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Arran Harper is a minor character in the Enemy series, appearing and dying in The Enemy. He was the original leader of the Waitrose crew, and co-led the Holloway crew alongside Blue. Shortly before setting out for Buckingham Palace, he was bitten by a sicko and became ill. He was killed on the journey after Sophie accidentally shot him.


Appearance

Arran was described as good looking and fair haired with blue eyes.[1] He was also strong and athletic. He becomes ill after being bitten by a grown up, being described as covered in a thin sweat and acting clumsily. 

Personality

Arran was kind, considerate, and took great care of his kids. He is also understanding and quick to make friendships, such as with Blue and Jester. He can be slightly impatient, such as when Maxie tries to tell him of Sam's death, though this could be due to his wound from the grown up. Arran is considered a good leader and many of the kids look up to him and respect him, including Blue, and despite their rivalry he tried his best to welcome the Morrisons crew. He is also determined to help his friends in whatever way he can, no matter the risk to himself.  As such Arran was deeply respected by both the Waitrose and Morrisons crews, and both groups were destroyed by his death.[1]

Despite appearing strong and brave on the outside, Arran was terrified deep down. He was originally happy to be made the leader of the Waitrose crew, but he soon grew stressed and afraid as it became clear that he was now responsible for the survival of everyone in the supermarket. He worries about what to do, as everyone relies on him to do the right thing and make the tough calls.[1] He feels a tremendous amount of pressure to the point he wishes he wasn't in charge, and only continued on as leader because he felt like he had no other choice.

After the bite from the grown-up, Arran's personality shifts. Arran was having strange hallucinations and thoughts. His personality grows considerably more unstable until the moment of his death. 


History

Prior to the outbreak of the disease, Arran lived the Holloway area and attended William Ellis School, where he was captain of the football team.[2]As a child, he played with Playmobil, and went on at least one beach holiday to Portugal with his parents.[3][4] His main hobby was football, but he also enjoyed playing FPS games on his Xbox.[5][5] His parents did their grocery shopping at the Waitrose supermarket, which is why he went there in search of food after the disease struck. He would also eat out at McDonalds, go shopping with his mum, and go to the cinema.

After the disease broke out, Arran and many other kids went to Waitrose. He quickly established himself as leader with Maxie as his second in command, organising people and maintaining morale. He was in charge of the running of the settlement and had to take responsibility of finding food, and therefore regularly went on scavenging parties. He and his fighters would occasionally get into skirmishes with Blue and the Morrisons kids due to their close proximity and the lack of food.

Synopsis

The Enemy (2009)

Arran leads a scavenging party -- consisting of Achilleus, Ollie, Freak, and Deke -- out to look for food. As they stand over a burster, a pack of dogs attack and they kill two and scare the rest off. Arran carries one of the dead dogs to use as food for the day, and head to a local swimming pool to see if they can find food within the vending machines.[1] When they reach the pool, they see that its interior is covered in moss and green plants that have grown, causing the light inside to be a green haze. As they check the pool, Freak is attacked by sickos and Deke goes to save him. Arran and Ollie are left to guard the entrance whilst Achilleus helps the other two. Whilst fighting, Arran is bitten on the neck by a grown-up who he believes to be his mother. They end up having to abandon Deke, who gets severely injured. 

As the group makes their way back to Waitrose, they come across some of the Morrisons fighters, and the others prepare for a fight, but Arran continues on, uncaring of his dire wounds. He quickly establishes himself, however, and makes sure he looks tough in front of the other group. They greet each other and the leader of the other group, Blue, tells them of an attack at Waitrose. Arran and his group rush back to find out that Small Sam got taken by grown-ups, from Maxie, Arran's second in command. He, in turn, tells her of Deke's death, before they get a call from the Crow's Nest. They find out a boy is outside, surrounded by grown ups, and is looking for shelter. 

Arran establishes a team of fighters and they go out face the grown ups and rescue the boy. As they are doing so they become surrounded and are only saved by the arrival of Blue and some of his fighters from Morrisons. They all manage to make it safely into Waitrose and they ask the boy where he's from, and he reveals that he is from Buckingham Palace. Blue goes to Waitrose and returns with its other leaders and they all listen to what the boy, Jester, has to say. He tells them he hopes to bring them back so they can live in comfort at the Palace, and that together they can rebuild London and maybe one day the country. Arran and Blue agree and the they plan to leave the next morning. 

The following morning, Callum refuses and reveals he is staying. Arran tries to talk him out of it, but he won't move and so they leave without him. Along this time Arran's wound worsens and he becomes ill and delirious. This forces the group to stop so that he can rest for a bit and whilst they are waiting a small army of grown ups appear a bit further down the road, lead by a fat grown-up in a Saint George vest. Arran, along with Blue leads a fight against the army of grown ups and when its clear they've won, he decides to continue on and try and kill St George who he chases down an alleyway. As he follows him, he is accidentally shot in the chest by a girl called Sophie with her bow. 

He is still alive but the wound is too severe for him to survive for long, and it forces the Holloway crew to wait as their leader dies. Hours later, Arran dies in Maxie's arms, his last words being "I love you, mum."[6] After his death, Maxie has his and the bodies of the other dead kids cremated, and Freak spray-paints a memorial message on a nearby wall.[7]

Legacy

"THIS IS WHERE ARRAN HARPER FELL. WE DON'T KNOW THE DAYOR THE DATE, BUT WE'LL NEVER FORGET IT. HE WAS THE BRAVEST OF US ALL."

-- Freak's memorial, The Enemy (2009) [7]

Though Arran's death greatly impacted the Waitrose kids, it provided a source of inspiration for them to keep moving forward. After the Holloway crew reaches Buckingham Palace, Freak vandalizes the memorial of Queen Victoria with the phrase "Arran Lives".[8]

As the Holloway crew made the decision to leave Buckingham Palace, they spoke of Arran and decided that the way David was running the palace was not what Arran would've wanted for them.

Equipment

Former

  • Club: Arran's club is made out of a sledge hammer handle and is a heavy strong weapon. After his death, Maxie inherits it along with his title as the Waitrose leader. 
  • Torch: Arran along with the other scavengers carries a hand crank torch, which they use to explore dark areas. 

Relationships

Maxie

His second in command, she respects and admires his skill and he respects her strength and resilience. Arran and Maxie both remain unaware of each others true romantic feelings for each other for much of the book, and it is only just before his death that Arran realises Maxie loves him as much as the other way round. Maxie often wishes Arran were still alive, so they could be boyfriend and girlfriend. Before going into battle in The End, Maxie thinks back to Arran and his wish to eliminate the grown-ups and live in peace. 

Achilleus

Arran is shown to highly respect Achilleus's fighting ability and his resilience, and trusts him to get things done. He seems to have given him some form of authority over the other fighters within the Waitrose crew and respects his decisions. Achilleus on the other hand, while holding respect for Arran and some care, freely pulled an arrow from Arran's chest as he says they need to continue the journey, causing him great pain and accelerating his death. 

Ollie

Arran, like Maxie and some others, holds Ollie's views in high regard and takes his advice regularly, taking everything by him first. It is even said that the others don't consider it a weakness that Arran has Ollie's help as Ollie is so smart. Ollie seems upset by Arran's death, but not as much as other people in the Holloway crew.

Freak

Freak was extremely upset by Arran's death in part because he was responsible for getting him bit, which likely is the reason Arran went insane. He spray-painted multiple memorials for Arran, and even asked Maxie to briefly delay the bonfire so he could give a brief speech about Arran. He believed that Arran carried a message, that they have to survive, and so he tries to carry on that message himself. He also knew of Maxie's feelings for Arran and tried to comfort her. Overall, he seemed to be good friends with Arran, and respected what he stood for.  

Blue

Not a lot is shown of their relationship, but it is evident that it is not strong enough for them to overly like or dislike each other. There seems to be a mutual respect for each other and their abilities to survive and so they work well in quickly uniting their teams. Blue even states he wished they had united sooner. 

Jester

Arran seemed to be quite suspicious of Jester at first, but quickly warmed to him and treated him fairly after he promised he'd take them to the Palace. He was unaware of Jester's malicious feelings towards him and his eventual happiness of Arran's death. 

Sightings

The Enemy
1. The Enemy: Debut, Death 5. The Sacrifice: Absent
2. The Dead: Absent 6. The Fallen: Absent
3. The Fear: Absent 7. The Hunted: Absent
4. Geeks vs. Zombies: Absent 8. The End: Absent

Trivia

  • Arran is fourteen years old in The Enemy, making him one of the oldest kids in the Holloway crew.

Gallery

Notable Fanart


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V - E - H Holloway crew
Leaders BlueMaxie
Active members AchilleusAliceBenBernieBlu-Tack BillBrandonEbenezerElla BrewerHenryKahmalLewisOllieSmall Sam
Deceased members Andy ThomasArran HarperBig MickCurly SamFreakJakeJoelKateyLouiseMaeveMonkey BoyPaddyWhitney
Former members Sophie
V - E - H Waitrose crew
Leaders Maxie
Active members AchilleusBenBernieEbenezerEllaSmall Sam
Deceased members Arran HarperBig SamCallumCurly SamDekeEveFreakJohnnoJoshKateyLilaLouiseMaeveMohammedMonkey Boy
V - E - H Characters in The Enemy
Holloway crew AchilleusAliceAndy ThomasArran HarperBenBernieBig SamBig MickBlu-Tack BillBlueBrandonCallumCurly SamDekeEbenezerEllaEveFreakJakeJoelJohnnoJoshKahmalKateyLewisLilaLouiseMaeveMaxieMohammedMonkey BoyOlliePaddySmall SamWhitney
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The Squatters CarlJust John
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Cathedral kids Archie BishopCharlotteHarry RyanMatthew PalmerNathanNevPhilTish
IKEA kids DanJazJohnnyRickySaif
Twisted Kids Betty BubbleFish-FaceFlubbergutsLegsMonstarPencil-NeckSkinnerSpider-BoyThe Pink SurferTrinityTV BoyWarehouse Queen
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Bracknell kids DanielHarryIsaac HillsLouisaSonya
Slough kids JosaKentonTyler KeeneTyler Keene, Jr.
Windsor kids Golden GirlGolden BoyGo-GirlVeda
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Ascot kids Arno FletcherHenryGreenSeanSophieThe Mad King
Notting Hill kids AnitaBig-ManCool-ManPersephoneShadowmanThe Fox
Rowhurst boys AdamAnthony SullivanDamien SullivanHarry BamfordJackJacobJameyJasonJohnnoPiersStanleyThe KidTommyWill
Unaligned kids AleishaAltanAmeena HusseinAntCharlie PiperClaireDannyEveJameyJasonLiam ThorneLittle Paul MacLarenMalik HusseinMark WatkinsMaxineNadia HusseinRhiannonThe KidTommyZahra Hussein
Adults Amelia DropmoreAnimal ManBig Mick’s fatherBig Mick’s motherBluetoothBrianCallum’s motherCheryl ColeChris CatellDaraghDarylDorothyFrédérique MorelJaneyLouis CorpseMan UMelMikeMother with SunglassesMonsieur MorelMr. HewittMr. LangstonMrs. HarperMrs. ThorneMs. JessopMs. WarlockNickOne-Armed BanditPaul MacLarenPezRachelRoyal Family (Marquess of Tavistock • Elderly female royal) • Roy PeachySaint GeorgeSeamusSimon FoulSpikeStickboyStumpyTomaszThe CollectorThe MedusaThreesomeUncle RayWaggersWormwood
Non-human characters Boney-MCharlieDiorGodzillaOrionThe Gray Lady
Groups Ascot kidsBracknell kidsBrockridge kidsBuckingham Palace kidsCathedral kidsCoach partyGym BunniesImperial War Museum kidsHolloway crewHouses of Parliament kidsIkea crewInmathgerHuntersMaidenhead kidsMorrisons crewNatural History Museum kidsNotting Hill kidsPromithios BiomedicalRowhurst boysSandhurst kidsSlough kidsSurvivalistsThe FearThe SquattersThe Twisted KidsTower of London kidsUnseen charactersWaitrose crewWindsor kids

Notes and References

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 The Enemy, Chapter 2 (Charlie Higson; 3 September 2009)
  2. The Enemy, Chapter 1 (Charlie Higson; 3 September 2009)
  3. The Enemy, Chapter 16 (Charlie Higson; 3 September 2009)
  4. The Enemy, Chapter 18 (Charlie Higson; 3 September 2009)
  5. 5.0 5.1 The Enemy, Chapter 19 (Charlie Higson; 3 September 2009)
  6. The Enemy, Chapter 22 (Charlie Higson; 3 September 2009)
  7. 7.0 7.1 The Enemy, Chapter 23 (Charlie Higson; 3 September 2009)
  8. The Enemy, Chapter 42 (Charlie Higson; 3 September 2009)
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