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[color=#7e6060][b][sup]"I serve and protect. Don't think there's much to protect now, though."[/sup][/b][/color][/center][color=Gray][sub][ ❇ ]  S Y N O P S I S[/sub][/color][hr][indent]
[color=#7e6060][sub][b]Name[/b][/sub][/color][indent][color=gray]Karen Aileen Byrne[/color][/indent]
[color=#7e6060][sub][b]Gender[/b][/sub][/color][indent][color=gray]Female[/color][/indent]
[color=#7e6060][sub][b]Age[/b][/sub][/color][indent][color=gray]Twenty-Six
[indent][sup]*Born January 11th, 1993[/sup][/indent][/color][/indent]
[color=#7e6060][sub][b]Birthplace[/b][/sub][/color][indent][color=gray]Rushford, Ohio[/color][/indent]
[color=#7e6060][sub][b]Former Life[/b][/sub][/color][indent][color=gray]Park Ranger[/color][/indent][/indent]
[color=Gray][sub][ ❇ ]  C H A R A C T E R I Z A T I O N[/sub][/color][hr][indent]
[color=#7e6060][sub][b]Appearance Description[/b][/sub][/color][indent][color=gray]In terms of appearance, Karen is just another Midwestern American. She doesn't particularly stand out, being an average five foot four and with a lithe yet athletic build. Karen's dark brown hair—she prefers to keep it short and almost boyish—matches the color of her irises, only adding to her simplicity. Her skin is rather blemish-free, and if Karen [i]did[/i] have any scarring or the like, she isn't the type for makeup regardless.

Typically, Karen would've been seen in her ranger uniform, but given the state of the world, she often wears more casual clothing like she chooses to off-duty. Light t-shirts, jeans, hoodies—clothing that would be considered breathable for the warmer seasons. In short, Karen sees no reason to enforce stuffy dress regulations if the law itself isn't exactly [i]enforced[/i] anymore with the dead running about eating people.[/color][/indent]
[color=#7e6060][sub][b]Personality[/b][/sub][/color][indent][color=gray][color=#7e6060]•[/color] Decisive
[color=#7e6060]•[/color] Hopeful
[color=#7e6060]•[/color] Observant
[color=#7e6060]•[/color] Straightforward
[color=#7e6060]•[/color] Truehearted[/color][/indent]
[color=#7e6060][sub][b]Biography[/b][/sub][/color][indent][color=gray]During the cold, blizzard-like winter of 1993, Karen was born within a hospital as the younger of the Byrne children. Despite that she was second child, her parents chose to raise Karen rather strictly in response to their "failure to teach" her brother, Charles, whose raising had been ultimately more of an "experiment" than anything else. The trouble and grief he caused both their parents and neighbors would later define Karen's childhood, with her being no stranger to the concept of being "whooped with a belt" or being sent to bed without supper. 

Perhaps her childhood had been cruel, but she learned quick, and she learned fast. It did, however, lead to Karen's drifting towards her grandparents, where she made a point to spend her school summers, breaks and some other weekends at their farm rather than the comfort of her home. Her grandmother's pies were undoubtedly an influence as well, although Karen would never admit she had been swayed by the taste of home cooked blueberry pie.

Nonetheless, life carried on, and by the time Karen was nearing adulthood, she realized she had no plan for her future. Just as they had done in their early twenties, Karen's parents wanted her to settle down—something which Karen hadn't felt privy to. The life of a lowly housewife hadn't sounded appealing to Kaern, who chose to do the best next thing; to become a park ranger, like her grandfather had been before his ultimate retirement to his farmstead. 

The reaction to her decision was, as expected, mixed. Her parents were in clear disagreement with Karen's decision, having demanded that she listen to them. Meanwhile, Karen was eagerly supported by her grandparents going as far as to pay her tuition costs to earn the higher education that was required to apply as a park ranger.

It was this fallout that largely led to a silent graduation, with no one to congratulate Karen for graduating with a degree in Earth Sciences outside of her grandparents. Despite her failing relationship with her parents (and, to a lesser extent, her brother), Karen's degree helped her hiring at Cuyahoga Valley National Park, being recruited as a new fresh face to fill a gap within the park ranks. Incidentally, Cuyahoga Valley had been the same park that had the largest effect on her career, owing to proximity and the then-ongoing Krejci case.

For the first couple years of her career, Karen was assigned to teach the public about Cuyahoga Valley and the surrounding region. Unlike most, Karen showed an uncanny dedication to her craft—not unlike her grandfather—and was later noticed by her superiors, who later approached Karen with an offer of their own. Partly enticed by the extra pay they would mention, Karen took up their offer, heading south to FLETC, where she would spend months rigorously training her way to become a law enforcement ranger.

Still, not even her training could prepare Karen for what came next.

After her training had finished, Karen decided to visit her grandparents, seeking to stretch legs and nap after a long period of driving. By the time of her arrival, however, hardly a day had passed when the gaping maw of hell bared its fangs, bringing the dead onto the living. 

Family ate family. Neighbors gunned down each other. People were terrified, and yet Karen—as stupid as it seemed—knew she had to help. What would be the point of her training, after all, if she sat around, hiding and seeking refugee from the coming storm? Taking her truck, Karen drove to the local RPD, and volunteered to help assist and control the situation.

What exactly happened next remains a daze to Karen, and yet the gruesome situation still burned itself into her thoughts. She had been posted near the Findlay-Gratton bridges to help move traffic in an orderly fashion, which soon became more of a death trap than the city. The noisy engines and horns had drawn a swarm of the infected to the bridge, and before Karen could blink, the situation was already out of control. The devoured chomped on those they could find, whilst civilians fired wildly into the crowd, hitting friend and foe alike.

It wasn't hard for Karen to make her decision. Knowing she couldn't gain the upper hand, at least not alone, Karen gathered who she could, and made a run for it to guide a small number of civilians. There was no time to mourn the dead; not when there were people that could still be saved.[/color][/indent][/indent]
[color=Gray][sub][ ❇ ]  M I S C E L L A N E O U S[/sub][/color][hr][indent][color=#7e6060][sub][b]Gear[/b][/sub][/color][indent][color=#7e6060][b]Weapons[/b][/color][/indent][indent][indent][color=#7e6060][b]SIG P232[/b][/color] [color=gray]— Trusty service weapon. Chambered in .32 ACP; 2 magazines remaining (8 + 1 bullets per magazine).[/color]
[color=#7e6060][b]Tactical Knife[/b][/color] [color=gray]— Standard survival knife. Carried for emergencies (and now self-defense).[/color][/indent][/indent]
[indent][color=#7e6060][b]Gear[/b][/color][/indent][indent][indent][color=#7e6060][b]Rugged Backpack[/b][/color] [color=gray]— Carries miscellaneous supplies, but mainly cheap vending machine/gas station food and drink.[/color]
[color=#7e6060][b]Park Ranger Badge[/b][/color] [color=gray]— Signifies status of authority as a law enforcement (Department of the Interior) park ranger.[/color]
[color=#7e6060][b]Wallet[/b][/color] [color=gray]— Miscellaneous ID, cards and cash. Most cash has already been spent.[/color]
[color=#7e6060][b]Keys[/b][/color] [color=gray]— Keys to a beaten up truck and her grandparents' house.[/color]
[color=#7e6060][b]Cellphone[/b][/color] [color=gray]— An outdated smartphone.[/color][/indent]
[indent][color=#7e6060][b]Truck[/b][/color][/indent][indent][indent][color=#7e6060][b]CB Radio & Scanner[/b][/color] [color=gray]— Grandfather special. Gotta keep in check even when off-duty, you know?[/color]
[color=#7e6060][b]Binoculars[/b][/color][color=gray]— Standard issue binoculars. Equipped with powerful magnification.[/color][/indent][/indent][/indent]
[color=#7e6060][sub][b]Skills[/b][/sub][/color][indent][color=#7e6060][b]Sociable[/b][/color] [color=gray]— It's a good idea to know how to properly interact with people if your job requires you to educate the public.[/color]
[color=#7e6060][b]Firearm Safety[/b][/color] [color=gray]— Firearms training at FLETC to progress as a law enforcement park ranger.[/color]
[color=#7e6060][b]Earth Sciences[/b][/color] [color=gray]— Higher education required to apply for a park ranger job in a national park.[/color]
[color=#7e6060][b]Tracking[/b][/color] [color=gray]— A skill that Karen found she had a knack for after helping in a search and rescue.[/color]
[color=#7e6060][b]Athleticism[/b][/color] [color=gray]— Park rangers are required to stay fit and adhere to biannual fitness tests.[/color][/indent]
[color=#7e6060][sub][b]Other[/b][/sub][/color][indent][color=gray]As with most families in the apocalypse, the status of Karen's family is currently unknown.[/color][/indent][/indent]