World of Monsters

18. The Man with a Plan

     Gabriel got some rest in Nashville, drank up some of Alyssa's blood from a backup supply and then flew back to her town the next night. He made good time getting back to town and when he landed on the roof, there was three people waiting for him as Sean, Alyssa and Pablo were all there. As he came to a sliding stop, Gabriel was all smiles and surprised to see them all there.

     "Hey guys," Gabriel said, looking back at Alyssa. "And lady."

     "Hello son," Pablo said, laughing. "We need to catch you up on what's going on here before you get to work."

     "Alright," Gabriel said, "Let's hear it."

     Pablo went into detail of how their first encounter with Max went, and how he pretty much salivated at the thought of having a surgeon and few nurses added to what was an already weak medical staff. He also informed him about their relation, how Pablo claimed that Gabriel was his son. Despite the fact that Gabe was a lot older than Pablo, he still looked young enough to be his son but he still laughed at it.

     "I know, it's funny." Pablo agreed, "But this helps our story. I also told the mayor that you work at night and sleep by day. They think it's suicide to go out there at night with the dead walking around, but I told him you work better at night. He seemed to buy it, and as long as we keep delivering the goods he won't question it. He doesn't seem like the kind of man to look a gift horse in the mouth."

     "What does that mean?" Alyssa asked, "I never really got that reference."

     "It's a very old saying," Gabriel said, as he was technically the oldest one there. "In the past the best way to check a horse's health was to look at their teeth. So if someone gave you a horse and you checked its teeth too soon, it was considered offensive because you looked ungrateful."

     "Oh," Alyssa replied, "I can't believe it actually had something to do with an actual horse."

     "Getting back on track," Pablo interrupted, "The mayor seemed to welcome us with open arms, but Alyssa is right about him. The guy acts like a used car dealer, and I can't trust the bastard any further than I can throw him. What I can trust is his need for supplies so a long as we show results, his ambition and ego will keep him in check."

     "For now," Gabriel said, "If he starts to piss me off, I can always take him out."

     "Try to be careful," Sean said, finally stepping in. "My wife and the kids really like this place. I can see ourselves going long term here. Try to not ruin it as we'd hate to move again so soon after what happened in Denver."

     "We'll try," Gabriel said, "But I'm going to start doing some renovations at my place in Nashville. Not idea considering how infested it is, but it's better than nothing. Pablo can look for some other alternatives if we need them, but I agree with you. We'll move mountains to make it work here. I don't see the Californians going this east. They'll have to go through New Lycan to get anywhere near here, and I have a feeling they wouldn't get a warm welcome there."

     "That's putting it mildly," Pablo replied, "The wolves won't kill anyone, they'll just turn everyone into them. The wolf population could double overnight."

     "That's a scary thought." Sean said, thinking about it.

     "It won't come to that," Gabriel rebutted, "The Vampires will step in long before that happens. A population explosion in New Lycan is not something anyone wants to see happen, so I doubt the council will allow it."

     "I'm sorry," Alyssa said, as she heard something new. "The council?"

     "Not now," Pablo said, as he heard it too. "We'll let you in on it later, but for now the less you know the less you'll be distracted from your objective."