Talking to Diane about most of what was going on felt liberating to Alyssa, as she didn't like the idea of keeping secrets from her. Yet that doesn't mean she told her everything that she knew, because the idea of even more monsters living out there in the open wasn't something she was ready to share with Diane just yet. Her sister was still young and it was enough to know that the undead was real, so Alyssa wanted to give her some time before tossing vampires, werewolves and witches into the mix. The world was dangerous enough, and her sister didn't need to know everything until it was unavoidable. She also got the impression while they were in New Lycan that Gabriel didn't advertise himself as a vampire that much, so Alyssa thought it would be best if he was given the power to decide when Diane learned the truth about him. It was something she would discuss with Gabriel the next time he flew in. It would also be easier for Alyssa to keep her secrets to herself if she didn't have to worry about Diane getting confused and mucking up her story. For someone in her mid-teens, Diane seemed to be handling the news about other cities rather well, and it impressed Alyssa a great deal. She had underestimated her sister, but considering the times they had both grown up in with the undead walking the earth, it was something she should have expected from her.

     Alyssa hadn't heard from the mayor at all that week, as Maxwell had been true to his word. He wasn't going to give her a new list until two weeks had passed and given the haul she brought back, he wasn't going to question the results nor her methods. He had a right to ask about whether or not her gathering would because any conflicts with other towns or colonies, and she didn't take offense to that. The last thing either of them wanted was an armed conflict that could endanger civilians, which made the deal with Gabriel that much better for Alyssa, as they were not stealing the supplies and thus lowering any chance of causing trouble for the town. Things were cool between the two of them, and Alyssa was determined to keep things that way. Despite her feelings about the mayor and her suspicions about her first trip out, Alyssa was willing to work with him but not able to trust him. A test to their pact would come less than two weeks after her first delivery.

     There was something going on in the town square, and so Alyssa went to check out it since Diane was still in school. There were a few trucks and a large gathering of people who were as curious as Alyssa was. As she was walking to the square, she tapped someone else on the shoulder that was also walking in that direction.

     "What's going on?" she asked her.

     "There are supplies from another town!" she replied, "The mayor seems to have made a deal with them to open trade."

     "That's interesting," Alyssa said, as she kept walking.

     Alyssa kept her distance, not getting to close as she wanted to get an idea of where these supplies were coming from first. After standing there for a few minutes, the Major jumped onto a chair to address the people.

     "These people come from another town," he confirmed for them, "And they want to open trade because we have something they have trouble making which is fresh produce. All the hard work we've been doing farming is about to pay off. This trade will make the need to send out people to salvage for supplies less necessary for our survival. According to my friend here, there are other towns we can trade with as well. This could be the beginning of better times!"

     The people in the audience cheered, happy to know that their days of running for food was not going to be the necessity it was the last few years. Some hope was better than nothing, and good relations with other towns was very good news. Alyssa was excited about it as well, as less dependence on her meant that she wouldn't have to go out as often and she wouldn't have to ask too much from Gabriel. Less runs also meant less questions, which meant it would be easier for her secrets to remain that for a lot longer. At least that's what she had hoped for.

     As the people began to disperse, Alyssa saw someone who also saw her. A small boy was standing there beside some of the people from the other town. It took only a few seconds for her to recognize the small boy, but before she could turn away the young man also realized where he knew her from as well. It was the young boy she had the incident with in the shopping mall with Gabriel. These people were not from another town like their own, they were from New Lycan. They were werewolves.

     "Dad!" the boy called out, pointing at Alyssa. "It's that woman from the mall."

     Almost everyone talking stopped what they were doing and looked at who the boy was pointing to, and Alyssa realized she was in trouble and tried to walk away. It was however too late, as the young boy's father had also recognized her.

     "Grab her!" he called out, and seconds later Alyssa was dragged back to the truck which surprised the major who finally stepped in.

     "What is the meaning of this?" Max demanded.

     "You tell me," the man replied to the major, "What is she doing here?"

     "This is Alyssa," Max replied, "She's lived here all her life. Her father was one of this town's founders."

     "I know her," the father replied, "I've seen her before."

     "She is one of our salvagers," Max tried to explain, "So she does travel outside of the town to gather supplies."

     "Do you want to tell him where you saw me," Alyssa challenged him, "Or do you want me to tell him where you're all really from?"

     Max turned back and looked at Alyssa, "What are you talking about?"

     "I've been to his town," Alyssa replied, pretty sure that the werewolves were not that honest about where there trade goods were coming from. "But he's being far too modest about where he's from, because it's a lot bigger than a town. Some might even tall it a city."

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

     "A city?" Max repeated, "What is she talking about Frank?"

     Frank looked a little nervous. "Take her inside."

     Max was still at a loss, but didn't want anyone else listening to this conversation. Frank and a few of his men walked Alyssa into the town hall and then into Max's office.

     "Start talking," Max said, looking at Alyssa. "Where do you know these people?"

     "I bumped into them when gathering supplies," Alyssa answered.

     "She was in our city!" Frank confirmed.

     "So there really is a city," Max said, as he was gathering as much Intel from the conversation as he could.

     "Yes, there is." Alyssa confirmed, "I told you that I got those supplies from a place that wouldn't cause problems."

     "You're causing a problem right now," Max informed her. "What city are you guys talking about?"

     "St. Louis," Alyssa replied, aware that using the city's old name would upset them.

     Frank stood there, fists clinched in rage. "It's not called that anymore."

     "I know," Alyssa said, smiling.

     "She knows too much," Frank then added, looking at the mayor. "I'm not comfortable with her being here."

     "But we have a deal!" Max said, shocked to hear any talk of backing out.

     Without warning, Frank reached out and grabbed Alyssa by the throat and pinned her against the wall. He moved so quick that no one in the room had any time to react. "Perhaps we should remove her from the equation."

     "Whoa!" Max said, hooping out of his office chair, "That's not an option!"

     "Why not?" Frank asked, his tone indicating he was quite serious about shutting up Alyssa.

     "Because my friend wouldn't appreciate that," Alyssa replied, "I'm sure if something happened to me, then he would come looking for you."

     Frank's eyes widened as she reminded him about something that he had forgotten about regarding their encounter at the mall. Her friend that had stepped in: the vampire. He let go of Alyssa's neck and started to back away from her.

     "What friend?" Max asked, as he suddenly realized she was keeping something from him as well.

     "Give us a minute," Frank told the major, "I need to speak with this woman in private."

     "You just had her in a choke hold!" Max reminded him, as it was clear he was concerned for Alyssa's safety. Chances are he was more concerned about losing a good scavenger than he was about losing a civilian. "I'm not going anywhere!"

     "I'll be alright," Alyssa told Max, "He's not going to hurt me."

     Max gave her a look that told Alyssa they were going to have a long conversation later on, one she was sure wasn't going to be pleasant. But Frank had just as many secrets to keep as she did, so she was confident they could talk it out.

     "What are you doing working with a vampire?" he asked her once everyone had left and the door closed behind them.

     "He's my friend," Alyssa replied.

     "They don't have friends!" Frank roared back at her.

     "We have an arrangement," Alyssa then informed him. "So harming me would break that deal and make my friend very angry."

     "I get it," Frank said, as he figured it out. "You're supplying him."

     "He's supplying me," Alyssa added, "It's a fair bargain."

     "Your mayor doesn't know about him, does he?" Frank asked.

     "I'm guessing he doesn't know about New Lycan as well," Alyssa added, knowing that dropping the name of the city would tell him how much she knew: everything. "You keep my secret, and I'll keep yours."

     "What incentive do I have you'll keep your word?" Frank said, considering it.

     "This deal with you is important," Alyssa reminded him, "I don't want to go out there anymore than the next person. The deal you have with us will ensure that we won't have to risk our lives as much, and that's important to me."

     "Alright," Frank said, nodding in agreement.

     Moments later, Frank opened the door and called everyone to come back in. Once the mayor was back in the room, he was pleased to see everyone was alright and actually being quite civil.

     "I apologize for my actions and behavior." Frank told the mayor, "Your people have every right to gather for your survival and I commend your person here from taking full advantage of what's out there. It had caught me by surprise, and I promise it will not happen again."

     "What about our deal?" Max asked, worried about it.

     "It's still on," Alyssa informed him, "We're good."

     "Yes," Frank confirmed, "This was a small misunderstanding."

     "That's great to hear," The mayor said as he sat back down into his chair.

     "We've got to get going." Frank then said, "We have a schedule to keep. I don't like to be on the road after dark with the undead."

     "I understand," Max said, shaking hands with Frank. "Thank you for this deal, it means a lot to us all."

     "She said that too," Frank informed her, "She's loyal to you, and I respect that."

     Alyssa watched and said nothing as Frank and his people unloaded the supplies from New Lycan and then loaded up the produce the town had agreed to give them in return for them. Fresh fruits and vegetables were harder to come by in the city, so it made sense to Alyssa that the wolves would try to strike deals outside of the city to take advantage of their wealth. It made sense to her, because trade deals would keep their malls full of fresh products and thus help their people collect more credits. As the two of them watched the trucks roll away to the front gate, the Mayor spoke to her without even turning to look at her.

     "You and I are going to have a long talk about this." He told her.

     "Are you sure about that?" Alyssa asked, "I thought you didn't want to know how the sausage was being made?"

     "You know more about what's out there than I do," Max replied, "I'm not sure I'm very comfortable with that either. My office, right now."

     Alyssa was tempted to refuse, but thought better of it. They both walked back into the office and once in there Max poured two glasses of whiskey and then sat back down in his office chair.

     "I'm not angry at you," Max informed her, "I'm actually quite happy you saved that deal with the people from St. Louis... wait, what is it called now?"

     "I can't tell you," Alyssa replied, as she sat down on one of the chairs in front of his desk "I promised him that I wouldn't tell you, so let's just call it St. Louis for the time being."

     "Fair enough," Max said, sipping his drink. "We have something more important to discuss anyway."

     "Such as?" Alyssa asked.

     Max paused for a moment, "Who is this friend that you talked about? The one you said would come looking for Frank if he hurt you?"