Sophie Richards

Sophie Richards is a survivor who can be found on Day 1 in Leisure Park. When Frank first enters the park after 6 PM on September 19, he will find Sophie being attacked by the Convicts, who have already killed her companion Sid. Sophie will cry out for help, "Anyone?!" She uses Female fighting style. and is supposed to be the first survivor in the game that your supposed to hold hands with.

Timing
Early in the game Frank will be forced to travel through Leisure Park multiple times, so avoiding triggering her appearance is not really an option. As such, it is best to rescue her right at 6pm. At 7pm the zombies become more aggressive, making things more difficult.

Joining
After Frank catches up to Sophie:

Sophie: Help! Someone help me!

Talk to Sophie

Frank: Over here! Come here!

SOPHIE RICHARDS JOINED!

Escorting
Frank is able to hold Sophie's hand and run together. Although Sophie runs fairly well on her own, holding Frank's hand does make her more resistant to zombie attacks. The pair should be able to successfully run past most zombies on their way to Paradise Plaza. The greater threat will be the Convicts. The Convicts' vehicle has a tendency to get stuck, so it is possible for Frank and Sophie to make it out of Leisure Park without much concern. If the Convicts are free, standing behind trees and other obstacles can immobilize them as they attempt to run you over. Be warned, they still will shoot. If Frank has enough life, a waypoint can be set for Sophie to get away while Frank makes sure the Convicts are stuck (or dead, if he's feeling brave). Although Sophie cannot be equipped with weapons, she will defend herself by shoving and kicking any zombies that approach her. Once out of Leisure Park few zombies litter the path back to the security room, making the rest of the escort simple.

Multitasking
Sophie does not appear until 6pm, so Frank will have already received the Scoops Barricade Pair and A Mother's Lament, both of which occur in Al Fresca Plaza. Additionally, Bill Brenton can be found in Entrance Plaza. If Frank is on that side of the mall before encountering Sophie, he can rescue her while escorting the other Survivors back to the Security Room. Frank may want to equip them with weapons so that they can defend themselves while Frank goes to help Sophie.

When escorting Survivors from Al Fresca Plaza and Entrance Plaza while rescuing Sophie, keeping them along the right wall is key. Generally they can safely be left there which Frank runs to get Sophie, and she will head straight there upon joining. Should the Convicts manage to get close enough to the group to deal damage have Frank split up from the Survivors. The Convicts seem more interested in attacking Frank. This will give the Survivors an opportunity to run to the next set waypoint and the Convicts might get stuck while chasing Frank, removing the danger they impose.

If Frank has not yet completed the Cut From the Same Cloth scoop, now would be a good opportunity. A waypoint can be safely set in Colombian Roastmasters while Frank photographs Kent Swanson. In addition the supply of Orange Juice there can be used to fully heal Frank and all Survivors with him. Though with the short distance that is left to travel, this is necessary only if someone is extremely close to death.

If Frank enters the Warehouse after 6pm for the first time, he will encounter the Queen for the first time. This will kill all zombies in the room with the exception of a Queen-infected zombie in front of each exit. This makes it easy to get Survivors through the Warehouse, especially if it is a large group.

Prestige Points

 * Join Bonus: 12,000 PP
 * Escort Complete Bonus: 24,000 PP

Trivia

 * The convicts refer to Sophie as Sid's old lady, which is slang for a female significant other such as a girlfriend or wife. This could just be an assumption on the part of the convicts, although the exact relationship between Sophie and Sid is never specified.
 * Upon reaching the Security Room, Sophie will say "I can't believe those maniacs killed him. I never got the chance to tell him how I feel."
 * After being rescued, she will wait in the room with the blue door. If Frank fails to satisfy Ronald's Appetite, Sophie will leave the Security Room and no long count towards the number of rescued survivors.
 * When sitting in the Security Room Sophie's stockings can be photographed for up to 600 Erotica PP. Her face can be worth up to 150 Drama PP for a total of 750 PP, which can be used to satisfy the requirements of the Photo Challenge scoop.
 * In the Wii edition, the Convicts have their own scoop, called Prisoners, in which Frank helps escort Sophie while battling the Convicts through an interactive cutscene with quick time events.