"You need blood, don't you?" She asked him.

"I do." Gabriel confirmed. "Preferably human blood."

"Then why me?" Alyssa then asked.

"I could have let you die," Gabriel reminded her, "but letting you perish at the hands of those zombies seemed like such a waste."

"Is that the only reason?" Alyssa asked, "You dislike for wasting food?"

"No, it's because you're not infected." Gabriel continued, "We can only drink from humans who haven't been turned. That is not easy to find considering how low your numbers have gotten over the last few decades. You're getting dangerously close to being listed as an endangered species."

"So why can't you drink the dead?" Alyssa inquired, despite that deep down she already knew the answer herself.

"We learned the hard way a while back that the blood of the undead isn't good for us." Gabriel answered, "It's also possible for us to be turned."

"It is?" Alyssa said, shocked by the statement.

"It's not a pretty site," Gabriel said, recollecting the dark memory. "Just imagine a zombie with the ability to run at fast speeds and have super strength."

"d.a.m.n," Alyssa replied, thinking about it, "a super zombie?"

"It took over a dozen of us to overpower and kill it." Gabriel said, as he was staring out the window into the darkness. "I was scared that night, I honestly didn't know if I was going to make it."

"How many infected vampires are there?" she demanded.

"Right now, zero." Gabriel informed her. "We've taken them all out. Right now we'd rather starve to death than risk another of us turning like that."

"So how many of them are you?" Alyssa asked.

"It's hard to say." Gabriel said, "We've had more freedom since the outbreak. More room to expand but we've all been very cautious about it... at least those of us here on this side of the planet. Europe tends to do whatever they want, regardless of risk."

"So basically you want my blood?" Alyssa asked.

"I need it," Gabriel corrected her.

"I can't help wonder," Alyssa confessed, "Is this the only reason you saved me?"

"Of course not," Gabriel replied, "As I said, it's nice to have company again. You looked like you genuinely needed a helping hand too by the way. While I was hoping you might be willing to make a donation out of grat.i.tude, I will not pressure you to do anything you are not comfortable with. The choice is yours, and yours alone."

"How much do you need?" Alyssa asked, trying to be as open about it as possible.

"Not much," Gabriel said as he thought about it. "Just a little bit but nowhere near where it would put your health at risk."

"How did we get here?" Alyssa inquired, looking out the window again.

"I can fly," Gabriel replied, "Only naturally bred Vampires can do that. Those who are turned have most of our powers but not the really cool ones."

"That's amazing," Alyssa said as everything was starting to make sense. "Do you plan to keep me here forever?"

"I honestly haven't thought about it." Gabriel said, as he started to pace the room. "I understand that it's only getting harder for some of us to find our food. Some monsters are adjusting to the plague far better than others have, but I'm sure Darwin would just refer to it as an evolutionary battle royal. Those that can adapt best will inherit the Earth."

"What others?" Alyssa asked.

"The Lycanthropes are living large." Gabriel replied, noticing the confused look in Alyssa's face. "What?"

"What's a Lycanthrope?" she asked him.

"Oh, that's a werewolf." Gabriel replied, not noticing a shocked look on the young woman's face. "Yes, there are werewolves."

"Unbelievable," Alyssa said, but she remembered who she was talking to. "How are they able to do so well during the apocalypse?"

"The Lycans are able to consume the dead," Gabriel answered, "As long as the meat is prepared and cooked a certain way to the point where all the bad stuff is burned out, their cast iron stomachs can handle it without being turned. As long as they follow procedure and keep their kitchens clean, those furry b.u.g.g.e.rs are never going to run out of food."

"That's amazing," Alyssa said, cringing. "But also really disgusting."

"It most certainly is," Gabriel agreed, as could barely hold back his disgust. "Since we can't thrive on flesh, it doesn't help us. The blood has to come from a living being. That's where I need your help."

"What if I want to go home?" Alyssa asked.

"Well, I guess I'd take you back." Gabriel offered, "But then I would need to search for a new source of food."

"Couldn't we cut a deal?" Alyssa said, walking closer to him. "What if I agreed to let you take a little blood every week, would that be enough?"

Gabriel stepped closer. "That would be enough for me to survive on. What would you want in return for your blood?"

"Supplies," Alyssa replied.

"What kind of supplies?" Gabriel countered.

"The kind to help keep me and my town going," She continued, "I was out there scavenging for supplies when our team was ambushed."

"I see," Gabriel said, curious about the idea. "Is this how your town feeds itself? Sending people out into danger to look for food?"

"We do have gardens and grow our own food too, but s.p.a.ce is limited." Alyssa explained, "We don't have enough room to keep feeding everyone without going out for more."

"And why were you out there?" Gabriel asked.

"I'm good at killing them," She admitted, "One of our better shots too."

"Fair enough," Gabriel said, continuing to think about it. "So what you're proposing is that if I help you find food for your people, you'll give me a steady supply of food for me?"

"That's correct," Alyssa confirmed.

"I have to admit, I'm interested in this idea." Gabriel confessed. "It has potential, but why would you want to return to town? I can give you all the supplies you need here. There are plenty of apartments in the building you can move into."

"As nice as that sounds," Alyssa responded, "I can't do it. I need to return to my own town because there are a lot of people there that I care about. One of them is my little sister."

"I see," Gabriel said, as he understood. "I apologize for being so insensitive."

"That's alright," Alyssa replied, "In these times it's hard to keep track of who's still around and who isn't. But I have a home that I need to go back to, family to care for."

"I understand," Gabriel said, "You like these people and as well as we're getting along this place would bore you quite quickly. So to recap: if I fly you back to your home, you'll meet with me at least once every two weeks to feed?"

"Yes, that's the offer." Alyssa concurred, "But you also have to help with supplies."

"That will be the easy part," Gabriel confessed, "There are many ways to fulfill your towns needs, quite a few that will not put any of us in harm's way."

"There is?" Alyssa asked, curious about what he knew.

"We can gather supplies from the cities." Gabriel suggested.

"But the bit cities are all infested," Alyssa countered, "They are care more dangerous."

"Not all of them," Gabriel corrected her, "Many of them are zombie free and doing alright on their own. Big walls and strict curfew enforcement seemed to help as well."

"Wait, what cities are you talking about?" Alyssa asked, "I have no idea what's going on outside my own town."

"It's hard to explain," Gabriel said, as he walked to the other side of the room, "It's better just to show you."

He opened a cabinet and grabbed what looked like a big scroll of rolled up paper. Gabriel walked over to the dining room table, and unrolled it without hitting her soup. It was a map of the United States, but there were correction drawn into them. Alyssa walked over and took a look, "What are these red circles?"

"Those are the cities that are still functioning," Gabriel informed her, "They managed to fight off their dead and barricade them outside their city lines. Like I said tall walls seems to keep them out quite well, but it's been hit and miss for most of them. Some cities managed to last a while before imploding because of hunger and cla.s.s wars. The cities that seemed to be thriving the most are those who treat each other equally without any hierarchy, at least not one that lives better than everyone else."

Alyssa wasn't listening as she was too busy counting the red dots on the map. "I can't believe it, there's over fifteen cities here!"

"Where's your town located?" Gabriel asked. He watched as Alyssa pointed to specific part of the map and he nodded as things became clearer to him, "This would explain your isolation from the cities. The closest one to you is hundreds of miles away."

Alyssa was still looking at the map, "Why are some of the cities circled with a green dot? I count at least six of them here."

Gabriel took a deep breath. "Those are the cities that are not inhabited with humans."

Alyssa paused for a moment. "What are they inhabited with then?"

"Monsters, like myself." Gabriel answered.

"Which one is the Vampire city?" she asked.

"None of them," he answered, "We don't have a city in this part of the world. There might be one in Europe, but I haven't bothered to check. Flying across an ocean is too much for us to handle, very few of us can make that kind of distance. We're not known for our social skills, so it's hard for us to form a group let alone a government. I moved here to America to get away from the stiff a.s.ses from the council. We don't get along very well."

"How many of you are in the Americas?" Alyssa asked, "Ball park it."

Gabriel sighed as he thought about it, "Probably fifty, maybe a few more."

"Alright," Alyssa said, thinking about it, "So if none of these are Vampire cities, whose cities are they?"

"This one for example is New Salem; the city of witches." Gabriel said, pointing to one of them, "We're never going there, too creepy even for me."

"Are any of these cities friendly?" Alyssa asked.

"This one is," Gabriel said as he pointed to another city. "This one is very diplomatic. Every species has their own building, which is a safe haven for us. Kind of like emba.s.sies. So when I stay in this city, I sleep at the Vampire building. They're policed by locals, but reserved for our kind."

"That's interesting," Alyssa noted.

"We can also try to hit one of the human cities," Gabriel suggested, "but I know for a fact this city will be easier to get supplies from. They're more organized and ask far less questions about what we're buying."

"Wow, this could work." Alyssa said, looking at the map. "I would love to visit one of the human cities, just to be around people again."

"Maybe one day," Gabriel said, "If things work out."

"So you're okay with the deal I offered?" Alyssa asked.

"I can make it work." Gabriel said as he thought more about it. "But I will need you to stay at least a little while. I have to fetch medical supplies so that I can take the blood from you cleanly and without leaving any bite marks."

"I'm so glad you said that first." Alyssa said with a laugh, "That was one thing I wasn't looking forward to."

"I wouldn't recommend a direct bite." Gabriel admitted, "When we latch on like that it's hard for us to let go, and that can sometimes be fatal to humans. By putting it into a bag first, it allows me control my urges."

"In other words, portion control." Alyssa said with a friendly wink.

"Pretty much," Gabriel agreed.

"I appreciate your honestly." Alyssa said, sitting back down to resume eating her soup while still looking at the map on the table. She heard a sound from the undead far below and it startled her a bit.

"They can't get up here." Gabriel a.s.sured her, "And no one else can get into the building because of them. Think of them as our first line of defense."

"An odd way to look at it," Alyssa admitted.

"I don't have to use the front door so they can't harm me." Gabriel admitted as he walked over to the window to look outside, "I cannot begin to tell you how grateful I am that you're going to help me. I will do whatever I can to uphold my end of this deal."

"When can I go home?" Alyssa asked.

"Two days," Gabriel answered. "That will make me strong enough to carry you and some supplies back to back to town."

"Thank you." Alyssa said, "For saving me and for offering to help me."

"I have supplies here that I don't need." Gabriel then said, "I will give you a few bags to fill up. Your people will have fewer questions if you show up with something to share."

"I agree." Alyssa replied, "Thank you."

"It is I who should be thankful," Gabriel said with a bow, "Finish your soup, it's good for you and your blood."