Part 2

It seemed like eternity before the mean-looking man opened the door to reveal a science labs that looked exactly like the ones at schools with built in sinks at the tables and cabinets with labels adorning the walls. There was a black board which was a clear, green colour. Carter looked inside and at first thought that the room was empty, but at the back was a bunch of children, no older than thirteen looking at Carter and the mean-looking guy with fear.

"Allo. You’ve got yourselves a new mate’y ‘ere. Be sure to take care of ‘im!" said the man cheerfully before leaving the kid’s with Carter, crackling loudly at the joke only he thought was funny. John was left with the sad looking bunch of kids staring back up at him.

~*~*~*~

"You haven’t found John yet, have you?" asked a haggard looking Kate as Kerry came through the doors of the Lounge. Kate looked into her black coffie with tired eyes.

"No." Came the answer that Kate was expecting. She looked down at her watch. It’s been over twenty-four hours, I think we should call someone." said Kerry walking up to Kate.

"Do you want me to do it? You should go home you haven’t slept all night, as Luka told me."

"No, I’ll do it and I’ll be fine."

"Will you at least sleep in an exam room? I know that John would hate it if you were up because of him...." Kate sighed. She knew that Kerry was right and nodded.

"Yeah, I will." Kerry walked to her locker, Kate just sitting on the well-loved couch sipping her scorching drink until Weaver finished getting her things. Kate got up tiredly and picked up the phone from the wall and then sat down again. She hesitated before dialing the number. ‘What if he came through the door in the next ten minuets?’ but Kate knew it was worthless trying. Looking towards the door to make sure that he wasn’t going to walk in, Kate began to dial the number.

"Hello, um, I need to report a missing person... yeah, he’s been missing for over twenty-for hours...."

~*~*~*~

Carter had never seen such a sorry looking bunch of children in his life. One girl was wounded on the arm. She had dirty bandages wrapped around it and another boy had quiet a deep cut on his forehead. Other than that, the others were fine. Carter kneeled beside the girl with the wound. She had long pigtails of dark brown hair. Her green eyes stared up at him in fright.

"Don’t worry." said Carter as soothingly as he could. "I’m not going to hurt you. Can I take a look, I’m a doctor." he said, moving gently to remove the bandages which looked like it had been made out of somebody’s jacket. Looking at the wound which had stopped bleeding, Carter re-bandaged it tighter. It looked ok. For now.

"What happened?" he asked directing the question to the whole group. They had all lost their frightened look, but as soon as he mentioned the fact of why they were stuck in a science lab, fear returned. However a boy in the front row, with red hair and a cut on his forehead began to tell their story...

~*~*~*~

"Kate, go home." said Kerry coming into the Lounge for her shift to see Kate napping on the couch.

"What? Huh? Oh Doctor Weaver." said Kate sitting up and looking round.

"Kate, go home." repeated Kerry.

"No, I’m fine."

"Well, you know that if you stayed here for another minuet and Carter found out about it he’d be yell at me?" said Weaver walking in front of Kate and in her demanding tone, prodded Kate towards the door. "Go!"

"But..." pleaded Kate. If Carter had come to the ER and she wasn’t there she would never forgive herself.

"Go! I will call you as soon as we get some news."

"Fine," agreed Kate. "If you promise to update me on the slightest thing, I’ll go." sighed Kate as she got up and put away her things in her locker. Grabbing her light jacket, Kate looked at the recent picture of her and John taken just two days ago that was taped on the inside of her locker. Both of them looked so happy and in love. ‘If only we could be like that now.’ thought Kate to herself as she left the lounge. But before she opened the door, she turned towards Kerry.

"I miss him." she said simply before she turned to walk out of the Lounge.

"I do too." said Kerry softly as she watched Kate’s slender form make it’s way outside the ER.

~*~*~*~

"We were in science with Mrs Prunnett when a guy came through the doors and demanded that she give him the keys to the storeroom. You see, Mrs Prunnett was our assistant principle....

***Flash back***

A knock could be heard at the door. Mrs Prunnett, a short, chubby little lady with thick glasses turned away from her scientific calculations on the board to face whoever had come in.

"Yes, how can I help you?" she asked politely, in her soft but demanding tone.

"Yes, I need your store-room keys, please." the man asked, his beard moving strangely up and down as he spoke. Kid’s in the back row couldn’t stop laughing, but Mrs Prunnett ignored them.

"For the science labs?"

"Yes." he answered, his eyes flashing suspiciously around the classroom. It was as if he was memorizing where everything was and it’s order.

"Sorry- but I can’t give them to you." answered Mrs Prunnett.

"Why not." came the man’s quick come back. At hearing that getting those key’s could be a more difficult task than planed, his eyes grew cold and focused on Mrs Purnnett, who stood her ground.

"First of all, I have no idea who you are and secondly, I cannot give the key to just anybody and at the moment as you can see, I’m teaching a class." The whole class by now was silent. All of the children were staring back and forth at this verbal bantering between Mrs Prunnett and the Strange Man.

"Lady, you don’t want to see me when I’m angry." he threatened.

"You hand over those keys or, or, I’ll shoot!" and saying that, the man pulled out his automatic pistol. The children in the room all gasped and a small girl in the front row started to cry.

"Ok, ok, I’ll give you the key’s if you leave the children alone." said Mrs Prunnett calmly as she eyed the dangerous piece of metal in the gunner’s hands.

"Hey, you all you kids get up and move to the back of the room." ordered the man, directing the gun from in front of the teacher’s face to the group of children. Everyone jumped from their seats and quickly walked to the back of the room. Some even ran, but none of them took their eye’s off the man as they fled.

"You, show me the store room." Mrs Prunnett didn’t give a second thought, but walked stiffly to a small door next to the black board that was painted a light blue colour and had the sign ‘Store Room’ in large block letters. Taking out her large key ring, she began to flip through them one by one. Her hands were shaking nervously as she tried to prolong going into the room.

"HURRY UP!" he screamed. Everyone jumped and Mrs Purnnett dropped her keys. Bending down quickly, she scooped the hand-full of metal and expertly flipped to a bright green key. Slipping it into the lock, the physcopath began to lick his lips in anticipation...

*** End Flash back for time being***