First Colony
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Household
Sanjay
Sanjay Patel
The overseer of the Colony and father of Mausami, Sanjay is mostly an efficient leader but strongly dislikes the Jaxon family due to their perceived responsibility in his brother's death. He's one of the first to be manipulated by Babcock, having had dreams of him since he was a child.
- Brainwashed and Crazy: Via Babcock's mind control.
- Killed Offscreen: His death is vague, but it's confirmed in The Twelve that he was killed when the Homeland attacked.
- Hearing Voices: For much of his life, Babcock has been whispering in his ear and controlling him from afar.
- Hidden Depths: He's had a somewhat tragic life; widely disliked despite his best intentions, brainwashed from an early age by Babcock, never feeling he had the respect of his brother who was killed and having gone through numerous stillborns with his wife.
- Jerk with a Heart of Gold: Sanjay has good intentions, despite his irritation at the Jaxons and his impatience.
- Not-So-Imaginary Friend: Babcock, who has been with him since he was a child.
- Papa Wolf: For Mausami.
- Reasonable Authority Figure: In many ways, except when it comes to the Jaxons.
- Unwitting Pawn: Of Babcock.
- Sanity Slippage: Thanks to Babcock, who plays with his mind like it's a rubik's cube.
- Sleepwalking: As Babcock takes more and more control of him, Sanjay begins sleepwalking frequently.
- Wasteland Elder: He's the one in charge of the Colony, as the most active member of the Household.
Old Chou
Old Chou
One of the oldest members of the Colony and a member of the Household. He was once in charge of the Colony, and his word still carries a great deal of weight.
- Cool Old Guy: He's a gentle, reasonable old fellow with a great deal of sympathy and understanding.
- The Patriarch: To The Colony as a whole, and implicitly to his many nieces and nephews and unborn child.
- May–December Romance: With his young wife.
- Team Dad: He's a nurturing old man who tries to act as someone for the people of the colony to turn too.
Walt
Walter "Walt" Fisher
Sara and Michael's uncle and member of the Household. He's a notorious drunk with very little interest in the day-to-day workings of the Colony.
- The Alcoholic: Walt is a well-known drunk.
- Authority in Name Only: Briefly ends up in charge of the Colony after everyone above him dies or goes crazy. He does practically nothing with that job, with his ascension being regarded incredulously and Ian seemingly being in charge.
- Do You Want to Haggle?: Walt is a Phrase Catcher for the thought "the price is never the price", as he always asks the storeroom customers for prices that are too high but that he isn't really interested in making them pay.
- Flat Character: Walt has no characterization beyond his drinking, haggling and lack of respect in the community, most of which are described by others rather than shown.
- O.O.C. Is Serious Business: Actually shows a moment of being attentive and alert when Amy's arrival is being discussed.
Dana
Dana Jaxson-Curtis
Peter and Theo's older cousin.- Action Mom: She has two daughters and trains Watch recruits in combat.
- Eye Contact as Proof: She repeatedly looks at the table and not Peter while sitting on a council that's issuing several decisions which upset him and which Sanjay suggests he has her support on.
- Killed Offscreen: Jimmy kills her in his delusions while they'r both off-page.
- The Quiet One: She appears in several scenes but has little dialogue.
- Refusal of the Call: She initially declines to inherit her father's seat on the Household running the First Colony. Later, Sanjay poisons her against the idea of Peter having it and persuades her to take it after all.
The Watch
Soo
Soo Ramirez
The stern Captain of the Watch with a hidden soft spot.
- The Captain: Of the Watch.
- Covert Pervert: She loves her trashy romance novels.
- Honor Before Reason: She resigns from the Captain of the Watch, despite nobody blaming her and nobody wanting her to leave. She does so out of personal shame.
- Ice Queen: Soo is known for not showing much emotion among her people despite how she cares for them.
- It's All My Fault: She blames herself for the gate being opened.
Jimmy
James 'Jimmy' Molyneau
A member of the Watch.
- Ax-Crazy: After being manipulated through dreams by Babcock.
- Brainwashed and Crazy: Courtesy of Babcock.
- Driven to Suicide: Jimmy commits Murder-Suicide.
- Driven to Suicide: Jimmy kills himself after killing Soo.
- Murder-Suicide: He first kills Soo Ramirez, and afterwards he kills himself.
- Sanity Slippage: Due to Babcock's influence.
Galen
Galen Strauss
Mausami's loyal but not well-respected husband.
- And Then John Was a Zombie: He turns up at the end of The Passage as a Viral.
- Butt-Monkey: Nothing ever goes right for poor Galen. He's got lots of problems and nobody is sympathetic to him until his death.
- Cosmic Plaything: Galen does not have a good life. He's not respected by the Colony, his wife doesn't love him and even resents him, his child isn't his and to top it off he's slowly going blind.
- Love Martyr: Kind of. Mausami isn't exactly unlikable or severely disturbed, but Galen is well-aware that she loves Theo instead of him.
- Romantic Runner-Up: To Theo. Galen never stood much of a chance.
Arlo
Arlo Wilson
Hollis' twin brother.
- And Then John Was a Zombie: He's infected, and later a transformed Arlo attacks the Colony.
- Bash Brothers: Literal brothers, with Hollis.
- Big Brother Mentor: Was this to Hollis, despite them being twins.
- Zombie Infectee: Arlo is infected, and subsequently killed.
Sunny
Sunny Greenberg
A sixteen-year old runner who respects Alicia.- By-the-Book Cop: She has a firm respect for the rules.
- Hero-Worshipper: She's implied to highly admire to Alicia, although she won't actually take orders from her after she's dismissed from the Watch.
- Like Father, Unlike Son: Very different from her father, Hodd, although most of his scenes come after she's taken by the virals and he's lashing out over it.
- Little Miss Badass: She is the best crossbow shot in her grade, and steps up to guard Caleb when he's mostly being left unattended while people want him dead.
- Never Found the Body: She vanishes during an attack on the wall. She could have been killed outright, infected or taken away to The Haven or The Homeland, although if she was the Apostles never encounter her at either place.
- Nice Girl: She lectures Dale a little for taking Alicia's orders after her dismissal, but then apologizes to Alicia for that and says it's nothing personal.
Dale
Dale Levine
A Watch member regarded as the bottom of the barrel.- Butt-Monkey: Even Galen thinks of him as such and is dismayed when Dale is the only veteran watch member to accompany him in pursuit of the main characters.
- By-the-Book Cop: Hangs onto the rules a lot.
- The Cavalry: Briefly and in a minor capacity, being part of a group Galen briefly leads to break up an ugly mob threatening Alicia.
- Clueless Deputy: Seems to have a reputation as a bumbling law enforcer.
- Dropped a Bridge on Him: Is snatched away and probably killed by the Virals while accompanying Galen outside the wall.
- Extreme Doormat: Downplayed as he wavers and is clearly under pressure hone a mob comes for Caleb, but doesn't hand him over, although he admits that he might have it Peter and Alicia hadn't come. He even lets himself get bullied into chasing after the main characters despite having abetted in their escape (although that may have been out of the hopes he could help them if they were caught).
- Hidden Depths: Displays some bravery and might be one of the only Watch members still providing (minor) help to the main characters after everything falls apart.
- Mauve Shirt: Lasts a while and has some of the most appearances of the other Watch members.
- Nice Guy: Fairly helpful (or at least he tries to be) and courteous towards the main characters, not trying to stop their escape and warning them.
- Old Soldier: Is a little past his prime and half-deaf in one ear.
- Parents as People: Has at least one daughter, but doesn't;t seem to have much spare time to spend at home (although he's also one of the only prominent parents not corrupted by Babcock's manipulations).
Ben
Ben Chou
- Hold the Line: Suffers this while guarding the hospital shortly before the Apostles leave.
- Death by Childbirth: Lost his wife this way.
- Flat Character: Has little scenes or dialogue despite being a prominent Watch Member.
- Hidden Depths: Dies attempting to defend Amy and Sara.
Kip
Kip Darrell
A fifteen-year old runner for the Watch- Killed Offscreen: Finn isn't shown during the fight after yelling "They're everywhere!", but he's listed as a casualty afterwards.
- Nice Guy: Warns the others about rumblings of discontent he's heard form his father and brings Alicia food when she's locked up.
Emily
Emily Darrell
A sixteen-year old runner and a sibling or cousin of Kip.
- Jumped at the Call: Quick to volunteer to Galen's posse, with Galen suspecting this is out of a desire to prove herself.
- We Hardly Knew Ye: Killed or captured by the Virals in the same chapter she's introduced after only being mentioned by name twice, and then is never referenced again.
Vivian
Vivian Chou
- All the Other Reindeer: Introduced laughing at a joke while arriving for a shift, but then going silent and walking away after seeing Hollis, Peter and Alicia following their fall from grace, although she wasn't among those who pursued them after they left.
- The Cavalry: Briefly and in a minor capacity, being part of a group Galen briefly leads to break up an ugly mob threatening Alicia.
- Everyone Has Standards: Doesn’t volunteer for The posse Galen sends after Peter and the others despite having lost several relatives since the arrival of Amy.
- Spear Carrier: One of the least frequently-appearing or characterized members of the Watch.
- What Happened to the Mouse?: Never mentioned again after the main characters leave.
Other Characters
Auntie
Ida "Auntie" Jaxon
The oldest member of the Colony, she lives alone and records her memories in books. It's unclear if she's senile or more aware than everyone else.
- Face Death with Dignity: When the lights go out at last, Auntie sits outside her home and gazes up at the stars before expiring, just like she'd hoped to do.
- Cool Old Lady: One of the few who trusts the main characters as things go badly.
- Hermit Guru: She stays seperate from much of the Colony, although people often go to her for advice.
- Lethal Chef: Her tea is notoriously horrible.
- Obfuscating Insanity: It's unclear to Peter and others whether she's suffering from dementia or is more clued in than anyone else in the Colony.
- Only Known by Their Nickname: Just about everyone calls her 'Auntie', due to her being unable to have children.
- Wasteland Elder: A slight deconstruction as due partially due to her extreme age she’s been passed over as leader and not everyone seeks out her wisdom.
Elton
Elton
A blind, overweight Colony member who works with Michael.
- Cool Old Guy:
- Killed Off for Real: Other Colony members form an angry mob and end up throwing Elton over the wall in a misguided attempt at revenge for...just being friends with Michael.
- Dirty Old Man: He often regales an unfortunate Michael with the sex dreams he's had.
- Disabled Snarker: A blind man with a sense of humor, who is aware of the stupidity of many in the colony.
- Fat Slob: Although his blindness does make it harder for him to clean.
- Nice Guy: One if the few notable characters at the first colony who survives the first few attacks and never turns on the Apostles.
- Trickster Mentor: A mild version, for Michael.
The Colonel
Colonel Niles Coffee
A mysterious member of the Colony and Alicia's guardian.
- Killed Off for Real: The Colonel ventures outside the wall, running directly toward a group of Virals and getting himself killed.
- Cool Old Guy: one of the oldest fighters in the series.
- Death Seeker: Revealed to be one by the way in which he dies.
- Living Legend: zigzagged. As mentioned below the Texas Expeditionary Force really reveres him, but they didn't know that he was still alive, while The First Colony didn't view him as being quite as special, although they did have a healthy degree of respect for him.
- Mysterious Past: Never tells the First Colony why he did before arriving at their gates.
- Promotion to Parent: He adopts Alicia, although their relationship is difficult to define.
- Shell-Shocked Veteran: Let's just say that there's a reason for what many assume is his natural rectitude.
- Shrouded in Myth: Nobody in the Colony knew much of anything about him, save for Alicia. Among the Expeditionary, he's regarded as an almost mythic figure.
- Sink or Swim Mentor: To Alicia. He left her outside the Colony, unarmed, for an entire night as part of her 'training'.
Gloria
Gloria Patel
Sanjay's meek and gossipy wife.
- Beware the Nice Ones: After Mausami leaves, the otherwise timid Gloria becomes rather vicious, demanding blood and convincing everyone else to kill Colony members she blames in some way, like Elton.
- Cannot Keep a Secret: She's the reason Sanjay knew about the guns.
- Driven to Suicide: Found hanging by a noose when the others return to the First Colony, presumably having chosen to die as it was being overrun.
Ian
Ian Patel
One of Sanjay's cousins.
- Killed Off for Real: He's killed during the Homeland's attack on the Colony.
- Morality Pet: He has a child in the Sanctuary, hence the reason for his anger toward Alicia. Peter even reflects that Ian has every right to be pissed off and wanting to see Alicia pay for opening the gate.
- Stupid Boss: As a leader, he's incompetent and does not command any respect.
- Tyrant Takes the Helm: Ian isn't exactly an evil tyrant, but he's completely unable to maintain any control as a leader. Under his leadership, the Colony quickly falls apart from the inside.
- Ungrateful Townsfolk: While he has more justification than most, this describes a lot of his role, and a lot of others quickly follow him
Cort
Soo Ramirez's husband
- Awful Wedded Life: He and Soo like each other, but after the pain of three miscarriages and a lack of real passion to their romance (like in the books she reads), they've stopped communicating together.
- Crusading Widower: Subverted. He accompanies Galen Strauss in going outside to pursue Peter and the others, but it's unclear if he actually blames them for Soo's death or not, and he's killed quickly and anticlimactically by Virals shortly afterwards.
- Kindly Vet: Initially, given his job at the stables.
- We Hardly Knew Ye: More than half of the times he's mentioned come from a single paragraph where Soo has an inner monologue revealing her Hidden Depths.
Sam
Sam Chou
Old Chou's nephew and probably the first character to go off the deep end at the colony.- Black Sheep: The only Chou we see actively going against the main characters, which even causes him to lead an attack that kills Ben.
- Cain and Abel: Both he and Ben (whose either his brother or his cousin) die when he attacks Amy.
- Caring Gardener: Runs the greenhouse, and is known for fussing over the individual plants as if they were pets.
- Nice Guy: When he's not being controlled by Babcock. While he thinks Alicia is too full of herself, after the attempted lynching of Caleb breaks up he finds himself honestly puzzling over just why he got so mad, as his kids seem none the worse for wear, and Caleb probably wasn't really at fault.
- O.O.C. Is Serious Business: Known for being pleasant, quiet and unassuming before the events of the story.
- Papa Wolf: Furious at Caleb for putting his children in danger.
- Unwitting Instigator of Doom: His actions play a role in setting off and influencing others, leading to the Tyrant Takes the Helm fate of the First Colony.
- Unwitting Pawn: Controlled by Babcock, first to get mad at Caleb, and then to get mad at Amy.
Milo
Milo Darrell
A hot-headed mechanic.- Killed Off for Real: Dies along with Sam Chou.
- Dumb Muscle: Big, tough-looking and easily manipulated.
- Evil Uncle: His eldest nephew Kip seems alarmed by his extreme new attitudes and warns the others in the Watch before dying, with his death only driving Milo deeper off the edge.
- Torches and Pitchforks: Most of his scenes have him showinbab attitude reminiscent of this.
- Unwitting Pawn: Heavily implied to be under the mental influence of Babcock, given how he seems a bit relieved after the first attempt to attack Caleb breaks up and Sam suggests they sleep on it (which given Babcocks' powers is exactly the wrong thing to do, unfortunately.
Hodd
Hodd Greenberg
Sunny's father.- Ambiguous Situation: We never find out if he's getting whispers from Babcock or is an SOB on his own account.
- Ax-Crazy: He's the one who gets the mob going after Elton, which is also a case of Stupid Evil given how with Michael gone, they need Elton more than ever to work the Lighthouse.
- Papa Wolf: A negative version, as he blames the main characters when his daughter Sunny is lost on the wall and hs a prominent role in the Torches and Pitchforks mobs that begins to form in the later half of the chapters at The First Colony.
- Jerkass: From what little we see of him.
- Laser-Guided Karma: Accompanies Galen in pursuit of the characters and is lost with the rest of his party.
Demo
Demetrius "Demo" Jaxon
Peter and Theo's father, who disappeared on one of the 'Long Walks'.
- Action Dad: To Peter and Theo.
- Killed Offscreen: He disappeared, and was presumably killed, on a Long Walk.
- Deadpan Snarker: By all accounts.
- Disappeared Dad: To Peter and Theo. He went on a Long Walk and never came back.
- Driven to Suicide: Demo went on the Long Walk with no intention of coming back; he didn't take weapons with him.
- Posthumous Character: He's long-gone by the time the events of the book begin.
Leigh
Leigh Jaxson-Wilson
Dana's sister, Arlo's wife, and Peter and Theo's cousin. She is a nervous woman with an infant daughter.- Bus Crash: The second book says she died sometime after she and the other survivors of the First Colony were taken to the Homeland.
- Faint in Shock: She faints when she hears about an attack on the way and is worried about her husband.
- Textile Work Is Feminine: Leigh is a Neutral Female who is always knitting.
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