Character Relationship Map: Die-ner (Get It?)

Characters

• Ken (played by Josh Grote) — protagonist

  A serial killer who arrives at a diner, kills the staff, hides the bodies, and pretends to be an employee. When a zombie outbreak occurs, he takes hostages, tapes up the zombies, and eventually dies f...

• Rob (played by Parker Quinn) — supporting

  An unhappily married man who arrives at the diner with his wife. He becomes a hostage during the zombie attack, is eventually killed by the zombies, and his zombified body is later torn apart.

• Kathy (played by Liesel Kopp) — supporting

  An unhappily married woman who arrives at the diner with her husband. She becomes a hostage during the zombie outbreak, is eventually killed by Jesse, and her body is torn apart by the zombies.

• Rose (played by Maria Olsen) — supporting

  A diner waitress who makes small talk with Ken. After listening to his story, she is quickly killed by him and hidden in the storage room.

• Duke (played by Larry Purtell) — supporting

  The local sheriff who arrives at the diner to investigate. He questions Ken, is attacked by zombies, dies from his wounds, resurrects as a zombie, and is eventually taped down along with the others.

• Fred (played by Jorge Montalvo) — supporting

  The diner cook who is quickly killed by Ken and hidden in the storage room alongside the waitress.

Canonical Relationships

Family, romantic, and professional connections based on plot evidence.

• Duke → Rob (Power Authority Figure And Civilian) — Duke's investigation temporarily affects Rob's safety.

  Duke investigates the diner while Rob is present, before the outbreak turns the situation into a hostage crisis.

• Duke → Kathy (Power Authority Figure And Civilian) — Duke represents local authority during the couple's crisis.

  Duke arrives while Kathy is at the diner and investigates the situation before the zombie attack overwhelms him.

• Ken → Rob (Power Captor And Hostage) — Rob is forced to remain under Ken's control.

  Ken takes Rob hostage after the zombie attack begins and waits out the danger with him inside the diner.

• Ken → Kathy (Power Captor And Hostage) — Ken controls Kathy's movement during the outbreak.

  When the zombies attack, Ken takes Kathy hostage and keeps her inside the diner.

• Kathy → Rob (Romantic Unhappily Married Couple) — Their troubled marriage is the defining personal relationship between them.

  Kathy and Rob arrive at the diner as an unhappily married couple.

Story Dynamics

Alliances, conflicts, and narrative interactions that evolve throughout the story.

• Ken → Duke (Conflict Deceiver And Investigator) — Ken tries to conceal the murders from Duke's investigation.

  Duke questions Ken at the diner, and Ken attempts to bluff his way past the sheriff.

• Ken → Fred (Conflict Predator And Victim) — Fred is one of Ken's first victims.

  Ken kills Fred, the diner cook, and hides his body in the storage room.

• Ken → Rose (Conflict Predator And Victim) — Ken treats Rose as an immediate murder victim.

  Ken listens to Rose's story, reveals that he is a serial killer, and quickly kills her before hiding her body.

Story Analysis

A serial killer's deceptive refuge becomes a sealed survival trap when a zombie outbreak destroys every possible path to safety.

Plot Progression

1. A Killer Takes the Counter — Ken arrives at the diner and casually speaks with Rose. He reveals his serial-killer identity, murders Rose and Fred, and hides their bodies.
2. The Couple Walks In — Kathy and Rob arrive before Ken can leave. Ken disguises himself as a diner employee and waits for a chance to attack them.
3. The Sheriff's Strange Discovery — Duke investigates the diner and questions Ken. Rose and Fred unexpectedly emerge from storage, allowing Ken's explanation to survive temporarily.
4. The Diner Becomes a Fortress — A zombie attack interrupts the investigation and traps everyone inside. Ken takes Kathy and Rob hostage and restrains the zombies with tape.
5. No One Reaches Safety — Duke dies and returns as a zombie while the survivors remain trapped. Rob and Kathy are killed, and Ken's attempted escape ends with him being torn apart.