New York Survivor Briar Maddox

Character Information

Gender		Female
Age		15

Physical Appearance

Height		5'4" (163 cm)
Hair Color		Brown
Eye Color		Hazel
Physical Description		Build: Lean and wiry, built from hunger and hardship Skin Tone: Pale olive complexion, sunburnt at the nose and cheeks Eyes: Sharp, almond-shaped hazel eyes flecked with green — always alert, always watching Hair: Shoulder-length dark brown hair, usually tied back in a messy knot or braid with whatever she can find (string, twist tie, fishing wire). Face: Heart-shaped, angular jawline, high cheekbones. Chapped lips. Dirt smudges across her forehead and jaw are near-permanent. Clothing: Wears a too-large olive-green military jacket she scavenged from an abandoned truck, with patches stitched over holes and a faded nameplate she scratched off. Faded jeans cut off at the knees, duct-taped around the thighs to keep them from tearing further. Old combat boots — one black, one brown, mismatched, but holding together. Leather bracelet made of a shoelace, with a key tied into it — no one knows what the key opens. Notable Features: Thin scar on her right forearm (burn), and a knuckle tattoo drawn with marker: “BIRD” — for Rowan. Carries a homemade spear and keeps a piece of chalk in her jacket pocket for marking walls or docks.

Family

Father		Gerald
Mother		Melinda
Brother(s)		Rowan (Bird) Maddox

Personality & Traits

General Overview		Fierce, skeptical, loyal, emotionally guarded but deeply protective
Strengths & Weaknesses		Urban scavenging (fast and clever in cities) Lockpicking (taught herself from old YouTube tutorials and trial/error) Field dressing wounds (basic knowledge from watching her mom) Survival instincts — she’s suspicious, careful, but quick-thinking Doesn’t trust adults — especially authority figures Refuses to leave Rowan alone, even when it might be safer Has survivor’s guilt about her mother and nightmares she doesn’t talk about Can be brash and hot-headed when scared
Back Pack Contents		Homemade spear (mop handle + sharpened steel rail spike) Backpack with rope, duct tape, canned food, flashlight, firestarter A small sketchbook filled with drawings of their journey and chalk marks for places they’ve passed through Her mother's old nurse badge (keeps it pinned inside her jacket) A broken walkie-talkie she keeps trying to fix

Personal History

Before the world fell apart, Briar Maddox was just another high school freshman with a talent for art and a smart mouth. She grew up in Queens, NY, in a cramped apartment above her uncle's hardware store. Their parents worked long hours — her mom as a night nurse, her dad at JFK airport security — so Briar often looked after her baby brother, Rowan. She resented the responsibility at first... but after the world changed, it became her reason for surviving. When the outbreak hit New York hard, their father disappeared during the first week trying to reach the airport. Their mother lasted longer — too long — before being bitten while helping evacuate neighbors from their building. She made Briar promise to protect Rowan before locking herself in the laundry room and ending it before she turned. Briar and Rowan fled their apartment with a backpack of supplies, scavenging hardware and tools from their uncle’s shop. Since then, they’ve survived by moving from building to building, keeping low, scavenging only what they need, and sleeping in hidden rooftops or forgotten stairwells. Briar uses chalk or charcoal to mark their trail and leave notes for herself — and for Rowan, in case she doesn’t come back. She eventually found an abandoned Barge and has been using it to try and get off the Island. ❤️ Bond With Rowan: She calls him "Bird" because he whistles while he thinks. They’ve developed a series of taps and whispers to communicate without being heard. He draws maps of “safe places” they’ve been in a notebook Briar gave him.