Name: Arjen Breck



Age: 28
Height: 6'5"      Weight: 269
Hair: Dirty Blonde         Eyes: Wolf Blue
Sexuality: Straight

Sector: 3
Education: Some Pre Z-Day High school
Occupation: Lumberjack

Zombie Survival Rating (1-10): 7.2

Background Questions



1. Tell us a little about your life before the Pillars landed and the Districts formed.

Arjen Breck didn’t answer.  Instead he continued to appraise the New Beijingers working the lights and cameras with uncertain curiosity.  Because for the past few minutes Arjen had been trying to decide which of the androgynous Capital residents were men and which were women.

The New Bijing Producer spoke again his neutral pitch and tone offering no clue to the mystery.  ”Contestant.  Contestant?  We are ready to begin.

Arjen set his wolfish eyes on the producer and nodded but his naturally curious mind was still occupied with gender related mysteries.  His voice rumbled with a natural warmth that held thinly veiled mirth even in it's current disoriented state. ”Right.  Life before the pillars…." The big man tried to focus, paused and then shook his head no. ”OK look.  I gotta know.”

Arjen started pointing at each person in the room an assigning questioning designations not in a brash or judgmental way but rather with the natural respect he afforded all people until they proved unworthy of it.  ”Chick… Dude, Dude, Chick……. Chick?" He finished with the producer who looked at Arjen Blankly for several long seconds before letting out a slightly annoyed sigh.  "We are all male in this room."

”No shit? … huuhh.  Cool man."  The answer seemed to satisfy Arjen who now proved fully capable of focusing on the task at hand.  ”So life before the Pillars?”  The producer nodded, Arjen mirrored the motion in understanding, stretched his long powerful arms and then continued on.  The faint Irish brogue in his accent just a hint stronger as he began to talk about his childhood.

“Well.  I know I was born in the Americas not far from where my Sector is now.  But we immigrated to Ireland when the corn famine hit.  My Fah was lucky and found work on a Galway fishing boat in Kinvara.  I guess I was about eight or nine years old then?”  Arjen paused.  He wasn’t sure if it was nerves, the bright lights or being hooked up to Lie Master 5000 but his throat was rough and dry.  ”Think I could have some water?

The Producer nodded and motioned for one of the guys Arjen had previously pegged as a girl to bring him some water.  He did and Arjen drank down the entire glass in such quick fashion that rivulets of water escaped around the edges and trickled down into his beard.  He handed the glass back with a thankful nod and then wiped his mouth clean with the sleeve of his shirt, running it across his bearded face from the wrist to the crook of his elbow.

The New Beijingers looked appalled.  Arjen didn’t notice and continued on. "So growing up an outsider wasn’t easy.  There was a lot of dislike for American immigrants but even still, I can remember everything in Kinvara was still so much better.  We almost always ate once, Hell, sometimes even twice a day.  And when I got a little older I was good at Hurling and Gaelic football.  That helped me make a few friends and that made life a lot easier.”

He paused again prompting the producer to urge him along. ”What about Z-Day?  Tell us a little about how you survived that.

The Lumberjack shrugged.  "My Fah.  When the zombie plague started sweeping across the islands he gathered a lot of families together, got us on ships and out to sea.  It was a hard year but we got by just fine without pillars and Sectors.”

He straightened up slightly.  The Producer smiled but there was no friendliness in it. ”Records indicate that your clan resorted to piracy in order to survive.”

Arjen was angry.  Not grab a scrawny neck and snap it angry but close as he settled his wolf blue eyes on the man and smiled.  Arjen ran his hand down his beard collecting some of the droplets of water that remained there and casting them aside with a flick of the hand.  The smile on his lips transitioned into a cruel snarl.  His voice was deeper yet still rumbled with self satisfied mirth as he replied ARRRGGGGHH."

The Producers robotic expression faltered into something that was either mild shock or subtle confusion.  Arjen laughed a genuine earthy laugh. ”We did a little here and there.  Not on a global scale like the Loon Goons." audio file edit. Loon Goons to Lunarians.  Arjen smiled.  "But we got our pirate on from time to time."

The producer cleared his throat and nodded. ”Indeed.  Let us continue.”

2. Zombie education from ages K thru 12 has been a mainstay in public schools for almost a decade now. Share with us a memorable story from your own educational experience.

”I never attended school after Z-Day.  After the pillars arrived and the culling began I was assigned to Sector 3,  I guess because I was bigger and stronger than most.  The rest of my family was sent to Sector 4.  I imagine to work in fishing.  So I guess I’m old enough to have gotten all of my Zombie Education from the real thing.”  Arjen had no desire to share his first experience with a Zombie, how his brother died, rose from the dead and murdered his little sister before he could be put down.  To avoid follow up questions he asked one of his own.

”What about you guys?  Some people say you capital types got a pillar almost right from the start.  I’m sure the Loonies had a giant anti zombie generator just laying around when shit went down.” audio file edit. Loonies to Lunarians.

The producer frowned. ”Let us continue.”

3. Every Sector is a little different and wonderful in its own way. Tell us a little about your life thus far in your Sector.

There was plenty to be disgruntled about.  During the culling thousands of families were pulled apart and reassigned to various districts.  But as much as he had to complain about, he knew it would do no good.  In fact it might only serve to satisfy the smug little bastard asking the questions, so Arjen shrugged and offered a quick honest assessment of the Sector he had in many ways grown fond of.  “I wasn’t happy about being assigned to Sector 3 away from my family, but I’ve grown accustomed.  In the timber sector we work hard, screw harder and play hardest.   Hey? I can say screw just not fuck right?”

The Producer let out a deep sigh. ”Correct.”

Arjen nodded, seemingly satisfied and continued.  ”We have sap beer and annual games where we compete in things like climbing trees and throwing logs and axes.  Sometimes when we bring down a massive tree we knew would be used to build Walton-Koch’s space cabin, we would all get really drunk, line up and piss on it…”  Arjen laughed in a loud abrupt manner that seemed to either shock or frighten several of the crew.  Realizing that might not be the best information to have revealed, he attempted to smooth it over a bit.  … It helps cure the wood. zap zap ”I mean.. it seems like it might help...cure the wood. zap

4. What are few things for which you are most thankful?

”That I grew up in a time before there were Zombies and Pillars.

The Producer asked expectantly. ”Is there anyone else you would like to thank?”

Arjen let out a rumbling heart felt Ha Ha Ha laugh and then answered with an abrupt smile. ”No.”

Personality Questions



1. What is the first thing most people notice about you?

”My size.  I’m one of the smaller guys in my camp, but I’m a lot stronger than I look and I’ve got endurance for days.” Arjen grinned, raised his eyebrow like an old world professional wrestler his dad used to love and leaned into the camera some.  He threw in an almost ridiculous amount of playful smolder and add.  ”You hear that ladies?  Days.”

One of the Beijingers Arjen had previously thought was a woman and had likely checked out a little gave him an Oh my! expression and then winked.  Arjens face instantly twisted into one of uncertain confusion and focused back on the producer. ”Uhh... maybe we should continue.”


2. What is the one thing that people don’t notice about you right away but you wish they would?

”I’m not sure I wish that at all, but something that surprises people is that I’m pretty good with my hands.  I make hunting bows and arrows and can work leather.  That sort of stuff.”


3. How do you typically spend your leisure time?

”When I have time I venture out and do a little hunting and gathering.  Zone 2 areas mostly but I’ve been as far out as Zone 1 a few times looking for medicinal plants when needed.  Other than that I have a pretty good sap beer recipe I’m refining, and of course there are the games.  I take part every year and I’ve been my camps' axe throwing champion for four years running.”


4. What are some of the most important qualities that you are looking for in a potential romantic/survival partner?

”I guess someone that’s good at the things I’m not so great at.  Like shooting guns or you know… driving a car.  In Sector 3 we get around on horseback mostly.  And because of the Anderson revolt firearms aren’t allowed in any Sector 3 camps.  So I’ve never had a chance to shoot either.  I would like to learn how.  Guns look like they would be fun.”

The producer started to move on but Arjen quickly interjected.  ”Oh and ah.  I would like it if she was smoking hot and funny.  More like a Sector 1 or 2 girl…. Or maybe one of those brainy girls from 8.  I guess anything other than Sector 3.  I mean those girls are great and all but often they’re built like me.” He shrugged apologetically.


5. Describe one thing about yourself that until now only your best friends knew.

”That I carve sometimes.  I make bows for function mostly but when I have time I like to carve designs into them.  I mean I’m no Sector 1 craftsman or anything but I enjoy carving.”


6. What are a few of your likes?

”Comic books.  I used to love those as a kid, especially the space adventure ones.  I like swimming, hunting and fishing.  I like sap beer and honey, which we come across sometimes.  I like music, old pre Z-Day stuff more than the folk music we play in Sector 3, but both are good.  And I like reading, even though books, digital or otherwise, are hard to come by.  If there’s something that would ever tempt me to enter the Z Zone again, it would be books.”

“Oh.  And I like telling and listening to stories, especially from the old timers.  They have the best stories, hands down.”


7. What are a few of your dislikes?

”I don’t have many dislikes.  Zombies, but then everyone hates Zombies.  I’m not fond of winter.  The wood is harder to cut and makes the quotas difficult to meet.”


8. What are a few of your fears?

”Mostly I worry about how my family is doing.  I hope they are safe and well.”


9. What are a few fun facts about you that a potential match might want to know?

”I may have already talked about most.  I guess something I haven’t talked about is I can cook.  Organic paste is great and all.” zap Arjen smiled. ”but one advantage of being in Sector 3 is we can hunt wild game and gather some natural plants and herbs when there is time.  I make a mean rabbit stew with wild onions, beargrass and bittercress.  And a wildberry crumble that’s a panty dropper.”