Holly Maxson

### Occupation

High School Student *(Pre-apocalypse)*Former nurse and supply runner for the Clarkson School *(Post-apocalypse)*

Former nurse and assistant surgeon for the Greencole Group *(Post-apocalypse)*

Sharpshooter for the Greencole Militia *(Post-apocalypse)*

### Family

(Unnamed) - mother *(unknown)*(Unnamed) - father *(deceased)*

Harry Ward - former boyfriend *(deceased)*

Alex Junior - adopted son *(unknown)*

James Ward - son *(unknown)*

### Cause of Death

Unknown illness caused by complications from childbirth *(alive)*Shot in the head by Harry Ward *(before reanimation)*

### Series Lifespan

'And So It Begins' -- 'Last Day on Earth'

"*Please just listen to me, sweetheart. If anything ever feels easy, **don't do it**. You'll regret it. [...] I can't lie to you: you're gonna see a lot of bad things. **Do** a lot of bad things. Bad things that will stay with you, just to survive in this cruel world. I'm sorry, but the pain never goes away. You just gotta...make **room** for it,*"
—Holly's last words to Alex Junior[src]
**Holly Maxon** is the former deuteragonist and a survivor of the outbreak in *The Walking Dead by EDStudios.* Coming to the USA with aspirations to work in the world of medicine, Holly was, like the rest of her trip group, trapped in the country forever when the apocalypse began. Serving as the substitute for a medical expert among the Clarkson Survivors and the Greencole Group, Holly would eventually become a major reason for Ward to keep on going, forming an intimate relationship with him and - as was only recently revealed - having a child with him.

## Overview

### Personality

Holly is a strong, selfless, independent, and emotional woman, but was also shown to be difficult and demanding at times. Devoted to the people around her, Holly constantly looks out for the best interests of the group and becomes a strong contributor to her group due to her skills.

From the beginning of *Season 2*, Holly, like everyone else, had become battle-hardened after surviving two years in the apocalypse, although she still retains her kind side. It is evident by the season's end that Holly is very much capable of committing murder to protect the people she cares about from danger, as shown when she brutally kills two members of Carter's bandits.

As she becomes darker and harder during their journey on the road to find a new home, Holly adopts a more brutal and cold persona, willing to do anything possible to survive and protect her group; over time, thanks to training received from Carl and Becky, her already impressive skills improve greatly to the point she is able to perform complex medical procedures.

Following the loss of her child, Holly becomes noticeable colder for the rest of her life, unable to completely process her grief; she forbids anyone in the group, including Ward, from even mentioning the child or her loss.

## Pre-Apocalypse

When she was eight years old, Holly was picked up from school by her drunken father. He was several times over the legal limit and crashed the car head-on into a truck. Her father was killed instantly and Holly was almost sent through the windscreen. She gained a long scar on her face but otherwise was luckily unharmed. She grew up highly subconscious of her appearance.

## Post-Apocalypse

### Season 1

#### 'All That Remains'

Holly, alongside the rest of the Hopeville expedition, are still trapped on the apartment roof.

### Season 2

#### 'What We Have Lost'

In the year following the events in Port Collier, Holly comes to view AJ as her adopted son.

#### 'Along A Lonely Road'

Holly does not appear in this episode; however, several of her belongings are found around the abandoned campfire, including her copy of "*The Catcher in the Rye*".

## Death

### Killed by:

* Leyton Jones *(indirectly caused)*
* Unknown illness, possibly infection-induced cancer *(alive)*
* Harry Ward *(before reanimation)*

After giving birth to her child, Holly was afflicted with an infection of her ovaries; as a result, she developed an unknown degenerative disease, most likely cancer. Without the necessary drugs to treat her illness, thanks to the sabotage committed by Leyton Jones, she accepted her death. She died seconds after she accepted Ward' marriage proposal. He took her into the woods, finished her off, and buried her. His resulting screams of torment scared the birds from the trees and could be heard throughout most of the valley. Her death led him into a spiral of depression and alcoholism from which he never truly recovered.

## Killed Victims

* Lisa Mitchell *(caused)*
* Rapist *(indirectly caused)*
* Mortimer *(alive)*
* Angelica
* Grenowich
* 6 unnamed members of the String Gang
* 4 unnamed members of the New World Warriors
* Numerous counts of zombies

## Relationships

Harry Ward
"*Can I tell you something?... Did I ever tell you I love you?”*
**--** Ward admits his love for HollyIn their younger years in England, Harry Ward and Holly Maxon were merely acquaintances, and occasionally friends at the odd party. However, when they were both members of the Clarkson Survivors, their bond strengthened into a true friendship, and eventually into a relationship.
Ward started gaining an attraction for Holly after the group’s encounter with the Mitchell family, and the two became close and strong friends; Holly constantly voiced strong support for Ward’ actions, and she grew more and more concerned about Ward, whose lack of sleep was
making him paranoid. Her worry for him and his attraction to her led to them having sex on the train on the way to Port Collier. However, although Ward hoped the whole experience would result in something more, Holly was instead very dismissive of him, unsure about how she felt. Nonetheless, when the remains of the group ended up
in Bennington National Park, she declared she’d like to give a relationship a try.
For the next year, the pair’s bond strengthened, both
due to their isolation and their shared care of AJ. They declared their love for each other, and Ward fought relentlessly to find her when they were separated.
While at Greencole, the rest of the group compared
Edward and Holly’s relationship as ‘a replica of a marriage’; at one point,
Holly believed she was pregnant. However, they were forced to give the child to
a band of travellers after the successful sabotage of Greencole, which drove
them apart.
After several
years, Holly and Ward ended their relationship, scared to lose each other.
However, Ward maintained his feelings for her and was broken when he
learned of her terminal illness.
When Holly died, Ward demanded he finish her off
and bury her; her death broke him, sending him into a spiral of alcoholism. When he recovered, he quit drinking, and most likely never got over her death.

James Ward
Following the loss of her child, Holly becomes noticeable colder for the rest of her life, unable to completely process her grief; she forbids anyone in the group, including Ward, from even mentioning he child.
It is clear she loved her child, as Drew recounts to the adult James that his mother nearly killed herself several times after being forced to give him up.

Alex Junior
James Cottingham
*"I know exactly what he is capable of,"*
Justinas Grant
Holly and Justinas have a good friendship, though they are rarely seen interacting in *Season 1*.

Ben Appleby
Aaron Ganger
Jess Black
*"Jess...she sacrificed her body and her life to provide a glimmer of hope. Not just for us, but for the whole human race,"*
-- **Holly about Jess during the improptu funeral for the Clarkson Survivors**Holly and Jess had a good relationship. They don't interact much during the first half of *Season 1*, but they become closer in the second half during Jess's pregnancy, with Holly focussing most of her attention on the heavily pregnant Jess. During the excursion into Hopeville, Holly is willing to steal medical supplies from the community to increase Jess's chances of surviving childbirth.
Drew Stanton
Gideon Monroe
*"I'm sorry. He's never really believed in that kind of stuff. And I'm sorry he called it a magic book,"*
*"Its okay. Besides, its about some guy birthed from the seed of God, could walk on water and make bread and wine out of nothing...so I guess this **is** a magic book,"*-- **Gidoen accepts to give Holly her last rites**Holly and Gideon had a good relationship for the brief time that they knew each other.

## Appearances

Season 1
* 'And So It Begins'
* 'Friend Or Foe'
* 'A Long Road Ahead'
* 'Around All Corners'
* 'All That Remains'

Season 2
* 'What We Have Lost'
* 'Along A Lonely Road' (video-tape)
* 'An Iron Fist'
* 'In Harm's Way'
* 'What We Deserve'

Season 3
* 'Fear In Our Hearts'
* 'No Time Left'
* 'Time For After'
* 'Blood and Tears'
* 'The Distance'

Season 4
* 'Times Have Changed'
* 'Blood and Bones'
* 'Dead Men Walking'
* 'One Way Out'
* 'Hopes and Fears'

Season 5
* 'A Dime A Dozen'
* 'Bite the Bullet'
* 'Nail on the Head'
* 'Louder Than Words: Part 1'
* 'Louder Than Words: Part 2'

## Trivia

* She is the last member of the Clarkson Survivors that survived past *Season 1* to directly kill a human.
* Holly carries a copy of her favourite book, J.D Salinger's *The Catcher in the Rye*, which is famed for its themes of early adulthood and depression, themes predominantly present in the early seasons of *The Walking Dead by EDStudios*.
* Holly has the third most physical scars of any female character, after Ashleigh and Bethany.
	+ She has a long, deep scar on the right side of her face, which was caused pre-apocalypse in a car accident.
	+ She sustained several injuries following the attack on the cabin, most notably deep scars on her hands.
* Her main weapon is a sawed-off double-barrel shotgun, which she first aquired in the *Season 2* finale.
* In accordance with her last wish, Holly's tombstone reads "Holly Ward-Maxon".