Every one seemed to making some young character of sorts, so I thought to make an old character. :)
Name: John Wickham
Age: 46
Gender: Male
Appearance: He’d be wearing an old tattered camouflaged jacket from his war days; unzipped. Underneath the jacket is an old Detroit Red Wings T-shirt. He’s also wearing normal cargo pants and combat boots. These are the only clothes he has, so they would be tattered and worn out. The jacket has an old US Army logo patched on too the shoulder but it is a bit worn out.
Equipment: He has a backpack that contains a water canteen, some canned food, a first aid kit, some rope, a standard issue army knife, a Berretta M9 with one magazine in the gun and two spares, road flares, a lighter, cigarettes, a whisky bottle and a vodka bottle both filled, a compass, a couple of bottles of antidepressants and a hand grenade (which is saved for when he really, really, really needs it).
His major weapon that he carries about is an M40 Bolt Action Sniper Rifle which he uses mostly for protection and hunting.
Skills: Since he was in the military for 10 years, he knows how to use weapons from personal experience. He’s had serious training in the Middle East with survival, so he can take care of himself with little supplies. He’s also very fit and in good shape. He’s also not afraid to do any of the dirty tasks that no one wants to do themselves. He also knows how to hunt well and how to track.
Personality: He is quite a scarred man. A major experience in the military left him quite damaged (emotionally), alone and regretful. He was once a very protective man of his troops and his younger brother (more on that in history). He is also guilt ridden and reluctant to risk more people’s lives. He doesn’t like it when people put trust in him. Ever since the Middle East, he doesn’t want people putting their lives in his hands. Even though he is guilt-ridden and scarred man he still can’t help trying to protect other people. He’s consistently at conflict with himself over it. He’s open to being in a group considering the fact that he’s got nothing better do in an apocalypse.
History: John Wickham was born and raised In Detroit with his younger brother Thomas; who was only a few years younger than him. They had a quiet life just like any other kid. They played hockey, hung out with friends but the fact was that John and Thomas were close brothers, they would do everything together. When John hit 18, he joined the US Army, a few years later his brother did the same thing. John was an exceptional soldier who became the sergeant of his unit by the age of 25. His brother was just a private in his unit. John took care of his unit like a father towards a child and everything went swimmingly until he hit 28.
When he was 28, they were sent out to some village in the middle of the desert which was, according to intel, was an enemy communications base. It was just like any other mission but john will come to realize that it was not. When they got to the village, it was quiet and abandoned. They thought about retreating but John was so sure that they were here. He ordered his unit to continue through the village. While traversing through it, it started. Bullets came out of nowhere and death was all around. John witnessed in front of eyes his men dying left, right and centre, including his younger brother as he look towards him for help. John ran from the ambush point, leaving his men to die. His instinct to survive took over and he was left with nothing. He was the only survivor. He walked through the desert for days with no communications and little water. He was lucky a patrol unit found him when they did.
He would not speak at all and he would scream in the night with terrors. His psych evaluation recommended him to be discharged honourably and to be placed in a mental hospital for PTSD. He didn’t really resist when they took him. He was still in shock. He was placed in that asylum for 5 years before he did something about it. Some part of him couldn’t handle the poking and prodding of his mind. He then acted out by escaping from the hospital and making his way to his old army barracks. There he broke in, stole an M9, a combat knife and an M40 Sniper Rifle. He ran to the forests north of Michigan and bought an old hunting cabin with whatever cash he had left. He stayed in that cabin for 10 years, doing odd jobs here and there for cash to pay for water and electricity; while also popping down antidepressants and bottles of alcohol. He was able to hunt for his own food and he didn’t mind the cold. He went under a different name so that the cops don’t find him but he was pretty sure they had bigger fish to fry than some crazy war veteran. Things were going fine until the fog came.
When it came, people with certain respitory problems started changing into monsters that hungered for the flesh of others. This problem didn’t hit John as he was quite isolated in his cabin but he stopped going into town since it started happening. He was safe for a couple of months but they started being seen everywhere, including the forest. He ended up having a near fatal encounter with one but he survived miraculously. He then left the cabin to find some place safer than the Michigan forests. He had been surviving on his own for a year and found no safe haven whatsoever and very few people on his travels. He’s now heading to Chicago in the hopes of finding some sort of safe place to settle down. No one can live on the move their whole life, not even John. He doesn’t know why he is continuing to try and survive. He thinks maybe it’s because he needs closure or that his instincts has taken over. Whatever the reason, he knows he has too keep moving as the only person who will ever watch his back his him.
Other: Is still suffering from PTSD and may act out occasionally.