It didn't take long for Gabriel to fly to Denver, but the closer he got to the city the more answers he got to the questions he had been thinking about on the way there. He could see the fires from miles away and the shelling was hard not to notice as well. Pablo's instincts as usual were spot on: Denver was being attacked. There were many conflicts between man and itself since the zombie apocalypse started, and that never bode well for the survival of their own species. Gabriel had joked with the Lycans that if the end of the world at the hands of the undead couldn't bring them all together, then there was nothing that could. It was the exact thought that was running through Gabriel's mind as he flew closer and closer to Denver. Half the city was in flame, and he could hear the moans from above as well. Not only did the enemies fo the city knock down the city's walls with artillery, but it was only to allow the undead to invade the city and take out its population. A brilliant but very messy strategy, as the people were dying and then joining the undead's ranks seconds later. Turning the city's own people against themselves and just assuring the city would eventually fall, it was only a matter of when rather than if. This was the worst case scenario, Gabriel could hear Pablo saying in his own head. The vampire watched the carnage from above for a moment before remembering why he was there: to help his own people. He continued to fly over the city until he spotted the building he was looking for, as it was harder to look around since it was dark and there was fire and smoke everywhere. He dove down and then landed on the roof without hesitation. There were already several people on the roof of the building, and it looked like they were hiding from something there. When Gabriel landed on the roof, it scared most of the people, except for one person who immediately ran up and it was Sean, his friend.
"Gabriel!" Sean said as he walked up and hugged him. "You have no idea how happy I am to see you here!"
"What the hell is going on?" Gabriel asked. He had an idea, naturally, but he wanted to hear Sean explain it to him.
"The southern towns want the water," Sean explained, "And the shelling started a few days ago. We've got to evacuate cause they're going to wipe out the entire city but we can't get out cause the streets are littered with the undead."
"I noticed that," Gabriel said, looking around at everyone in the roof. "How many people are up here?"
"About twelve," Sean answered, "Family and close friends."
"I'm strong," Gabriel started, "But I'm not that strong."
"I'm open to suggestions," Sean said, hoping his friend had ideas."
"What about the truck?" Gabriel said, "The one Pablo and I had made for you? The one we have stashed outside of the city?"
"That's a good option, but city is surrounded." Sean said, "We were thinking of using the sewers to get there, but it's very dangerous."
"Don't bother," Gabriel said, "I can fly you guys out two at a time. It will take about ten trips to get you all out there. We start with two of your toughest guys to secure the truck and guard it while I fetch the rest of you."
"That sounds doable." Sean said, nodding his approval. "Let me talk to my people about this. Until right now, they thought you were normal."
Sean turned to face the people looking at him. They were all scared because their building was on fire and surrounded by the undead. He raised his hands up to calm them and reassure them all.
"Who wants to get out of here?" He asked them.
They all raised their hands.
"This is my friend Gabriel," Sean said, "Many of you remember seeing him visit every now and then. He's even worked at my practice a bit when he's had time. My friend here is different."
"Different how?" One of the men asked.
"He can fly as you just noticed," Sean answered, "And he can fly us out of here. Beyond the wall and far away from this battle, which means we can escape."
"He can't carry all of us," someone else called out.
"No he can only carry two out at a time, but he'll fly us all to the truck." Sean explained to them. "He's here to help us. Don't question why he can fly, just be happy that he's here to get us the hell out of here. Alright?"
Everyone needed and seemed to understand where Sean was coming from. This was a way out, so don't be picky about how it's happening and just accept the chance to get the hell out unharmed. Gabriel grabbed two men, and then launched with them into the sky. It took Gabriel only ten minutes to fly the two men out of the city and to a small abandoned barn that was a few miles from the city's walls. As they were flying out, they could see tanks and cars stationed outside the city to stop people from trying to escape, a blockade that would have been impossible for Sean and his people to make it out of without his help. When he landed by the barn, dropping two men off, Gabriel grabbed one of them by the arm as he tried to walk away.
"Don't take off until everyone is here." He ordered, "Try to take the truck for yourself, I will find you and kill you. Understood?"
The man looked Gabriel in the eyes and nodded, "Understood."
"No need to worry," The other man said, "The people back there is our wives and kids. We're not going to leave any of them behind. Go get them and so we are not left here waiting too long."
"That's all I needed to hear," Gabriel said, and then immediately shot back into the sky and flew back into the city.
As Gabriel had informed his friend, it took him about ten trips to get everyone off the roof and to the small barn outside of town. Inside the barn was a small, armored truck that was capable of very rough undead conditions, and large enough to keep everyone snug and secure while traveling back to Pablo's cabin. When Gabriel made his landing to pick up the last two people, Sean and his wife, Sean was waiting there on the roof with something for him. Gabriel took the small bag of red liquid and began to immediately drink it. Sean and his wife were the only two who knew the truth about him and waited until then to feed him.
"Thank you," Gabriel said, taking a break halfway through the bag, "I really needed that."
"I thought you might," Sean said, smiling back at his friend. "How did you know to come here?"
"Pablo," Gabriel replied, "He's been trying to reach you for a week. Chances are they are scrambling all lines so you can't call for help."
"That paranoid fool saved our asses then," Sean said, smiling. "I don't think his cabin can safely fit all of us, can it?"
"Not long term," Gabriel admitted, "But I might have a plan that will work because I don't even think Pablo's place is safe anymore."
"We can talk about it later," Sean said, "Finish your drink so we can get the hell out of here."
Gabriel finished the bag of blood off before grabbing Sean and his wife and then launching back into the skies above the city. They all watched in awe as the shelling continued below them as well as the loud moans from the undead as they continued to walk the streets of the city and tear it apart.
"It's not right," Sean's wife said as she looked away from it.
"It's the future," Sean said, "Using the Undead will be the new warfare."
"I doubt something like that would work in New Lycan," Gabriel noted, "To them it would be like the sheep walking themselves to the slaughter."
"Or like your groceries jumping into the fridge themselves." Sean agreed.
"Here we are," Gabriel said, as he landed just outside the barn. Several people were still outside, happy to see the last of them arrive.
"How's the truck?" Sean asked.
"It looks good," one of the men replied, "We should be good to go in a few minutes."
"Then get going," Gabriel said, looking around. "I'm going to go ahead and make sure the road is clear."
"I know the way," Sean said, patting his friend on the shoulder. "You jump ahead and make sure Pablo is ready for us."
"Not this time," Gabriel said, "Pablo will be fine, he's got someone there helping him now. I'm staying here to make sure you all make it out."
"Thank you," Sean said, "Get going and we'll be right behind you."
Gabriel waited for everyone to get inside and for the truck to start moving before he flew back into the sky and started to scout ahead. There were a few undead strays that he quickly dispatched of, but it was the roadblock that had caught him by surprise. Gabriel looked down as there were two humvees, and about a dozen heavily armed soldiers guarding the road to make sure anyone who managed to escape the city under siege didn't get very far. The vampire hovered a few hundred feet above them and thought about his options. He then lowered himself to the ground and landed in front of them all. The people were shocked to see someone drop out of the sky, as they all raised their guns and pointed them at Gabriel.
"Greetings," Gabriel said, smiling at them all. "Nice night for a blockade."
"Who the hell are you?" one of the women present there asked, never lowering her rifle for a moment.
"My name is Gabriel," he answered, trying to be friendly. "I'm not from around here. I'm more of an east coast person myself."
"What city are you from?" the woman asked.
"Nashville," Gabriel honestly answered, "but it's not very hospitable. I've got my own place in one of the high rises. I prefer to keep to myself."
"What are you doing here?" one of the other men there asked.
"There's a truck coming up the road," Gabriel explained to them, "It's going to be here in a few moments. They're friends of mine from the city you're currently burning to the ground. It's just a small group, a few men and their wives and children. I would be well appreciated if you could let them through without a hassle."
"We're under orders to not let anyone by," the man replied.
"Wait," the woman interrupted, "Why are you helping them?"
"They help me," Gabriel said, "and they're also my friends."
"You always help your friends like this?" the woman asked.
"Isn't that what friends are for?" Gabriel countered, "At least that's the kind of friend I prefer to be; someone who helps when the times are tough."
"It would be nice to have a friend like that," The woman said to him.
"I agree," Gabriel said to her, "Because I can assure you that I would make a very dangerous enemy."
"I've heard enough of this," The other man said as he tried to use the but of his gun to knock Gabriel in the side of his head.
Gabriel not only was able to dodge the hit with ease, but he came back around with lightning fast reflexes and lashed back at the man that tried to hit him. With one slash of his right hand, with the small talons sticking out of his fingers, Gabriel was able to decapitate the man with just one chop of his hand. The man's head rolled off as if it had been sliced clean off with a machete. Before anyone could respond, Gabriel zipped away from his position and killed one soldier after another, until there were none left standing except the woman that spoke to Gabriel. She looked back at him, covered in other people's blood, shaking like a leaf. Gabriel's eyes had turned red during the conflict and she could see the fangs sticking out of the top half of his mouth as he spoke to her again.
"I warned you," he hissed at her, "I make a dangerous enemy."
She tried to shoot him but before she could even raise the barrel of her rifle, Gabriel had covered the distance between them and knocked it out of her hands. Before she could respond, Gabriel grabbed her and drove his fangs right into the side of her neck, penetrating her jugular. She shook and twitched uncontrollably as Gabriel drained every drop of blood from her body, which caused her skin to turn grey and her muscle mass to slowly wither away as he also drained the woman of her life. He dropped her to the ground, and what was left of her corpse turned into a cloud of dust on impact. Gabriel hadn't drained someone completely in quite some time, and the power he was feeling was immense as it was unbearable. To drain someone that fast and without pacing yourself can sometimes drive a Vampire into temporary madness, something his people call the bloodlust. He stood there shaking like a leaf, as if he was a druggie that was fixing to get another hit. Gabriel flexed every muscle in his body as he arched his back and looked up to the sky as he roared like a lion that had just killed new prey. He stood there growling and grunting for a few moments until the feeling started to subside. He growls had slowed down into just heavy breathing and his body began to tense down. Moments later, he started to clear away the bodies and move the cars to clear the blockade for Sean and his people who were only a few miles away, as he could hear them coming down the road. He took a rag from one of the vehicles and a water canteen and used the water to clean the blood off his face. While he was still a mess, Gabriel knew he had to remove proof that he just drank someone's blood before the truck arrived. He jumped back into the skies and flew ahead to look for more road blocks. He was confident there wouldn't be more but it was an excuse to stay ahead.