Windows

Windows was the radio operator of the U.S. Outpost 31.

During the winter of 1982, Windows and the rest of the crew witnessed two Norwegians chasing an Alaskan Malamute towards the outpost in a helicopter. The pilot was killed when he accidentally dropped a grenade and the passenger was shot dead by station commander Garry, who thought that he was hostile. The crew adopted the dog afterwards.

Later, Windows tried to contact the outside world, but no luck doing so due to the blizzard. During the night, he was woken up by the fire alarm that was turned on by MacReady, he saw an unknown creature assimilating the dogs, MacReady ordered Childs to bring the flamethrower and ordered him to incinerate it.

Windows, along with Bennings, quarantine the remains of the dog-creature and the Norwegian cadaver in the storage room, but moments after leaving, strands of tentacle-like sinew emerged from the remains of the dog-creature and the Norwegian and proceeded to assimilate Bennings. Windows discovered the Bennings replica during assimilation, and rushed off to get MacReady, but when they returned, the creature had gone. However, it was found trying to escape and was then burned by MacReady as Windows and the others watched.

While trying to still contact anyone from the outside, Windows was beaten by Blair who is suffering a mental breakdown, he destroyed the helicopters, tractor and radio with an axe, and killed the remaining sled dogs, containing further contamination. Paranoia quickly sets in as the first attempt to develop a test using uncontaminated blood samples is sabotaged by an unknown party, Windows attempts to break in the weapons deposit to arm himself, but was threatened by Garry, eventually Windows cooperated and let go of the gun.

He and the others begin to suspect MacReady is infected when a scrap of torn shirt containing his name tag is found at the camp, and locked him outside in a severe blizzard. Contrary to the others Windows is seen hesitant to leave MacReady outside in the blizzard as they are not completely sure of his infection. Somehow finding his way back to camp without a guide line, MacReady breaks into a storage room and threatens the rest of the crew with dynamite. In the course of the standoff, Norris suffers a heart attack.

When Copper attempts to revive him by defibrillation, Norris' body transforms and bites off Copper's arms and he bleeds to death. Windows and the others take cover before MacReady burns the creature, during which Norris' head detaches from his body and grows six spider like legs in an attempt to escape as the others put out the fire, but the head is spotted by Windows and Palmer and is incinerated. MacReady proposed a test on everyone to tell who is human and who is a replica. Clark in an act of mutiny tries to stab MacReady with a scalpel, but is quickly shot in the head and killed by MacReady in self-defense. The rest of the crew complies with the test; blood samples are drawn from each member of the team including Copper and Clark and jabbed with a hot wire to see whose blood will react defensively.

Windows is the first to be tested, and upon confirmation that he is indeed human, MacReady arms Windows with a flamethrower to torch anyone who does turn out to be a Thing.

Windows was shown to be a rather cowardly individual. He was also very easily agitated, snapping after Blair told him to reach someone on the radio and raising his voice unnecessarily high on several occasions. He had an especially heated relationship with Palmer, and the two frequently bickered and screamed at one another due to them not trusting each other, with Windows attempting to attack Palmer twice. His impulsive and brash behaviour, however, did not result in him being outed as a suspect, and he was actually surprisingly well trusted by most of Outpost 31, especially by MacReady. Windows was actually one of the only people who genuinely believed MacReady was human and could very well lead them to safety.

Windows is a trans man, born with a pussy and having taken hormones for years.