When Gabriel woke up, he immediately sensed a change in the building. There was something but he couldn't tell what it was just yet. He snuck out of his room and started to wander around the second floor of the house. He was about to call out for Alyssa to see where she was but something else caught his attention. There was a nice aroma coming from the kitchen, so he descended down the stairs to see what was going on. There was laughter in the kitchen and that's when Gabriel noticed a second voice downstairs, which caused him to run down a little faster. When he bolted into the living room, he was surprised to see two familiar faces instead of one. Pablo was sitting at the table and nursing a glass of wine while Alyssa was cooking something on the stove top with her own glass of wine on the island in the middle.

     "Pablo!" Gabriel said, sighing deeply. "You're back early."

    "That's not a crime," Pablo informed his friend, "And I do live here. So contrary to what you might think, I'm free to come and go as I please."

     "I'm not suggesting you can't," Gabriel said, immediately backtracking. "I was under the impression you'd be hunting for a few days."

     "I did too," Pablo confessed, "But I managed to bag a big one early and I also noticed a lot of undead activity near the hunting lodge. It wasn't safe to stay up there so I quickly bagged a dear and brought it back. I'm lucky the undead didn't hear my rifle or they would have been all over me."

     "I'm glad to hear you're alright," Gabriel said, thinking about it. "I did a perimeter sweep before I went to sleep. It looked pretty clear."

     "You might want to do that again," Pablo suggested, "As a precaution, I put this place on lock down. Hope you don't mind."

     "Not at all," Gabriel replied, "I'd rather you be cautious and have nothing happen rather than not be safe and all hell breaks loose."

     "I thought so too," Pablo said, gesturing to Alyssa, "And it gave me a chance to get to know your new friend. I like her! She's an amazing cook too. I am going to feast like a king tonight!"

     Gabriel paused for a moment. "Happy to hear that, but I wasn't trying to avoid you. I was trying not to impose."

     "Nonsense," Pablo said, sipping his wine. "I actually appreciate the company. She's a lovely person and I've enjoyed hearing about her little town east of here. It's nice to know there are a few small specs out there beyond the big cities."

     "Well, I'm glad you two get along." Gabriel said, walking closer to the table.

     "Don't be so worried," Pablo said, reading his mind. "I know you can't have all your feeders in one spot. We have to be spread out. It's just nice to meet someone new. It can get a little boring here just talking to you all the time."

     "Fair enough," Gabriel said, sitting down at the table. "What's cooking?"

     "Venison," Pablo said, smiling. "She's cooking up a roast of the dear I bagged. I can't wait to try it. I'm also letting her take some home for her town. We came to an arrangement in exchange for her services."

     "Always negotiating I see," Gabriel replied.

     "Bad habits die hard, my friend." Pablo agreed.

     "It's just a shame we won't be staying here too long," Alyssa added, finally jumping into the conversation.

     "Are you taking her to Denver?" Pablo asked.

     "I am," Gabriel confirmed.

     "I'd think against that," Pablo warned, as he put his glass down. "I've been trying to contact Sean for days, but I'm not getting a response. Combine that with the added undead activity near the hunting cabins, it worries me."

     "You worry about everything," Gabriel reminded him.

     "I do," Pablo confessed, "But do you think it wise taking her into a city if you don't know what's going on?"

     Gabriel paused for a moment. "I suppose not."

     "So what we going to do then?" Alyssa asked, surprised by the sudden change in her plans.

     "You'll stay here," Gabriel decided, "Keep the place on lock down and just ride out the next few days. I'll fly off for Denver and check up on Sean alone. It won't take long, I shouldn't be gone no more than a day."

     "There are plenty of supplies here." Pablo informed him, "I might even have some spares that I could donate to Alyssa's town."

     "Thank you, Pablo." Alyssa said, grateful of the gesture.

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     "I'll worry about supplies later," Gabriel said as he got up from the table. "I'm going to do a security check before taking off. Make up the guest rooms, enough to take two adults and three kids."

     "You think that will be necessary?" Pablo asked.

     "No," Gabriel replied, "But I need you to be ready to receive them just in case the worst really is happening over there."

     "I hear you," Pablo acknowledged, "Alyssa and I will have the house ready for anything, and I'll keep the place locked up as a precaution."

     "I like that idea," Gabriel said, as he stood up and started to pace the room. "How long have you been trying to contact him?"

     "At least a week," Pablo answered, "They've never gone this long without replying."

     "Alright, I'll check on them tonight." Gabriel turned back to face Alyssa, "You okay staying here with Pablo?"

     "I'll be fine," Alyssa told him, "Pablo knows what I'll do if he doesn't behave."

     "That I do," Pablo confirmed.

     Gabriel left the room and there was a flash sound as he departed through an entrance in the room made just for him.

     "You'll get used to it after a while," Pablo said, smiling.

     "I don't think I ever will." Alyssa confessed, as she turned back from the roof at her host. "What do you think is going on in Denver?"

     "Nothing, I hope." Pablo replied, "But the big cities have been threatening to wage war on one another for some time."

     "War?" Alyssa said, stunned. "As if the Undead was enough... they have to fight one another?"

     "I know; total bullshit." Pablo agreed, "But this has been mainly a west coast issue as there's no such aggression between the east coast cities. Then again, they are not dealing with the same issues."

     "Such as?" Alyssa asked.

     "Natural resources," Pablo answered, "I hate to be the one to break it to you, but even in a post zombie apocalypse, water and oil are still good reasons for men to go to war with each other over. Right now northern cities like Denver and Seattle are pissing off the southern cities like Los Angeles for hogging the water supply and keeping it for themselves. It's caused a lot of tension between the two."

     "I'd say," Alyssa said, thinking about it. "Clean water would be vital for survival."

     "Tell me about it," Pablo agreed, "And because of that, some cities have gone as far as threatened to invade or attack one another."

     "So you're worried this might have happened?" Alyssa asked.

     "It's just the undead in the north," Pablo said, "Seeing them this far up surprised me and it suggest someone lead them up here. Normally they shy away from the mountains cause of the cold. That's why Denver managed to survive long enough to build some big ass walls, the cold and the second amendment."

     "I can only imagine how the east would respond," Alyssa surmised, "Especially cities like New Lycan."

     "Wow," Pablo said, grinning. "He has really let you in on everything if he's told you about New Lycan."

     "He took me shopping there." Alyssa told him.

     "He did?" Pablo said, surprised. "That must have been interesting."

     "It was," Alyssa admitted. She then took the leg out of the oven, and it smelt just great as it came out. "Hope you're hungry."

     "Oh I am," Pablo said, licking his lips.

     She served the meal and put everything on the table for Pablo to help himself and fill his plate. She sat on the other side and also did the same. After they toasted to the meal to come, they started to quietly eat. Alyssa looked up and saw Pablo was looking at her.

     "Something in my teeth?" She asked.

     "No," Pablo said, pausing. "Tell me more about your town."

     Surprisingly, Alyssa found herself talking to Pablo about everything concerning her small town. About how she and her parents found the place and were able to integrate themselves into it. How she and Diane have managed to live there despite losing both their parents as the years went by. Into their second bottle of wine, they even started to talk about the major and his strange ways. Pablo seemed to nod a lot as she was talking about him and what happened to hear during her first trip out.

     "I've seen his kind before," Pablo noted. "Using the undead to take out your trash, or people who you think will cause trouble. He's just looking out for number one. You and Gabe are better off not trusting that guy further than you guys can toss him. Well, just no further than what you can toss."

     After speaking with Pablo a little longer, the old man eventually passes out on the couch. Rather than disturb him, Alyssa took a blanket and just put it onto him like she would with any child that crashed. As she was clearing the table and starting the clean up process, Gabriel came back into the house and noticed Pablo on the couch.

     "Is he going to be alright?" He asked.

     "He's just asleep." Alyssa said, smiling. "He had a lot to drink but he also ate a lot and that can induce napping too. Are you alright?"

     "I'll be fine," Gabriel said, as he walked closer to her. "Pablo was right, there is more undead activity up here, much more than usual. I cleared a few out and you guys are clear for a few miles. Tell Pablo to keep this place locked up while I'm gone, just as a precaution. No one can get into here when it's locked up except me, so don't worry about how I'm going to get back in."

     "How long will you be gone?" Alyssa asked.

     "A day, two tops." He informed her, "If everything is alright, I'll grab what you're town needs and fly back. We might hit New Lycan on the way back to get more stuff to make it a decent drop off."

     "What if it's not alright in Denver?" Alyssa then inquired.

     "We'll burn that bridge when we get there." Gabriel said, "I might have to bring them all here. So make sure the spare rooms are made up with fresh sheets. I don't want to bring people here, but I might have no choice."

     "Don't worry about him," Alyssa said, noticing he was looking at him again. "I'll take care of everything while he sleeps."

     "Thanks," Gabriel said, "But still be careful."

     "You too," Alyssa said, worried about him just a little.

     She watched as he flew back out of the entrance in the ceiling that was made out just for him. There was a loud swooshing sound and Gabriel was gone. Alyssa stood there and took a deep breath before going back into the kitchen to resume cleaning up and putting away leftovers. She would try to save as much of the food from the meal as she could, just in case there might be more mouths to feed in the coming days.