Francine was one of the survivors of the undead apocalypse who took refuge in a secluded shopping mall.
Biography[]
When the undead apocalypse occurred and the world was slowly overrun, Francine and Stephen Andrews, leave the WGON-TV station in Stephen's helicopter and head for the countryside.
Stephen and Fran arrive at an abandoned police station pier on Delaware River, where they refuel and wait for Roger to arrive. Four rogue policemen threaten them until Roger and Peter arrive. Francine and the other three spend all night flying around in the helicopter. In the morning, the group stops at a deserted airport to refuel, and are attacked by zombies, which Roger and Peter kill.
The group eventually reaches a secluded, zombie-infested shopping centre, where they land on the roof and break in through the skylight to rest and collect supplies. When the group decides to stay there, Fran feels against leaving the remnants of society behind, but goes along with it, as she is pregnant and wants to do what is right for her child.
When Roger is bitten while barricading the mall's entrance to stop the undead getting in, Francine wants to take him to a doctor, but the others refuse to listen. One night, while Stephen and Francine are having a romantic dinner, Stephen proposes marriage to Fran, which Fran declines because of what has become of the world.
Stephen, Peter and Fran begin to bicker as their sense of isolation strengthens, and the mall transforms from their utopia to their prison. At Fran's request, Stephen teaches the former how to fly the helicopter, should anything happen to Stephen. That night, when looters and thousands of zombies break into the mall, after Stephen is killed and turns, Fran and Peter retreat to the upstairs, office-like area.
Peter convinces Francine to go without him, and Fran escapes onto the roof and into the partially-fuelled helicopter. Just as Fran is about to take off, Peter arrives and gets on board. The two then leave the mall in the helicopter, and fly off into an uncertain future.
Original Ending[]
In the original script, as zombies poured out onto the roof, Francine committed suicide by thrusting her head into the helicopter's blades. Her decapitated body was then devoured by the zombie hordes.
Trivia[]
In the Special News Report of 2004's Dawn of the Dead remake, there is a female journalist named Fran Parker.