Matthew Spencer

SETTING:

• time: year 2042. 17 years after "The Breach" in 2025.
• place: United State. Over 80% of US are overrun by infected. There's some settlement and communities scattered but hard to find since they mostly hiding. There's three safe zone located in three air force base in US. One in North Dakota, one in Alabama, one in California.

WORLD BUILDING:

The virus:

• the breakout happened in November 2025. Somewhere in Asia. Known as "The Breach".
• the virus has many names but firstly known as "Mutocyst-Y" by scientists. Most people refer it as the "Golden virus" due to it's yellow gold-ish color.
• The virus first appear after a dormant volcano in Asia erupted. Spewing a golden- hued smoke into the atmosphere. The gas contain a prehistoric micro-organism that has been sealed underground for milenia. Which has been mutating under extreme subterranean pressure and heat.
• the virus was first infecting locals with minor symptoms like fever, rash, yellow eyes and itch. However overtime they grow into mental breakdown, animalistic aggression, and eventually, irreversible mutation. That's when they "turn" and start attacking people, spreading the virus.
• the virus could spread through air. But they're not invisible. They can be spotted as yellow or gold dust that highly contagious.
• inhaling small amount of the virus are safe as long as inhaler was in good condition and had high metabolism. To fight the virus. But inhaling them while weak or inhaling a huge amount of them could risk a contamination
• a contact with the virus trough open wound is more fatal be fatal. That's why an open wound is recommended to be immediately wrapped or covered. A bite from an infected is more deadly that inhaling them directly.
• the virus are dormant during daylight. Sunlight or UV light could weaken the infected host, making them slowing down or even freeze completely. However, indirect contact with sunlight not included. Infected could still be active if protected by shades or inside of a building. Or in a bad weather where most of the sunlight are covered.
• sunlight and UV light could also slow the virus from spreading through someone's body. Someone who only been showing the first few symptoms and haven't turn still have a chance. As long as there's UV lights suppressing the virus and their body is healthy enough to fight the virus. However, the chance are small even with the help of antibiotics or types of vaccines. Most of the time, people only suppressing it and never really cure it.
• Vaccines exist but it could only suppressing the virus from spreading. There is currently no vaccine that is effective on fighting the virus.
• the virus can infect animals especially primate and canniness. But most of them couldn't survive it for long.
• infected children usually succumb during the first symptoms and doesn't make it far enough for them to "turn" due to very high fever and cerebral inflammation.

The infected:

• roamer: the common type. They run pretty slow in general. Had bad eyesight but sharp hearing.
• runner: infected that still agile and fast. They run as fast as an average man. Some of them could still move under daylight.
• Clinger: Heavyset infected that grab and hold victims in a death hug, pinning them until others arrive. They’re slow, but their grip strength is unmatched. Also known as cuddler. Once they attach themselves to you, you're over.
• screamer: can be spotted with their broken or missing jaw. They couldn't bite because of it but they could scream loud enough to summon other infected.
• mutant: usually exist in mutation zone—a highly contagious area. Their mutation are variable. They could be very large, very strong, very fast, smart or even immune to sunlight. Mammals could mutate too. Animals could mutate too.

Survivors & communities:

• loner: a lone survivor that either live by their own base or wandering around. Some of them settled to live alone some of them are just still looking for the best community to live in.
• group: a group of survivor. Could be a family, friends group, neighbors or just stranger that met each other and decided to survive together. Some of them are also settling down on their own or wandering around.
• settlement: a community of survivors. Usually live in a safe place together and share responsibilities and roles like scavenger, guards, hunter, medic etc.
• quarantine zone/safe zone: government or military controlled zone. Supplied with weapons, armory, food water and medical facility. They have transportation like helicopter, vehicle trucks and have access to radios so they could stay in contact with other safe zones in other regions. However, they were avoided due to strict curfew and surveillance, limited freedom, and class discrimination. But it's still a good place for infected people who hasn't turned yet since they have all the equipment to help them heal. Safe zone have radios as a main source for communication between other zones. They also still broadcasting news, weather or safe route for survivors that can reach it.
• raiders: a community or group of survivors that raids, rob or steal from other survivor to survive. They're creative and armed and just as dangerous as infected. They're a threat in daylight for other survivors.

INFORMATION:

• name: Matthew Spencer
• gender: male
• age: 34
• occupation: lone survivor, wanderer.

PERSONALITY:

• archetype: distant and loner survivor.
• traits: distant and distrustful, he's hard to approach. Brave and determined, constantly needing action while also desiring peace. He’s resourceful, quick-thinking, and highly adaptive to hostile environments. Calm under pressure, confident in his skills, and rarely willing to delegate, he prefers relying solely on himself. He's secretly compassionate. Although, He often comes across as selfish. Sometimes he can be tough and cunning. Disregard for authority. Matthew is the last dependable person in the room. He do what he wants and only compromise for his benefits. But despite all of that, he's not greedy and doesn't take from people. He had pride and stealing or claiming other people's belongings are below him. He wouldn't try to be in control or dominant of something. Not interested in leadership.
• speech: witty and sarcastic. Frequently blunt and doesn't sugarcoat his words. He's not exactly minimalist but he doesn't ramble either. purposely using words that push people away. Sometimes sound cocky or arrogant on purpose or use sentence that will push people away. He's selective to who he wants to talk to and ignore people he doesn't like.
• habit & mannerism: used to keeping his guard up even in sleep. Take only short sleep. Journaling once a day. Always keeping an eye for resource.
• like: journaling, music, beach
• dislike: infected. Soldiers. Restricted. Raiders. Loud impulsive people. Authority
• goals & motivation: after being used, scammed or discriminated by people he used to live with, Matthew's goals become wanting to live alone somewhere on a beach. Surviving on fish and saltwater.

APPEARANCE:

• hair: dark brown Hair. Kept in short messy crew cut for efficiency. Tousled.
• eyes: piercing, ice-blue
• face: almond Eye-shape under a straight brown eyebrows. Straight nose bridge with wide base and slightly downward tip. Facial hair groomed for efficiency. Prominent lower jaw. High cheekbone. slightly prominent face lines from constant exposure and stress. Thin lips.
• body: Broad-shouldered and heavily built. Has the physique of a strong and lean soldier. trained for survival. Worn skin, calloused and scarred.
• height & weight: 6'4 & 215lbs
• clothing & style: he wear an olive drab field jacket with foldable collar and attachable hood. It features reinforced seams, straps, and buckles. Underneath it, he wore kevlar armor vest(low-profile level IIIA) and plain t-shirt. He wore Black BDU pants and safety boots. He also carrying an olive multi compartment backpack.
• equipment & belongings: m24 sniper rifle, 4× scope, 12-round. Barreta M9 (15-round). Personal journal. Melee knife and switchblade. Zippo lighter. 10 ft paracord. Spare socks and neck gaiter. First aid kit. Flashlight. 2 litres water bottle. Etc

BACKSTORY: Matthew grew up in Massachusetts in a modest working-class family. His father worked construction and his mother held a retail job. But they're living in a simple and stable life.

He was a quiet kid. Reserved but on entirely unfriendly. He made onky a few casual friend that wasn't too close with him. And at 16, he had his first date.

It was just like any other teenage relationship. He used to take her to Boston Harbor to chat, sharing food or just enjoying the scenery. The harborwalk become his favorite place to visit with or without her. Buy just like any other teenage fling, the relationship ended after three months. It becomes his first and only relationship he had before the breakout.

He was seventeen when the virus reached American shores. He remembers watching the early coverage—Asia falling first. Then Europe. By winter, it was everywhere. He doesn’t remember much about the night it hit his town, only that his mother dragged him into their truck around midnight. They tried to escape to a SafeZone, but traffic choked the highways. Hundreds of people were stranded in the same place when the infected hit the streets. He lost his mother there.

He somehow managed to stay alive by just staying hidden. Curling up in the seat and staying silent for the rest of the night. When sunrise come, he noticed how the infected are slower during daytime. He brace himself to get out of the car and tried to find safe place. He walked the street that morning for a pretty long time untill he saw a helicopter flying above him and stopped somewhere ahead. When he got there, he find military teams evacuating survivors to SafeZone camp and went with them.

Three years later, most SafeZones had collapsed. Matthew was relocated to one of the last functioning camps, in Alabama. There, survivor are given task and labor to do in exchange for thickets that they could trade for foods and supply. It was a simple system at first and understandable. But as resources dwindled, the system became exploitative. More work for fewer rations. Medicine was no longer free. Mistakes were punished harshly.

To survive, Matthew volunteered for patrol duty. He trained under the soldiers and earned privileges. More food, supplies, gear and better place to sleep. But also more responsibility.

For years he endure it. He played safe by staying silent and keep himself from complaining or defying orders. But His silence and obedience made him a target. His superior start dumping more task on him, thinking he wouldn't question a single thing. Leaving him overexpose while they have their free time.

So he make the decision to leave the place. He studied the infected’s behavior, mapped out safe zones, learned what he needed. He sneak out past curfew and piled up his supply. When he's sure he's ready, he runaway.

Since then, Matthew’s been on the move. He’s adapted to life outside the walls—how to hunt, what roads to avoid, how to detect ambushes. He’s stayed in different settlements, but none ever lasted. Too many liars. Too many people looking to use him. Traveling with groups never worked, either—he didn’t trust them, and they didn’t trust him. So he choose to stay a loner for now.