9 Little Secrets

The blood Gabriel consumed at dinner the night before, as well as the rest he got during the daylight hours gave him enough vigor to fly Alyssa and all her supplies back to town in one trip. He would refuel when they got to her roof, so he wasn't worried about running out of energy, so he flew faster than usual and made better time than they had coming to New Lycan. Gabriel made a sneaky approach using trees near the wall that allowed him to fly over and land on the roof of Alyssa's building without being spotted. One they were back on the room, Gabriel put the backs down as Alyssa jumped off of his back. Seconds later Gabriel sat down on his ass and took a long, deep breath.

"That took more out of me than expected," he said, sighing.

"I'll go get your refill," Alyssa said, as she unlocked the door and ran downstairs to get the blood from the fridge. She returned a few minutes later with a new bag and handed it to him.

"Thank you," Gabriel said, as he popped the cap open and slowly drank a few gulps. He sighed again as he could feel he energy returning. "That's much better."

"Glad to hear it," Alyssa said, as she sat down on the roof beside him. "You need a moment to catch your breath?"

"Just a few," Gabriel admitted, "I did kind of push things flying over. I've got to be more careful next time. Last thing I want to do is drop the supplies, or you, during our flight here."

"I would prefer you didn't," Alyssa said, watching him drink more.

Gabriel took a few minutes to finish the blood that was in the bag, and slowly staggered back to his feet. He took a deep breath before looking back at Alyssa.

"Do you need any help carrying that downstairs?" he asked.

"No, it's okay." Alyssa said, "You've carried them far enough; I can handle the stairs and I you shouldn't stay too long. Nothing personal, but I don't want anyone to see you, especially my little sister."

"Say no more," Gabriel said as he dusted himself off. "I will take my leave. Thanks again for the fresh blood."

"Feeling better?" she asked him.

"I am," Gabriel said, "This will hold me over for at least a few days. The bags you gave me earlier that are still at my place will do for a few weeks. Pile up another list and we'll shop again soon."

"I will," Alyssa said, as she held out her hand for him to shake. "Thank you."

He took her hand and kissed the top part of her hand. "You're welcome."

Before she could respond, Gabriel took to the air and disappeared into the darkness. She couldn't believe how fast he was able to accelerate but the blood she gave him must have done wonders for his powers. It took Alyssa three trips to bring down all the bags that Gabriel has flown her back with. A total of five large bags that were full of not only items the mayor had inquired but one of the bags were full of the extra stuff she had picked up at the super mall for herself and Diane. Alyssa put all the new stuff away for her and her sister, and then piled the stuff for the town by the door. She would call on the mayor to pick it up himself. After moving the impressive amount of supplies to the door, Alyssa decided to lay on the couch and rest. She hadn't slept well in New Lycan, and thought getting a few more hours before Diane woke up was in her best interests. She was going to have a busy day fending off questions of how she managed to get in and out with all these supplies without being noticed at the wall. At the moment she wasn't willing to answer any queries, and as long as she delivered Alyssa expected the mayor to respect their deal and not question the result. She managed to lay on the couch for a few hours and nap until the sun came up. That was when her sister woke her in the morning with a big hug.

"When did you get back?" Diane asked, smiling so brightly.

"I came back while you were sleeping, and I didn't want to wake you." Alyssa said, groaning as she huffed herself off the couch.

"I was so worried," Diane told her, hugging her again.

"Don't make a big deal of it," Alyssa said, smiling back. "Let's go get breakfast and then we can talk later."

"Okay," Diane said, racing to the closet to get her coat.

The two of them walked to the main hall for breakfast, and it didn't take long for the mayor to sit down with them both, curious about a few things.

"Diane," the mayor said with a smile of his own. "I'd like to speak with your sister, so can you go get another waffle and a refill of you juice?"

"Sure, thank you!" Diane said, as she grabbed her glass and ran off.

"Good morning," Alyssa said, knowing what he was up to.

"This is the second time you came back like this," The mayor answered, "Is there a hole or a breach in the wall I need to know about?"

"No, the wall is fine." Alyssa informed him, "I've been getting over the wall on my own. That's why I wanted my home to be close to the wall. Wouldn't you like to know what goodies I got for you instead?"

"Now you're singing my tune," Max said, still all smile.

Alyssa passed back the same piece of paper that the Mayor had given her only earlier that week.

"I couldn't find everything," Alyssa started, "but what's crossed off is what I came back with. I even found a nice sweater for Diane. Hope you don't mind if I let her keep it?"

"You've gotten over half of the items I asked for," The Mayor replied, "This is very impressive. How did you get all this? Is this place nearby?"

"It's not," Alyssa said, the first honest thing she told him.

"Then how did you get out there?" he asked her.

"I have my ways, and we have a deal." she reminded him. "If you want me to keep bringing in stuff like this, don't ask how the sausage is being made."

"That was our deal, but I have to ask." The mayor said, folding up the list. "Are you stealing it from someone who might come here to forcefully take it back?"

"No," Alyssa assured him, "No one will come back for it. I promise."

"Alright, who am I to argue with such results?" the mayor asked, pleased. "Where are these supplies now?"

"They're at my apartment," she told him, "Would you like to walk back with Diane and I and pick them up?"

"Absolutely." The mayor replied, eager to see it himself.

After the three of them finished with breakfast, the mayor walked the two ladies back to their apartment.

"I hope the new place is to your liking," the mayor asked.

"It's very nice," Diane replied for her sister, "I like having my own room again."

"It's the simple things we miss most," The mayor said, patting Diane on the back, "like having your own room, a little privacy. Things we all took for granted before the undead came along."

"Thank you," Diane said, smiling.

"Thank your sister," the mayor corrected her. "It's her hard work that made any of it possible."

Once back at the apartment, the Mayor was impressed with what was before him. Three massive bags and they were all rather heavy.

"How did you get these over the wall?" he asked her.

"I used a rope," Alyssa lied, "hauling them up one at a time."

"You could have just used the door." The mayor suggested.

"I was afraid of people stealing what you asked for while trying to help me," Alyssa explained, "I didn't want to lose something valuable."

"That is commendable," The mayor replied, looking through one of the bags, noticing something he hadn't seen in a while. "Where did you get this? It looks new?"

"You remember the deal," Alyssa said, "You don't want to know how the sausage is being made. As long as I'm not making enemies, do you really care where I got it?"

"I suppose not," the mayor conceded, "great job."

"Just to let you know," Alyssa said, pointing to the couch, "I kept a few things for Diane and myself like that sweater. Not much, but I hope you don't mind."

"Keep bringing in hauls like this, I won't mind at all." The mayor repeated.

"Do you need help carrying it back?" Alyssa asked.

"No need," The mayor replied, "I'll make two trips. Thanks."

The major left with one bag and then returned with someone to help him carry the remaining two bags for the second trip.

"Do you need a new list?" the mayor asked before he left.

"I've got this one," Alyssa said, holding up her first list, "But if something comes up, let me know and I'll add what you need to it."

"Thank you," the mayor said, nodding. "Great work too."

Once the door was closed, Alyssa walked up and locked it. She sat down with her back leaning up against the door and looked back up at her sister who was staring at her with a look that expressed confusion.

"What is it?" Alyssa asked her.

"It took Max two trips to carry it out," Diane started, "but you're going to tell me you ran around with all three by yourself out there with the dead. Really?"

"I had help," Alyssa finally said, "But you have to keep it a secret."

"What kind of help?" Diane asked.

"The kind that could get us into trouble," Alyssa informed her, "But he's going to keep helping us as long as I give him what he wants."

"Does it have to do with those red bags in the fridge?" Diane asked.

"Yes, it does." Alyssa replied.

"What is that stuff?"

"It's blood." Alyssa answered, "My blood."

"Ewww!" Diane replied, cringing. "What is it for?"

"My friend needs it," Alyssa explained to her, "I have a very rare blood type and he needs to use my blood because he's sick. It's the only thing that can make him feel better. So in exchange for this rare treatment, he helps me gather supplied and he's very good at it, better than anyone in the town."

"What's his name?" Diane then asked.

Alyssa took a deep breath, and let all the air out slowly as she was pleased to hear that Diane was moving on from the blood. She appeared to be satisfied with the answer. "His name is Gabriel, but we can't tell anyone. Not even the mayor. All those supplies he's getting for us allows us to keep this place. This is a trade, sweetie. Gabriel gets what he wants, and we get what we want. This is a good trade for both of us."

"Okay, that seems fair." Diane said as she walked up and sat down in front of her sister. "He's not going to take too much of your blood, is he? Losing all this blood isn't going to hurt you, is it?"

"No, it won't." Alyssa said to her, "He needs only a little bit, but no where near enough to hurt me. As long as I eat a bit of fish and fruit, I'll be alright."

"This is strange," Diane admitted, "Where did you meet this guy?"

"If you promise to keep a secret, I'll tell you everything." Alyssa suggested, "And if you can keep my secret, maybe one day Gabriel will trust you enough to meet you."

"Okay," Diane said, eager to hear more. "What are you not telling me?"

"There are cities," Alyssa told her, "Huge cities full of people that managed to fend off the undead!"

"There are!" Diane said, "How do you know this?"

"Gabriel took me to one of them," Alyssa told her, "That's where we got all this stuff. He bought it for us."

"Wow," Diane said, "So we're not on our own?"

"I'm not sure." Alyssa said, pausing for a moment. "I'm not sure if anyone here knows what's out there. So until we find out, this all has to stay between you and I. Okay?"

"Deal," Diane said, smiling. "So where is this city?"