Kitty Stiles (Eden Rising)

"I’m ordinary. I don’t want to have to compete again in a world where I don’t... I don’t fit in.  I want to keep being myself.  Ordinary.  I guess I can reach far, but it hurts.  I don’t do it right. I know I’ll learn, but in the meantime, just let me be lost, weak, lonely.  Let me be confused, scared.  I’m just another girl, just another victim of this cruel world, just another lost soul, and I demand the right to be weak.  I demand the right to lie sobbing on the floor, my own arms tight around my body.  I demand the right to say that I can’t stand this anymore, that I’m too exhausted to go on.  I demand the right to scream, to shake, to wither away."

- Kitty, begging to Xander.

Karen "Kitty" Drake (née Kitka) is a major supporting character in Eden Rising. Kitty is introduced as a weak, doting wife to Xander Drake. Initially, Kitty was often putting on a front as she struggles to find inner strength, trying to mimic her best friend Gwen's tough girl behavior, but failing spectacularly at it. After Xander's death, Kitty escapes her shell, showing true signs of leadership, strength and comfort as she finds solace in her budding relationship with Rory Stiles. The two eventually become engaged at Eden.

Pre-series
Kitty's husband Xander is a man who was once "so perfect" but in the years since world order collapsed, has grown cold and verbally abusive toward her. Kitty is a medical assistant who had to put her training on a standstill in order to be a full-time nanny for her sister Lori's son, Joey, in Lori's constant absences. It is noted that before the series began, Kitty was once diagnosed with lung cancer though fought it off.

Season 1
Kitty joined Tom Snyder's group alongside her family after the invasion of New Venice by The General, and initially struggled to find her place in the group and make herself useful under her husband's constant berating remarks. She became a protege of sorts to Kate, a nurse who helped tone Kitty's medical skills.

Kitty was devastated when her young nephew Joey went missing. In the news of an incoming attack, the group announced they had no choice but to leave the area, meaning abandoning any hope of ever finding Joey. Lori announced that she was okay with this decision, recognizing an overwhelming sense of relief in losing her son. Kitty yelled at, and slapped Lori.

Her medical skills came in handy during the first season's finale, where Sidney is shot by Lori. Kitty allowed her sister to get eaten by a zombie, and then put two bullets into her reanimated corpse, before taking Sidney to a makeshift clinic on The General's camp to perform an emergency surgery. Sidney's operation was a success and she was stabilized, but Kate tragically dies. Kate's death leaves Kitty as the group's chief medical help, and she along with the others, arrived at an airport with hopes of rescue there at the season's end.

Season 2
Kitty was berated for her surgical skills while helping Darla's amputation by Rory, a cocky biological researcher living at the airport. Kitty is devastated along with the others when the plane that was set to take them to rescue was blown up. Xander grew increasingly irate, revealing Rory's true feelings as he defends Kitty in the situation, showing that he was only mean to her because he had an intense crush on her. Xander was killed and Kitty and Gwen's friendship was broken under the revelation of her affair with Kitty's husband.

Four months later, Rory and Kitty have progressed into a full-on relationship. Kitty's health, however, begins to decline and she discovers that the lung cancer she fought off years ago is coming back with help from Rory's friend Phoebe. She instructs Phoebe to hide this from Rory, as she wants to tell him at a better time and on her own terms.

After a saboteur's attack leaves Phoebe, Regis, and Sidney dead, Kitty is left in charge of the airport as the others head out to save an injured Manila's life by taking her to the Last Chance Society. With Rory left distraught after Phoebe's murder, since a lot of evidence pointing to her being a potential accomplice in the sabotaging going on at the airport, and an uproar caused by Rory's fellow scientists believing the airport isn't safe anymore, Kitty has a lot on her plate but she manages to handle the situations well. Kitty allows Rory to make his own assumptions on Phoebe and Rory decides to move on thinking that Phoebe was honestly an innocent victim who was framed, while the scientists decide to stay as Kitty tells them it's not up to her, but up to them, where they go from here (although they are all killed in a zombie horde attack in the season finale).

Kitty informed Rory of her lung cancer diagnosis after he goes through Phoebe's computer in search of evidence, and he admits he will love her no matter what and will be at her side through it all. Kitty and Rory both survived the finale and made it onto the rescue plane taking the survivors to Eden.

Season 3
At the start of season 3, Kitty's condition has worsened and Rory was working in the laboratories inside Eden. It turns out it was not lung cancer Kitty was suffering from, but a new disease that is striking plenty of Eden residents. It is a new disease formed by the parasites that caused the outbreak in the first place, as discovered by Rory, who worked diligently to find a cure so he and Kitty could be happy again. Rory was extremely dedicated to this work, to the point one could say is unhealthy. Kitty wanted Rory to spend more time with her, just in case she dies soon, but he refused to give in and let her die, instead refocusing on his work in the lab.

Kitty began to worry that Rory was ignoring her, as he was disappearing constantly. Kitty's fears turned out to be moot as Rory disappeared that day to plan a flash mob engagement. He burst out into an ensemble to Phil Collins's "You Can't Hurry Love", before proposing marriage to her. She accepted.

Killed Victims

 * Numerous counts of infected
 * Lori (Reanimated)