Name:
Matthew "Matt" Clarke
Age:
28
Gender:
Male
Ethnicity:
Caucasian
Description:
Matthew Clarke is not an imposing man. He is not six foot something feet tall or a few hundred pounds, he is slightly above average but it is almost unnoticeable. The height at which Matthew stands at is five foot eleven inches and he weighs around one hundred seventy pounds. His build before the outbreak was slightly husky, but not overweight, and it hardly showed. There was some musculature on his body but he was not a frequent gym user, nor had he planned on it. All in all, Matthew was in decent shape. And then the apocalypse hit. After spending two years on the road, or at least the majority of two years, he has thinned out some. A decent amount of muscle has also been built upon the foundation that was laid previous to the infection. Matthew is now leaner than he was and is proud of it, despite the circumstances.
Matthew's head is covered by a thick layer of brown hair. In the past he would have kept his hair trimmed very close to the head, but lately he has not been able to find a good barber. Matthew has trimmed his own hair over the course of two years and has developed a slight talent for it, though he would never tell a soul. Matthew's hair is short, but thick, and he never allows it to go below his eyes. He also tries to keep the sides thinner but the top flows together with the sides perfectly. Matthew has deep, piercing, blue eyes that rest in his skull. His jawline and his upper lip are covered by another thick layer of hair, this set of hair is cleaned up more professionally, a talent he developed in his teenage years.
When it comes to clothing, Matthew still tries to maintain some kind of class in his outfits, and a level of professionalism. That being said, his clothes are noticeably stained and rugged, but they are done so in an almost elegant way. Matthew carried, and still possesses, a large backpack that traveled with him throughout the two years after the outbreak. Inside the backpack he would carry two pairs of jeans, one dark blue and the other almost black. The backpack would also contain two white T-shirts and two button up long sleeved shirts. The first shirt was white with a blue checkered pattern and the second was a darker, navy blue. On his person Matthew would wear another pair of dark blue jeans with a black button up shirt and a thick, black, wool coat over it, if the weather required. Matthew used to wear dress shoes and sneakers, but he has taken to wearing more useful and durable work boots, they are lightly tanned.
Biography:
Matthew was born in the city of Saint Paul, Minnesota. At the time his mother was an unemployed twenty year old who was living with her boyfriend, a full-time, twenty one year old, postal service worker. A mostly healthy baby, his mother was happy to name him after her father, Matthew's grandfather. After spending a month and a half in the hospital (the mother had some medical complications but pulled through), the Clarke family was able to leave the hospital. The three of them lived in a downtown apartment, only a few blocks from some bad neighborhoods but that was not a problem seeing as Matt's father worked in the post office and not on the streets. For three years the trio lived happily in downtown Saint Paul. Then things changed. Matt's father started getting into another woman, and eventually he was caught cheating by Matt's mother. After that, they split. Though Matt's mother was his mother, they had different last names.
After his father split for another woman, Matt and his mother moved into a quiet townhouse in a quiet suburb. They lived further away from downtown and further away from Matt's father. Since she was now a single mother, Matt's mother needed to find a job. She began working in the dental field, as a receptionist. This, though menial and tedious, was a good starting job and an efficient way for her to pay for her and her child. On top of work, she began attending a community college.
While Matt's mother worked and went to school, Matt did his best to stay out of trouble. Throughout his first eight years of schooling, he was a B student who rarely got into any trouble. Then his father reappeared into his life. The man tried to have a relationship with his son but at that point it was too far gone. Matthew would not even give his father the time of day. This lead to anger and other emotions being built up. These emotions spilled out when he started getting into fights his Freshman and Sophomore years of High School. Those two years were turbulent for him and his mother. Matthew started smoking pot with his friends, but he did a good job of hiding it from his mother. By his Junior year, Matthew had matured slightly and had made a conscious decision to change his life. Matthew stopped his drug use and made new friends. These friends would influence him in a positive way and help push him into college. In his senior year of High School, Matthew met Beth. She was beautiful, smart, funny, and everything else that he had ever wanted. They meshed together perfectly. They were High School sweethearts and almost instantly knew they were destined to marry.
College was an easy time for Matthew. He was not that rich, and his grades were not the best, so he had to attend Community College. For two years he worked his ass off to get good grades and save money so that he could attend the University of Minnesota and get a degree in Veterinary Medicine. His plan worked and Matthew graduated by the age of 24. For a year and a half he worked at a local PetCo, just making ends meet. Finally, at the age of 26, just 7 months before the world fell into Hell, he got a job at a Clinic.
When the world was ravaged Matthew lost the only two people that meant something to him. First his girlfriend caught the virus and died in a hospital, she may or may not have returned to life. Then, while trying to get his mother to safety, Matthew had to watch her die. Since then he has been on the run, trying to escape from his past. Leaving Minnesota was the logical choice since all of his memories and pain was there. Matthew decided, since he spent two weeks in Florida and loved it, that he would travel there. Now he finds himself in the refugee camp.
Pre-Infection Career:
Before the outbreak, Matthew worked as a Veterinary Technician at a Minnesota Veterinary Clinic just outside of the downtown metro. After college he had worked at a local PetCo while trying to find a job. That took a year and a half, as such, he was only a beginner at his craft, though he had a talent for it. Matthew on more than one occasion has had to operate on a living person, as well as some animals, since the outbreak.
Other:
None.