The building had been huge once, but after the fire, what remained was an ashen maze. Water was pouring down broken gutters and creating a racket against tin sheets. It would be dangerous, funneling them down into tight quarters, but delaying would give Franks the chance to escape, and he didn’t have enough Hunters to form a proper perimeter. Besides, his men were extremely well trained and experienced in close quarters combat. Klaus caught sight of Miesen, waiting for instructions. Klaus held up three fingers, then gestured for Miesen to go left. The young Hunter nodded, picked two others, and ducked through a doorway. Klaus sent three more in on the right. He indicated for another group to stay put in case Franks doubled back, then he signaled for the rest to follow him through the main entrance.

It had been a large truck door, but the frame had partially melted, so now it was a big triangle. Weeds were growing through every crack, grasping at their feet. One of his men slipped as a pipe rolled under his boot and he fell into an oily puddle. The storm was making so much noise though, that it was doubtful Franks heard it. Gerhardt was one of his best Hunters, and he pushed ahead of Klaus without being told. Everyone at Grimm Berlin knew their leader had a tendency to put himself in front, and it would not do to get the boss killed. The Hunters slinked on as quietly as possible.

The poor vision within the warped skeleton made it feel almost as if they were in a forest. Rain washed across the ashen beams and turned the puddles into black sludge. Klaus was still wearing the wetsuit, with just his armored vest over the torso, so he was warm enough, but the air was moist and electric. They were close to their prey. An experienced Hunter could sense such things.

One of his men stepped on a loose board and it made a loud pop. Klaus froze. Hopefully Franks wasn’t too close.

There was a rumble of thunder, but there had been another sound beneath it. Klaus raised his fist to halt the group. They spread out and took cover, each one watching in a different direction. He clicked his radio twice, then counted as each group leader sent him a return click. There was only one response. Scheisse. He’d thought the mysterious sound had come from the left. He keyed the radio. “Miesen. Come in, Miesen.”

There was no response. Klaus signaled for the main group to move in that direction.

He was not certain which Hunter got on the radio, because his voice had become very high and squeaky. “Miesen is down. Franks came out of no—”

He was cut off. “Come in. Come in!” But there was nothing.

Gerhardt was fast and surefooted across the uneven, slippery terrain. Their point man leapt over a fallen beam and ducked beneath a dangling wire. Lightning flashed, momentarily causing the night vision goggles to blink out to protect their sensitive light-gathering electronics from being overwhelmed. When the view returned, Gerhardt was gone.