Despite her earlier words Julia was hard pressed to let the girl leave the circle of her arms, even though she knew that they had to get moving soon before something worse came their way. Still she took comfort when Vera kept a hold on her hand, pointedly ignoring what advantage it lost her if she had to quickly defend them against another threat. But keeping them safe was her concern, not Vera’s. All the teen had to do was keep close to her and Julia would handle the rest.
True to her promise Vera kept quiet as they both quickly moved through the forest, only stopping once when a slippery hand wrapped around Julia’s ankle. The upper torso of a one-armed zombie suddenly hissing at them from its hiding place under a nearby bush until Julia forced her hunting knife down through its skull. Even then Vera didn't speak, though her grip tightened around Julia’s hand, fear clearly evident in her eyes and it made her heart ache to see it, to know that this is what she had probably been feeling all along. Fear and all those ugly things that Julia and Robert had tried to save her from. But now wasn't the moment to lose herself in regret as the sky started to dim. Time wasn't on their side.
When the prison walls finally came into view Julia let out a breath, quietly surprised at how much relief she felt at just seeing them when months ago all they did was serve as a reminder of how she'd failed her mission. But she quickly turned her attention back to Vera when the girl stepped back, feeling what she couldn't tell her by the tension in her small hand. She was afraid and Julia did't fault her for it, after all she'd been very brave tonight. Waiting alone in that tool shed to be found and then trusting Julia to keep her safe in the woods. So Julia stepped in front of her, blocking the imposing building from view as she knelt down to Vera’s eye level and offered her first real smile since that text had turned her world upside down. Giving the girl’s hand a gentle squeeze while the other tucked some of that long brown hair behind Vera’s ear, Julia said, “It’s okay. This may look like a scary place, but I’ve been living here for awhile now and I promise you it’s safe. These walls will protect us and inside there is food, electricity and warm water. First I’ll have to check and make sure you don’t have any bite marks, but then the guards will let us inside. And I won’t leave your side. Not for one second.”
There were other things of course, Vera would have to pick a job or find some other way to contribute, and Julia would have to ask about rooms. See if maybe she could switch and share a cell with Vera instead of leaving the girl with a stranger. Not that she wanted to separate from Vera either, not yet, maybe not even anytime soon. But they could figure all of that out once they were safely inside. So she waited patiently and watched Vera for a sign that the girl would agree to come with her.