The Town of Last Haven: A Zombie Novel

Part 30

While Julia, Natalie, and Jake left for Tanner's crib, Austin stayed behind to take care of Trent and Clarise.

The trio walked a few streets over to the place Tanner made home, but it didn't look the part of even a nice home. It was a small house, but not that small beach cottage type. The lawn was of golden dead grass, too long and needing to be cut. The house needed a paint job--all houses needed a paint job--but this house was worse than the rest. It was a house that didn't fit in, much like Tanner himself.

Julia went to the front door with Natalie and Jake behind her, knocking. There was no sound inside, no, 'I'll be there in a minute,' or 'give me a second.' There was nothing, just silence.

"Is he even home?" Jake asked, and Natalie shrugged.

"We'll go in," said Julia, creaking open the door, its handle a dark tint from old rust. "If he's there, we'll talk to him; if he's not there, we'll wait for another time to do this."

The three went in, thinking the place wasn't much now--let alone to begin with. The sofa had been slept on, the bookshelves vacant of books, the old television set broken, and the place smelled of burned toast. Julia remembered that Tanner had never been even a good cook, so it was a wonder to her that he hadn't burned the house down yet.

"It doesn't look like he's here," said Jake, but Julia persisted.

"We haven't checked the rest of the house--" Julia was turning into a true Nancy Drew, taking in every detail of the house.

"I don't think we need to look far." Julia and Jake went to Natalie's side as she opened a door in the kitchen. It wasn't a broom closet; it was a stairway that led to a basement. And it reeked of alcohol. "And I think I know what Tanner has been doing all this time."

Julia swallowed hard, taking in a breath. The smell of alcohol hit her like a wave hits a surfer at the beach, nearly knocking her to the ground. "Jesus Christ..." she whispered.

The three went downstairs and saw where Tanner had made his bedroom. With windows all over the ground floor, the only floor, he'd made the basement into a large bedroom-office-library. The walls were grey concrete and cold, the bookshelves were littered with books and empty beer cans, and Tanner was slumped over his bed in a drunken stupor, it seemed.

"Hi, Tanner," Julia said quietly.

Tanner groaned, turning on his side to look at the three watching him. He didn't look too well; his hair was longer now and needing a cut, his skin was pale, and his eyes were a bit sunken from malnutrition. Natalie wondered what he'd been eating all this time--perhaps nothing.

"Hey," he said, offering a pathetic smile. "What are... What are you guys doing here?" He slurred his words, and Julia and Natalie were in silent agreement that this was such a sad sight to be a witness to.

"How are you?" Julia asked, her voice flat.

"How am I? How... How are you?" Tanner stood shakily, Jake going to his side to help him stand. He swayed back and forth as he stood, a beer bottle in hand. "Want a drink?"

"I believe you've had enough for the three of us combined," said Natalie. "You've had more drinks in these few days than we have our whole lives." She was less than pleased, getting angry. "While the rest of us are actually doing something about making our lives bearable, you're the one sulking in the darkness. Come on out. We need you."

"You need me?" Tanner scoffed, belching amid a chortle of laughter. "You don't need me. You brats have each other!" he yelled now. "I'm just wasting away because I can't get what I--" Tanner stopped himself there, but he'd gone too far already.

"Don't you dare call my sister a brat." Julia spoke so coldly to Tanner, her hands bunching into white-knuckled fists and an icy exterior forming all around her. "Why are you down here anyway? Why haven't you been outside helping the rest of us? You haven't been hunting, you haven't been gathering or scavenging--you're doing nothing!"

"I'm doing something alright!" Tanner shouted back at Julia. "I'm trying to think of a way to get you to... to leave your Luke Wallace! I want you with me! How can you not see that? You're paying too much attention to your family, too much attention fucking your boyfriend, too much that doesn't involve me!" Tanner stumbled over his desk chair, trying to get to Julia.

Julia was quickly backing away, Jake pushing Natalie towards the stairs. None of them could believe that Tanner was actually trying to kill Julia. Tanner had his hands extended outwards in a choking position, and when Julia pushed him back into the chair with a quick high-kick--Natalie and Jake quite impressed--Tanner fell with a sob.

"How can you not see that I love you?" Tanner shouted still. "How can you not see that you belong with me? To me?"

'With me' and 'to me' were two different things. 'With me' referred to being in his bed, and 'to me' referred to becoming and being his slave. Julia was repulsed by Tanner now, wanted nothing to do with him now or ever again.

Hands balled into tight fists, Julia moved to the stairs. "This was a mistake coming here," she said, and Natalie and Jake nodded in agreement. Jake didn't move from the basement until Julia and Natalie were up first, protecting them both from a drunken Tanner.

"It's not over!" Tanner lunged passed Jake, crushing him against the wall. Jake's spine hit against the rail, and he grimaced in pain, but not before he had a grip on the collar of Tanner's shirt. It tore, but it didn't hold him back from grabbing at Julia's ankles. She tripped, sliding down the few stairs. Natalie shouted a curse--something her sweet little mouth didn't often do--and raced back down to help her sister.

Tanner's hands were all over Julia--he was trying to attack her. Julia scratched at Tanner's face, her nails digging into the flesh of his cheeks. Blood seeped forth, Natalie screaming Julia's name, and Jake threw himself at Tanner.

Tanner off Julia now, Jake was punching him hard. A crack was heard, and Natalie felt like throwing up from the sight of Tanner's bloodied and broken nose. Julia stood up quaking in her boots, her shirt torn with her bra exposed. She felt so dirty suddenly, feeling so violated even though Tanner didn't have his way with her...

...but he'd planned this? Jesus Christ.

Julia was still shaking by the time they got back to the Wallace household. As Jake went to the old town hall to get some guys to help him handle Tanner, Natalie and Mrs. Wallace helped Julia change into new clothes. Luke had damned himself for not being there when Julia needed him most, and Austin and Trent weren't too happy about that either. And as Natalie helped Julia, she wondered how she would explain all of this to Clarise.

"Something like this--it breaks the rules," said a still shaking, fully-clothed Julia. She now wore a black top with blue jeans and black sneakers. "The rules were made, and..." Julia shuddered. "...and they were broken. Tanner shouldn't be here anymore."

"What do you mean?" Natalie asked, putting a hand on Julia's shoulder. Everyone was now gathering in Julia and Luke's bedroom--all but Trent and Clarise, whom Natalie thought were still too young to know and understand any of this.

"We made those rules with the others when the walls were built, remember? That if someone tries to... to rape... another, they get booted out beyond the walls." Julia crossed her arms over her chest, still feeling Tanner's hands on her body. "Tanner will be put out from this town."

"I'm all for that." Luke was raging internally, thinking of the best way--the slowest way--to kill Tanner for trying to rape Julia.