Sergeant Ward is a character in The Last of Us Part II. He served in the military and was the subordinate to Lieutenant Carmelo Torres, the FEDRA commander of the Seattle quarantine zone.[1]
History[]
Background[]
Sometime after the Cordyceps brain infection outbreak began, what was left of Seattle was made into a quarantine zone by FEDRA, with Lieutenant Torres assuming command of the zone. Ward was made his second-in-command, put in charge of guarding the wall, thereby determining who was allowed inside and outside the QZ. As was the case in many quarantine zones, civilians became angry and violent due to the military's harsh measures. FEDRA forces routinely withheld rations, banished citizens for minor infractions, and even executed anyone suspected of conspiring with rebel groups. Ward followed Torres' orders to lock down the zone in the winter time because infected hordes disrupted supply routes.[1]
By the 2020s, the dissident groups in the QZ formed the Washington Liberation Front (WLF), a militant group made up of vicious and cunning survivors who were willing to do anything to topple FEDRA's control over the city. Ward was set to work hunting the known terrorists at Torres' command.[2] Ward soon made a target list containing the names of individuals he believed most valuable to capture or kill within the WLF's membership. This list included Marcus Wilson, Luis Sanchez, Isaac Dixon, Hugo Gonzalez and Alison Cole, and the WLF's founders Emma and Jason Patterson. Ward and the military eventually succeeded in killing Emma, Jason and Luis.[3]
Despite these early successes against the Wolves, Ward's advantage began to fade after Isaac Dixon replaced the now deceased Pattersons as leader over the WLF. Under the new leadership of Isaac Dixon, the group increased its successes and its brutality.[2] They also became more popular with the inhabitants of Seattle, as well as more coordinated.[3] In an effort to end the WLF's attacks, Ward had his soldiers take the fight to the WLF, targeting their bases in the city. He personally sent Private Miller and his squad to the propaganda news outpost on 5th and Spring street to kill the known WLF residents and shut down their propaganda campaign.[4]
As time went on, Torres became increasingly disillusioned with the fight against the Wolves, frequently visiting Rabbi Zivah Saunders at the Seattle synagogue for comfort and guidance.[5] The WLF's constant attacks also severed the military's supply lines, meaning Ward and his soldiers were unable to meet their ration distribution quotas, causing further unrest and Torres ordered Ward to permanently close the zone to new residents.[1] The fighting eventually became so bad that Torres ordered Ward to evacuate the city of all willing civilians and military personal.[6]
Unfortunately for Ward, Torres and the few remaining soldiers in the Seattle FEDRA headquarters at the Seattle Courthouse were attacked by the Wolves, resulting in the execution of his entire remaining staff.[7][8] Ellie and Dina later found Ward's corpse at FEDRA headquarters, alongside the WLF target list Ward had created.[9]
