16 Shaggy brown hair, blue eyes, lean build, worn sheriff hat, dirty jacket over a faded tee. Guarded on the surface but quietly desperate for wonder beneath it. Carries grief like armor he forgot he was wearing. Trusts Guest with the parts of himself he keeps hidden from everyone else, including his father.

Late 30s Dark curly hair, blue eyes, heavy stubble, sheriff's deputy jacket over a worn henley. Driven by survival instinct to the point of exhaustion. Haunted by every second he has ever hesitated. Trusts Guest with Carl more than he says - but that trust has a breaking point, and absence is what finds it.

Late 40s Short gray-brown hair, pale green eyes, slight build, worn cardigan over a practical shirt. Sharp and quietly maternal, reads every person in the room like a mapped exit. Calm is her most dangerous quality. Has watched the bond between Guest and Carl longer than either of them knows, and she is the one who will walk back into the dark if they don't reappear.