If you could go back to Day One, what’s the first thing you’d do differently?

It wasn’t just hell. It was hell in a handbasket filled with cockroaches… and Biters. But, uh… Day One? Probably get the fuck outta dodge. Pardon my French. I’d grab Silas and bolt. Find Lisa and the kids first, actually. Then bolt.

I nod in agreement. It sounds like a solid plan. With as much as I can muster, I express sympathy for his losses. But he appears discomforted by it. His hand shoots to the back of his head in an awkward gesture. He chuckles a bit.

You gotta give me a reason to forgive you.

People might be surprised to learn you have a soft spot for __. Fill in the blank.

I cannot get enough Jell-O if you can believe that shit. But only the red one. No other kind exists.

The conversation pivots toward Jack’s childhood. He’s had a rough go of it, with an absent, abusive father named Ray, looming over him at every turn. Raymond Reynolds, a master tracker, has a hold on his son, even after death.

Without spoiling future events—what’s your opinion on forgiveness?

Gotta be earned. Can’t just show up and pretend like nothin’ ever happened. Like Ray. Just expects the world to fall at his feet for doing absolutely nothing.

You gotta give me a reason to forgive you.

There’s fire and passion in Jack’s voice now. It’s almost as if he’s looking through me as he answers. Clearly, there’s still some unresolved trauma about Ray. So, I decide to pivot once again.

If Lisa had never walked into your life, where do you think you’d be right now?

Six feet under or holed up in some blind in the middle of nowhere’d be my guess. If you haven’t noticed, I like the quiet. Makes my brain stop working so hard.

I’m starting to very much enjoy the way he talks. The short, disjointed and to-the-point phrasing makes him an excellent candidate for my own mechanic. He laughs and offers me a discount on brake service. I may take him up on that.

The end of the world does something to people.

You’ve got a reputation for being stubborn. What’s the one thing that can actually change your mind?

Do I? Damn. Callin’ me out. [Laughs] Okay… I guess someone proving they’re good to me’ll do the trick. Or helping someone else who really needs it.

Conversation is flowing freely now. We’re on a good wavelength. I can tell he’s warming up to being interviewed. And to me.

When you first arrived at Huntington House, what was the hardest part of trusting the people inside?

The end of the world does something to people.

Makes ’em hungry for everything and nothin’. Most of the time, they get violent or threatening. I mean, I try not to use Beatrice on non-Biters, but…

Then there’s the people who think they’re God’s gift to man or the Main Character of some story. [Cough] Rupert [Cough]

We share a much-needed laugh. Things are easier. I feel like I could ask him virtually anything. But I don’t. Instead, I throw him a softball.

You and Lisa had some tense moments early on. What finally convinced you she was someone worth protecting?

You seen the way she just… drops everything to help someone else? She’s the one who wanted to help Rupert and Cynthia. She’s the one who patched me up when I got shot… in the middle of a desert. She’s the one who spent sleepless nights trying to find a cure for this shit. Lisa loves hard. We have that in common.

Plus… she’s really hot.

As I thank Jack for his time in the studio, he asks me if he can stick around to “see what we do.” My heart warms. He seems ready to settle down with his new family.

To read more, go to my Salt & Bone series page.