Chapter 22
"What is going on?" Alyssa asked as they got closer.
"I'm not sure," Gabriel answered, "But that fire can be seen for miles, and that will summon more of the dead to walk over. They need to be put out, and quickly."
"Let's find Diane first and make sure she's alright." Alyssa ordered.
Gabriel flew her back to the roof of her building, and to her relief both Diane and Pablo were up there, waiting for them with many other people.
"Your timing is impeccable." Pablo said, "We appear to be under attack."
"I had no idea what was going on," Gabriel confessed, "But the fire can be seen for miles away. It's going to attract a lot of unwanted attention."
"How did this start?" Alyssa asked.
"There was an explosion that took out the wall and another that lit the building, likely to attract the dead." Pablo said, "These are the cheap, cowardly acts I'd expect from a Californian."
"Let's not jump to conclusions." Gabriel said as he set the supplies aside. He leaned over and looked off the roof at what was going on below. Only the undead walking the streets, and no signs of any fresh dead as everyone probably managed to barricade themselves in before things really G.o.d bad.
Pablo tossed Gabriel a bandana. "Here, get started. I'll continue to pick them off on the other side of the wall with my rifle to keep them from spilling in."
"What's that for?" Alyssa asked.
"To keep my face covered," Gabriel said as he used it cover the bottom of his face up, like a western bandit. "It also keeps my fangs hidden."
"Oh," Alyssa replied, "Good point."
Gabriel turned to face one of the troopers that came with them from Denver.
"I'm going to drop you off by the truck," he informed the big man, "When I start clearing them from the wall, park the truck by the hole."
"A temporary patch?" Pablo asked.
"It will do for now," Gabriel concurred, "and once the grounds are clear, we'll get some sheet metals, fix the wall and get things back to normal."
Before anyone could respond, Gabriel zipped off the roof and to the ground, and all anyone from the roof could see after that was a blur zipping back and forth as various undead creatures started to drop like flies. Once things started to seriously thin down, Sean's driver from the second truck used the fire escape to slowly get to the truck that was parked just underneath it. Sean and his crew had left it there so they could make an escape if the situation ever called for it. The driver stood on the stairs and waited for the
"That looks pretty solid," Gabriel said, inspecting it. "That will hold them off till we can clear them and fix it."
"What do we do now?" The driver asked.
"I'm going to clear the rest," Gabriel said, looking around. "You collect as many fire extinguishers as you can find and I'll deal with the fire next."
"On it," The driver said as he hopped out and started to run to look for the extinguishers needed.
Gabriel had no problem cutting the rest of the undead down, and when he was finished, Sean's friend had collected half a dozen red containers.
"That will do," Gabriel said, grabbing one. "Watch them, and I'll be right back."
"Affirmative," the driver replied.
Gabriel ran quickly in to the building and used his speed to put out the fire as fast as he could, even his fast motions help blow some of the fires out as he was moving with great speed. Just as he was clearing the flames in the hallway of the second floor, Gabriel stopped as he heard something. A beeping sound, and the old vampire knew exactly what it was. He bolted to the source of the sound, which was another bomb, and moving at a very quick pace Gabriel had little trouble disarming it before it could go off. He heard other beeps and quickly disarmed those devices before they had a chance to cause the town more damage. Gabriel didn't finish putting out the first but instead ran out of the building where Sean's friend was watching over the other extinguishers.
"What's wrong?" the man asked.
"I got most of it," Gabriel told him, "Get in there and take care of the rest of it. I've got bigger fish to fry."
Before the man could ask for details, Gabriel bolted off and into the air, using his ears again to look for a beeping sound but this time he was looking for the bomb, but instead the device used to trigger them. There was a pickup truck less than a few miles away from the town, and two people in the back watching the town from a distance. Before they knew what happened, Gabriel grabbed the bigger man and dragged him off the truck and onto the ground. He had fangs and claws bared, when he heard the other person from the truck call out.
"Don't hurt my daddy!"
Gabriel turned to see the smaller person in the truck was a child, no more than eight years old. The vampire recognized the kid too, as he had seen him before in New Lycan. That mean the man on the ground was...
"Frank, I a.s.sume?" Gabriel said, looking back down at him. "What are you doing here and what is the meaning of this attack?"
"I don't have to answer to you, Vampire!" Frank sniped back, defiantly.
"No you don't," Gabriel confirmed, "But I already disarmed the rest of your bombs. Whatever this is, it's over."
"Why are you working with these fools?" Frank asked, "They're just taking up s.p.a.ce."
"I could say the same for you and the rest of New Lycan," Gabriel countered, "But let me make one thing clear, this town is under my protection. I will fight every one of you d.a.m.n wolves to protect if it I have to, though I a.s.sume my brother might step in before that."
"I'm not afraid of him," Frank replied, "Or you."
"You should be," Gabriel said as he turned to the kid. "Can you drive?"
"Yeah," The kid replied, "Dad taught me."
"Good," Gabriel said as he drove his foot into Franks leg so hard that he broke it badly. Frank roared in pain as he wasn't going to be walking for a very long time, if ever the same again.
"Son of a b.i.t.c.h!" Frank screamed in terrible agony.
"Next time I take your head," Gabriel informed him, "Right after I take his."
Frank understood the message as it was loud and clear. He would not hesitate to kill the kid if he crossed the Vampire again.
"Your first and only warning," Gabriel chided, "Now get out of here."
Before Frank could respond, Gabriel zipped around and stole every device he suspected could have been the detonator. He also took their rifles, giving them even more incentive to take off and head home. Gabriel went back to town and leaped onto the roof without being noticed. Pablo, Alyssa and Sean's family were still on the roof watching over what was going on. Once Gabriel landed on the roof, he walked over and handed the devices and rifles to Pablo.
"Where did these come from?" Pablo asked.
"I'll explain later," Gabriel said, turning to Alyssa. "Is everyone alright?"
"It seems so," Alyssa said, happy to see him back.
Gabriel was about to say something else, but something had caught his attention. Sitting down in the middle of the other kids Sean had brought to the roof, was Diane. She had seen everything.
"Oh c.r.a.p," Gabriel said, knowing what he had just done.