Originally a resident of Chicago, Jason - an aspiring chef and recent culinary school graduate - made friends with a well-known chef from Sacramento, California and was invited to preview the fellow's three Michelin star restaurant for a potential internship there. He'd only been in town for about two weeks when everything went straight to hell.

Something of a strange individual, Jason had been preparing for disastrous events for over a decade. But when the initial outbreaks began popping up on the news and in regular conversations at the restaurant Jason realized he was thousands of miles away from home... And all of his firearms and supplies. Unlike most people he made no attempt to cling to civilization and just try to lead life as normal: he immediately began burglarizing homes, committing theft from local stores, and generally taking hold of as much as he could to ensure his own survival. In addition to many Infected he had killed off several normal humans, including some who were innocent but in the wrong place at the wrong time.

But when an outbreak happens in a major metropolitan center, there's only so long one can hold on, no matter how crafty or wise in the art of survival. On top of which, he was reaching a point where being recognized on the street by the wrong person could end in serious retribution given the acts he had committed. Eventually, Jason decided he absolutely, positively had to just run, and paid his way onto a boat headed for Arklay.

Here, he's found at least temporary solace from the utter chaos the outbreaks were inducing back in the cities. Given the island's isolation the epidemic hasn't quite reached the shores in significant volume, and people in general seem determined to cling to society and civilization so life is legitimately liveable.

He's taken up work at Sam N' Ella's Diner, an excellent vantage point for him and beneficial to the local scene given his training and prior experience. Notably, he's very well-versed in butchering and fabricating animal proteins, and at preserving and prolonging the life and general usefulness of food products in general; he makes a habit of offering such services to regular clientele for a fee.