Rickett

"Rickett. You can call me Rickett."

- Rickett introducing himself

Rickett was an old man who lived in the woods just outside of the town of River's Edge, as well as a member of the old Rickett family. He was somewhat of a hermit, deciding to leave civilization and live on his isolated family land shortly after his sons died and his wife left him. He had a sister who owned a farm nearby, and she would often give him supplies. At some point in his life he made enemies at the River's Edge mills, and when he first met Gavin Murphy and Benny, he believed they had been sent to mess with his property, while in reality they were seeking help from a group of man-eating beasts nicknamed "bees" due to their tendency to travel in swarms. When he discovered this, he took them under his wing, and allowed them to stay at his home until the next day, when he saw a bee, and was shocked by the fact that it appeared to be dead, even before he killed it with his gun. He then decided to visit his sister and her family to see if they were okay, and ordered the two men to go drive to the nearby town of Brightmoor in one of his trucks and to wait for him there. He has not been seen since.

Early life
"Family land. This land’s been Rickett land for generations."

- Rickett explaining how he came to live in the woods

Rickett came from an old family, which owned the woodland outside of River's Edge. A long time ago, he was a medic in Vietnam, where he saw "a lot of death and destruction," as he would later put it. He had two sons by his wife, both of whom fought in the Gulf War, seeing a lot of chemicals, which eventually resulted in their deaths. Shortly afterward, his wife left him, and became isolated and a socially backward.

Descent into hermitage
"You a hermit or some shit?"

- Benny

Rickett ended up living alone in a house on his family land. His sister owned farmland about twenty miles east of where he lived, and so he didn't have to go to the nearby towns very often for supplies. He claimed he stayed away from civilization because he saw "how he fought for nothing, that his sons died for people who complain about not having enough freedoms", and that the property he lived on was "his America" and "what he fought for ."

2007
"So, in all of your years, how many times have you ever heard of rabies infecting an entire town?"

- Rickett to Gavin Murphy In 2007, the nearby town of River's Edge fell under a disease that turned people into flesh-eating monsters, nicknamed bees. Two men who lived in the town, Gavin Murphy and Benny escaped, and came across Rickett's home. The old man at first attacked them, thinking they were sent from the mills to attack his property, but after learning they just needed help, he gave them food and shelter and let them stay the night.

When he saw a bee outside the next day, he taught Gavin and Benny to properly use a firearm, and, after killing the fiend, examined it, saying that it looked dead even before he killed it. Upset, he gave them a truck to drive to the nearby town of Brightmoor, while he himself went to see if his sister and her family were alright. He said that if they did not see him in Brightmoor in 24 hours, then to go on without him up north, where Gavin had a sister, Addison, who attended a college there.

Physical Description
Gavin Murphy's first impression of Rickett was that he was "a large, older man in jeans and a brown sweater." He sports a buzzed head and pork chop sideburns, and, when trying to focus, wears silver-rimmed glasses on the tip of his nose.

Personality and Traits
When Rickett believes he or his loved ones are in danger, he is capable of becoming violent and angry, prepared to even kill defend his own. He has an antagonistic side, as he made enemies in River's Edge, and holds a grudge with them until this day. When pleased or with someone he trusts however, Rickett becomes a polite and helpful individual, although still mantaining his gruff demeanor. He is easily annoyed by ignorance and stupidity, and despite being somewhat disconnected in the way he behaves, he greatly insists upon manners and has a way of making those he commands do as he says.

Abilities and Skills
Rickett is an extremely able fighter, as he frequently displays through his accurate use of firearms as well as hand-to-hand combat, although he can also be quite gentle. He is an able chef, with his food pleasing his house guest Gavin, and is a skilled medic, demonstrated through both his service in Vietnam, and his work on Gavin's hand, which, ironically, he was responsible for shooting.

Family
Benny ===

Rickett at first was unsure of Benny but grew to think of him as a son.

Behind the Scenes

 * According to Patrick Williams, Rickett is both a character he and his brother Chris like, and a character that Gavin and Benny need.

Appearances

 * Dead Meat , (Chapter 17: Old Man Rickett)
 * Dead Meat, (Chapter 18: Rickett's Logic)
 * Dead Meat, (Chapter 19: Pulling Triggers)