Helen Cleary

"“Alcon 2, Alcon 2. Vehicle approaching. I repeat, vehicle approaching. Alcon 2.”""- Helen Cleary, warning the group of an impending attack in Life After: The Void"Helen Elizabeth Cleary is a minor character in the Life After novels.

A college student, Helen lives in a house across the street from Thomas Massey high school, where she manages to hole up for the first two weeks of the zombie apocalypse. When the undead return to Newtown Square, she flees in panic and is promptly rescued thanks to the efforts of John Anderson and Rich McKnight at the conclusion of Life After: The Arising.

Appearance and Character
Helen has dark brown hair, piercing blue eyes, pale skin, and an oval face. Though Anderson quickly becomes close with Helen, Althea Luangrath supposes it stems from her rescue scenario, diagnosing her with parataxic distortion. While most of the group, save Melody Landon, seem to be passively at odds with Helen, few dislike her more than Jeff Grey, who describes her gaze as "permanently judgmental" and finds her to be lazy, selfish, and disagreeable.

Conversationally, Helen seems more inclined to voice objections rather than actively participate, a choice that tends to generate further conflict. Melody bluntly observes that Helen likes to be in control, and Helen does little to dispel the notion; though her motives and goals are not immediately clear, the obviousness of Helen's persuasion over Anderson makes it nearly impossible for her to achieve them. Even if Jeff believes she successfully avoids any real responsibilities, Helen's dedication to the security closet ultimately proves fruitful when the group is assaulted by marauders; had she not been present to witness their actions on CCTV, they would've been caught completely off-guard.

History
Born between January 19th and February 19th to Michelle and Ben Cleary, Helen grew up in Broomall. Though the issue goes largely unexplored, Jeff intuits that Helen hates Robert Proctor almost as much as he does; since she is approximately the same age as Jeff, Anderson, and Melody, none of the three have any prior recollections of her, and Anderson alludes to her "religious" background, it can be safely assumed that Helen attended Bishop Carrell high school with Robert.

Life After: The Arising
Little is known about Helen's whereabouts or activities in the first several days of the arising, but it is presumed that she kept herself safe and quiet in her parent's house directly across the street from TMHS.

Shortly following an exodus from the Gauntlett Center, the undead return to the area whence they came, attacking and breaching Helen's previously unmolested house. With a crowd clustering at the front door, Helen wriggles out of a window on the first floor and runs toward the school. Anderson immediately runs out to intercept her as Rich starts the bus and begins driving away as a decoy. Shortly thereafter, Colin Mursak acknowledges over the radio that she's safely inside. Though Rich's efforts seemingly distract the undead from attacking the school, Jeff casts aspersions on the haphazard rescue effort over the radio, not knowing Helen can hear him.

Life After: The Void
Two months after the events of Life After: The Arising, Jeff, Anderson and Rich have settled their band of survivors into a new life at the freshly fortified high school, where the group tensions have largely abated into a realm of amicable mutual respect. Over the intervening weeks, Anderson has drawn close enough to Helen for Melody to term them "an item". A mission to gather supplies at the Lima mall sees Helen, Anderson, Rich, Melody, and Karen discovering Althea Luangrath, a college psych student who has been holding up since shortly after the group departed the mall months earlier. Thereafter, Rich and Anderson install an amateur closed circuit video system in and around TMHS, centralizing the feeds in a "security office" on the second floor, where Helen seems to spend most of her time.

Having spent several weeks cooped up, Jeff proposes that he, Mursak, and Anderson travel to their former domiciles to collect computers and personal effects while scouting the surrounding region over Helen's strong objection. Shortly thereafter, the plan to depart is solidified when Rich, whose previous intense rejection led to a physical altercation with Jeff, finally relents and agrees to select their vehicle and make travel arrangements for the following day. While away, Jeff asks Anderson to elaborate on his relationship with Helen, but he ignores the question.

When the group returns to TMHS, Jeff joins Anderson, Helen, and Melody for an early dinner in the cafeteria, where Helen is shaken to hear that Anderson killed someone on their trip. The underlying tension among the quartet quickly boils to the surface, leading to a vicious verbal altercation that results in Anderson and Jeff directly challenging each other, throttling inanimate objects, and culminates with Melody slapping Jeff.

The next morning, Jeff and Anderson vaguely reconcile the previous day's argument, and Anderson begins to hesitantly discuss his relationship with Helen, indicating that she's "religious" and apparently uncomfortable with physical contact. Shortly thereafter, the group mutually takes in a news broadcast describing the use of a nuclear weapon in continental Europe, going on to detail rescue efforts by the military, militias, and paramilitary groups within the United States. Anderson and Rich quickly agree that they should advertise their presence for a rescue, but Jeff's impassioned rebuttal leads to the group agreeing to a tribunal where Rich will argue to leave, Jeff will argue to stay, Anderson will serve as a mediator, and the rest of the group will cast their vote for either Jeff or Rich's initiative. After privately conferring with Helen, Anderson is blindfolded by Rich prior to the group forum. After a split vote, Anderson aligns himself with Jeff's initiative, much to Helen's dismay.

The next day, the group invites weary travelers Tracy and Jimmy Dantis to spend the night. Shortly thereafter, Tracy commits suicide, leaving the group with her infant son. Later in the evening, Helen and Anderson officially begin rooming together. The following day, Helen agrees to participate in an intervention for Jeff, but the confrontation results in disaster when Jeff lashes out, particularly at Helen, Althea, Anderson, and Rich before storming off and secluding himself in his room.

The next morning, on Christmas Eve, Anderson is awakened before the rest of the group when he hears two Chinook helicopters approaching the high school. In spite of ridiculous odds, Anderson recognizes one of the scouts as an acquaintance from the Pennsylvania Air National Guard; he eventually decides to meet the soldier outside in secret, keeping the conversation private before conveying that their group is to remain inside and avoid interfering with the soldiers, who are assisting the CDC with a scientific investigation of Brookwood Cemetery. Later in the day, Jeff seeks out Helen for an apology. When the helicopters finally depart, and despite having told the group they need to remain vigilant in the coming days, Anderson celebrates by having a few drinks with Mursak and Rich while Jeff takes a turn in the security closet. Having fallen asleep, he is awakened by Helen, who relieves him. Shortly thereafter, she announces a vehicle approaching from the street over the school's public address system. Jeff, Anderson, and Jake scramble for reconnaissance, but when the approaching camouflaged men open fire, Anderson insists that they take arms and defend themselves. The result is a brutal firefight in which several of the intruders are killed, Anderson is rendered unconscious, and both Helen and Melody are kidnapped; the two are taken to the Delaware County Community College while the rest of the group organizes a rescue operation.

Early on in the attempted rescue, Jeff believes he sees Helen being guided into the back of a Humvee. Later, he reaches a classroom on the third floor of the building and finds Melody naked in a dark room with one of her captors. After a brief firefight, Melody dresses, gathers Helen, and arms herself, killing several of her captors as the group fights their way out of the building. One survivor attempts to pick them off as they leave the building, vaguely suggesting that they'd never wanted a fight in the first place before Rich murders him. Melody helps Helen into the back of a stolen Humvee, where she breaks down in tears.

The following day is Christmas, and the group celebrates with a large, elegant breakfast, during which Rob is introduced as having completed his rehabilitation, though Jeff is unreceptive to his apologies. Helen excuses herself to check on Anderson immediately following the meal. A short while later, she uses the PA to tell Jeff that Althea would like to see him for a therapy session, where she briefly acknowledges having had similar sessions with Rich, Mursak, and Helen. Two days later Mursak and Jeff head off on a scouting mission, the latter returning to find Anderson conscious. After the two get caught up, he asks for Helen. When Althea acknowledges there are zombies on the front lawn, Jeff sees Anderson stalking down the hall with Helen supporting him, telling him to stay put.

Later in the evening, the group watches a news broadcast where it is stated that wounds on the extremities, such as those suffered by Julia, may not be as fatal as initially thought. Jeff has another breakdown, recovering when he considers that there's nothing he can do in hindsight. A further concern is raised when it becomes unclear whether the government will begin using nuclear weapons on American cities. Jeff clarifies the consequences of that action by showing the group The Day After; Helen and Anderson leave halfway through.

Two days later, Anderson reveals to Jeff that Helen overheard Melody telling their erstwhile captors that she "wanted to go with them". A few days later, Jeff suggests a return visit to DCCC, leading Anderson, Jake, Mel and Karen in the effort. Though they return safely to TMHS later that night, it is discovered that Karen is sick. The following day, the group convenes to celebrate New Year's Eve, but Anderson and Helen abscond before the crossover, rejoining the group well after the event, only to leave again before the party concludes.

On New Year's Day, the group indulges in another extravagant breakfast as they recount their resolutions, culminating in the appearance of Rob, who appears to have rehabilitated. Later, Rich reveals that Karen has suggested some antiviral medications to combat her sickness. Knowing that the local drug stores have been cleaned out, Anderson details a complex and infeasible plan to locate looters and trade supplies before Mursak reveals that he successfully acquired the necessary medication weeks prior when they visited the Temple University Ambler health center. The group celebrates by getting drunk and playing computer games. Jeff, Anderson, Mursak, Jake, and Rob try to get Mel and Helen to join, but the two end up having a broad ranging conversation on music, politics, and religious pluralism.

The next day begins with Jeff informing Anderson that he is to stay behind for an upcoming sojourn to State College, where Jeff intends to rescue a group of friends, including Alan Taylor and Jack O'Connor, from a contaminated water supply. Anderson reluctantly agrees to the mission, which Rob refers to as Operation Prometheus. Shortly thereafter, Jeff, Anderson, and Rich spend the rest of the day amassing supplies, planning routes, and according the sojourn a generous supply of automatic weapons and ammunition. After conferring with Alan the next day, it is ultimately decided that Jeff, Rich, Melody, and Althea will make the trip, leaving Anderson, Karen, Mursak, Jake, Rob, Helen, Elena, and Jimmy behind. They leave the following day.

By the early afternoon, the mob of undead spotted near the DCCC campus makes its way to TMHS, and Anderson is forced to implement defensive strategies with only Mursak and Jake to help; it is presumed that Helen is given ward of Elena and Jimmy. When the members of Operation Prometheus return later in the day, TMHS is in the throes of a debilitating siege. In short order, Jeff rallies new arrivals Nick Wilborn, the pale and heavyset loner he knows to have previously murdered another member of the PSU group, Lada Dragomirov, a sturdy Russian expatriate, Andy Kremens, a vaguely distrustful and soft-featured nerd, Levi Hazen, a fit and stone-faced black introvert, and Nancy Candler-Hollowell, a traumatized old-money outcast. While Anderson gives them the rundown, Rich drives off into the horde as a diversion.

The initial offensive goes quite well, but the ensuing combat, which gets close and tense, results in Jeff getting his hand bitten. Rob hacks off the affected appendage just before he's dragged inside, where Karen attends to his wound; though Jeff's tactics resulted in a grievous injury, he managed to buy the group enough time to fortify the defenses and start driving back the undead once again.

A brief lull in the siege the following day allows the group an opportunity to withdraw; though the undead continue to build up around the TMHS perimeter and walls, Anderson assesses that their numbers are insufficient to threaten a breach. With Jeff unconscious, and Karen expressing doubts as to his survival, she and Anderson ultimately decide to give Jeff's possible recovery as much leeway as possible, though new arrivals Nick and Andy suggest that killing Jeff is the smartest move. Suspecting that Nick might attempt to kill Jeff in secret, Anderson delegates the defense of TMHS to Mursak and Jake, choosing instead to stake out Jeff's convalescence. Sure enough, Anderson catches Nick's attempt on Jeff's life and shoots him before he can carry it out.

The next day, Karen feels confident that Jeff won't turn, so she and Anderson wake him and inform him that, among other things, Rich has not returned or made contact following his diversion. Anderson further alleges that the fires at DCCC, the arrival of the Chinooks, and presence of the zombified Steve at TMHS might've somehow contributed to the volume of the ongoing siege.

As Anderson returns to the fray, Jeff starts his return to normality with a big hug from both Melody and Helen. As they both leave his company, Rob engages Jeff in a conversation. Outside, Anderson throws a Molotov when the situation turns chaotic, and before long, he pops smoke, effectively admitting that fighting the horde in the street is futile, and that their best chance at survival means relying on the high school's largely untested defenses.