Near wasn't so interested in who was around him as he was where they were headed. He and Brooklyn came up the stairs just in time for him to hear someone mention supply closets to the right, and that was not a good sign. In order for whatever discovery he would make to be irrefutable, Near would have to be the first into the pharmacy; even being second by a few moments would eliminate that possibility.

"This way." There were more people, yes, but no signs or sounds of fighting, be they past or present, at least in the immediate vicinity.

[To here (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/466300.html?thread=37820540#t37820540)]