Chapter 2

Four hours later Sam and Andy got back into their squad car, crossing the sixth address on their list out.

"Uff, my feet hurt," Andy complained and lay back in her seat.

"Yepp, that's normal. After more than a year on the force you should know that police work is ten percent action and eighty percent walking," Sam answered with a smirk.

"What are the other ten percent?," Andy asked confused after she had done the math.

"Hm?"

"The other ten percent?"

"Oh," Sam said, "standing in the queue at the coffee shop."

Andy gave him a small smile. That wasn't even too far away from the truth. "Actually, I could really use a coffee right about now."

Sam thought for a moment. "What's our next address?"

"Erm," Andy rubbed her eyes and unfolded the papers that had been lying in her lap with a tired sigh. "It's Fenmar Drive 110. An old school building," she finally read, putting the papers back down.

"That's just around the corner. Let's check this place out and then go for lunch and coffee, sound good?"

It didn't, not really. Andy could have used a break right now and the thought of another hour spent in an empty building, with rats crossing her way and spider webs getting caught in her hair didn't sound very tempting.

"Can we just get a quick coffee first?," she asked with a wink and a sweet smile, trying to use her charm to induce him.

Sam looked at his partner and grinned, recognizing her plan. "Look, it's really just a minute away and the next coffee shop I know is at least eight blocks from here. We'll make it quick, OK?"

"Alright," Andy sighed, giving in.

Sam turned left into Fenmar Drive and immediately saw the school building they were looking for. It looked abandoned and shabby, most of its windows on the first floor thrown in, the place in front of the entrance littered with beer cans, empty cigarette packs and all kinds of rubbish, the red brick walls covered in graffiti.

"Told you it was just around the corner," Sam said and got out of the car.

Andy followed a second later, stretching her legs and moving her shoulders circularly, trying to loosen up a hardening between her shoulder blades that had formed the previous night.

"Looks like your new sofa wasn't so comfortable after all," Sam observed.

"It's just a little soft. I have to get used to it," Andy said defensive. He was right, the sofa looked a lot better than it felt to lie on it, but she sure as hell wasn't going to admit that.

"Right," Sam said, walking around the front of the car and stopping next to his partner. "OK, let's do this. Try to focus, stay sharp and alert. Do you want to take the second floor?"

"No, it's my turn with the basement", Andy said with a sigh. "You took the last two."

"You sure?" Sam didn't mind taking the basements, even if it meant crossing paths with a couple of rats. He preferred Andy to stay away from the dark underground locations, knowing that those places were more likely to be used as hiding places for people who really didn't want to be found.

"We said we'd take turns. It's fine," Andy assured him.

Sam nodded reluctantly. "Alright then, I'll check out upstairs, you make a quick sweep through the basement and we meet back on the first floor to do the rest together," he said and they walked towards the entrance.

They entered the building through the glassy doors at the front, which were still locked but had been smashed in.

"Careful with the shards," Sam warned as they squeezed through the opening. They got through in one piece and turned on their flashlights as they stepped into the entrance hall.

"I'll see you in ten," Sam said, keeping his voice low, just in case. "Be careful."

Andy nodded. "You too."

They split up at the stairs, Sam walking up the broad staircase to the second floor and Andy taking the slender one which led to the basement. As she reached the bottom of the stairs she stopped for a second and breathed in deeply. Sam was right, she had to stay alert. Anything and anyone could be squatting in a place like this – runaways, junkies, even violent criminals looking for a hideout. She blocked out the pain in her back and the anger about her new sofa that wasn't worth its money and focused on the job ahead. The flashlight in her right, she made her way through an iron door who's lock had been forced open and followed the dark corridor behind it. She passed doors on both sides of the hall and tried opening everyone of them. Some of them were locked and those she left alone, sometimes peeking inside the rooms when there was a window in the door. She quietly opened every unlocked door and stepped inside the rooms – storage rooms mostly, a boiler room, and a small one that looked like it had once been used as some kind of office, probably the janitors. She found nothing interesting, nothing except the expected spider webs, more graffiti on the walls, some broken chairs and garbage on the floor. After some time she reached the end of the hall and looked down another corridor, which branched off to the left.

There was a light. It came through under a door on the right side at the end of the hall, spreading only a small glimmer at the floor in front of it, but there was definitely light in the room behind. The power for this place had been turned off years ago, when the school closed down, so whoever was squatting there had to have brought his own generator or at least some kind of battery. Andy immediately turned off her own flashlight to avoid being noticed and took her radio, pressing the button to speak.

"Sam, I think I've got something in the basement," she said, waiting for a reply but there was none. She tried again, waiting impatiently for an answer but still there was only static where Sam's voice should have been. She rolled her eyes, annoyed about the situation. She put the radio back on its place on the left side of her chest, took out her cell phone and checked the display. No signal. Suddenly there was a noise, coming from the far end of the corridor. There was definitely someone there. Andy thought for a moment, trying to decide what to do. Finally she put her cell away and instead took out her Glock, looked back down the way she had come from to check for Sam and ensure that if not him, at least no one else was behind her. Satisfied that she was alone she cautiously moved toward the light.

The gun raised and pointing in whichever direction she currently looked, she followed the hallway until she was only a few feet away from the door. She stopped and hesitated for a moment, feeling her heart beating fast and the blood echoing in her ears. She took another step, when suddenly a voice called from behind the door.

"Alan, I got it!," a man shouted.

Andy realized what this meant but it was too late. As she spun around a second man was already behind her. That must be Alan then, crap!, she thought, her heart missing a beat. How could she not have heard him approach? He grabbed her gun with an iron grip and tried to wring it out of her hands. Andy struggled to hold on to her weapon, adrenaline rushing through her body. Alerted by the commotion the man inside the lit room opened the door and stepped into the hallway behind Andy, just as she lost the grip on her gun and her balance along with it. The man that was called Alan dropped the gun and used the moment to pull out a switchblade he carried in a little holster on his belt. He rammed the knife into Andy's lower abdomen, right under her west, the impact pushing her backwards into the arms of his companion. Andy felt the sharp pain in her stomach but couldn't scream. No sound came out as she opened her mouth, the air stuck in her lungs. Panic filled her and left her unable to form a single clear thought. The blade sliced back out of her body after a few seconds, slicing through flesh and skin as the man drew back his hand, covering her mouth with the other one. The two men looked over Andy's head and into each other's eyes, their faces emotionless. Andy's heart was pounding in her chest, all strength seemed to have drained from her arms. When she looked up she noticed the cold expression and businesslike nod of the man who had just stabbed her and realized that he was a professional. He seemed neither surprised nor shocked about what had just happened and he certainly didn't seem nervous about stabbing a police officer. She was shaking now, cold sweat running down her forehead. Could those two be the ones they had been looking for?, she wondered when another thought crossed her mind. Oh God, Sam's gonna be pissed when he finds me...

"Why didn't you just shoot her?," the man that was holding her from behind asked factually.

"Because they never come alone. There is a second one somewhere."

Andy couldn't see the other man but guessed that he was nodding behind her. Shit. So much for Sam's surprise entrance.

"In there, quickly," Alan said, tilting his head to the left in the direction of an iron door.

The other man followed the order without hesitation, opened the door and shoved Andy through it with a push that made her fall flat on the ground. She moaned with the impact that ran through her wrists as she tried to catch her fall. She rolled onto her side, looking up at the two men who had stayed in front of the door. Instinctively she put her right hand on the wound on her abdomen. She felt her own warm blood flow out of her and wet the fabric of her uniform. Unable to speak she lay on the ground, her mouth dry, her whole body shaking.

"What do we do with the other one?"

Alan thought for a moment. "Take the girl's phone and radio, then tie her up and gag her. Let them come to us."