Adam Wilent

Silhouette as of Life After: The Phoenix.

> *“Every moment we wait we get closer to being too late.”*
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> - Adam Wilent, arguing with Shar Antosky in ***Life After: The Phoenix***
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**Adam Wilent** is a major character in ***Life After: The Phoenix***.

Adam is locked in a rocky relationship with his ex-girlfriend Shar Antosky when the zombie apocalypse begins.

## Appearance and Character

Adam is not described physically beyond his laryngeal prominence and medium-length hair.

While there seem to be a number of complexities keeping he and Shar apart, the issues seem to be largely Adam's, as Shar rarely raises any specific complaints about him. Adam seems to fixate on every minute detail of their separation to the point of self-flagellation, repeatedly mentioning that Shar is dating and having sex with John Anderson, something he sees as a fatal stumbling block to repairing their relationship.

Throughout his ordeal with Shar, Adam displays a distinct tendency toward self-harm, repeatedly cursing and striking inanimate objects as a method of physicalizing his inner-turmoil, no matter how badly he gets hurt. As much as he seems willing to work out the issues between he and Shar, he is categorically obsessed with doing so on his own terms to a point that Shar wonders whether he even considers her a real person.

## History

Very little is known about Adam, but it is implied that he has a good career, numerous friends, and a supportive family. In ***Life After: The Arising***, Anderson indicates that Adam and Shar had been dating for two years, though it is implied that there was some crossover between his and Anderson's association with Shar.

## Recent Events

### *Life After: The Phoenix*

Adam drives to meet Shar on her break at a supermarket in Willow Grove. She joins Adam in his car, where their genial chatter quickly devolves from Adam catching her up on the unrest in her native town of Broomall into a grudge match over the failure of their relationship. Adam's disdain coalesces around Shar's recently acquired tattoo: a rudimentary Phoenix on her left forearm. Shar got inked after insisting that Adam choose a design for the empty space; having not waited for him, Adam insists that Shar will only add his design *if* they reconcile. After Shar alludes to an incident where she may have been attempting to overdose on pills waiting for some vague affirmation from Adam, she tells Adam she's sorry about their situation, to which he replies "No you're not."

Shar checks her phone, alluding to the conclusion of her break and leaving Adam to terrorize the inside of his car out of frustration, ultimately injuring his wrist before he manages to calm down. After one last bitter text message exchange, Adam passes out in the car, only to be awakened by an EAS klaxon over the radio. Confused and smarting from his injury, Adam notices a collection of shuffling bodies around his car; once they notice him inside, he struggles to escape so he can attack and fend one of them off, getting back behind the wheel and crashing as he drives toward the front entrance of the supermarket. Though he crashes his car, Adam arrives inside the supermarket in just enough time to dispatch a zombie advancing on Shar. With his car destroyed, Adam insists that Shar get her keys as they run through the supermarket trying to avoid the undead, finally running into a series of offices overlooking the parking lot. When they finally have a moment to collect themselves, Adam asserts his refusal to accept that the people he saw outside are zombies, much to Shar's dismay.

As they adjourn to a conference room, Shar muses that she wishes Jeff Grey were around to offer advice before rebuking Adam for their previous text exchange, leading them into another furious argument where they take turns blaming each other for their failed relationship; Adam feels that Shar is incapable of telling him the truth, and that she will take any opportunity to avoid the realities of their situation, while Shar believes Adam is placing too much of the burden on her alongside a glut of unrealistic expectations. When Adam brings the conversation back to the Phoenix, insinuating that Shar's tattoo is proof she's unwilling to make even the most basic commitment, Shar grudgingly admits that Adam is right just as the police show up outside the supermarket.

Though the initial engagement appears to be a success, the bodies fired upon by the officers quickly stand and overtake them from behind. Shar and Adam rush downstairs in hopes of being rescued, but the situation only gets worse when one cop sprays the doorway with bullets, grazing Adam's leg as he forces Shar back up the steps. They return to the conference room, where their only recourse is to keep their backs pressed against the door as the zombies try to break it down, leading Adam to conclude that they are about to die. Shar sobbingly responds to one of Adam's earlier provocations, indicating that he'd rather be right about her faults than be happy before insinuating that she regrets lying to him with the intention of sparing him pain, ultimately accusing him of trying to "fix" her rather than attempting to understand her.

In spite of this assessment, Shar insists that Adam make his escape through the windows while she holds the door. He hesitates, but once she assures him of this decisive sacrifice, they kiss, and Adam follows her instructions, escaping across the roof just as the door caves in.

### *Life After: The Arising*

When joining with Jeff's group at Thomas Massey high school, Anderson lies that he's still a virgin, insinuating that he came close to having sex with Shar despite the serious issues between she and Adam.