Background

Antonio & Vitorino were born on 9/19/1985 to first-time parents Salvatore & Evelina Tombarossa. The Tombarossas were an influential Mafia family that amassed a great fortune overseeing bootlegging operations during prohibition Though Vito was clearly Sal’s favorite, Tony was the apple of his mother’s eye. Evelina was a celebrated opera singer, and Tony possessed the same talent. He was placed in a featured position in the St. Patrick’s Cathedral Children’s Choir, and NOT because of who his family was. Once Tony was of age, he was enrolled at Mater Dei Academy, a Catholic boarding school in Warners, NY. Tony did poorly in his time away from Evalina, nearly being expelled for poor grades & fighting. As spring of 1999 came about, the daisies were no longer a curious anomaly, but a full-blown pandemic. Those in close proximity to the daisies fell ill, displaying declining mental faculties & sharply increased aggression. The staff of Mater Dei considered closing the school due to this, but ultimately decided to remain open for pupils stranded by the pandemic. The Collapse came in Summer 1999. Their family was grounded in Sicily with no way home for the foreseeable future. Vito, Tony, the remaining students & staff were forcefully evacuated to the recently established Syracuse QZ. While the government tried to protect the populace, plans were put together hastily, and with so many outbreaks occurring at once, oversight was spotty at best. The Syracuse QZ, like many others, was unprepared for how many refugees it took in. The twins were settled in a High school gymnasium turned refugee shelter. There was zero privacy, but at least they had a roof over their head. Winter brought new problems. The biting cold slowed the infected, but global panic and mass displacement meant much of the fall harvest rotted in the fields. Syracuse leadership, already enforcing strict food ration, tightened restrictions further. Supplies dwindled, many fell ill from malnourishment. Society, already taxed by everything that had happened that yr., began to unravel. The twins hadn’t set out to start a criminal enterprise when they first started breaking into the storage yard to steal food, but they were driven by desperation. Tony supposed it was in their DNA. Vito came up with a plan. Steal extra food and sell it to the downtrodden citizens of the Syracuse QZ, a Robin Hood type venture. In Spring of 2000, the power grid & water services broke down. The Syracuse QZ devolved into chaos. The seeds of discontent bloomed into violent uprisings. Authorities cracked down on the citizenry, increasing surveillance & dispensing harsh punishments for even the pettiest acts of defiance. As part of the Orange Initiative, trusted individuals were deputized & militarized to curb crimes & rebellion. Among other things, this included stomping out the rampant food theft. The boys remained in business until Tony bragged to the wrong person. They were caught red handed, arrested, & sentenced to 5 yrs of ‘rehabilitation’ at Clymer Outpost. The National Guard ran operations at Clymer, which functioned both an immense farming complex & a defensive fortification against what would become known as the Michigan Deadzone. With workers scarce, & no volunteers for an area this dangerous, manpower was bolstered by prison labor. Tony was put where muscle served best: reinforcing the outpost walls, or in the foundry maintaining Clymer’s weapons & tools. The twins stuck together & kept to themselves. Though officially denizens of Cabin 39, hence part of a team, they were, in reality, 2 boys alone in the world. As boys with no friends, who made no attempts to join any of the prison gangs at Clymer, and who were deemed ‘uppity’ by their fellow laborers, became the targets of ire. This came to a head one dark night when they found themselves cornered by 6 hardened men far out in the fields. Outnumbered, Tony didn’t give in without a fight, and for that, they carved up his face. The twins were rescued by a bunkmate named Harrison. He took the boys under his wing, acting as a father figure. After being convinced of their loyalty, he told them of his burgeoning escape plan. Harrison intended to break out and return home to Kentucky. But he was nothing if nothing if not pragmatic. If they were to escape, they would do it right. They’d have all the supplies, weapons, & all the intel needed. They would have updated maps & ample manpower to deal with whatever was in their way. Needing to evade guards & keep the secret from other prisoners, this was a slow process. It took 4 yrs to complete. On the night of their escape, something went wrong. They never found out precisely what. The guards saw them. They were pursued, escaping with some losses. They stumbled wounded and exhausted into Fungal Followers territory. Wary of them at first, the Followers decided to take them in, nursing them back to health. Tony made it relatively unscathed, taking a bullet to the shoulder. Vito caught what appeared to be nearly an entire clip. Vito refused to stop, it should’ve killed him and almost did. When Vito was too weak to stand Tony carried him without complaint. Injuries, Deadzone expansions, and other complications forced them to remain in Followers territory longer than anticipated. They finally left in 2008, having repaid the debt to the Followers. Harrison & the boys joined a caravan headed for Kentucky. While traveling between the Northern & Appalachian Deadzones, they were set upon by a horde of zombies. Harrison was bitten during the chaos. Knowing he was as good as dead, he gave his life to buy the survivors time to flee. The brothers fled, but were once again alone in the world. They would finish the journey Harrison started, go to Knox county & find refuge with his family. If they couldn’t bring him home, at least they could bring his memory.