Chapter Text
It was the apocalypse, the living dead was a real threat and it was every man for himself. Ghost had survived longer than most of his teammates, each one a reminder he couldn't keep connections. Deciding to just go off by himself to survive. He had been travelling through the woods finding it easier to evade the undead through the trees. He found a cabin and thought it would be perfect to rest and see what he had left in his dwindling supplies, and hopefully find some good supplies in the cabin. What he didn't know was that the cabin was already in use and as he entered the cabin through a window he was faced with a crimson haired woman holding a shotgun to his face. "You better go back the way you came or you won't have a face." She warned him, she couldn't risk him being infected and turning when she was unaware.
Ghost was startled at the woman's sudden appearance, his sharp features softening as he looked at her with a smirk.
"Calm down darling," he said, "I ain't here to hurt you. Just looking to stay the night I promise I won't be any trouble at all." Ghost said confidently.
“Where you followed, any wounds?" She asked after a second, the shotgun not moving as she glared at him. She couldn't be more cautious in a situation where the dead could come back to life.
Ghost shakes his head. "No wounds, no bites, absolutely clean." Ghost assured her, "Just been out in the woods for the past couple of days and I could do with a little rest." Ghost smiled at the woman he found quite attractive despite the pointed gun at his face.
She let out a small sigh of relief lowering her weapon. "Sorry for being a tad ...rude. Life hasn't been the same since those undead started attacking and turning others." She told him. acting a lot more calm and friendly with him.
There was a sound from the other room and the head of a young girl popped out. She looked like a younger version of the woman. "Rose! I told you not to come out, you don't know if it's safe." The crimson haired woman scolded the child who was named Rose. That's why she was cautious with him.
Ghost raised an eyebrow and chuckled. "I get it darlin' can't be too careful with how things are these days, and who's that?" Ghost asks curiously as he watches the little girl pop her head out of the room. "Rose, my daughter, my name is Katherine. Come here love, he's safe." She answered and motioned for the young girl to come over. Rose quickly moved to her mother hiding behind her legs.
"We haven't seen other survivors for awhile, I was beginning to think we were the only ones left." Katherine caressed her daughter's head as she spoke. Ghost was also surprised to see another survivor, and she was gorgeous too, but he quickly pushed the thoughts out of his head. He was a lone wolf, a survivor and never stayed too long in one place. He looked at the little girl and was reminded of an old friendship and smirked as he spoke. "I've been on the move for a while, surviving by myself." Ghost explained as he looked around the room curiously. The cabin was well kept, of course some places looked more lived in then others. Some walls had hand drawn pictures, done by Rose herself.
Katherine nodded as she listened to him. "Well, you're more than welcome to rest here. We don't have much in terms of food, I do need to do a supply run soon." She sighed at the last part.
Ghost's eyes were drawn to the pictures Rose had dotted around the room. "Your daughter, she's cute, and I have to say she's a great artist," Ghost said with a small compliment, which made Rose perk up, and he noticed a lack of a father figure in her life. "So you're raising her by yourself?" Ghost questioned curiously.
"Rose, love why don't you go back to your room, make me a pretty picture okay." She told the young girl, who was more than happy to do that, running off to her room. Katherine didn't want Rose to listen to the conversation.
"Yes I am, her father... Well he didn't make it." Katherine looked so upset when she told him this. Ghost frowned as he heard the news and made note of her reaction.
"That must've been hard." He said softly after a moment. He noticed Rose leave in a rush, and guessed that the topic of her father must be sore for Katherine. Ghost felt some empathy for the woman in front of him. "You've managed on your own all this time though?"
The crimson haired woman gave a small smile, but it was a bit forced. "Being former military and survivalist does have its benefits." She tells him with a dry chuckle. Ghost chuckles with her, and then looks away from her for a moment, she was too damned gorgeous to look at straight for too long. "Survivalist." he remarked while he noticed her physique and how well she held herself. "You got that military bod." Ghost said with a smile.
"You think? I feel like I look like a mom." Katherine seemed quite happy with his complement. Ghost smirked, this was too easy. "More than a mom darlin' you've got that whole military babe thing going on." he said in his playful tone, noticing a blush creeping on her cheeks. She looked away flustered, it had been awhile since she had been flirted with let alone just talk to someone who wasn't her daughter. "L-let me show you where you'll be sleeping." Katherine told him as she quickly pivoted and walked deeper into the cabin. Ghost followed a few steps behind the beautiful woman, his hazel eyes taking in every part of her body, from those curvy hips to those luscious lips. The lack of a father figure for her daughter wasn't lost on him as part of him craved a family life for himself, after all he had experienced all this alone.
"How old is your daughter?" Ghost asked as she made her way through the cabin.
"Rose is 10, soon to be 11." Katherine answered, glad to get her mind off his flirting.
"She's a bright girl, just a bit shy." The mother gushed, happy to talk about her daughter. Ghost nodded as he listened to her talk about her daughter, he was always soft towards children, having had an abusive father himself.
He wondered how long she'd been on her own without another adult around, and felt some guilt for his previous thoughts of an easy way to get her alone. "I'd love to meet her when she's more comfortable with me." Ghost said with a smile.She nods. "Rose will warm up to you eventually."
Katherine opened the door and turned on a lamp in the room. "It's not much but it's better than nothing." Katherine told him with a soft smile. "Better than my usual sleeping arrangements I'll be happy with this place," Ghost said as he looked around the bedroom. He saw the empty bed and smiled.
"You're not going to keep me locked in this room are you?" he asked jokingly.
"No, no. You're free to look around the cabin if you want." She told him with a small smile. "I'm actually going to go outside to chop some firewood for tonight. It gets cold at night." Katherine told him, letting him put down his pack and get settled in.
"Would you mind if I chopped the firewood for you, instead of you doing it?" he offered after getting her permission to move around. Ghost had plenty of strength in his arms and was used to physical work like that and would have no problem doing it, not to mention he would prefer to do something to contribute rather than lay about in the cabin. Katherine seemed impressed he'd want to help. "Sure, let me show you where the firewood is." She told him, moving out of the room, expecting him to follow. Ghost followed Katherine outside and appreciated the sight of her as they walked. He was sure it wouldn't take long to do the firewood but he was happy to do the physical labour if it meant more time with the attractive woman in front of him. He was attracted to her but also attracted to the life she had built for herself and for her young daughter. He wondered what had happened to Rose's father, but didn't want to ask in case it was a sensitive subject.
They went outside to the back, there was a nice clearing and a stack of logs ready to be cut into firewood. "Here is the wood, that stump over there with the axe is where you cut it and I'm sure you know what to do." Katherine told him. Ghost nodded understanding what she had told him. He grabbed the axe off the chopping block and felt the weight in his hand, it wasn't one of the largest axes he had used but would do the job. He took the first log from the pile and brought the axe down on it, splitting the large log in half. He looked at the woman and smiled, he knew exactly how attractive he looked with his biceps visible. Katherine didn't mind the show, watching how his biceps flexed as he swung the axe. She was definitely enjoying it.
After a bit of watching she smiled. "Well I'll leave you to it, once you're done just bring the firewood to the fireplace." She told him before leaving.
Ghost didn't miss a beat, he knew how attractive he was in this position and enjoyed the fact that she was watching and enjoying the sight. He split the wooden logs quickly, taking about twenty minutes to split all the wood. He picked up the split firewood and carried the logs over to the fireplace and carefully placed each one down. He placed enough to last the night but wouldn't have too much left over in the morning.
Rose watched him with big eyes, she had been hiding in her room for the most part. She was excited to see another living person and it was good to see her mom not look so sad all the time.
"Will you be staying?" Her little voice rang out behind him. Ghost was caught off guard a little and smiled when he noticed the young girl behind him, she was a really pretty little girl.
He stopped what he was doing and turned around. "That's up to your mother, darlin' but I'd be more than happy to stay." Ghost said with a friendly smile.
"What's your name lil’ miss?" he asked as he crouched down to get eye level with the girl.
"I'm Rose, what's your name?" She answered with a little giggle.
"I'm Ghost darling," Ghost introduced himself softly trying not to use the charming tone in his voice around the young girl. He noticed her red hair and it reminded him of the woman inside the house. "Is your Mama treating you well darling?" Ghost asked her. Rose nodded her head, she loved her mother.
"You don't look like a ghost." She pointed out, thinking his name was a bit silly. It didn't even sound like a real name. Ghost chuckled softly at the young girl's reaction to his name. He was used to it and knew most people would react the same way to his name.
"Oh it's just a nickname darling, I'm not really a ghost." he explained with a laugh. "It means I move fast and quietly, you may be able to spot me but it's very difficult to catch me." he added, giving a playful wink.
"Are you really good at hide and seek?" Rose asked, seeming to be excited, she hadn't had anyone to play with except for her mother. Ghost nodded with an amused smile, this was too easy.
"The best, I'm fantastic at hide and seek." he told her with a playful tone hoping that the mother would hear and be impressed with how he was interacting with Rose. "Would you like to play darlin'?"
She nodded, happy he wanted to play with her. "Yes please." Rose smiled softly at him.
"Then you should go hide first and I'll count to twenty slowly so that you can hide well." he told her with a grin. Ghost would enjoy this even if it was only for a couple of minutes, and he could hear the mother's footsteps coming back into the cabin.
"Okay." Rose chirped as she ran off to hide. Katherine watched with a small smile, it had been awhile since she saw Rose look happy like that. Glad that her daughter was warming up to Ghost. Before the young girl had been out of sight, Ghost had begun counting and he heard the young girl's footsteps running around to find the perfect hiding spot. He knew he would find her quickly as she would probably choose a very obvious spot. He had to make it seem like he really was trying to look for her so as to not hurt her feelings. Rose hid under the bed she slept in at night. Holding her breath as she waited to be found.
Katherine started building the fire for tonight as Ghost and her daughter played.
Ghost counted to twenty and began hunting for the hiding little girl. It took him a few seconds but he found the young girl under the bed and he was impressed by the spot she had chosen. He pretended not to find her right away, and played along with her hiding.
"Where are you darling?" he called her pretending to be all confused. She couldn't help but giggle as she watched his heavy boots from under the bed. Rose enjoyed this game. Ghost smirked at her giggle and he pretended to look around not knowing where she was. It was hard to not laugh as he knew she was beneath the bed laughing at him which made him want to join in.
"I might need help in finding you." he joked, and he pretended to look around the room.
"I'm right here!" She giggled out as she crawled out from under the bed. Rose seemed quite pleased that he couldn't find her. Ghost smiled as she crawled out from under the bed and he made a shocked face while pretending to be surprised, it took all his willpower not to laugh at it all with her innocent giggling.
"Oh wow I never thought you'd be under the bed." he joked with a laugh and pretended not to have been able to see her feet the whole time.
Rose smiled. "I won the game." She told him happily before running off to tell her mother. Ghost grinned as he watched her skip through the room excited that she had won in their little game. He was impressed with the little girl even if the game was a bit of a joke as he had pretended to not know where she was for a while. It was a good first impression of the little girl. He got up and made his way back to the mother of the household.
Katherine had built a nice fire that was warming up the room. Rose was happily explaining how the game went to her mother. It was heartwarming to see them interact, Katherine had so much love for her daughter and it showed. She looked up and saw Ghost and gave him a small smile.
Ghost walked up to her and offered her a friendly smile as he approached her "Your daughter is great, I enjoyed playing with her." he commented softly. He noticed the way the mother looked at her daughter and could sense the unconditional love she had for her. That kind of love was very rare in this world these days and Ghost envied it deeply.
"I'm glad you're entertaining her. I haven't seen her this happy in a while." She told him as she patted Rose's head. Katherine was glad he was being kind to her daughter and not an asshole who hated kids. Ghost couldn't help but notice how she touched Rose's head and it made him feel a little jealous. His father was never like that with him. He enjoyed seeing the love between the mother and daughter and how Rose went to her for comfort and advice. Her mother was clearly doing a great job in raising her. Rose moved to grab something. "Can we eat now mama?" She asked, making Katherine chuckle.
"Fine, only one can." She told her daughter.
Ghost watched from the side as the young girl asked her mother if they could eat now and he couldn't help but smile as he watched the mother and daughter's playful banter. Then he listened as her mother said that they would only eat one can of food. He was curious as to what was in the can but he figured he'd ask the mother later and not to appear too nosy.
"Mama! We got mini raviolis!" Rose called out. Katherine gave a smirk as she looked over at Ghost.
"My favourite love, grab it." Katherine told her daughter. The young girl quickly ran back with a can of food and a pot. Ghost couldn't help but like the playful energy between the mother and the daughter. It just showed a great sense of connection. The woman also seemed to have a sense of humour and that was nice to see. He wondered what she would look like if she was smiling with her eyes, not just her lips. He smiled as the young girl ran back with the can of food and the pot and he stepped forward to help by getting the pot from the girl. Katherine thanked her daughter for being helpful and opened the can, emptying it into the pot and let it sit next to the fire to warm up. The stove in the cabin didn't work. While it cooked Rose hanged from her mother, being clingy because a new person was here, though Katherine didn't mind.
"After a bit of food why don't I read you a book then tuck you in for bed love." She suggested it to her daughter, who nodded in agreement. The mother was doing really well in raising her by being affectionate and nurturing which Ghost very much appreciated.
"Can I join in on the story reading or is that just a bonding moment between the two of you?" Ghost asked with a warm smile towards them both waiting for her response.
"Sure you can join." She answered with a smile, Rose nodded her head not minding as well. The young girl had found herself on top of her mother's back. Katherine was used to this and let her daughter have fun. The mother's reply made Ghost even happier as now he would be able to have a bonding moment with the young girl too. Having both the mother and her daughter's appreciation meant alot to him. He thought it was adorable how Rose had gotten on top of her mother's back, and he knew that this was a very good sign for him. It meant that the mother trusted Ghost to be around her young and defenceless child. Once the food was warmed up Katherine got her daughter off of her so they could eat. Letting Rose eat more than herself as they ate out of the pot. Ghost couldn't help but admire the mother's sacrifice in letting her daughter eat more than herself, she clearly didn't care about herself and only thought of her young girl. He could see this as he watched them both eat the small portion of the raviolis with the mother smiling lovingly to her daughter as they ate. It was a beautiful sight to see the mother and daughter dynamic. After the quick meal she grabbed Rose and picked her up, making the young girl giggle.
"Okay love, time to sleep." Katherine said.
"What about my story?" Rose asked.
"Yes and a story, I wouldn't forget that." The mother replied as she took her daughter to her room. Placing Rose on her bed before grabbing a picture book.
Ghost watched the mother put the young girl to bed and he couldn't help but smile at the playful tone they shared together. It showed their deep bond and it made him a little envious to not have the same with his own mother. He watched them and wondered what the story was. What was the story that the mother read to the young girl every night. He had to sneak a peek just to satisfy his own curiosity of the bedtime routine. Katherine started to read as she was sitting on the edge of the bed. She read the story of the little engine that could. It was a short but sweet story and in the end Rose was asleep. She smiles softly and kisses her daughter's forehead.
"Goodnight love." She whispered softly and left the room, closing the door. As the mother left the room the young girl was fast asleep. Ghost had watched the entire process of the story being read and of the mother kissing her daughter good night. He felt a sense of envy towards the mother but he also had to admit that it was a very sweet moment. He was glad that the young girl's mother seemed quite comfortable with him around her daughter, and he couldn't deny he felt quite comfortable watching the two interact with one another in such a way.
"So, what's your story?" Katherine asked as she looked at him. She had shared about herself and he saw how she acted with her daughter, so she wanted to learn more about him. She moved to the kitchen and grabbed two beers, handing him one.
Ghost took the offered beer and he took a sip from the can as he thought about the question that the woman had just asked. She had already shown a lot about herself and her young daughter, and he was now expected to give personal information about himself. "What specifically would you like to know darlin'?" he asked with his soft tone accompanied with a friendly smile.
She opened her own can and took a swig. "Where are you heading? If you even have a place in mind." Katherine asked.
"Right now I'm heading to nowhere in particular." he took a swig from the can trying to think about what he was going to say. It was clear that the woman was curious about him, he was glad for the opportunity to share himself a little with the woman.
"I've been travelling for a long time and I don't have a destination, I'm just going wherever I go." he explained softly.
"Well, constantly moving is good with the hordes of undead. Can't stay in one place for too long." She told him, it sounded like she had some experience from how she talked. The supply runs she did were more than enough to bump up her kill count. Katherine sips her beer. Ghost took a sip from the can as he listened to the woman making an insight towards his travelling. She had already guessed that he was on the move constantly and that he hadn't settled down at all since the zombie outbreak.
"Sounds like you've had some experience of travelling yourself." he remarked seeing an indication of that in her expression.
Katherine nodded. "Took me and Rose a good long while to get here to this cabin. On top of going out for supplies like food and ammo." She takes a swig of beer before continuing.
"Had a few close calls with them, thankfully I'm handy with a gun." Ghost took a sip of the beer as he was intrigued by the woman's past. She had managed to get to the cabin with her small little girl. It was clear that she was very capable at travelling and surviving especially in such a dangerous area and it impressed Ghost very much.
"I'm impressed," he said as he looked at her. "You managed to reach this cabin which is pretty deep in the forest right?"
"I'll be honest it wasn't fun, especially with a child. I love Rose, don't get me wrong but this isn't the world a child should grow up in." She told him with a sigh. Ghost chuckled softly and he could understand her sentiment as the world wasn't suitable for children at all.
"You're doing a damn good job to get her this far," he said with a soft tone. "I can't even imagine trying to navigate this area with a tiny little child like that."
This makes Katherine smile softly. "Thanks." She finishes off her beer. "Tomorrow I'll have to do a supply run but if I'm being honest I'm getting anxious about staying in this cabin. It takes too long to get to town and back and I don't like leaving Rose by herself." She told him. "I do have a map where a possible safe area is and I have thought about going there to see if I can get Rose and I a safe place to stay."
Ghost nodded at her comments and he could relate to her concerns as he saw how cautious she was of leaving her daughter by herself. The world was dangerous even for a grown adult let alone for a young child. But he had seen her interactions with the young girl when she had read her a story before sleep. She clearly loved her daughter dearly and he was starting to trust the mother and her judgement. "How far is the safe area from here?" he asked.
"It's a five day trip on foot." Katherine told him. "I know it will be worth it though if this place is really safe." She was just looking out for her daughter and what was best for her. Ghost took a sip of his beer as he thought of what she had just told him. Five days was quite a distance and he could understand the concern she had in trying to make the journey back and forth for supplies.
"And you're sure that this place is actually safe?" he asked, a little sceptical of the place as he had become very suspicious of all people and their claims.
She gave a small shrug. "It's an old compound so it should be secured, not to mention other survivors, I'd say there's a good chance it's safe." Katherine told him before yawning softly. "It's late, we should probably get some sleep."
Ghost smiled softly at her and he liked the idea of a secure compound especially if there were other survivors and it would mean Rose would have other children to interact with.
"Yeah, that might not be a bad idea." he agreed. "We should try to get some sleep." He finished off his can and he took the can and put it into the recycling bin before he headed to the spare room he'd been using.
While he went off to bed Katherine put out the fire. Afterwards she did her nightly routine of checking outside for any undead and securing the window and doors. After she was satisfied she went to sleep on a chair, seeing as there weren't enough beds.
Ghost couldn't help but notice the woman's careful and thoughtful procedure in making sure the area was secure. She was trying to make the cabin a safe space for both herself and the young girl. His suspicions that the mother was a good protector had been confirmed. He laid down on the bed in the spare room and his mind raced with thoughts of what could go wrong in the morning from the potential trip she'd have ahead of her. He fell asleep worrying about her.
Katherine didn't get much sleep, she never did but it was something she was used to. She got ready for the long day of walking before her, packing all the essentials and making sure her guns had enough ammo. Letting Rose sleep in just a bit longer as she got ready, also packing Rose's bag as well.
Ghost woke up around the morning time and he could sense that the mother had already got up and started preparing herself for the long day of walking ahead. He decided to let her have some time off her own and he got up from the spare bedroom and he went to the kitchen where he could hear the sounds of the woman packing and preparing all the supplies for her journey. He would wait for her to finish her tasks before making his presence known as he wanted to be polite. She looked up, feeling like she was being watched and saw Ghost. "Morning, I thought it over and I'm just going to take my chance and head to the safe place with Rose. You're free to join if you want." Katherine told him as she finished packing up. Ghost smiled softly as he saw the woman look up at him, she seemed slightly uncomfortable that he had been watching her. He couldn't help it though as he was naturally curious of the woman and her thoughts. He watched as she finished her own packing and when she explained her intentions he nodded and he was ready to join her.
"I would gladly join you on this journey to the supposed safe zone." he replied softly.
"I'm glad, it would be bittersweet to leave you alone." She answered as she moved to wake Rose up. Katherine wanted Ghost to join, he was sweet and kind and very good with Rose. Maybe she even saw something more but she didn't dwell on it and she gently woke up her daughter.
Ghost sat there in one of the kitchen chairs and he watched the woman carefully wake up her daughter. Her daughter was sleepy and groggy for a good couple of minutes before she was completely awake. Ghost could tell that the woman was a very gentle and loving mother the way she cared for her daughter. This made him trust the woman even more. After Rose was fully awake and aware of what was going on she seemed excited to be on the move. She was tired of being in the old cabin.
Katherine helped Rose with her bag before putting on her own. Ghost watched the mother help her daughter get ready to go on the long journey and he could tell that Rose was excited to leave the cabin after being inside for so long. He knew exactly how tiring it would be to remain cooped up in a small little area for such a long time and he wasn't surprised that Rose was eager to leave. It was good to see her excited about the journey and it got Ghost excited too as this meant he would get to go on a long walk and get to know the mother and Rose better.
"Okay ready to go?" She asked Rose and Ghost as she secured her pack. Rose nodded her head eagerly as she bounced next to her mother. Ghost smirked at the two of them and he got up from his seat, his backpack on his back as well and packed with supplies. He had to admit it was quite fun to travel with other people instead of just himself.
"Ready as I'll ever be darlin." he said with a soft tone. He smiled at the mother and her daughter and his smile only grew more and more genuine the more he got to know them. With that they were off, Katherine reminding her daughter to be quiet and to stay close.
The crimson haired woman pulled out the map that was marked. "There is a road that we'll be travelling along and if there is a road there are cars. So when night does hit us we will have some sort of place to sleep." She told mostly Ghost as they walked through the forest towards the road from the overgrown path. Ghost nodded at the woman's instructions and he paid extra attention to them as he didn't want to make any noise that could cause the undead to appear. Ghost was glad that there would be a road for them to take as there would also be cars and the woman was spot on with the fact that they would be a good shelter in the night when their vision would be poor.
Ghost kept his focus on the woman and the young little girl and his head swayed a little as he looked around at the forest surrounding them. As they walked Rose held onto the strap of Katherine's pack, using it to not lose her mother. Rose hummed softly to herself as they walked. Katherine was doing maths in her head, calculating how far they'd get before having to stop.
Ghost's attention was on the young girl as he saw her holding on to the strap of her mother's backpack and he noticed that she was humming softly to herself. Rose seemed quite content with the journey and Ghost couldn't help but find this very cute as she was doing everything she could to not get lost. Ghost noticed how much Katherine was paying attention to the road and how she seemed to be calculating the journey for them to travel. This was a good sign as it meant she was well-prepared and was ensuring their safety during the journey. They walked at a steady pace and reached the road. Thankfully they didn't see any zombie's in the immediate area.
"This way. We'll stop after an hour to drink something and take a little rest. Maybe loot if there are cars." Katherine spoke up pointing in the direction they were supposed to go. Ghost smirked at her plan and he followed her as she began the journey. The pace was steady and he also appreciated the fact that she was giving them time to stop and rest, and also loot if need be as he could also loot some more ammo for himself.
"Sounds like a good plan to me," he said with a soft tone. The two of them continued to walk in the same direction following the road as they navigated their way through an overgrown and dead forest. After a while Rose spoke up.
"Mama I'm hungry." Katherine let out a small chuckle, knowing this would happen. She pulled something out of her pocket and handed it to her daughter. It was a granola bar that Rose happily took.
"Don't eat it too fast." Katherine told her daughter. Ghost watched as the woman took the granola bar out of her pocket and gave it to her daughter who ate it with a huge smile on her face. It was so adorable the way she ate it with such enthusiasm as she looked at the mother with a grateful smile. "You're too cute." he mumbled to himself. The mother had given her daughter a snack to keep her satisfied whilst they continued to walk as he himself was starting to feel slightly hungry.