What Happens to Deacon in Days Gone? Finding Hope in the Zombie Apocalypse

Deacon St. John‘s journey in Days Gone is one of trauma, loss and ultimately redemption. As detailed in the game‘s final emotive scenes, Deacon defeats the fanatical militia leader Colonel Garret, saves his deceased wife Sarah from captivity, and reunites with her after years spent grieving her passing. The two ride off together on Deacon‘s drifter bike to live communally at Lost Lake encampment, hoping to rebuild some semblance of normalcy in the freaker pandemic.

But as Deacon notes earlier in the narrative: "I struggle with what‘s real these days." And the ending‘s additional post-credits scene casts doubt and uncertainty regarding whether the survivors can truly rest easy.

Ominous Twist: O‘Brien‘s Infection

Deacon‘s ally O‘Brien reveals he now hosts a mutated strain of the virus, rendering him a highly intelligent freaker hybrid. Yet he remains self-cogent and in control, foreshadowing more humanized infected to come. As O‘Brien warns, the shadowy government organization NERO likely presents an even greater apocalyptic danger moving forward.

So while Deacon may have overcome personal demons by rescuing his symbolic "second chance" at love, Days Gone concludes by illustrating no one can escape the gnarled, persistence violence birthed by the outbreak.

Love Found Amidst Ruin: Deacon‘s Romantic Redemption

What makes Deacon‘s conclusion so poetic lies in his redemption via the salvaging of lost romantic love – a glimmering kernel of hope among countless narrative tragedy.

Thematically, Days Gone explores post-apocalyptic spaces as landscapes to rekindle our humanity, rather than descend into savagery or despair. Hordes of feral freakers abound, yet compassion lives on through survivors like Iron Mike‘s pacifist encampment. And most touchingly via the threads of passion that bind Deacon and Sarah amidst virulent chaos.

Table: Key Stats on Deacon‘s Journey

Sarah functions as an emotional anchor tying Deacon to his pre-outbreak self – the one bright light steering him from bitterness and moral compromise. Their tender flashbacks are juxtaposed against Deacon‘s bleaker present-day bouts of PTSD, highlighting the stark divides between idyllic past and post-apocalyptic nightmare. By refusing to abandon hope of Sarah‘s survival, Deacon holds onto whatever残留 shreds of his former identity exist beneath layers of grief and trauma.

And Sarah in many ways salvages Deacon as well, their ride into the sunset cementing her status as his gateway back to community and restored purpose following years adrift.

So Days Gone views romantic connection as the last bastion saving our soul in eras of bedlam. A decidedly life-affirming message for the zombie genre.

Potential Days Gone Sequels: What Next for Deacon?

Unfortunately as gamers are painstakingly aware, Days Gone developer Sony Bend recently confirmed a sequel would not move forward due to shifting "political" tides and resources at Sony.

This leaves dangling narrative threads that hinted at future games exploring a larger freaker mythos, including:

• NERO‘s research into evolving strains of the virus and experiments on inmates as vectors of research
• The mentioned possibility of freaker hordes banding into more organized, intelligent clusters
• O‘Brien‘s unique hybrid immunity possibly replicated in others
• Deacon‘s past with the feral Mongrel biker club still holding potential consequences

Table: Notable Character Fates at Days Gone‘s Conclusion

Where could a hypothetical sequel take Deacon and friends next? Gaming forums and critics suggest the following possible plotlines:

• Deacon leading efforts to take down NERO strongholds in order to expose their twisted experiments borne on the backs of vulnerable outbreak victims
• Boozer struggling with PTSD from his burns and potential rifts driven between the lifelong biker partners
• A revenge arc seeing Deacon hunt down remaining Rippers, his contempt for them still simmering despite their ceasefire treaty with Iron Mike
• O‘Brien becoming an unpredictable ally in the fight against NERO, using his unique viral enhancements to resist their agendas
• Deacon mentoring younger drifters from camps like Lost Lake, passing on rough wisdom learned across perilous Pacific Northwest backroads

Of course with cancellation of a Days Gone 2, these possibilities live on purely in fan speculation and theories. Yet they speak powerfully to developer Bend Studio‘s nurturing of a rich open-world primed for additional seasons.

Here‘s hoping a vocal fan demand might someday change Sony‘s mind!