Frank Thornstein

"*I'm not normal. **I never was**. Maybe in this world...just **maybe**...I can be,*"
—Frank to Ben Ashen about his mental health[src]
**Frank Thornstein** is a main character and a survivor of the pandemic in *The Langdom Experiment*. He is a mentally ill, but nonetheless friendly, homeless man residing in Langdom, Missouri, where he has earned a reputation as a helpful, kind man. He is one of the six known survivors of the experiment, and survived in Langdom alone for over two years before deciding to join Adam, Cassie and George and return with them to Shire Estate.

## Biography

### Early Life and Background

Very little is known about Frank. He has been homeless for several years, which he claims is by choice. He arrived in Langdom in the 2010s, where he became a regular sight, although he sometimes left the town for prolonged periods before returning. During this time he became friendly with Max Everett and Adam Levitt.

### The Experiment

When the Langdom Bioweapon was unleashed on the town, Frank was hiding in his shelter in the town's sewers. After witnessing the chaos unfolding above him as almost all of the town's residents became infected and Turned, he attempted to flee through the sewers to safety. He was stopped by an avalanche of concrete as the military sealed off the sewers, cutting off any path outside of town.

A few hours later, Frank had emerged from the sewers and killed the Turned Walter and Karen Witt by decapitating them with his shovel, saving Max Everett and the Children of the Plains in the process. This act also proved to the survivors that the Turned could be killed.

## Overview

### Physical Appearance

Due to being homeless, Frank has a dishevelled, dirty appearance. His hair is permanently greasy, and so he is forced to keep it short.

### Personality

Frank has lived with schizophrenia almost his entire life, at at times his mental illness has caused him to spend time in the "looney farm"; nonetheless, it does not appear to affect his intelligence or reasoning. He says to Ben Ashen that he does not believe he is "normal" and for the longest time refused to disclose his mental illness. He believes that the new world created by the Turned and the bioweapon is perhaps a better suite for him, and he could be considered "normal" by these new standards. Outside of his issues with mental health, Frank is friendly, loyal, mild-mannered and logical.

## Killed Victims

* Walter Witt *(Infected)* - decapitated with a sharpened shovel
* Karen Witt *(Infected)* - disembowelled with a sharpened shovel
* Numerous counts of unnamed Turned

## Relationships

### Max Everett

Frank and Max had a friendly relationship, having known one another for a couple years.

### Ben Ashen

Frank and Ben built up a friendly relationship during their brief time surviving together in Langdom during the experiment, with Frank confiding in Ben that he suffers from a mental health disorder that he does not wish to fully reveal. He also mentions that, in this new world, he feels he could finally be considered normal.

## Trivia

* Frank's favourite weapon is a shovel that has been sharpened into an axe, with which he is very efficient, suggesting he has past experience with edged weapons.
* Frank is the first character in the series' universe shown to kill Turned, killing the infected Walter and Karen Witt.
* Frank is confirmed to be one of the six known survivors of the Langdom Experiment via the military document seen in "*Mad World*"; the others being Adam and Cassie Levitt, Abby St. John, Charlie Everett and Lloyd Smith.
	+ Frank is the only survivor of Langdom who does not appear in *Season 2*. He returns and joins Adam's Group in *Season 3*.