The Town of Last Haven: A Zombie Novel

Part 18

"Julia? Julia Brown?"

Julia looked from the line of trees to the rolling hills. She didn't see anyone until her eyes locked on the only movement she'd seen in the direction of the traps she'd set mere days prior.

"Who is it?" Luke asked.

"Julia! It's me! Tanner! Tanner Evans!" Out of the blue--rather the white of winter frost--came a blonde-haired boy who looked only slightly older than Julia herself.

"Tanner?" Julia's jaw dropped, and she ran to him. "Tanner, I thought you were dead!" Julia smiled at first look of her friend. He looked thinner than before--hungrier. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine. Look... Look at you! You look so..." Tanner didn't know quite what to say--he wasn't always good with words. "You look so beautiful." There was what he wanted to say to her.

Luke moved in towards the two, not liking the closeness Tanner was to Julia. He put an arm around his girlfriend, then sort of moved himself between her and her friend.

"Luke, it's Tanner." Julia repeated, a smile on her face.

"I remember," Luke said quietly, now turning to the tall drink of water. "How've you been?"

Luke and Tanner had never really liked each other for both were in love with Julia. Julia's heart belonged to Luke alone, so he had little to worry about, but there was still that fear--that insecurity he felt whenever Tanner was around his girlfriend.

"Tanner, where are your parents? Oh--" The words were out before Julia could take them back. "Oh, Tanner, I'm sorry..."

Julia remembered. Just last winter Tanner's dad died--heart attack. And his mom had grown ill. He was lucky not to have been put into foster care, having his neighbors take him into their home before they moved--they up and left this little town, but Tanner was on a mission to return...

...for Julia.

"It's okay," Tanner said quietly. "You know where my dad is." His eyes shifted to the skies. "Mom's up there, too." He scratched his neck where his woolen scarf itched him. "She went peacefully, so I thank God for that."

Julia hugged Tanner, then pulled away slowly to return to Luke's side. "I'm sorry," she said again. "Truly I am."

Julia had always liked Tanner's mom. She had a lovely personality but cursed like a sailor when she was pissed off. Julia remembered several occasions where she'd visit Tanner's house and play pool with him. His mom would be shown up by Julia, then she'd curse freely when she lost. Tanner always got a kick out of watching the one girl he'd ever been in love with kicking his mom's ass, so to speak--it was quite a sight!

"What brought you back to town?" Luke asked, repositioning the gun slung across his shoulder.

"Your girlfriend." Tanner stated bluntly. "I came back to make sure Julia was alright."

"I'm fine," Julia said with a smile. "On your way back here--you must be freezing, by the way, are you?" Tanner nodded, and Julia looked to Luke for a moment. "First things first," she said. "Did you come across any of the zombies?"

Tanner shook his head no.

"Okay, that's good." Julia breathed a sigh of relief. "Are you hungry? Do you need food?" she asked, and Tanner put a hand to his growling belly--he was scrawnier than before, but slow starvation will do that to a boy, a man.

"Julia, can I ask you something?" Luke slowly pulled Julia away from Tanner, then turned to her with quiet ease. "What makes you trust him? What makes you think he won't try to take you from me? Or what he'll do with information we give him--won't he sell us out to get you for himself?"

"Jesus, Luke." Julia sighed. "I know Tanner is in love with me, but I love you. Only you." Julia pulled Luke into a quick convincing kiss. "Tanner won't win me over from you. I want you--need you to know that, okay?" Julia glanced back at Tanner, who was inspecting his fingernails covered in thin layers of dirt under the cuticles. "Trust me."

"I trust you," Luke said quickly. "It's him I don't trust." He looked back to Tanner, fearing the worst. Tanner didn't look at Julia like a meal, per say, be he was indeed hungry for Julia. Always had been. And probably always would be.

"Luke, it's fine. I can handle myself." Julia gave another split-second kiss to Luke before squeezing his hand a bit harder than before. "We can give him some food, then send him on his way?"

"As long as he goes--"

"Play nice," Julia reminded him, then turned to Tanner. "Our families are alright--most of them, anyway. Would you like to come back to our home and get a bite to eat?"

"Sure." Tanner smiled. "Thank you for your generous hospitality, my fair lady."

"Don't call me that." Julia stated bluntly.

Ever since she and Tanner were kids, he'd give her pet names--my lady, my fair lady, my dear, and so on. Luke hated it--Tanner was practically treading on his territory, wasn't he? But Julia cared for Tanner like any good friend would, and he'd have to get over his jealousy of the man.

Luke reminded himself that though Tanner may try to steal Julia from him, Julia couldn't be stolen so easily. He'd have to give her more credit than that, but... but Julia was still his girl. As she was his, he was hers. They had each other at the end of all things--it would always be that way, wouldn't it?

"We can spare you some food, I guess." Luke wasn't all too happy about it, but it made Julia happy.

"Thank you." Tanner bowed his head. His socially awkward graces were something Julia found quite sweet, but nothing more than mere friendship to Julia. She didn't love him the way she loved Luke.

"So, where were you before here? I thought you moved to New York City." Julia began to lead Tanner away from Luke, walking in stride with her friend.

"I can back--would you believe I came back for you? To come back with me where I can make you safer than here?"

"I think it's a nice thought," said Julia, "but my home is here. My family is here... and I won't leave them." And Julia didn't simply mean her sisters and brothers--she was talking about Luke too. He was her family, her mate. She'd never leave him either.

"I brought you something," said Tanner, grabbing something out of his backpack. "You like reading, so I... I stole something I knew you'd want." Tanner handed a paper bag to Julia, told her to open it. She did, and a smile appeared on her face.

"Another book?"

Tanner nodded. "I know you liked her books, so I got you a signed copy..." Awkward silence, then, "I lived in an apartment before I left to find you. I have a ton of books there I know you'd love to read. Come back with me?" Tanner sounded hopeful.

Julia didn't want to hurt him, but she didn't know what to say otherwise. "Tanner, again, that's very kind of you, but my place is here. Stay with us and we can build walls around this place, make it safe for my brothers and sisters. We can go find all the books we want out there, bring them back here, build a place for others to live, you know?"

Luke thought this was taking too much time--they needed to get home before dark, before the sun fell in the western sky and walkers came from out the shadows.

Luke felt a cold chill travel up his spine as he looked at Tanner. The way the tall boy watched his girlfriend put him on-edge with great unease in his gut. It was a bad feeling, and Luke figured it would only get worse with Tanner being around more.

How to get him to leave?