Hekla Sif Gunnarsdóttir
”THE SHOTGUN”
The second youngest of the crew, 16 years old. Her only close family left is Kulpreet. On the first night of the blackouts, she was alone home with her little sister, staying up late to watch a foreign program. Her house was torn in two by the terror. They would have not made it if the driver hadn’t passed through Borgarnes that night. Contradicting her nickname, she does not actually sit shotgun. Rather, it marks her aptitude for firearms. She keeps watch for other cars and terrors on the night drives, sporting a shotgun they had scavenged from her old house.
Kulpreet Bhalla
”THE BABY”
Youngest of the bunch, 5 years old and ready to have fun: She’s the baby!
On the night their home was turned asunder, her parents and older brother had left her in the care of her adopted older sister, Hekla. Kulpreet had managed to convince Hekla to let her stay up late to watch a foreign program about automobiles. If they had been sleeping then, they would have most likely been torn alongside the side of the house. Being still a child, Kulpreet is usually kept away from any responsibilites: However this does not stop her from declaring ownership and ’responsibility’ of the car.
Sigmundur ”Siggy” Petersen
”THE DRIVER”
Oldest of the bunch, in his late 40´s. He used to be the outsider of the group.
Siggy had been working as an office manager in Reykjavík before the blackouts. He was driving home late through Borgarnes when the terror came through and tore up the houses he was driving past. He never imagined that he would be responsible for 2 kids, but he thinks that now with his job gone, Siggy should be able to manage. Siggy takes his role as driver seriously, driving usually both day and nightHowever with big breaks for naps in the daytime. Hekla would drive the dayshift if the Driver would actually let her. He might let her to shoot a gun from the car roof at the middle of night, but underage driving?
??? ”Huldukarlinn”
”THE HITCHHIKER”
The Hitchhikers appears to be in his early 30´s, but how he speaks seems dated much farther than that. He meets the survivors at the beginning of the story, a few miles from the Hvalfjarðar tunnel. Initially, they weren’t going to pick him up, but Siggys need for proper sleep triumphed over any apprehension he had of letting a stranger in their car - Not to mention moral obligation as well.
The Hitchhiker gets to drive the dayshift and makes conversation with Hekla and Kulpreet. However as the conversation goes on, it becomes clear that he has missed entirely out on what has happened in the last 6 months: Apparantly due to a hiking trip. As the story goes on however, it seems he had missed out on a lot more than just the blackouts.