The New World | The Walking Dead x Male Reader, OC

Chupacabra

quick a/n - in the show, jimmy is beth's boyfriend but for the sake of the story i made him hershel's nephew.

It's been a few days. Recently I've found myself a little more thankful every morning. I met with Dad and Shane as we walked over to those of us that're going out to look for Sophia.

"Morning, guys. Let's get going. We've got a lot of ground to cover." Dad said as we passed Andrea and T-Dog. We used the same map and the same car hood.
"We're all getting new search grids today. If she made it as far as the farmhouse Daryl found, she might have gone further east than we've been so far." Dad said. Daryl walked over to us.
"I'd like to help. I know the area pretty well and stuff." A slightly taller guy around my age said as he walked up to us.
"Your old man alright with that?" I said.
"Yeah. He said I should ask you guys." He said. I looked over at my dad and nodded softly.
"Alright. Thanks. You'll go with him." Dad said as he looked over at me.
"Mason." I said to the taller guy.
"Jimmy." He said.
"Nice to meet you, Jimmy." I said.

"Nothing about what Daryl found screams Sophia to me. Anyone coulda been holed up in that farmhouse." Shane said.
"Anybody includes her, right?" Andrea said.
"Whoever slept in that cupboard was no bigger than yay-high." Daryl said as he held his arm up to show a shorter person.
"It's a good lead." Andrea said.
"Maybe even pick up her trail again." I said.
"No maybe about it. I'm gonna borrow a horse. Head up this ridge right here, take a bird's-eye view of the whole grid. If she's up there, I'll spot her." Daryl said. Dale walked over and put Dad's sheriff duffel full of our guns on the hood.
"Good idea. Maybe you'll see your Chupacabra up there too." T-Dog said, clearly poking fun at Daryl.
"Chupacabra?" Dad said and I smiled at the reminder of Daryl's story.
"You never heard this? Out first night at camp, Daryl tells us that the whole thing reminds him of the time he went squirrel hunting and saw a Chupacabra." Dale said which made Jimmy let out a small laugh.
"What are you braying at, jackass?" Daryl said to Jimmy.
"A goat blood-sucking dog? Nah, I still don't buy it." I said in defense of Jimmy.
"Do you believe dead people walking around?" Daryl said.
"Touché" I said. Jimmy reached over for a shotgun.
"Hey hey. Ever shoot one before?" Dad said as he grabbed the shotgun from him.
"Well, if I'm going out, I want one." Jimmy said.
"Yeah, and people in hell want slurpees." Daryl said as he slung his crossbow around his shoulder and walked away.
"Why don't you come train tomorrow? If you're serious, I'm a certified instructor." Shane said to Jimmy.
"I'll do the shootin' today." I said as I grabbed the shotgun from Dad.
"He's yours to babysit then." Shane said.
"I used to babysit Carl all the time. Piece of cake." I said as I walked a few steps away and cocked the shotgun, pointing it away from anyone.

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I had just checked on Carl before getting ready to head out when I saw Maggie walking away from Glenn.

"Jeez. What'd you do to her?" I said as I walked out onto the patio.
"I don't know what I'm doing." Glenn said as he put a guitar he was holding against the railing.
"Just be yourself. I'm sure she likes you, but she also doesn't know you. And I'm not too sure how Hershel feels about it either." I said.
"You think Hershel doesn't like it?" Glenn said.
"I don't think he even knows about it. Give it time. I'd stay and give you my excellent dating advice but I'm gonna go help find Sophia." I said.
"Good luck, man." Glenn said as I walked off.
"Thanks! Remember, give it time!" I shouted as I walked back into our small section of tents.

I walked over to Jimmy after grabbing my weapons. I holstered my handgun and my knife. I held out a bunch of dark blue thin rags and handed them out to Jimmy along with a hammer and some nails.

"We'll put up some checkpoints along the way. If we come across anything hostile, do what I say. After you get some gun training then you can call the shots but for now, you're stuck with me." I say as I pick up the shotgun that was beside Jimmy and hold it in my hands.
"Let's get a move on." I said and we started walking towards the forest and into our grid.