Juan Maldonado (whooahn mal-dah-na-do)

Born in 2022, Juan Maldonado was the eldest of nine siblings. His family struggled to survive on a shoestring budget, forcing Juan to join the workforce at an early age. Plagued with misfortune, several of his brothers and sisters would never reach adulthood despite their best efforts. A heavy burden for any young man, he made a pact with himself never to let tragedy define his life.

During the Sino American War a deal was made between the United States and Mexico that would benefit both governments. Offering enlistment bonuses and relocation incentives, the poorest members of the population could be shipped off to fight America’s battles for pennies on the dollar compared to their own citizens. Juan, along with his remaining two brothers took this as an opportunity of a lifetime and hurried off to earn their family a place in Uncle Sam’s backyard.

To say these men were treated like fodder might be too kind. The mortality rate for Latin soldiers was so high that it was said you traded your children for a mortgage and a folded flag. Several renegade platoons pushed back, sometimes even choosing to switch sides entirely and join the Chinese. Despite losing both of his brothers within the first six months of signing his name on the dotted line, Juan honored his commitment and remained loyal to his contract.

When he returned home in 2056 he found his country in shambles. With their nation's resources gutted to fuel their neighbors war few had made it through unscathed. Having enough money and the proper paperwork to migrate, Juan decided to take his family over the border to try and find some kind of silver lining in all the ugliness. They settled down in northern Texas and tried to begin again.

Juan studied to become a history teacher, finding a unique perspective reading tales of the past. Although passionate and talented, his heritage and views on the ongoing war made finding permanent work difficult. He eventually settled down into a low-income school, using it as the perfect platform to reach children that felt they didn't have much of a shot in life.

For twenty years he kept the same job, marrying a fellow teacher and having a few kids of his own. Once again evil would touch his world when his parents were brutally murdered in a hate crime performed in broad daylight by a gang of misguided savages. Most people could forgive a man that took the law into his own hands after such an incident, however Juan was saved from his demons by a Texas Ranger.

While affecting an arrest, this lawman shot and killed several of his cronies and even put himself in danger to capture the ringleader alive. He met with Juan personally afterwards with his sympathies and invited him to watch the man hang. Despite trying to live without anger and hatred, he could not deny a feeling of righteousness and justice watching the one who killed his mother and father dangle at the end of a rope.

When the bombs fell, he found himself stranded in the Great Dust Bowl with his remaining three sisters, wife, and two kids. Sadly, not all of them would survive the intense radiation and those that did had to endure the painful metamorphosis of becoming a ghoul. Making their way north they came across other communities stricken with similar hardships and banded together to form what would eventually become 'Los Verdugos'.

Juan perceives equality as having a standard of values for everyone to follow regardless of their background or genetic makeup. Infractions and punishments are just numbers in his arithmetic for justice, and although he is passionate about making the region a safer place he takes no pleasure in killing. Even rival factions treat him with some measure of respect, as his judgements take no bias when it comes to anything other than the truth.

• Official Title- Juez Maldonado to Los Verdugos, "The Hangman" to outsiders


• Age- 255 years old


• Birthplace- Taxco, Pre-War Guerrero (Mexico)