Full Name: Erin Rose Murphy
Birthday & Age: June 22, 2004, 29 years old
Occupation: Nanny/Babysitter
Location/QZ: Tommy’s Ranch in Colorado
Erin was born in 2004 - a time before the world even knew what the Cordyceps fungus even was. Her parents, Eliza - a nurse and Patrick - a construction worker, doted on their only child, having been told that she would be the only one they would ever have. A bright child, she had always done well in school, even if she had few friends to show for her scholarly efforts. Money didn't flow freely, but there wasn't a time that she could remember ever wanting for anything.
When she was 16, the idyllic life that Erin had come to know and love collapsed around her, leaving her forever changed.
Her mother had noted during conversation over dinner one night that the hospital was taking in more than the average amount of flu cases, and that they were having trouble finding the time and supplies to treat everyone adequately. It was no surprise that within a day or two, the matriarch of the Murphy family began to exhibit the same symptoms she saw on a daily basis. Within three days, she had passed away - along with half of the people Erin had ever known. As she and her father remained at home, planning a funeral, there was a knock upon the door: A national guardsman said that they were evacuating the neighborhood, that they needed to quickly pack a bag and go with them to the Quarantine Zone. Frightened, she and her father dutifully did as told, unaware that they would never be returning to their house ever again.
The Boston Q.Z. was overcrowded and suffering from a lack of resources, something that only worsened as time went on. Patrick insisted that Erin continue to go to classes when she could, but when Patrick suffered a broken leg during his outside work detail, she dropped out of school and took on a work detail of her own. Initially assigned to help distribute rations, she eventually got transferred to the same outside work detail that her father had originally been assigned to. It was on this detail that she met leader of the Fireflies, Marlene, who began allowing Erin to join her on supply raids on the outer walls of the Q.Z. Her father frowned upon this, worried that she would end up infected, much like her mother had been, or that the government would execute her for breaking their rules. Unfazed, she continued helping the others - until she watched in horror as a group she was traveling with were attacked by a rogue group of Clickers. Between the loss of even more friends and the continuously deteriorating conditions within the Q.Z., Erin was no longer sure what to do. Tommy, someone she had initially met through the Fireflies, had sent word that he was forming a colony of survivors outside of Colorado Springs in Colorado; He said that if anyone were able to get out of Boston, they would be welcomed into his community with open arms. Thrilled at the prospect of finally having a chance at something normal, Erin took the idea to her father - who immediately shot it down. His health had steadily declined since his broken leg, and he wasn't certain he'd be able to make the nearly 2,000 mile journey. With reassurances that she would send for him once she got settled, Erin joined a few other survivors who decided to make the trek to Tommy's colony.
It was everything she had hoped for - plenty of crops to grow their own food, animals to provide meat and milk, running water and electricity (as long as the turbine was up and running), and safety among other survivors who lived by the "We take care of each other" mentality. Erin was able to quickly fall into a routine of working either at the water plant or at the colony, helping with the children and animals. Shortly before her 22nd birthday, she felt secure enough in her position that she could have her father finally come out to Colorado and be taken care of - but it was too late. The transport informed her that Patrick had been caught trying to sneak extra rations and had been executed for this not six months after she had left the Boston Q.Z. Struck by the loss of her only remaining relative and connection life before quarantine, Erin threw herself into life at the colony, doing whatever possible to keep her hands and mind busy.
Positive Traits: Loyal, Honest, Caring
Negative Traits: Sarcastic, Skeptical, Stubborn
