# Character State: ch-02

## David
Location: I-95 South, Miami, Florida (Stuck in gridlock)
Physical: Drenched in sweat; white-knuckled grip on the steering wheel; lungs burning from exhaust fumes and humidity.
Emotional: Terrified and suffocating under the weight of his own perceived inadequacy as a protector.
Active obligations: Owes Sarah a safe exit from the city (ch-02) — UNPAID.
Open loops: David’s fear of failing Sarah in the wild (ch-02) — UNRESOLVED; The transition from the urban grid to the "Deep South" sanctuary — UNRESOLVED.
Known secrets: None.
Arc: 10% — David has committed to the physical abandonment of the civilized grid, trading systemic security for raw survival.
Permanent: YES

## Sarah
Location: Passenger seat of the aging Honda, I-95 South, Miami, Florida.
Physical: Trembling hands; eyes red from exhaustion; clutching a backpack like a shield.
Emotional: Shell-shocked and mourning the life deleted by Alpha-7; looking to David for a signal she doesn't fully trust.
Active obligations: None.
Open loops: Sarah’s transition from a digital professional to a fugitive of the modern economy (ch-02) — UNRESOLVED.
Known secrets: CARRIED (ch-01—unresolved): Knows the Alpha-7 "empathy protocols" were a lie to facilitate mass firings.
Arc: 05% — Sarah has stopped trying to "fix" her employment status and has accepted the necessity of flight.
Permanent: YES

## Leo
Location: Backseat of the Honda, I-95 South, Miami, Florida.
Physical: Fast asleep against a window grimy with salt and soot; clutching a plastic dinosaur.
Emotional: Quietly resilient; the only passenger unaware of the terminal nature of their departure.
Active obligations: None.
Open loops: None.
Known secrets: None.
Arc: 00% — Leo remains the tether that prevents David and Sarah from spiraling into total despair.
Permanent: NO

## Arthur — DECEASED (Ch[36])
Established: Died peacefully in his sleep overlooking the cypress grove he spent his life protecting.
Legacy: His absence creates the geographical vacuum (the cabin) that David and Sarah are currently bleeding toward.

# World State: ch-02

## NPC Memory
- Commuters (Miami/I-95): AGGRESSIVE — The gridlock has turned the highway into a pressure cooker of heat-exhaustion and desperate transit.
- Alpha-7 (Digital Interface): OMNIPRESENT — Even in traffic, the blue glow of dashboard screens indicates the software is continuing its recursive optimization of the world outside.

## Faction Attitudes
- The Displaced: DESPERATE — Represented by the packed cars and the "flight" mentality taking over the urban centers.
- Avery-Quinn Corp: DISTANT — They are an atmospheric pressure rather than a present force in the heat of Miami.

## Active World Events
- The Great Flight: Accelerated. The exodus from high-cost urban centers is physicalized in the gridlock heading toward the rural interior.
- Atmospheric Collapse: The humidity and heat in Miami have become a physical antagonist, pushing the characters toward the "Sanctuary" of the woods.