Background

Trigger Warning: Mentions of child abuse, neglect, violence, and implied sexual assault. Tess Vargo, born in 1980, used to live in a trailer house at the outskirts of a god forsaken town, Jeffersonville in Indiana, with her drug-addicted mother, who sold herself for a hit and a scrap of attention or validation. The place was constantly dirty and, admittedly, depressing to look at. Mice and cockroaches were not uncommon to be seen around, especially near the leftover pizzas. Stains were all over from sources better not be mentioned. The air reeked of mold, piss, alcohol, smoke, and weed. Thick enough to make breathing feel like punishment. Managing to grow up in such conditions was purely out of luck, considering the negligence as well. The walls were thin and Tess rarely had any privacy to herself. She had a rough childhood of constant bullying and harassment, especially from other kids that felt superior because of their wealth that was given from their successful parents, forcing her to fight constantly. One fateful night her mother's boyfriend, a good for nothing scum, was apparently too high in drugs and attempted to force himself on to her. She managed to escape that fate thanks to a flash of instinct, grabbing a beer bottle and smashing it across his skull. As he was lying down, she snapped and started to curve his cheek with the broken bottle. She tried to shape something humiliating but she was stopped midway as the man managed to come to his senses from the pain. He pushed her back, forcing her to lie down. He lashed onto her but she kicked his head with her heavy boot, knocking him out cold. Her mother, never noticed a thing as she was literally drooling, probably dreaming of a life she was never going to live. That was the night that everything changed. Tess decided to run away at the young age of 15 with nothing in her name but a schoolbag and the dirty clothes she was wearing. Ever since, she lived on the streets, under bridges or finding shelter in abandoned buildings. Sometimes, if she was lucky, she would be offered to stay at a friend's place. In 1999, just before the outbreak, Tess was hanging around with a friendly and kind hearted guy named Ted, an oasis in a cruel world. She thought he was cute and he was helping her around, teaching her all kinds of stuff about how to survive in the wilderness and be independent. To her, that was invaluable and made her respecting him and his guidance. Together they were like dynamite. TNT, as they scratched their initials on a tree. They thought it was both funny and cute. But that time wouldn't last for long. Then it all started to crumble. An epidemic started to spread making people extremely violent to each other. Screams could be heard all over as the madness erupted right before their very eyes. Ted grabbed Tess's hand and made a run for the forest, thinking that if they could stay away, they could survive whatever that is. But they were not prepared well enough. Someone started to yell "It's the daisies! Cover yourselves up and stay indoors!" They used whatever they could to protect themselves. A cloth as a mouth filter, googles for their eyes, hats. Being poor doesn't give you access to what someone could need in times like these. Nowhere was safe around here. Riots and panic spread faster than the sickness itself. They found an abandoned car, engine still running, the driver dead with his head hanging out the window. Ted smashed the corpse’s skull just in case and told Tess to get in. They drove until the tank was nearly empty, following the traffic of refugees and chaos. There wasn’t any destination. Just away. Somewhere along the way, they crossed into the Knox region without even realizing it. By the time they stopped, the roads behind them were gone and the radio had gone quiet. They were trapped like everyone else. A few years pass and the duo TNT has managed to roam around avoiding as much trouble as possible. But resources were running low and they got mugged not long ago depriving them of some of their most precious tools as well. That's when Ted decided that it's about time they took a risk and suggested to enter a dangerous zone. Tess was reluctant and urged Ted to rethink this through. Their options though were limited. In the midst of scavenging Ted lost his balance and fell down. Tess tried to go back and lift Ted up but it was too late. His fate was sealed as a horde of these damned things teared on his flesh, his screams echoing. Tess, with tears in her eyes, started to run as fast as she could, abandoning everything. She run and run none stop until her stomach turned upside down, her ribs feeling like they snapped from the contraction of the constant heavy breathing, her feet going numb and her head feeling dizzy to the point of faintness. She was alive... for now. What year is it now? Tess stopped bothering counting them. The only thing that matters now is to live. Scavenging is a lucrative business and she managed to make a few friends here and there. Tess isn’t a master scavenger or fighter per say. Just someone too stubborn to quit. Most of what she knows comes from Ted and years of trial and error. Her scars prove it after all. She still makes mistakes, but somehow, she’s still breathing. She also knows that staying in one place is often quite risky, unless you are willing to give up your freedom or your soul. Neither seemed like a good option to Tess. She’s not looking for a home anymore. Just a reason to stop running.