Clarke Thompson
Clark is Arthur’s best friend
Once an aspiring actor along with Arthur, Clark’s career eventually leads him to become a job training executive in the years before the collapse
After the collapse he is stranded, along with Elizabeth Colton and Tyler, in the Severn City airport
After a few years there, he begins curating the Museum of Civilization in the airport, collecting technological items that no longer work and other fragments of civilization
He begins the museum since his boyfriend at the time was a curator, and since he noticed that people in the airport seemed to cling to the obsolete items that he collects
Clark makes some effort to help Elizabeth and Tyler and keep them from becoming extremists, but he ultimately gives up in favor of self-preservation
He is the one who informs Miranda of Arthur’s death, having met her at the party during which Miranda realized Arthur was having an affair
The novel ends with Clark reading a scene in “Dr. Eleven” based on this dinner party
Jeevan Chaudhary
Jeevan is the paparazzo turned paramedic who attempts to save Arthur’s life after his heart attack and who comforts Kirsten after Arthur dies
Jeevan receives a phone call informing him of the upcoming epidemic from his friend Hua, and he decides to buy supplies and try to survive with his brother Frank
Over the course of the novel, Jeevan changes from a paparazzo to an entertainment journalist, to an EMT trainee, and finally to the role of a doctor in the post-collapse world
He at first believes that work should be difficult and painful, almost like an everyday battle, but Jeevan eventually comes to see that he wants to do something he believes is valuable and helpful to other people.