jared howe – melanie's lover. jared met melanie while they were both stealing food from the same house, each believing the other to be a soul; when he realized he had found another human he was so excited he kissed her. loving, aggressive and somewhat excitable in melanie's memories, by the time wanderer meets him he has become bitter and hardened. he originally despises wanda for taking mel's life, but he cannot bring himself to let doc experiment on her. he starts to change his views on the soul when he sees her comforting a dying friend. his survival skills are an asset to the group, and he is often charged with leading the raids because of his rationality and levelheadedness. he has a somewhat parental relationship with jamie, whom he continued to care for after melanie's capture. he is described as being muscular and tall, with tan skin, sienna-colored eyes and naturally dark, but sun-bleached hair.