When she opened her eyes, Alyssa was no longer in the same building. The bright Florescent lights from the grocery story had been replaced by a lowly lit room that was illuminated by lanterns that were hanging on the wall. She slowly sat up to realize that she was lying down queen sized bed in a room that looked fancy and was even quite clean. Alyssa looked around the room but couldn't see anyone there. She slowly walked out of the bedroom, and into a hallway. It wasn't until she reached the living room that she decided to call out and see if she was really alone.
"Hello?" she yelled out, hoping to hear someone answer. There was no response.
It at this point where Alyssa began to inspect her body, looking to make sure she wasn't injured or hurt. There were no bites, no cuts, no signs of being infected by the zombies that had attacked her. Alyssa was completely unscathed. Considering how many undead there was inside that grocery store, so for her to get out alive and without a scratch on her was nothing short of a miracle. The fact that she was unconscious when this all happened, means someone else not only saved her but brought her to this place wherever it was. Alyssa had honestly thought that was the end of the line at that grocery store but there she was, walking around a strange place that wasn't in her town. Rather than gripe about now knowing where she was, Alyssa chose to appreciate the fact that she was still alive and would be able to take care of her absence from home at a later time.
"Good evening," A voice called out.
Alyssa spun around and was shocked to see the young man that stood before her. He had literally come out of nowhere. She was facing the door so she had no idea how he entered the room without her knowing about it.
"Where the hell did you come from?" she asked him.
"It's a bad habit." The man answered, "You'll get used to it."
"Where the hell am I?" Alyssa then asked. All she knew was this place wasn't anywhere inside her town. "Where is everyone?"
"You're in my home." He replied, "There's no one else here."
"I don't get it, how do you keep the undead out?" Alyssa asked.
"Look outside and see for yourself." he answered.
Alyssa walked over to the window in the living room that was closest to her and looked outside after pulling the drapes open. She was on what seemed like the twentieth floor if a high-rise building. They were in the middle of a deserted city as all the surrounding buildings were dark. When she looked down, she could also see there were hundreds, possibly thousands of zombies walking the streets outside.
"Where are we?" Alyssa asked him.
"We're in the city that used to be Nashville." The man answered.
Alyssa looked back at him, somewhat worried. "How are we going to get out of here? We're surrounded!"
"They can't get up here." he replied, "I destroyed all the staircases between the fifth and ninth floors. So there's a four story gap. All the floors ten and above are safe, but I recommend staying up here."
"Where's up here?" Alyssa asked.
"The twentieth floor." The man answered.
"What about the elevators?" Alyssa inquired.
"The cables are snapped, they don't work."
"How long have you been here?" she then asked.
"Every since the city was deserted." The young man answered as he stretched out his hand. "My name is Gabriel."
"Alyssa." She said as she took his hand and shook it. She paused for a moment. "How long have I been here?"
"Two days." Gabriel answered. "You took quite a bump back there. I wasn't sure you were going to make it for a while."
"Two days," Alyssa repeated while she thought about what happened. At this point, the entire town must think her and her crew were all killed in action.
"You must be hungry." Gabriel said, gesturing to the table in the next room. "Can we continue this conversation over some soup?"
"Sure, I guess." Alyssa said, as she was pleasantly surprised by Gabriel's hospitality.
Gabriel flicked one of the switches on the wall and the big lights above them turned on, and the brightness from the startled Alyssa.
"You have electricity?" She asked, shocked to see the lights working.
"I do," Gabriel said, amused by her startled jump. "I installed solar panels on the roof of this building. I don't usually use the lights, but thought you'd prefer to see what you're eating."
"Thank you," Alyssa said as she surveyed the massive apartment they were in, which looked like what she assumed a penthouse would look like.
"This place is beautiful." She said to him.
"It used to belong to a country singer," Gabriel informed her as he led the way to the kitchen. She took a seat on a stool in front of a small island in the middle of the massive kitchen and watched as he started to prepare the soup. He took it out of the can into a pot, turned the oven on and started to let it cook.
"I'm afraid vegetable is the only kind of soup I have here at the moment," Gabriel said, stirring the pot as it cooked. "I would have made an effort to find something better if I knew I was going to have company."
"No, it's alright." Alyssa said as she sat down and watched him cook the soup on the stove top. "I don't remember much of what happened."
"That's not unusual," Gabriel said, not turning away from the soup he was cooking. "Most people who bump their head that badly rarely remember it. Considering how many zombies were there, maybe that's for the best. You're lucky I happen to be in the area when you were attacked."
"What were you doing out there?" she asked him.
"Same as you," Gabriel answered, "Looking for supplies."
"How did we get out of there?" Alyssa asked, "How did we get away?"
"Not exactly something to talk about before eating." Gabriel said, as he kept stirring. "I promise to tell you everything you want to know later. Just know that you are safe here."
"Thank you." Alyssa said, deeply sighing.
Only minutes later, Gabriel poured the soup into a single bowl and then served it to her with a spoon. "Bon appetite."
She took the spoon and tried the soup. It was very good but not something she was used to getting since most food supplies had been all used up and hard to find. "You're not having any?"
"I'll eat later," Gabriel informed her, as sat down at the table with her. "I'd offer you some bread, but I didn't make any. I'll try to be more hospitable next time."
"It's the thought that counts." Alyssa said, as she continued eating.
"I'm just not used to having guests." Gabriel admitted.
"How long have you been here by yourself?" Alyssa asked.
"Longer than I would like to admit." Gabriel said as she gave her a warm smile. "I don't mind the solitude but I have to admit it's nice to actually have company."
"I'm not a prisoner here, am I?" Alyssa then said out of fear.
"Of course not," Gabriel said as he let out a chuckle. "I will be happy to take you home whenever you like. I was just hoping you'd be able to help me first."
"Considering that you saved my life, I'm game for almost anything." Alyssa said as she continued to sip her soup. "What's the catch?"
"I'm not going to lie, it's a dozy." Gabriel admitted, "How old are you?"
"I'm twenty-six." Alyssa replied. "How about you?"
"Seven hundred and fifty-four." Gabriel answered.
"That's not possible," Alyssa said, as she suddenly stood up from the table. "How is something like that even remotely possible?"
"You know," Gabriel started, as he also stood up. "If I asked you sixty years ago if you believed in monsters, chances are you would have said no. But you do believe in monsters now, don't you Alyssa?"
Alyssa paused for a moment. "Considering that the undead have been walking the earth for longer than I've been alive, I'd say yes."
"Then there's your answer." Gabriel said as he held up his hands. "I'm a seven hundred year old monster."
"What kind of monster?" Alyssa asked.
Gabriel paused for a moment before responding. "I'm a Vampire."
At first Alyssa wanted to laugh at the young man. She had read about Vampires at her local library but not once did she ever think they actually existed. Then she looked back out the window at the hundreds of zombies that were walking the streets of Nashville and then back at Gabriel. If one monster were to exist, she thought to herself, then the others wouldn't be so farfetched after all.
"A Vampire?" she called back out.
"Yes." Gabriel said, keeping his answers short as he didn't want to overwhelm her.
"I remember reading about your kind." Alyssa said as she strolled into the living room after him. "I thought those books were just fables. Fictional works that started in the late seventeen hundreds."
"I'm afraid they're more than fables," Gabriel confirmed, taking a seat on one of the couches. "Every monster you read about is really out there. They've just become a lot more active since this whole zombie thing started."
"I've read all the books about your kind." Alyssa repeated.
"So I've heard," Gabriel replied, "So you are aware of how we survive?"
"Yes," Alyssa said, thinking about it. "Is that why I'm here?"
"It is," Gabriel confessed. "I'm hungry."