The Town of Last Haven: A Zombie Novel

Part 20

Julia and Luke emerged from their shared bedroom in new sets of clothes. When they came downstairs for dinner, Natalie and Tanner looked to the two knowingly--Tanner green with envy.

"Dinner smells good," said Julia as she peered out the kitchen window.

"Thank you," Mrs. Wallace grinned. "You know, I've grown quite fond of rabbit meat. With a few more rabbit furs, I bet you could be a true Miss Boone and make some hats for us." The females shared quiet laughter, Luke leaning against the frame of the open door.

"Sounds like an interesting plan," Tanner said quietly, eyes focused on Julia. "But I'd bet you'd be too tired to walk after everything that's happened."

Julia blushed madly, and Luke and Natalie shot glares at Tanner--he was making everything feel strange, and that wasn't right. Especially with little Trent and Clarise around. They wouldn't--didn't understand any of this.

"I have enough strength to muster up." Julia spoke coolly. "Thanks for your worry, Tanner." She cleared her throat, then went back to helping Natalie and Mrs. Wallace set out dinner plates and silverware. Even with the zombie apocalypse right outside your door--Clarise and Trent had the idea to call the zombies wanderers--the family living in the Ember household still clung to that small part of a life that was once lived.

It was all an illusion in different sets of eyes, but there was still some form of hope that peace could be achieved, reclaimed--perhaps without the factors of violent deaths? That was high hope there--almost too high to hope for...

The lights flickered, sending everyone's hearts into their throats. Clarise sucked in a quick breath of air, then dropped to her knees and embraced a whimpering Opal--the dog was scared, too.

"It's okay," Natalie hugged Clarise. "It's just a power thing--a power outage or something. We'll be okay." Natalie turned her green eyes to Julia's blue ones in search for an assuring answer, but she didn't find it in her sister. "We'll be safe, Clarise." Natalie turned back to her youngest sister and planted a kiss on her forehead.

"I think the plant's running out of power," Tanner, said, arms crossed over his chest. When Austin asked him how he came to that conclusion, he explained. "I saw lights flickering from inside when I came by here... It seems only logical, right?" he cocked his head to the side, and Julia looked to her boyfriend.

"It is possible." She cleared her throat, then debated about putting her blue sweater back on--it was getting colder in here. Colder still if the power went out. Though Julia loved the outdoors and all, she still didn't like playing Little House on the Prairie. That simply wasn't her idea of fun. Julia shuddered from the thought, then rubbed her hands over her arms for warmth. Had she been in school with Luke and Tanner, Luke would have given her his varsity jacket for warmth... and Tanner would have offered Julia his own jacket, too, but Julia would have taken only Luke's jacket... not Tanner's.

"Should we go take a look tomorrow morning? Or would that be too late?" Austin asked.

"You wouldn't be coming with us. It's too dangerous--gamer or no." Julia shook her head. "I won't let you endanger yourself just because of--"

"Seriously, Julia?" Austin growled. "I can take care of myself." Austin said the words, though they were no help to him. "Julia, come on. I'm the techy-techy brother. You know that. I know more about electronics than any of you, right?" Austin, seething, looked to Luke and Tanner, who both seemed to agree with him.

"He is one smart, little dude," Luke said with a half-grin. "I'd trust him with this... I guess." Luke looked to Julia, who was steaming where she stood. "Julia, hate me if you want, but you know your brother may very well be the best man for the job."

Julia sighed, shrugging her shoulders. "I won't forgive myself if Austin gets hurt." Then, turning to her brother. "Okay, come along tomorrow with Luke, Tanner, and me. We should be safe... if only for a little while."

'We should be safe' and 'if only for a little while' were two phrases now becoming Julia's catchphrases, it seemed oddly enough--not good, but there were no other words to speak, really.

Julia, Luke, and their family--along with Tanner--took their seats around the table as Mrs. Wallace dished out small rations of food to them all. There were a few 'chicken legs' that were rabbit parts, but Clarise wouldn't eat them unless everyone called them chicken legs--she didn't want to be associated with eating bunnies, as she said. And there was veggie soup. It wasn't much, but it hot—that had to count for something, right?

"Do we say prayers?" Tanner asked Natalie quietly.

"No," she said softly. "We haven't said prayers over dinner in . . . a long time." She cleared her throat, then reached for her mug of steaming black coffee. It didn't have any creamer or added sugar, so it was quite bitter--better than nothing, though.

"Thank you for the meal, Mrs. Wallace," said Tanner to Luke's mother. "It's very kind of you to offer me a hot meal... and with food rations extended as far as you can stretch them, it's nice knowing there are still good people in this world--willing to share, I mean."

Tanner's eyes flickered over to Julia, who was slowly drinking the soup. She was sitting next to Luke--Tanner hated the sight of them together because he wanted Julia. He loved her so immensely, but how could he shake her feelings for Luke to begin with? It was like she was under his spell.

"We're not ones for greediness," was all Mrs. Wallace said, slowly drinking her own coffee. It was too terrible for good taste, so she made a puckered-lipped face in disgust. "We'll share what we have to some degree," she paused, "but don't expect good coffee in the apocalypse."

"Haven't had any good coffee since leaving New York City." Tanner said, eyes still fixed on Julia. He wanted her to run away with him, come back to New York with him... but Julia would never leave her family, let alone the town she'd been born and raised in. Her family, her home, her everything was right here. She wouldn't leave any of it.

"The coffee isn't all that bad if you drink it like shots." Luke smirked, and his mom slapped his shoulder. "What? Don't you think honesty is important?" he asked.

"Honesty is important, yes, but I'd prefer not to hear my son talking about drinking." Luke's smirk continued as he looked to his mom--she'd been more of a party girl in her early years than Luke ever was before.

The lights flickered again, then went out with a silent poof.

Clarise screamed, feeling fear creep up on her like a specter's spirit stroking a hand up her spine. Her flesh went cold and clammy, her face pale, and she felt like she needed to vomit up what little dinner she had.

"Looks like the lights are out, people." Tanner was unnaturally cool-headed about this, and Luke didn't like it--Julia neither, but she didn't say a word. "We'll stay alert tonight--take shifts to protect each other. Sounds like a good idea?" He cocked his head to the side, but no one could see him in the dark.

Julia got up from her seat and went to the window. There were at the most three, maybe four of the wanderers outside far back. But with all the lights out, the sky looked glorious. Absolutely stunning. With all the light pollution earlier, one couldn't see the waves of stars in elsewhere in the Milky Way Galaxy. And now they could.

Luke joined Julia by the window, both of them gasping from the beauty they were witness, too. And Tanner watched as Luke's hand curled around Julia's, squeezing tight. He wanted to be the one consoling Julia in her fear, comforting her in her time of need--it wasn't him, though. It never would be.

But he couldn't accept that.