Don Mason

> *"God, I have to piss so bad my teeth are floating."*
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> - Don Mason's last coherent words in ***Life After: The Arising***
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**Donald Phillip "Don" Mason** is a minor character in ***Life After: The Arising***.

A high school senior, Don participates in the marching band competition at Thomas Massey high school just before the zombie apocalypse begins. As the chaos unfolds, Don follows Jeff Grey into the school, kicking off the events of ***Life After: The Arising***.

## Appearance and Character

Don is not described in any detail, even though Jeff instantly recognizes him in the group.

If nothing else, Don seems eager to participate in the group's decisions, whether he's debating Jeff of defending Melody Landon from the rest of the band members. When Jake Klimavicius attempts to leave, Don is the first one to try restraining him, thereafter remaining vaguely combative with Jeff.

## History

Nothing is known about Don's past beyond what is apparent when he and Jeff reconnect in the greenhouse.

## Recent Events

### *Life After: The Arising*

Don participates in the marching band festival at TMHS as a member of the Thomas Massey Monarch marching band when a crowd of zombies interrupt the proceedings. In the ensuing panic, Don follows Jeff as he grabs Julia Marino and races toward the school.

Once settled, Jeff explains the grim possibilities of their situation, drawing the ire of Melody and impetuous sophomore Matt Hughes while finding some support for his plan to stay put in Ava Vaziri, John Squared, and local vagrant Richard McKnight. Don and Jake Klimavicius say very little, but ultimately agree to spend the night. During the course of the evening, they are joined by Steve Parmacek, a student from out of town who was injured by one of the zombies. As a precaution, Jeff insists they restrain him before trying to sleep.

By morning, Matt has disappeared and Steve has turned into a zombie, confirming Jeff's suspicions about their predicament. Jake tries to leave as well, but is talked out of it before Jeff again laments the absence of Anderson, who had, since graduation, enlisted in the Pennsylvania National Guard. The group gathers supplies and listens to the radio, learning that the zombies are believed to be protesters, but the town is nevertheless quarantined. Over the next few hours, Jeff attempts to mitigate a burgeoning conflict between Ava and Melody while the group establishes a rotation to watch the main road in front of the school.

Following a return from roof duty, Jeff accompanies Don to the downstairs bathroom, but Don gets away from Jeff and engages a small group of zombies that breached the school. An awkward conflict ensues in the dark classroom, resulting in Don being grabbed and consumed by the undead, leaving Jeff little choice beyond a mercy killing that sees him slam a desk on Don's head.

Don's death is not without repercussions; Rich assumes that Jeff gave up on him because of their apparent disagreements, while John Anderson dismisses his demise as irrelevant because he was "an asshole".

### *Life After: The Void*

When Rich argues with Jeff about the plan where he, Colin Mursak, and Anderson intend to collect their computers and personal effects while scouting the surrounding region, Rich brings up Don, infuriating Jeff. Jeff recalls him again when revisiting the greenhouse, and later still, after the group engages him in an intervention.

Following an engagement with a group of marauders, Jeff again reflects on killing Don, misremembering his surname as "Baker". Later, when Rich supposes that the group has a hard decision to make about recovering drug addict Robert Proctor, Jeff assails Rich with the same logic that saw him questioning Jeff's judgement with Don.