Deacon St. John

**Deacon Lee St. John**, also referred to as **Deek**, is the playable protagonist of *Days Gone*. Once a soldier in the United States Army's 10th Mountain Division who later became an Enforcer of the Mongrels Motorcycle Club.

Two years later, he is now a survivor of the Freaker outbreak that has decimated the world across the Pacific Northwest. After losing his wife Sarah at the start of the outbreak, Deacon works as a cynical and ruthless mercenary accepting bounties from wildernesses encampments in exchange for supplies.

He is voiced and motion-captured by Sam Witwer.

## History

### Background and Early Life

Deacon was born in the early 1980's and grew up in Farewell, Oregon. As a child, his mother died of unknown causes and his father once taught him how to eliminate a rat's nest by drowning them. On Saturdays, he hopped on freight trains and rode through the Cascade rail lines. In high school, Deacon didn't achieve well academically and eventually dropped out.

As a young adult, Deacon enlisted in the United States Army and served a full tour of duty in Afghanistan. He was stationed in the 10th Mountain Division where his unit worked in collaboration with the Northern Alliance. Although Deacon served honorably, he hated every minute of his military service.

On a mission whilst advancing on Mazar-i-Sharif, Deacon's squad was ambushed by a Taliban group with flatbed trucks equipped with ZU-23 modified anti-aircraft guns. Their Humvee was destroyed and fell off a cliff into the Hari River. Deacon survived the crash and swam out to the wreckage hoping to find survivors, only to pull eight bodies back to shore including his sergeant, Tanner. Emotionally traumatized by this event, Deacon decided to leave the military.

After being discharged, Deacon returned to the United States where he purchased a motorcycle and spent a couple of years on the road drifting from place to place before he finally returned home. Deacon later gained employment as a mechanic in a motorcycle shop owned by an old man named Jack, who was The President of the Mongrels Motorcycle Club. Jack personally offered him a membership which Deacon gladly accepted and was patched as an Enforcer in the MC.

He soon met his fellow Sergeant-at-Arms member named Boozer who became his closest friend, and the pair came to regard each other as 'brothers'. Deacon later met an African American man named Jersey Jim whom he became good friends with and patched him into the MC.

Some years later, Deacon found Boozer halfway through a whiskey case who was suffering from depression after his wife Joany was killed in a drunken ride. Unwilling to watch him commit suicide, Deacon chugged a whole bottle and told him if he was going to drink himself to death, he wouldn't be doing it alone, because that's what brothers do. Boozer was touched by Deacon's willingness to sacrifice himself for him and continued to live, burying his grief.

One day, Deacon met a young botanist named Sarah Whitaker after her car had broken down. He stopped to ask for directions and pretended to go on his way only to return and finally offered her a ride which she accepted. The pair drove up the road and were nearly ambushed by a large truck. Deacon then droves her back to the car only to discover a group of rednecks attempting to rob it. Deacon engaged the trio but was overpowered and beaten, Sarah managed to scare them off by discharging a warning shot. Grateful for her assistance, Deacon decided to remain by her side.

Deacon and Sarah began a relationship, and the pair grew to love each other dearly. She tutored him in the study of plants including the use of Lavender. Deacon likewise taught her how to ride a motorcycle. He also befriended her younger sister Emma whom he grew particularly close to. However, Sarah's parents held a low opinion of Deacon due to his outlaw lifestyle.

Sometime later, a disgraced MC member named Jessie Williamson murdered a fellow member over drugs. The MC's code stipulated that the individual must be stripped of their colors. Deacon, Boozer and Jim forcibly held him down while Jack removed his Mongrels tattoo with a blowtorch and Jessie was excommunicated from the club. Deacon gradually came to regret his part in Jessie's torture, as he never told Sarah about the event and knew that she would never forgive him for committing such an immoral act.

One night, Deacon brought Sarah to a restricted pot farm owned by the MC. The pair went out for a romantic midnight stroll through a forest which led to a waterfall. He then proposed to Sarah with his Mongrels ring, which she gladly accepted. Deacon later chose to become Nomad, meaning that he would be less involved with the MC's activities in order to spend more quality time with Sarah. This decision upset the majority of his brothers in the club, apart from Boozer who remained loyal to him.

On their wedding day, Deacon and Sarah attended a small chapel in Marion Forks. However, both the MC as well as Sarah's family failed or refused to attend the ceremony.

### Freaker Virus Outbreak

Deacon, along with Boozer and Sarah, was in Farewell during the outbreak of an unknown virus. Whilst making their way through the ravaged city, Sarah was stabbed. Hearing of an evacuation at the old Brewery, the trio make their way there, cutting through a mechanics, where a man had lost his mind over the death of his wife, Deacon attempts to diffuse the situation but is forced to kill the man.

They make it to the Brewery, and Deacon threatens the NERO worker, O'Brien to take them, however there is not enough room for all of them. Boozer is injured and would not be able to make it on his own. Deacon puts Sarah on the chopper, giving her his Mongrel ring, the same ring he proposed with, telling her he wants it back.

Deacon and Boozer make it out of the city and head for the refugee camp the chopper was bound for; however it has already been overrun by Freakers. Despite being outnumbered, Deacon and Boozer manage to fight their way through and kill every single one. Deacon searches for Sarah but does not find her amongst the corpses. Despite not finding her body, Deacon concludes that Sarah is dead, and carves her name into a stone to serve as a grave.
The virus causes a complete societal collapse, with relatively few humans left alive. Adapting to the new structure of life, Deacon and Boozer took up work as bounty hunters, killing Freakers and rogue humans who threatened survivors camps. The pair did runs for several camps, including ones lead by: Mark Copeland, a conspiracy theorist who believes the apocalypse was an orchestrated event by the U.S. government, Ada Tucker, a former prison matron who had a reputation for treating the people in her camp like slaves, and Iron Mike, a man who sought for all people to come together in order to better rebuild. However, Iron Mike severed ties with Deacon after finding out he was sending people to Tucker's camp, as he considered her practice of paying for new recruits to be akin to slave trading. Iron Mike threatened to break Deacon's neck if he ever came back.

Deacon and Boozer settled in an old Forest Service watchtower on top of O'Leary Mountain in the Cascade Wilderness. They ran with several others including Rikki Patil, Alvarez and Leon, though they were eventually on their own again.

During this time, a cult called Rest In Peace (also known as the Rippers) formed, led by a man named Carlos, who preached the idea that the Freakers were the next stage in human evolution. The cult was innately hostile to all those who were not a part of the cult, believing that everyone should be made to see the Freakers as they did or be destroyed.

### Two Years Later

Deacon and Boozer continued to run solo for some time. They were contracted by Tucker to track down Leon who had stolen her camp's drugs in order to sell them to Copeland. Deacon and Boozer discovered Alvarez brutally beaten while they were tracking Leon, and she informs them that Leon had attacked her. They then give chase when he passes by and corner him. Wounded and with a horde of Freakers nearby, Deacon threatens to leave Leon to be torn apart if he does not give them information on the drugs and will make his death quick if he cooperates. Leon hands over a map to his stash and Deacon performs a mercy kill.

Returning to their bikes, Deacon finds that his fuel pump has been destroyed by a bullet Leon had fired. Not wanting to wait until morning to fix his bike. Deacon and Boozer travel to an abandoned mechanic shop called Crazy Willie's. En route, Deacon and Boozer discuss the idea of traveling north to get away from the area and the many bad memories it holds, especially considering that Deacon seems to be acting more and more reckless. Deacon agrees that heading north may be for the best.

The place is swarming with Freakers, so Boozer leads as many of them away as he can while Deacon searches for a fuel pump. After finding the required part, Deacon radios Boozer to tell him he's ready to go. Boozer informs Deacon that he's encountered Rippers. Deacon's rushes to find Boozer, only to find him being tortured by Rippers who use an acetylene torch to burn off his tattoos. Deacon dispatches the Rippers, helps Boozer, and the two flee just as a horde arrives.

Deacon and Boozer head back to their safehouse. Boozer heads to get some rest and Deacon heads back out to get his bike on foot. Discovering a group of Marauders who intend to take their safehouse by force along the way, he takes the time to eliminate them, as Boozer in his weakened state would be unable to fend them off. He then returns to the area he left his bike, finding it gone. Realizing that someone from Copeland's camp must have taken it, he spots someone from Copeland's camp and gives chase.

Arriving at Copeland's camp he discovers that his Bike has been stripped down by the camp mechanic Manny, who is scared when he realizes that it was Deacon's bike. Before Deacon can do anything to Manny, he is called by Copeland to talk. He mentions Leon was bringing him Tuck's drugs. Deacon denies knowing anything about Leon's whereabouts, but Copeland snatches Leon's hat and knows that Deacon has killed him. Copeland tells Deacon that if he wants Manny's help getting his bike fixed, he'll do runs for the camp, including bringing Leon's stash to him. Deacon reluctantly agrees. Copeland tells Deacon to head to an old radio tower and eliminate a group of deserters from his camp and reestablish the radio uplink so he can continue to broadcast, Radio Free Oregon. In the meantime, Deacon sets about making the area safer, burning out Freaker nests.

Deacon heads back to the Pioneer Cemetery in order to recover Leon's stash, upon recovering it a NERO helicopter flies overhead. Shocked, Deacon heads to the area they are landing and sneaks in to find out what they are doing. During this, he overhears several of the team members discuss O'Brian, the man who was on the helicopter the night Sarah was stabbed. Upon exiting the area, Deacon calls Boozer to discuss his discovery, Boozer warns Deacon not to get his hopes up. Deacon momentarily concedes telling Boozer to get some rest.

Deacon heads to the Hot Springs camp run by Ada Tucker, to collect the bounty on Leon, coming to an altercation with the head of security Alkai Turner. Tucker asks Deacon to look for a young woman who was spotted in Marion Forks, before requesting he send her people to work the field in exchange for credits. Deacon heads to the store, and Alkai informs him that a member of the camp had escaped a Ripper camp and informed him that the Rippers kept asking about two bikers, calling them "Mongrels" meaning that the Rippers are looking for Deacon and Boozer. While in the area, Deacon heads up to the overrun NERO camp to visit Sarah's grave in order to vent about all that has happened.

On the road, Deacon encounters another NERO helicopter and decides to follow it. The soldiers open fire on Deacon in order to scare him off, but he persists, following at a safe distance, he tracks them to another landing zone. He watches as they try to wrangle a Newt in order to perform tests on them. However, a horde forces them to abort. When the Horde clears Deacon retrieves a radio from what they've left behind, planning to use it to track down O'Brian.

In the meantime, Deacon heads to Marion Forks in order to follow up on the sighting of a girl sighted there. A group of Rippers suddenly arrive, also searching for her and Deacon dispatches them. Deacon finds the girl, Lisa, living alone in her family home he tells her that he wants to take her somewhere safe, convincing her that her parents might be at Tucker's camp. After a run in with a bear, Deacon takes Lisa to the Hot Springs camp, Lisa recognizes Tucker as an old neighbor. Deacon tries to get Tucker to go easy on Lisa, but she callously brushes off his concerns.

Deacon intercepts a radio transmission on the NERO radio he took and learns that O'Brian will be on a field op nearby. Sneaking into the area, Deacon corners O'Brien when he is isolated and demands to know what happened to Sarah. O'Brian agrees to look into what happened in exchange for Deacon's assistance, telling him that he will contact him via radio later.

Deacon continues to do runs for Copeland and Tucker, during which time he finds Lisa is unhappy staying at the camp, he sets out to find a "Thunderegg" for her to lift her spirits. She asks him to take her back to Marion Forks, but he refuses. Lisa is eventually kidnapped by Rippers and Tucker sends Deacon to get her back, finding her badly cut and beaten. Lisa refuses to return to the Hot Springs, forcing Deacon to contact Rikki, to take Lisa to Lost Lake. He lies to Tucker and says that Lisa is dead.

### Getting Help for Boozer

Meanwhile Boozer is not getting any better, so he sets out to gather ingredients to make a burn ointment, though Boozer feeling useless grows agitated with Deacon's concern. Boozer eventually becomes delirious with fever, and almost shoots Deacon with his shotgun. Left with no alternative, Deacon takes Boozer to Lost Lake to get some supplies.

Sneaking into the camp in order to steal antibiotics, Deacon is caught by Rikki and camp doctor Addy, upon discovering Deacon was driven by his desire to save Boozer they agree to help. Bringing Boozer to the infirmary. Deacon goes to see Iron Mike to discuss their situation, coming to a verbal confrontation with the head of security, Skizzo, who considers Deacon to be a threat to their way of life. Iron Mike allows Deacon and Boozer to stay on the condition Deacon helps out. Starting out by getting a Civil War era Liston Knife for the purposes of performing surgery.

Deacon receives a call from O'Brian requesting a meeting, which Deacon heads to. O'Brien requests that in exchange for his help, Deacon will need to plant trackers on other NERO team's choppers and eavesdrop on their findings as he believes the higher ups within NERO are up to something. Deacon agrees to help. Heading into the area they are conducting field ops in, Deacon finds them dissecting a live Freaker, which is more mutated than the average Freaker. Deacon is disturbed by this, but O'Brian brushes him off, saying he'll be in touch.

Deacon learns that Lisa had disappeared while out on a run for the camp near an overrun town, Rogue Camp. Deacon berates Rikki for letting her go. Heading into the town to look for her, he finds a note, from her expressing her misery and her desire to forget what she had lost.

Boozer continues to get worse needing more antibiotics to fight off the infection. Desperate to help his friend, Skizzo proposes that Deacon cross the border to Ripper country to salvage a plane that went down near the start of the outbreak, which was full of medical supplies for the Red Cross. Skizzo informs him that Iron Mike was bartering with Carlos to split the contents of the cargo hold. However, they do not have time to wait and crossing the Iron Ridge could result in the treaty Iron Mike negotiated with Carlos coming to an end.

Deacon heads into Iron Butte to find the wreckage of the plane, killing several members of the cults as he goes. Reaching the plane, he is forced to deal with a Breaker, a hulking Freaker. After dispatching it, he finds that the cargo hold has been picked almost clean, but he manages to find a container of antibiotics. Heading back, Deacon returns to the border greeted by Skizzo and some of his men, who pick off the Rippers who were following him out. Deacon informs Skizzo that the Rippers had lied about splitting the supplies.

Rikki arrives looking for Deacon, saying that Addy was looking for him. Heading back to the camp, Rikki informs Deacon that Skizzo has been looking for an excuse to pick a fight with the Rippers and has used Deacon to do it. At the infirmary, Addy tells Deacon that Boozer hasn't got time, Deacon is horrified realizing that she is talking about amputating Boozer's arm, which she says is the only choice, or else he will die. Reluctantly, Deacon and Addy hold Boozer down while Addy performs the procedure.

Afterwards Deacon and Rikki sit in silence, in disbelief at what has happened. An enraged Iron Mike arrives to tell Deacon that Rippers had seen him, and that when Carlos found out, there would be retribution, Deacon is disinterested in Carlos wants, and Mike berates him for his reckless disregard for the consequences that may fall on others for his actions.

### Plan to Stop the Hordes

While doing more runs for O'Brian, Deacon concocts a plan to make the area safer by sealing the nearby caves while the freakers hibernating, he brings the idea to Iron Mike, who agrees that it might be worth a try, though they'll need dynamite and detonating cable. The pair head to Sherman's Camp to retrieve copies of keys that the local Commissioner kept. Sherman's camp was known for being overrun not long into the outbreak, with only two survivors, one of whom was Iron Mike.

They find the commissioner in a mass of decomposing bodies, which Deacon realizes Iron Mike had survived the slaughter, and has taken him to see for the purposes of showing him what would happen if Lost Lake went to war with the Rippers. Retrieving the maps to the mines, the town is suddenly invaded by marauders, leading to the pair fighting their way out.

Returning to lost Lake, Iron Mike tells Deacon that he won't go out of his way to go to war with the Rippers, as if humanity needs to come together to rebuild when all this ends. Deacon goes to check up on Boozer, who despite losing his arm seems to be in good spirits, making jokes at his own expense. Addy assures Deacon that he saved Boozer's life and that he owes him. Deacon heads out on another run for O'Brian nearby.

### Restoring Power

Rikki calls on Deacon to help her restore power to Lost Lake with the local hydroelectric dam. They fight through numerous Freaks and Rippers at the location but fail to restore power once they realize a power line has been destroyed. The duo later goes to fix it and fight through several Newts in order to restore power. The whole camp celebrates the returning electricity while Deacon leaves to get patched up by Rikki after sustaining injuries by the Newts. They share a brief intimate moment while Skizzo notices from afar.

### A Brother in Need

Deacon goes to check on Boozer and finds that he has gotten drunk and run away from Mike's farm where he works. He comes upon his patched brother about to face a horde. Deacon sobers him up with a speech on their deep brotherhood. They race back to Lost Lake on Deacon's bike, and he asks Rikki to make Boozer a knife attachment to his prosthetic arm in order to defend himself. Boozer becomes much happier when he is given his new weapon.

### Betrayal

Mike enlists Deacon and Skizzo to retrieve wiring for the bomb to be used to seal in a horde. The two bicker all the way through but are ultimately successful in their efforts. Skizzo disturbs Deacon when he mentions that he is plotting to overthrow and kill Iron Mike with the help of the camp council. The drifter is increasingly unsettled when Skizzo proposes the two of them co-lead Lost Lake. Deacon declines, citing that he has never and will never sink that low despite his past actions. Skizzo asks Deacon to keep an open mind on the offer.

The duo later sneaks into Iron Butte in order to gather more material for the upcoming bomb. Deacon begins to warm up to Skizzo but their shared animosity soars to new heights when he betrays Deacon to the Rippers. He claims that the only way to keep Lost Lake safe was to turn him into the Rippers as a way to bargain for the camp's safety.

### Painful Reunion

Deacon is taken to the Rippers' temple where he is tortured by a mysterious figure. The figure reveals himself to be the leader of the Rippers, Carlos. Deacon recognizes Carlos as the brutally excommunicated Mongrel, Jessie Williamson, who put bounties on he and Boozer's head for the MC's treatment of him. Carlos swears that Deacon will die but not until he and Boozer are both tortured by him. He leaves the room after burning the tattoo on Deacon's right arm completely off with a blowtorch. Carlos says that he will burn off one tattoo at a time until he turns in Boozer. The Rippers then prepare to attack Lost Lake to retrieve Boozer themselves.

Lisa arrives in the room moments later and frees the bound drifter. She reveals she was kidnapped by the Rippers who tortured her after joining in an effort to help her forget her past. Deacon makes his way out of the temple and retrieves his gear but turns back to help Lisa. Her betrayal had been discovered and Deacon helps her escape. The two then go their separate ways as Deacon hurries to Lost Lake to save his brother.

He arrives just in time to save several campers in the Ripper assault. The cultists leave once the signal has been sound that a new treaty has been signed. Deacon arrives in Mike's cabin to find Carlos, Mike, Boozer, Skizzo, and serveral campers and Rippers holding one another at gunpoint. Deacon reveals Skizzo's betrayal which causes him to frantically declare his innocence and loyalty to Iron Mike, citing it was for the greater good. Mike demands Carlos and the Rippers leave and do so, albeit ominously. Mike has Skizzo arrested and awaiting trial.

### Enough is Enough

Deacon taunts Skizzo and goes to meet Iron Mike while he is praying. Deacon insists they deal with Carlos and Rest In Peace once and for all while Mike claims enough blood has been spilled. Deek disregards Mike's order and plots with Boozer, who also recognized Carlos as Jessie, to take care of their former brother once and for all. The two brothers ride off to Iron Butte with a plan to flood the Ripper temple by destroying the nearby dam.

The duo arrives at the dam and fight many Rippers as Boozer plants C4 along it. The flood destroys a majority of the Rippers in the temple, but many Freaks erupt to join in the chaos. Deacon enters the ruined temple to confront Carlos, but he sprays PCP in his face. Carlos taunts the dazed a dazed Deacon but is soon killed in the fight. The duo leaves the destroyed temple quietly remorseful over the numerous deaths despite the cult's sadistic actions

Deacon returns to Lost Lake and tells Mike what happened. He is disturbed by the news but tells Deacon that he exiled Skizzo in order to avoid more bloodshed. This greatly upsets Deacon but Boozer is content with the decision, citing Mike's points.

### Reignited Hope

Deacon is coming to terms that Sarah is dead after O'Brian told him the NERO refugee camp, she was in was overrun with Freaks with the only survivors being priority refugees who were airlifted out. However, he sees Rikki and Addy working on a bike which reminds him of a time he went to Cloverdale Research to visit her at work and was refused entry. Deek remembers she had high-class security clearance so she must have been a priority survivor who was airlifted out of the refugee camp.

Deacon contacts O'Brian with the news and they meet to discuss the situation after the latter acquires info on Sarah's potential departure. Boozer accompanies Deacon but stays at the bike, so he does not spook O'Brian. The scientist tells Deek that she did depart but the camp she was taken to was taken over by the Deschutes County Militia, a powerful militaristic group with firepower capable of defeating NERO personnel. Due to their combat effectiveness, O'Brian cannot drop Deacon off in Militia territory so he must drive there himself. He scratches up her grave with his knife as a symbol of her newly discovered survival.

Deacon sets off with reignited hope but finds Boozer missing. He finds Boozer had fought and killed multiple Rippers who were hunting dogs. Boozer is particularly distraught over a dying one and flies into a rage at the dog hunters. They return to Lost Lake and Deek is encouraged by Addy to get Boozer a dog to improve his outlook. Deacon soon does so to Boozer's delight and names the puppy Jack, after the President of the Mongrels.

### Departure

Deacon decides to travel south alone in search of Sarah. The rest of Lost Lake are upset by this, even Boozer, who insist it is a lost cause. Iron Mike shows Deacon how to travel past the mountains but only if he never comes back. He travels further south, and encounters Militia soldiers being attacked by a Rager Bear. Deek swiftly kills it and is welcomed as a potential recruit by Captain Derrick Kouri and Corporal Glen Russell. Deacon notices Kouri is wearing his Mongrels ring he had given to Sarah which makes him suspicious of the Militia.

Kouri and Deacon depart from Diamond Lake to travel to Militia headquarters, Wizard Island. There, he meets the Deschutes County Militia leader, Colonel Matthew Garret, a fanatic who claims he was ordained by God to guide humanity in the apocalypse. Deek meets Wade Taylor, a former drug addict who quickly forms a bond with Deacon, and Crystal Adkins, a brash convicted felon. Garrett is quick to assign Adkins to the work camp while he selects Deacon and Taylor to be soldiers in the Miliita. Due to his experience in the Freakshow, Deacon is promoted to corporal by the Colonel.

### Reunited at Last

Garrett introduces Deacon to Lieutenant James Weaver, a scientist creating napalm Molotov to help destroy hordes. Deacon is then introduced to another anti-Freak scientist nicknamed the "Wizard Island Witch," Sarah herself. Sarah dismisses the soldier accompanying Deacon claiming she wanted to give him his first requisition order. The two kiss and embrace but Sarah denies Deacon's offer to flee Wizard Island. She does however promise to do so once her research is completed, which Deacon begrudgingly agrees to.

Deacon does several missions on behalf of Wizard Island and Diamond Lake. Some of these include gathering materials for Weaver and Sarah as well as fake turning in a bounty on an AWOL Crystal Adkins. Sarah and Deacon's relationship proves to be tense with her responsibilities to the Militia since she is in competition with Weaver to build an anti-Freak super weapon. The two do exhibit affection for one another but Deek struggles to spend time with her as they are keeping their marital status a secret and are often separate due to their respective positions.

### Behind the Fall

Sarah spends time with Deacon to go to the Chelmut Community College to gather a device for her anti-Freak research. The relationship between them becomes even more tense when Sarah suffers several dangerous encounters by Freaks and marauders which greatly scares Deacon. The two compete their search and depart on unhappy terms.

The two later reconcile to go on another mission to help in Sarah's research. They travel north to Cloverdale Research Iron Butte Facility where Sarah used to work in order to find a DNA synthesizer to study the virus. They discover that her coworkers had all been murdered by Jim, who was a cantankerous security guard, and the rest of Cloverdale's security detail. They fight through them, and Sarah kills Jim in cold blood after he admits her coworkers were killed in order to stop too many survivors from living in the facility.

The couple travel down to the labs and Sarah's suspicions are confirmed. She had put together that Cloverdale used her research to create a bioweapon that would result in the Freaker virus. Sarah breaks down and tells the story of how an intern, David Gorman, confided in her that he was going to blow the whistle on the operation. She disregarded this news as paranoia, but he traveled to an environmental convention in Portland with a sample of the virus. He later infected everyone there and the world would fall shortly after.

Deacon comforts her with the fact that Sarah will be the one to end this virus. He calls Boozer and Rikki to inform them to go to Cloverdale to retrieve the food from the self-sustaining facility and tells them of her survival. Boozer is delighted to hear this news but is disappointed when the pair have to leave for the south immediately before the snowfall makes traversal impossible. Sarah and Deacon have to settle in a cabin for the night. The couple's tension leaves for good when the two spend the night together.

### Hope in Sight

Deacon meets Sarah later and ask him to retrieve a particular Newt girl she has been studying for months. He retrieves her and they test out Sarah's potential cure. All seems to be going well but the girl dies after every cell in her body explodes. Sarah is distraught over the girl's death, but Deacon reassures her she will find the cure thanks to her unprecedented willpower in the Freakshow.

The napalm Molotov has been completed by Weaver parallel to Sarah's attempted cure. Deacon and Kouri test several out on a large horde which proves successful and brings hope to destroying the Freakers once and for all.

### The Colonel's Decline

Prominent Militia captain, Dr. Arturo Jiminez is murdered by Taylor after being assigned as his guard. He struck a deal with several marauders in order to steal Jiminez's drug supply and the doctor was killed by Taylor in desperation. They made off with the drugs and Deacon is assigned by Colonel Garrett himself to bring Taylor back to camp to be hanged and to retrieve what was stolen.

Deacon tracks them down and kills many of the marauders before he reunites with his former fellow recruit. Taylor grievingly begs Deek not to take him back and regrets killing Jiminez. Deacon forcefully overdoses Taylor so he can avoid a humiliating execution but stages it as an accident. Kouri arrives and knows what Deacon has done and warns him that the Colonel will not be happy. They inform Garrett of Taylor's death which greatly angers him.

The situation gets even worse when Garrett orders that all priority personnel, such as Weaver and Sarah, be placed in the ark to keep them safe from meeting a fate like Jiminez who was the Militia's only doctor. This is incredibly inconvenient to Deacon and Sarah since they were plotting to desert after the Milita's conditions worsened. Deacon notifies O'Brian that he will need an emergency NERO helicopter to airlift the couple out as a favor for all the jobs Deek performed for him. O'Brian agrees on the condition that he does one last job for him.

### In the Dark

Deacon is assigned to check on a NERO team who ventured into a cave to research an infected subject they had been studying for months and retrieve the research. He finds that the team is dead except for O'Brian's friend who gets the opportunity to radio his family goodbye. Deacon kills the Reacher responsible for the team's death and a horde inhabiting the cave. Deek taunts O'Brian over leading the team into a death trap which greatly angers the scientist. Despite the argument, O'Brian promises that Deacon and Sarah will be airlifted out when he gives the word.

### Truth Revealed

Deacon returns to Wizard Island to escape on a NERO chopper after witnessing a speech by Garrett that he has been made aware of survivor camps by new recruits to the north that he will exterminate. Deacon destroys their rocket launchers so the chopper can land. The pair sneak their way to the LZ after Weaver lets them go but run into another problem. Garrett meets them and introduces them to new recruits, one of which being Skizzo. He instantly recognizes Deacon and lunges at him which causes much chaos that results in the three of them being arrested. O'Brian and his team are forced to leave after their helicopter is shot at by the Militia forces.

Skizzo and Deacon vehemently declare their innocence while being interrogated by the Colonel. Deacon claims he never met him in his life but is caught in a lie when Skizzo counters with another lie. He claims that Deek had thrown himself upon a woman and described the Mongrel tattoo on his back, this was due to seeing his back while Rikki patched his wounds. Garrett sees the matching tattoo on Deacon's back and rebukes him or his "actions."

The Colonel accuses Sarah of being a NERO spy due to her time in one of their refugee camps and one of their choppers had just tried to evacuate her. Deacon claims he was the spy and shows Garrett the radio as proof. O'Brian calls and Garrett destroys the radio immediately. He apologizes to Sarah for assaulting her and orders Deacon be taken away to await trial. Deek is knocked unconscious and dragged away.

### The Militia Unleashed

Derrick Kouri drags Deacon near the border to the north. He tells Deek after regaining consciousness that he could not have come all this way to just to see if old friends were with the Militia, which was Deacon's excuse to join. He deduced he must have done it for Sarah and encourages him to gather help to take Garrett down and save her. Kouri and his men tell Deek they are going AWOL in order to travel to Reno where it might be safer. Deacon thanks him for all he’s done and departs to the threatened Lost Lake.

Deacon fights back much Militia forces on his way to Lost Lake. Skizzo has been promoted to captain and was appointed Garrett's second-in-command as head of security for the ark. He leads the attack, but they are pushed back shortly after Deacon arrives. Deek rushes to find Skizzo but goes to check on Iron Mike after finding out the traitor had fled. Mike has been fatally wounded and is lying in bed with Rikki and Addy at his bedside. He apologizes to Deacon and claims he was right. Deacon tells Mike he is still going to live but he succumbs to his wound's minutes later.

Deacon and Rikki go outside to speak to the concerned Lost Lake survivors. Deek breaks the news of Mike's death and struggles to encourage them in their distress. Rikki gets their attention and Deacon continues his speech. He rallies them together with the plan to attack the Militia's headquarters before they can form another attack.

Boozer, promoted to Lost Lake's head of security before the attack, and Deacon plot to smash an armored car rigged to explode but need resources to build the bomb. Deek fights through the Militia and two large hordes but does manage to gather the supplies for the bomb. Rikki constructs the armored car, and they begin to ready the attack.

If Deacon has level 3 trust at Copeland's Camp and the Hot Springs, Copeland and Alkai will support him in the attack.

### Assault on Wizard Island

Deacon and his allies race to Wizard Island to end the Militia once and for all. Boozer pushes Deek into the outside of the camp and seemingly sacrifices himself by driving the explosive car into the front gate of the island. Deacon is distraught but overcomes his aquaphobia and swims to shore. He fights through numerous soldiers on his way to the ark. Deacon saves Weaver from the soldiers and tells him where Sarah is being held by the Colonel.

Deek fights Skizzo outside of Garrett's chambers. Skizzo seems to be getting the upper hand in the fight but is mortally wounded after being stabbed by Deacon. He taunts Skizzo over his past actions and kills him by slitting his throat. Deek makes his way to Garrett and hears him insisting that they are all safe from the chaos.

Deacon enters the Colonel's chambers and finds him and several soldiers holding Sarah at gunpoint. Garrett demands Deacon sit down to have some tea with him. He chastises the drifter for destroying everything he had built. Deacon counters by claiming Garrett is worse than the Freakers which makes him fly into a rage. Sarah attempts to grab the Colonel's gun but is pistol whipped in response. Garrett has his hand around Deacon's throat and attempts to aim the revolver at him, but he suddenly grows weaker. His face turns purple and dies from Sarah's poisoning of his tea with hemlock. The couple embrace with the greatest threat to their lives now gone.

### Free at Last

Deacon thanks the survivors for all they have done and is reunited with Boozer who had jumped out of the car before it exploded. He gives a hopeful speech with the remaining survivors and Militia soldiers who defected to their side. Weaver takes over Wizard Island and thanks Deacon for all that he has done. Deek burns the Militia flag and kisses Sarah in celebration of their victory. The two rides off embracing once as they are finally able to be together

They settle in Lost Lake where they reside in Deacon and Boozer's home there.

### Safe at Last

Deacon later encounters Lisa outside of Lost Lake insisting she is not a Ripper to the guard. He arrives just in time to defend her and asks her what she is up to. Lisa has become a drifter and is carrying a large number of Freak ears to turn in. Deacon agrees to help her and insists she meet Sarah and explains he helped her because she reminds him of her little sister. Lisa reminisces about her older sister and agrees to stay but only for a little while. Deacon laughs and they go to meet Sarah.

### A Dire Warning

Deacon travels to Wizard Lake in order to retrieve his rings that were confiscated upon his recruitment. He later receives a call from O'Brian who insists they meet to discuss something serious. Deek meets him and O'Brian reveals a dark secret. He removes his helmet and reveals himself to be an intelligent Freaker. O'Brian warns Deacon that NERO is going to destroy the survivors and he is sorry that nothing can be done to stop it.

O'Brian departs by using his superhuman agility to jump on the leaving chopper. Deacon is terrified and left bewildered as the chopper takes off.

## Personality

Deacon is quite a complex individual. Even prior to the apocalypse, Deacon had suffered quite a lot of traumas from his time in war and has a somewhat grim outlook. He was described as being "broken" having lost much since the outbreak. Deacon still wears his kutte as it reminds him of the times when he lived by a code, and of the brotherhood and camaraderie, he felt with his club and the sense of belonging he once had. Deacon still retains some aspects of his code, as he will not attack unarmed women and will be enraged by anyone who does so.

Despite this, Deacon can still be quite lighthearted and even sarcastic, cracking jokes with those whom he has a good rapport.

Deacon doesn't seem to do so well taking orders from others. So much so that he admits he hated every minute of his military service. He seems very quick to brush off the concerns of settlement leaders who asked him for help. He does however do so when he needs to in order to win favor with other survivor camps.

Deacon is far from heartless, as he went to save Manny from a group of bandits. Granted, this was partially through self-interest as Manny was capable of helping him due to his skill as a mechanic. Deacon also rescues Lisa Jackson, a teenager who has been surviving on her own and was assaulted by thugs. He feels regret taking her to Tucker, who was Lisa's neighbor before, as she forces her to work like a slave. Deacon later rescues her again from Rippers after she runs away, and he hands her off to Rikki, who takes Lisa to Iron Mike's Camp. He is angered to learn that she once again disappeared. Deacon has performed several mercy killings, in order to spare people from a crueler fate, such as stopping them from being eaten alive by Freakers￼ or being hanged by the the Deschutes County Militia.

## Relationships

### Sarah Whitaker

Sarah is Deacon's wife. They had a very loving relationship, as Deacon was willing to go "nomad" to try and please Sarah, and Sarah didn't mind that no one attended their wedding except Boozer. They were shown to be very sarcastic and teasing of each other. Regardless it is very clear that they were deeply in love.

Losing Sarah drove Deacon into a deep mournful depression, driving him to reckless and borderline suicidal behavior. Finding out she might be alive gave Deacon a new sense of purpose to try and find her and regain what he lost.

### Boozer

Boozer is Deacon's best friend and companion. Having rode together in the Mongrel MC, they view each other as brothers, both of them continue to wear their MC colors long into the apocalypse, symbolizing they both miss the days when they rode in MC and all that they lost.

Deacon is willing to do whatever he can to protect Boozer and keep him safe and will become enraged when anyone threatens him.

## Killed Victims

* Leon
* Carlos
* Skizzo
* Numerous counts of Rippers
* Numerous counts of Marauders
* Numerous counts of Anarchists
* Numerous counts of D.C.M. soldiers
* Numerous counts of Freakers

## Appearance & Attire

Deacon is a Caucasian male with a tall, athletic build. He has brown eyes and black hair, which he wears in a long shaggy style, and has a small beard. Deacon wears a white long sleeve t-shirt under an orange hood, which he cut the sleeves short. He wears blue jeans and brown combat boots. He also has a fitted, black baseball cap, which he wears backward.

Deacon also wears several rings, notably, one that bears the letters "MC", his wedding ring and a large dog skull ring.

Deacon temporarily wears a green army jacket, and also wears a Deschutes County Militia snapback cap whilst enlisted with the militia.

Prior to the apocalypse, Deacon wore his hair in a short style and his facial hair was neatly groomed.

Deacon has numerous scars from his time in the army, time as an outlaw and time surviving the apocalypse.

### Kutte

Deacon's most notable item of clothing is his kutte. It is made of black leather and is adorned with the Mongrels MC colors as well as various other patches that indicate his status as a biker. His patches are:

* **Mongrels MC colors:** Typical motorcycle club colors that represent club affiliation and territory the wearer is is based in. In typical MC fashion, these are located on the back of Deacon's kutte. The colors consist of:
	+ **Mongrel:** The top rocker which bears the club's name.
	+ **Club Logo & MC:** The Mongrels' logo consisting of a chained, rabid dog skull biting through chains with a spurt of blood in its jaws, and an MC patch.
	+ **Farewell Original:** The bottom rocker indicates the chapter of the MC the wearer is a member of. The addition of the term Original also means that Farewell was the original chapter of the MC and the head of the organization.
* **Nomad:** Indicates that Deacon had become less involved with the MC. Locates on the right side of his cut.
* **Enforcer:** Indicates Deacon's rank. Located above the right breast pocket.
* **1e/r:** "One Percenter" Indicates Deacon's status as an outlaw. Located above the left breast pocket.
* **Biker:** Indicates Deacon's status as a biker. Located above Enforcer patch.
* **F.T.W:** Acronym which either means 'Forever Two Wheels' or 'Fuck the World.' Located on the hem.
* **Anarchy Symbol:** The "A" symbol which is shorthand for Anarchy, located on the left side of Deacon's kutte.
* **M.F.F.M.: Acronym for "Mongrels Forever, Forever Mongrels" located on the left side of Deacon's kutte.**

### Tattoos

Deacon has numerous tattoos. His known tattoos are

* 10th Mountain Division: Symbol of Deacon's Army Unit. Right Hand.
* RIDE: The word "RIDE". Right hand, across individual knuckles.
* Reaper: Grim Reaper tattoo. Right Forearm. This is later partially burned off by the Rippers.
* Barbed Wire: Wrapped around right bicep.
* Winged Skull: Possibly a U.S. Army Airborne Tattoo. Right Shoulder.
* Skull & Crossbones: Skull with two wrenches taking the places of crossbones. Left hand.
* HARD: The word "HARD" on his left hand, across individual knuckles.
* Freedom Enduring: A Snake wrapped around a knife with the words "Freedom Enduring." Left forearm.
* Dagger: Ornate dagger and pattern. Chest.
* Sarah: Deacon's wife's name. Right side of neck.
* Forever MC: Left side of neck
* Mongrel MC Colors: Same as his back patches. Back.

## Skills

**Motorcyclist:** Deacon is a very skilled motorcyclist, having been a member of a motorcycle club prior to the apocalypse, it is evident that he is very good with a bike.

**Hand to Hand Combat:** Deacon is more than capable of fighting off multiple foes, either with a weapon or with his bare hands.

**Marksmanship:** Deacon is a competent marksman, being able to hold off swarms of Freakers or take on enemy marauders single-handed.

**Stealth:** Deacon's time surviving in the aftermath of the apocalypse has given him a keen sense of stealth and is more than capable of avoiding detection when he needs to.

**Tracking:** Deacon is capable of tracking a human, freakers and animals. He can use this to deduce what happened in a certain circumstance.

## Equipment & Weapons

**Drifter Bike**: Deacon's motorcycle. Serves as his primary mode of transportation and portable arsenal, it is heavily customized for on and off-road use

**Binoculars**: Deacon has a set of binoculars to scout the wilderness.

**Knife**: Deacon keeps a knife tucked into his boot at all times, useful for dispatching foes or cutting rope, breaking locks and other functions.

**Pistol**: Deacon carries a pistol with him at all times.

**Assault Rifle**: Deacon can carry different assault rifles.

**Shotgun**: Deacon can carry various different Shotguns.

**Sniper Rifle**: Deacon can carry various different Rifles.

**Crossbow**: Deacon can be equipped with a crossbow.

**Light Machine Gun**: Deacon can be equipped with a light machine gun.

**Improvised Explosives**: Deacon carries a variety of handcrafted explosives such as Molotov Cocktails, Pipe Bombs, Remote Bombs, Attractor Bombs, and Proximity Bombs.

## Challenges

Deacon is a playable character in the Challenges DLC. Several versions of Deacon are available to play:

* **Deacon**: An ex-Mongrels MC member turned nomadic Drifter. This is a fully clothed Deacon.

## Gallery

Deacon fending off a FreakerDeacon with SarahDeacon 3D model
### Concept Art

First *final* model for Deacon. It was abandoned entirely and replaced by a digital double-based model with actor Sam WitwerEarly concepts for Deacon
## Trivia

* The name **Deacon** is of Greek origin meaning 'dusty one' or 'servant' it is also a term for an ordained minister in some denominations of Christianity. His surname **John** is of Latin origin which translates 'to be gracious'. His middle name Lee is derived from English meaning 'clearing' or 'meadow'.
* Deacon is named after Creative Director John Garvin's pet. His surname St John is the name of the street which Garvin grew up on.
	+ Deacon is once referred to as "The Son of a Preacher Man." by Taylor, much to his chagrin.
	+ Deacon's name is similar to that of the Queen Bass player, John Deacon. Interestingly the game features several homages to the band. The trophies associated with skills are all named after lyrics from the Queen song, "Don't Stop Me Now" (the trophies being "Don't Stop Me Now", "I'm Out of Control", "There's No Stopping Me" and "Mr. Fahrenheit"). There is also a horde that the description upon beating it is "Another Horde Bites the Dust" which is a play on the Queen song "Another One Bites the Dust," which was written by John Deacon.
* During the design development of Deacon’s physical appearance, the developers worked to ensure that he kept his outlaw-biker roots intact but also wanted him to dress believably for riding the broken road after a global pandemic.
* Deacon St. John's character appears to be inspired by Jackson "Jax" Teller from FX's original series *Sons of Anarchy*. They were high-ranking members of an 1% outlaw motorcycle club which they held a strong loyalty towards. They both appeared to be in their thirties with a slim physique and bear distinct tattoos. They both chose to become Nomad, while Jax eventually reconsidered, Deacon's decision was permanent. They were also both married to a woman who studied in the field of biology.
* Deacon's neck tattoo of Sarah is similar to Nero Padilla's from *Sons of Anarchy*.
* Deacon also shares a few similarities to Daryl Dixon from AMC's *The Walking Dead*. Both are motorcycle enthusiasts and hardened survivors who have endured loss in a post-apocalyptic world. Additionally, both Deacon and Daryl have a red bandana that hangs out of their back pants pocket.
* According to Deacon, his baseball cap is a gift from an 'old friend'. The identify of this person is never revealed.
* Deacon disliked mobile phones and so he never owned one, as he claims to have hated how he saw everybody had their heads buried in them.
* In the original trailer/gameplay demo, Deacon's kutte bore a patch that identified him as a "Road Captain" for his MC. This was later changed to "Enforcer." It is currently unknown why this change of rank occurred.
* Oddly, Deacon has a nomad patch on his kutte, but also has the bottom rocker of the mother charter of the MC. Typically bikers who are in nomad charters would wear the nomad patch as a bottom rocker but replace it upon transferring charters. In game it was explained this meant he was going to be less involved as opposed to not being bound to a territory as he stayed with the original character.
* Deacon's Mongrel Ring is inscribed with the Latin Phrase "Morior Invictus" which he claims translates to "Death Before Defeat." Morior Invictus more closely translates to "I Protest Undefeated." On the front of his ring is the number 13 (which was the number of his old military unit) for most members of the MC it stood for 'M' or 'Mayhem'. On the inside lies the inscription "I ride in the Valley of the Shadow of Death, I fear no one."
* Deacon is aquaphobic, this is a result of a traumatic experience whilst serving in Afghanistan where he witnessed the death of his entire squad in the Hari River. He later conquers this fear when infiltrating Wizard Island.

1. ↑ 157 Rapid-Fire Questions About Days Gone
2. ↑ http://readallcomics.com/the-art-of-days-gone-tpb-part-1/