John Locke

Jonathan Tyler Locke was a member of the Locke family. He was the oldest son of Chamberlin and Fiona Locke, and brother of Mary, Ian, and Jean Locke.

History

John was born along with his twin sister, Mary, at the beginning of the twentieth century.^[2][3] Like the rest of his family, John grew up with the Lockes' secret collection of magical keys.^[4][5] In the 1910s, the family was hunted by an enlarged spider that entered through the Dollhouse; John briefly fought the monster with a makeshift torch to buy time for his sisters to escape, before the monster was finally killed by the family's cat.^[4] John was also present with his family, to see his brother, Ian, off when he left for the moon in 1912.^[5]

In Pale Battalions Go

In 1915, at fourteen years old,^[1] John was inclined to participate in the Great War, believing it was their family's ancestral duty to protect lives with the keys. After his father caught him trying to enlist in Canada, losing his privileges toward the keys as a consequence, John, with the use of a secret command inside the Music Box, commanded Fiona to open a drawer inside the Vault of Shadows—where the keys were stored—with the Anywhere Key, allowing John to enter afterward. Once inside, John, with the Tempus Fugit Key, changed his age to twenty-five years old, stored the various keys in a knapsack, then used the Anywhere Key to open a door to Belgium, walking in the middle of the battlefield as he exited on the other side.^[2]

Presumably after the battle concluded, John enlisted into the Allied army. During his time in service, he frequently used the Crown of Shadows to strike the German camps at night, albeit he kept his use of the keys a secret to his Allied comrades.^[6] One of these raids involved John using the Matchstick Key to murder one soldier, Willem Veidt, but solemnly spared the life of the soldier's brother.^[6] During the Second Battle of Ypres, John was afflicted with chlorine gas launched by the Germans. Summoning the Angel wings to carry him to a nearby cottage, John used the Anywhere to return to Keyhouse. However, this left the door open for the German squadron following him, instigating the Germans' invasion at his very home.^[6]

The dying John was quickly rescued by Mary and carried to the Mending Cabinet, but another soldier confronted them. John goaded the soldier before Mary activated the nearby Dollhouse and impaled the soldier with a pencil. After his healing, however, John and Mary saw their mother die in Chamberlin's arms as a result of the stabbing she received from Henrik.^[1] Following his mother's funeral, John, stating his father that he was right about the danger of the keys, opened a door to the sunken Titanic with the Anywhere Key—reminded of Ian's fascination with the ship—to send himself and the keys to the bottom of the ocean from ever being used again. Chamberlin managed to retrieve John's body from the deluge, and soon after, John was buried next to his mother and brother in Keyhouse cemetery; his tombstone was marked "Indomitable and beloved".^[1]

After his death, John's soul was sentenced to eternity in Hell, where he was subject to perpetual chaos and wars.^[1][7] John continued to communicate with his living family by writing letters received through the Stamp Key, in them stating to let his soul rest in Hell for his actions.^[1]

Hell & Gone

In 1927, a grief-stricken Chamberlin tried to bring John back to life by summoning him as an echo, but John manifested with half of his body a ghoulish burnt corpse in a constant state of agony that crawled out of the well. Chamberlin tried to apologize upon seeing John, but John asked Chamberlin why he had to torture himself with seeing John this way. Dragging himself to the door, John asked his father to leave his soul be, fading away upon crossing.^[7]

Info

• 9 Appearances by John Locke.
• 7 Images featuring John Locke.

References