You know how Runner Three said that Runner Five’s motivation was altruism?
“Altruism is the belief that the well-being of others is equally, if not more, important than the well-being or survival of the self. Further, altruism involve selfless acts or undertakings that put the welfare of others before one’s own” - study.com
That is something I agree with, considering that Five goes on countless missions where they could be killed-or worse- all the time, for the sake of other people. They often get hurt or captured, and for most people, that would make them hesitant to risk their lives in the future. But no, Runner Five keeps running back into the fray every single time they are called.
What if the reason that they did so is that, when the apocalypse hit, they were forced to do something terrible? Not murder, or any kind of heinous crime, but something that made them feel ashamed. Perhaps running away from a hoard and leaving someone behind. That would explain why Five never likes to leave others behind, and risks their life for strangers.
If they had acted on a selfish impulse in the beginning, it could have created the idea that Five wasn’t worth saving. That it was ok for Five to put themselves in danger time and time again, because their life didn’t matter. It was forfeit the moment they had let that person down in the worse way.
What do you guys think? What is your backstory for your Runner Five?
