❛ ❪ geek hunting. ❫ ❜

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"DAD, YOU KNOW Shane will be pissed if he knew we were doing this." ten-year-old Moonee commented, as the two trekked through the forest with a bucket— a ruse so Shane wouldn't suspect that the daughter and father weren't up to nonsense.

"Hey. Language." Marcus half-scolded, as he glanced at her with a warning look, "Shane won't find out." he assured his daughter, as she held a knife that was too big for her child hands.

"But he doesn't let Carl or Sophia anywhere out of camp," Moonee added, a hint of anxiety bubbling in her at the fact that Shane would blow up at the two if he knew they were hunting geeks— what they called the dead who walked around instinctually.

"Yeah? Well, you're not Carl or Sophia. Plus, he's not your father." Marcus shot back, then abruptly stopped walking, then placed a hand in front of Moonee, so she would stop in her tracks too.

A low bubbled growl was heard in the woods, and Moonee's eyes widened, "Is that—" she whispered, but was cut off by her father turning his head to her, and lifting his index finger to his lips to shush the girl.

Moonee nervously tightened her fingers around the handle of her knife— that her father put charms on and carved her name into the side of the blade. Marcus then turned to his daughter and gave her a small smile of encouragement, and Moonee weakly tried to reciprocate.

Moonee tried her best not to think about it, but her father became everything she ever wanted when the world fell apart. She almost was happy about the apocalypse, but shoved that thought away, because it wasn't a good thought— plus, they were constantly fighting for their lives.

Setting down the bucket slowly, Marcus, grabbed a rock and tossed it in a nearby bush, causing the noise of the dead growling to come closer. Moonee's heart pounded, but she knew she needed to learn how to defend herself.

"Alright. Remember what I said?" Marcus knelt whispering the question to his daughter. Moonee swallowed thickly and nodded.

"Quick plunge into the skull." she recited his words of advice, and he nodded at her, patting her back comfortingly, as he stood up straight again, the growling sound louder.

"I'm right here," he assured, as the rotted walking body limped into their view. The moment the geek saw them it slightly picked up its limping pace, its growling louder than ever before.

Moonee shut up the small voice in the back of her head that bubbled her anxiety, and immediately rushed towards the dead monster— that was taller than her— and pushed it back into a tree.

It snapped its teeth at her as she approached the creature. The geek began to limp her way again, and she kicked the creature in the chest, causing it to fall, and try to scramble up again. Moonee squeezed her eyes shut for a moment, and quickly plunged her knife into the head of the geek.

Her eyes opened, and the growling creature continued to move and snap its human teeth at the girl. Moonee's eyes widened, her knife only went through the skin and down to the nose of the dead thing— not the brain.

Moonee then struggled as she pulled the knife from the monster's face, but the knife was so stuck, that when she finally pulled it from the nose of the beast, she fell backward onto the forest floor.

The geek then started to get up and tried to get to the girl, who nervously scooted her body backward with her elbows. A knife and crunch noise echoed the forest as the creature fell, the growling that fell from its mouth silent.

Marcus pulled his knife from the head of the creature and slid his knife back into his holster, which also contained a small handgun that he refused to let anyone else touch.

"Sorry." Moonee frowned at the fact she wasn't able to take down a stupid thing that was already dead.

Marcus shook his head at her immediately, "Don't apologize, Stardust." he used her nickname that stuck since they first set up camp.

Moonee was talking about the stars one night, and her father jokingly called her the nickname, then it stuck. Sometimes even Shane or Carol would use it to refer to the girl.

Marcus stuck his hand out to his daughter, and she took it, using it to help herself up from the ground. Moonee then took her hand from her dad's and dusted off herself, before sticking her knife into the sheath that hung off her jeans.

"Next time." Marcus nodded at her daughter, wiping some blood off her cheek that was from the unmoving geek on the ground.

Moonee nodded at her father as he pulled his hand away from her face, "Next time." she repeated the words back with determination.

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Marcus and Moonee walked back into their camp, which barely hung off the highway. Marcus held onto the red plastic bucket that was halfway full of edible berries— Shane taught them how to tell if they were poison or not.

"Moonee!" Carl rushed over, and Marcus and Moonee stopped in their tracks and turned to look at the boy who rushed up to them.

"What's up?" Moonee tilted her head, as he held a thin rope in his hand that had a thick knot at the end of it. Carl lifted the knot to show Moonee what he had been taught.

"Shane taught me." he bragged and Moonee rolled her eyes, and Marcus slightly nudged her with his elbow, so she wasn't rude to the boy.

"That's cool." Moonee responded with a nod, and then pointed at the bucket her father held, "We found your favorite berries." she smiled at the boy who was two inches shorter than her— although they were the same age.

Carl glanced at the bucket and then at Moonee's father. Carl smiled at the man, which Marcus returned, and held the bucket out to the boy.

"Thank you, Mr. Taylor." Carl thanked him as he took the bucket from the man's hands. Marcus nodded at the boy, who tried to seek a father figure in every man since his father passed.

Marcus ruffled the two's hair, and Moonee let out a small laugh at her father, "Just call me Marcus, kid." he told the boy, and Carl immediately nodded at his words.

"Thank you, Marcus." he smiled again, using his official name for the first time, then tugged on Moonee's wrist, "C'mon, I'll show you how to tie the knot."

Moonee glanced at her father for approval, and Marcus nodded at her. Moonee sent him a grateful smile and then darted off with Carl to find Sophia.

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Glenn shuffled a deck of cards in front of the three kids who sat in front of him, "You're gonna lose." the man shrugged with a smile, as he dealt out the cards on the plastic pop-out table that Dale had.

"Will not." Carl shot back sassily, as he picked up his cards, the sky bursting with a beautiful hue of indigo and pink.

Glenn then glared at the little boy, as Sophia and Moonee picked up their cards, examining them, "Will too." he argued back.

Sophia let out a small giggle at their bickering, as Moonee organized her cards the way that she wanted to. Moonee stuffed hair behind her ears as she then looked up from her cards.

"I'm not sure that crazy eights is the game to be fighting over." Moonee furrowed her eyebrows, finally processing their bickering.

"Whatever, I'm first." Glenn let out a huff of annoyance, as he flipped over one card on the deck that they could play on. It was the queen of hearts, and Glenn sat down a four of hearts.

Sophia then placed down her eight of diamonds card immediately, "I want spades." she instantly informed, her short strawberry blonde hair bouncing as she spoke.

Glenn furrowed his eyebrows, "Already? Sophia you're supposed to save those for when you need them." he informed the young girl.

Sophia frowned, "I want spades." she informed again simply, "Moonee." she instructed the girl next to her to place down her card, since it was Moonee's turn.

Moonee felt the waxed-over cards in her hands for a moment, before placing the ace of spades down, the pattern on the card prettier than all the others.

No one commented on Moonee's card, so it was Carl's turn. Carl set down some spade card, while sticking his tongue out at Glenn, which only earned a scoff and roll of the eyes from the man.

A few minutes of the four silently placing down cards passed, until everyone started to notice the fact that Moonee had the least cards.

A few more turns passed, until Carl and Moonee only had one card left each. Glenn let out a frustrated grunt at the fact he was losing to Carl.

"It's your turn Moonee." Glenn instructed, antsy to get to his turn. Moonee let out a small laugh, and she set down her last card, which ended up being an eight of spades.

The brunette girl then lifted her empty hands up to show she had won. Carl then let out a loud sigh, and dropped his last card on the table. Sophia frowned, but didn't do or say anything else.

"You're shitting me?" Glenn rolled his eyes at the girl, "I did not just loose to a ten-year-old girl." he shook his head, and dropped his cards onto the table in defeat, "I'm going to bed."

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"Hi, Daryl." Moonee greeted as the man walked by— oddly enough, not with his brother. Daryl stopped and looked over his shoulder at the girl.

The bright morning sky was hidden by the trees that hung over where Moonee sat. Birds chirped loudly, and a small breeze passed through the air— washing something calm over the still asleep camp.

"Hi," he responded in his gruff tone, his face always looking annoyed and angry. Daryl went to walk away again, his crossbow hanging over his shoulder.

"Wait." Moonee stood up, slightly hesitant to talk to the man who she swore hated everyone and everything. Daryl huffed and turned towards the girl who he barely ever spoke to.

Moonee wasn't the best at socializing, but she somehow convinced herself to speak up to the man. She told her dad a few times that she was scared of Daryl, and Marcus just laughed at her words.

"Look, I don't want to play hide and seek, or somethin'—" Daryl went to go on and on about how he didn't want to be around kids, but then was cut off by Moonee.

"No, no." the brunette girl shook her head at his words, "No." she repeated, and finally looked the man in the eye, "Um, I just know you go on runs a lot."

Daryl eyed the girl, "Who told ya that?" he asked since Shane was weirdly obsessed with them staying in camp, and he would get in trouble for it— not that he cared, he just didn't want to be bugged by the guy who played boss.

"No one." Moonee retorted, almost too quickly, "I just know." she picked at her nails, "Just— can you get me something?" she asked hesitantly.

Daryl looked up into the trees for a moment, then back down at the girl, "What is it?" he asked, not particularly wanting to go out of his way for a kid who wasn't even his.

Moonee sighed, "A camera." she informed, and Daryl furrowed his eyebrows at her, almost as if she was dumb for even wanting the object.

"A camera?" he asked, as he looked around, then back at Moonee who was practically shaking in her boots talking to him, and seemed serious about the thing, "Alright."

Moonee's face practically lit up at his word of confirmation, "Really?" she asked and tipped her head to the side, "Thank you." she smiled at the man, and he gave her a curt nod, before going his way again.

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"Alright, you can do it," Marcus assured his daughter in a whisper, as she nodded quickly, growling growing closer again, causing her heart to race.

The rotting corpse limped toward the two, and Moonee immediately stood up straight and confidently stepped forward toward the geek.

Moonee then pushed the thing to the ground and immediately lifted her knife to strike it. Her knife plunged down into the head of the dead thing— a cracking and slicing noise hanging in the air.

The movement was so quick that barely any blood spewed from the skull of the geek. The growling stopped, and Moonee let out a relieved laugh, as some of her hair hung in her face, as she pulled the knife from the skull.

Marcus smiled at his daughter, and she looked down at the dead thing that lay there— eyes wide and clouded, as its face rotted.

The more she looked at it, the more she felt sick. She killed it. She killed something that was alive at some point. That thing had a life— and probably a family. Probably worked a nine to five, and worried about taxes on the daily.

Moonee's expression faltered after staring at the geek for a moment. Marcus noticed the change in Moonee's behavior, and he immediately approached his daughter.

"Hey." Marcus smiled at his daughter, and rubbed her shoulder, "You did it, Moonee." he used her full name, which he rarely did.

Marcus avoided calling his daughter her name, for some reason. It was always; 'kid' or 'Stardust' or anything along those lines. Nicknames always tagged the end of his sentences when he spoke to Moonee.

"Yeah," Moonee murmured, and ripped her gaze from the geek, and to her father, giving him a weak smile, while nodding her hair.

Marcus smiled at her, and brushed the hair from her face, "Let's head back, okay?" he tilted his head as he took a step back, "I'll let you have that Hershey bar I've been saving."
Moonee nodded, and let her lips grin again, but she felt like something else weighed down in her stomach.

Moonee looked down at the geek again. She swallowed thickly as she looked into its eyes. A wave of some sort of understanding draped over her mind, and she leaned down and closed the zombie's eyes.

Marcus watched the interaction between his daughter and the dead geek on the ground. A frown tugged at his lips, as she stuffed her knife into its holder, and stepped away from the rotten monster.

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-- 𝐍𝐎𝐓𝐄 :
    i know this chapter is all over the place, but it will get better. i'm just giving you the main idea of the camp. and majority of this stuff does not happen in the same day, it's just skimming over everything. things will start moving a bit more when rick comes. volume two will probably have most of the content y'all want, but just trust the process. 😈

marcus and moonee are curing my daddy issues you
guys. 🫡

     did u guys know that glenn and carl never ACTUALLY interacted in the entire show ?? so i made my own dynamic between them 🥰🥰

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