Main characters
Sam Temple: A fifteen-year-old boy named Sam is the main character. He was nicknamed "School bus Sam" after saving a group of school kids when their bus driver had a heart attack, and he took the wheel and steered the kids to safety. He is described to be good-looking, but not so much that girls would call him a "hottie." He is tall, with dark brown hair and blue eyes. He has a crush on Astrid Ellison throughout the entire novel and eventually becomes a leader among the "townies" while in the FAYZ. Like others he has developed a freak (mutant) ability; he can shoot green beams of energy from his hands. It is also revealed in Gone that Caine is his fraternal twin brother. After the Thanksgiving battle (Gone), Sam is officially elected the leader of the children of Perdido Beach. However, with the new title comes a whole new batch of responsibilities. Sam is shown to be falling apart due to the vast amount of stress placed on him through the next two books (appearing to suffer from post traumatic stress disorder). Though a council is established at the end of Hunger, he is still ineffectively running the entire town but becomes tired of the constant pressure, demands and blame for anything that goes wrong. Sam's mother was a non-observant Jew, and his fathers name on the birth certificate is Teagen Smith.
Astrid Ellison: A fifteen year old girl dating Sam Temple and is the sister of "Little Pete". She is nicknamed "Astrid the Genius" because she is a brainiac and knows everything. Astrid is conventionally pretty, with blonde hair and blue eyes. Astrid's style is described as very proper and slightly formal, but after the coming of the FAYZ she begins dressing more casually. Astrid and Sam's relationship deteriorates during the last two books. One of the most important parts of Astrid's life is caring for her brother, something she often puts before her role on the town council and her relationship with Sam. Astrid, like Sam, finds the job of running Perdido Beach's council too difficult, and the job is passed to Edilio Escobar, a close friend of Sam and of Astrid. Astrid is highly religious and through the the last two books she has many moral struggles, starting with the realization that "a simple act of murder" caused Little Pete to create a disruption in the FAYZ wall, revealing the outside world for a split second. Life in the FAYZ eventually causes Astrid, like so many others, to crumble and ultimately she throws her brother to the evil bugs sent by Drake Merwin to destroy the town, hoping that this act will cause the FAYZ to end.
Peter "Little Pete" Ellison: five-year-old autistic boy. He is described as being pretty like a girl, and more than a bit strange. He is a Freak with strong but unknown powers. It has been shown that he has the power to teleport others and himself to other locations, the power to choke someone telepathically, create illusions, imagine things and make them come to life, levitate, create rain clouds and many other abilities. Pete has not been measured by diana although, he is very powerful. He can't control his powers properly. Sam and Edilio see via a security tape at the power plant that he is the one responsible for the FAYZ; he is said to be the most powerful Freak in the FAYZ by far. Unfortunately, Pete only reacts to trigger words such as "window seat", "munchy munchy" and "walkie walkie"; otherwise, he is almost completely unresponsive and keeps his attention focused on his Gameboy system. In Hunger Pete's dreams come to life as real beings. He is also in contact with the Darkness, who thinks of him as “Nemesis” - “Nemesis with infinite power held only in check by the twists and turns, the blind alleys and sudden high walls inside his own damaged brain”. He plays "games" with the Darkness who uses these "games" to make Pete do what he wants. Pete goes to the Darkness in his head to escape the overly bright real world. At the end of Plague, Astrid throws him to the bugs, and Pete and them vanish. However, it is stated that Pete is still alive but without a body to inhabit. Which makes the world less painful for him and causes the Gaiaphage to be afraid of him.It is important to note tha little pete seems to have caused the FAYZ in one of his panics.
Caine Soren: Caine is the main antagonist of the story. He is described as charming and charismatic, able to easily obtain whatever he desires. He leads the kids of Coates Academy on a rampage to attack the power plant, thus leaving the kids of Perdido Beach in the dark. The first book reveals that Caine is Sam's fraternal twin brother. Like Sam, he is a Freak. He is telekinetic, which means he is able to move things around with his mind. Caine struggles with his mental health after meeting the Gaiaphage. The creature appears to have nested inside his head and is quickly driving him to the brink of insanity. He shuts down the nuclear power plant to steal uranium fuel rods to feed the gaiphage, but changes sides when Diana is injured by Drake and on the brink of death. He's in love with Diana, but seems to have no problem with hurting anyone else. Caine has impregnated Diana by the end of PLAGUE but it is unknown if the baby is more powerful than its father, Diana currently reads it at a "two bar" unlike Caine and Sam who are "four bars". Sam's, and thus Caine's, mother was a non-observant Jew (GONE, chapter 14). In Plague, despite Diana's attempts to reform him, Caine returns to Perdido Beach (after being summoned by a dying Edilio) to attempt both to kill the bugs and to rule Perdido Beach and become its king.
Diana Ladris: Caine's chief assistant, with the power to read power levels of other teens and children. Though described as beautiful at the beginning, she's depicted as giving Caine and everyone else a hard time and snarky remarks and she is usually called a witch by Sam's people. Caine seems to be in love with her despite this. Diana nurses Caine through his insanity and tries to keep him from succumbing to the will of the Darkness, out of her own love for him. Drake attempts to kill her, but is stopped by Caine. She barely survives, but with the help of Lana's healing, she makes it. She reveals she believes she is pregnant at the end of 'Plague' and Caine is the father. She leaves Caine and goes with Sam to the lake.She also saved the lives of Virtue, Pixie,Bowie,Peace,and Sanjit by distracting Cain so they may escape him. She is also able to gauge power levels in a system like cellphone bars.
Drake Merwin: A psychopathic teen with shark-like features, nicknamed "Whip-Hand" because one of his arms becomes replaced by a red whip-like tentacle by the Darkness with Lana's help after Sam burns his arm off. Drake willingly serves the Gaiaphage, frequently challenging Caine's authority and taking advantage of his mental instability. Drake almost kills Sam after threataning to flood the FAYZ with radiation, but part of his arm is severed by Brianna (a.k.a. Breeze), one of the Mutants loyal to Sam. He later attempts to betray Caine, badly injuring Diana (whom he seems to have a sadistic fixation on). Drake is killed by Sam and Caine, but is resurrected by the Gaiaphage using Brittney's immortal body as well as Lana's healing powers. After unsuccessfully attempting to take over Brittney, they keep switching over control and are captured and imprisoned by Sam and his team. Drake later escapes and takes Brittney to the Gaiaphage. He then leads the army of bugs against Sam. Drake fails and heads back to the Gaiphage.
Quinn Gaither: Sam's best friend, who is described as giving off a "cool-guy vibe" with the way he dresses and acts. Quinn is a surfer and despite being bigger and supposedly stronger than Sam, he is not mentally able to handle devastating events. He breaks down quite frequently and in his fear, he does not think too clearly and turns on his friends to save them. However, his conscience comes back to haunt him and keeps him wavering on the brink of insanity while he's in the FAYZ. He relies on Sam's guidance most of the time; whenever he does things for himself, he ends up getting confused or scared. In spite of all this, he proves to be helpful during situations in which he is too afraid to do anything. He discovers a knack for fishing and begins to catch fish and sell them to Albert. Quinn helps Sam after he is severely injured by Drake. Though he wants to go with Sam to the lake, Quinn Stays in Perdido Beach at the end of PLAGUE with his fishing crew.
Edilio Escobar: A Honduran boy who is Sam's second in command. He is in charge of the Perdido Beach security and later takes charge of the council. He has a team loyal to him who he trains in using weapons. He is also the main source of transportation for Sam as he has learned to drive. He is shot and seriously wounded by Lana in HUNGER but she eventually saves him. He makes up one of the six members of the law determining counsel and is the Sheriff of Perdido Beach. So far into the series he has no known powers. He also had very honorable morals and is respected when Sam tells people to, though some doubt his abilities since he does not have the Power. He is also the one responsible for digging graves in the plaza, which causes mental stress. Gets dangerously sick in Plague but manages to survive and accompanies Sam to the lake.
Lana Arwen Lazar: Lana, aka the Healer, was driving with her grandfather and her dog Patrick when the FAYZ occurred. The truck veered off the road into gully and left her too injured to think, but it is because of this that she soon discovers she has the power to heal with her touch. Lana secludes herself from the town to avoid being constantly asked to heal minor injuries. Like Caine, she is influenced by the Darkness, and plans to kill it by blowing up the mine it dwells in. She ultimately fails and is completely taken over by it, shooting Edilio under its will, and attempting to kill herself through radiation poisoning, but is freed by Caine, Duck, and Sam, who send the gaiaphage to the bottom of the bubble surrounding the FAYZ and bury it. However, the contact with the Gaiaphage has started to shatter her metal stability, and by the end of LIES she (with Patrick) flees from Coates Academy and goes to Cliff Top.In PLAGUE Lana has a love interest, Sanjit, the boy with a horrible past. Sanjit knows he likes Lana, they have a connection. She is addicted to nicotine.
Dekka Talent: An African American Mutant girl from Coates. She can remove gravity from a limited space, causing everything in that area to be lifted into the air. She is loyal to Sam and shares many battles with him. She is mauled by coyotes but is saved by Lana. Dekka tends to be the person that deals with any problems that Edilio is unable to solve, at least partially because she is an exceedingly powerful Freak. Dekka doesn't like to talk about herself much so other kids tend to think of Dekka as a fearless and a scary person. Dekka is also a lesbian, and is (unrequitedly) in love with Brianna, who seems to be unaware of Dekka's feelings. In PLAGUE she is hit by a greenie. Sam, Lana and Quinn save her. At the end of PLAGUE it appears(but isn't directly stated) that she confesses her feelings to Brianna and accompanies Sam to the lake.
Brianna aka "The Breeze": A 12-year-old mutant with the ability to run at incredibly fast levels of speed. Her top speed is unknown (she claims to have run over 600 mph when she beat a bullet) but she can cover a few thousand feet in the blink of an eye. She saves Sam's life when he is on the verge of being beaten to death by Drake by cutting off part of Drake's snake-like arm. She is known to be talkative and seems to be the person who embraces their powers the most. She likes to be powerful and is the last to back down from a fight. Because of her speed she is responsible for delivering messages throughout Perdido Beach. She seems to have feelings for Computer Jack, though to a significantly lesser extent in Lies. It is confirmed she is dating Jack in Plague, and is angry when he leaves town without telling her. When Dekka is attacked by the greenie and it appears she may die she whispers in Brianna's ear. We don't find out what she says but it is likely Dekka was telling her that she liked her. After this Brianna starts avoiding her.
Computer Jack: Jack is a Freak with super strength. He is also the tech guru of Perdido Beach. Originally from Coates, Jack has joined Sam and his team in Perdido Beach. Despite his strength, he lacks confidence and is very easily manipulated. He is responsible for removing the uranium core from the Power Plant and turning off the electricity. He had a crush on Diana that was later transferred to Brianna, though he still seems to have feelings for Diana. He tries to help Sam avoid the poof during the final battle in GONE, however only did so on Diana's bidding, as well as fighting Drake in Plague and giving Astrid enough time to throw Petey to the Bugs. He reveals that he is dating Brianna in Plague after living together because of the epidemic in Lies, and is considering asking her if she will 'make out with him'. He is the least secure with his powers and often forgets that he even has any. He goes to the lake with Sam at the end of Plague.
Albert Hillsborough: An African American boy who originally kept the McDonald's open in town until he ran out of supplies. In its place he opened McClub a place where the town kids can party and have fun for the price of batteries or toilet paper. After no one in town wants to work, he comes up with the idea of establishing the pay system because he believes no person will work for no money. Uses the gold in Hermit Jim's shack and bullet molds and long forgotten McDonald's monopoly game cards to bring money to Perdido Beach (Six cards equals one gold bullet). The currency, although named "slugs" by Albert was called "'Bertos" by Howard and the name stuck. He is highly respected in town. He is also one of the Town Council members. Is brutally beaten but survives in Plague and remains in Perdido Beach, on several conditions. Despite having no mutant powers it transpires that Albert is the most powerful and influential person in the FAYZ.
Zil Sperry: A non-freak boy, who constantly makes fun of Mutants. He threatens Hunter which leads to the death of Harry. He decides that chuds (a derogatory name he calls kids with abilities) get all the breaks and food, and comes up with the Human Crew in an attempt to take over the town. With the Human Crew he finds Hunter and strings him up at the church in an effort to hang him. He is stopped by Orc and thrown through the air. Later he is found with four broken ribs. In LIES, Zil, along with the Human Crew, burns down much of Perdido Beach before the fire is stopped by Edilio and his crew. At the end of LIES, he is killed by Dekka. His girlfriend is Lisa.
Charles "Orc" Merriman: A half-human, half gravel-like boy. He became like this when he was attacked by mutated coyotes. Gravel started to replace the parts where they attacked him so his only remaining section of skin is a small patch on his cheek. His tough exterior makes him invulnerable to most physical damage and also gives him superhuman strength. He developed an alcohol problem and will only do assignments in exchange for beer. Orc plays a major part in gathering food from the fields because he is tough enough to withstand the zekes that are there. He plays a minor part in trying to take the Power Plant back from Caine and his crew. He also saves Astrid and Hunter's lives when the Human Crew befriends them. In PLAGUE he saves Pete from the remnants of the Human crew and defends Astrid from Drake in Coates in the end of PLAGUE. He thinks of Astrid as his only real friend. Whilst attempting to drink himself to death, Orc tore off the human side of his face.
Brittney Donegal: Brittney has a Regenerative ability. She was originally part of Edilio's soldiers but was killed in HUNGER. However she came back to life thinking herself as an avenging angel. She is in the same body as Drake. She believes she was sent back alive to kill Drake by her dead brother Tanner (who appears as an angel), who was actually a hallucination made by the Gaiaphage. In PLAGUE she meets and is manipulated by the Gaiaphage and helps Drake to try to kill Sam, Jack and Dekka. She was very Christian but now believes that the Darkness is actually God and that she must follow His orders.
Gaiaphage/Darkness: Astrid believes it is an alien bacterium which came from the asteroid that impacted the nuclear plant. It feeds on nuclear energy and when it comes into contact with Freaks it co-opts their power, particularly that of Lana, Caine and Drake. It uses Lana's power to create Drake's whip-hand, to create Nerezza and to resurrect Brittney. The gaiaphage is locked in battle for supremacy over the FAYZ with Pete, the autistic five-year-old. Gaiaphage Its name revealed to mean "World eater" in Plague, it is a strange organism, possibly known to have made the FAYZ built of Alien DNA, Human DNA, and raw radiation. It has been described as "Thousands of crystals revolving over one gravitational center, suggesting a sphere". It has questionable power over everyone in the FAYZ- though almost total power to anyone who has been touched by it.
Mary Terrafino: Known to all as 'Mother Mary,' she is the main caretaker for the littles. The kids of the FAYZ, especially the younger ones, look to her as a mother figure and she is highly respected throughout the FAYZ. Despite her good nature, Mary struggles with depression, bulimia, and the inevitable stress of being responsible for too many other children. She has one younger brother, John, whom she leaves behind when she attempts to escape the FAYZ after being told by orsay that when you die you exit the FAYZ, by attempting to hold hands with all the day care children, and jumping over a cliff. All of the children are saved, but Mary 'poofed'.
Hunter: Accidentally killed his friend Harry in HUNGER with his power to shoot heat waves from his hands and cook things from the inside-out. He was prosecuted by Zil Sperry, causing Zil to create the Human Crew. He ran from the group but was caught and nearly hung by the Human Crew and suffers severe brain damage. Afterwards, he was forced into exile for killing Harry. Takes up the job of hunting for the town and becomes very skilled at this. He is killed in PLAGUE when the large insects from the 'greenies' start to eat his insides out and he uses his own powers on his head, to try to kill himself. When this does not work he asks Sam to kill him, which Sam does unwillingly, to stop Hunter from being eaten completely by the bugs.
Orsay Pettijohn: She first appears in Hunger. She has the power to see inside others' dreams. She is controlled by Nerezza, a creature created by gaiaphage. She is murdered by Nerezza (the gaiaphage's avatar) in Lies. The Gaiaphage made her believe that the only way to get out of the FAYZ, besides turning 15, was to die.
Nerezza: First appears in Lies. She is the vehicle of the gaiaphage, and attempts to control Orsay, but when Orsay decides to call it quits Nerezza murders her. Sam attempts to kill her, but before he can, she vanishes.
Bug: A freak with the power of camouflage (invisibility), Bug mainly plays the role of spy for Caine; however, he appears to be loyal to himself before all others.
Taylor: With the power to teleport, or 'bounce,' Taylor is a loyal supporter of Sam and his doings in the FAYZ. She is also known to openly have a crush on Sam, which is a source of hostility between her and Astrid. At the beginning of PLAGUE Sam gets very drunk and fools around with her but it doesn't go far. Her main role is the relay of messages around Perdido Beach. At the end of PLAGUE, Taylor was offered to be rowed to Caine's island, so she could teleport there and enjoy it whenever she wanted. This causes her to switch to Caine's side. At the end of PLAGUE she stays with Caine.
Penny "the Monster Bringer": Introduced in LIES, Penny is a twelve-year-old girl from Coates Academy with the power to cause others to hallucinate and see monsters. She is extremely useful to Caine, and is loyal to him above all others (likely due to her crush on him). When Diana is trying to help Sanjit escape from the island, she tries to stop her. Caine holds her over the helicopter, and when Diana falls he throws her onto the island, breaking both her legs. She has to be taken care of in PLAGUE. Caine plans on getting her legs fixed by Lana when they get back to Perdido Beach.
Sanjit: Brother to Virtue ('Choo), Peace, Pixie and Bowie. Flies the helicopter from his house to the mainland at the end of LIES with his siblings. Sanjit has a big crush on Lana, and finally by the end of PLAGUE they are going out. Sanjit has a "class clown" attitude. Helps out with the plague victims at the hospital in PLAGUE. Before being adopted by the famous actors and living on the island, he and his adopted siblings each lead hard lives in different poor countries and lived on the streets.
John 'Brother John' Terrafino: The younger brother of Mother Mary, John Terrafino cares for the littles alongside his sister. He is commonly called "Brother John" by the littles. When the council is established, John is one of six members (because Mary does not have the time). Against his better judgement, John lies to Mary about Orsay's powers of prophecy with hopes of stopping Mary from 'stepping out' on her birthday.
Howard: Orc's follower, usually does negotiating for him. He came up with the term FAYZ (Fallout Alley Youth Zone) in GONE, and came up with the slang for money ('Bertos). He was an original council member. He is sarcastic and rude, he also runs a "black-market" for drugs and alcohol in the FAYZ and made a still at the deserted Coates. He doesn't seem to care about peoples' lives as shown in PLAGUE where he saves Albert, but demands a reward from him. Astrid openly despises him. He doesn't appear to have any friends but in PLAGUE it is revealed that he not only controls Orc but thinks of him as a friend. It has been indirectly mentioned that Howard is African American.
Duck Zhang: Duck is a freak Asian boy who is not very attractive nor socializes with girls. He has the power to control his density, meaning he can make himself so light that he floats into the air or so heavy that he can drill through the ground. At first he hates his power, but at the end of the book, it is his power that is essential in defeating the Gaiaphage. He very hesitantly accepts the duty of drilling into the mineshaft to allow the others to save Lana from the Gaiaphaige, and admits honestly that he does not want to be a hero. Yet, he decides to stay and venture on to encounter the Gaiaphaige with Caine and Sam—a heroic offer that does not even make sense to himself—and then sacrifices himself to defeat the monster. He realizes in the end that he had wanted to be a hero. Edilio makes a memorial for him because they did not have his body. He is regarded as a hero by the end of the book HUNGER. Also tries to help hunter by giving him some food, but then is tried to be killed by Zil.
Minor Characters
Bette: Bette was known as Bouncing Bette, but dies in the first book, GONE, by Orc's relentless beating; her death is a major source of guilt for Orc, who began drinking heavily in order to cope. The personality changes her death provokes in Orc lasts throughout the series. has the powers to make her hands glow.
Hank: Member of the Human Crew. Described as violent. He assaults Hunter, who suffers partial brain damage. Killed by Caine in LIES by going face first into the ocean.
Lance: Member of the Human Crew. The most socially acceptable and attractive of the Human Crew. Killed by Caine in PLAGUE after he attempted to kill Albert. Zil Sperry always talks about his 'good looks'.
Antoine: Member of the Human Crew. He is known to be a druggie of sorts, smoking marijuana when he can get it and using other methods to get high. Sam injures him with his power in LIES, and is dumped on the beach by Hank who refused to help with the injury, and left to die.
Lisa: Member of the Human Crew, often unkindly likened to a cow by her boyfriend Zil Sperry. She creates the stylized logo for the Human Crew.
Turk: Member of the Human Crew. He as a weak, gimpy tag-along that Zil makes fun of. After his role in the attempted murder of Albert, Caine makes him his servant.
Virtue, Peace, Pixie and Bowie: The adopted children (with Sanjit)of celebrities who lived on the island that Caine and Diana go to in search of food. Sanjit flies them away in a helicopter when Sanjit realizes that Caine is evil and dangerous. Sanjit has a big crush on Lana, and finally by the end of PLAGUE they are going out. Sanjit has a "class clown" attitude. Virtue is the serious one. They both help Dahra Baidoo with plague victims. Bowie was deathly sick in PLAGUE, but was later cured by Lana.
Jamal: Introduced in PLAGUE. 'Friends' with Howard and Orc, but only stops by their house for alcohol. He is originally Albert's bodyguard, but is scared into working for Drake. When Drake finds out the bugs are hungry, he sacrifices Jamal.
Toto (subject 1-01): Introduced in PLAGUE. He is found by Sam, Dekka and Computer Jack and has the ability to tell if someone is telling the truth or not. He also talks to a foam Spiderman head called Spidey and appears to be crazy.Taken from his family and kept in a research facility due to his powers.
Darla(subject 1-02): An eight year old girl who had the ability to walk through walls(intagibility)according to Toto.She tried to escape and was tasered halfway through the wall, causing her to die.
Tanner: Brittney's little brother who was one of the children killed in the Daycare Invasion in GONE. The Darkness projects the image of Tanner being an angel into Brittney's head to convince her that The Giaphage is the true, one, and only god.
Brother: Emily's brother. Secretly afraid of her, and made Computer Jack stop to fix his Wii in GONE.
"The Artful Roger": A boy who is injured during the burning of the town by Zil. Nothing is revealed about him except that he is artistically gifted
The Pack Leaders: Leader of the mutant coyotes. Takes orders from the gaiaphage. Captured Lana in GONE. He tried to get her to teach him human ways. When Lana escapes into the hut with Sam, Quinn, Edilio, and Astrid, he burns the hut down. At the end of GONE, he takes Caine to the gaiaphage. In HUNGER, he tries to stop Lana from releasing the gas that she is trying to kill the gaiaphage with, but Lana shoots him. The next Pack Leader came to Hunter but when discovering that he is dead asks Sam to be killed in PLAGUE because he was being eaten internally by the bugs from the greenies (flying snakes). There have actually been multiple pack leaders
The Three Jennifers: Three girls, Jennifer B, Jennifer H, and Jennifer L, who live together are introduced in PLAGUE. They are the first known people to have the deadly disease. Jennifer H dies of the deadly cough while Jennifer B and Jennifer L watch in horror. Jennifer B manages to crawl to the hospital and tries to warn the people of the FAYZ of the disease but no one believes her.
E.Z: A 6th grader who listened to his iPod. Killed in HUNGER by mutated worms also called Zekes.
Justin: A young 5 year-old who wandered from the Daycare in LIES. He left to go to his house to find "The Artful Rodger" is living there and arrived hours before Zil's burning of the town. Not much is known about him.
Jill: Jill resembles a Siren, she has the power to sing while everybody around her does nothing but listen. She was captured by the Human Crew and thrown into an empty grave for being a freak in LIES. Younger sister of Derek.
