They had been hoping, even praying, that there was enough time to get out before the attack began but their aggressors had the patience of a dead horse. Gabriel was helping Sean and his family into one of the big trucks they used to get away from Denver when the first shells from the Californian army hit the town. When the first shell slammed into one of the town’s buildings, there were screams along with people running for cover and their very lives. The explosions caught the town people off guard, and with no leaders or mayors around to give orders or instructions things turned chaotic very quickly. Gabriel was still helping Sean when the shells started to fall and it had startled them both.
“Just like Denver,” Sean said, rather disgusted. “Tossing shells up because they’re too cowardly to march on us like real men.”
“This town isn’t that fortified,” Gabriel said, confused. “What is the purpose of using this kind of artillery?”
“Usually they reserve these bombs for the walls, so they dead can walk in and take care of the people inside,” Sean answered, “But aiming for the buildings doesn’t make sense. This is a waste of ammo.”
“It’s not,” Pablo said as he came rushing over with a few crates of food for their trip. “Here’s the last of the supplies from the apartment upstairs. We need to get out of here before they hit their target and unleash the dead on us.”
“What target?” Sean asked.
“The cauldron.” Gabriel said as it all made sense to him now. “As long as that thing is here, the dead can’t attack. They need destroy the cauldron, or the undead are useless.”
“Since they have no idea where it is,” Pablo added, “They’re just going to shell every building till the dead are no longer held back.”
“That doesn’t bode well for us,” Sean said, taking the boxes from Pablo. “The back gate appears to be our best exit. We need to run before California surrounds the town, if they haven’t already.”
“They haven’t,” Gabriel said, “They’re too busy trying to find the cauldron first so they could disable it. We have some time, but not much. You guys make your exit right now before one of these shells gets too lucky for my liking.”
“Where are we heading?” Sean asked.
“New Lycan,” Gabriel answered.
“Are you sure about that?” Pablo asked.
“It’s our best option,” A voice came booming as someone else landed near them.
“Cornelius,” Pablo called out to the big Vampire. “I guess we have you to blame for the current aggressions from our west coast friends.”
“My apologies,” The Dark Prince said as he walked over with more boxes to fill the trucks up with. “I tried my best, but they want my brother more than peace. There’s nothing I could have said or done to slow down their momentum.”
“We’re apparently heading for New Lycan,” Pablo informed him.
“A wise choice,” Cornelius said, “I will make sure you are taken care of there, and then we’ll move you all to a new safe space before the next full moon.”
Before anyone could speak further, a building across from the one they had been living in for the last while exploded as another shell came too close for comfort. The blast sent glass and other debris flying everyone, which no doubt distracted everyone from what they were trying to do.
“Do you need any further motivation?” Cornelius asked, “Leave now, we can replace your stuff and supplies.”
“Alright,” Sean said, “We’ll take off now and ride for New Lycan.”
“I’m just waiting for Alyssa,” Pablo said, “Where is she?”
“There's no time!” Gabriel said, “I’ll get her out of here. You guys get going right now and we’ll catch up.”
“Alright,” Pablo said as he opened the door to get into the driver’s seat. “We’ve pushed our luck enough, let’s blow this pop stand!”
Pablo was driving the truck, while Sean and his family where in the second, which made for the second time they were using the armored vehicles to escape the attacking soldiers. They both drove the big things over to the back gate which was still being guarded, despite the explosions going on. Pablo opened his door to speak with the guard.
“Open the gates,” Pablo called out.
“What the hell is going on?” The guard called out.
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Pablo considered saying something stupid, but thought the best way to get through was to be honest for a change.
“They’re the same army we ran away from on the west coast,” Pablo explained, “They might have followed us here. So there’s a chance if they see us running, they might stop the attack and follow us away from here.”
The guard stood there, and thought about what he was told. Moments later he hit a button that opened the gates, as he hoped what Pablo said was true.
“Get out of here then,” the guard called out, “And make sure they see you run, and I won’t tell the mayor about it.”
“Thanks,” Pablo said as he closed the door and floored it.
Both trucks rolled beyond the walls and used the lights to make sure their exit was seen. He was kidding about the fact that the Californians might follow them. Pablo suspected that rolling to New Lycan might have been Cornelius’ plan to get them to stop since they wouldn’t dare encroach on a major monster city. That and the wolves have an army of their own according to the Dark Prince, so they are more than capable of defending themselves against any incursion. Pablo kept driving, hoping to see any signs of movement but there was nothing. The only thing he heard was the continued shelling of the town, and even more explosions. Their effort had stopped nothing.
“Dammit!” Pablo said, slamming the wheel with his hand. “Follow us you empty headed beach bums!”
When they were a few miles away, Pablo pulled over to the side of the road, using an old gas station for cover. He crawled out of the hatch to the top of the truck and used it to climb on top of the roof of the abandoned gas station. From there Pablo used binoculars to watch the town as the fires and explosions keep going on. Sean crawled out of his truck and joined Pablo on the roof.
“It’s still going on?” Sean asked.
“It is,” Pablo said.
“Why aren’t they following us?” Sean asked, angered by the site before them.
“They were never after us,” Pablo confessed, “They were after Gabriel, and they’ll keep shelling that poor town into dust just to piss him off.”
“Should we get back on the road before the dead come here?” Sean asked, looking around for any.
“There are none for miles because of the cauldron,” Pablo answered, “So unless California manages to hit it, we will not see any for while.”
“How will we know they hit it?” Sean inquired.
Just as he asked that there was another explosion from town, but this time it was much bigger, and so bright that it lit up the night sky like a tiny sun for several seconds. There was a bright yellowish and white mushroom shaped cloud that also shined a bit before going dark seconds later.
“Oh, I think that was it.” Pablo said, as he was barely able to shield his eyes from the blast. “The cauldron is down, the undead are likely going to start walking here from all directions.”
“What should we do?” Sean asked.
“We drive as far as we can,” Pablo suggestion, “And then when the crowds of undead get too big we find a place to hide and wait for them to pass by. Bunker in and stay quiet and let them all march right past us.”
“Alright,” Sean said as he started to walk back to his truck, “Let’s haul as while we still have time. We should keep an eye out for somewhere to hide. I’d rather park early if we find a good one.”
“I hear you,” Pablo said, nodding in agreement. “We’re hiding from the undead and those soldiers. If we find a good one, it will be worth parking a bit early. If we can’t find anything, we keep hauling ass to New Lycan as quick as we can.”
“Sounds good,” Sean said, “Let’s get going.”
Once they were back on the road, it didn’t take them long to start bumping into small patches of the undead, starting to wander back into the zone that was being denied them by the now disabled cauldron. Pablo and Sean would occasionally stop their trucks, bunker down and let the dead pass by as they played dead themselves. To their surprise, the dead had no interest in the trucks as they moseyed on by without a care for them. It was almost as if the former cauldron was now drawing them closer now that it was gone. Once the roads were clear, Pablo didn’t want to hang around as they carried on, driving most of the night, using the cover of darkness to hide their exit. When the sun finally started to come up, Pablo spots a gas station that had a pretty decent garage, and that seemed like a good spot to stop. He pulled into the area and Sean’s truck followed.
“What are you thinking?” Sean asked as he peaked out from the hatch at the top of his truck.
“We stash the trucks in the garage,” Pablo called back, “Bunker down and get some rest and start driving again when it gets dark. I’m sure everyone is tired.”
“The kids are already asleep,” Sean replied, “They have been for an hour at least. Would be nice to get some rest too.”
“Then it’s settled,” Pablo said, “We’ll park in there and bunker down. Then when the sun goes down we’ll keep driving till we reach New Lycan.”
“Sounds like a plan,” Sean said, “Let’s do it.”
Sean and Pablo did a sweep for zombies, and only had to kill one to clear the garage. They barricaded the only doors in, and then parked the decent size trucks inside. Pablo then closed the garage doors and that gave them the perfect cover. Odds were if the Californians followed them, they’d pass by this place and not even give it a second look especially with all the undead crawling around. The good thing about these armored vehicles was they were strong enough to be bunkers to hide in. They didn’t need to find houses if they didn’t want to.
“Should anyone take watch?” Sean asked.
“No,” Pablo answered, “the deader this place looks, the better. Having anyone around that could be caught or seen from a distance would be unwise. Let’s bunker in her and get some sleep.”
After Sean disappeared into his truck and locked up, Pablo couldn’t help but climb to the second floor of the garage and take a look around. There were no undead to see or hear of, so that wasn’t the issue. He instead snuck up to a window and peeked out of it in the direction of the town they just left. Black smoke could be seen still rising into the air, as could hundreds of stray zombies walking towards it in all directions. Pablo took a deep breath as he couldn’t believe what had happened. The town that took them in had paid the price for their defiance of the west coast army. All Pablo could think about was Gabriel and Alyssa.
“I hope you guys got out in one piece,” Pablo said to himself, sighing deeply.
Pablo returned to his vehicle and locked it up once back inside like Sean had with his, turned off all the lights, and said a prayer for his friends before laying down to rest. He was wishing for the best but preparing for the worst, hoping that they all made it out in time before the cauldron exploded.