William Reynes

"*You're all gathered here today -- because I have a demonstration to make. This has to happen -- and you all have to see this -- because of what he did. He stabbed me in the back. Not just me -- but the rest of you too. He's the reason Isaac's dead. He's the reason Albert's dead. And all of you, standing here today, thinking this is some monstrous, horrible act? Jared here -- would've done the SAME THING TO YOU. If it came down to it - any fucking one of you could be Albert right now. And I can't let that happen. This is for the benefit of the entire group. What I do here today - tonight - at this very moment -- is an act of justice. The reaping of seeds that Jared has sown. He lies, and lies. And If I keep this RAT BASTARD ALIVE... He's just going to do it over.. and over. Again and again. It's who he is. When I send him to hell - I don't do it for me. I do it for you. I do it for you. I do it for you. I do it for you. And I do it.. for the REST OF YOU.*"
—William to the group[src]

William Reynes is a main character and the current protagonist, as well as a survivor of the outbreak in Route to Paradise. A former biology teacher, he worked at Willamette High School, and was best friends with co-worker Jacob Feldman.

At the start of the outbreak, William was shopping at Willamette Parkview Mall with Jacob. William is intrigued by the zombies that he sees, and after sheltering in the security room with a few other survivors, he starts to work out what exactly the virus could be. During the first few days of the apocalypse, William works with Jacob and their new companions to take out not just zombies around the mall, but hostile survivors too, including Skittles the Clown and Leslie Staunton.

The mall is eventually cleared out, and William's group have the next few weeks to relax, until a new gang arrives in Willamette: The Rastas, led by the cruel and apathetic Damerae Badrick. William and the mall survivors join in on an alliance with other groups in town to fight back against the Rastas over the following days, leading to the deaths of many men and women on both sides. One important loss is Erin Monroe, Jacob's pregnant girlfriend.

Despite the group's best efforts, Willamette Mall is destroyed when The Rastas launch an attack, leaving William's group with no choice but to flee to the woods. It's clear to William that Jacob isn't in a good state of mind after Erin's death, worrying him, and although William is there to comfort Jacob, nothing seems to work. Eventually he and Jacob end up returning to their former workplace, Willamette High School, where they are reunited with some of their colleagues and students.

On a supply run a day or so later, William and Jacob encounter the Rasta leader, Damerae Badrick, and William is badly injured after being shot. Despite his best efforts to convince Jacob to leave with him, his best friend doesn't listen, with the only thing on his mind being vengeance. Lloyd Waller, one of their former students, tosses Jacob a grenade without knowing what Jacob would do with it. Jacob pulls the pin on the grenade, with the intention to kill himself and Badrick in the process. Jacob dies instantly in the explosion, and it appears that Badrick does as well.

William spends the next few days mourning the loss of his best friend, while comforting Lloyd and assuring the boy that he's not at fault. It's soon revealed, however, that Badrick is alive, albeit severely injured. He attacks the school with a horde of zombies, resulting in the deaths of William's former colleagues, while Lloyd and the other students go missing.

Now at their lowest point, William's group run into a seemingly friendly group of strangers who claim to be from a large community. William lets his guard down and agrees to go with them, which he soon learns was a mistake when they are imprisoned by the group.

During his time locked up, William starts chatting with Rebecca Dawson, a relatively new member to the group. She encourages William to step up and lead the group who have been without a leader since Jacob. One man who begins to get on William's nerves while imprisoned is the obnoxious Jared Kellings. Eventually William and his group are freed, just in time to make a stand against Badrick and his new army of Rastas. Although suffering some casualties, The Rastas are defeated, and Badrick is put down by Edward Remar.

While the group spends the next while mourning, healing, and gathering supplies, William visits Rebecca, who was shot during the battle, and they end up forming a relationship. Before the group leaves Willamette, Lloyd finds his way back, and is relieved to be reunited with William. Lloyd, who is an emotional wreck after all three of his friends died, is comforted by William. Jared, who'd been on rough terms with William, finally makes his apologies, promising to become a better man.

After a short stint in Denver, during which one of their group members, Isaac Moses, is killed, the group moves onto the state of Kansas. Around seven weeks pass, during which William and Jared become close friends, constantly bantering with each other. Things aren't all dandy however, as Jared has become the target of Daniel Rockwell and Lolida Windfield, who believe that he killed Isaac. William, however, chooses to believe Jared.

After a supply run gone wrong, one man is left dead, and Daniel and Lolida are badly hurt, which leads to the discovery that Jared isn't the man he seemed to be. Jared confesses to causing Isaac and Albert Hanson's deaths, prompting William to have him hanged in a fit of anger.

William isolates himself from everyone for the next couple of days, including Rebecca and Lloyd, the closest people to him. He's become unstable, and has completely lost trust in strangers, which is revealed when a desperate group of survivors show up at the motel they're staying at. Despite most of the group wanting to help them, William forces them out at gunpoint with the help of Jon Matthews, who's become William's wingman.

Needing to get away from the motel for a while, William opts to go on another supply run with Rebecca, Lloyd and Ed Anderson. However, they end up in the wrong town, and a small team of bandits end up sending Rebecca into a comatose state after breaking a cinder block over her head. William sees red, and he proceeds to beat the five bandits to death with his bare hands.

Things only get worse when William returns to the motel to find out that it's been lost to a horde of zombies, all because Kate Bloodstone and a few others went after the group he turned away, trying and failing to rescue them. While William is furious, he doesn't do much, having become a wreck after what's happened to Rebecca. His group moves into a church, and William spends all of his time sitting in a room with Rebecca, hoping for her to wake up.

When a pair of sisters show up claiming to be from a large community, William sends them away in fear, much to the dismay of his group. However, following the death of Brenden Trevors, who gave his life to save William, he has a change of heart and agrees to go with the sisters to their community, Worthwood.