What could possibly spook the unspookable? "Cops don't run from danger, or didn't they teach you that in whatever police academy you attended?" "Schanke, trust me. You *do not* want to face whatever is out there," Nick said grimly, turning to Natalie. He could sense the approaching being... felt the malevolent darkness. "Nat?" "You won't like it, but there is a way to get out of here besides the door," she frowned, pointing to the heavy steel drawers that lined one wall of her lab. "You mean?" Schanke shuddered. He wanted to get out of there alive as much as Nick, but the idea of climbing into the morgue's refrigerated drawer was *not* his idea of fun. "They open two ways," she explained. "Funeral homes do pick ups from a central corridor. You'll need to kick the other end pretty hard to get it to open, but it is possible. We only lock 'em when there is someone not released yet." "Fine," Nick said abruptly, striding over and randomly opening drawers until he found one that was unoccupied. "Schanke, you go first. Help Nat get it open on the other side." "You sure about this, Nick?" he repeated, "that could be our perp heading this way. We could nab him." "Yeah, go," he commanded, watching his partner take a deep breath before climbing onto the cold surface. Slamming the drawer shut, he could hear the clang of the door being released on the other side. Pulling the drawer open again, he gave Natalie a quick hug, "okay, Nat. Your turn." "Nick?' she questioned. The fear was coming through her expression as they both heard the door next to her office being opened. She could only hope that Grace was in the file room or somewhere far away. "We don't have time to debate this, and we don't have the proper weapons, not that I'm even sure what weapons we'd need." "And you?" she tried to hide the fear that he'd stay and try to fight this creature. "Nat, he's almost here and he's not being quiet about it. Go!" With a pleading glance, she climbed into the drawer. To her surprise, Nick crawled in next to her and pulled the drawer tightly closed. She barely had time to savor his closeness when the foot of the drawer was pulled open. Rolling his eyes, Schanke pulled the drawer out far enough for the occupants to climb out. "So that's how you knew that you could kick the far door open, eh, Natalie?" She glared at him as she went down the row, locking random drawers. Ignoring Schanke's teasing comment, she turned to Nick. "They're all locked. Now, what?" "Come on, " he urged, taking her hand and running down the long, dimly lit corridor. As they opened the door to the morgue's loading dock, Nick's phone began to ring. "Knight," he growled. "yeah, we're on our way," he said tersely and clicked it off. "What?" Schanke asked. "Cohen wants us at the precinct. Now." "So, let's go," Schanke nodded, walking toward his car at the far end of the parking lot. "I need to do some research," Nick said, glancing at Natalie. "And take Nat somewhere safe." "Oh, no, no, no, no you don't. I'm *not* going to face Cohen without you. She will blow an important gasket- over my head." "Fine," he responded, the fear visible as anger. He would take them both with him, but he would speak to LaCroix alone. If anyone knew what it was that had tracked Janette and now him, it would be the ancient vampire master. Striding purposefully toward the caddy, he unlocked the doors and as soon as Natalie and Schanke were seated, drove away with a squeal of tires. He could hear, in the distance, the approach of sirens. He could only hope that if he was not there, the creature that was waiting within would leave... not be there when his mortal colleagues went into the lower level lab. He could sense the presence of the evil being that waited within the coroner's building- searching for him... sensing him as if connected by an unseen force. Somehow Nick knew that it would take every bit of his skill honed over centuries as a hunter to seek out this foe... before it destroyed him and all those around him. Skills he'd not used for a long, long time. He could already feel the awakening desires.... next???