Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Chapter One

 Left foot slightly dangling in the air, right foot pushing her body weight up on her tip toes as she was bent over a table, washcloth in hand as her bottom moved in tandem with the strokes of her left hand, swirling the washcloth over the already cleaned tabletop. She pushed her torso further up the table, her jean shorts riding up between her ass cheeks. She was well aware of the audience of eyes, everyone in the bar watching her movements as if she were prey, but she also knew they wouldn’t approach her.

“The hell you think you’re doin’?” There was the voice that caused the men in the bar to quickly turn their heads, pretending they hadn’t been watching the sultry female, erasing the fantasies of being the ones to bend her over the table.

Sammy Thorne pulled herself up from the table, turning to the man who was standing just to her left, hidden slightly behind her. His bulky, overly muscled arms were crossed over an equally bulked up chest. This was Jake, the owner of the bar, a giant man that had a long history of being a body builder. Even though the man was older now, he still kept up his body builder shape and had proven over a handful of times that he could pummel most men in a fight. He hadn’t minded when the biker gang, the Savage Sons Motorcycle Club, moved in and took over the bar. He welcomed the now regular patrons as the townsfolk hadn’t really used the bar unless so-and-sos wife got mad at them for something stupid and they came in to buy a little drink, waiting for his wife to fall asleep. The Savage Sons were loud and rowdy, something Jake wanted for his bar.

Sammy gave Jake a scowl as she crossed her own arms under her breasts, lifting them up in another display as she did. Her right hip popped out as she looked at the mostly intimidating man. “My job?” was her witty and smart mouthed response.

Her biting remarks didn’t influence Jake as he pointed to the analog clock above one of the doors. “Your shift ended over two hours ago. Didn’t you say you had a date tonight?”

The woman’s eyes moved to the clock, taking a minute to read the hands, hating that it wasn’t digital, before whipping her phone from her back pocket, the digital numbers flashed 10:23pm on her screen. “Oh shit.” A half smirk flitted over her lips. “I guess you’re right, old man! Can I get my paycheck early this week?”

Jake frowned at her, “I’m not playing favorites.” It was a full-on lie. Everyone knew he favored her, not because she was any good at her job, but because she was easy on the eyes. He admitted to her that he would use her for her looks, but Sammy didn’t mind, she liked that she could get a paycheck for having a nice rack and not taking her clothes off to prove it. She was somewhat classy.

Sammy rolled her eyes, “Sure, sure.” She draped the cold washcloth over his still crossed arms before turning towards the back of the bar. She swayed her hips suggestively as she went, knowing that eyes were still watching her every move.

She slipped into the back office where all the employees kept their belongings, eyes focusing on her small duffle bag with the outfit she was going to wear for her date. Honestly, it was one of the skimpiest outfits she had, but she needed something to give her that extra oomph. All she got out of these “dates” were horny men who gave her cash up front for some sob story she would create to get them to feel bad for her. She would usually have her grandma call her and ask her to come home, but tonight, it was too late for that move. She would have already done it and been on her way home with a pocket full of cash. Now, she had to perform a different one, probably involving the bathroom or just making a break for it through a window. She had a feeling she would get a rather good sum of money from her date tonight anyway.

Sammy went into Jake’s private bathroom with her duffle bag, locking the door behind her. She set the bag down, pulled the zipper across the top, and fished inside until she pulled out the small black dress and matching strappy heels. She pulled off her jean shorts and simple black tank top before pulling the black dress over her head. She pulled it down her waist, the tight stretchy fabric hugging her hips as she settled it on her skin. She stuffed her hand in her doubled-up bra (a trick one of the girls taught her when she first started at Jake’s) and pulled her breasts in a position that was more appealing to the eye.

She gave a little twirl in the tall mirror hanging behind the door. Her hands gliding from the top of her shoulders, exposed from the spaghetti straps, down the V-neck that left no man wondering, to her flattened stomach, open for all to see as two straps crisscrossed in the middle before the black dress continued down her hips to the top of her thigh. She gave her reflection a nod of approval before turning to put on the strappy gladiator stiletto heels that went up part of her calf.

Sammy pulled out her compact makeup bag, deciding to go for a heavier look since it was late. She swept her eyebrows with an onyx pencil, gave herself black wings on top of eyelids and a thick line under her bottom eyelashes. She powdered her cheeks and nose, and contoured her cheekbones, making them an attractive feature on her face. Sammy lazily brushed mascara into her lashes before sweeping a dark red lipstick over her lips, making them pop against her outfit. She swept her long dark brown hair up in a half and half, spinning two small buns on the top of her head before pinning them down. She fanned the rest of her long locks over her breasts and back, letting the ends brush against the top of her ass.

Pulling out her phone, Sammy took a few quick photos for her Instagram, hoping to have a few DMs later. She threw the rest of her things in her duffel bag, throwing the strap on her left shoulder as she unlocked the bathroom door. She struts back through the bar, deciding to grab a drink and the opinions from the Savage Sons about her outfit before leaving. Once her bag dropped behind the bar, she grabbed a bottle of whisky and a cleaned glass, pouring the golden liquid in the glass before bringing it to her lips. Just as the liquor flooded her nose and touched her lips, one of the bar doors slammed open to her left as two men, fairly built entered the building.

Sammy focused on the burning sensation as the whisky flowed down her throat just before slamming the empty glass on the counter, catching the attention of the smaller yet bulkier man who came through the bar doors. They both recognized each other, but Sammy didn’t move from behind the bar to greet him. He had taken it upon himself to talk to her though, heading straight for the bar, sitting himself down in front of her. “Daryl,” She greeted as she poured herself another glass. Just before she could grab it off the bar top, Daryl swiped the glass and quickly downed the golden goods.

“Sam.” He greeted back.

Sammy rolled her eyes, setting the whisky on the bar top, sliding it the short distance to him. “Help yourself, I’m off and can’t stay.”

Daryl Dixon, the nicer brother of the two Dixon boys, frowned at the woman, now noticing her choice of clothing as he leaned forward a few inches to follow the nonexistent trail of her dress down her legs. She was breathtaking and knew it, if the smirk gracing her lips as she watched his eyes was anything to go by. She turned on her overly high heel, bending unnecessarily low to pick up her duffel bag, knowing his eyes were still watching her, before snapping back up, her hair shifting to cover her breasts as she swept it back into position. She sent hand blown kisses to a few of the men watching her before meeting Daryl’s eyes once more, licking her top teeth and sending him a smile and a wink as she sauntered to the back of the bar to leave.

She was fortunate to make it out before Merle saw her, knowing the older Dixon brother would keep her from leaving with his obnoxious commentary. She usually found herself getting into a little spat with him about some thing or another, knowing how much he loved to tease and start fights over petty things. She was in no mood for it tonight, running late already made her a little irritated. She made it to her grandma’s car, borrowing it for the evening since her big military truck wasn’t something she could drive while looking like she did. Besides, she didn’t want her “dates” to know what she was really using the money for.

The Thorne’s were known in the town for being a little on the crazy side. Her grandparents definitely started it all, though getting older hadn’t helped. Her grandfather, Clive, had a tornado shelter in the backyard which had been converted into an underground bunker with two rooms, a working bathroom, and a small kitchenette. One of those rooms was dedicated to end of the world propaganda and the other one was given to the Dixon brothers in case they needed a place to crash, which Daryl did, especially when he was fed up with Merle and his bad drug habits.

Sammy’s grandma, Marge, had been raised to value a coupon and never let a sale slip from her fingers. The basement was more of a storage for all the crap she brought home weekly. Her grandparents were a match made in heaven, but Sammy’s own parents were total opposites. Sammy was the product of a drunken one-night stand with a sprinkle of feelings and slight undertones of her mom being taken advantage of since she had been only eighteen. Her dad was twenty-four and already had a son who was six.

Cynthia, Sammy’s mom, had hemorrhaged after she had Sammy, barely getting to hold her before she passed on. Her father had one too many drinks the night of and signed her birth certificate with her name being Sam. He had wanted another boy and was adamant that she was. She was lucky enough that one of the nurses felt pity for her and scrawled the complete name of Samantha. After leaving the hospital, she survived mostly due to her half-brother, Timmy, who took it upon himself to feed her, bathe her, and snuggle with her. Her grandparents would come by from time to time, but Sammy had no real memories of her father taking care of her. She really only remembered Timmy as he took care of her to the best of his ability until her grandparents found out her father spent more nights at hotels with hookers than at home with his kids.

She was eight when she moved in with her grandparents, Timmy no longer burdened with her. He checked on her often but finished school before shipping off to the army. Since Sammy was raised by her grandparents, she spent most of her time listening to her grandpa Clive about a crazy end of the world scenario and cutting weekly coupons with her grandma Marge.

The Dixon brothers became regulars in Sammy’s world a few months after she moved in with her grandparents. She quickly grew accustomed to Merle being the complete asshole he was, she even enjoyed his crude nicknames for people, especially her own. But it was Daryl she ultimately grew attached to the most. He reminded her of Timmy a little as they were only a few years apart in age. The little girl started following him around like a little duck to its momma, even when he wasn’t in a good mood. She took his harsh words when he was angry, his lessons when he felt like teaching her something, and the rare protective hugs he offered when she felt sad.

Sammy had snapped herself out of her memories as she parked her car outside the hookah lounge in Marietta. She drove the hour-long distance mainly to keep her “dates” from knowing where she truly lived, but also to keep the nosey townspeople from doing too much snooping. It was already bad enough that her and her grandparents were known as the town crazies. She clicked the manual key fab twice to lock the car before dropping her keys in the small clutch that replaced her duffle bag on her shoulder as she sauntered up to the front of the line.

All she really had to do was bat her eyelashes and the bouncer would have let her in, but she was feeling a little extra tonight and wanted to put on a show just in case her cash cow ditched, thinking she had already done so. “I’m so sorry to do this, but I’m pretty sure I just saw my friends go in there. I had to put myself together really quick… my boyfriend just dumped me, and my friends were wanting to take me out. Do you mind if I just—?” She motioned her hand towards the lounge, a pleading look etched on her face as she also nibbled on her bottom lip in slight worry.

The bouncer was a big dude. In fact, he rivaled Jake in size, but after barely hearing her excuse to cut the line as his eyes were focused on her figure, he quickly blocked the waiting guests and lifted the thick velvet rope to let her pass. Sammy gushed a thank you at him and quickly moved into the lounge. “His loss, sweetheart!” was heard from behind her, but she kept going, heading straight to the bar. She ordered herself a glass of wine, preferring a merlot over a chardonnay that evening. She felt her phone buzz, the one she used for the sorry saps she called “dates” and pulled it from her clutch. She checked the message before sitting up a little straighter in her seat as she responded that she was waiting at the bar.

A few moments later, a tall and lean man with a good amount of muscle and a pretty face leaned against the bar top, a whisky glass in his hand. Sammy gave him a sharp smile, noting when he asked for a refill it was Blanton’s Original Single Barrel Bourbon Whisky, a top shelf kind of man, showing off his wealth. Sammy hid her smirk behind her glass of wine as she took a sip.

Sammy was definitely going to enjoy taking his money.

~ + ~ + ~ + ~ + ~ + ~

Grasping the empty bottle of Blanton’s Original Single Barrel Bourbon Whisky in her hand, Sammy climbed in her grandma’s car, starting it up before pulling out of the parking lot. She would wait to get home to count out exactly how much cash the loser of a man had actually dished out for her, but she was assuming it was at least a grand from the crisp hundred dollar bills she had seen.

Sammy felt giddy and proud of herself. She had scored some sweet cash and had even been given a few new phone numbers to add to her burner. She glanced at the digital clock on the dash, not at all surprised that it read 2:14am. She made it home just before three in the morning, locking her grandma’s car after parking it in the driveway. She hefted her duffel bag on her shoulder as she unlocked the front door and slipped inside. She passed through the foyer, made a right through the living room into the hallway, taking the few steps up to her door sitting on the left side of the hallway with the bathroom sitting between her bedroom and the other spare room across from her grandparents’ room on the right side. All she did was dump her bag in the room before heading back into the living room. The back door was to the right coming out of the hallway, which lead down to the tornado bunker in the back of the lot.

Sammy made her way to the bunker, crossing her fingers that the younger Dixon was the only one in tonight. Merle was good company only at the bar, but Sammy liked having Daryl to herself at home. She knocked three times on the army green door then waited. It opened quickly as the younger Dixon stood in the doorway looking like he had been asleep. “Taking a nap?” Sammy’s smart mouth went off before she could take in his frown.

Daryl scoffed at her, leaning back from the door to let her enter. Sammy moved her body closer to Daryl’s as she slipped through the doorway. “Thinkin’ about it.” She brushed her fingertips lightly over his clothed chest, shivers going through her spine which she ignored.

Sammy has always had strong feelings for the younger Dixon, even going so far as to giving him her first kiss when she was twelve. She wouldn’t act upon her feelings anytime soon though, as she was enjoying herself and how she earned extra money on the side, even if it did irk Daryl. She knew he cared for her, more than any other woman in his life, but she also knew he would never act upon his feelings, either. Daryl pretended to be a gruff bad guy, but Sammy knew how shy he really was when it came to feelings. According to Merle, having feelings for more than a night was a weakness.

“Merle gone for the evening?” Sammy sat herself on the couch, throwing her left leg over her right, leaning forward a little to watch him. Daryl closed the door but continued to stand, not exactly sure what to do with himself as he stared at her, not giving her a response. “I’ll take that as a yes, then.” She leaned back a little and pat the spot next to her on the couch, which elicited a grunt from Daryl as his legs carried him over to her.

Once Daryl had sat down, he wouldn’t look at Sammy. Instead, he fixed his eyes over to the small refrigerator in the little kitchen. “How was your date?” He asked, his tone dripping with annoyance and slight venom. He didn’t really care or want to know what all she did with the men she strung along, but he asked anyway.

Sammy paused, turning to look at Daryl with surprise etched on her face. She really wasn’t expecting that question from him. “It was just like the rest.” Sammy slumped back into the couch, shedding her sultry exterior. “It was boring and typical. The cash is good though, I guess that’s the only thing that really matters.” Both adults looked to the doorway as they heard a loud motorcycle on the street. Sammy grimaced, knowing who was on said motorcycle. “That’s my cue to go back inside. I don’t want to be caught if he’s in a mood. Good luck.”

Daryl stood up with her, acting like a stiff guard as he opened the door for her and made sure Merle hadn’t pulled up yet. He put his large hand at the small of her back, guiding her out the door. Sammy gave Daryl a quiet wave, successfully slipping inside her grandparents’ house before Merle pulled up.

She slipped into her room, turning on the light as she shut her door. Her room was painted a dark purple with black painted trim along the floor. She had posters and pictures plastered all over her walls, but instead of admiring them, she went over to the onyx dresser across from her bed and grabbed a set of pajamas. They were a simple black short-shorts and cropped tee with white skulls and skeletal hands with the middle finger pointing up decorated all over the cotton fabric. Her dress was carelessly thrown on the floor at the foot of her bed as she grabbed a baby wipe to clean the makeup from her face. Once she was satisfied, she turned off the lights, slipped under the onyx sheets on her bed, plugged in her phone and started scrolling through Instagram.

Sammy noticed she had about twelve new private messages, all of them men asking her out. She scrolled through three of them, giving some kind of sweet response to their corny pickup lines before putting it face down on her bedside table and rolling into her many pillows piled on the bed. Her mind flooded with thoughts of Daryl, as usual, before falling asleep.

She really didn’t get much sleep before she heard a familiar sound at her window. She turned over in her bed, squinting at the darkened window as something struck the glass once again. She watched as a small rock hit for a third time before she tossed her comforter from her body and slid her feet to the floor. She rubbed her eyes, which were heavy from exhaustion, as she softly knocked three times on the window. It was a signal to let the other one know the window was unlocked and open.

Daryl pushed the window up, letting the morning air to blow a warm breeze in her room as he climbed inside. “Don’t ya think this is kid shit? Havin’ me sneak around?” Sammy gave him a tired smile as she went to sit back on her bed.

“No. I prefer having good looking men come in through my window.” Daryl rolled his eyes at her as he dropped to the floor himself, laying at the bottom of her bed. “I’m guessing you’re going hunting today or Merle had a little too much fun last night.”

“Both,” came the grumbled reply. Daryl turned to look up at her, “Do ya want to go?”

Sammy looked at him, slightly surprised. Daryl usually went hunting with his dad and friends or takes Merle if he wasn’t in jail or on drugs. He used to take Sammy on some weekends when she was in school, probably set up by her grandparents to make sure she didn’t end up like her parents.

“Duh,” was her breathy answer as she stretched. Sammy moved to the dresser, picking out a pair of low-rise camo cargo pants that ended above her ankle and a white tank top that was cropped to just below her breasts. She fished in another drawer before coming across a matching set of underwear and pushup bra. “Okay, out. I need to change.” Sammy sent Daryl a sultry smirk once he met her eyes. “Unless you want to see me naked…”

Without giving her a response, he stood up, rolled his eyes, and left out the window once more. She would join him out by his truck once she was dressed and packed some things to bring with her. They would only go for the day since she had to work the following day. Sammy would love to take a weekend trip with the man since she was no longer a kid. Being a woman and in the wilderness with Daryl Dixon would be a memory Sammy could never forget.

Stripping out of her pajamas, she threw on her outfit. She grabbed a few essentials from her room, swapping them for the work clothes in her duffel bag. She slipped into the bathroom next door, grabbing some deodorant, spray shampoo, detangler, and her toothbrush. Once back in her room, she threw that in her bag and then grabbed one of her pillows from the bed. The last thing she looked for was the tan work boots she used when she went hiking. She threw on a pair of socks, shoving her feet in the boots and tying the laces on the shoe lazily. She grabbed at some hat laying on the dresser, placing it on her head as she snatched the strap of her duffel and hauled it over to the kitchen, her pillow caught under her arm.

Sammy scrawled a small note to her grandparents, letting them know she would be out with Daryl hunting. She knew they would think it odd that she wasn’t snoring in her room, so instead of letting them worry, she stuck a magnet to the paper on the fridge. She slipped out the front door, leaving it unlocked as she hustled over to Daryl.

He had been packing up a cooler, pushing the heavy box into the back of the truck bed when she walked up. She threw her duffel up to him but kept her pillow to throw in the passenger seat. She patted the top of the truck bed as a signal to Daryl that she would be jumping in. Daryl joined her a moment later, slamming the door shut just before starting the old two-passenger truck. “Tunes?” She asked as she plugged in her phone to the updated dash kit, she bought for him a few years ago.

“No stupid shit.” He grumbled, throwing his arm over her seat as he backed out from the side yard onto the road.

Sammy scoffed, feeling the truck jerk in a forward motion as they started on their drive. “I would never!” A popular Justin Bieber song, ‘Baby’, started playing through the speakers as Sammy looked at Daryl, a devious grin spread across her lips as she waited for his reaction.

He should have known, honestly. Though his response to the music was to immediately slam on the brakes, sending the woman forward to the glove box. It was her own fault, not wearing a seatbelt while the vehicle was in motion. “I will abandon your ass on the side of the road.” The threat had Sammy laughing as she moved her butt back in her seat, throwing the seatbelt across her chest as she did.

She paused the modern love song, favoring the artist Lynyrd Skynyrd as she shuffled their albums, a random song from the band filling the truck. They continued on their way, making small talk every once in a while. They made a stop at a gas station once to grab snacks and a few bottles of water once they got closer to the spot Daryl would be leaving the truck.

After parking the truck on a gravel road, pulled to the side in case of another vehicle driving by, they both hopped out, moving to the bed of the truck. Daryl passed her a few things to set down, like his crossbow case, extra arrow case, her duffel bag, and his heavy-duty backpack that Sammy slipped the snacks inside. Daryl left the cooler in the truck, wanting to use it for any meat he would bring home or foraged things Sammy found.

Daryl lifted the backpack over his shoulders, grabbed his crossbow case and her duffel bag, and left the snacks and arrow case for her to carry. He led the way through the trees, having a better understanding of the forest than she ever would. As they came across a small, rounded clearing, Daryl dropped their stuff on the ground before setting off to grab stone big enough for an enclosed fire. Sammy set her things with his, following his lead and grabbing small kindling and sticks to help start the fire. Once she found enough, they both started on getting larger logs to feed it and keep it going.

She had gotten sidetracked a few minutes in, seeing a wild blackberry bush. She ran up to it and began picking the berries off the bush, loading her pockets on her pants quickly. Daryl eventually found her and brought her a gallon size Ziplock bag to put the berries, instead of her pants. “I’m going out, stay close to the camp. You’re not wearing a vest or nothin’, so I don’t want to accidentally shoot ya.”

“Yeah, yeah, I’m not stupid enough to venture far out.” She waved her hand at him dismissively, shooing him away. Once she was alone, Sammy continued with her scavenge, filling two one-gallon sized bags of blackberries. She dropped them off at the campsite when she was done, but she wanted to risk finding what Georgia was known for, peaches. She doubted she could find some wild ones growing this far north but kept her hopes up anyway.

She kept fairly close to the campsite, like she promised Daryl, but she still went trekking through the woods, making a wide circular pattern around the camp. She was about a quarter way around when she came across some wild garlic and nodding onions that looked similar to chives. Sammy picked to her hearts content, enjoying the nature sounds around her. She hummed to herself, a tune that was light and happy as she filled another bag.

Sammy was heading back to the camp with her full bag, when she heard an odd rustling sound. The sound was panicked and hurried. She wondered if Daryl had made it back sooner than he thought he would. Or he couldn’t find any game.

The first thing she saw was the freshly picked blackberry bags half squished and eaten laying on the ground by the fire. Her eyes trailed up, landing on a dirty flannel shirt that had been ripped and torn yet somehow still sitting on a man’s shoulders. He still hadn’t noticed her, digging through her duffel bag, and throwing her toiletries over his shoulder. She became disgusted when he pulled out her deodorant and slabbed it under his own arms but was angered when he pulled out a skimpy thong she wore for work and brought it to his nose, inhaling deeply. “What the fuck? Who the hell are you?”

The strange man immediately spun around, the hand holding her panties flew behind him as he stared at her with wide, scared eyes. “My apologies! I didn’t see nobody here, so’s I thought they left. I’m so hungry. Been travelin’ through them woods n’ got attacked—”

Sammy threw her hands on her hips, a snarl ready to tear from her lungs. “I don’t give a shit! You were just sniffing my underwear! What the hell is wrong with you? In what world do you think it's okay to go through someone else’s dirty laundry?”

The stranger brought his hand back around front, holding the wadded-up panties in his fist. “It’s been so long since I’ve been with a woman, I couldn’t help it! I didn’t think no one would catch me or be back soon!” He thrust his hand out, willing to give them back to her. “Here! I’m really sorry!”

“Eww! No way, I’m not taking those back.” She wanted him gone more than she wanted the underwear. “How about we make a deal? You can keep the underwear, but you have to leave the campsite. There’s a road about two miles from here, just go that way,” she pointed to her right, “until you come across a dirt road. Follow that south, and you’ll come across a decently busy road. Most people out here are nice, so they’ll give you a ride into town.” The man nodded to her, quickly shoving the panties in his back pocket, thanking her quickly, and started on his journey into town.

Chapter Text

Soft snores filled the two-passenger cab of Daryl’s truck as he pulled behind the familiar single-story house. Sammy Thorne, the one snoring in the passenger seat, had been passed out for the last fifteen minutes of the ride. Daryl had been fuming and wouldn’t speak a word during the ride home, which is why Sammy ended up falling asleep. She was semi-aware that the vehicle had stopped, and Daryl had gotten out, but she was still too tired to move.

            A hot breeze brushed against Sammy’s cool skin before she felt arms wrap around her and pull her into a warm chest. She knew it was Daryl, but instead of letting the idea of him carrying her around cause her to wake up, she felt herself sink into him. She was confident that she wouldn’t be heavy for him. “Sam, hold onto me for a minute.” Daryl’s breath brushed against her hair as he whispered to her, holding her close until she wrapped her arms around his neck and her legs around his waist.

            Using both hands, Daryl forced the window open. He pulled her from his body, setting her on the ledge, keeping her steady but nudging her so he could climb in after her. Sammy had reluctantly opened her eyes, but otherwise hadn’t made a move. She looked over to the bed longingly as Daryl picked her up again, putting her gently on the unmade bed. Sammy thought it was cute the way he moved to take off her shoes and socks for her, dumping them at the end of her bed.

            “S’ cute. You takin’ care of me.” Sammy closed her eyes as her words slurred from exhaustion as the comfort of being in her own bed enveloped her.

            “Quit actin’ like you got a crush on me or somethin’,” Daryl muttered, pulling her comforter up and over her chest.

            “Undress me, Dixon.” Sammy barely lifted her arms, her eyes still closed as she mumbled to him. She had a feeling he was staring at her, as she felt she was being watched, but she wiggled her fingers at him anyway, wanting him to wrap his arms around her again.

            Daryl shook his head at her, not moving to go near her. “Fuckin’ tease, woman.” He patted her covered up foot as she slipped into a comfortable sleep.

            Sammy tossed and turned all night, thinking endlessly about that strange man in the woods. She couldn’t understand the confused feeling she felt when thinking of him. It was odd that he was wondering around the woods without a camp or any gear on him. The way he tore through hers and Daryl’s belongings showed her that he had been on his own for some time, probably alone for a while by the state of his clothes.

Trying to make herself feel better, she thought how nice it would be for others to call the man a crazy person instead of her grandparents. Their focus would be on the newcomer, and she would be thrilled to hear about how odd the man was for his dirty clothes, the whispered reasons he was alone in the woods, and what he was doing so far north in their tiny town. There wouldn’t be a single whisper about her grandparents, or her, or the Dixon brothers.

            After lying in bed for a few hours, lazily scrolling through Instagram and playing some Temple-Run on her phone, Sammy rolled out of bed. She was still wearing the clothes from her little hunting trip with Daryl from the previous day, so she shuffled through her drawers finding some dark cut off jean shorts and a black, low dipping V-neck top that hugged her waist and was sleeveless. She left her clothes at the end of her bed, not liking how her clothes always stuck to her in a hot bathroom.

            Sammy peeked out her window, checking for Daryl’s truck to see if he was still around. Instead of seeing the truck right away, it was her grandma that caught her attention. She was standing in the yard, catching the Dixon brothers as they both happened to come out of the bunker. Merle grinned at Marge before making some kind of comment that Sammy couldn’t hear, but the older woman motioned for Daryl’s attention, shooing Merle to his motorcycle.

            Not hearing a word, Sammy continued to watch as her grandma talked to Daryl. It was brief and once Daryl nodded, Marge patted his shoulder and turned to come back inside the house. Daryl’s eyes swept to the window Sammy was peering through and she jerked back, quickly heading for the bathroom.

            Locking the door behind her, she turned on the nozzle for the shower and gripped the handle for her desired temperature. She began stripping her camping clothes starting with her socks. Three knocks sounded on the door, making Sammy jump slightly. “Sammy, dear, I have to go do some shopping. There’s a big sale on ammunitions at Martin Jinson’s store. Also, Kimberly Clayson has a good deal on some baked goods, and you know how your grandpa gets when he doesn’t have some of her oatmeal raisin cookies! Do you need anything, hon?” Sammy could picture Marge at the door with a notepad and pen in her hand, ready to write down anything she wanted.

            “Some chocolate chip cookies and, if she has any, some of her vanilla loaves!” Sammy called out. “Please!” she added as an afterthought. Sammy got to her white top, throwing it off quickly as she hopped into the shower, letting the curtain close behind her as the hot stream of water tenderized her skin.

            Marge was silent for a moment, writing down what Sammy wanted. “I’m not sure how long I’ll be, especially if I can get Clive to come with me, so make sure to get Daryl to take you to work, ya hear?”

            Sticking her face in the hot water quickly, Sammy called out, “Sure, sure! See you later!” Squirting her shampoo in her hand, the smell of coconuts and vanilla wafted in the air, she lathered her long hair, scrubbing her scalp thoroughly. She rinsed, then applied the matching conditioner, letting it sit in her hair as she picked up a shea buttered, vanilla scented bar of soap and lathered her body. She started with her chest before going to behind her ears all the way down to her toes. She rinsed herself, throwing her head back into the stream of hot water as her fingered combed through her now softened locks of hair. Once she felt like all the soap and conditioner had gone down the drain, she shut off the water, tossing the curtain to the side and grabbed her towel.

            Drying off quickly, she tucked the towel around herself, and grabbed her dirtied clothes as she left the bathroom. When she was back in her own room, she threw the clothes in her laundry basket, grabbing all the other dirtied clothes lying on her bedroom floor and putting those in the basket as well. Sammy hummed a tune as she unwrapped herself, toweling up her hair to catch the droplets. She quickly threw on the laid-out clothes, making sure to double up on her bra again since she was going to work, and picked up the dirty clothes basket. She left her bedroom, going past the living room into the laundry room behind the kitchen. As she dumped her clothes in, she pulled down the laundry detergent, pouring the liquid over the clothes. She closed the lid and turned the knob to start the wash. She brushed her hands together as she left the basket and her towel on the dryer and headed back into the living room to go bother Daryl.

            Stepping outside of the house with the door closing behind her, Sammy trotted over to Daryl, bumping into his side playfully as he waited by his truck. “Grams said you had to give me a ride to work today. You okay with that?” Daryl looked down at her, giving her a nod. “Okay, then can you pick me up from work, too?”

            “Only if you make a promise,” he said. She raised an eyebrow at him, letting him know she was interested in his condition. “You stop giving strangers your underwear.”

            Sammy gaped at him. “I only did that to make him leave! Why would I want to keep a pair of underwear after what he did to them!”

            Daryl shrugged, “You could of washed ‘em.”

            Sammy’s face fell in a grimace. “How about you promise to pick me up from work and the next time some loser sniffs something of mine, I’ll wait for you to come around so you can beat ‘em up. Fair?”

            Daryl snorted at her, a smile threatening to come out, “Well you might be waitin’ a while then!” Sammy rolled her eyes as him, shoving into him again. “I mean it, though. Don’t do that stupid shit no more. The town already has bad enough thoughts about yer family, don’t need you addin’ anymore fuel to the fire.”

            “Okay, I see your point, Dixon. I’ll promise if you will.” Sammy reached her hand out to him, which he grabbed and nodded, giving her arm a firm shake. “I’m going to head back inside to check on my laundry. When it’s done, I’ll come get you.”

            The woman turned back to the house, heading inside. Her laundry wasn’t finished yet, so she went back into the bathroom, deciding to put on some makeup and do her hair. She wore simple black eyeliner, black eyeshadow, and a maroon lip gloss.  She grabbed a black choker from one of the bathroom drawers and put it around her neck before putting her hair in double braids, starting from the top of her head, letting them cascade down the back and pulling the ends towards her chest. She gave herself a nod of approval, before grabbing her phone to take some pictures for Instagram. She posted a few photos with captions of her annoyance for having to go into work, and then decided to check on the laundry once more.

            Luckily, the washer buzzed for her once she stepped into the room. She switched the laundry around, putting the wet clothes into the dryer as she tossed in a few dryer sheets. Sammy started the dryer, putting it on the time section and cranking the dial all the way up. She pushed the start button then left the laundry room, going to grab her messenger bag that she used when she wasn’t going out after work. She slipped both of her phones in the bag along with her house keys, shutting her bedroom door as she left. She slipped out the back door again, jogging over to Daryl’s truck. She threw her bag inside carelessly, closing the door as she ran up to the bunker, knocking on the door with three loud bangs. “Stop jerkin’ off in there! I’ll be waiting by the truck.”

            Sammy climbed into the passenger seat but left the door open for the summer breeze to come through since she didn’t have the keys. Daryl came out of the bunker a moment later, not bothering to lock up behind him. Once he was in the truck, he started it and let out a huff of air as he threw his arm over her seat to watch the truck back up. “You hang around Merle too much, ya know that?”

            A snort fell from her pretty mouth, “I haven’t seen him in a few days. I’ve been avoiding him.”

            Daryl looked over at her as he put the truck in drive and started along the road towards the bar. “Oh yeah? Why’s that?”

            Frowning, Sammy looked over at Daryl. “You haven’t heard?” He gave her a sharp look that he hadn’t. “I guess the Savage Sons want Merle out. I don’t know the details, but I heard Earl and Riggs talking about it about a week ago. I thought it was just talk at first, but the more I think about it, the more it seems likely to happen.”

            “Son of a bitch!” Daryl’s cursing hadn’t fazed Sammy, but she still flinched at his sudden tone. “He’s gonna be pissed.” He kept his tone calm after she shied away from him.

            “You, me, and my grandparents are the only ones who like him enough to tolerate him. If you think about it logically, it was bound to happen.” Sammy gave Daryl a shrug, not meeting his eyes as she looked out the window. “I just hope I’m not there to witness it. Maybe you should give him a heads up.”

            Daryl pulled into the parking lot of the bar. It was a dark, slightly dirtied building that had definitely seen better days. Rows of motorcycles were parked out front of the bar, a few coming and going throughout the day. Nighttime was busiest not only for the bar, but the gang as well. Sammy knew they had some shady things going on in the background, but she kept her nose out of their business, mostly. When it concerned the Dixon brothers, she lent an ear.

            Daryl grabbed her arm, stopping her from leaving the truck. “I thought ya liked Merle?” Sammy nodded to him, looking from him to the bar and back. Her shift started in a few minutes, and she hated being late. “Then why wouldn’t ya say somethin’ to him?”

            “Keeping my mouth shut saves him. I don’t want him messing around with these guys any more than you do. If he gets kicked out, then he won’t be gettin’ into trouble.” Sammy frowned as she met Daryl’s eyes. “At least, that’s what I’m hopin’ for.”

            Daryl shooed her out, climbing out after her. Sammy hadn’t made it very far before she was stopped by a familiar man. He was dressed in a dirty mechanics suit full of oil spills and steel-toed boots. He had a dirty rag in his hands, nervously passing it from hand to hand as he stopped her. “Got a minute, Ms. Sammy?”

            “Sure, Greg! What’s up?” Sammy kept a slight forced smile on her face, aware of Daryl coming up to them.

            Greg was barely able to look up, still fiddling with the dirty rag. “I was wondering if I couldn’t take ya out this weekend? Maybe Saturday night?” He finally met her eyes as his cheeks grew red but not from the summer heat.

            Daryl scoffed from behind her and when she looked at him, he had his arms folded over each other. “Daryl, why don’t you wait for me at the bar.” He didn’t like the way she dismissed him and didn’t make a move, openly glaring at her. “Fine. Greg, come with me. We’ll go somewhere more private.” Sammy pulled Greg along with her as she walked away from the angry Dixon. Once she considered the distance far enough, she looked up at the tall and lanky mechanic. “You’re a really sweet man, Greg.”

            Greg’s shoulder’s slumped, feeling the rejection before she really gave her answer. “You don’t got to explains nothin’, Ms. Sammy. I get it.” He twisted the rag in his hands, trying to squeeze out any moisture it hadn’t picked up.

            Sammy put her hands on his, making him look at her. “It’s not you, Greg. You’re so sweet to me and my family, it's just I don’t date anyone from town.” He nodded to her, looking down again. “How about this? Next time I need something done on my truck; you can treat me to some coffee.”

            Greg’s face lifted as he happily nodded to her. “I can do that, Ms. Sammy!”

            Sammy patted his hands. “And maybe, if I ever want to settle down with a sweet man, you’ll be the first one I call.” She saw his cheeks flush with color once more as he kept nodding. “Okay, I have to go now, I’m a bit late for work. I’ll see you around, yeah?” She let go of his hands, moving away from him as she met up with an angry Daryl outside the bar.

            “You know he ain’t got no money, right? You ask him for a payment upfront?” Daryl sneered at her once she reached him.

            “What the hell are you talking about?” Sammy asked, a frown appearing on her pretty face.

            Daryl looked away from her, deciding to head into the bar. “Find your own ride home.”

            “Daryl—”

            He spun around to her, “In fact, why not get one of your five second boyfriends to do it. I’m sure they’ll all come runnin’.”

            Sammy grabbed his arm, but he yanked it from her, not wanting her to touch him. “You bite your tongue, Daryl Dixon. I didn’t do nothin’ for you to have a tantrum.” Her own thick southern accent came out when she was provoked or angry, and right now she was both.

            All she wanted to do was save Greg from humiliation in front of another man. She was honest with him, meaning what she said about dating the men in town, but she also couldn’t afford to lose the discount prices his friendship provided. She tried to grab for Daryl again, but he kept yanking away from her. “Go do your damn job.”

            “Daryl, just listen to me! I told him no—” Just then the left side doors swung open and slammed into the building, the sound of angry shouting coming out of the bar as men poured out. The three scuffling bodies that went through the doors had spilled themselves on the dusty asphalt of the parking lot. They all stood up quickly as Sammy and Daryl both recognized the singled-out male. “Merle!”

            Sammy moved fast, as she tried to diffuse the situation, getting in front of the riled-up men. “Get your scrawny ass out of the way, Sammy!” One of the men swung out towards Merle and all hell broke loose. Sammy felt a sudden impact on her mouth which sent her backwards into someone else. She was flung off and landed hard on the asphalt.

            An arm shot out for her and hauled her up, gently pushing her behind them. She recognized the cut off shirt Daryl wore as he stood in front of her protectively. He sprang forward, tackling into a few of the gang members blocking his path to Merle. Sammy’s attention was drawn to Daryl’s truck as one of the guys climbed into the bed, shuffling around for a moment before pulling out Daryl’s crossbow. “Oh, hell no! Put that back!” Sammy lunged for the truck, trying to tackle him for the weapon. The biker anticipated her though, ramming into her and knocking the wind from her lungs.

            Red and blue lights started flashing against the building and the vehicles parked in the lot causing everyone to part. Sammy reached her hand out as a weak attempt for the crossbow, but the guy just backed up, slipping into the alley as he ran away. Daryl came up beside her, not lifting a finger to help her off the ground as the officers got the group under control.

            One of the officers had seen her on the ground, noticing her bloodied lip and bruising jaw and decided to talk to her first. The other officers had their pick of men to interrogate, and Sammy gave up as much as she could, even how they stole Daryl’s crossbow. “We can file a report for the missing weapon, but the owner will have to be the one to sign all the paperwork.”

            “I’ll go get him then.” Sammy turned and looked for the younger Dixon, spotting him talking with Merle, who was being cuffed. “Daryl! Merle!” She rushed over, noting how the other gang members looked at one another with sly smiles. “What the hell is happening?”

            “Ya worried about Ol’ Merle here, baby doll?” Merle rasped at her, being pulled back by an officer. “I’ll be back, don’t you worry bout nothin’. Neither one of ya.” Merle looked between her and Daryl as he was forced to sit in the back of a police car, the door slamming in his face.

            Sammy turned to Daryl, “What’s going on, Daryl?”

            He growled at her, “I thought I told ya to back off of me, little girl.” He shuffled off back to his truck, but she wasn’t about to let him go so easily.

            “Don’t you walk away from me, Daryl Dixon.” She jogged after him, her short legs working double to match his stride. She pushed forcefully at his arm after he got to his truck, knocking his arm against the metal of the cab. “If you’re still mad at me for Greg, I turned him down!” Daryl suddenly relaxed, looking at her with mild surprise. “I just didn’t want him feeling humiliated in front of another man. I still take my truck to his shop, you know.”

            “You were right about the gang gettin’ rid of Merle.” Daryl mumbled, changing the subject. “With how close by the cops were, I’m thinkin’ it was a setup.”

            Sammy let go of the young Dixon’s arm, looking up at him with a grimace. “They stole your crossbow. I saw little Jimmy Steven’s take it. Probably to hold against you.” She saw Daryl’s face turn into a scowl. “But don’t worry, I’ll get it back for ya. It’s not like they’re going to leave the bar anytime soon.”

            Daryl threw his right hand over his head, smoothing down the short hair as he rubbed his neck. “Shit, I was goin’ huntin’ with the Old Man tomorrow up at Jesse’s cabin.”

            “Will you still take me home later?”

            “I promised, didn’t I?” Sammy gave Daryl a wide grin as she threw herself at him, wrapping her arms around his neck and sinking the rest of her body against his. The sudden force of her hug made his own arms fall to her waist, his body naturally trying to catch itself. He gave her a small squeeze in return before patting her back, a sign that he didn’t know what to do after a brief hug.

            Sammy pulled herself back a little bit but kept her hands on his shoulders. “Thank you, Daryl.”

            “A’ight, get yer ass in there and start your shift. Try finding out why they wanted Merle out so bad.”

            “What are you going to do?” Sammy raised an eyebrow at him, watching as his eyes took on a steely look as he stared at the alleyway.

            “I’m gonna find that dumb kid who stole my crossbow and then go finish packing for my hunting trip.” Daryl moved around her, heading for the alleyway.

            Turning to the left side bar doors, she slipped inside as the setting sun slipped halfway over the mountain. Cheers and loud laughter filled the bar as the Savage Sons finished up with the police.

Jake had left this morning for a weekend long trip to Florida, so it was up to Sammy to keep an eye on the bar. There was only one other employee at the bar, a cute girl named Martha. She was a heavier girl with more confidence in her body weight than an endless pot of coffee. Jake also hired a decent cook after the Savage Sons moved in, named Marco. He was sweet but held no interest in Sammy or any other woman. Sammy enjoyed his company though, both rating the men in the town from Hot to Not.

Martha stopped Sammy from going into the kitchen, pulling her aside to speak to her. “Hey, I’m really sorry to do this, but I’m not feeling well. I’m planning on going straight to the hospital.”

Sammy frowned, knowing the girl wasn’t lying. Martha was known to be on time, all the time. She always asked for extra hours, even ready to relieve Sammy from a few of her shifts. “Of course, you can go. Let me know what the hospital says.” Martha nodded to her, scratching at her arm. “Don’t worry about Jake, I can tell him. He’ll understand.”

Martha gave Sammy a small smile. “Thanks, girly. Sorry to leave you with this mess.” Martha motioned at the biker gang behind her. “I saw what happened to you in the parking lot.” Martha dropped her voice, not wanting the Savage Sons to hear her. “You were defending Merle, right? You shouldn’t… Merle brings trouble.” Martha patted Sammy’s shoulder, moving to Jake’s office to grab her things.

Sammy continued on her way to the kitchen, deciding to update Marco that she was the only one in the bar tonight. She swung the door open to reveal a small kitchen hidden behind the wall of the bar. It had a six-top burner, a gridle, a small frying station, a long counter with a heat top, and a smaller walk-in fridge. Marco was on top of his station, having everything labeled, organized, and cleaner than anything in town. He was always finished in the kitchen before Sammy was done cleaning the bar. “Marco!” Sammy called out.

“Polo!” Came the reply. Marco’s head popped up from behind the counter. “You’d think that game would get old, especially since there aren’t no cute pool boys, and I only got your skinny ass playin’ now.”

Sammy went around the counter, into the kitchen. “You love me just as much.” Marco sent her a playful scolding look. “Actually, I came to tell you Martha is going home. She’s not feeling well, so it's only going to be me tonight.”

Marco frowned at her, resting a hand on his hip. “Jake doesn’t like it when you don’t have anyone to back you up out there. Don’t even try to tell me you do because I saw all the commotion when they got louder than normal. I even heard the sirens and the cheers for Merle going to lock up.”

Rolling her eyes, Sammy scoffed at him. She turned and grabbed a fry from the basket under the warmer, sticking it halfway in her mouth. “I’ll be fine. What Jake doesn’t know won’t hurt him.” She shoved the rest of the fry in her mouth, chewing fast. “Besides, I think tonight will be the only night I won’t have to worry about grabby hands. They’re already celebrating Merle’s jail time.”

“Just stay behind the bar or come back here if things get too wild out there.” Marco threw a white towel over his shoulder as he leaned himself against the counter.

Grabbing the basket of fries from the warmer, she picked another one, eating it quickly before turning back to the door. “Sure, sure! I’ll be back if any more food gets ordered!” She threw up a hand in a wave and marched the basket to one of the tables, doing her best not to take anymore.

Chapter Text

The annoying tune that was a default on every iPhone, began playing, loudly under Sammy’s pillow. She groggily reached a hand under her pillow, having every intention of chucking the technology at the wall. When she saw the time, she paused, realizing after a moment that she was officially late for work. She had promised Martha to take over her shift which started at 3:30pm. Her phone read 3:15pm. Sammy had forgotten to change the time to cover for the earlier shift.

“That stings, woman!” a muffled yell of protest was heard from the bathroom next door. Sammy frowned, throwing herself out of bed. Her grandma Marge was usually out shopping around this time, especially on a Friday when the sales begin on the weekends. Sammy slipped from her bedroom to the bathroom doorway, seeing her grandparents bending over a first aid kit.

Clive was sitting on the toilet seat while Marge was pouring some rubbing alcohol on a cotton swab. “It’s supposed to sting! It’s alcohol! Now, just sit still, Clive!” She brought the soaked cotton ball over a wound on his right arm, near his wrist.

Sammy watched as a small amount of blood trickled from the wound, grimacing as Clive sucked in a breath through his clenched teeth. “What happened?”

Both her grandparents looked up at the sound of her voice, but it was Marge that spoke up. “Jenny Johnson’s mom, Cathy, was in the women’s hygiene section of the grocery store. I guess she was going for the toothpaste sale we were, but she passed out. A few of us went to check on the poor woman, but she suddenly jumped up, grabbed Clive, and bit into his wrist.”

Clive reached over Marge, grabbing a gauze pad with taped edges, and slapping it on over his wound, taking advantage of the distracted Marge. He stood up from the toilet, ignoring the glare his wife sent him, trying to usher the women out of his way. “She didn’t stop with me, though. She went for a few others that came by to check on her. She got one of them biker boys, Bobby Joe, I think.” Sammy and Marge moved out of his way as he left the bathroom to sit in his favorite spot on the couch.

Marge followed after him but gave up trying to play nurse. She disappeared in the kitchen, grabbing him a cold Sprite from the fridge. Sammy leaned over the back of the couch, staring at her grandpa. “So, what happened? Did the police get called?”

Clive turned to her, waiting patiently for Marge. “Yeah, when the police finally showed up, she had bitten a few more people. Anyone who got too close to her mouth got a chunk missing. They ended up putting a muzzle on her; the crazy old hag.” Sammy laughed as Marge handed over his cold drink.

“Don’t you speak that way about the townsfolk, Clive. They got ears everywhere in this town.” Marge scolded. She checked her cute little old-fashioned wristwatch before looking at Sammy. “Aren’t you covering for that nice girl at the bar, dear? You’re late, you know.” Marge hustled over to the accent table that held the bowl for everyone to put their keys and lifted the spare set to her car, gifted to Sammy when she got her license.

Sammy took a moment to lean over and kiss her grandpa on the cheek before going over to her grandma. She also gave Marge a kiss and took the keys from her. Marge followed Sammy to the door that led out into the garage. “I’m worried about him. Make sure he doesn’t do too much today.” Sammy ordered. Marge gave her a loving smile as Sammy peered behind her toward her grandpa. He was sipping on his Sprite, flipping through the channels on the TV, and already acting like nothing happened.

The patting on her shoulder brought her attention back to Marge. “I’ll worry about Clive; you just worry about those Dixon brothers. Especially Daryl now that Merle’s in jail. We don’t want the poor boy to run off back to his worthless daddy. You tell him he’s welcome here with or without Merle.” Marge folded her arms under her chest as they moved into the garage. “When he gets back from huntin’ this weekend, we can get him set up here as his permanent address. He won’t have to do anymore couch hoppin’ while Merle’s strung out.”

Sammy chewed on her bottom lip. Clearly, Daryl didn’t share who he went hunting with, with her grandparents otherwise, they probably wouldn't have let him go without getting a lecture. Though, Sammy also knew that Daryl would be grateful for the permanent home but wasn’t likely to leave Merle to his own devices. “I’ll pass it along, but remember, Daryl does what Daryl wants.” Marge hit the garage opener that was nailed to the wall, watching as Sammy climbed into the car.

Slipping the shoulder strap across her chest and securing the seatbelt in the lock, Sammy started the car. She backed out of the garage, giving a small wave to Marge as the older woman hit the garage door button again. Sammy looked over at her own vehicle, an M923A2 5-ton cargo truck, promising herself that she was going to take it up to her bunker later this weekend. The large black storage containers, nine in total, sitting by the tires were full of supplies that would last a few months for her and one other person.

Timmy was supposed to come home from the military the following weekend, just a small visit before he was stationed somewhere else. He promised to visit her bunker and help her figure out where to put things. He stayed on the couch if he ever slept over at her grandparents' house, never staying long enough to need a room. He only ever came to check on Sammy, show slight disproval of the Dixon brothers, and check on his collection of weapons stashed in the basement.

Sammy paused at the end of the driveway, quickly thumbing through her playlists before selecting one of her favorites. She tapped her thumbs on the steering wheel to the rock music playing through the upgraded display system before continuing to work. She drove for a few minutes before coming to a stop sign. Sammy checked the four-way stop before digging in the glove box for her hidden stash of cigarettes. The package of Marlboro reds was half empty as she shook one loose, lighting it quickly and pulling a long drag through the filter. She blew the smoke from her lungs and moved from the stop sign.

Realizing the lack of busy people and cars on the normally rowdy streets, Sammy frowned. She watched the sidewalks and houses on Willow Street, a small street in tandem with the small town it only had a few houses on either side of the street. A good number of the houses had their doors left wide open, papers scattered in the doorways, newspapers left at the end of the drive, one house had a trail of clothes going from the front door to the street where a car must have been parked. The last house at the end of the street was slightly smoking, light grey tendrils of smoke wafted from the half open windows in the front room. A car was still parked in the driveway, so Sammy assumed someone was inside. Besides, she didn’t hear any smoke alarms going off.

Even though she found the street odd, she didn’t stop on her way to work, she was late as it was.

Finally arriving at the bar, Sammy parked her grandma’s car behind the building. She locked the car and slipped into the back door that was for employees. Jake’s office was the next closest door which she unlocked and tossed her things on the desk, noticing a familiar Ziploc bag full of pill bottles. Upon taking a closer look at the bottles, she realized it was Merle’s stash. She didn’t know how it got there but decided to hide it out of view. The very bottom drawer in Jake’s desk, on the right side, had a handful of thick folders brought to the front and made to look like it was full. Sammy slid her hand behind the last one she could reach and pulled them toward her, finding the rest of the drawer empty. She quickly stuffed the full Ziploc bag into the empty space and closed it.

Sammy locked up the office behind her, not risking anyone else to snoop around. If Jake had been there, she wouldn’t have bothered, but since he wasn’t, she wasn’t willing to risk it. She continued her way into the bar, not expecting the harsh looks of the Savage Sons. They were all huddled around the bar, pouring their own shots of hard liquor. “I mean, I know I’m late, but you couldn’t have asked Marco to pour your drinks until I got here?”

“Marco ain’t in the kitchen.” The hollowed, hard-edged voice of Earl, the leader of Savage Sons, told her. Earl was a larger man, he had a healthy beer gut, a bandana covering his bald head, and a long greying beard that touched the top of his belly. He was behind the bar, right hand on the neck of a tall scotch bottle, left hand nursing a glass. “Somethin’ is happenin’ in this little town. People are attackin’ people, no matter what, no matter the reason.” He loudly gulped the scotch from his glass, slamming it back down on the counter and tipped the bottle to it once again.

Folding her arms under her chest, she frowned at him. “You’re sounding like Merle when he’s taken one too many drugs of his. Now git from behind that bar or I’ll be calling Jake.” Sammy moved around a few of the gang members, slipping behind the counter and placing her hand on the rounded bottom of the Scotch bottle Earl was still trying to cradle.

Earl looked up at her, his normally bright and observant eyes flickered over her, seeming blank and haunted. “If ya don’t believe me, Bobby Joe is in the bathroom. Half his arm is missing from some crazy bitch.” He dragged his eyes over his glass of scotch, finally lifting the beverage to his mouth and finishing it off.

“Have you ever heard of bath salts? People turn into crazy flesh eaters on that stuff.” Sammy put the Scotch bottle back on the shelf, turning around and slightly pushing Earl out from behind the bar. “In fact, Merle has been trying to get his hands on that stuff.”

Riggs, Earl’s right-hand man, gave her a glare. “We ain’t talkin’ about Merle, Sammy. Bobby Joe is missin’ half his arm.” Riggs was built the same as Earl, though his beard barely reached his chest and he favored wearing dark sunglasses no matter the time of day. “I’mma go check on him, Earl.” Riggs slipped inside the multi-stalled bathroom.

Silence took over the bar, making Sammy squirm in discomfort. She was used to the bar being loud, even when locking up for the night Marco would be playing some house music while he cleaned in the kitchen and Sammy would move along with the beat while doing her own closing work. Even when they both were done, had all the doors locked up tight, and were going home they played loud music.

The silence didn’t stay for long as a deep guttural yell came from the bathroom before Riggs threw himself backwards, into the bar. Bobby Joe, who was a skinny thing trying to grow his own beard like Earl and Riggs, had a hard grip on Riggs’ shirt, his teeth gnashing together trying to take a bite out of Riggs. Riggs was already bleeding from a wound on his collarbone, trying to cover the wound with one hand and fighting to keep Bobby Joe back with the other.

Taking in the scene, Sammy realized that Bobby Joe’s left arm was wrapped horribly. It was drenched in blood, the bandages slipping loosely from his arm as he swung it at Riggs. He was trying to barrel into the bigger man, not showing any discomfort about his arm, which really was torn up and had flesh missing. He shouldn’t have been able to move it without being in agony, but he kept trying to use it as if it were fine. It was clear that pain wasn’t registering with him.

Half the men in the bar were standing and scooting back, afraid of what they were seeing. Only a few were brave enough to try to help Riggs. Earl wasn’t one of them, he was frozen beside Sammy, watching just like she was. The little shit that stole Daryl’s crossbow had grown a spine, deciding to fire off the weapon. The bolt embedded itself in Bobby Joe’s spine, but he didn’t go down like they thought he would. His legs crumbled under him; the grip of his right hand snagged into the top of Riggs’ jeans as he swung between the man's legs. Riggs had abandoned his collarbone, trying to pry Bobby Joe’s fingers off him, but let out a cry of agony as Bobby Joe took a mouthful of jeans and bit into the back of his calf.

Once a few of the Savage Sons successfully helped to remove Bobby Joe, they all tried yelling at him to snap out of whatever he was on. The normal hue of healthy skin took on a pale complexion as Bobby Joe was only growling and trying to drag himself to the nearest body. Nothing worked to get his attention. He hadn’t even howled in pain when the bolt from the crossbow hit him. “His blood is odd,” Sammy mumbled, looking at the smears Bobby Joe left behind. The color wasn’t the normal deep red, it was black and thick, clumping together.

Finally, the kid who was waving Daryl’s crossbow around, decided to end Bobby Joe’s suffering. He ripped the bolt from the man's back and fired another shot in the back of his head, Bobby Joe’s rasping stopped as his head fell forward with a heavy thud. Everyone stared as the only noise left in the bar was Riggs’ panting and groaning. “Sammy, go get some cloths from the kitchen.” Earl told her. She glared at him, not moving. “Get your ass in the damn kitchen!” The sudden shout startled a few of the guys as she finally did as he asked.

Sammy slammed the kitchen door open, letting it swing closed behind her. She looked around the kitchen, finding the clean cloths by the sink. She turned on the faucet and wet some of the cloths she grabbed, wringing them out enough that they wouldn’t drip. As she shut off the faucet, she heard a hard tapping by the small walk-in fridge. “Marco?” She listened for a moment but didn’t get a response back. “Hey, if that’s you, there’s something weird going on in town. Would you care if I slipped out for a few minutes to talk to my grandparents?” Again, she listened but there was no response. Sammy frowned at the walk-in fridge. “Did you lock yourself in the fridge again? I swear, I don’t know how you do it. You’re lucky I’m here and not Martha or Jake. You’d be in there until next week!” As she was talking, she moved toward the fridge. She pulled on the horizontal handle, the seal making her tug a little harder as a breeze of cold air rushed her.

Groaning from the floor of the fridge made Sammy look down. Marco was sitting against the door hinge, the tone of his skin looking a little blue as he stood up stiffly. Sammy watched him, a little hesitant at his movements as they seemed slow, slower than he normally was. When he lifted his head, she saw his once vibrant blue eyes were now a pale and milky color. She barely had time to yelp as he launched himself at her.

Marco’s cold fingers twisted in Sammy’s long hair, trying to pull her closer to his mouth. She screamed as she lifted her hands to push his face back, the wet cloth covering his mouth. She quickly shoved another into his mouth, successfully keeping him from biting her. She shoved him back into the fridge, his fingers taking strands of her hair as he landed on his back. Sammy shut the fridge door and placed the small chain lock in the slot.

The kitchen door swung open as a few of the Savage Sons thundered in. Sammy twirled around as Marco tried slamming into the fridge door, probably knowing she was still close by. “We heard you scream. Everything okay?” Sammy didn’t know who spoke to her, her mind still reeling from the blank look in Marco’s eyes.

“Marco is in the fridge. Don’t open it.” She grabbed the dried cloths she dropped and slipped between the gang members back into the bar. She dumped the cloths in Earl’s arms and moved toward the employee section of the bar. She shakily unlocked Jake’s office door and slipped inside, locking it behind her.

Sammy sat in Jake’s chair, grabbing the office phone and dialing 9-1-1. The call wouldn’t go through. It played a busy tone until she hung up. Next, she tried her cell phone, digging it from her purse. Again, the busy dial tone. She tried to call her grandparents but got the same result. She gave up when she tried to call the little flip phone she gave to Daryl a while ago, though instead of a busy tone, it took her straight to voicemail.

For the first time in her life, Sammy felt scared. Earl was right, something strange was happening in their little town. All she wanted to do now was go home, get her grandparents, get Daryl and head for her bunker. She had one about forty miles east of town, big enough for all of them to fit comfortably. She had her grandpa to thank for getting one. If he wasn’t a conspiracy theorist, she wouldn’t have turned into a small-time prepper. She should also be thankful to Daryl for taking her hunting, foraging, developing survival skills she otherwise wouldn’t have.

Tears streamed down her face as loud banging on Jake’s office door startled her. “Sammy! There’s something goin’ on out in the streets. Earl wants us to lock this place down, get out here!” Sammy wiped the tears from her eyes, leaping up and leaving the office, still locking it behind her.

“I can’t stay. I have to get back to my grandparents.” Sammy said as she rejoined everyone in the bar. They were all huddled by the doors and windows, watching the streets. “What are you doing now?” They motioned her to join them, which she did, peering out one of the windows.

The sun was low, barely leaving a hue in the sky as the weak flickering lights on the street gave a pitiful attempt. Dark figures were running in the streets, cars were rolling into other cars, people were hunched over others who had fallen. Sammy couldn’t look away as a woman stumbled and rolled into the street, people that Sammy thought were there to help her up, held her down and bit into her. The woman’s screams were barely heard over car horns and sirens. Sammy watched her legs kick out until another figure dropped next to them and began tearing into her.

Sammy stumbled back toward the bar, feeling sick. She grabbed whatever alcohol that touched her hand first, not even bothering with a glass. She tipped the drink back and downed as much as she could. She knew she couldn’t leave the bar now, not when things were crazy like that out there. Sammy slumped on the ground, pulling her knees to her chest as she cradled the bottle of Vodka. “What the fuck? Like, what the fuck?”

At some point in the night, the Savage Sons threw out Bobby Joe and Riggs, even though he wasn’t showing symptoms of eating others yet. Most of the guys hadn’t wanted to take a chance after seeing a few people get up after they should have died. Whatever was happening out on the streets, Earl wasn’t going to risk any more lives. The rest of the night was spent boarding up the windows, minus a few spots for a lookout. The doors were kept locked and bolted, even the more difficult one that needed to be fixed.

Not long after Riggs was thrown out, the power went off. A few guys tried resetting the circuit breakers, but nothing worked, not even the streetlights. There were only a handful of candles available behind the bar, but Jake never expected for the power to go out, not even during the worst storms.

Nursing a different bottle, Sammy watched the sun rise, not letting herself fall asleep all night. She was scared to wake up with someone trying to eat her, she was scared to make noise, and she was scared to be alone. She wished she went with Daryl on his hunting trip, not caring who he went with now.

If she was going to be eaten, she realized she needed to drink more. She reached up for another bottle, but her hand was suddenly slapped away. “No more, Sammy. A few of us are going out for supplies now that things have quieted down. We need you alert.” Earl came over from around the bar, bending down to take the tequila she took after finishing the vodka.

Sammy shook her head, the room spinning a little as she did. “I can’t Earl. I don’t want to end up like that. I don’t want to watch that happen to anyone else.” Tears fell in streams down her cheeks as she whispered back to him.

Earl wasn’t having it; he grabbed her arms forcefully and lifted her up to her feet. “Times are changing, Sammy. We don’t know what's happening but were going to fight to survive. Everyone is going to help, even you.”

Wiping the back of her hand under her nose, Sammy sniffled and let out a breath. “What do you need me to do?”

“Raid the kitchen. Collect whatever you can find. Bring it back here in the bar.” A few of the Savage Sons came through one of the side doors, giving Earl a nod. Outside must have been good enough for them to go out. “I’m going out with a few of the guys. Some are posted on the roof, keeping watch. I’ll keep a few here if you need help. And, uh… Don’t worry about the fridge… Sorry about Marco.” He didn’t meet her eyes, but she knew he never liked Marco. The Savage Sons were the towns biggest gay bashers, among other things. It was why Merle fit in so well with them in the beginning.

For the moment, Sammy found a reason to keep going. She didn’t look back at Earl, she just went into the kitchen like she was told, a man named Ash, quietly following her. He was on the skinny side, his left arm covered in tattoos, his shirt had the sleeves ripped off, and he wore his black biker helmet. She didn’t know if it were habit or if he thought it would protect him somehow. Either way, she didn’t ask.

She started as far away from the fridge as she could get, opening cabinets and putting canned goods on the counters. She checked three large lockers that were placed as far from the oven as they could be, finding some energy bars and a few bottles of Gatorade. In the last locker she found a stash of candy bars, Marco’s favorites, and put them in the back pockets of her jeans. They were Milkyway, just plain milk chocolate. ‘I like my candy like I like my men; a good mix of chocolate and caramel.’ Was something Marco always told her.

Knowing the fridge was where everything was normally stored, Sammy piled the cans in her arms, leaving a few for Ash to carry before going back to the bar. She placed the cans on the bar top and spun around to head towards the back. “I’m going to check Jake’s office, I’ll be back.” Ash didn’t follow her, getting the hint that she would be fine in the office alone.

Once Sammy slipped inside the office and locked the door again, she went for her cell phone first. She tried dialing her grandparent's landline, her grandma’s cell phone, and Daryl’s before she realized she didn’t have a signal. She tossed the useless technology back in her bag, deciding to rummage through Jake’s drawers. She came across a few protein bars, some protein powder, and a case of water bottles. She left the bottom right drawer alone, knowing Merle’s stash was still there.

Sammy suddenly wondered if she would ever see Merle again. Or Daryl, her grandparents. She wondered if the police or the military was working to get people out of here, look for survivors, or had any answers to what was happening. Timmy was in the military; he might know something. Sammy hoped he would be able to reach her.

Suddenly, an idea came to her mind. Looking under Jake’s desk, by the left side, there was an old portable radio that ran off batteries. Sammy grabbed it, attempting to turn it on and find a station that might be working. Though, she grew frustrated when she checked the battery compartment and found it empty. She searched the office for batteries but couldn’t find any and decided to check in the bar.

After locking up the office, out of habit at this point, she placed the radio on the bar. She went through a few drawers and successfully found the large batteries she needed. Why there were some in the bar, she didn’t know, but was grateful for them now. She switched on the radio, turning the volume almost off as static filled the bar. She carefully turned the tuning bar, watching the red strip move from one end to the other, not picking up a single thing. Sammy gave up, turned off the radio, and pulled the batteries out to not waste them.

“Nothin’, huh?” Ash was peering at her from his post by one of the windows. Sammy shook her head at him. “Try AM? They usually have an emergency broadcast playing if need be. This seems like the perfect time for it.”

Sammy shook her head again. “I tried. Nothing. We can check again if Earl gets back.” She was being pessimistic even though she was honest. She didn’t have high hopes of anyone coming back through those doors. “I’m going to the bathroom.” Her bladder was full, but she really didn’t want to be in the room with him anymore, his eyes following her and making her uncomfortable. Ash was one of the guys that knew better than to try anything with her but only when Daryl, Merle, Jake, or Earl was around. No one was now.

She locked the women's bathroom before closing one of the stall doors. She dropped her pants, quickly doing her business, pulling her pants back up and was pleased when the toilet still worked. Sammy stayed in the bathroom awhile longer after washing her hands. There was a small window closer to the ceiling that, if she tried hard enough, she could squeeze through. She didn’t have anything to climb on though, promising herself she would bring a stool if she needed to make an escape.

Sammy paused, finding it a little funny she was planning escape routes. A few hours ago, she had been drinking herself dumb. She was thinking about how easy it was to let them get her if she was drunk enough to not feel her flesh being ripped from her body. She assumed her change of thinking was due to her grandparents, Daryl, and Timmy. Giving up when she didn’t even know what happened with her loved ones would have been stupid. She had to believe they were alright and, in Daryl’s case, looking for her.

After splashing some water on her face, Sammy left the bathroom feeling a little more awake and refreshed. She wanted a shower and her bed, but she still smelled nice enough thanks to her deodorant. She wandered back behind the bar, grabbing a glass and the waterspout, pouring herself some water. She wouldn’t waste the bottled water until the running water stopped.

Jimmy Stevens, the little shit stain that stole Daryl’s crossbow, came walking into the bar after Ash let him in. Earl had him posted on the roof as a look out since he looked like he could handle the hunting weapon. “Earl and the guys are coming back with some good stuff. Be ready to let them in.” Sammy frowned at him, noting how he tried to carry himself with authority. She knew he was only acting like that because he got away with taking the weapon in the first place.

“Why don’t you do it, shit stain?” Sammy crossed her arms over her chest, her pre-apocalyptic attitude coming out.

For a moment, Jimmy stared at her, unsure of himself. The next minute, he slung the crossbow over his shoulder, slightly around the back of his neck, and moved towards her, threateningly. “The hell you say to me, bitch?” He got up in her face, an awful glint in his eye as he looked her up and down. “Someone ought to put a bitch like you in her place.”

Sammy coughed, waving her hand by her nose. “The hell did you eat? Dog shit?” She laughed, “You are what you eat. As the saying goes.” The doors burst open behind Jimmy, causing him to whip around and step away from Sammy.

Earl and the men he took with him on the run, came through the doors, one guy lagging behind to close and lock them. They all dumped a few crates of food, water, medicines, and hygiene products on the tables. Earl had a large duffel bag strapped to his shoulder, taking it off to place it neatly on the top of the bar. Sammy decided to check that one first, since Earl thought it was more special than the rest. He unzipped it, silently showing her its contents. It was loaded with weapons like guns, bats, knives, batons, and ammunitions. “Take your pick.” Sammy looked up at Earl, feeling odd about openly carrying a weapon. “Times are changing, Sammy. Got to defend yourself.”

Peering inside the bag again, Sammy ignored the guns and grabbed three daggers and a small hunting knife that she slipped in her front pocket. Earl handed her some kind of belt holster for the knives. “Where did you get all of this?” She asked, tightening the belt around her hips and sliding the knives into the attached sheaths.

“The hunting store about a block from here. Going on foot took some time but with the numbers we had, we were able to raid cars and the dollar store for supplies.” Earl nodded at her new equipment. “We’re going out again to pick up more food, you should come with and get some experience with those.”

Sammy shook her head. “No thanks. I’ll keep them for safety, but I know the military will come sweeping through here soon. The town will go back to normal; you’ll see.” She knew her voice had a desperate undertone to it, but she was grateful when Earl didn’t say anything back to her.

With orders to keep the bag behind the bar and to make rations with the supplies they had, Earl and his scavenging team headed back out with a promise to be back before dark. Ash decided to help her while Jimmy “Shit-Stain” Stevens posted himself by the door, holding the crossbow in his arms and sending Sammy sly smirks.

They carried the organized crates to the wall across from Jake’s office, setting them down in a neat row. Once they were back in the bar area, gun shots and shouting were heard from the roof as Shit-Stain suddenly yelled. The door he had been standing in front of suddenly burst open, pushing him back into one of the tables. A gun shot rang out, Jimmy stopped moving, and Sammy started screaming as blood seeped from the hole in the middle of his neck.

Chapter Text

            Sammy cowered under the bar by the stools as Jimmy lay on the floor and Ash was being held at gun point by none other than Merle Dixon. Everything happened quickly, but Sammy was pretty sure the men on the roof were dead. If Sammy had known Merle was alive, she would have bet money he would show up at the bar for revenge and she would have won the lot. “I ain’t gonna shoot ya, baby doll. Come out and do me a favor.”

            Gripping the bar top, Sammy pulled herself up, eying Merle as he kept the gun trained on Ash, giving her a small glance every few seconds. “What’s the favor?” Her voice was small, hesitant. She didn’t know if she wanted Merle to shoot Ash, he was rather helpful, but she also knew he was a part of the gang that backstabbed Merle. She never actually found out what happened and from the way Merle was packing, she didn’t think she was going to.

            Merle had her attention again as he sniffed loudly, rubbing the back of his hand under his nose. He rocked back and forth, seeming twitchy. Sammy figured it was from withdraws since he had been without any substance for a few nights. “Get me my stash.” It didn’t seem like a favor to her, but she needed an excuse to leave the room anyway.

            After giving Ash an apologetic look, she did as Merle asked and slipped away, power walking to Jake’s office. She grabbed the strap of the duffel bag and pulled it along with her quietly. Merle hadn’t been watching and Ash was on his knees in front of the bar so he couldn’t see her. She hurried and locked herself inside once again, immediately going for the drawer with the hidden pills. She left the duffel bag in the room, pausing for a moment as she heard some muffled angry voices in the bar. She couldn’t recognize them, but assumed it was Merle yelling at Ash or Ash pleading for Merle not to kill him.

            Sammy peered out the door, slipping the bag and then herself through quietly, locking the door behind her. She tip-toed to the end of the hall, peering around the corner. Merle was still behind the bar pointing his gun at Ash, who was still on his knees on the other side of the bar, and a new man was standing off to the side of the bar with a clear view of Sammy sneaking down the hallway. He was clearly watching her and when she finally looked up to his face, she gasped, launching herself forward.

            Daryl caught her around the waist as she wrapped her arms tightly around his neck. Fresh tears fell from her eyes in streams as she felt safe and peaceful for the first time since leaving her grandparents’ house the day before. Once Daryl let her go, she was snapped back to reality and some of that fear toward the undead walking around came back. She clung to him, keeping her hand on his shoulder as she slipped to his side.

            “It’s nice, you two girls gettin’ on and all, but I sent ya for my stash, baby doll.” Merle was still standing behind the counter, his twitching and swaying seeming worse. He waved the gun at her, a sign that he was starting to get impatient.

            Eyeing Daryl in a silent plea to watch her back, Sammy stepped away from him and slowly headed to the bar. She dropped the bag on the counter, stepping backwards and stopped when she felt Daryl’s hand on the small of her back. “Jesse was right about you, you son a bitch.”

            Merle looked at him, feigning hurt. “Ah! Don’t be that way. Look!” Merle pointed behind Daryl and Sammy, at the motionless Jimmy lying on the floor. Daryl’s crossbow was half hidden under his torso, the look of surprise at being shot was probably still on his face, not that Sammy could see it. “I saved that crossbow of yours!”

            Daryl wasn’t letting Merle off the hook. “Man, you just don’t get it, do you?” Before he could give Merle a proper lecture, the side doors burst open as one of the guy’s Earl took with him came through. Merle tried popping off a shot at him, but it missed, and the lackey turned back as fast as he could.

            “Hey! Merle’s here!” was heard before the doors closed behind him. Merle reacted quickly, throwing himself over the bar to give chase as Ash leapt to his feet and ran off through another set of doors.

            Sammy turned around as the door behind them was thrown open, two more Savage Sons coming through the door and jumping on Daryl. She tried to shove them back, but they were already swinging a bat at Daryl, knocking him to the floor. “Daryl!” One of the guys turned to her, reaching out and grabbing her by her right upper arm. “Get the fuck off me!” She kept trying to lash out as they tried dragging her out the door.

            “Earl don’t want to leave your sorry ass behind. Man’s got a soft spot for ya, now let’s go!” They successfully dragged Sammy out the door with her fighting them as hard as she could. She hadn’t been outside for almost a full twenty-four hours and was shocked at how deserted the town looked. She had witnessed people’s deaths but the eerie silence coming from the town was somehow scarier.

            Shuffling to her right caught her attention as one of the undead saw them. Instant panic and fear filled her stomach, causing her to cry out and yank her arm as hard as she could. “Oh, God! No! Let me go! Oh God!” Her voice was shrill as her panic intensified with every step the undead took toward them. She couldn’t recognize who he was, his clothes were dirty with dried blood and torn. His face was partially torn off and his right cheek bone and two rows of teeth were visible as the flesh from his face dangled under his left eye. He was tall and missing his left arm as well as part of his abdomen.

            Sammy twisted out of her captors grasp just as the undead man reached them. She ducked and rolled out of his reach and saw him turn toward the closer prey. She turned her back as the shouts of terror filled the street, throwing herself back inside the bar, locking the door as quickly as she could. She went over to each door, locking all of them before rushing to Daryl’s side. He was unconscious on the floor, and she had to get him up and moving as soon as possible.

            “C’mon, Daryl, get up!” She was still panicked as she shook him. “Daryl, get up! The dead walk, this is no time to be sleeping!” She grabbed his shirt collar and shook with both of her hands expecting him to open his eyes. When he didn’t, she resorted to more drastic measures, raising her left hand and bringing it down against his right cheek, a loud slap ringing in her ears.

            Daryl’s eyes snapped open, his hand rising to his cheek before his furious eyes met hers. He relaxed for a moment before looking around the bar. “Merle gone?” Sammy gave him a nod as he moved her so he could get up. He ripped his crossbow from under Jimmy, giving his body a kick for taking it in the first place. What they both weren’t expecting was for him to latch on to Daryl’s ankle and try to force it in his mouth. Sammy felt her heart sink into her gut as her eyes widened, a gasp leaving her mouth. Daryl, proving she didn’t have to worry about him, just shook Jimmy off like he was a bug before driving a crossbow bolt in his head.

            She sat there on floor, a little dumb founded. She knew he must have run into these people on his way into town, but the way it all seemed so easy for him made her look at him in a new light. “How is this so easy for you?” She felt her eyes well up with tears as she stared up at him. “I couldn’t do what you just did. I know what happens when they get you, but there’s no way I could ki-kill someone.” Fat tears finally fell down her cheeks in streams, a small hiccup interrupted her as she blubbered at him.

            “It ain’t easy, but ya can’t think about them as people anymore, Sam.” He offered her a hand. “The world ain’t the same no more.” She put her hand in his and he pulled her to her feet.

            “Everyone keeps saying ‘world’, but it’s just the town.” Sammy wiped her tears, trying to pull herself together again, not wanting her fear and despair for change to consume her.

            Daryl looked at her for a moment, deciding on what to tell her. “There’s a shelter in Atlanta taking in survivors. We’re going there, Merle will meet us.” He didn’t give her much, but she felt her heart sink once again when she realized whatever was happening in the town, was state-wide.

            “My grandparents. I haven’t been able to get in contact with them and I’ve been too chicken to leave.” Daryl nodded at her, moving off to look through the bar for things he could use, Sammy assumed.

            “Stupid fucks took my knives.” He looked over his shoulder at Sammy, noticing her new ensemble. “Nice gear. You’re going to need it. Go get the rest of your stuff.”

            “There’s a duffle bag in Jake’s office full of guns and stuff. There’s some crates of supplies by the wall too, grab things from there if you need.”

            “We’re only taking what we can carry for now. You got supplies at your grandparents.”

            “What about my grandma’s car? We can fill it with stuff and take it over there.”

            Daryl shook his head at her. “The streets are too crowded with vehicles and the noise will just attract more of them. It’s better to go on foot for now. Just until we can get on the road.”

            Sammy didn’t want to run into anymore of the undead. She just wanted to get home, get her grandparents, and get the hell out of town. Though, she listened to Daryl and scampered off into the back office. She collected her things quickly, grabbed the duffle bag of weapons, and grabbed food and drinks from the organized crates in the hall.

            Daryl came down the hall, grabbing a few things from the crates for himself, and nodded toward the employee door. Sammy swallowed, hard. She didn’t feel confident enough to go out there. Daryl wasn’t going to wait for her to get that confidence though, but as if he could sense her discomfort, he took the lead and positioned himself by the employee door.

            He pushed the door open a little at a time, sticking the tip of his crossbow out first. He crouched low, stepping out carefully as Sammy held the door for him. She followed as quietly as she could, trying her best not to whimper as she shut the door quietly behind her. She was out in the open now. No longer sheltered by the bar or the Savage Sons from the chaos in the town.

            Her grandma’s car was still parked in the same spot, not disturbed. She attempted to reason with Daryl again, wanting to avoid anymore run ins with the living dead. “I have the keys right here, Daryl. Please, let’s just get in the car and drive over really quick.”

            Daryl whipped around, shushing her, though it was too late. A few undead had heard her and started making their way towards them. Daryl shot her a glare for blowing their cover. He had hoped to make it to an alley that would be mostly blocked off, but her stubbornness reared up, wanting to take the car.

            Dashing forward, Daryl slammed the sharp end of his crossbow bolt into the head of the closest man, dropping him to the ground before Sammy could get a good look at him. He took on two more before Sammy realized she was in danger.

            A teenager, not older than 16, with purple and pink dyed hair in braids came toward her. Her lips were torn off her pale face, pretty teeth gnashing together, her chewed off tongue was caught in the hole of her bitten off right cheek. She was wearing a mini skirt and a white blouse, both soaked in blood. Her shirt was ripped on her right shoulder, the flesh missing. Her left thigh also had a good chunk of flesh torn off, strips of skin jiggling with every wobbled step she took.

            Sammy turned her eyes for a moment, heaving the contents of her stomach on the street. She cried as she shakily stood up, stumbling back and out of reach of the teen. She knew her face. She looked like one of the girls Sammy went to high school with but hadn’t bothered getting to know. This teenager was probably her younger sister.

            In the moment Sammy was trying to collect herself, the teenage girl did her best to move a little quicker. She stumbled forward, almost falling yet somehow managing to catch her balance. Her neck snapped with every slight turn, her nose sniffing out the prey her eyes couldn’t see. Without either girl paying attention, Daryl had come up from behind the teen, quickly silencing her once and for all. He looked at Sammy, who was bent over with one hand wrapped around her stomach and the other on the wall for support. Her hair was a curtain, hiding her face from him and the now dead teen.

            “Get yer hair outta yer face. Don’t know when one of ‘em might sneak up on ya cause of yer hair.” He was quiet but demanding, letting her know it wasn’t up for debate. Daryl was going to teach her to watch her back, just in case he couldn’t be there to help her out. The look on his face said so.

            The bag she brought into work with her the other day slid down her arm and softly landed on the asphalt. Sammy zipped it open and fished through it until she found a black scrunchie. She twisted a decent bun on the top of her head, making sure to get all the strands from her face. “Better?” She pulled the bag’s strap over her head in a diagonal hold so it wouldn’t fall from her shoulder. They would be traveling by foot, to her dismay, for a few blocks and she didn’t want to lose any valuable supplies.

            Giving Sammy a nod, Daryl picked up the duffle bag of weapons, carrying it in the same fashion as her. He moved through the mostly empty parking lot, knowing his way around the town better than she ever wanted to. There was a small opening by the far back wall of the parking lot that lead into the alley. Daryl led Sammy to the alley, making sure to set a slow enough pace for her to follow and to look out for the undead.

            Other than the constant fear and outward trembling, Sammy felt a very small amount of pride well up. She was quiet and kept up with Daryl enough that he didn’t have to look behind him often. Though, her pride was replaced with horror as a small group of the undead, around twelve or so, spotted them as they rounded a chain-link fence. To be fair, Sammy thought they were on the other side of it, not on the same side.

            They grouped together quickly, marching forward with their arms raised, ready to grab the live prey. Daryl sprung into action, naturally faster than Sammy. She was barely able to process that the dead were up and walking.

            Sammy backed up, the motion starting to become a habit for her. Daryl’s angry grumbling for her to help him went unheard as she focused on one living dead in particular. Another habit she was picking up; recognizing many faces that now want to rip hers off.

            The dirty, oil-stained mechanics outfit stood out the most as Greg’s single filmed over eye spotted her. He was missing his right eye and part of his right cheek. Most of his fingers were gone, but his outfit was still intact. She wondered for a moment what happened for him to end up that way, but the bile making its way into her throat caused her to look away and throw up again. When she looked up again, Greg was closer to her, reaching for her with fingerless hands and moaning loudly. Others followed behind him, but Sammy couldn’t take her eyes from Greg.

            It had been the other day that he asked her out. He was alive and well and sweet not three days ago. She shoved into his chest, suddenly angry as tears fell from her eyes. “What the hell, Greg?” He only moaned at her, still trying to grab her. She shoved him back, a little harder. He fell back into one of the undead behind him but sprang back toward her like a bungee cord.

            Sammy wasn’t expecting the sudden impact. Greg’s hands found her neck, trying to bring her forward toward his mouth. She shrieked and shoved against him. “Daryl!” Her heart was hammering in her chest as she continued to shove at Greg, pleas for him to let go went unanswered as he fought to bring her closer.

            The stench coming from Greg’s mouth was somehow worse than the stench from his body. Either way, Sammy didn’t want to be near him anymore. She cried loudly, keeping her arms locked, completely straight. Her arms were burning and threatening to buckle under the amount of strength Greg had in his own arms. Her heart was hammering her chest, her mind going blank, and the only thing she could focus on was Greg’s teeth. They weren’t white, or slightly stained yellow from too much coffee like she remembered, but they were dark red and black from feasting on flesh.

            In the next moment, Greg’s arms went slack, his groans and growls ceased, and his body weight collapsed causing her arms to finally buckle. Greg leaned heavily against Sammy, her cries turning into shrill screams as his face landed on her right breast. Daryl was in her sight, taking out the remaining few Eaters. She was in a state of paralysis, not understanding why he wasn’t prioritizing Greg.

            Sammy’s shrill screams turned back into loud sobs as she saw the arrow sticking out of the side of Greg’s skull.

            Daryl quickly removed Greg from Sammy, shoving him aside carelessly to get to her. Her own exhaustion hit her hard, forcing her to her knees as Daryl caught her. “Did he bite ya?” As she tried to grip onto Daryl for safety, he kept her back, easily lifting her back to her feet. He forced her to look at him, “Answer me, Sam. Did he bite ya?” He was a little frantic, trying to get her to respond, shaking her a little as if it would get her to snap out of it.

            “N-No… I don’t th-think so… No.” She gave herself a little check over as she blubbered to him through her tears.

            “We gotta keep going, Sam. We’re almost there. Just a few more blocks.” He kept his hand locked under her arm, above her elbow, thinking she would shatter like glass if he let go. Sammy couldn’t blame him, she probably would.

            Looking down at herself, she noticed her shirt was dark and sticky from Greg’s face, part of it was drool and the other part was blood. Her neck felt sore in the places her hair was sticking to from Greg’s hands, knowing there would be bruises later. Her legs and arms were slightly sprayed with gore splatter from Greg and the other few run-ins with the walking dead that she had. She counted herself lucky to still be alive after everything that happened the past two days.

            “I need a shower.” She didn’t want to go home coated in remains. She wanted to save her grandparents from worrying about her, but there was a small part of her that didn’t want to go home to see what became of her grandpa either. She was blindly hoping that his bite wasn’t from an Eater, but from some crazy lady fighting for the bargain deals.

            Daryl still hadn’t let go of her, carrying her along while she fussed over herself. “Later.” He hurried them through alleyways until they got to the neighborhoods. He forced her to run through yards, dodging Eaters that were solitary or too wounded to follow them.

            Sammy was doing everything she could to not look at their faces. She knew these people, their kids, who they hung out with. She didn’t really care for most of them, but it still ruined her image of the town going back to normal if she saw their faces. She knew Greg wouldn’t come back, or the teenage girl, but she kept some hope for Marco who was still locked in the fridge at the bar.

            When Daryl pulled her through a yard that spat them out onto her street, she looked around with more care. She was horrified to see a car was flipped over in the living room of the McKenny’s house, just three houses down from her grandparents’. Most of the other houses were abandoned. Clothes, toys, loose papers, and random things were littered in the streets. Sammy noticed that almost all the cars were gone too, except ones that didn’t work or couldn’t be used to bring most of their belongings.

            “Where did everyone go?” Sammy whispered, only asking as a hypothetical.

            Daryl answered her anyway. “To the shelter in Atlanta.”

            She didn’t voice anymore of her thoughts as they rushed to her home. Once they crept into the familiar yard, Sammy was delighted to see her beloved black military truck still parked in her spot. She had large storage containers sitting behind the truck, hidden from sight by anyone in the streets. For a moment, she wondered why no one would take them as they were full of valuable supplies. Then she realized that most people would only care for themselves and their loved ones and a shelter that provided most of their needs would sound good.

            Sammy followed Daryl in a brisk pace, hurrying over to her truck. They both checked around for any Eaters caught behind the house, but it was clear. She let out a breath she hadn’t realized she was holding. Sammy was half expecting to find her grandparents wandering around as one of the Eaters. That fear of finding them like that flared once she glanced at the back door.

            Daryl had gone inside the bunker, probably searching to see if Merle had cleaned the place out. Sammy decided to head into the house to check on her grandparents. She twisted the knob on the door, pulling it open as quietly as she could. It hadn’t surprised her that the door was unlocked, her grandparents hadn’t remembered most times. What did surprise her, was Marge, who had a wooden baseball bat held up, ready to swing at her head.

            The door lazily swung open the rest of the way as Sammy immediately held her hands up by her ears. “It’s me! It’s Sammy, Grams!” Marge took a moment, the hardness in her eyes melting slowly as she processed Sammy’s words. Her arms lowered, the bat clattering to the floor as it slipped from her grip. Before she knew what was happening, Marge had her arms around Sammy’s shoulders, holding her as close as she could, a shaky sigh leaving her lips.

            “I was afraid for you, dear.” Marge tried to crush her more against her. Sammy was barely able to breathe as she tried to rub soothing circles on her grandma’s back. “I tried your phone, the bar. I even tried to call the police, but everyone’s phones were disconnected or gave me a busy dial tone.”

            Sammy heard Marge sniffle before feeling a small spot on her shirt become wet. “I tried calling you too. The Savage Sons kept me safe, made me think a little. How are you? How’s grandpa? How did you know not to go outside?”

            Marge let go of Sammy a little, keeping her in her grasp, but far enough to stare at her face. “Some of the people in the streets are attacking us. They stink something awful and try to eat people. I don’t understand what it is. I was outside yesterday afternoon talking with our nice neighbor, Gabby Moore. We see Frank Miller – the town grouch who can’t let anything go, even if you have a permit to build a bunker in your own yard – anyway, he was walking towards us all slow like.” Sammy found herself relaxing as her grandma talked. She loved letting her talk her to sleep as a child, but she felt like she needed to do just that. “We were asking him what was wrong, but he wouldn’t say anything past a few mumbles – and it sounded like he was growling at us! I feel bad for Gabby, he lunged at her and was biting her. Our screams attracted a few more neighbors just like Frank and I ran inside to call the police.”

            “And you couldn’t get through.”

            Marge’s tears flowed heavily down her cheeks as she continued to tell Sammy about her friend and neighbor. “I kept an eye on Gabby, but I could tell they bit her to death. I thought it was a trick when she got up, but she joined the others when they spotted a dog. Poor thing ran off before they could grab it.”

            Sammy wanted to skip past the rest of the rambling, “Where’s grandpa?”

            A terrified look came over her face. Her cries slowed down a little bit as she stared at Sammy with guilt flashing in her pupils. “He’s in the bedroom.” Sammy thought it was odd her grandma wasn’t giving her more information.

            She placed her hands on Marge’s shoulders, being cautious. “Can I go see him?”

            Marge shook her head, holding Sammy in a tight grip. “I tried giving him some food, but he won’t eat it. I tried giving him his favorite drink, but he knocks it from my hands. I even tried to give him some raw steak, but he ignores all of it.”

            A sudden dread filled Sammy’s stomach. She knew what happened to her grandpa. His bite from the grocery store had gone from a weird accident to a death sentence. She wanted to apologize to him, but more than that, she wished he never went to the store with Marge. Sammy thought it was rare for him to tag along with her and thought it was sweet when he did accompany his wife. Now, she regrets it, even if there was nothing she could have done. She had been sleeping when they went out, only getting up after they were already home and cleaning him up. “I’m so sorry, Grams.”

            “He’s just not feeling right, dear. He’ll be alright. The government Is looking for a cure. I’m sure the CDC has something already. Your grandpa and I believe they don’t make something in a lab without having an antidote on hand. They’re probably mass producing it right now.”

            Her first thought was that Marge was naïve, but then it had been a mere few hours ago that Sammy thought it only affected their small town. She wanted to believe that her grandma was right about the CDC making a cure or already having one, but with how quickly this disease spread, Sammy wasn’t going to take her chances. “We can all drive out to the CDC together, then. Let’s grab what we can and fill up the truck. We can figure out what to do with grandpa after.”

            Marge nodded, agreeing to start gathering supplies. She told Sammy she would start in the basement that was conveniently stocked from her couponing. She came back up the stairs a few moments later with a box of goods. “They called us crazy for this, you know. Now we’re the ones prepared, and they can only scramble a few cans together. If it’s as crazy as I’m thinkin’ then they’re going to need more!”

            Sammy came out of the hallway with blankets and pillows, setting them on the couch in a messy pile. “Well, if some think they can come back here for supplies, they’ll be in for a shock when they see we cleared out.”

            Carrying her box to the back door, Marge set it down by the door before peering out the pale-yellow curtains covering the window. “Did you come with anyone?”

            Sammy looked over at Marge as she brought out some other things from the linen closet. Her next stop was going to be the bathroom, hoping to clean it out in a single trip. “Just Daryl. He stopped by the bar.” Sammy slipped into the bathroom, gathering as much as she could carry in her arms and went back into the living room to dump it on the couch. She made two more trips before deciding to raid the kitchen.

            After confirming there was no one suspicious in her backyard, Marge had disappeared again into the basement. Sammy looked around the kitchen before looking over into the living room as she felt like she was being watched suddenly. She tried to shake the feeling after confirming no one was around, but her movements slowed down as she tried to listen. She heard shuffling but upon turning towards the living room again, she didn’t see anything. She assumed it was her grandma coming back up the stairs since they sometimes creaked or echoed movement.

            Marge opened the basement door, not noticing Sammy’s stares as she moved toward the couch, her back turned from the hallway. She set down her box, looked over at Sammy with a small smile and started her way back over. It felt like things slowed down, like an old film reel that couldn’t keep up anymore.

            Clive had come out of the bedroom and had made it down the end of the hallway at that very moment. Marge hadn’t seen him coming as he suddenly threw himself at her, knocking her down on her side. Marge twisted the rest of the way to try and block the sudden attack, lifting her arms in defense as a reflex. Getting hit or kicked wasn’t something she should have been afraid of, but instead Clive’s white teeth that hadn’t had the pleasure of turning red from feeding on flesh.

            Marge screamed as Clive stained his teeth with the flesh on her arms, bringing his own up to hold her as he bit and pulled her. She tried to resist, flailing as much as she could while trying to kick out from under him. All her attempts were unsuccessful as he suddenly pinned down her arms and went for the exposed flesh above her bosom. Blood poured steadily from the bite wounds, turning her clothes a dark red before messily splashing on the floor in light droplets and small trickles. The pain that erupted over her body with every bite, eventually made Marge pass out. Her screams left her throat dry and aching, but she welcomed the black silence as she no longer felt her husband eating her alive.

            Sammy hadn’t been able to move. Her heart was hammering in her chest, her mind was screaming for her to do something, and her legs were threatening to collapse. She hadn’t realized she started crying until she inhaled, and a loud sob was heard over the now silent house. She didn’t know what to do as she helplessly watched her grandma die. Being eaten alive by her husband.

            She was still in shock, even as her grandpa’s eyes looked her way. The taste of Marge’s flesh must not have been as filling as he moved sluggishly to stand and start his way to Sammy.

Chapter Text

            Sammy felt like she was floating. There was a ringing in her ears that canceled any other noise. It started on its own, small, and odd at first, then growing louder until she could hear nothing else. She felt her knees wobbling as she struggled to stand, giving out under a minute, and making her sink to the kitchen floor.

            All she could do was stare. Stare at her grandma laying on the floor, unmoving. Stare at her grandpa who decided she would be his next meal. Stare at her hands that felt heavy as they shakily held up a medium sized knife. She recognized it as one of the ones Earl gave her to strap on herself. Though, she didn’t remember pulling it free from its sheath.

            Don’t make me do this, don’t make me, please don’t make me. Sounded like a mantra in her head as Clive’s eyes, dead and full of hunger, met hers. She felt as dead as he was. Hollow, empty, and wishing this never happened to them. She couldn’t get herself to stop shaking, or make her heart slow down, or keep herself from crying.

            Clive’s hands found purchase on her arms as he tried to lazily slap the knife from her hands. She let him hold her, feeling for just a moment that he was himself again. Imagining he was trying to pull her in for a hug like he used to when she was a child. The ugly growl that left his throat snapped her out of it. His teeth were almost grazing her skin before she shoved him back, “Stop! Go back! Please go back to being you!” She felt foolish for trying to convince him to come back himself. Unless the CDC or some lab could come out with the cure, she was going to have to do something about Clive now.

            Her command went unheard as he came forward again, trying to pull her closer by tightening his grip on her arm. Sammy cried out in anguish, apologizing over and over as she drove the knife in her hands through his ear with as much force as she could. “I-I’m so sorry! I’m sorry! I’m sorry!” His body crumbled in her arms, the grip he had on her was gone as his arms fell with his body to the floor.

            Sammy fell with Clive, gripping his shirt in her hands and openly wailing as she really took in what she just did. Her grandpa was gone. Gone for good. She kept saying how sorry she was as she laid herself upon him, resting her head on his chest, trying to imagine a heartbeat.

            Angling her head slightly, Sammy recognized the house slippers her grandma wore, and they were right in front of her. Looking up, Sammy met the milky eyes of Marge and barely got a scream out as the front door slammed open. The flying sound of an arrow being released from its hold was heard before Marge suddenly dropped to the floor next to Sammy and Clive. Sammy’s screams had turned into a choking noise as her tears continued to flow while gasping for breath.

            A hand smacked against her back with two hard pats before her right arm was pulled and she was forced to stand up. Daryl’s blue eyes were roaming her body, looking for bites or scratches. She let him as she stared at her grandparents’ bodies. They were just fine two days ago. Sammy struggled to understand how quickly things were changing around her. How did other families make it out whole and safe when hers were the ones prepared?

            “Sam.” Daryl tried to shake her arm and get her attention, but she was still staring at her deceased family. “Sam, look at me!” He stepped in front of her, blocking her sight and forcing her to look at him. “We have to go, Sam. Go get some things from your room.”

            She didn’t know if she could. Her body felt sluggish and hollow, as if her soul left her. All she wanted to do was curl up by her grandparents and hold on to them one more time, pretending everything was fine. She wanted that so bad.

            Daryl’s hands pushed her to the side, around her grandparents and towards the hallway to her room. Her legs carried her the rest of the way, leading her to her door. Sammy tried to ground herself so she could do what Daryl asked her to, but her eyes fell on a photo of her grandparents lazily dancing in the living room. Sammy had snapped the photo when she was nine.

            Ripping the photo from the bulky frame it was in, Sammy sat heavily on her bed and held the photo to her chest. She didn’t know how long she was there, sitting on her bed, but Daryl came into her room a while later. She guessed he was checking on her. When seeing she had nothing done, he silently moved around her room, collecting things she might need or was ridiculously attached to. He left her a moment later, arms full of her crap, before returning to her side. “Get up.” His tone was harsh and demanding.

            “I can’t.” What was the point anymore? Her family was gone.

            “Get yer stubborn ass up, Samantha. This town has gone to shit. Yer grandparents are gone, now let’s go.” He moved to grab her, but she slapped his hands away, glaring up at him.

            “I just lost my grandparents and that’s all you have to say to me? What about them? I can’t just leave them like that. Like buzzard food.” Sammy reached out and smacked Daryl against his chest, continuing for a minute before Daryl roughly grabbed her wrists.

            “Look around ya, Sam, no one is being buried! The dead are walking and unless ya want to be among them, I suggest looking around for anything I might have missed and were leavin’.” He threw her arms back to her sides. “I’ll leave yer ass behind if I gotta.”

            Even though she knew it was an empty threat, the thought of being completely alone in a dead town was enough to make her get up and move. She swept through her drawers, grabbing a large duffle bag from under her bed, and filled it with her clothes. “Everything on the couch needs to go, along with the things from the basement. I think grams,” Sammy winced as her voice broke trying to say her name, “was moving things into containers down there.”

            “I got them. Just waitin’ on you.” Daryl was a little softer now, having been successful at snapping her back for the moment.

            Daryl took the strap of the bag from her, throwing it over his shoulder before shuffling her out of her room. She knew he would have made her go out the window if it was closer to her truck, but the big thing was parked by the back door of the house. He blocked her view from the kitchen as they hurried through the house and out the back door. She took a minute to lock the back door, marking the place as a grave for her grandparents and hoped no one would try to get in if they saw it was locked.

            Sammy let Daryl drive her truck, hopping in the passenger side of the large vehicle. As Daryl started the truck and pulled out onto the street, Sammy watched as the house got smaller as they went, saying her goodbyes in her head. She faced forward once he turned from her street. She curled up in her seat as Daryl drove, gaining speed as the Eaters in the streets shuffled toward the truck, their arms raised in an effort to stop the vehicle.

            She wasn’t curious in the least where they were going, but Daryl decided to tell her anyway. “Goin’ to Atlanta. Gunna take side streets as much as we can. Highways might be clogged going into the city.” He turned his head to look at her a few times as he had to keep an eye on the road.

            “Sure, sure.” She told him, reaching forward, and turned on the radio, searching for a channel. All they heard was static until she got lucky and found the emergency broadcasting channel.

            “…Survivors from rural regions to come to large cities. Safe zones have been set up with food, water, and shelter. Message will be repeated. Standby. Emergency broadcast system: Orders from the president are as follows: All Survivors from rural regions to come to large cities. Safe Zones have been set up with food, water, and shelter. Message will be repeated.” Sammy flipped off the radio, settling in for silence.

            They drove through another side town that was only two blocks with a gas station, a cheap motel, a handful of stores, and a few farmhouses. Daryl pointed at a bus that was abandoned near the gas station. “See that?” Sammy leaned forward, staring out the windshield. A few Walkers were crowded around the front, reaching their hands up toward the woman perched on the hood of the vehicle.

            Daryl put the truck in park, keeping it running just in case Sammy needed to drive, and jumped out. “Daryl, wait!” She tried to reach for him, but the door slammed shut as he bolted off. Sammy watched as he made quick work of the undead, recognizing the knife he used against them as the one she used on her grandpa.

            In the next moment, Daryl and the mystery woman seemed to be having a conversation before he led her to the truck. Sammy was forced to sit in the middle as Daryl got in behind the wheel and the woman sat to her right. She was a pretty girl with red hair pulled in a ponytail, a nice face, and bright blue eyes. “I met her at a diner before tracking Merle to the bar.” Daryl explained.

            Sammy gave her a grimace, an attempt at a smile that failed as she politely offered her a hand. “Sammy.”

            “Anna Turner,” the redhead shook her hand firmly, “But all my friends call me Scout.” She looked at Daryl over Sammy’s head. “Look about leaving the diner, I needed to get my friend to a hospital. You got people depending on you, you need to push on. My dad’s a sheriff so I was helping with what I could. Searching for supplies, helping people.”

            Daryl nodded, believing her. “So, what happened?”

            “He made me promise to get to the evacuation at Palmetto Estates. Said he was pulling his deputies and meet me there.”

            Sammy looked at Daryl and found him already looking at her. She gave him a nod, telling him she would go if he did. “That’s the best plan I heard all week.”

            The truck rattled on until they got to their desired location, Palmetto Estates. It wasn’t a great distance from their own town or from Atlanta, but somewhere in the middle. Daryl stopped the truck and put it in park next to a small outlet mall. The truck was hidden behind a large school bus and another large pickup truck. Scout hopped out of the truck, making sure the coast was clear for Sammy to join her on the passenger side. Daryl came around from the front of Sammy’s vehicle, tossing her the keys to shove in her front pocket.

            “What’s the plan?” Sammy asked. She was slightly shaking as she was nervous about the Eaters lurking around. She still didn’t have the confidence to take down one of the Walkers like Daryl and possibly Scout, so she wanted to try and stick with one of them.

            “I’ll head up to the roof of one of these buildings, keep an eye out for things. Daryl, why don’t you go inside the building and see what’s in there. Sammy, you stay out here and look for some gas. Your truck takes diesel, right?” Sammy nodded at Scout with a frown on her face. “The bus might be diesel, so we can start with that.”

            Daryl looked at Sammy, hesitating as he probably knew she wanted to stay with him. She still looked green and not like herself at all, but Scout was right, they each needed to do their part to get to the safe zone in Atlanta. Sammy nodded at him, “I’ll catch up with you once I’m done, or I’ll radio you if I stick with Scout.”

            “Radio either way, got it?” Daryl demanded. She gave him a small smile, continuing to nod. He quickly checked his person for the number of weapons he had, handing her the familiar knife back before entering the building through a side door. The mall was on the smaller side, only being connected by a handful of larger buildings. It was a single story but was designed for high end retail. Other shops were located all around the small mall along with restaurants and nicer fast-food places. Unbelievably, there wasn’t a McDonalds anywhere in this little town.

            “Ready?” Scout called for her, having already found a gas can and a hose. Sammy followed her, looking around for any Walkers. Scout showed her how to syphon gas, since she didn’t know how, and followed her to another bus to attempt to do it on her own.

            Sammy looked up at Scout as she was bent over the gas can. “So how did you learn to do this?”

            Not looking at Sammy immediately, as she was watching their backs, she pulled her lips down in a frown. “I told you my dad was a sheriff, right?” She glanced at Sammy who politely nodded. “Well let’s just say I was a crappy daughter growing up. I didn’t understand why he was always working long hours and not home with me. I did some petty things and took advantage of my dad’s position as an officer.”

            “And one of those petty things was stealing gas, huh?” Sammy threw a smirk at Scout, finding it a little humorous. “There’s no judgement from me, I used to steal cash from any man that carried a wallet.”

            Whatever Scout was going to say back was lost as a loud noise overhead drew their attention. Both girls abandoned their posts and skirted around abandoned cars, making their way to a ladder that went up to a roof. Scout led the way as Sammy trailed behind, hearing growls and slow-moving feet on the pavement. She looked behind her for a moment, seeing more than ten heads weaving around cars to follow the noise above them. Turning back, Sammy climbed the ladder as quick as she could before hunkering down on the roof beside Scout.

            Voices on the radio Scout carried were loud and unfamiliar to them before army trucks drove by. Men fired an automatic weapon that had been welded to the bed at the undead as they went. A voice Sammy did recognize hooted over the radio. “Give me the radio!” She tried to pull at Scouts pants, but the other woman slapped her hands away.

            “You can’t talk to them!” At Sammy’s furious expression, she elaborated. “They won’t hear you. This radio can only communicate with the one Daryl has.”

            “Hey! You see that?” Daryl’s voice crackled through the radio.

            Sammy successfully ripped the device from Scout. “Yes, Timmy is there! Can you catch up to them?”

            “Guy in here says they’re on the other side of the building. Get down here.”

            “On my way.” Sammy shoved the radio at Scout, looking around the roof for an easy way down.

            “Follow the roof, stay on the East side, it’ll be easier to get down through a gap. Keep out of the big open spaces. Watch your back!” Scout shouted to her.

            Sammy was filled with excitement knowing her brother was close by. She hadn’t seen him for a few months since he started another tour. She remembered he took care of her as often as he could before her grandparents took her, but she also knew he felt relieved when they did. Around high school, she figured out it was Timmy who tracked them down and called them, not her father or any good Samaritan.

            Slowing down, Sammy pulled herself from her thoughts as she saw a ladder in a small alley between the buildings. Peering down the ladder and turning to look further down the alley, she only saw two Eaters stumbling over themselves. They had been locked outside somehow, both dressed in fairly clean work clothes. She could tell one was a waiter as he was dressed in black attire with a white, short apron tied around his waist. The other was a chef as she was dressed in white.

            Her time to catch up with Daryl was running short and she didn’t want to miss him passing through without her. She quickly patted down her hips, hands shaking as she felt both knives attached to her belt still. She did her best to not think about what exactly she would be doing with the knives and focused more on getting down the ladder and not falling off.

            Once her shoes touched the ground, she pulled the blade from her left hip and ran as fast as she could into the waiter, who was closer to her. She needed as much momentum as she could get as she drove the knife into the back of the guy’s head. As he dropped, she trained her eyes on the chef who noticed her. Sammy couldn’t pull the knife free from the waiter’s skull and decided she didn’t have time to panic about it, using the one on her right hip.

            Since the chef was facing her and getting uncomfortably close, Sammy ran at her, faking her out as she turned left to go behind her. She aimed for the same spot as the waiter but was more successful at retrieving her knife. She had to put her foot on the back of the waiter’s skull and pull the knife handle with both hands before it finally came out. A moment passed before she put her left hand on the wall as she gagged from the stench. She wiped the corners of her mouth, feeling slightly proud that she didn’t actually vomit before spotting the door that would lead her to Daryl and the military.

            She opened it the same time another door was opening from inside the mall, recognizing the front of the crossbow as Daryl aimed to kill. She felt relieved to see him, starting for him just as a heavy hand tangled in her hair. Her shriek alerted Daryl to her, firing his bolt faster than she could remember one of her knives.

            Sammy felt the hand in her hair go slack, pulling out a few strands of her hair as the undead fell to the floor by her feet. She didn’t look at them as she ran the rest of the way to Daryl. He pulled her behind him as he continued his way through the mall. Sammy drew one of her knives and held it in her hand as she swept her eyes around the racks of clothes they traveled through.

            She would have probably worn some of the clothes in the store, but with a quick look at one of the price tags, realized it would have taken more than two of her bartending checks to afford it. “Wait, Daryl.” She whispered, taking a shirt from the clothes rack. Daryl turns around to see her pulling off her dirtied shirt. She quickly pulls the new one over her head and smooths it down her flat stomach. Her face is still dirty and hair still greasy, but she felt a little better knowing her shirt was a clean one.

            Daryl scoffed at her. “Want some new pants too? Some makeup?” He was making fun of her, but she nodded at him anyway.

            “New pants would be great. Wearing shorts isn’t great when the undead want your flesh.” She said, her voice snarky as she looked around for pants. Daryl shut up and pointed at a rack of women’s pants an aisle over to the right. Sammy took off while Daryl kept watch. She found her size quickly, tossing her dirty shorts to the ground and stuffing her feet in the pant holes. They were a little loose for her taste, but with a belt that was conveniently hanging nearby, she made it work.

            “Done yet?” Sammy tapped Daryl’s shoulder, silently telling him she was. He moved forward without looking at her, eyes still looking for potential danger. Though, they made it out of the rest of the clothing store, not seeing any more Walkers. Sammy was able to tie up her hair with a scrunchie that was found in a package on one of the shelves. She didn’t want anyone to touch her hair after how many tried to use her long locks to their advantage. She figured most people would be willing to part with it if it meant they wouldn’t get eaten, but she was not. Sammy thought of herself as one of the girls in America’s Next Top Model that cried over her hair. She wouldn’t be a participant on that show, undead walking or not.

            Suddenly realizing Daryl was a few paces ahead of her, she stopped thinking of irrelevant things and caught up to him. He turned a sharp eye to her once he felt her latch onto his shirt, but otherwise kept moving.

            They made quick work of the hardware store connected to the clothing one, killing the Walkers as quietly as they could and pausing for a moment so Sammy’s gut could threaten to empty. “That’s the door to the outside. Ya ready?” Sammy nodded at Daryl, gripping her knife as tight as she could. She had butterflies in her gut, excitement growing at possibly seeing her brother again.

            The door opened a small amount as Daryl gently pushed on the handle. He stuck his head out, nodding at Sammy to keep up with him. She did her best to take out the undead, finding it easier to silence them when she didn’t recognize them. She only struggled with one Walker since he was over six foot. The only way she was able to get him down to her level was to get behind him and kick in his knees. Once down, she drove her knife in the back of his neck.

            Spinning around to face Daryl, she attempted to throw her knife long distance at another Walker. The blunt handle landed against her bloodied cheek before clattering to the ground. It would have been funny to Sammy if it wasn’t a life-threatening situation. Though Daryl had been quick to take out the dead woman once Sammy’s knife failed. “I thought ya were good at that shit?” Daryl mumbled to her as she picked up the fallen blade.

            She frowned at him, fanning her eyes over the carnage. “I’m rusty, okay? Knife throwing skills aren’t very attractive to most men.”

            “Hey!” Scout dropped from the roof of the building to the fence post next to it, landing sturdy feet on the ground. “This path has been blocked off.” Both Sammy and Daryl blinked at the police cars that kept other vehicles from entering their corner of the lot.

            “Why is it blocked off?” Sammy questioned.

            “Don’t know… C’mon, let’s get the truck. Them army guys must have moved out. We’ll follow the road down where I saw the caravan heading.” Daryl told them, climbing on top of one of the police cars. He held out a hand for Sammy and Scout, helping them climb over and down. They made it back to the truck with ease, finding that most of the Walkers had been truly dead when the caravan came through, unloading their weapons on them. Only a few had survived with bullet wounds to the chest, which Sammy let Daryl and Scout handle.

            Not finding Timmy at the end of the mall was a letdown for Sammy, the exhaustion of putting down Walkers and retrieving her knife afterward had sapped her energy. All she wanted was to curl up in her bed and sleep for a week.

            Daryl drove again, knowing the path better than either of the girls. He followed a dirt path that the army’s caravan had sped down, though he took it at a slower pace. Lines of cars were pushed in single file against the rolling green hills, blocking off the small fence that surrounded the little town.

            They were all forced out of the truck as Daryl had to park it. Cars were rolled down in their path with more than a few blocking the rest of the road. “This is blocked off too, huh?” Scout put her hands on her hips as she surveyed the area. Sammy kept close to the truck in case she had to jump in fast while Daryl was frowning at the cars. They all knew who would be laboring them out of the way.

            “A’ight, you two stay with the truck. Sam, keep the radio on ya. I’ll clear the way.” Scout nodded at Daryl, taking the keys from him. Sammy did her best not to get upset about Scout driving her truck before her, instead thinking about keeping an eye open for Daryl in case he needed to be warned about oncoming undead.

            Scout and Sammy climbed into the truck as Daryl started moving the cars. “I’m going up top. See if I can’t be a better lookout.” Sammy told her. Scout nodded and started up the truck, inching slowly behind Daryl as Sammy situated herself with the handheld radio. She was able to see a little way ahead of Daryl. She was able to see a handful of Walkers on the outer fence of cars that might pose a problem and radioed Daryl. “Hey, you have a handful of Walkers by a beige truck, two cars after that red one you’re pushing.”

            Daryl didn’t bother responding to her, throwing a thumbs up as a sign he heard her instead. He used the same truck to draw them to him, slashing at the ones that arrived at the truck. Across from him was a small campsite that had been easily over run. There were at least six family sized tents put up with cars sitting next to them. Sammy watched as Daryl disappeared around them, checking to make sure the dead were dead or there weren’t any survivors still lingering.

            The journey continued in the same fashion. She would warn him of any groups or sneaking undead, he would disperse of them, push cars, and check around the scattered tents on the grassy hill side of the town. Scout was driving at a slow pace, keeping up with Daryl but staying behind enough that they wouldn’t be in the way.

            When they got to the riverside, Sammy was feeling sleepy, struggling to keep alert. She needed something to her stimulated, and without coffee, there was nothing she could do but slap her cheeks on occasion. She perked up when they came across a few buildings outside the large dam. Tall brick walls surrounded the three buildings, the loud hum of the machines still worked in the dam, and Sammy could make out a dozen people on the roof of one of the buildings.

            Daryl had gone inside as Scout parked the truck and waited. There was a large gate that needed to be opened, from what Sammy could see. “Hey Scout, in the glove box there should be a small pair of binoculars. Could you get them for me?” Scout leaned over to the passenger side of the truck and fiddled around in the compartment for a moment, pulling out the binoculars. Sammy thanked the other woman and climbed back up on top of the truck.

            Peering through the binoculars, Sammy realized all the people on top of the buildings were alive and not the undead she assumed they were. There were undead surrounding the buildings, but not enough to cause any sort of panic. They had probably found a way in through the fence or were kept in for a reason. Though, Daryl dispersed of them rather quickly before disappearing inside on the buildings.

            His voice crackled over the radio a few moments later. “Sam, there’s a fuse box in the courtyard. I’m going to flip the switch which should open the gate. Be ready.”

             Sammy heard voices over some kind of intercom system within the buildings but couldn’t make it out over a sudden loud explosion. “Daryl!”

            “Walkers in the yard! Get the kids into the safe room!” A male voice with a heavy southern drawl sounded over the intercom.

            “Answer me right now, Dixon!” Her voice strained over the radio, tears threatening to spill from her eyes. He was the only one she had left right now. He couldn’t die. There was still so much they needed to do. They had to find Merle and Timmy, and then get to a safe zone.

            “Sam, calm the fuck down. Tell Scout to get ready with the truck. Someone’s going to get the gate while I kill these fuckers.” His barking tone left no room to argue. She did as she was told and slipped into the passenger seat with the binoculars.

            Gun shots rang out as they pulled up to the gate. Sammy jumped out of the truck, a knife in hand, and started stabbing as hard as she could through the iron bars. She thought she was helping, honestly, but she severely miscalculated when a Walker she assumed was dead, had snatched her arm. “No! No, no, no!” She stabbed at him, anywhere she could as she tried to get herself free.

            A sudden splatter of blood coated her skin and hair as two gun shots rang out in the yard. Sammy gasped as shock filled her, her heart raced and beat erratically in her chest. She blinked before looking down at herself, trying to wipe away the rotten blood from her shirt. She didn’t recognize anyone around her for a moment, completely focused on her shirt. It wasn’t until Daryl grabbed her arms and shook her that she noticed he and Scout were standing beside her.

            “Sammy…” Scout looked at her with wide eyes.

            “I think… I think I need a new shirt.” She tried to swipe at her shirt again, but Daryl’s hands moved up her arm, bringing a searing pain to her attention. She cried out, looking to her right shoulder, and watching as dark red blood washed over black Walker blood. “I- I was… Shot. Oh my God, someone shot me.”

Chapter Text

            “Scout, come in.” The radio crackled on the floor of the passenger side of Sammy’s truck. “Scout, do you copy?”

            Scout held the radio to her mouth, a lump in her throat as she recognized the voice. “Daddy! I’m here. Where are you?” She was relieved to hear from him, even if he did sound tired to everyone listening.

            Scout was forced to drive when Sammy ended up passing out from shock, leaning heavily against Daryl who quickly picked her up and carried her into the truck. He didn’t replace her sticky, Walker blood coated shirt, but ripped off the sleeve from her right shoulder. Before Scout moved, he had jumped into the back of the truck to sift through Sammy’s boxes and came back with a first aid kit.

            Sammy had been lucky it was just a graze, but having never been shot before, she laid on the dramatics. She was groggy and whiney when Daryl cleaned off her arm, saving the antiseptic for last, just in case he got the black blood in her wound.

            “Hey kiddo, I’m—" Coughs echoed over the radio as Scout’s father tried to clear his throat. “I’m heading to Palmetto to see you. Are you safe?”

            The coughing had thrown Scout, a frown forming on her lips as she asked her own question. “Daddy, are you okay?”

            “Scout, everything is going to be just—" More coughing was heard. “Fine. You be very careful, and I’ll see you at the evac point.”

            “Alright, I love you dad.” She had no choice but to accept his answer. There wasn’t anything she could do for him until they met up together.

            “Yeah, I love you too, honey.” The radio went silent as Scout placed it in a cup holder.

            Sammy yelped in pain before sending a glare at Daryl, who was holding hydrogen peroxide in his hand. He rolled his eyes at her, not looking at her face as he kept dabbing her wound with the cotton ball. “Quit bein’ a baby.” He mumbled as he tied a bandage around her arm. She huffed at him, letting him fix her up as they continued their way to Palmetto.

            When she asked about the army guys, Daryl and Scout both told her they caught the wrong trail. Somehow the army caravan had gone off course and the information some kid told Daryl, was wrong. Hearing it made Sammy a little angry. She had been hopeful to see Timmy again since she had heard his voice over the radio. She was devastated they lost them, falling into slight despair at getting ripped away from her family again. All she had to cling onto now, was Daryl and the evacuation point. She knew Timmy was out there, fighting off whatever kind of plague this was, but it was hard to picture him finding her.

            “We’re here.” Scout slowed down in the truck, the bright beams from the headlights showed off abandoned cars and empty brick buildings. Luckily, there wasn’t any Walker in sight though it made Sammy nervous as to where they could be hiding in the dark.

            From her small experience with the Eaters, it wasn’t a good idea to go out after the sun went down. There was more risk to getting bit or mistaken for an undead if you didn’t move fast enough. Earl lost one of the guys in the biker gang that way. While Sammy had been enjoying the liquor behind the bar, they tried to sneak out in the cover of night, thinking there was plenty of others for them to snack on. Earl had come back by himself, losing the other guy and was empty handed.

            Sammy shook her head as Daryl went to grab for the door handle. “I don’t like this, Daryl. We shouldn’t be going out in the dark.” She latched onto his arm seeing the slight hesitation in his eyes. “Can we just find something to hide in for the night?”

            “My dad is out there looking for me, Sammy.” Scout said softly, looking at the scared woman with pleading eyes. She wanted her to see how much she needed to reconnect with him, and Sammy did understand. She just wanted them to be safe and not take any unnecessary risks.

            Both Scout and Daryl left the car, the big vehicle still running as Sammy moped inside it. They looked around the area quickly, not seeing anything out in the dark before bending down to the ground highlighted by the headlights. They conversed for a moment, Sammy not being able to hear their words as she sat in the truck.

            They got up and returned to the truck a moment later, telling Sammy about the tracks they found. “Could it be from the army caravan?” Sammy asked, her voice held out hope. Daryl shrugged at her, but she was getting excited again about potentially finding Timmy.

            “Don’t get yer hopes up, Sam. It could be someone else.” Daryl warned her. He motioned to one of the buildings. It was Danvers Research Lab. “I’m going to start a search in that research building. If they’re in there, they might be protectin’ a cure or somethin’.”

            Sammy suddenly grew suspicious of Daryl. He hadn’t been willing to make eye contact with her much after her grandparents died and even though she knew it made him slightly uncomfortable, he was able to manage most of the time with her and Merle. Those he knew well enough, anyway. She knew in that moment; he was hiding something from her. “Then I’m coming too.”

            In an instant, she knew he wanted to protest. “Just stay here, Sam.” He said moving to the back of the truck to grab a few things to take with him.

            Sammy stubbornly followed while Scout gave them a moment of privacy by hopping into the truck. Taking the opportunity given to her, she grabbed her own supplies and a small backpack. “You’re hiding something from me, so either be honest and tell me, or I’ll follow you and find out myself.” She had a pretty good guess as to what he was keeping from her, but she wanted him to be a man and say it.

            He stopped shuffling through his pack, giving her a once over before finally nodding. “I ain’t sayin’ there’s any hope, but I heard a rumor. This research lab might be closer to a cure or somethin’ to help prevent this mutation or whatever it is.” He gestured to the building again.

            Sammy looked inside her pack, feeling empty all over again. “So, there’s absolutely nothing we could have done for my grandparents? There isn’t a way to undo this disease?”

            Daryl put his hand on her uninjured shoulder, making her look up at him. “I don’t know, Sam. That’s what I’m goin’ to try to find out.”

            She cleared her throat, wiping at her nose, and steeled herself. “Then I’m coming too. I need to know for myself.”

            Instead of arguing with her to stay in the truck like she knew he wanted to do, he nodded. He gave a wave to Scout after he spotted their entry point, clipping the radio the redhead lent him to his belt. He darted off first, crossbow raised and ready to attack as Sammy kept up with his quick pace. They were both quiet as they moved toward a parking garage, the only noise being small echoes from things they couldn’t see.

            Both Daryl and Sammy held flashlights to fight back against the black night. The moon, which normally gave off a small amount of light, was nowhere in the sky. The fear of traveling in the dark when feral people were eating others had flared up within her again. Daryl grunted and stopped just before they made it inside. He pulled out some duct tape from his bag and fastened a small strip around his crossbow and flashlight, effectively freeing his left hand.

            Picking up his pace to make up for the minute of lost time, he led them into the parking garage. Sammy held her breath as the door shut behind them, only making a small latching noise as she kept it from slamming. She heard nothing but the gravel of the loose asphalt beneath her feet and a slowly leaking pipe from somewhere nearby.

            They had come across a set of elevators, both shut off with no working power. Daryl tried the button despite knowing about the lack of power, hitting the down arrow twice before shrugging and looking at her. “Had to try.”

            Sammy pointed to the hidden stairwell to the right of the elevators, a small smirk on her face. “This way, dummy.” She moved back a step to let him slip past her, liking that he was able to lead them without the same fear she felt. She tried to shed her fear, but the image of her grandparents’ rotting faces flashed before her eyes and her smirk fell into a frown. She instantly pushed their images down and caught up to Daryl.

            “Gotta go up, keep up.” Daryl told her, waiting on the first step for her. She nodded, keeping her mind focused on the task at hand. At the top of the stairs, before it shot up another level, there were three bodies laying motionless. Daryl paused for a moment, pointing his crossbow at each of them while tapping his foot slightly against the metal of the stairs. When nothing happened, they moved easily up another two flights. At the top of the stairs, two undead were in a battle to get through the doorframe. In one swift movement, Daryl kicked the skinnier one forward while grabbing the back of the bigger one’s shirt, yanking him back from the door and letting him fall on his butt. He fired a shot into the fallen man’s brain while Sammy jabbed her knife in the back of the other man’s head.

            Daryl and Sammy looked at each other, giving the other a nod before a hand shot out for Sammy’s neck. She yelped and jerked herself backwards, falling on her butt as Daryl launched forward and buried a large knife in the woman’s head. She was wearing a lab coat covered in dark red blood. Under the light of her flashlight, Sammy realized the blood was still wet, like the attack just happened.

            As they walked further into the lab, they came across two separate paths, right or left. They went left first, coming into a sort of break room or waiting room. It was loaded with snacks and single serve coffee pods. Sammy gasped and stuffed as much as she could fit in her bag. Daryl watched the entryway for any undead to allow her time but waved her back when he was ready to move on.

            Going back in the other direction, they came across a large office full of cubicles. A few heads were visible over the small four-foot walls, growls and little grunts coming from them. Daryl motioned for her to go left, but Sammy shook her head, not wanting to be out of sight from him. He tried to offer her the right, but again, she shook her head. “Not separating.” She whispered.

            “Dammit, Sam—” His scolding stopped as a few undead sniffed them out, their loud moans alerting others that there was prey. Daryl immediately acted, firing a shot at the closest Walker. Sammy took her time, her exhaustion slowing her down before she picked one that was lanky and looked easy to push over.

            Sammy put all her strength in the blow she delivered to the guy, taking him down. Though, when she needed to retrieve her knife, it took her a lot longer to successfully pull it free. She cleaned it on his clothes before looking through the cubicles Daryl cleared.

            As she suspected, there wasn’t much in terms of supplies. If she was in the market for paper, this was the place to be. Though, a few drawers had some candy bars hidden in the back as a means to hide them from their co-workers. She took all of them, even the ones with peanuts, which she wasn’t fond of. Though there was no luxury of being picky anymore.

            She moved behind Daryl, letting him clear out the cubicles for her to shift through. She was no more than two behind him, deciding to ditch a couple if he moved too fast. Once her bag and pockets on her person were filled, she tapped Daryl on the shoulder and whispered it was okay to move on. She looked at the filled five-gallon jug of water by his hip, wishing she could take it with them, but also knew it was too heavy to lug around. They did take a moment to get a drink from it and fill any bottles they had.

            Coming to the end of the cubicles there was another long empty hall with a gate. Daryl walked up to the green-flashing keypad and the gate lifted, rolling back up into the ceiling. It led into another stairwell going down. Sammy looked at the labels by the stairs, ‘Offices’ and ‘Labs’. “Looks like our only option is down.” Daryl moved past her, crossbow raised and peered down the stairs. “Do you really think they have a cure in this tiny little lab? Why wouldn’t the CDC be working on it in theirs?”

            “Probably sharing the load if this is as bad as I’m thinkin’ it is.” Daryl passed a door, trying to pull it open before moving on when it was locked.

            When they finally made it to the bottom floor, Sammy had to cover her nose. The stench of the undead was too much for her, not to mention the bodies and blood that were all over the floor. “If the attack just happened here, why do they smell like they’ve been dead a week?”

            Daryl coughed, letting her know the smell bothered him a bit too. “Dunno. But it is a lab, so maybe they’ve known a lot longer than the public.”

            “Looks like gramps is right! Conspiracy theory proven!” Sammy faltered, realizing she spoke in the present tense, and frowned. “Was… Was right,” she corrected. Daryl decided not to say anything as Sammy shoved past him and led them further into the corridor.

            Sammy wasn’t ready to let go of her grandparents, she knew that they weren’t coming back, but in her mind, they were still alive, like what happened to them hadn’t really happened. Her only focus was getting to the safe zone, not anything after. She refused to think about what she would do if they all got sent home and everything was safe again. There was nothing for her to go back to since Daryl was with her.

            She latched on to Daryl like a leech would skin. She would do her best to follow him wherever he went, like she used to when she was a child. He had been the only one around who was closest to her in age other than Timmy, but Timmy lived with their father. She learned pretty quickly that Daryl knew how to take care of himself and wasn’t all that friendly with new people. She did her best not to cry when he got upset with her for following him and eventually grew thick skin because of him and Merle.

            Glancing up at the familiar sign of the female restroom, she gasped and darted for the door, not listening to Daryl’s hushed calls of her name. She hadn’t been able to use the bathroom sometime before she got shot and wasn’t sure when she would have another opportunity. She rushed into the first open stall, grateful it wasn’t clogged with wads of toilet paper, and pulled down her pants to her knees.

            Her bladder sang as it emptied and Sammy quickly finished, pulling her pants back up and flushing loudly. As she unlocked the stall door, she heard shuffling and the sound of someone sniffing making her stop her movements and slowly lower her eyes to the floor. A bare foot and a pump were pointed in her direction, the bare foot smeared with blood along the once pretty pink nail polish.

            Sammy realized that she was stuck.

            The stall door could only open one way, toward herself which would give Pinky an opening for her. Even if Sammy had her blade ready, she didn’t know how tall the girl was which meant she was at a disadvantage. She thought about ducking under the stall, but the other stalls might be occupied by more undead women. All she could do was hold the door closed, not move, and hope Pinky moved away from the door. Her only other option was to yell for Daryl, but she didn’t know how many were in the bathroom. Not to mention Pinky would know she was there for sure and try to fight her way in the stall.

            She really was stuck.

            After waiting a few minutes, Sammy forced herself to make a plan. She slowly took out her knife, getting ready to throw the door open, and screamed as loud as she could. Both the bathroom door and the stall door were thrown open simultaneously as Daryl fired his bolt in Pinky’s skull. She dropped to the floor as Sammy jumped over her, stumbling into Daryl when her legs refused to work.

            “Takin’ an awful long time to take a piss.” Daryl started, bending down to grab Sammy’s knife resting on the floor by his boot.

            She shot him a dirty look, getting up to dust off her hands. “We got caught up talkin’ about old boyfriends and doin’ each other’s hair.” She spat, sarcasm dripping with every word. She took her knife back from him, placing it back in the sheath on her body.

            “Shoulda used the men’s room, ain’t no talkin’ in there.” Daryl watched her roll her eyes before shaking out her arms to gather her composure.

            Sammy stopped what she was doing for a moment, focusing on the sudden breeze she felt on the back of her legs. She turned, looking at the concrete wall behind her, noticing there were no vents at leg height. “If this is some hidden movie shit—” She moved toward the wall slowly, tapping her foot carefully on the tiles like she saw on tv. Nothing happened until she got within a foot of the wall. It hissed oxidized air in her face as the wall slid open like a sliding glass door.

            Daryl quickly retrieved his crossbow bolt from Pinky and reloaded the bulky weapon, raising it and quickly moving in front of Sammy. Another hidden door made to look like a wall hissed open like the first, allowing them to look in a tiled, sterilized hallway. It resembled an old-fashioned hospital with white tiles going partially up the walls with metal doors and large plexiglass windows. The large fluorescent lights above were either turned off or eerily flickering at the end of the large hallway. As they stepped into the massive lab, the door closing behind them with a final hiss of air, they heard angry muffled growls and distant pounding.

            Sammy found herself patting her pockets for a cigarette, knowing that the half pack were hidden in the glove box of the truck. She would have gladly chewed on her nails but after glancing down at her hands, she thought better of it since they were bloody and covered in dirt. “Another point to the conspiracy theorists…” She mumbled, glancing at a few abandoned sheets of paper on a tray. It was all medical jargon she couldn’t understand, but she recognized enough to know Clive wasn’t crazy after all.

            “Hey!” Sammy and Daryl spun around to the new voice. It belonged to a woman who was slightly hunkered down in one of the labs. “What are you doing here?” Her tone, Sammy realized, was harsh and judgmental as she waved them over.

            Daryl moved first, getting as close to the plexiglass as he could to hear her. “What happened here?”

            At his nice tone and lowering of his weapon, the woman relaxed a little. She was older, maybe late forties or fifties, with dark brown hair wrapped in a pink wrap on top of her head. She was dressed for winter, wearing a thick wool sweater and blue jeans which was odd since it was summer. The Georgian summers were brutal, and it was only just beginning, so why was the woman dressed for heavy snow? “My name is Sheila Schneider. This place is down except for that security system.” She gestured to the wall to her right.

            Nodding his head, Daryl skimmed the wall above them, “Yeah, we met.” Sammy raised an eyebrow, they did?

            Sheila nodded, “Yeah, its real cute. Shuts the gate, cuts the power, trapped me in here. I haven’t seen my team—”

            “I did,” Daryl said. “Didn’t make it. What about the serum?”

            Sheila sighed, looking slightly sad at the news. She didn’t meet Daryl’s eyes, looking from side to side but not directly at them. “Their research results – no cure, no serum.” She sighed, forcing herself to finally meet their eyes. “They never found it. A lot of people died for a fairytale.”

            Daryl shifted uncomfortably by Sammy’s side, not looking at her as they were told the one thing they didn’t want to hear. “I’ll be damned…”

            That’s not what Sammy wanted to hear though, she wanted to be told her grandparents could be saved, could be brought back to life. “It’s all phony.” It wasn’t a question but hearing it out loud and from her own lips, made it clear there was no hope anymore. There was no cure, so how would they stop it from spreading? How would they save the rest of the state? The nation? The world? This single, trapped scientist couldn’t have been the only one working on the cure. The government was possibly involved, especially with how fast things were progressing now. Surely, the people at the CDC were far more advanced than this private funded lab. That was something Sammy had to believe. Her grandparents believed in it, so she would as well, just for them.

            Loud ringing throughout the building pulled Sammy from her thoughts, eyes running over Daryl who was starting to panic a little and the woman behind the plexiglass who was shouting at him. Sammy fixated on the alarm lights that were red and angry, illuminating the large hallway above the elevators while Daryl and Scout yelled at each other.

            A few feet away, another door hissed open, causing Daryl to toss Sammy the radio and take out the Walkers that started coming through. “How about this?” Scout’s panicked voice crackled through the radio.

            “Tell her to stop helping!” Daryl shouted, pulling a bolt from one of the Walkers and using it as a knife, driving it in the head of another Walker that was coming too close.

            “Scout, turn everything off then go!” Sammy hurriedly clipped the radio to her belt and pulled her own blade free, moving forward with adrenaline as the only thing keeping her going at this point.

            They both ran down to the end of the hall, pressing their backs against the elevator doors as a few more Walkers trickled after them. Sammy looked to the right, past Daryl, and saw double doors that might be another way out. She shoved Daryl’s arm toward the doors, getting him moving again as she stabbed at a Walker and followed.

            The doors spilled out to a smaller hallway with a single door that Sammy moved to as Daryl closed the double doors behind them. She opened the single door, noticing it led them into another parking garage that was pitch black. Sammy pulled the radio free and signaled to Scout. “Were in a parking garage, can you come to us? We’ll try to find the exit by following the signs.”

            “I think there’s a private parking garage through some fences. I’m heading there now.” Scout told them, the starting of the engine being heard over the radio.

            Daryl pushed Sammy forward gently, keeping her moving as their flashlights lit up the signs that directed them out of the parking garage. They were fortunate not to see any Walkers lingering by the abandoned cars as Scout pulled up to them the same moment they spotted her.

            They tossed their bags in the back of the truck, turning off their flashlights, and jumped in the cab. Sammy instantly relaxed when she was sandwiched between Scout and Daryl. She could almost feel the adrenaline seeping out of her as she let her head fall back.

            “Did you turn off the alarm?” Scout asked as she pulled out onto the road. “What about a cure?”

            “Alarm is still goin’ and there ain’t no cure.” Daryl told her quietly, he was staring out the window, processing the information. “All them scientists were dead, ‘cept one. Got locked in until the alarm went off. She told me there was nothin’.”

            Everyone was quiet after that. Sammy cracked open a water bottle and ate a granola bar before settling down to sleep. She leaned her head on Daryl’s shoulder, causing him to tense up, but he didn’t push her away. She knew sleep would have her soon and tried not to think about their drive or the people they left. A few more minutes passed, and she was out cold.

            Her mind swirled with the events of the last few days. She dreamed of sassing Jake, flirting with the Savage Sons, drinking with the younger Dixon, and then her dreams grew dark. She saw bloody bodies dragging themselves through the streets, acting like normal people knocking on doors before ripping into the flesh of those who opened them.

            She was at her house, sitting on the couch and watching tv with her grandparents, like it was a normal night for them. Though in the back of her mind, she knew she would be out on a date or working at the bar. She hadn’t had a night in with her grandparents since she got her driver’s license.

            A light tapping was heard on the front door during one of the commercials and Marge excused herself to see who it could have been. Sammy knew the Dixon brothers would have come through the back door, not shy about not knocking. She watched her grandma’s steps, slow and preppy, like she was buzzing with happiness while spending time with family. A dreadful feeling entered Sammy’s gut as Marge made it to the door.

            She wanted to warn her, tell her not to open the door because there were Walkers out there. Literal people who would eat her if she didn’t come back to the couch. Clive tapped her arm, trying to get her to see that the commercials had ended, but Sammy couldn’t look away from the door.

            As Marge unlatched the locks, the backdoor swung open as the Dixon brothers joined, sitting themselves on the couch. Merle and Clive began to bicker over the stupid show while Daryl and Sammy sat there in silence. She wanted to scream at this point. Most of the people she loved were here in this room and there was a danger just outside the front door. How could they not see it or feel it?

            Sammy tried to will herself to stand, to go to the front door and keep it locked, but she was still stuck, watching. Marge finally twisted the knob on the door, pulling it open just a little to see who was there. Sammy began to whimper, her mind screaming, but Marge looked fine. She was having an actual conversation with the other person beyond the threshold.

            Marge beckoned Clive over, a sweet smile she put on for guests pulled at her lips. Daryl moved over, sitting closer to Sammy as she felt the cushion beside her sink. She continued to watch, frozen in her place, as Clive reached out and shook the persons hand before gesturing them to come inside.

            The door swung open the rest of the way, but Sammy only saw a blacked-out silhouette. She wanted someone to turn on one of the lights so she could properly see them. With every step they took coming back toward the living room, Sammy felt panic rise in her belly. Even though she couldn’t see who they were, she knew it was a man, and a man she knew.

            Before they all made it back to the couch, the shadowed figure suddenly pulled Clive back and bit into his arm, causing everyone to yell. Merle took off back through the back door, Daryl pulled out his crossbow from his back like he had it all along, and Marge was standing next to the man screaming.

            Sammy blinked and felt everything blend before realizing she was suddenly in the kitchen, a large knife in her hand. The shadow man was still there but he was off in the corner, just watching like Sammy. Clive had turned and barely took a bite out of his wife before both of them were looking at her as their next meal. She went to close her eyes and plunge the knife in Clive’s brain, but suddenly shadow man was in front of her.

            Holding the hand with the knife, he dragged her into the light. Sammy was screaming. Not only did she recognize who the man was and where she knew him from, but she also suddenly realized how it was all her fault. “Thanks for these.” He pushed something in her empty hand, sunken eyes lifting with his smile.

            “Sam!” A hard shake pulled her from her slumber. She looked up at Daryl, tears falling from her eyes as her dream hit her hard.

            “It’s all my fault, Daryl.” She sobbed, pulling into herself as Daryl tried to comfort her with awkward pats to her back. “I told him where to find the town. It’s all my fault.”

            He stopped, frowning at her. “The hell you talkin’ about?”

            Sammy covered her face as her sobs grew louder. “The man who took my underwear. He was infected and I told him where to find the town.” She killed everyone, even her grandparents. It was all her fault.

Chapter Text

            Sammy refused to sleep or talk about the dream she had. Instead, she had gone to the back of the truck and dug through a few of her boxes until she found the Redbill energy drink she wanted. She sat there, not wanting to sit awkwardly between Daryl or Scout or be pestered about her dream. Daryl had tried telling her it was all in her mind, but she knew her subconscious was right. Sammy had been the one to point out where the town was. She would have done almost anything to get him away from her when they had been in the forest. Though, looking back, she should have insisted he stay and have Daryl put a bullet between his eyes. Maybe then their town and her grandparents would still be fine.

            When the truck came to a stop, Sammy lifted her head as Scout told her they were stopping at a train yard. She didn’t understand why they needed to stop unless it was to fill up on gas, but even trains were hard to scavenge through unless they had an idea of what those trains were carrying. Their food supplies were great and could last them a long while if they rationed properly. The only thing that was starting to worry Sammy was water, but they still had enough to last awhile.

            Daryl came around the back of the truck, gathering up his bag again. It was still dark out and Sammy’s brain was starting to fog over her perception of time. She stared at the Redbill cans that surrounded her, reaching out a hand to pick them up and toss them out of the truck, noticing her hand was shaking from the jitters. “You stayin’?” It sounded like he was just trying to make conversation, but they both knew he wasn’t any good at it.

            “Yeah, I don’t think it would be all that smart for me to go out right now.” She shook the empty cans at him, not looking up at his face.

            “Sleep, Sam.” He shouldered his pack, having emptied the contents quickly. She wanted to go with him, but felt she might be more of a burden, especially with her mind a jumbled mess. She wasn’t the type to sit and stew in her feelings and had done a good job of keeping herself awake, but she was still afraid of the Walkers. She knew she didn’t have it in her to form plans like she had in the bathroom and sat huddled in the truck.

            Once Daryl was gone, she moved back into the passenger seat, watching the dark with Scout, both women silent. She was doing her best to keep awake, but even the Redbill’s were starting to not work. She resorted to slaps across her face until Scout forced her to stop.

            She had just started nodding off, the battle to stay awake becoming too taxing, when Scout shook her. “I can’t reach Daryl. I think his radio broke. It looked like he fell on some track.” Her voice was panicked, eyes darting around in the dark of the truck.

            Sammy grimaced at the idea of chasing after Daryl in the dark. She didn’t see him fall or even know which direction he went. She hadn’t even thought he was capable of getting hurt. She wanted to be the type of person to run out after him, to find out if he was fine, but she felt her selfishness swell at her own safety. “I’ll go find him.” Her words felt like the right thing to say, but her body forced her to stay seated.

            Scout was staring at her, “I’ll stay with the truck. My dad might radio me.” Sammy cringed, knowing Daryl was the only one she had left, other than Timmy. She sucked in a shaky breath and slowly opened the passenger door of the truck, grabbing her flashlight off the seat. She forced herself to hurry around to the back of the truck, emptying her backpack before shouldering it and moving to where Daryl had been last seen.

            Peering down a small drop, Sammy saw scattered supplies and dead undead. She slowly lowered herself down, trying to be as quiet as she could. She grabbed the bolts Daryl was forced to leave behind, wiping off the blood and gore as best she could before putting them in her bag. She held a machete firmly in her left hand, ready to swing at the next Walker that tried to bite her.

            She heard a garbled yell a few cars over, but still moved carefully around the large containers. She checked out a few that were open, shining her light in them but found no signs of life or any supplies. She had come across a handgun that was barely thrown inside one container but found no ammo boxes or security guards around. Stopping to listen for any type of noise, Sammy heard nothing, not even the grunting she thought was from Daryl.

            Eventually, she found a security guard turned Walker with a bullet hole in his head slumped against a tipped over train container. She bent over him, trying to hold her breath as she dug through his pockets for any spare ammo. Coming up empty handed, she put the gun in her bag before continuing on. Daryl’s trail was easy to follow, all she had to do was trail the Walker corpses.

            Sammy thought she was catching up with him, the Walker bodies thinning out, but she realized he had gone through the cars. “Daryl!” She whisper-yelled. She didn’t think she would be getting a response, but she knew it wouldn’t hurt to try. She heard something above her head, getting louder as it drew closer. She poked her head out of the other side of the car, looking up at the night sky and seeing a helicopter flying low. It had a large light focused on the train cars, passing over Sammy’s car, causing her to throw a hand over her eyes.

            She quickly jumped out and made her way over to a flickering light, recognizing it as a flashlight. She poked her head in, watching a Walker kick around the flashlight, making the light shake. She slashed at his legs, making him fall forward and rammed the machete against the back of his head. After freeing and cleaning the blade, she hurried to the other side. The train car suddenly shook as a loud explosion happened from the next car over, making her wobble on her already shaky legs.

            Knowing she was closing in on him, Sammy tried to hurry after Daryl. The Walker’s he left behind were increasing, forcing Sammy to try her best to get around them or expend her already depleting energy to knock them down. After pulling herself up on a car, she gave herself a moment to breathe, noticing that they couldn’t pull themselves up to join her. The wound from the gunshot throbbed on her shoulder and she knew it was probably bleeding again. She didn’t have any extra bandages in her bag to address it, nor did she want to risk any Walkers finding a way to crawl in the car.

            Sammy hacked away at the hands reaching for her, kicking her leg at one or two Walkers to clear a path for herself. She wasn’t a big risk taker for her life, but she wasn’t gaining on Daryl like she planned. The endless stream of undead reclaimed her opening and she groaned, suddenly feeling like she was going to be abandoned herself.

            Looking up at the top of the car, she spotted a hatch. There were crates pushed together and stacked but not directly under the hatch. If she could lean over enough and luck was on her side, she could push the hatch open and climb through. Of course, that meant it couldn’t be too heavy or locked, if it was, she would have to risk more energy to dispose of the Eaters.

            Tucking the large machete into the belt around her pants, she carefully made her way on top of the crates, ignoring the groans of protest behind her. She reached up and pushed as hard as she could against the hatch. It began lifting, giving a little resistance but not so much that she gave up. When it landed with a heavy thud, Sammy pulled herself up and through the opening, wiggling a bit when her backpack tried to prevent her escape.

            Peering over the edge of the car, the undead were still pawing at the car, not noticing her escape. Sammy huffed out a chuckle, proud of herself for figuring out an escape. She moved on quickly, jumping across cars until she found a building that was level with the truck. Her way was clear as the Walkers couldn’t keep up with her, getting stuck between cars.

            Climbing off the train car was a little trickier for Sammy. She couldn’t just jump off the side since she might twist an ankle or break her foot all together. Finding another hatch was easy enough, but after peering inside, she realized it was completely dark. The doors weren’t open, so she wasn’t able to see if there were crates inside. She took out her flashlight, shining it inside the car, spotting crates and a dozen bodies that looked immobile as they sat. Once her light passed over them, they began standing, groaning with the effort, and following the light like a moth to flame.

            Sammy quickly shut the hatch, peering over the side of the car again. Her path to the stairs was clear, but she still worried about the drop. There was nothing around to break her fall, though she felt a glimmer of hope when she looked to her right at a leaning train car. If she slid down far enough and slowly lowered herself to arm’s length, then the drop should be nothing more than a foot or two.

            As she lowered herself down, she heard grunting and light scratching coming from below her. Looking down, she saw half a body scratching at the dirt, trying to lift itself to her. Sammy yelped, accidentally letting go of the train car, and dropping to the ground on her bottom. She scooted herself back, trying to make space between her and the half Walker. She hit something soft and firm, nothing like she knew a wall felt, and looked up to see the familiar face of Merle Dixon. “Merle?”

            “Get yer ass movin’, Baby Doll.” His voice was harsh and mean but welcome to Sammy’s ears. She couldn’t believe he was really standing there, barking orders at her like he didn’t abandon her and Daryl at the bar. She didn’t know how long ago that was as her days had begun to run together without the proper sleep.

            She was still sitting at his feet, staring up at him in awe. Something snapped inside her a moment later as she jumped up to her feet and pointed a finger at his chest. “You asshole! You left us behind!”

            Merle smacked her hand away, pushing her towards the stairs as he growled at her. “You best be movin’ now. For I leave your dolly ass behind again.” He kept shoving her until she jogged ahead and up the steps. Once at the top, she noticed the road was empty; Daryl didn’t wait for her.

            “Daryl!” She yelled out, wet tears threatening to spill out of her eyes. A hand suddenly clamped over her mouth as her ear was filled with an angry hush from Merle.

            “The hell ya think yer doin’? That’ll attract more than we can kill right now.” He shoved her forward toward a group of abandoned cars. “Get in one of those. Anyone that opens first.”

            Checking the locks on the doors, Sammy found a truck that was unlocked and scrambled inside. She threw her backpack down on the floor by her feet and hunkered down in the empty truck. A moment later, Merle climbed in on the driver’s side and sat low, reclining his seat back. “What’s the plan?” Sammy asked after a moment of silence. By the way Merle was positioned it looked like he might fall asleep.

            “Goin’ ta sleep. What’s it look like to you, Doll Face?” He folded his arms over his chest, closing his eyes, and attempted to sleep.

            Sammy was getting angry. Sure, she was tired, bordering on fatigue even, but she wanted to find Daryl as soon as possible. “There’s no time to sleep, Merle. We need to meet up with Daryl as soon as we can. I know where he’s going, so let’s hotwire this vehicle –“

            Merle waved a lazy hand at her to stop. “Ya think we’re goin’ to be any good at meetin’ up with him if we don’t got the proper kind of sleep? Get some rest. I ain’t sayin’ it again.” He threw an arm over his eyes, shutting down any more conversation from him.

            All at once she felt like she might cry, hit Merle, or just pass out. She didn’t know which to choose and closed her eyes, trying to be calm without letting Merle know she was about to cry. She didn’t know if it was luck or not, but sleep claimed her before anything else did.

~+~+~+~+~+~

            Sammy didn’t have dreams. She didn’t even have nightmares. She felt like she was asleep for maybe five minutes in a pitch-black part of her unconscious before she was jostled awake. She glanced at her surroundings, noting her bag was still at her feet, she wasn’t wearing a seat belt, and Merle was grinning as he sped down some road, probably going way over the speed limit. She figured the vehicle they were in was the cause for waking her, especially with how Merle was driving. “You’re going to get us killed.” She said after licking her top teeth, ridding herself of her dry mouth.

            “Well, g’mornin’ Baby Doll!” Merle spun the wheel a hard left, forcing Sammy to collide with the rough metal door of the car. She glared at him before yanking her seat belt over and across her chest.

            “Where are we going?” She noted they weren’t taking the back roads like Daryl had, leading her to believe they weren’t following Daryl’s trail, but she kept her mouth shut.

            Merle chuckled a little, “we’re goin’ for a pit stop at my buddy’s place outside Atlanta. Don’t ya worry about lil Darylina. We’ll catch up with him after.”

            Sammy was too tired to argue with him, deciding to just go with it and try to get some more sleep. She watched the scenery outside the window, counting the undead they passed. Once she got to two hundred, she gave up on the idea of rest and sat up in her seat, looking forward at the large city of Atlanta. She had gone on a few dates in the city but hated the city life. She was a born and raised country girl through and through, preferring cows and rolling hills over flashing lights and nightclubs.

            Merle had to do a bit of crazy maneuvering with the truck they were in since Walkers came in clusters now. They hadn’t reached the city, though they could see it close by, and the amount of undead made Sammy feel a little panicked. “Which buddy of yours did you say this was?” She knew Merle’s friends list was short because of his one-sided personality.

            Pulling up behind a medium sized building, Merle kept his mouth shut as he quickly climbed out of the truck and pocketed the keys. He grabbed his backpack from the back, pulling out a large machete knife and moved for a side door covered in graffiti. Sammy quickly followed after him with her own backpack and knife at the ready.

            Throwing the door open, Merle and Sammy hustled inside, letting the door slam behind them. “Hey, Martine! Ya in here?” Merle called out. Sammy could smell the rotten stench of death in the air mixed with the potent smell of marijuana.

            The sudden realization of who’s place this was, hit Sammy. “You seriously brought me to a drug den?” She seethed at him, but her anger was ignored as Merle deemed the place abandoned and started snooping around.

            “Don’t start your bitchin’. I left my stash behind at the bar in favor of gettin’ those rat bastards from the gang. Fucker’s sold me out so o’course I gotta get me some revenge.” Merle continued to sift through things until he found things he wanted, shoving them in his backpack. “Drug lords don’t just have drugs, ya know. At least, not Martine, I know he got some meds and shit from the black market. Go look for some.”

            She didn’t want to admit it, but Merle had a point. If there was any kind of antibiotics or ibuprofen, it would be a great thing to save up on for a sick day. There’s only so much a first aid can do. Following Merle’s lead, Sammy starts looking for anything useful, even grabbing the harder stuff, figuring she could use it to her advantage. The drugs could be used for other things rather than recreational use.

            Sammy ventured off into another room, ignoring Merle’s personal destruction. Once she had the door open, the smell of death grew, and Sammy instantly saw why. Dozens of bodies were thrown carelessly on top of each other, buzzing flies swarming to lay eggs, a few maggots already forming on their clothes. Clapping a hand over her mouth and nose, Sammy backed out of the room, closing the door again before turning and emptying the contents of her stomach all over the floor.

            Merle gave her an odd look that was met with her middle finger. “There’s a bunch of bodies in there, they stink.”

            He only laughed at her. “Don’t they teach ya nothin’ in school? The human body releases all sorts of fluids and shit once dead.” He brushed by her, taking a quick peek inside before locking the door. “There. Now, yer dumb ass won’t open it again.”

            “Like I would.” Sammy scoffed. She shoved past him into a corridor that only had two doors on either side. She opened the first one on the left side, finding a decently clean bathroom before moving on to the first door on the right. She found a large weapons stash, large amounts of 9mm guns and so many boxes of ammunitions she would have assumed it was for a war.

            A whistle sound came from behind her as Merle stood in the doorway. “Martine was planning on going to war with another Spic gang. Guess he won’t be needin’ some of it now.”

            Sammy didn’t say anything as she spied a decently sized pile of knives, a small one that could easily fit as a clip inside a boot had caught her eye. She was fixated on it, playing with it in her had for a moment before bending down to clip it to the inside of her shoe. It wouldn’t serve for much when it came to killing the Walkers, but if she ever needed to break some rope or cut twine, it could work. Any form of protection was better than nothing and left Sammy with a feeling of comfort.

            Eyeing a larger knife, she was reaching for it when Merle let out a strangled yelp. Sammy spun around to the doorway where a skinny man got the jump on Merle. He was looking at Sammy while holding a knife to Merle’s throat. “Step outta my weapons room, hussy, or I’ll gut your friend here.” He had a thick Spanish accent and a firm note in his voice let her know he wasn’t kidding.

            Sammy stepped away from the knives, raising her hands up and looking at Merle like he was an idiot. “What kind of dumbass doesn’t check the place out first?” She couldn’t help but be sarcastic and irate with the redneck.

            “Hey, now. The same could be said of you, Baby Doll.”

            The skinny Spaniard suddenly let go of Merle, lowering his knife just a little as he got a good look at the man he held hostage. “Dixon? Come to steal some drugs, huh? Where’s my money from last time?” Merle went to answer, raising his shoulders in a half shrug. “I told you last time, there was no more freebies.” The Spaniard raised his knife again but was patiently waiting for Merle’s response.

            “The world’s gone to shit, Martine. Money don’t matter no more.” Merle tried for a smile, still giving a half shrug to brush off his lack of funds. “I’ll tell ya what. I’ll leave behind all our food supplies for some of your good stuff, yeah?”

            “Hell no, Merle. I’m not trading any of our supplies to feed your stupid addiction.” Sammy turned to the man named Martine. “Who are you going to sell all of this to anyway? There are more undead than people with a drug addiction. Merle is probably your only customer within a hundred miles of the city at this point. So, we will take what we can carry, and you can either choose to come with us to the shelter or die here alone.”

            Both men looked at her like she grew another head for a moment. Martine recovered a little quicker than Merle though. “Did you see that room of bodies? Those were the people I caught trying to steal from me. Ain’t no one running off without payment.”

            “I got food but that’s it. I ain’t got money, man. Never had any a day in my life. Hell, this one here always gave me free drinks at the bar.” Merle pointed a thumb at her, but no one was laughing at his poor jokes.

            Martine gave Sammy a once over, suddenly realizing that she was a female. “I’ll take her as payment. Leave her with me and you can have all the drugs you want.” He was giving her a suggestive smirk, feeling confident that she would be staying.

            Merle turned to look at Sammy, seeming to contemplate actually leaving her. She glared at Merle before giving Martine her middle finger. “She’s not staying, pig.” She sassed.

            Licking his lips, Martine nodded at her and gave her a wolfish grin. “Feisty. That’s how I like ‘em.”

            “It ain’t happening. Merle, you have two seconds before I leave you here.” Sammy moved to push past both men, but Merle suddenly threw out his arm, not looking at her as he kept silent. “Merle…” She was hesitant now, as he made no move to side with her. She knew he had a serious problem with drugs, but she never thought he would actually consider leaving her in the hands of a pig for a few pills.

            Merle shifted the pack off his back, bending down in front of her. “A’ight, I’ll leave ‘er. Let me just make some room in my pack.” As Merle spoke, he took his right hand and grabbed the small knife she had put in her boot. She was glaring at him as he used his left to shift around in his backpack, taking out a few items and placing them on the ground.

            “Hurry up, man.” Martine started shifting around anxiously, wanting to shove Sammy in another room. “Take all of the drugs you want. Let’s get started, girl. It’s been a minute since I had a girl in my bed.” Martine ushered her forward, expecting her to just follow him.

            “It’s not happening, dude.” Sammy took a step back from Merle once he had the knife from her boot. “Merle isn’t leaving without me and I’m not trading any kind of service for drugs. It’s not the 1500’s where old men sell pretty girls. I’m my own person, dipshit.”

            Martine wasn’t taking no for an answer though, “Merle, just leave the shit in the other room and get your drugs, this bitch needs a lesson right now.” He moved forward, hands dropping his weapon to tug at the belt holding up his baggy pants.

            Merle spun around, hand firm on the small knife, and lunged at Martine, quickly swiping the blade across his neck. Sammy kept back, watching Martine’s eyes widen as he gripped at his neck, trying to stop the blood flow. Merle ignored the gurgling noises from the man, cleaning off the blade on the back of Martine’s shirt before shoving the man forward on the ground. “I never liked the spic anyway.”

            Sammy ignored Merle’s chuckle at his own vulgarity, deciding to just leave the room and completely ignore what just happened. She knew Merle brutally murdered a man, but she was doing her best to chalk it up as self-defense. If she were to actually process all of it, she would be a panicked mess. Merle would never turn around and kill her, but she had to wonder if he thought this was the end of the world. “Nothin’ is gonna be the same, Baby Doll. The world ain’t comin’ back from somethin’ like this, ya hear?”

            She hadn’t been hiding her true feelings as well as she thought if Merle could read her so easily. “Sorry, I guess killing people is hard for me. The Walkers took some getting used to, too.” She nodded her head a little, feeling her ponytail swish lightly on her back. “Thanks though… For, you know, not leaving me behind.” She gave him a half shrug, not meeting his gaze as she checked out her dirty cuticles.

            Instead of answering her, he moved on to another door in the hallway. She followed his actions and checked the final door which had been a huge pantry of food and water. Now she understood why Martine refused Merle’s offer of food. At a slight loss of what to grab, Sammy went looking for any kind of extra bags she could use to tow along all of these supplies. She found three duffle bags about the same size and decided to load ammo and guns into two of them, using the last one for food and water.

            Once they had everything bagged that they could take, Sammy left the bags for Merle to carry while she locked the door behind them, doing her best to hide the door with any kind of junk that had been laying around. It wasn’t hard to do since it looked run down anyway, but she still felt a little successful when she looked for the door as they started back on the road. She took a mental photo of what to look for if they ever came back or were in desperate need of supplies. She was still holding on to the small flame of hope inside her that the shelter was where they would remain for a while and then eventually be told to go home.

            As they were driving towards the stadium, Merle was fiddling with the tuner for the radio, twisting it through all the channels at least twice before he finally gave up. “See any CD’s anywhere?” He searched the glove compartment, visors, and middle console quickly, still not finding any music selections.

            “All I need is a USB connection. I have my iPod so I can play music, though I’m not sure what you’re into… I bet it’s not Shania Twain.” Sammy dug through her bag, successfully finding the slender device. “I had a USB cord in my truck but didn’t think I’d need it.”

            Merle snorted, glancing at the road before making a right turn, carefully dodging three Walkers. “There ain’t no way I’m listenin’ to whatever crap music ya got on there anyway.”

            “It’s not crap! I’ve got everything from classical music to today’s number one hit. Your brother likes Lynyrd Skynyrd, so naturally, I added it for him.” She shoved him playfully, bringing her legs up to her chest, holding the electronic in her hand as she scrolled through her choices.

            Suddenly, Merle pointed a finger up ahead. “Well, looky there!” All thoughts of music were abandoned in favor of what caught Merle’s attention. He was pointing at an army outpost, or what was left of one. It looked like it was barely set up before it was overrun. Walkers were still lined up by the sandbags, reaching their arms out for the flesh they smelt.

            Shrinking in her seat, Sammy shook her head, keeping her eyes locked on the truck still loaded with sandbags. “That place is too heavy with Walkers, Merle. We won’t make it in there—”

            “I ain’t lookin’ to be buddy- buddy with them authoritarians. I am lookin’ to steal their cars though. Ya got one of those, yeah?” He gestured at a large vehicle that was very similar to her own, though it was newer.

            “Yes, but if we’re going to head into the city, you might want one of those, instead.” Sammy pointed at another vehicle, one that was more like a truck with a large gun mounted on the back. “One of us can drive and another can shoot if we need to. It probably doesn’t take diesel like mine does, too.” She felt odd for car shopping the Army’s vehicles, but if it was the only way they could reconnect with Daryl, then she would do it. Plus, unbeknownst to Merle, Sammy figured it would also help finding out where Timmy was.

            Merle pulled the car over, out of sight from the mass of Walkers, though some had been intrigued by the noise, slowly closing in on the pair. Once he climbed out of the car, Merle made quick work of the undead that had seen them.  Sammy was by his side before they both made a run for the army vehicle. “I swear Merle, if we get into some serious trouble for taking  a government vehicle, I’m blaming it all on you.” She felt stressed and wanted the comfort of a cigarette but knew she couldn’t just yet. It was one of the things she wished she could stock up on, but food and water were more important than any stress habit.

            Once they reached the vehicle, Sammy threw her things inside the cab of the truck, climbing in the driver’s side while Merle got familiar with his new favorite toy. He threw down his own pack by his feet before unleashing the first few rounds from the gun at the Walkers by the sandbags. The gun was loud, but Sammy could still hear Merle’s whooping and excitement as he continued firing.

            Sammy kicked the truck into motion after finding the keys sitting on the seat. They had been lucky with their vehicle choices so far and hoped they could keep up the lucky streak. She followed the signs to Firesign Stadium, not liking the silence surrounding the shelter. “Ah, shit, Doll Face, get ready for a mess.” Merle hollered at her. Ducking her head to the right, she had seen the mess Merle was talking about.

            Cars were on fire, people lay dead in the road in masses, some were getting back up on their feet, and Sammy held little hope for the shelter as the white tents were stained with blood. “We need to find Daryl, Merle. He’s here somewhere. He said this is where he would be.” Sammy didn’t stop or wait for Merle to answer her, she just put her foot on the gas pedal and kept driving, running Walker’s down like they were just inconvenient road bumps.

            She had hoped that he was already here, waiting for her to catch up. She didn’t see her truck around the entrance though and wondered if she had somehow made it to the shelter before him. She had to find him, even if it meant circling back over and over until the gas tank was empty.

Chapter Text

            “Circle again!” Merle yelled, firing off the gun on the back of the truck as Sammy drove. She weaved through Walkers, hitting a few on the side of the truck or mowing down one to avoid a larger group. There were multiple helipads that were empty, some helicopters just taking off in the sky, and some helicopters fell back to the earth, crashing and exploding upon impact. Those were the ones Sammy had trouble dodging as the debris flew in all directions. She refused to believe Daryl was on one of those, just like she refused to believe that Timmy was eaten at a random outpost.

            The sounds of gunfire were barely heard over Merle’s mounted machine, but whenever he paused, Sammy heard the faint popping sounds. She did her best to drive towards them, knowing there was a survivor still trying to cling to life. She jerked the truck to the right, hearing Merle yell curses at her as she surprised him.

            As she got closer, she could hear the faint hum of the helicopter blades whirring, getting ready to take off. Sammy wasn’t going to be late to another one, so she desperately pushed the truck to go faster, slamming her foot down on the gas pedal and forcing the truck to jerk forward. Her accelerated force propelled her and Merle into a chain-link fence, crashing into a few Walkers before slowing down in front of a helipad with a single helicopter left.

            “Merle!” Daryl’s familiar rasp was heard over the small pause in gunfire. Sammy never felt so relieved in her life.

            “You keep them off me and you keep them off that truck, ya hear me?” Merle hollered, sounding further from the truck. Twisting around in her seat, Sammy hadn’t realized her gunman abandoned ship in favor of shooting the Walkers that did their best to hustle toward fresh flesh. “Grenade!” A sudden explosion lit up the dark sky, rocking the truck a little as small chunks of flesh rained down with soft splats. Sammy hadn’t seen how many Walkers the grenade took out but was relieved she was inside the truck and not outside of it.

            Another helicopter suddenly spiraled towards the ground, landing harshly on its side, the blades cutting into the ground and breaking apart. The loud explosion rocking the truck again, bringing a source of light as the flames licked over the fuel. Sammy could see dozens of Walkers slowly making their way towards them, tripping, and staggering over the ones Merle and Daryl had already put down. She stumbled out of the truck, bringing her knives with her as she lunged toward a Walker closing in on the truck.

            “Sam?” Daryl called for her, sounding a little confused at her appearance.

            “Who else would willing drive Merle to find your ass?” She sassed, tugging out one of her knives to throw it at another Walker, cringing when the butt end hit it in the cheek. She wasn’t as badass as she thought sometimes.

            “Get to the chopper, the both of ya!” Merle shouted, firing off a few more rounds before looking at the waiting helicopter. He must not have liked something he saw since his next words were “Change of plans! Get in the truck!”

            “What?” Daryl wanted to leave as soon as possible the two people he cared for most in the world were with him again and he wasn’t going to let the opportunity of escape slip through his fingers. “Get on the damn helicopter, Merle.” Daryl grabbed Sammy’s arm just below her elbow, tugging her towards the chopper.

            Merle’s hand gripped into Daryl’s shoulder as he pulled him back, giving a signal to the pilot to take off. Someone from inside the chopper didn’t want to wait anymore as they shut the sliding door, sealing off their exit. “You’ll thank me later, Darylina. That pilot had a bite on him. Hell, he was halfway turned already.” Merle stalked off toward the truck, leaving Daryl and Sammy to look after the retreating Helicopter as it flew higher in the air.

            Sammy hadn’t seen anything herself but being in a tight spot while flying through the air with any possibilities of someone being bitten wasn’t something she was willing to risk. For the moment, she was going to believe that whatever Merle saw, was real. She jogged up to the truck, climbing back behind the wheel before honking at Daryl to hurry up.

            A moment later everyone was loaded in the truck, Merle standing comfortably behind the gun, and Daryl joining Sammy in the cab. She drove quickly out of the stadium, still dodging groups of Walkers as they tried to reach for the moving vehicle. “So, where’s my truck?” She hadn’t seen Scout either, but Sammy had a feeling she had found her father.

            Daryl turned in his seat to look at her. “I parked it outside the stadium, South side. It’s off the street and I’ve still got the keys.” He pulled the keys from his pocket and lightly jangled them.

Sammy felt her shoulders relax, rolling them back to ease her stiff bones. “Thanks for taking care of my truck, even though you were going to ditch it with all my supplies in it.” She said, light sarcasm flowing from her mouth as she wiggled a little in her seat, trying to get comfortable. She drove on, being given instructions on exactly where her truck was, finally pulling the army truck up to her older vehicle.

They all jumped out, making quick work of any lurking undead before hauling their newly acquired supplies into Sammy’s truck. Once loaded, Sammy told both men to take a load off while she drove them out of the city. Merle gave no objections, climbing easily in the back and laying out on the supply crates for a nap while Daryl rode in the cab with Sammy again. He offered to drive, having been used to doing so since they left her grandparents, but with her sharp no, he dropped the subject.

It wasn’t all that long before Sammy heard faint snoring coming from her passengers and with a glance to her right, she saw Daryl slouched against the window, eyes closed, mouth slightly open, and his shoulders relaxed. She was tired herself but knew both Dixon brothers hadn’t had much sleep. She felt a sudden sense of guilt for not offering to drive when her and Daryl first left her grandparents. He had been traveling a lot longer than she had, after all.

Driving in silence was becoming comfortable for Sammy, until a grumble and a groan came from the back letting her know Merle was awake. “Hold up, Doll Face, I know this town.” Sammy looked at Merle through the rearview mirror, watching him glance around the buildings as she slowed down a little. “Yeah, yeah, right there was the old grocer. Across the way there, should be the DVD store.” Listing off the stores as they went, Merle suddenly pointed to another building. “Stop at that one there!”

Looking to her left, Sammy saw it was a small lot of old and used motorcycles and a few trucks. She did as she was told, pulling into the lot, and parking her truck in an empty parking space. Daryl awoke once the truck stopped and swiveled his head to understand why they weren’t moving. “Why are we here, Merle?”

“Gettin’ my bike, Doll Face.” Merle muttered as he jumped out of the truck with a gun and a few clips of ammo. “Darylina, get your ass up and help me.”

Daryl grunted but did as he told, climbing down from the truck, and grabbing his own weapon of choice. Sammy scrambled as gracefully as she could from her truck, not wanting to be left behind, and hurried to Daryl’s left side.

It was quiet outside, the first morning rays of sunshine peeking over the taller buildings. Sammy didn’t even hear the singing of birds as they moved quickly in the lot. Ever since the apparent apocalypse, the world had grown quiet, so quiet that even animals were afraid to make their usual sounds. Taking it as a bad sign, she tightened her grip on the knife in her hand, not letting her guard down as she swept her eyes over the lot carefully.

Daryl turned to Sammy, nodding in the direction of the small dealership building – a sign to let her know he was going inside. She nodded back, staying close to him as they moved toward the large windows and glass doors. Pressing her face up to the glass, she cupped her hands around her eyes, getting a better look inside the abandoned building. Other than some trash and papers scattered around the floor, it looked pretty quiet. She took a few more seconds to carefully glance around, not wanting to miss anything before she spotted two figures slumped in chairs. One was wearing a tattered mechanics jumper while the other was wearing a dirty white blouse and black pencil skirt.

Holding up two fingers to Daryl, she let him know how many people or Walkers were inside before tugging at the handle on the door. With minimal effort, she pushed the door open, being grateful the hinges were lubed up enough they didn’t make a single sound. Daryl pushed ahead, aiming his crossbow at their heads as he cleared his throat.

The small noise forced both figures to slowly look in their direction, stiff joints popping as they stood up. Their groans were barely released from their throats when Daryl easily silenced both of them with two arrows, getting faster at pulling back the bow line.

Sammy put her own knives back in their places on her hips before heading behind the receptionists desk. She figured it was a good starting place to find keys for the vehicles, not having any idea of what to expect at a small dealership. She tossed drawers, not caring about the noise until Daryl grumpily shushed her from another desk. Not finding anything of use at the front desk, Sammy ventured down the small hallway that had only three rooms, two of which were the men’s and woman’s restrooms. The last door had a small red sign with white letters that said, ‘authorized personnel only’.

Giving herself authorization, she tried twisting the knob, finding it already open, and pushed it the rest of the way. There were shelves inside the room with extra printing paper and toiletries for the bathrooms and a large lockbox on the wall. Sammy went straight for the lockbox, pulling at the Master-lock unsuccessfully.

Hearing a shuffling sound behind her, she spun quickly, hand ready to unsheathe her blade. Daryl stood there in the doorway, a small flashlight in his mouth, his crossbow resting in his right hand while he held a small silver key in his left. He waved the key at her before tossing it to her. It fumbled in her hands for a moment – her clumsiness very apparent to both of them – before she sent him a glare. She turned back to the lockbox, easily slipping the inside before turning it and tossing the lock somewhere on the floor.

The lockbox doors creaked open, revealing all the lots’ keys. Instead of taking one or two, Sammy helped herself to all the keys. She didn’t want to go back and forth trying to find the right one to whatever vehicle Merle wanted.

Daryl followed her back into the lobby, both quickly leaving the building. Merle whistled to them, waving at them beside a motorcycle. “Took ya long enough. Hurry the hell up so we can get back on the road.” Merle growled. His mood had severely gone downhill since their arrival, Sammy noticed.

She wasn’t the only one who noticed, though. “The hell is yer problem?” Daryl snapped back, easily riled up by Merle’s sour attitude.

Sammy sighed, deciding to let them brawl while she worked on finding the correct keys to the bike Merle wanted. She knew the right key was probably going to be a touch smaller than a normal key, so she started with the small ones first. She was about seven in when she heard the Dixon’s go silent, their bickering coming to an end as they looked around the lot. Confused, Sammy looked up for a moment but decided her little job of finding the right key was more important than whatever caught Merle and Daryl’s attention.

“Hurry up, Doll. We got company.” Both Dixon’s stood at the ready in front of her, pointing their weapons toward whatever they heard. Sammy’s hands started shaking a little as the fear of what exactly they heard took over her. Luckily, the next key she tried was the right one.

The motorcycle’s engine turned over, making a loud roaring noise. Merle wasted no time, spinning around and quickly mounting the bike while Daryl grabbed Sammy and ran off toward her truck. “What is it, Daryl?” Sammy panted behind him, not looking back to see if the potential threat was there.

“People.” Was Daryl’s curt response as he reached the truck. He threw the passenger side door open for her before quickly running to the drivers side. They both knew it would take her a minute to catch up and get in the truck, so Daryl saved them both some time.

Once she was sitting against the seat, drawing in quick breaths, she looked out the windshield for any people that could have been around while Daryl started the truck to follow his brother. “What’s so wrong about people? Shouldn’t we be grouping up with other survivors?”

Pulling up behind Merle, honking once to tell him to get going, Daryl shot her an irritable glance. “You don’t know nothin’ bout the end of the world, do ya? Ever pick up a book about the dead walking? Or seen a movie?”

Sammy rolled her eyes, scoffing at him as she turned to her own window, trying to catch a glance at whatever people Daryl and Merle had seen. “Yeah, but not everyone is an asshole. There are nice people in the world that survive too. I don’t see how we have to be distrusting from the get-go.” Once the words left her mouth, her mind went to Martine. He had been exactly the kind of person Daryl was currently warning her about.

“Things won’t be the same no more, Sam. Governments are gone, police are gone. It’s everyone for themselves now.” Daryl kept his eyes on the small back light of Merle’s motorcycle, not looking at her.

“What about Timmy? I’m worried about him, Daryl. What if he went looking for me?” Talking about Timmy was a slight sore spot for Sammy. She lost the only blood family she had except for him. She wanted to go look for him but knew it would be nearly impossible to get Merle to agree. Daryl wouldn’t need much convincing, though he would get an earful of teasing from his big brother about being pussy-whipped.

“He’s lookin’ for ya.” Daryl’s voice was so quiet, Sammy almost missed his words.

“How do you know?” She felt her heart pick up at the thought of her brother actually being alive. She had always been hopeful but hearing someone else voice her thoughts made it feel real.

Daryl grimaced, eyes darting to her hopeful face as she stared at him, unblinking. “Cause I heard him over the radio when we were separated.” He tightened his grip on the steering wheel, a little nervous about her reaction.

Sammy slumped in her seat. Timmy was alive, he was looking for her. The relief that consumed her felt a little overwhelming but considering everything they had already been through, she basked in the positivity. She knew she would have to settle for just the news, but maybe in a few weeks or so, they could go off and look for him. She didn’t know where to start other than checking every army base they came across, but through a process of elimination, she would eventually find him. So long as he remained alive.

“Sam?” Daryl was still hesitant with her, fearing a burst of anger from her. Honestly, he should have known her better than that by now.

“Thank you. I’m okay. Just knowing he’s alive and looking for me, too… It’s a relief.” She couldn’t really see them all traveling together. Timmy and Merle hadn’t cared much for the other during the handful of times they met. Thanksgiving dinners were always stressful, not only from cooking, but because the two would end up getting into drunken fights. “We will cross paths eventually.” A small smile graced her lips as she thought about Timmy and Dixon brothers together. Since Merle and Daryl found her first, she would stay with them, seeing no point in running off on her own to look for Timmy. He was a grown man, perfectly capable of taking care of himself. She wasn’t.

The rest of the ride was enjoyed in silence. Sammy drifted off to sleep every once in a while, her dreams swirling with memories of holiday dinners and laughter. It was a pleasant change from the nightmares of her grandparents tearing apart her flesh. When she woke up again, feeling more refreshed than she had since the undead started walking, they were pulling up to a small single-story house surrounded by trees.

Whatever face she made had Daryl grunting a small chuckle before answering her unasked question. “We’re stopping here for the night. You may have gotten some beauty sleep, but Merle and I need some too.” He opened the door, pulling his crossbow with him, and walked with Merle around the house.

Sammy rubbed her eyes, willing the sleep away as the brothers disappeared behind the house. She cautiously opened her own door, taking her weapons with her as she slowly went to the front door. She had a small urge to knock politely on the front door, as was custom, but with a small jiggle of the handle, the door opened. Sammy pushed the door open the rest of the way, hearing a static noise from a tv that had been left on. Not hearing anything else, she poked her head inside, looking down a dim hallway with a kitchen entrance to the left and a living room to the right. A step away from the living room was a small bathroom or a coat closet, though she couldn’t be sure unless she opened the door. She also assumed the remaining three doors were bedrooms.

A tap on Sammy’s shoulder nearly made her scream, but once she spun around and saw the familiar bolt of Daryl’s crossbow resting in the chamber, she shrank back behind him. Daryl entered the house first, going to the kitchen on the left first as Sammy looked behind her towards the vehicles where Merle was guiding his motorcycle closer to the house.

Daryl came back a moment later, heading to the right and into the living room, turning off the tv as he came back. Merle brushed by her, nodding at Daryl to move on down the hallway. Sammy stepped inside, deciding to close the door behind her as she moved into the kitchen. She checked the cabinets for any food, coming across a few cans and some cereal boxes, but the rest were full of dishes and coffee mugs. Coming to the pantry door, she opened it and felt disappointed as the shelves were barren. The only things that were in there were napkins, toilet paper, paper towels, and a few small boxes of matches which Sammy took.

Meeting back in the living room, Sammy placed the few cans of fruit and beans that she found on the coffee table before sitting back on the couch. Daryl stood at the window, peering out occasionally, and Merle sat in the recliner off to the left of the couch. There was a wide bookshelf to the right of the couch, and the tv pointed more toward the recliner slightly in front of the bookshelf.

“We should move the vehicles.” Daryl suddenly said, dropping the curtain back against the window as he looked at his two companions.

“Why?” Sammy inquired.

“Don’t know if those people were followin’ us and don’t want them thinkin’ were makin’ camp here.” Merle told her, getting up to follow Daryl out the door. Sammy watched them for a moment, still unsure as to why they were distrusting of other survivors.

Deciding to brush off their unfavorable attitudes for the moment, Sammy got up and went to the bathroom next to the living room. She had been a little surprised that things were slightly functioning here, but Daryl told her it was only because of a gas generator in the back. She didn’t know how long it was going to last or if they would use any of their own fuel for however long they decided to stay, but she was grateful to have a light on as she used the toilet.

Sammy hummed to herself, something she did a lot in public bathrooms or felt the need to do if someone was too close to the door so they wouldn’t hear her do her business. She stopped when she was finished, quickly pulling up her bottoms and flushing before facing the sink to wash her hands. A thump sounded at the door, slightly startling her. “I’ll be out in a minute.” She told one of the Dixon brothers, assuming they were waiting to use the bathroom.

The thump sounded again, but this time, Sammy wasn’t sure it actually came from the door. She peered down at the cabinet doors just under the sink, watching them closely as the water from the faucet warmed her now shaking hands. There was no way someone could fit in there, so it must be a trapped rat or mouse. Either way, Sammy hated rodents and hadn’t witnessed if an animal could reanimate like the dead. The cabinets suddenly opened, pushing into Sammy’s legs as a skinny and small arm shot out from the opening, latching onto Sammy’s shin.

The scream that tore through Sammy’s throat instantly dried her mouth, she stepped back moving out of the way and forcing the little hand to let go. As she did so, the cabinet doors were opened further, letting whoever was inside to be let out. A small little girl, no bigger than eight or ten, rolled out from the cabinet. Sammy gasped, forcing herself back further, her legs meeting with the cool touch of the bathtub. She climbed backwards, not looking away from the little girl on the floor, trying to maneuver her way toward Sammy.

“Help! Daryl! No, no, no…” Sammy put her hand out, not touching the little girl but as a reflex to try and make her halt as if she still had the ability to listen. The little girl only growled, slightly tilting her head, her dirty long brown locks falling a little in her left eye. She didn’t look like she had been bitten as Sammy looked at the little girl up and down, but she was also wearing longer pants and a bigger shirt.

The little girl reached her own arms out for Sammy, looking like she only wanted to be picked up. Grasping at the sheer shower curtain, Sammy pulled it closed as she pressed herself against the porcelain wall of the tub. The little girl only pressed her palms against the plastic, pushing toward Sammy as she came closer. Not realizing that she needed to step into the bathtub, the little undead girl tumbled forward, coming headfirst into Sammy. The curtain rod came crashing down, hitting Sammy on her left shoulder and hip before bouncing on the other side of the tub.

Sammy hadn’t stopped screaming since the little girl tumbled into her and she was trying to mold herself into the wall of the tub. She managed to move toward the faucet and handle, getting away from the girls head and hands. She had an opportunity to step back onto the floor and out of the tub as the girl was wrapped a little under the curtain. Sammy jumped, grabbing for the bathroom door, pulling at the handle. She had forgotten that she locked it.

“Help! Help me!” Giving up on the handle, Sammy resorted to pounding against the door. Her mind was frantic as she heard the plastic of the shower curtain shifting and crinkling. Taking a look behind her, she saw the girl standing, facing the back of the tub with the curtain hanging from her head. It would have been funny, seeing the girl wrapped up like a ghost for Halloween if she wasn’t dead and trying to eat Sammy.

Alerted by the sounds Sammy was making, the little girl turned herself around,  slowly raising her arms again, the plastic of the curtain shifting with her movements. She tumbled over the excess curtain as she tried to take a step forward, a loud crunch sounding as she smacked her head against the metal of the spout. That wasn’t enough to end her suffering, though, as she managed to crawl out of the tub and land in a heap on the floor by Sammy.

The older woman shrieked, slamming herself against the door as a last-ditch attempt to get it open. Her mind was blank as panic and adrenaline took over. “Sam?” Daryl’s voice was slightly muffled through the door, barely heard over her screams. “Sam!” Loud pounding made the door shake as Daryl tried the handle and slammed his other hand against the door. “Unlock it! Unlock the door!”

A small amount of sense sparked in her as she twisted the lock on the door as fast as she could. Daryl pulled it open, catching Sammy as she launched herself out of the bathroom, shaking harder than a tree in 80mph winds. He pushed her slightly to the side and toward the living room, going into the bathroom to handle the poor little girl.

Taking a few steps into the living room was all the energy Sammy had left as the adrenaline left her body and she crumbled to the floor. She landed on her knees, sitting back on her feet as she exhaled, sobs filling her throat and tears starting to flow from her eyes. She tried to hold herself, wrapping her arms around her shoulders, but finding no comfort as she cried.

Daryl came back a moment later, dropping beside her and resting a big hand on her shoulder. He had always been an awkward comforter, never really knowing what to do to help, but Sammy appreciated it, nonetheless. She flung herself at Daryl, needing more than a hand, just as Merle came in through the door. “You two girls getting’ friendly?”

“Found a walker in the bathroom. Little girl.” Daryl mumbled out, still awkwardly patting Sammy’s back as she cried into his shirt.

Merle was silent for a moment, either having a silent conversation with Daryl or trying to look behind him for the little girl he mentioned. “We went through all them rooms. How in the hell’d we miss one?”

“Just deal with it while I get her on the couch.” Daryl told him, picking up Sammy by the arms and half dragging her through the living room and to the couch. He sat by her and did his best to shield her view from the entryway as Merle dragged the little body out of the house.

It was silent between all of them once Merle came back in, the final light of the sun disappearing as night swarmed their half of the world. Small flickers of light from two taper candles barely illuminated the living room as they were the only ones they found sitting on a small table in the kitchen. Sammy was nursing a mug of tea, English Breakfast, that he found in a drawer she didn’t bother checking as she stared at the little flame.

“I think we outta lighten our load some.” Merle suddenly said, eyeing both of his companions. Daryl twitched slightly as he let the dark curtain fall back in place over the window, resting his arms on the back of the couch by Sammy’s head.

“Meanin’?” Daryl faced Merle, dropping his eyes over the young woman’s frame, noting her lack of movement since he took her to the couch.

Merle tossed his right hand down by the lever on the recliner, pulling it back as the bottom kicked up. “I’m sayin’ we leave our goods some place safe, some place no one’ll look, and we get more. It’s us against the world, always has been and always will be, yeah?”

Daryl nodded his agreement while Sammy finally brought the steamy cup of tea to her lips, taking a small sip. She didn’t say anything, not really paying attention. Her mind was on the little girl and how she had ended up in the cabinet under the sink, but most importantly, she didn’t see a bite wound.

“…Leave the truck with most of the supplies n’ get ya a small truck.” Merle was saying, finally catching Sammy’s attention.

“We’re not leaving my truck behind.” Her eyes turned hard as she looked at Merle with a glare. “It can hold the most supplies and I’m not interested in someone else finding it.”

Daryl moved to sit by her right side, sinking down into the couch as he looked at her. “Sam, yer truck might make people think we got stuff worth sharin’ or stealin’.”

Merle cut in, not as sweet on the words as his brother, “Yer truck ain’t comin’, Doll Face. If were goin’ to take things for ourselves, we gotta pretend to have nothin’. End of discussion. One of ya is takin’ the first watch.”  With that said, Merle kicked the leg rest down and got up, moving down the hallway into one of the bedrooms he cleared earlier.

“We’ll leave your truck here, covered in branches so no one’ll find it.” Daryl told her, getting up from the couch to go back to the window. “I’ll take first—”

“No. I’ll watch first. Get some rest Daryl.” Sammy set her mug on the coffee table and moved to push the younger Dixon back on the couch. Once he was at least sitting, she took up his spot by the window, pulling the curtain back enough to watch the street.

Chapter Text

Only a handful of undead had slowly weaved on and off the paved road. Even fewer had come within twenty feet of the house. Sammy watched all night, deciding to let Daryl and Merle have some decent sleep for once, knowing she could sleep in a vehicle. She rubbed her eyes as the sun’s rays peeked into the house, her exhaustion would be pretty clear to the Dixon brothers, but she didn’t care.

She moved from her spot by the window, cracking her neck and groaning when her knees popped as she came around the couch to nudge Daryl awake. Placing her hand on his shoulder, she hesitantly shook him, half wanting him to sleep more and half wanting to figure out what their plan really was.

The younger Dixon jolted awake, brushing her hand from his shoulder from reflex before sitting up. He rubbed his eyes tiredly before looking around the room and noticing the morning light peeking through the tops of the curtains. “Merle took a shift?”

Sammy shook her head, “No, I let both of you sleep through the night. You haven’t had a decent night’s rest since everything started.” She moved away from him, deciding to head into the kitchen to make some tea for the brothers and grab a can of sweet fruit for each of them. She came back into the living room and set down the mugs in her hands followed by the cans under her arms. “Breakfast. Come eat.”

“Ya should have woken one of us up.” Daryl chided her.

“After what happened in the bathroom, it’s not very likely I’ll be getting good sleep, so it’s not a big deal. Plus, I can sleep in a vehicle.” Sammy took a big bite from her can of overly sweet pears. “Speaking of,” She started with her mouthful, “If were leaving mine here, what’s our second vehicle?”

Daryl finished what was in his can before responding to her, eyeing the mug of tea with disgust. “I’m getting a small truck.”

“How is that happening with the three of us?” At the grimace Daryl made combined with not looking her in the eye, she put together the pieces. “You’re not leaving me here.” If she didn’t already know her psyche, she might have passed off the idea as perfectly fine. But, since she did know her emotional state was on the border of having a mental breakdown, she wasn’t about to get separated from a few of the only people she had left in this world.

Both brothers should have known she wouldn’t be left behind, at least not without a fight. “Sam—"

“No! I’m not okay here, Daryl. I can’t be on my own, I’m not ready for that!” Combing her fingers through her greasy hair, she pulled at the strands in frustration.

“Ya ain’t got no choice. Darylina ain’t drivin’ my motorcycle ‘less I’m dead.” Merle slurred from the entryway into the living room. “Pack up, little brother, I’m goin’ for a piss.” He pushed off from the open wall, taking the few steps toward the bathroom.

Sammy was angry as she watched Daryl do as he was told, not bothering to help him gather a few of his things. Instead, she slurped the contents of her can until Merle and Daryl both left. She set the can on the table once she was finished and hurriedly locked the front door, barely hearing the loud rumbling of Merle’s motorcycle in the distance.

She went around the rest of the house, checking the windows were locked and the curtains drawn, and even jiggled the back doorknob. Once she was satisfied, she went back to her post by the window in the living room, peeking out the window.

There wasn’t anything as far as Sammy could see, no movement from Walkers, no cars driving by, and no signs of people on foot. She was trying to gather the courage to go back into the bathroom and attempt to wash her hair or even use the back bathroom, but she wasn’t feeling very trusting.

Feeling uncomfortable in the silent house, Sammy busied herself for a moment by closing all the doors. She did end up going into the master bathroom and finding some shampoo and conditioner, but quickly opted to washing herself in the kitchen rather than the bathroom. Once all the doors were shut, she took the toiletries into the kitchen, setting them by the sink before turning on the water. It ran cold for a minute before turning warm. Dunking her head under the water, she lathered her hair in the water before starting to wash her locks with shampoo. Once finished, she moved on to conditioner as quick as she could before rinsing her hair and drying it with a kitchen towel hanging from the oven.

She had found a few wash rags in a small linen closet by one of the bedrooms and was currently using one to wash up her arms. Looking at the state of her clothes, she stripped out of the filth covered fabric, regretfully ripping at the holes in her shirt to peel it off and not have to re-wash her hair. Once stripped, she continued washing her body, trying to be fast in case the brothers came back sooner than she figured.

It hadn’t taken her too long and she felt refreshed once she was fully washed. She had to take another trip to the little closet to grab a blanket as a towel for her body. She was currently pacing up and down the hallway toward the bedrooms and back to the front door, trying to gather the courage to enter one of the rooms to find clothes. She had clothes in her truck, but she wasn’t courageous enough to go outside in nothing but a blanket.

When she heard the familiar rumbling of Merle’s motorcycle a distance away, she knew her time to make up her mind had come to an end. She threw open the closest bedroom door and immediately went for a tall dresser to the left of the bed. She couldn’t tell if the room belonged to a boy or girl considering the walls were white and the bed sheets were a light tan. There were no photos on the walls or posters to show what they were interested in.

She assumed the room belonged to the little girl in the bathroom cupboard, considering the other bedroom was much larger, but once she had the drawers opened, she found mens medium sized clothes. She grabbed a dark grey graphic tee with a cat holding a long bone and the words “I found this humerus” written just below the cat. Once she pulled the shirt over her head, she didn’t bother searching for underwear, knowing there wouldn’t be any in her size. She also didn’t know anyone who lived here and thought it was odd if she wore a strangers underwear.

By the time she secured the drawstrings on some athletic shorts she found in another drawer, she heard banging on the front door. “The hell woman! Get over ‘ere an unlock this door!” Merle’s voice was irritated as he pounded on the door again.

Quickly running back to the front of the house, Sammy peeked through the eye slot on the door, confirming both Dixon brothers were standing there, looking gloomy and irritable as always. Sliding back the locks, she tugged the door open wide enough for them to slip through before shutting and locking them all inside once again.

She was relieved to see both of them again, though some of her earlier irritation at being left behind hadn’t faded and she let them know by not greeting them. Instead, she went into the kitchen to grab the last two cans of beans, a sleeve of broken Ritz crackers, and a couple of water bottles refilled by the sink. It had one of those fancy filters attached to it, making the water safe to drink if the tap wasn’t.

She hauled the supplies into the living room, setting down the cans for the brothers and keeping the crackers to herself while tossing the waters at them. She kicked her bare feet up on the coffee table and stared at the titles on the bookshelf, eating her crackers in silence. “Take a shower?”

Moving her eyes slightly to her left, she allowed a small nod at Daryl as he peeled open his can of beans. She didn’t go into detail about how scared she actually was to even use the shower, but instead let him think whatever he wanted. They all finished their food in relative silence, the only sounds coming from her wrapper of crackers and the guys tapping on their cans.

Once they were all finished, they left their trash on the table, settling in for the evening. Sammy went up to the bookshelf and actually skimmed the titles, touching the spines on the books with light brushes of the pads on her fingers. Once she saw a title she was interested in, she placed her index finger on the top of the book, pulling it loose from the shelf and carrying it to the couch. She didn’t know how much she would actually read as her eyes were already blood shot and resistant to staying open. She kept herself busy for most of the day, pacing, bathing, and worrying. Now she was slumping in her spot on the couch, her exhaustion spelled out on her face.

“Sam, go sleep in one of the bedrooms.” Daryl nudged her from his own spot next to her.

“No. I’m not sleeping in those rooms.” She curled into herself, not looking at him as she hugged the book under her chin. Other than the fact she was untrusting that the brothers cleared out the rooms, she didn’t want to be alone. She felt better being close to the Dixon’s, like a child close to its mom.

Merle stood from his chair, moving towards the window, and peeking through the curtains. “Go take her in one of the rooms, make her sleep if ya gotta. I’ll wake ya if I need ya for watch.” They were both suspicious of Merle for volunteering as quickly as he did, but Sammy wasn’t willing to put many brain cells into figuring out what he was up to.

Daryl was a bit more hesitant, staring at Merle as he motioned for them to get off the couch. Standing up, Daryl pulled Sammy with him, her protests being small whines. He didn’t say anything to Merle, just gave him a pointed look and carried Sammy towards one of the bedrooms.

Daryl pulled her into the larger room, closing the door behind them. Sammy’s fear of something being in the room caused her to suddenly seize up. Noticing her sudden rigidness, he backed her up against the closed door. “Sam, there’s nothing in this room. I checked it myself.” He backed up, going to the closet, and opened the doors, shifting through the racks of clothes on hangers to show her no one was hiding there. Daryl went around the room and checked all the spaces that could have been large enough for someone to hide in. He even checked under the bed for her.

Sammy felt her shoulders relax as the tension eased from her muscles. She let Daryl grab her hands and pull her gently over to the bed, letting him push her down on the left side, furthest from the door. “You’re not leaving are you?” He had moved to the door, hand almost touching the handle as if he were going to leave her alone. She felt her fear start to crawl up her spine once again.

“Man’s gotta use the toilet every now and then.” He turned his head as he said it, probably rolling his eyes in slight embarrassment.

When he tuned his head back to look at her, she had her finger pointed toward the small bathroom in the room. “There’s a bathroom right there.” She knew the look on her face would get him to do as he was told, but not without complaints. In the moment, she didn’t care about whether or not he was comfortable going in front of her, she only wanted to feel safe and secure and with Daryl out of the room, she would lose that.

Without a word, Daryl moved into the little bathroom, though his face gave away his irritation. He didn’t take as long as Sammy thought he would and came out of the bathroom quickly, only going to sit on the floor at the end of the bed. “Daryl…”

“What, Sam?” He sounded exasperated with her which made her hesitate. She had wanted him to lay closer to her, maybe even hold her so she wouldn’t have terrible dreams. Deep down, she knew he wasn’t that kind of guy as much as she wished he was, but even if he just sat closer to her, she might feel that much better and go to sleep.

Instead of admitting that she wanted him closer, she asked another question. “Are we moving on soon? Now that you have another vehicle?” Her voice was quiet, hugging a pillow close to her chest as she still sat in the spot Daryl placed her.

“Once we get your truck covered. Probably day after tomorrow.” She should have known he would give a small answer. Merle was the talker of the two remaining Dixons and Daryl had always been quiet and observing. “Sleep, Sam.”

“I can’t.” Her voice was small and quiet, but he still heard her. In the next moment, she found herself laying down under the blankets, and Daryl next to her on top of the same blankets. She was facing him, giving him a little smile while he averted his eyes, trying to look anywhere but at her.

“Sleep, Sam.” He repeated.

“Where will we go after tomorrow?” She wasn’t ready to sleep, doing her best to ask questions as a final effort to stay awake.

He humored her, noticing her eyes closing. “There’s a spot Merle used to take me hunting. A quarry with lots of deer. We’ll go there first.” She hummed in response, feeling content and safe. “Sleep, Sam.” He whispered, finally sweeping his eyes over her face. She felt his gaze on her as she slipped into a deep sleep, losing the battle against her exhaustion.

~+~+~+~+~+~

Sammy felt a burning sensation on her right shoulder as it grew from a slight itch to an intense burning. Her fingers were a little bloody from her severe scratching, her nails stained a deep black and red from the wound. She wanted to scream as she kept scratching, feeling tears leak from her eyes in frustration from the pain. She hurried to the little bathroom in the room, not caring if her scrambling woke up Daryl.

Turning on the light, she threw open the medicine cabinet door, shifting through all the unfamiliar pill bottles on the small shelves. She read each one, not knowing what each prescription was for. “No Tylenol or Ibuprofen?” She growled out her discomfort, suddenly not recognizing her own voice.

Sammy’s voice wasn’t that low, not even when she mocked Daryl or Merle. She looked at her hands, only seeing the blood as she gently closed the medicine cabinet. She dragged her eyes to the mirror, choking back a sob as she looked at her pale skin. Her eyes were sunken in, red and black tears in the corners of her eyes. Her teeth were once white and pristine but now they were yellow and chipped horribly as if she had been chewing on metal. Her lips were as pale as her skin and torn like she bit into them herself. She brought her fingers up to her cheeks to touch them, peeling it off in small strips, red streaks dripping down to her chin and falling as small droplets onto her tattered shirt. She tried to ask her reflection what happened, but only growls and grunts answered her as she snapped her teeth.

Daryl appeared next to her, rubbing at his eyes tiredly. “What’re ya doin?”

Her fingers moved on their own, grasping his wrists as fast as they could. He gave little protest as she tried to tell him to run away and not trust her. She knew what was going to happen, but he wasn’t understanding her growls as attempts to get him to kill her. How could he just let her bite him? How couldn’t he see what she had turned into?

She watched herself in slow motion as she brought his wrist to her lips, almost kissing the inside veins before she sunk her teeth into his flesh. He didn’t call for her to stop, he didn’t yell at her like she was expecting him to, instead he wrapped his other arm around her, under her breasts in a hug as she pulled her head back, ripping his flesh off his arm as she slowly chewed.

Sammy jolted herself from her dream, feeling something heavy holding onto her around her waist. She flipped over, meeting Daryl’s sleeping face, causing her to instantly relax. Even with him beside her, she had a horrible dream. She didn’t know if they would ever stop at this point, no matter how safe she felt.

She placed her hand on Daryl’s arm, trying to bring herself some comfort by smoothing circles into the hair on his arm with two of her fingers. He stirred slightly but didn’t wake up at her light touch. She soaked up the intimacy with him, being comforted by him even as he slept. She didn’t know if Merle had come and gotten him in the night for a shift and she wasn’t going to ask, but either way, she was grateful to wake up with him by her side, and even holding her.

She dragged her fingers lightly up and down his arm, abandoning the circles in favor of touching more of him. She had dreamed of something like this before the undead started walking. She thought her and Daryl would eventually start dating, once she was done playing guys for money, but she had also enjoyed being single and playing games. Daryl had commitment issues just like she did, but for completely different reasons. Sammy knew most things about Daryl and Merle, but some childhood trauma had followed them, and they stashed that can of worms high up where no one could reach.

Of course, Sammy wanted to pry. She tried manipulating his feelings a few times to get him to share, but after she grew feelings for Daryl, she backed off. If he wanted to share with her, he would.

She thought of the time she went with Daryl to join up with his dad on a hunting trip. She had met Daryl’s father a handful of times before with small greetings of hello’s but never full conversations. So, this hunting trip was a bigger thing for everyone.

Sammy learned rather quickly on that hunting trip, that even though some welcomed her, Daryl’s father thought her place was with the other women – back home in the kitchen. When she voiced her opinions and told him differently, he taught her a lesson with his belt he thought she should have learned from her own daddy.

Daryl took her home immediately after, both silent on the way back except for his mumbled apologies. She didn’t speak to him for a few days after, though he tried getting her to at least say hello. It wasn’t until he started throwing small pebbles at her window, three in exchange for three knocks, that she started talking to him again. He would sneak into her room at night and just stay with her at the foot of her bed.

They never discussed the long scars on her back, and she kept them a secret for a long time until she was in her last year of high school. She used to tell fabricated stories to her boyfriends about how she got the scars and enjoyed the attention she received from them. It wasn’t long after that, that she started leading all kinds of guys along, just to get at the cash in their wallets.

A movement to her left pulled her from memory lane as Daryl shifted his head to snuggle a little closer into her touch. Sammy instantly thought it was cute and continued her soft touches up his exposed arms, going no further than the top of his arm. She knew his dad gave him his own wounds, but Daryl had never shown her. He was the opposite of her confidence, choosing to shy away and hide his scars. She’d told him before how manly they were, but he never agreed with her.

“What’re ya doin’?” came his mumbled and deeply groggy voice from the pillow. She turned her head to give him a smile, continuing her touching as he stared at her with one eye.

She answered his question with a question of her own, “You don’t like it?” She stopped, her fingers hovering over his skin.

“Didn’t say that.” He admitted, a hint of pink barely touching his cheeks, causing Sammy to giggle and continue her tickling touches. Daryl just watched her as she slid her fingers up and down his arm softly, not saying anything while she went on for a few minutes. She was sure they both didn’t want the moment to end, but her fingers began to cramp.

Sammy cleared her throat, sitting up and stretching her arms above her head. “I think it’s time to relieve Merle. Did he come get you last night?”

Daryl sighed, sitting up with her. “No. You?” She shook her head.

“I didn’t think him that nice, honestly. I thought he would have woken one of us for sure.” She put her feet on the floor and picked herself up from the bed, her back cracking slightly as she stood. She carried herself over to the small bathroom, doing her own check to make sure nothing had snuck in while they were sleeping, and did her business.

Daryl had slipped out of the room just as she finished in the bathroom, and she quickly followed behind him. The door to the next bedroom was closed along with the bathroom in the hallway. When they both entered the living room, Merle wasn’t around. His chair, the couch, and their makeshift post by the window were all vacant. Sammy quickly took up the spot by the window with Daryl coming up behind her.

They both pulled the curtain back a little and as soon as they did, Daryl dropped his hand over Sammy’s mouth. Pressing their face against the window was a Walker. It was a woman with unkempt hair and rotten teeth. Her clothes were barely hanging on to her shoulders and a garbage bag somehow got hooked around her wrist, dragging the few contents it had left behind her.

A few others had made it up to the house during the night, something Merle should have woken them for, but didn’t. Sammy tapped Daryl’s hand to let him know she wouldn’t scream, and he slowly released her as she carefully put the curtain back in place. “Where is Merle?” She whispered to Daryl. He nodded his head toward the hallway where the kitchen was. She assumed he was trying to give his brother the benefit of the doubt, hoping he was trying to get them all breakfast, but both knew Merle didn’t operate like that.

They moved carefully, now knowing Walkers were closer to the house, and peered into the kitchen. Empty.

“Try the other bedroom.” Daryl told her, taking a quick peek into the bathroom as they passed it.

“He has to be in there. There’s no way he’d be outside without telling one of us, right?” The other bedroom door creaked open slowly as they popped their heads in. There, laying across the bed, snoring loudly, was Merle.

Daryl barged in the rest of the way making the door thump against the wall in his anger. “Merle! Get the hell up!” He brought his right hand clear across his brothers face, expecting an angry outburst, but he only gurgled before letting out another loud snore.

“Daryl.” Sammy had moved to the other side of the bed, checking out the assortment of items on the nightstand. The pictures and jewelry box were dumped carelessly on the ground while Merle set up his drug stash. There were all sorts of pills in a bag. “I thought he left his bag of drugs at the bar?” The same one she had saved for him before he went there, was now sitting on the nightstand.

“Motherfucker!” Daryl hit his brother in the face again, still not waking the drug addict. “Let’s go. We gotta clean up after this dumbass.” Daryl left his brother to ride out his fix and headed for the front door with Sammy trying to catch up.

“Wait, Daryl!” She grabbed his arm as he went to unlock the door, turning him to face her. “Be smart about this. We don’t know how many are out there. Let’s check all the windows and see how many we have to worry about, so we don’t get snuck up on.” Seeing reason within her words, Daryl agreed, going back into the living room to start there. Sammy went into the kitchen, checking the back door and the two large windows before going back into the room Merle was in.

Once all the windows were checked and Walkers counted, they deemed the door in the kitchen was better to pop out from. There were less Walkers on that side of the house, and it was easier to sneak out of since the front door creaked.

Daryl made sure he had his crossbow, mumbling at how low his bolt count was low before joining Sammy at the door. She patted her hips, making sure her own weapons were secure before nodding at him that she was ready. Daryl positioned himself to go first, holding his hand on the knob of the door while Sammy stayed behind him, pulling the blade on her left hip from its sheath.

Pushing the door open, Daryl rushed out, easily firing his first bolt into the closest Walker. Sammy followed after him, burying her own knife into the back of a head of another Walker. They took their time, going around the back of the house and working their way to the front. Daryl delivered the last bolt into the woman who had seen them through the window, killing the last of the undead.

Sammy cleaned off her knife in the grass before putting it back in the holster on her hip, putting her hands on her waist as she stopped to take a breath. “Since we’re out here, should we cover my truck?” She asked as Daryl made his way over to her, cleaning off the last of his bolts. He nodded and started his way to the back of the house where her truck was already partially hidden by the trees.

Before they started pulling branches, Sammy went into the back of the truck to sort through their supplies. She decided what exactly they were bringing and what they could afford to leave behind. She pulled out her duffle bag and stuffed it full of her clothes, even putting her pillow on the top before handing it over to Daryl to put in his truck. She passed him camping supplies from her grandparents’ house, making sure there was a tent and a few sleeping bags. She was grateful her grandparents didn’t like sleeping on hard surfaces and packed blow up mattresses for comfort.

She grabbed a few more supplies they would need for roughing it, but left things like electric stoves and silverware behind. She didn’t know if they were really going to need them, but even if they did, they could always come back. At least, that’s what she told herself.

Once Daryl finished putting things in the bed of his truck, he helped Sammy to cover her army truck with a few tarps they found before they started cutting down branches and slicing some grass. Sammy put together a makeshift cover out of sticks, grass, fallen leaves, and chunks of bushes. They were quiet as they worked, both listening for any other odd sounds in the woods. Only two Walkers had come to pay them a visit and Daryl easily took them out, letting Sammy continue her cover.

They only stopped for bathroom breaks or getting some water and a quick snack from the truck and by the time they were finished, the sun had left the sky, washing out the bright blue with bright reds and oranges.

Sammy was itching for a proper shower, disliking the sticky sweat that rolled down her chest. She already needed new clothes, feeling a little sad her “humerus” shirt was stained with some Walker blood. Though, she would probably attempt to wash it, wanting to keep some kind of laughter around in the new bleak world.

“C’mon, Sam, this’ll be good for now. See how it holds up durin’ the night.” Daryl sniffled, bringing his right arms to wipe a drop of sweat from under his nose. He nodded toward the house, trying to get her moving so he could follow behind. “Ladies first.”

Warmth heated her cheeks from his comment, and she had to fan herself as she started heading back for the kitchen door. “My, my Daryl Dixon. Aren’t you just the chivalrous kind?” Sammy sashayed her hips for him (even though she felt hidden and unsexy in men’s athletic shorts) feeling his eyes rest on the small of her back. “See something you like?”

Daryl quickly looked away as they both entered the house, busying himself with locking the door and kicking off his boots before setting his crossbow against the kitchen wall. “Fuckin’ tease, woman.” He mumbled, watching her bounce down the hall toward the bigger room to shower.

Chapter Text

            Sammy was tending to her freshly cleaned wounds, covering them with new bandages as Daryl showered in the small bathroom. Once she finished, she looked at her reflection in the small mirror outside the  bathroom door, putting a finger on the dark yellow bruise on her jaw. It didn’t hurt anymore, but it still looked nasty on her pale skin. She breathed out a sigh before scrunching her still wet hair in the towel she used after her shower. She hadn’t bothered with a shirt yet, putting on some shorts with a belt she had to make a new notch in.

            She heard Merle wake up a little later, his angry moans and under the breath curses were heard through the walls. He had more than likely figured out that Daryl had cleaned up the drug mess he had left. Sammy didn’t feel the need to pick up after the older Dixon since he was able to make his own bed and potentially lie in it.

            When the door suddenly burst open, she was holding a giant t-shirt in her arms, about to throw it over her head, but instead shrieked at the intrusion. “The fuck did y’all put my stash?” He was scratching at his jaw, a nervous tick he started when the drugs were weaning from his system.

Daryl stepped out of the bathroom, steam wisping to the ceiling as it followed the fully clothed hunter from the small space. The only sign he took a shower was his slightly damp hair and the towel he was dropping on the floor. “I put it in the bike. Ya need a clear head if we’re goin’ to the quarry.”

“Shit, little brother, don’t be worryin’ about lil ol’ me!” Merle waved off any concern, though Sammy wasn’t sure if it was concern or the fact Daryl didn’t want to turn around to save him from a Walker. They only had each other now and Merle was always the one throwing caution to the wind – a total wrecking ball.

“Wouldn’t have to if you weren’t addicted to drugs.” She said, taking Merle’s attention from an annoyed Daryl. “And you’re family, at least to one of us.”

“Blood is more important than anythin’ else, ya got that?” Merle told her, ignoring the first part of her sentence.

“I put your damn drugs in your saddle bag.” Daryl admitted, having enough of the tiresome conversation. He was eager to get moving, throwing his used towel on the floor and grabbing his already packed up bag. “Goin’ to the quarry today, pack yer shit n’ let’s get out of here.” Daryl left the room, brushing past Merle to leave.

Sammy brushed her fingers through her hair, tussling it a little as she looked around the room for anything she wanted to take in her bag. Merle moseyed into the room he was sleeping in to probably pack his own things. She checked that room off her list before browsing the little closet in the room she shared with Daryl. She took a few large, oversized shirts for herself and left behind any pants since she wore a smaller size than what was available.

She then rummaged through the bathroom, grabbing any essentials. The last thing she took a peek in, in the room was the nightstand. She liked to snoop into people’s lives before the outbreak, but now, not knowing if they were dead or alive, made her hesitate. Obviously, no one was coming back here and from her earlier encounter with the little girl, she doubted the family made it, which made Sammy almost not open the drawers. Going through dead people’s things when you didn’t know them, was a bit of a taboo.

Deciding that survival was more important than respect, she threw the drawer open. She slightly curled her lip in disgust seeing a small bible next to a vibrator before shifting a few papers around and finding a box of unopened condoms. Her face smoothed out as she turned her head to see if one of the brothers had come to check on her before stuffing the box in her bag and zipping it closed.

Sammy cleared her throat as she stood up, pulling her shirt down a little before grabbing her bag and leaving the room. She hit up the kitchen next, rechecking all the cabinets and the pantry, even cracking the fridge even though she knew nothing was in there.

Going outside, she went around the house to Daryl’s truck, tossing her bag in the bed before meeting Daryl on the back patio. He was currently syphoning out the rest of the fuel from the generator into a large red gas can. “Are we going to save the generator?” She asked as she tapped the can in his hand, judging it to be about half full.

Daryl looked up at her before sweeping his eyes behind her. “Don’t think so. It’ll be too big to haul in the truck. Side’s we’re goin’ to the quarry, not much use for it there.”

She nodded, watching him tap the side of the generator before he withdrew the hose and capped off the gas can. “How long is the drive to the quarry?”

Nodding his head for her to follow, he led her to his truck, lifting the red can into the bed as he answered her. “Two to three hours, bring entertainment.”

Giving him a smirk, she reached over to pull at her bag again, sliding it towards herself before digging through one of the side pockets and pulling out her phone. “Believe it or not, but this thing still works, and with the solar chargers I can keep it running for a long time.” She put the phone in her pocket for safe keeping before pointing at the house. “I’m going to browse the books one last time.”

“Good luck. Not much of a selection, though.” Daryl commented, not looking at her as he loaded a few more things into the truck bed.

“For you maybe, but I like all kinds of books.” She stuck her tongue out at him before turning back to the house. She hurried through the door and into the living room, stopping in front of the bookshelf, starting to skim the titles with her left index finger. Daryl had been right for the most part, but there was a small book crammed in between some larger ones that caught Sammy’s eye. She dragged her finger along the spine, feeling out the puffed up letters before pulling it free from the shelf. It was The Nutcracker, one of her favorite Christmas stories.

Even though it was summer, she tucked the book in the crook of her arm before skimming the rest of the bookshelf, picking out a few books that looked interesting to read. She heard Merle stomp out of the house while she was browsing the last section of books, grabbing a few more before deciding she had enough to last her a few weeks. She didn’t know how long they were staying at the quarry, but she wanted to be covered no matter how short or long their stay was.

Sammy shut the door behind her, struggling a little with the amount of books she was carrying, but successfully managed to hold them all and make her way back to the truck. A large bag was waiting for her at the end of the bed, already open and waiting for her haul. She smiled at Daryl’s thoughtfulness and dumped the books in the bag, keeping two with her, one being The Nutcracker and the other being a young adult book that caught her eye.

Carrying her books with her, she opened the passenger door and settled herself in the seat with the books on her lap. She hummed to herself before opening the glove compartment and placing The Nutcracker in carefully. Once she had the compartment closed again, she sat back in her seat, kicking off her shoes and pulling her feet up against the dash as Daryl pulled open the driver’s door.

She turned her head toward him, fingering the first page of her other book. “What did Merle say?”

“We’re gonna follow him to the quarry, though he says the roads might be harder to get by.” Daryl started the truck, lowering the volume from the staticky radio. “Tunes?”

Sammy nodded, leaning toward him a little as she pulled her phone from her back pocket before plugging it into the USB Daryl already had plugged in. “The usual?” With a nod of his head, she played the downloaded playlist she made for him. She snuggled back in her seat, opening her book and tuned out the loud noises coming from the truck and motorcycle.

She was engrossed in her book for a few hours as they drove, shifting her position a few times when she felt her toes start to go numb. They did end up stopping to empty their bladders once along the way, and that was a nightmare for her since there weren’t any bushes to properly hide herself. She had grumbled when they told her to ‘just pop a squat’ and lost the argument when she asked for a gas station. Daryl made Merle turn around at least as Sammy ran to a small nub of a bush, but she still complained a while when they were back on the road.

Daryl only got a small reprieve from Sammy when she dozed off, her head resting against his shoulder as she huffed out little breaths in place of her snores. She didn’t stay asleep for very long though. Merle had made some kind of signal for them to stop and when Daryl shut off the truck, Sammy sat up in a rush, looking around her in a panic. When she saw they were just waiting for Merle to get up to the window, she slouched in her seat and pulled her knees to her chest.

“There’s a dirt road that leads down to the quarry. We’ll have to go slow because of the bike.” Merle told them, leaning heavily on the door after Daryl manually rolled the window down. “From the looks of it, we’re gonna hav’ta be alert. Cars littered all over the sides here means there might be folks down there already.” Sammy gave him a nod, looking around them with new eyes. She didn’t think too many people gave the older Dixon enough credit for some of his keen observation skills. The man always ended up pissing off too many people to actually have friends, but not everyone was meant to like everyone.

“Worried about making friends, Merle?” She teased, not missing the opportunity to poke some fun.

He snorted, “Not worried, Doll, just takin’ them necessary steps.”

“And here I thought you just wanted to steal people’s shit.” She looked at him, giving him a little smile.

“I do, but we gotta play it smart. Why d’you think we left most of our shit behind? We’re playin’ the part of starvin’ travelers lookin’ for a secure spot to stay.” He told her.

“The quarry is perfect ‘cause we can offer to go huntin’ in case they don’t think we can earn our keep.” Daryl told her, pitching in when she just gave Merle a half shrug.

“You mean for us, right? Or are you telling me you can share?” She eyed both Dixons but before Daryl could give her an answer, Merle was already nodding. “We take care of our own first.”

Both Daryl and Sammy shared a look but nodded back to Merle as he pat the truck door and moved toward his bike again, ending the conversation. Daryl started the truck again and followed Merle slowly to the dirt trail half a mile up from their position. As they started along, they avoided most of the abandoned cars and the ones they couldn’t, they just had Sammy get out and put them in neutral. She was fortunate enough to not come across any undead still in the cars.

It turns out, they weren’t the only ones looking for safety at the quarry. They caught up to a caravan of other cars, coming down from another trail that connected to the main one, and were able to blend in. Sammy glanced at Daryl a little unsure as they saw a man standing next to a jeep directing the line of cars. “Looks like we made it just in time, huh?” She kept her eyes on the line of cars in front of her as their descent was a little slower.

Daryl fidgeted nervously in his seat, not liking the amount of people heading towards the camp. He did better with grumpy biker gangs than regular folks, especially when he didn’t have to play nice and put up a front. Sammy scooted herself a little closer to him as a means to relax him, putting her left hand against his hip. He tensed for a moment, something he always did when someone touched him, but relaxed a little once he saw her face.

Sammy was also nervous about all of this, not knowing if these people were all traveling together or just happened to meet up at the right moment. She was slightly on edge but trying her best not to show it as they got closer to the man by the jeep. It seemed they would all be fortunate though as Merle, still on the bike, gave a nod at the man and was waved through followed by her and Daryl.

            There weren’t too many vehicles in the entire caravan, which made her, and the Dixons stick out as newcomers. Whether or not they would be accepted all depended on who was allowed to open their mouths, and she would do her best to talk before Merle.

            Those that knew each other a little better, huddled together outside of their vehicles, walking a little closer to the man by the jeep. Only a small handful stayed by their cars, including her little group, shifting a little cautiously in their spots.

            The man by the jeep, moved forward a few steps, going towards the middle of the group, yet stayed a bit back from those that weren’t as trusting. He was tall with dark curly hair, dark brown eyes, and dressed in army greens. He folded his arms over his chest as he came to a stop by a tall woman with a smaller boy tucked under her arm. “Hey y’all, I know were all mostly strangers, but since we don’t know what exactly is goin’ on in Atlanta, it’s best we all come together here in case the army come lookin’ for survivors. All are welcome, but everyone is goin’ to help out.” He unfolded his arms and made a gesture all around them. “We’re goin’ to start by settin’ up a perimeter of sorts for our protection. If y’all would be willing, I’d like to move any and all vehicles in a strategic circle for the best escape, in case those things find their way down here. I’m goin’ to do my best to keep us all safe.”

            Everyone there must have felt a sense of security with the man and his words as they moved closer, quiet mumbles of approval leaving them. Sammy, Merle, and Daryl were the only ones that stayed where they were. Merle had been smart in wanting to come here, but Sammy wasn’t sure if this was exactly his plan. They could always go back to the house where her truck was hidden, but the distance to the quarry wasn’t too far, a handful of hours at the most. Which meant, they could be followed back. If Merle was looking to be trusted, then this was going to be a long game. Merle Dixon wasn’t one to be liked and wouldn’t be unless he had a major change in his personality.

            While stuck in her own thoughts, the man from the jeep had made his way over to them. Merle was wearing a cocky smile while Daryl just stood to the side with the nail of his thumb between his teeth. “Welcome to the quarry, I’m Shane Walsh, King County Deputy Sheriff.” Sammy didn’t care for the judgmental tone and on-guard behavior he was showing them. “I don’t want any trouble—”

            “Are you really judging us right now, deputy?” Sammy spoke, resting her hands on her hips, her eyes hard.

            Shane eyed her quickly, his eyes jumping from the ugly yellow bruise on her jaw to the small bandage on arm. “How’d those happen?” He ignored her question, choosing to keep up the good cop charade.

            Daryl stiffened beside her, knowing what Shane was thinking. Sammy pointed to her jaw, “I got in the way of a bar fight before the dead started walking, and this one,” she pointed to her bandaged arm, “a bullet grazed my arm when I was killing Walkers.” The honesty in her tone, and the protective stance she took in front of the Dixon brothers made Shane take a step back.

            “I see. Well, were setting up some spots for tents if you got any, bring ‘em over.” He went to walk away from them but stopped and turned back. “I didn’t catch your names.”

            Daryl mumbled under his breath, “Didn’t offer ‘em.”

            Sammy rolled her eyes before pointing to herself and then the brothers. “Sammy Thorne, the Dixon brothers, Merle and Daryl.”

~+~+~+~+~+~

            Daryl and Sammy popped out of their shared eight person tent. Merle was kicked out into a smaller two person tent because of his sawing snores. They were all situated a little further from the rest of the tents, Shane keeping them a decent distance away, not trusting the brothers. He had quickly learned that Sammy was the one to talk to about them after the first night.

            They had been in the camp for about a week now. Things were starting to settle down a little as everyone got more comfortable with each other, minus Merle and Daryl. Sammy quickly offered up their services to hunt and provide a good source of protein for the campers while she went foraging for seasonings and other things they could use in their meals. It kept the Dixon’s busy and away from the others and kept the campers happy about their contributions.

            Sammy never offered to clean dishes or do laundry, telling Lori, the tall, skinny woman that hung on Shane’s arm, ‘no way in hell’. If there wasn’t a washer or dryer to do the hard scrubbing for her, she would find new clothes somewhere else. Same for a dishwasher. There were a lot of people in the camp which meant there were a lot of clothes to be washed. Needless to say, the other women hated her for not participating in the smaller chores. Though, Sammy was quick to make up for it by cooking the food the Dixon’s provided.

            “Hey, Sammy?” The hesitant voice of Glenn, the only Asian in their group, caught her attention.

            She patted Daryl’s arm to let him know she would be fine and moved up to stand by Glenn. “What’s up, Glenn?”

            He motioned for her to go with him as he took small steps away from her camp. “Shane wants me to go out and look for some supplies since were starting to run low. I was wondering if you wanted to come with? I do well on my own, but I think there’s going to be more than I can carry.”

            Sammy was already nodding, “Of course, Glenn. Let me just go grab my pack and we can head out.” She moved back toward her tent, slipping inside.

            “No,” Daryl said, his voice suddenly behind her.

            She rolled her eyes, pulling things out of her larger backpack. “Daryl, I’m a big girl, I can handle it. I’m small and fast enough to keep up with Glenn.” She looked over her shoulder at him, watching his eyes swirl with anger as he positioned himself in front of the tent door. “You are due for another hunting trip anyway. I told you yesterday, I wanted to try and make some jerky. I don’t want the meat to go to waste and it would be better than taking energy bars and cans when you and Merle go hunting.” She moved around her sleeping cot, putting some bars and water bottles in her pack before slipping her knives in the holsters on her hips.

            Daryl reached his arm out to stop her, not finished telling her she couldn’t go. “Sam.”

            Sammy sighed, grabbing his own arm, “Daryl, you can’t just expect me to stay by saying my name. We need supplies. I’m fast, maybe not as fast as Glenn, but still— I can do this. I have to pitch in around here anyway otherwise, the women in this group are going to haul me off to do laundry. It may not seem so bad to you, but you get to leave and hunt whenever you want.” She knew she was whining, but she didn’t know how else to get it through his thick skull that she was a capable person.

            He let go of her, nodding. “Fine, get goin’.” He slipped out of the tent and walked off. She didn’t know where he was going, but she quickly finished packing up her things before leaving the tent.

            When she met back up with Glenn, he was a nervous wreck and more quiet than normal. Sammy had a sneaking suspicion of what happened and knew it had something to do with a certain Dixon. “What did he say to you?” She was going to smack that man when they got back.

            “N-nothing. Are you ready?” He bowed his head as he got into the driver’s side of the little Honda they were borrowing. She paused for a moment, wondering if it was worth bothering him about.

            A moment later, she got in the car, closing the door and pulling her seat belt over her shoulder. She set her backpack on the floor between her legs before shifting into a better position for the knife handles poking out from her hip holsters. They both dissolved into an awkward silence as Glenn finally started the car and exited the camp.

            They had barely made it back on the road before Sammy realized they hadn’t actually made a plan on where they were going for supplies, or if Glenn knew, he hadn’t shared the information. “So, are we going somewhere specific?”

            “Oh! Yeah, there’s a few stores close together outside of Atlanta that we’re going to first.” He nodded, not sure how much she wanted to know. “Uh, there’s a gun store, a hardware store, and I think a small grocery store.”

            “So, are we starting small for a reason? I don’t think there’s going to be much there if people were as panicked as they were in my hometown.” She looked at his face as he kept his eyes on the road, looking for any immediate danger.

            Glenn shrugged at her, “I don’t think we should hit up the bigger stores yet. I know we might have to sometime, but the smaller stores would probably have less Walkers around.”

            “And less goods.” She added.

            Again, he shrugged at her. She wasn’t sure what he wanted to accomplish with sticking to the smaller stores, but she kept her mouth shut for the rest of the drive. She listened to her iPod Touch that held all of her music on it and watched as motionless cars passed them by. There weren’t too many living dead on the roads, but Sammy wondered if the sound of the car passing through would draw them out on their return.

            Once Glenn had found the area they were going to scout, he looped around the block once to get an idea of how many Walkers were around. Sammy counted about five in total and Glenn parked the car near the gun store.

            They eased quietly from the car, leaving the doors open just a crack as Glenn pocketed the keys. He motioned for her to get the attention of two Walkers following each other’s noises around the front door of the store. He also whispered to her that he would go to the side of the building where the other three Walkers were tapping against the wall. She wasn’t going to argue with the amount he killed versus herself.

            Sammy made quick work of the Walkers she had to put down, not really looking at them except to wipe off her blades on their shirts. She waited a few minutes for Glenn to finish his three and sat down on a stone bench that was on the sidewalk. Once he had come back around, she knocked on the door of the building, finding it unlocked as it slightly swung with the force of her knocking. “What did you do that for?” Glenn whispered, slightly panicking that she made too loud of a noise.

            “It’s easier for them to come to us. Then we’ll know how many are in there, right?” She shrugged, turning to pull her backpack off one shoulder and pull free her opened water bottle. She took a few gulps before putting it back in the side pocket.

            It only took a moment for them to hear the growls by the front door of the gun shop and Sammy waved for Glenn to go first. He tried a move known well in the movies, where a man bravely kicks the door down, but it barely moved. The Walkers on the other side were leaning heavily on it, not allowing it to open. “Ow! Son of a—”

            “Shhh!” Sammy clapped her hand over his mouth as he howled in pain, holding his shin after he crumbled to the floor. “Can you stand up? Looks like we’re going to have to find a back door.”

            “I thought your knocking was supposed to make it easier,” Glenn hissed at her, climbing to his feet again as he tried to put weight on his hurt leg.

            Sammy threw his right arm over her head as a means to be his crutch so they could keep going. “I never said it was absolutely perfect.” They hobbled to the cleared side of the building, finding another door, but this one was locked. Sammy pounded against it and hoped the ones in the front would gather there.

            Glenn leaned himself against the wall of the building, putting more pressure on his leg while Sammy pressed her ear against the door, trying to listen. She could hear shuffling inside before a loud bang pounded against the door, making her jerk back. “I think I’m okay.”

            “You’re gonna have to be.” She didn’t wait for him before running back to the front side of the building. She pushed the door open slowly, holding her breath to try and slow down her racing heart. At first, she didn’t see anything, a large case of ammunitions that had clearly been ransacked was in her view of the side door.

            She felt a sudden tapping on her shoulder before she was slightly nudged forward. Peering over quickly, she noted it was Glenn telling her he was behind her. They both rushed in on their toes, pulling the first two Walkers back on their freed blades.

            It took another two minutes before they cleared the small store, a handful of Walkers laying on the tile floor. Sammy locked the gun store from the inside, not wanting anyone to come in while they were busy filling their pockets. She rummaged through the case in front of the door, pulling all of the loose bullets from the case that she could. There were a few boxes of assorted ammunitions left, like someone was trying to reload a weapon without paying attention to what they were grabbing. With the destruction of the rest of the cases, she could only imagine what happened in the store.

            It only took them a few more minutes to clear out the small shop, only finding a handful of guns and rifles, a few more boxes of ammo, and a few daggers that Sammy kept for herself. The other two stores Glenn had suggested were similar to the gun store. The shelves had barely anything inside, and what they could find wasn’t very useful. Sammy was more disappointed by the empty food shelves in the grocery store than anything else. Though she had managed to grab a good amount of spices for the cooking, forcing Glenn to carry two baskets full for her.

            As they were clearing out of the grocery store, Sammy noticed a large red circle across the street, her face perking up at the thought of going inside a larger store. “Glenn, Let’s go over there.” She pointed in the direction of the store, leaving her baskets of goodies in the trunk of their car.

            “Sammy, wait! We can’t go over there!” Glenn tried to call for her, but she was already crossing to the other side, staying low as she crossed the landscaping.

            Cars littered the parking lot of the large Target and Sammy weaved through, carefully looking around for Walkers. She was close to the front doors when she realized she made a mistake going to the large store. It took her a moment longer to realize the cars stationed by the front doors were a barricade to keep the Walkers from escaping the inside of the store. There were many already gathered between the cars and the front doors, and a handful had spotted her.

            Glenn appeared by her side, yanking her back as arms attempted to reach over the cars. Some were smart and were able to climb on top of the vehicles, making it over to follow after the two food sources.

            “Are you crazy?! I told you, we can’t go there! It’s too populated which means more Walkers are around!” Glenn yelled at her as they ran back to their car.

            Sammy panted as they crossed back on the correct side of the road, “I’m sorry!” Once they reached their car, they scrambled inside, shoving the locks down manually. Glenn went to start the car, but it suddenly sputtered and kicked before dying. “Glenn?”

            The man paled as he looked over at her, “I forgot about gas.”

            “What?”

            “The car has a leak from the dirt road, and I forgot about it!” He panicked, slamming his hands on the steering wheel.

            Sammy ran a hand through her hair, pulling at the ends as she watched Walkers start to make their way across the road. “Fuck!”

Chapter Text

            Undead pale, milky eyes stared back at Sammy, bloodied hands smearing stains across the glass that separated them. There weren’t too many, but in this close proximity, it seemed like her and Glenn were doomed. She wondered about rolling the window down a little bit to hack away at the fingers that would surely reach inside, but she knew if she did, they would have purchase and might break the window.

            Sammy thought about throwing the door open to push as many aside as she could, but she wasn’t sure that she could bolt from the car fast enough. Glenn wrapped his hand around her wrist, “Don’t even think about it.”

            She turned to glare at him, “I’m not going down like this, Glenn.”

            “I’m pretty sure we’ve both thought about the same ideas, none of them work.”

            “We can’t just sit here, expecting them to eat us alive. We have to get ourselves out of this situation. Help or don’t, but I’m tired of being scared.” Sammy pulled some of her new knives close to her chest, getting ready to throw the car door open and fight her way out. She meant what she said, she wasn’t going to be afraid anymore. She was counting on her adrenaline to help her through her plan, hoping she could take down at least three before running into the small grocery store they cleared. If Glenn wasn’t going to help her, then he would be left behind.

            She really needed to stop hanging around Merle.

            Sammy turned in her seat, placing her feet against the door, positioning a few knives between her fingers, and gripping the door handle with her other free hand between her legs. Once she pulled the handle enough, she pushed as hard as she could to throw the door open, panting hard as the fear of danger made the adrenaline race through her veins.

            The door didn’t swing open as much as she wanted, but she was still able to reach out and take down the Walker to her right, not held back by the door. Sammy lifted herself up, slipping between a set of arms to take down another Walker behind the door. She easily took down the other one before holding the car door completely open.

            Glenn was climbing over the console to help her when she silenced the last Walker on the passenger side of the car. She looked up, trying to count how many more were around them when two suddenly fell, falling limp on the ground. Glenn finally popped his head out as Sammy stood still, confused on how exactly they fell.

            Two figures were standing with aluminum bats, still posed in a finished swing. One was an elderly man in a fishing hat, and the other was a woman with blonde hair tied up in a ponytail. “Hey there.”

            “Uh, thanks for the assist!” Glenn called out, tripping a little over a Walker hand as he freed himself from the car.

            The elderly man gave them a nod, lowering his bat while the blonde still stood there on the defensive. “Are you folks alright? Not hurt are you?”

            Sammy stood there, a little nervous about the other two people standing there. From the looks of them, they seem harmless and even friendly, but she wasn’t sure if she felt all that trusting. “Fine, thanks.” She said shortly, putting her hand on the holstered knife at her hip. She held Glenn back with her other hand when he attempted to move towards them.

            With a nudge from the blonde, the older gentleman turned to look to his right, where more Walkers were coming to investigate the source of noise. “Does your vehicle still work? You can join us if you like.”

            “Dale!” The blonde woman didn’t seem to like the idea.

            Glenn was nodding before Sammy could open her mouth. “ We ran out of gas, but our camp isn’t too far from here.”

            “Shut up!” Sammy hissed at him, shoving into him slightly to keep him from talking.

            “We take in as many as we can, Sammy.” He moved away from her, going around the car to the trunk to clear out the supplies they collected. The older man, Dale, moved forward quickly to help Glenn carry the baskets. Sammy and the blonde woman were stuck staring at each other, neither moving to help the men.

            “C’mon girls, unless you want to be Walker food!” A new voice, small and feminine called out from a large RV. Both women dropped their eyes and moved toward the RV, fast. Sammy was the last one in, slamming the door behind her as Dale peeled away quickly.

            Looking around the large home on wheels, Sammy noted it was cramped with stuff. Every crevice was full of random junk, starting to spill out into the living spaces like the sofa and back bedroom. She stayed close to the door, watching as Glenn perched himself on the edge of the long couch, looking out the large windshield in front of Dale.

            The blonde had disappeared into the back room with the other woman, both sitting on the larger bed as the RV rocked on the road. Judging from their closeness, Sammy figured they were sisters or mother and daughter. Even guessing that Dale was their father or a family friend.

            “So, you said something about a camp?” Dale looked back between her and Glenn. “Do you possibly have room for us?”

            Glenn was already nodding, deciding to move up and settle himself in the passenger seat. “We don’t mind taking in more people. Our camp is pretty safe, we have people patrolling constantly. We’re in a quarry off the interstate.”

            Sammy knew Glenn was nice and friendly, but this was a little too much for her. “Everyone pulls their weight though. You don’t, you’re on your own.” She told him, deciding to squat between the males, her arms resting on their chairs.

            Merle’s plan of wanting to steal from these people seemed like it would never happen if they were dependent on the brothers to hunt. It turned out there wasn’t much of anything to steal, especially with how open Shane was about taking in survivors. These new people were just another kick in their plan. Though, she wasn’t sure how the brothers felt about it now that there was a use for them. Even the folks in their little town hadn’t ever been this reliant on them.

            “We can be helpful.” Dale nodded to her. Glenn started giving him directions to the quarry, while Sammy went back to the door, watching as they slowly made it back to camp.

            She would need a bath as soon as she got back, not wanting Daryl to potentially catch her with Walker blood all over her clothes. That is, if he made it back before them from his hunting trip. Which wasn’t likely since he hunted for at least two days before bringing back a larger haul.

            It wasn’t long before they came across the highway, Glenn and Sammy moving the two cars that lead down the path toward the quarry. Once they were back in the RV, Glenn directed Dale down carefully, telling him to go slow enough in case someone was out watching on the perimeter. This was the part Sammy was nervous about. She wasn’t sure who was supposed to be out on patrol right now, whether it was Merle, Shane or someone else.

            As they drove down further into the quarry, a jeep pulled out from the brush a good distance ahead, and when Dale looked in his rear view mirror a truck had pulled in behind them. Glenn hurried to the door but was blocked by Sammy as she waited for the patrollers to exit their vehicles. Once they did, she forced the door open and stepped out calmly while Glenn stumbled on the steps.

            She recognized the two vehicles right away. The Jeep belonging to Shane and the truck belonging to another man named James. She waved in Shane’s direction causing him to start jogging over with his patrolling gun pointed down and across his hip. “Sammy, Glenn. Good to see you’re back in one piece,” He nodded to the RV, “Not the vehicle we sent you with, though. What happened?”

            “We ran into some trouble but were rescued by these folks. They’re looking for a camp. Can we take them in? We take in everyone, right?” Glenn asked, standing between Sammy and the RV while looking nervously between her and Shane. His nervousness reminded her of a child that brought home a stray and was asking his parents if he could keep it. In a way it was cute, until she remembered that it was a survivors world now.

            Shane was eyeing the RV carefully, spotting Dale still sitting in the driver’s seat. “Have them all come out, no weapons. Supplies are in high demand now and if they can’t contribute, then they can’t join.” Glenn was nodding and bounding back up the steps into the RV, ready to relay the message. Shane turned to Sammy, “What’s your take on them?”

            She was honestly a little surprised he was asking for her opinion, her closeness with the Dixon brothers made it hard for anyone to talk to her. “Uh, they’re fine, I guess. Two blonde girls and an older guy. The older man is kind enough, the older blonde is a bit hot-headed and untrusting, the other girl I don’t know much of anything.” She shrugged, “But if they contribute, I don’t care.”

            Glenn and the others came out from the large camper at that moment, staying a bit closer to their vehicle. Glenn took it upon himself to introduce the new survivors, “Shane, this is Dale, Andrea, and Amy.” He pointed to each of them before clasping his hands in front of him from nerves. His eyes still moved from Shane and Sammy to the three beside him.

            Looking them over, Shane gave a small nod to James, who had been standing at the back and to the side of the RV. It was a sign of acceptance and that they didn’t need to draw their weapons. “To be blunt, we need people to work. It’s all hard work and everyone contributes, if you have an issue with that, you can get back in your camper and go find another spot.”

            Dale stepped forward before Andrea or Amy could say a word, “We can be of help. Whatever you need. We have resources in the RV as well that we can share.” Dale turned to look at the girls, their nods of approval slow but willing to follow along with him.

            Shane nodded at them, “Alright, follow me back to the camp then. Glenn, go with them. Sammy,” he turned to her, jutting a finger in James’ direction. “Tag along with James and finish the patrol for me.”

            Sammy gave him a cold look, her hands instantly coming to rest on her hips, “Have you seen the state of my clothes? I think I’d rather bathe and get cleaned up.”

            He looked at her bloodied clothes and nodded, “Let me just get the new folks into the camp and I’ll come get you right after.” He gave her another nod and made his way back to his jeep. Sammy gawked at him, feeling irritated that he wouldn’t just let her rest for the remainder of the day.

            “C’mon, Sammy, best do as the man says and get it over with,” a hand landed on her shoulder, gripping her shirt to tug her backwards. When she looked over her shoulder, she saw James giving his best smirk. He was handsome. Tall, chiseled face, five o’clock shadow, and muscular in all the right places. He looked like a model on a magazine cover, the perfect type of guy she would use to steal money from.

            If the world hadn’t ended; they could have met on Instagram.

            “I don’t really give a damn what Shane says. As far as I’m concerned, he ain’t the boss of me,” Sammy marched angrily toward James’ vehicle, clenching and unclenching her fists at her sides.

            James jogged three steps before catching up with her, shortening his strides to match her pace. He grinned at her, “Don’t let him hear ya, he’ll get his panties in a twist and Lori just might force ya to do laundry.”

            She cracked a smile, rolling her eyes. “Don’t say mean things like that. It might come true.”

            He gently knocked his arm against hers, “Everyone knows you wouldn’t do it anyway. I don’t think many people would risk having no clean clothes for a week. Me included.”

            “Oh, thanks for that!” She tried to full on shove him, but he was heavier than her, barely getting his arm to push into his side. “Though, you’re probably right. I hate not having a machine to do it for me.”

            “Such is the luxurious life of electricity,” James agreed. They climbed into the car, James making sure to let her buckle before driving off back toward the perimeter. He drove slowly around the open line, both keeping an eye out for anything unusual.

            Sammy tapped his arm with her pointer finger, getting his attention, “How often do you guys see Walkers?”

            James swept his eyes back toward the line, “Not as often as you might think. In fact, we haven’t seen a single one. Either they aren’t coming this far from the city and the army has them pushed back, or they’re finding food somewhere else.”

            “Don’t you think the army would have found us by now?” She asked, giving her attention to the glove compartment in front of her as she searched it for some kind of entertainment. She found a small book of word search puzzles partly used but decided to skim it.

            James shrugged as he looked at her again, “Not entirely. From what I saw in the city, they were overrun. A lot of their bases were taken, so maybe they’re prioritizing a better base. I’m thinkin’ they’re missing some equipment or something. Maybe clearing roads are hard.” He paused for a moment, making Sammy look at him with an eyebrow raised.

            “What?”

            James looked away from her, bringing his hand up to his mouth as he looked back to the perimeter and deciding to move on. “I’m thinking it might be hard for soldiers to remain in the line of duty when they don’t know the outcome of their families and loved ones.”

            Sammy didn’t say anything more about it, knowing he was probably right. If there was a breakout in Georgia, then it’s probably not the only state. As a Georgia local, she didn’t think there was anything special about the state, minus the CDC, but last she heard, they were supposedly working on a cure. She never heard a single rumor about the CDC starting the outbreak, in fact, she didn’t think any of them did.

            They finished the patrol, Shane not relieving her as promised. She returned to her tent in a foul mood, wanting nothing more than to bathe and go to bed. She didn’t care about helping to prep for dinner (it was her turn to help a woman named Carol make meals for the week), she just wanted to feel clean. She knew Shane wouldn’t be coming to apologize, hooking up with Lori must have been more appealing than keeping a promise.

            The one person she was and wasn’t looking forward to seeing, wasn’t around at the moment. Though, Sammy knew if she didn’t hurry and at least change her clothes, he would be and he would not be thrilled at her state of dress. Both of the Dixon brothers were more protective of her, but only because they were an original group and have known each other for so long.

            Grabbing a few pieces of clean clothes, she came out of the tent, coming face to face with Daryl. He was setting his crossbow down against one of their chairs, a string of squirrels slung over his shoulder. “th’ fuck happened to you?” He asked, looking at her bloodied clothes.

            “Glenn and I met some unfriendly’s while we were out. He forgot that the car needed gas and we got stranded for a moment, until the newbies rescued us.” She explained. “I killed a few Walkers, I’m not hurt, and Shane wouldn’t let me bathe earlier. So can I go now without getting the third degree, dad?” She didn’t mean to be snippy with him, it wasn’t his fault that her day had been shitty, but she was tired of feeling the dried blood crack and pull at her skin.

            Daryl wasn’t fazed by her tone, knowing she liked to be clean more than anything. Even though the world was changing, she wasn’t. “Jus’ wait fer a sec.” She glowered at him, but he slipped inside the tent, grabbing his own set of clothes.

            The sun was setting low over the horizon, completely disappearing over the quarry by the time the two made it to the waters edge. They hadn’t said a word to each other the entire way, choosing to walk in silence. Sammy immediately started peeling off her clothes, leaving her underwear on and a hand over her chest as she crouched to dunk her dirty shirt and pants in the cooler water. Daryl waited, giving her a moment of privacy as he turned his back to her. She was a little grateful, but she couldn’t care less if he watched her. Afterall, her feelings for him hadn’t gone away.

            Instead of sticking around, he shed his pants, keeping his own underwear on as he started wading in the water. His shirt was still on his back, but she knew why he wouldn’t take it off. Her own scars were on full display for a peeking eye, but she viewed hers as a strength, not a weakness. She had overcome her abuse, using them as an advantage in her pre-apocalyptic life.

            She looked up at him before following him into the water, his back still turned to her until he felt her touch on his shoulder. She quietly handed him a bar of soap that was cut in half, keeping the other half for herself. “I guess I shouldn’t be too mad at Shane for making me wait,” Sammy mumbled. “Especially if that means you and I can bathe together.” She sent him a smile as he looked up at her.

            He didn’t smile back at her as he asked, “Why did ya come back so late?” He rubbed the bar of soap on his feet, starting his washing from the base of his body.

            Sammy looked away from him as she started washing her arms, dragging the bar up to her armpit to scrub at the dirty feeling of dried blood. “Shane stuck me with James to finish the rest of their patrol and said he would relieve me once he got the newbies settled in,” She explained, running the soap over her other arm. “I guess he was summoned to Lori’s tent for some late night entertainment, and he forgot about everything else. I just hope Carol isn’t too mad that I’m not helping with dinner.”

            Daryl stopped soaping up his legs, looking at her as she moved to her shoulders and chest, “James? Why him?” Sammy noticed Daryl’s tone. It was no secret that he didn’t like the handsome man, both Daryl and Sammy knew he was the type of man she used to go after for deep pockets. But she had changed from all that. She could no longer be that type of girl in this world, there was nothing to gain from it. She would rather put all her eggs in a survivalists basket than someone who has access to cash. Guessing from Daryl’s annoyance, he didn’t know that.

            Maybe it was time for her to come clean to Daryl about her true feelings. “Nothing is going to happen between me and James, Daryl,” she told him honestly. “Look, I’m sticking with you and Merle. I’m not the same Sammy that worked in a biker bar. I’m an undead survivalist with limited time in the world, now.”

            She swam closer to him, but he ignored her as he slipped the bar of soap under his shirt and started rubbing it into his skin. “So?”

            “So… I’m done running from my feelings, Daryl,” Sammy breathed out, putting a clean hand on top of his clothed shoulder, and pulling herself closer to him.

            His arm slipped slightly around her back, holding the small of back as she continued closer. “Sam—”

            “You two squealin’ girls done washin’ each other’s knickers, yet?” Merle suddenly called out, making the two push apart in the water. “Dinner is on! Sammy, I had to fill in for ya and I ain’t happy ‘bout it. Git yer asses over here!”

            The two didn’t look at each other as they swam back to the shoreline, and Merle’s back was turned as they came out. They toweled off in silence before dressing quickly and following Merle back to the camp. Daryl was kind enough to take their wet clothes to the laundry area to be cleaned.

            Sammy made her way over to the line of people still waiting to be served, going to the front where Carol was sweetly and silently giving out bowls of food. “Sorry, Carol. What’s on the menu?”

            Carol let Sammy join her at the small serving table, handing out another bowl of slop, “It’s some kind of soup Merle made. Honestly, I don’t know what’s in it.”

            “And you’re serving this to people?” Sammy gasped. The next few people in the line looked at her with concern, hesitant to take the soup.

            Carol waved her hand at the people in line, “It’s fine. I tasted it. We’ve had worse meals.” The line continued to thin out as they served together.

            James stepped up for his own serving, giving Sammy a smile, “Hey, do you want to go foraging tomorrow? I need some lessons on what to pick and what to stay away from.”

            The petite woman grimaced, “I don’t know… I have to clean some squirrels the Dixon’s brought back and make jerky out of it. How about I let you know?”

            “Can I come too?” A little voice that had yet to hit puberty suddenly spoke up, causing Sammy and James to look over. Carl, son of Lori, was standing at the washing bin, tossing his used bowl into the growing pile of dirty dishes.

            “Uh..” He gave Sammy the biggest puppy-dog eyes he could, making her a bit uncomfortable. She wasn’t quite sure how to handle kids, never having to deal with them as she worked at a bar. Plus, coming from a small town that were warry of her family made it easier to keep away from kids.

            James coughed, trying to hide a laugh at her expense as he came to her rescue, “How about you ask your mom first, bud?” He reached a large hand over and patted Carl’s head, giving him a little hair tussle before retracting his hand.

            “Carl!” Speak of the woman and she will appear, Sammy thought. “What have I told you about leaving my sight?” Lori’s voice was stern as she gave her son a scolding.

The boy bowed his head a little before remembering he needed to ask her something, “Can I go with Sammy and James to forage tomorrow?” His eyes were hopeful as he looked up at the tall woman, making her instantly hesitant.

Sammy honestly didn’t see the problem; Lori was constantly forcing others to watch Carl for her while she went off with Shane. Though, she had yet to ask the Dixon’s or Sammy to do so. When Lori looked at the two, Sammy just gave her a shrug while James gave a big smile. “Uh.. Only if they’re staying close to the camp. No overnight trips.”

“I got an early morning patrol, so it’ll have to be after that and I gotta stay pretty close to camp anyway,” James said. “We can watch him and teach him a few things.”

Sammy shrugged again, “I just have to make jerky and then we can go.”

Lori ushered him off after that, realizing they were keeping Sammy from finishing her job. Carol was silent the whole time but had a nice smile on her face as she watched the exchange. It was instantly gone when her rugged and smelly husband came to collect her. “Carol, let’s go.” He brought some kind of drink with him, taking a hefty sip.

She didn’t lift her eyes to meet his, her expression sad once again, “But Ed, I—”

“Now, woman,” he cut her off with a growl. Sammy watched them; her eyebrows pulled together in anger. She couldn’t understand why Carol would put up with that, especially with the world in the state that it was in. If it were her, she would have dragged a Walker over to him and let him be eaten. It’s not like anyone would know if  she did it intentionally.

With downcast eyes, Carol mumbled out a small apology to Sammy as she got up from the serving table. She was about to reach out to the older woman when a hand clamped on her wrist, forcing her to look up, meeting Daryl’s hard eyes. He had been watching her the whole time, standing at the back of the line.

They watched the older couple walk away back to wherever Ed was taking her before Daryl let go of Sammy. “Don’t go stickin’ yer nose where it don’t belong,” he scolded her.

With a roll of her eyes, she fixed him a bowl of the soup and got up when he took it. Since he was the last one, her job was finished and if she wanted, she could get herself some of the food, but since Merle made it, she gave it a hard pass. “Merle made the soup, so there’s no way I’m eating that.”

“Don’t think ya can afford to be picky now,” he told her, walking with her back to the main campfire. Merle was sitting slightly on the outside of the group, two empty chairs next to him.

“Where’s yer bowl?” Merle asked her as she sat between the two Dixon’s.

“I ate mine at the table already,” she lied. Daryl nudged her, hiding a smirk as he shoveled a spoonful in his mouth. She nudged him back, telling him to be quiet.

Apparently, he couldn’t help himself, “She’s lying.”

“Daryl!” She whined loudly, causing heads to turn in their direction. “…has a story about the time he saw a Chupacabra!” Sammy jumped up quickly, moving back towards her shared tent as she laughed at the look on Daryl’s face. “Night y’all!”

“What’s a Chupacabra?” She heard Carl ask. Daryl was stuck now, being forced to tell his infamous story about meeting the folklore creature. He shouldn’t have ratted her out to Merle, she thought.

Instead of going straight to her tent, she went around to the food storage spot, claiming some snacks and granola bars as her dinner. She knew if anyone found out, they wouldn’t be happy, especially Shane and Lori, but Sammy didn’t care. She went with Glenn to get more supplies, she contributed like she was supposed to, and she helped out on making sure there was enough to go around. Taking some of those supplies for herself wasn’t a big deal, at least not to her.

Sammy went into her tent, laying down under her sheet, not bothering with a comforter as the hot Georgia air kept her warm enough. She snuggled down into her bed with her snacks eating them quickly before falling asleep while waiting for the others to return.

Chapter Text

The sun rose just over the quarry when Sammy was pulled from her slumber. Daryl was softly snoring next to her, having slipped in the tent quieter than a mouse last night. The cause for her rousing was stomping his way over in his typical grumpy manor, shaking the tent as he hollered for his brother, “Darylina! Sun’s a risin’!”

“Go away, Merle,” Sammy moaned out, still tired as she rolled over toward Daryl.

The younger Dixon cracked his eyes open, his snoring ceased as he cleared his throat. Sammy curled into him a little more, resting her forehead against his bare arm. He reached over, patting her shoulder before gently sitting up. She groaned in annoyance, not being a morning person in the least. “I’m comin’, don’t get yer panties in a twist,” Daryl told him.

“Another hunting trip, already?” she asked, sitting up and rubbing at her eyes.

“Gotta keep the food comin’ for all them mouths to feed,” he told her. “Things are getting a bit harder to find out there.”

Sammy looked surprised, “It’s only been a few weeks, what’s happening?”

“Deer are scared, more alert to noises. We’d have to go out for a few days to track some down, and even then you’d have to find a trail first.” He got up and started getting ready by checking his gear, pulling out things he’d need to go hunting. “Squirrels are easier but they’re starting to thin out.” He opened his arrow case, grabbing the only two he had left. “Ah, shit.”

“I’ll make some more for you, don’t worry,” she offered, stretching out before getting up herself. She pulled on some shorts before throwing one of his clean shirts over her fitted tank top. Her arms slipped through the torn sleeves as she let it hang open before joining him to put on her shoes.

Daryl was kind enough to hold the tent flap open for her, letting her slip out first. Merle wasn’t in sight, but they heard him shuffling around in his tent. She shared a look with Daryl, both a little concerned at the older Dixon’s actions. “Fuck, Merle,” Daryl growled, annoyed at his brother for continuing his drug addiction.

Sammy shrunk off, going for the pile of squirrels they managed to keep cool deep in the earth. A nice survival trick she picked up from the Dixon’s. Merle was full of interesting tips and tricks and would give some up for free on his drugged out days, just before hitting the pillow. All she had to do was wait out the rest of the day where he almost always did stupid shit before he would grow tired and just want to talk.

Once she got to the pile, she realized one of the Dixon’s had started the brining process for her, the meat already skinned and slimmed into perfect sections for jerky. All Sammy had left to do was season it and cook it. She had a smile on her face as she held up the large pot, carrying it over to her makeshift jerky spot. It was close by to her tent so she could get up and check on it every once in a while throughout the day. All it really consisted of was tall sticks formed in a triangle and leaves to cover the meat with a spot underneath for the fire. Part of her foraging would be gathering leaves to smoke into the meat for that extra flavor.

“Hey,” the familiar voice of Daryl called out to her. Sammy turned to him, the smile still on her face. “Uh, be careful of that guy,” he mumbled.

Instantly, she knew who he was talking about, but couldn’t help the eye roll. Daryl had never liked her choice in men, which she knew, but it was different now. “Carl hasn’t even hit puberty yet, Daryl,” she teased, a smirk forming on her lips as she looked at him.

He knew she was teasing, but it bothered him that she wasn’t taking his request seriously. Their moment the previous night was ruined by Merle and neither one of them had brought it up. Whatever confidence he had must have suddenly been stripped away at her response. “Fine,” he snapped, suddenly angry. “Whatever.” He started walking off away from her to go on his hunt.

Sammy rolled her eyes and called for him, but he didn’t turn to her. “I’m just joking, Daryl! Sheesh,” she said, catching up to him and trying to pull his arm to get him to slow down.

“Well, I ain’t,” he admitted, letting her pull on him.

She tugged a little harder, still trying to tease him, “Jealousy looks good on you.”

“Get offa me,” he growled at her, pulling his arm from her grasp. All she did was reattach herself.

“Daryl wait,” all teasing was gone from her voice which instantly made him look at her. “I was serious last night. I meant every word.” She was looking into his eyes, a tell that she was honest. “I’m sticking with you and Merle, wherever you go, I do too. If you wanted to pack up and leave the group right now, I’d ask where we’re going.” She paused to lick her lips, an action that had him follow the small muscle. “I’m not the same Sammy anymore that worked in the bar. Call it maturity, call it whatever you want, but I’m done being that girl.”

He eyed her for a moment, taking in all of her words and shifting a little uncomfortably. There was no doubt the two had a strong attachment to the other, but as for who would initiate contact, that was all in Sammy’s court. He knew she meant she wasn’t going to use other men like she was while working in the bar, but what that meant for him, he didn’t understand nor was he going to ask. He wasn’t the type of guy to ask for clarification on whether or not they would be together now. So, all he responded with was, “A’ight.”

Sammy’s smile returned as she squeezed his arm, “Alright. Go on, bring back some good meat. Venison would be nice!” She let him go off, his brother waiting by the tree line in the distance. She waved until she couldn’t see them anymore and ventured into the community part of the camp.

It was still too early for James to be done with his patrol and there was no way Carl was awake yet, so she went to help the others make breakfast. It wasn’t her turn, but she was in a good enough mood to help out, or at least offer.

One of the new girls from the previous day was awake and moving around the small fire for breakfast. It was the girl Sammy didn’t meet until they were inside the RV, the younger girl. She looked sweet, like a nice southern girl with blonde hair that went past her shoulders, and a thin frame. She must have still been a teenager. “Uh, hi there,” Sammy greeted awkwardly, not remembering her name.

“Oh, hi! Sorry, I don’t actually know what I’m doing. I was just told to be out here to help prep for breakfast in the morning. Are you the one that’s going to show me what I’m supposed to do?” She talked a mile a minute, almost sapping Sammy’s energy and making her want to crawl back in bed.

All she wanted to do was offer to help and hopefully be turned away so she could go back to bed. It took everything in her to be nice and not turn around to do just that. “Let’s just start with names… I’m Sammy,” the woman offered, remembering to be polite.

“Amy,” the younger girl rushed out, giving a bright smile that could rival the sun.

“It’s nice to meet you, Amy. Though it’s not my day to help out with breakfast, I just happened to be up and came to offer my services,” Sammy said. “But I’m thinking of crawling back to bed until coffee is made at least.”

Amy’s eyes went wide, “There’s coffee?”

“Not exactly,” came a sharp voice from behind the girls. Lori appeared on the other side of the fire, the sun finally halfway into the quarry as it cast them in the warm light.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Sammy asked, feeling disappointed at the news. All she wanted was a nice warm cup of caffeine.

Lori folded her arms over her chest, as if she were preparing for back talk. “We need to conserve it for those that wake up to go on patrol early in the mornings. There’s just not enough to go around.” Sammy was going to give her the back talk she was apparently looking for.

“How did the coffee supply dry up? That’s not fair to keep it only for your boyfriend,” Sammy mouthed, knowing she would be getting the third degree. She was tired of Lori and Shane making up rules that only had themselves in mind. When Lori went to argue back to her, Sammy just held up a hand, “You know what? Forget it. I’m going back to bed.”

This was one of the reasons why her and the Dixon’s weren’t entirely welcome in the group. They couldn’t keep their mouths closed or keep opinions to themselves.

Sammy stomped back over to her tent, casting the flaps aside quickly and throwing herself back on her covers. She groaned loudly in her pillows; the sound muffled. She was tired of the campers and their rules, more than ever she wanted Merle to just rob them of whatever they could and flee. At this point, Sammy didn’t think this group was worth it.

Sometime during her frustrations, she fell asleep, dreaming of better days and people she was familiar with. They quickly warped into horrendous nightmares of flesh eating monsters and her loved ones asking why Sammy abandoned them. When she woke up, her body was wet with sweat and tears pooled at her eyes. She took a moment to gather herself, steel herself once more and changed out of her sweaty attire, kicking her clothes into their little pile by the door.

Sammy pulled a fitted sports bra on along with a drop arm muscle t-shirt that was cropped and some cute booty shorts. She fastened her knife holsters before pulling on some clean socks with her work boots and tied her hair up in a ponytail, ready to forage. Once she stepped out of her tent, she was surprised to see James standing there.

“Wow, sorry! I was just coming to get you,” he lowered his hand from a weird knocking position, not that anyone could really knock on a tent. “Do we need any baskets or anything?” He walked beside her, making light conversation as they went to the common area to pick up Carl.

“We have to go see Dale, he’s got piles of crap in his RV. I’m sure he has a basket or two,” she said, keeping her eyes on the large camper as they got closer.

Lori marched Carl over to them, practically dumping the poor kid on James as Sammy dodged and went for the RV, knocking on the door. Dale opened it, giving the young woman a smile, “Well, Sammy, come on in! What can I do for ya?”

Sammy entered the packed RV, looking around at the overly stuffed camper, “I just need a basket or two if you can spare any.”

Dale was already nodding at her. He went to the table and bent over one of the benches, pulling the cushion up to reveal a storage space full of pots and pans. Apparently, there were some baskets hidden inside as well. “Here you are,” he handed them over to her, still smiling, “Whatever you need, don’t hesitate to ask. I’ve got loads of stuff crammed in here so there’s a good chance I’ll have whatever you’re looking for.”

She nodded her head, not doubting his words for a second. “Thank you, I’ll return them once we’re done,” she offered a wave as she turned to leave, but he quickly stopped her.

“Where are you going? If you don’t mind my asking.”

“Foraging for some mushrooms, herbs, whatever we can, really. We’re not going far,” she took a step back, continuing to head outside as he let her.

“Well, stay safe out there, take precautions,” he told her. Sammy looked up at him with surprise. In that moment, she didn’t see Dale, she saw Clive, her grandpa, telling her to come back home safe and sound. She had to shake her head and clear her throat, giving Dale a nod as she hurried off to join Carl and James.

            James reached out to her, seeing her pale face as she returned with the baskets, “Hey, you alright? You look pale.” His hand came down on her shoulder, trying to be nice.

            All she could do was nod and try for a smile, telling herself that Dale was not Clive. They didn’t even remotely look similar, but his words felt the same. “Uh, I’m fine, let’s go.” She shot off in front of the other two, leading them towards one of the sides of camp that was lush with greenery.

            “What’s out here that we can forage?” Carl asked, watching Sammy as she slowed down to start looking at the different shrubs and plants.

            Sammy smiled at him and waved him over to her, “See that?” She pointed to some tall green stalks and when he only looked at her, she continued. “That’s either onion or garlic. Go up to it and smell it. You know the difference between onion and garlic, right?”

            Carl gave her a frown, “Of course I do.” He left her side, bending down and sniffing at the plant. “It smells like onion,” he told her.

            The woman was already nodding her head, “Pull it up and put it in the basket. Those are like Chives and are great for seasoning.” Carl did as he was told, collecting all the ones that were around them.

            James looked around, helping where he could. “So, how did you start foraging?” He asked, looking up at Sammy from a serviceberry bush. Something she told him was good for snacking and good for catching birds.

            Sammy shrugged, “Daryl taught me. Both brothers have taught me a lot about survival.”

            “You and the Dixons have known each other a long time, then?” James inquired, putting the berries he collected in the basket before going to collect more.

            Sammy gave him a nod, “Since I was about eight or so.” She looked up from her spot collecting mushrooms to check on Carl. “Hey, don’t go off on your own, Carl. Your mom will kill me.” He looked up at her and waved, still looking for the garlic and onion chives he found earlier.

            They all gathered together, filling up both baskets rather quickly. James made as much conversation as he could, trying to get to know Sammy. She felt uncomfortable with all of his pestering questions but answered most of them as generally as she could. She refused to talk about her childhood and barely discussed the people who raised her. She just wasn’t used to sharing a lot of truthful information about herself.

            The men she usually dated hadn’t known a single truthful thing about her. Her favorite color was black, but she lied and always said purple since it made her look more attractive. If she was honest and said black, how many men would think she were goth or emo? Hiding the truth and selling herself for more always paid better for her. But now that she didn’t have to lie, it just felt odd to be honest.

            “Ms. Sammy?” Carl looked up at her as they were walking back to camp, a shy glint in his eye.

            “Don’t call me Miss, it makes me cringe. Just Sammy is fine,” she requested, nodding for him to continue as James silenced his pestering questions.

            “Okay, Sammy. Could you teach me some more stuff about being in the woods?” He asked, hopeful she would agree. “Shane does on occasion, but he’s been disappearing from time to time or going on patrol.” Sammy knew what the disappearing meant, but she wouldn’t be the one to ruin his childhood innocence. She would leave that to one or both of the Dixon brothers. Their lack of filters would have any offspring spitting curses out of the womb.

            Smiling at the growing boy, Sammy nodded, “It’d be my pleasure.” She positioned one of the baskets on her left hip as she used her right hand to pat his back. “Maybe we can get one of the Dixon’s to pitch in.”

            Carl dropped his gaze, frowning. “Uh, actually, my mom doesn’t really like them. She doesn’t know why you hang out with them and thinks it’s weird.” He shrugs as he looks up at her, watching as her lips fell into her own frown. “But she still let me come out with you, so she must like you!” He tried to cover.

            Sammy’s gaze lifted to James, who was already looking at her and gave her a one shoulder shrug of his own. “It’s okay, kid. I’ve known the Dixon’s since I was born. They grow on you like a leech eventually. They’re good for some things, but boy do they bite.” She laughed at her own joke, making Carl smile as they continued on.

            She switched the topic back to what he wanted to know and gave him whatever tips she could remember. Always carry some spare food in a backpack, have another means of weapon on you if your primary goes missing, always pack a bag for overnight just in case, etc. “Hey, Sammy? Can you teach me how to make Jerky?” Carl asked her, interrupting her spew of tips.

            Sammy raised an eyebrow at him before pondering the question. There wasn’t really any harm in doing so.. She could have a little buddy to keep herself distracted until the Dixon’s got back. The only problem would be Lori, but considering she pawned her child off on most of the campers anyway, it didn’t seem that big of a deal. “Sure,” she affirmed, giving him a smile. “I have some going at the camp right now. But if the Dixon’s bring back a good haul, I can show you everything we need to do to make it.”

            “How did you discover how to make jerky in the wild?” James asked her, still trying to keep up with the conversation.

            Sammy shrugged, “YouTube.” There were tons of videos with decent clips on how to survive in the wild, plus lots of tv shows, but Sammy didn’t care to elaborate.

            They all entered camp again a moment later, Sammy immediately looking around for the brothers. Carl dragged her off toward his mom before she could attempt an escape, carrying the baskets of goodies with them. “Mom! Look what we foraged!” Carl’s excitement caught the attention of Lori, Shane and Dale who were under the awning of the RV.

            Lori’s lips pulled up into a smile as she watched her son run the rest of the way to her. “What did you find?” She reached out and smoothed down the hairs on his head in adoration.

            “Sammy helped me find onions that are like Chives! She says they’re good for seasoning. We got berries too!” He pointed to the basket in Sammy’s hands as she awkwardly handed the goods over to Dale. “She says she’s going to teach me how to make Jerky.” Carl’s face was beaming as he told his mom about their little trip. Sammy thought it was the happiest he had been in a while, knowing everyone needed a good distraction at some point to keep from going crazy.

            Lori looked expectantly at Sammy, making the younger woman grimace and shrug. “I don’t mind. It’s not like we’ll be leaving camp to do it and I’ve already got some going.”

            “Yeah, sure. Go ahead,” Lori mumbled, nodding at her son. He cheered before sending Sammy a wide grin, causing the other adults to chuckle. It had been some time before anyone, especially Carl, had shown some genuine excitement about anything since the apocalypse. Seeing his cheeriness caused some kind of infectious excitement to spread around the camp for the afternoon as people did chores with an extra pep to their step.

            Showing Carl how to cook Jerky was easy. Sammy showed him how to make a brine bath; the first step to curing the wild meats, which was basically just a shit ton of salt and some water. The killer to the whole process was the waiting. Having something like a dehydrator made everything easier, but since they didn’t have electricity, they had to go the longer route.

            She showed him her makeshift Jerky Teepee and how she hung and covered the meats to cook evenly before drying out. Again, the worst part of the process was waiting. It would be the next day before they were even ready, but Carl seemed patient and eager to learn.

            Sammy felt strange bonding with a kid so easily. Not that she ever tried in her hometown, but still. It was nice not to hear cursing every other word for once. “Gonna need some more leaves and branches. You think it’d be okay to come with?” She asked her charge, raising a brow at him.

            Carl was already nodding his head. “Of course!”

            Sammy rolled her eyes but cracked a smile at him, “No, I mean, will your mom be okay with it?”

            “Yeah,” his voice was smaller, more hesitant as he gave her an answer. He wouldn’t meet her eyes, which gave her the clue that he wasn’t being honest with her.

            “Look, I would love to take you out with me, but if you’re not going to be honest, then this friendship isn’t going to work out, dude.” Sammy hip checked him or attempted to since he wasn’t all that tall yet. “Go ask her and then come back with the truth.”

            Carl shook his head, looking down as his shoulders slumped in defeat. “She probably won’t let me. The sun is going down.” He looked up at the retreating sun as it cast them in an amber glow.

            Sammy frowned at the sky, finding it odd that the Dixon brothers weren’t back yet. They would have made it back to the shared tents first to show off their haul before cleaning and preparing the game. She was starting to feel a little panicked that something was keeping them, or something happened to them. “C’mon, I’ll take you back. We can wait on the leaves until tomorrow if you want, I should have enough for the rest of tonight.” She slung her arm over his shoulders to pull him into her side as they made their way back to the RV.

            She dropped off Carl to his mother with a promise to take him out again the next day for leaves and possibly more foraging. She made her way back to the perimeter behind her tent, slipping into the forest easily without being seen. Sammy would keep her promise to Carl, but she also told Daryl she would make him more bolts for his cross bow and in order to do that, she needed sticks. She already had duct tape to make the fletching’s, but the most important part was finding the right type of stick or straight rod.

            Not being allowed out of the camp at night, her only option was to go in search of sticks in the woods. She had made Daryl arrows plenty of times before, but her least favorite thing was looking for the right sticks. It was very time consuming and, honestly, a pain in the ass to do. Which was why she always went to Bass Pro Shop in Atlanta to get materials.

            Another reason for slipping into the woods was to follow a bit of the Dixon’s trail, as much as she could. Daryl gave her some tips about tracking, but most of the things he told her went right over her head. She wasn’t even good at it; not like he was. But it didn’t stop her from at least attempting to follow them.

            She followed the tree line she knew they took, trying to keep that gnawing fear from crawling up her spine that something happened to them. Of all the men in the world, the Dixon brothers were well equipped to survive. They had most of their lives and a little undead wouldn’t stop them now, she told herself.

            When the sun disappeared over the quarry, leaving the forest in a light blue hue as the oranges and reds painted the clouds, Sammy turned back to the camp. She was holding about seven sticks she deemed good enough to make arrows for the younger Dixon.

            “The hell ya doin’ out here, baby doll?” Sammy spun on her heel; her eyes wide as she looked behind her. Merle and Daryl were there holding a large buck over their shoulders, staring at her with frowns on their faces.

            Sammy hugged the few sticks to her chest, “Getting fletching to make Daryl’s arrows.” She frowned back at them, her worry for them coming back to her. “Why did it take so damn long? I was expecting you to be back before the sunset.”

            “Calm down, woman. Gettin’ a buck in a day ain’t easy,” Daryl snapped at her. “Weren’t you demanding venison this mornin’?”

            “Well yeah,” Sammy muttered, forgetting for a moment that she requested a deer. Her mood deflated, she turned back to the camp starting her march toward their tent without another word.

            They followed her back, Merle grunting and complaining about the weight of the animal and Daryl telling him to zip it. Their bickering was comforting to her and made her smile as she led them back to their shared space. It reminded her of the times they had before the outbreak, at the bar, when Merle was still welcomed. She missed those days of pouring shots, bothering Marco in the kitchen, teasing Jake about a raise, and getting as much attention as she could from the local biker gang.

            “What are you smilin’ for?” Daryl asked her, noting how she slowed her pace and stared at nothing in particular.

            Sammy realized she was walking by Daryl, letting Merle take the lead. “I was thinking about how things used to be. I miss it. All those fun nights just drinking with everyone, Marco’s food, the idiots in the Savage Sons.” She turned her smile to him. “Don’t you miss it?”

            “I don’t miss nothin’ ‘bout that damn place. Them bastards ratted me out ‘n got me arrested for nothin’,” Merle sneered. His mood darkened as the old memories were brought up.

            Daryl just gave a one armed shrug to Sammy, “He’s right. Not much to miss when most of the townies hated us.”

            Losing her smile, Sammy nodded. Nothing was perfect in the town, there were plenty that hated her and her grandparents, but she didn’t care for those people. She just missed the carefree days.

            The rest of the walk was silent as they made it back through to the edge of the perimeter and slipped through. Sammy let the Dixon’s deliver their haul to whatever spot they deemed the butchers area while she stayed behind at their tents. She lay her collected sticks out to begin the tedious task of filing them down and shaving off the rough bark. It was going to take her at least two days to file them and then make the fletching. She had to make sure they were all equal length, or they wouldn’t be accurate when fired. If she gave Daryl a dud arrow, it might cost him his life.

            By the time the brothers returned to their quarters, she was only partially done with stripping the bark from one of the sticks. "Am I going to be making Jerky tomorrow?"

            “Put some in the brine ya made,” Daryl told her, sitting down on a chair next to her.

            Merle disappeared inside his tent for a moment before coming back out to join them around the small fire she started. They didn’t mention a word about what he went in there for, just shared a look of annoyance. It was no use telling him to quit his habit when he wasn’t willing to.

            Sammy cleared her throat before rubbing her hands together and sending the brothers some smiles. “How about a board game, or cards?”

            “Strip poker only,” Merle laughed.

            “Gross Merle, no one wants to see you in your underwear,” Sammy told him, her nose scrunched up as the mental image popped in her head.

            Daryl was shaking his head and drinking some water from a bottle he grabbed. “Don’t think he meant himself, Sam.”

            “Gunna lose, baby doll. Send the whole camp in a frenzy over that body of yours,” Merle snickered, sending her a wide grin.

            Sammy bit back, “Who said I’m going to lose?” She was good at poker. Her grandpa taught her to play, and she used the skills she got from the lessons on the men she used to date.

            Though, it turned out, Merle, even when drugged out of his mind, was better than she was.

Chapter Text

            “Why can’t Sammy and I go on our own? Or even just me?” Glenn pried, chasing Shane as he moved away from one end of the perimeter.

            Sammy lagged behind the pair as their discussion became more heated. Shane had asked her and Glenn to meet him by the edge of the south perimeter to discuss another run. Glenn had mentioned going into the city since things were mostly picked through on the outskirts and Shane would only allow it if a bigger group went. Glenn hadn’t liked that.

            Eyes not looking at Glenn, Shane brought a pair of binoculars to his eyes and swept slowly over the distance. “It may seem a higher risk, but if we had more people goin’, that means more stuff to carry back.”

            Glenn shook his head, pulling at the baseball cap on his head, “Only having to worry about one person other than myself or even just myself is a lot better than an entire group.”

            “How many were you thinking?” Sammy questioned, trying to ignore Glenn’s panicking.

            “Six or seven. I was goin’ to see if you two would head it and pick out the remaining,” Shane told them, bringing the binoculars from his eyes as he finally looked at them. “No more than seven should go.”

            Sammy chewed on her bottom lip as her index finger tapped gently on her chin in thought. “We need to compile a list of everything we need, I think. That way we can get a better idea of where exactly we’re going. Since the city will probably be crawling with dozens of Walkers, it’d be best to plan out our routes.” She looked between the two quarrelling men. “I think after we get that figured out, we can chose the best people to accompany us.”

            Shane nodded, “Just let me know by the end of the day who you want to take. We can all talk it over around dinner and have ya set out in the morning.”

            “C’mon Glenn,” Sammy pulled the Asian boy with her to let Shane finish his patrol. She dragged him back to Daryl’s truck and had him wait while she brought out a notebook from the glove compartment. “We’re going to make a list of everything we need and then see who would be the best option to bring,” she told him, waving the notebook in his face.

            With the attached pen that Sammy pulled from the cover, she flipped to an empty page and began a small list of items that she knew of and was requesting herself. They needed clothes since most of the shirts had become stiff and itchy, something Sammy hated. Glenn watched her before adding some other items to the list. Soon enough, there were plenty of items on the page that would need a few hands.

            Glenn gave up the fight, begrudgingly, and gave Sammy a few names of folks he wouldn’t mind taking. “T-dog and Morales would be good guys for protection. Maybe Jacqui and Andrea to help pick out the clothes?”

            Sammy nodded, writing down their names before giving Glenn a hesitant look, “Uh, I have a suggestion and I want you to hear me out,” she started. Glenn gave her his full attention, looking a little alarmed at her words. “I know y’all don’t get along very well and he’s rude as hell, but he has some military background.”

            “Who, Sammy?” Glenn hesitated, knowing it was one of the Dixon brothers, but hoping it wasn’t the oldest.

            “Merle,” she said. His face fell as he groaned, starting to shake his head. “Glenn, he has the ability to help protect the group, okay? He’s far better than most of the people here minus the ones doing the patrols. Let’s face it, Shane won’t be leaving Lori or Carl to do some shopping, so he’s out. I don’t know who else would be qualified to help.”

            Glenn sighed, pulling his hat down over his face before running a hand through his dark hair. He looked back up at her, replacing the cap to sit neatly on his head again. “Fine, but he’s so your problem.”

            She beamed at him, already knowing Merle would be her problem. He wouldn’t listen to her, but she would just be thrilled at him tagging along. It would give Daryl an opportunity to have some peace without Merle being an asshole to him for a few hours. “Thank you, Glenn.” She ripped the shopping list from her notebook before handing the page to him. “We will follow your lead tomorrow. Go ahead and let Shane know, I’ll go tell Merle and Andrea the plan.”

            He nodded, taking the paper from her and folding it over to stuff in his back pocket. He looked like he was regretting his decision already, but Sammy didn’t give him an opportunity to say so. She bolted as quickly as she could, heading for the RV.

            Dale had seen her coming as he was perched on a lawn chair under an umbrella on top of the RV, the camps official lookout spot. “Hey, what’s the hurry?”

            “Is Andrea around?” Sammy huffed, leaning forward to rest her hands on her knees while she panted. She hated running, preferring to walk or have a car get her from point A to point B. “Was just wondering if she would be up for a shopping run in the morning?”

            Dale pointed towards the quarry, “Her and Amy went to see about the possibility of fishing in the quarry.”

            Sammy groaned, deciding to talk to the Dixon’s first since they were closer. “Alright, I’ll try to catch her later. There are a few others I need to speak with too. Thanks Dale!” She sent him a wave as she walked briskly toward her small campsite. “Hey, Dixons!” She hollered, not seeing them around.

            A moment later, Daryl poked his head out of their tent, a glower on his face, “Sleepin’, waddya want?”

            “I need Merle for a run into the city tomorrow.”

            “No.” Daryl shook his head.

            Sammy frowned at him, “What do you mean ‘no’? Merle can decide—”

            “I meant you. You ain’t goin’ on a run into the city,” Daryl told her.

            Sammy rolled her eyes, “Funny. I don’t remember asking you.” She put her hands on her hips. “Besides, with Merle there, I’ll be fine. He’s the only one other than Shane that has any kind of experience in the field.”

            “Shut up. Can’t get no sleep ‘round here with ya mouths yappin’!” Merle called. “See ya in the mornin’, Doll Face.”

            Like the child she was, Sammy stuck her tongue out at Daryl. “Go hunting for some more deer. You said the next time would probably be an overnight trip, so take tomorrow. When you get back, we can play more strip poker like last week.” She gave him a grin, remembering how much the younger Dixon lost. He refused to take his shirt off, which she expected, but that was one of two articles of clothing he had left.

            Daryl almost growled at her, huffing in annoyance as he pulled his head back in the tent with a “Hell nah.” Her laughter echoed around their little camp as she started walking away. “I’ll be by the quarry,” she called.

            She hurried off in the direction of the big water spot, trying to say hello to the few people she caught walking by her. Most still thought of her and the Dixon’s as weird and unfriendly, but they kept their mouths shut since they all provided a good source of food.

            Amy saw her coming first, waving her arm excitedly in the air to get her attention. “Hey, you going to help wash some clothes on laundry day?” Amy already knew the answer, the whole camp did, but Sammy gave her a toothy smile.

            “Hell no, I won’t be caught dead scrubbing a dudes undies,” Sammy gagged. “You’d have better luck training a Walker.” They giggled together while Andrea just gave them a smile, being happy that her sister could make a friend in the apocalyptic world. “Actually, I came to see if you, Andrea, would want to go on a run into the city tomorrow.”

            The smiles were instantly gone as hesitation filled their eyes. “In the city? Why?”

            Sammy knew some folks wouldn’t be as willing to go, and even suspected Andrea would be one of those people, but she didn’t know any of the other campers too well to actually trust them. “Not much in the surrounding shops anymore. Glenn and I have picked them dry. Most places were looted even before the napalms hit the city.” She looked at the sisters, giving them a grimace. “I know it’s hard to part ways for a day, but we have a list and a good team picked out. Glenn is going through the buildings so our routes will be perfectly mapped. It’s not going to be an overnight trip, I promise.”

            Andrea looked at her sister, having some kind of telepathic conversation or something before looking back at Sammy. “Can I have some time to think about it?”

            Giving her a nod, Sammy said, “Of course, I’ll check in with you around or after dinner.” She backed away from the sisters, heading for her tent to take a nap like the Dixon brothers. Running around had tired her out a little and she had gotten up early for that dumb meeting with Glenn and Shane. She really didn’t understand why no one wanted her to sleep in, she was crabby as hell if she didn’t, especially if there wasn’t any coffee.

            She snuck into her tent as quietly as she could, hating the loud noise of the zipper and the crinkling of the plastic door. She zipped it back up before kicking off her shoes and moving by Daryl. “Damn yer noisy,” he grunted at her, an arm thrown over his eyes as he laid on his back.

            “Shut up and go to sleep,” she sassed, laying out next to him. She didn’t bother with a blanket since the Georgia heat was coming from inside her tent. “Can we open a window or something? It’s so fucking hot in here,” she whined, laying on her side as she propped her head up with her arm.

            Daryl didn’t move from his spot, “Suck it up or have peeping Tom’s lookin’ at ya sleepin’.” He was used to his space being private and now was no different, no matter the weather.

            “Daryl,” Sammy whined, trying to get him to get up and crack one of the windows. He smacked her gently with his free hand, as a means to shut up, but she moaned in protest. “Ow, that hurt, you bully!”

            He took his arm away from his face, peering at her with squinty eyes before noticing her stupid grin. “Damn baby is what ya are,” he snickered. She pouted at him before rolling her eyes. He got up to let a little air in through the windows, only cracking them for a summer breeze, but it made her happy.

            “Thank you,” she snuggled down on top of her sleeping bag, closing her eyes as she kept the smile on her lips.

            He slid down beside her, laying on his side to face her with his eyes closed. “Merle’s gonna watch ya sleep now,” he teased.

            “Ew,” she gagged, rolling over to fit her back close to his chest. “Why do you have to ruin the moment?”

            “What moment?”

            “Doesn’t matter, its ruined,” She muttered, pushing herself into his space and feeling him tense a little at her proximity. She knew he would eventually relax, not bothering to move away, and trying to get him used to her being so close. She knew his reasons for not wanting to be touched by anyone, but she also wasn’t just anyone, they had known each other since she was eight. She thought it was time he got used to this. “Relax, big boy, I don’t bite,” she sassed, a smile on her face.

            “Shut up and sleep, woman,” he nudged her playfully before brushing his fingers under her arm, a movement he didn’t have too much trust in, but did so anyway. Not hearing any protests from her, he slid his hand over until his wrist was resting comfortably on her waist, both falling asleep pretty easily.

            Sammy swore time moved faster when she was sleeping just to spite her. That, and Merle was just an ass when awake. “That’s right sweetheart, I’m goin’ on the same trip y’all are,” came the annoying voice raspy voice of the older Dixon. She didn’t know who he was talking to, but from the way he was bragging, Sammy knew the other person wasn’t thrilled.

            Daryl wasn’t beside her, most likely outside testing the finished product of the arrows she made him. Sammy groaned with her stretches before leaving the comfort of her tent. It might have been hot as hell, but it was still a nice enough space for herself and Daryl.

            Knowing she had to be the one to break up a potential fight between Merle and the other person outside her tent, she pulled her boots on and left the laces to be tied once she saw them. Stepping out she saw Merle with his arms crossed over his chest, puffing it out a little at his typical attempt to be macho. She would have laughed at him any other time, but Andrea was standing about eight feet from him, looking like she might deck him.

            “Andrea,” Sammy called, getting the blonde’s attention along with Merle’s.

            “Mornin’ sleepin’ beauty. No boyfriend to keep ya all snuggled, huh?” He teased, trying to get her riled up. He should have known better. Sammy was used to his remarks from before, having been one of a few women that his commentary didn’t bother.

            Sammy waved a hand at him as she rolled her eyes, “I’m assuming you’re here to give me an answer on going on the run?” She brought her eyes over to Merle before answering the unasked question. “Yes, Merle is going tomorrow, and he will be handled by yours truly.”

            Andrea didn’t look away from Merle but nodded, “I figured if he was going then either you or Daryl would keep his collar on.”

            Merle scoffed before blowing her a kiss, “Ain’t no one in charge of me, Sugar Tits.”

            Sammy caught Andrea’s eye and mouthed ‘I am’ to her, earning a nod and a smile. “Just let me know when to be ready,” she requested, giving us a wave before heading back to Amy who stayed behind at the RV.

            Turning to Merle, Sammy glowered at him, “Why do you have to be such an ass to other people?”

            “Aw, c’mon, baby doll,” Merle started.

            “No, Merle. The world has changed. We don’t know what all to expect out there anymore and most people are terrified of change. You have got to try and get along. Please? If not for you, then for me and Daryl,” Sammy tried. She really wanted this thing to work after all the time they spent with the group. “I know I wasn’t for this idea in the beginning, but I also don’t do so well with change. But we’ve been here for a few months now, so this would feel weird if it wasn’t home.”

            Merle sunk down in one of the chairs by their pit and waved his hand at her, “Stop with the emotional shit, girl. We came here to do a job an’ that’s it.” She knew he was referring to the stealing, but she also knew there wasn’t anything to steal. They provided a lot of the fresh food, what else was there to gain from people that were dependent on them?

            “It’s not much of a job when we’re the force that’s providing a lot of food,” Sammy told him, giving him one last look before going off to help prep for dinner. She wasn’t sure what it was yet, but it was her turn to cook.

            To her surprise, Amy was the one who was sitting by the food pile, arms folded as she looked over everything they had. “Oh, Sammy! Thank goodness! I wasn’t sure what to make for dinner,” she gestured to the pile of goods, not really having much to choose from. The problem lied in how to make it different than the past few nights.

            “I know it’s hot out and all, but how about a soup? We can make it refreshing with some herbs?” Sammy tried, referring to the things she had foraged.

            Amy was already nodding at the idea, a look of relief fanning over her features. “Perfect,” she cheered, moving forward to grab cans of chicken. Sammy helped her while grabbing a bag of potatoes that had already started budding. She would have to come back for the herbs and spices and carried the rest to the prep table. Amy stayed behind to properly log what all they took inside a notebook. An idea of Lori’s to properly track how much was left of the food.

            With a peeler on loan from Dale, Sammy began peeling the potatoes before chopping them up into small cubes. Amy was kind enough to bring over the herbs they would need along with some chicken stock, the cubed kind since they went through almost everything else. The two girls left the canned chicken to be opened as one of the last steps, knowing the potatoes would take the longest.

            “Why are you guys taking a big group tomorrow?” Amy asked, not looking at Sammy as she stirred the large pot of potatoes.

            Sammy sighed, chopping up another potato for her to add to the pot. “Well, we’ve hit all the small shops around us and some of the things we need are in the city. I’m sorry we’re taking Andrea, but we really need the help and from what I saw from your rescue, she was a good shot,” Sammy told her, trying to be gentle with her words. “Honestly, she’s someone I’d want looking out for me.”

            Amy nodded, giving Sammy a tight smile before looking to the pot again, “I’m sure she’d say the same about you.”

            Without knowing exactly why, Sammy felt suddenly guilty. She could guess it was from people depending on her and the Dixon’s for food and their knowledge of survival, all while they were planning on taking things from them. From people like Amy and Carl.

            Clearing her throat, Sammy chopped the last three potatoes quickly and pulled the wrappers from the cubes of chicken. “Let’s get this dinner going a little faster, huh? Don’t want too many people starting a riot over food.” Amy chuckled and nodded, coming to help with the cubes.

            Once the potatoes were finished, they kept some of the water, adding the cubes and herbs and chicken before calling people for dinner. Sammy kept a smile on her face as she served bowl after bowl, wanting nothing more than to sneak off to her tent and eat alone.

~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~

            Daryl woke her in the morning, telling her he’d be back sometime the next day, hopefully with some fresh deer. Sammy got herself up a few minutes after that, not that she could go back to sleep with how loud Merle’s snoring was. “Merle, get up! We have to go on a run today!” She called, knowing the yelling would make him cranky but still be effective.

            “Ah shit, woman, shut up!” His normally hoarse tone was even worse in the morning.

            Sammy stretched as she left her tent, noting the sun starting to push the night back with its bright rays. The once dark blue was becoming a nice shade of indigo, a good color, Sammy thought. She moved off toward Daryl’s truck, looking around her for a moment, not spotting anyone, and dug through the glove compartment for her hidden stash of coffee. It was instant cappuccino mix, something Lori tried to keep away from everyone but the patrollers. Not on Sammy’s watch, though. She needed her caffeine more than a Walker needed to bite fresh flesh.

            She quickly dumped a few scoops in her travel mug before stashing it away again and heading back to her campsite. When she arrived, Merle was beginning to shuffle around in his tent, but that didn’t stop her from starting up a small fire to warm up some water. Sammy barely had the kettle over the little flame when Merle emerged. He didn’t look her way, just left the camp to go sit near his bike.

            Focusing solely on her need for coffee, Sammy sat with the kettle until it began its whistling. Yanking it from the fire, she poured the water in her mug and shook it once the cap was on. She snuffed out the flames of the fire with dirt and put the mug safely in her bag until they could hit the road.

            “Hey, Sammy,” Glenn called as he walked up to her, his backpack already over his shoulders.

            Sammy jumped up, grabbing her bag quickly to shoulder it, “Hey, Glenn. Are you gathering everyone for the run?”

            Glenn gave her a nod, “Yeah, you and Merle are the furthest away, so I figured you guys first. You ready?”

            Sammy mimicked him with her own nod, “Merle is grumpy, so he’ll join us later, closer to leaving time. I’ll go pack some food for us and get some cars ready.” They broke apart, Glenn carrying on with waking up the rest of the crew and Sammy doing what she said.

            Finally setting the last of the packed supplies into the borrowed van, Sammy let the waiting group into the vehicle. Her and Glenn ended up in the front, becoming the designated drivers since they knew where it was they were going. “Uh, in case we get split up, everyone knows how to get back, right?” He shifted in his seat, looking at everyone as a few people nodded.

            “Get a move on, chinaman! Burnin’ daylight!” Merle snapped, earning a glare from Sammy. He made sure to put himself behind Glenn, no doubt to be an annoying ass the whole way into town.

            Swallowing down the uncomfortable feeling in her throat, Sammy waved for Glenn to start them on their trip, already wanting this to be over.

            On the road, everything went rather smoothly, people talked quietly amongst themselves, and Sammy got a few moments of shut eye. Merle even busied himself by looking out the window and watching for Walkers. The drive really wasn’t all that long, maybe a half an hour for navigating around cars and finding the best place to park the van for a quick getaway.

            Everyone was silent and a little on edge as they left the vehicle, not spotting any Walkers yet. Glenn and Sammy tapped everyone’s shoulders and motioned for them to follow towards the large department building. They moved quickly, huddling together while Merle and Martinez made up the side, and Andrea and T-Dog covered their asses. Jacqui was nestled in the middle, keeping her eyes peeled for the whole group in case she was needed for backup.

            It was a decent formation Merle came up with, speaking his mind the last five minutes of the ride over. To be honest, Sammy was a bit surprised at how easily they listened to him, but she also knew that once they were inside and settled a little, Merle’s usefulness would be forgotten.

            With three taps on the door leading into the building, they waited patiently for any Walkers to come to them. Merle and Martinez had kept to the far side of the walls, watching for any Walkers that might have come from around the corner. Andrea and Jacqui were starting to feel more panicked every second they waited to actually step inside the building, Sammy could feel it.

            After calling the two guard men back to the door, they pulled it open, only spotting two rotting corpses at the door. Sammy and Merle easily took them out before leading the others inside. “Sweep the place before you start gathering supplies,” Sammy told them, spotting Jacqui and T-Dog looking through the clothes.

            “Goin’ upstairs, lets go!” Merle barked. T-Dog and Jacqui rolled their eyes but followed after the uptight redneck, letting Sammy come through last.

            Clearing the rest of the building went rather smoothly. No one was hurt, Merle began acting like an asshole that Sammy had a hard time controlling, and Glenn tripped over a corpse after spotting some nice walkies.

            Gathering the supplies they needed wasn’t too hard either, Sammy and Glenn were the ones that carted the goods to the waiting vehicle as Merle was perched on the roof as their sniper lookout, already using the walkies Glenn had taken. There were a few Walkers that had come to investigate what they were up to, but both runners were able to take them out with ease, being alerted by Merle on occasion, of their direction.

            The others had all taken some time to sort through some other things in the store levels before Glenn had suggested a break. Sammy had begun to feel anxious, especially when Merle hadn’t come down from his perch on the roof. She knew the drugs he had obviously taken that morning were coursing through his system and burning a little stronger in the sun, causing him to need another fix soon.

            Sudden banging pulled her from her thoughts as she looked over to the very large and clear glass windows and doors leading into the store. Hands and faces were banging on the thick glass, milky glossed eyes having spotted Sammy as she was standing a little too close, drawing their attention. The commotion caused other Walkers nearby to join in, being pulled in like moths to a flame.

            “Fuck,” Sammy breathed. She looked around for anything that could help block the view or be used as a distraction from bringing anymore to her attention. The only thing she could do was roll clothing racks to the doors and duck behind them, hoping that the Walkers would just go away.

            Staying down, Sammy moved quickly to the stairs leading up before sweeping her eyes around for any of her group, realizing she had been alone. Satisfied she wasn’t leaving anyone behind, she made her way up, stopping Andrea from going down. “Sammy, we’ve got a problem.”

            Thinking the blonde was talking about what Sammy had just done, she rolled her eyes, “Okay, it can’t be that bad—”

            Andrea sent her a disapproving look, talking over her, “Merle has taken up a shotgun and is threatening to use it on anyone that doesn’t follow his command.”

            “Oh,” Sammy muttered, genuinely surprised Andrea wasn’t yelling at her for condemning the group. “Get everyone else to the roof, I’ll take care of it, but we have another issue. We can’t leave the way we came.” Sammy pulled her up to the next floor, breaking away to deal with the angry redneck on the roof with a promise to explain everything after.

            Upon reaching the roof, Merle was perched in one of the corners, watching two sides of the building as he peered down the nose of the long barreled gun. “The fuck is that?” He growled out, following something as it moved fast into the city. Sammy quickly joined him, spotting a horse with a lone rider galloping on the paved roads.

            Glenn came up beside her holding onto the walkie he had found and watched the horse come closer to them. “What is he doing?” Panic was laced in his voice as the stranger hurried into the city, moving past a few stragglers of Walkers not clumped in a group before rounding the corner to see the massive clump of Walkers that Sammy had even missed.

            “Holy shit,” she mumbled, “have they always been there?”

            “Why do ya think I’ve been up here cookin’ like a pig while you lot were dancin’ around in the buildin’?” Merle snapped at her, not even looking away from the stranger. “I can put a bullet in his brain from here. Slow ‘em down long enough to get us out of here, baby doll.” Sammy knew he meant just her and him, having no problems abandoning the rest of their small group.

            “We all wouldn’t make it, Merle,” Glenn commented, missing the shared exchange between Merle and me.

            A cry from the horse caught their attention as the rider was flung off the horse’s back from the amount of Walkers surrounding the poor beast. She couldn’t watch as it was devoured, feeling a rush of anger at the rider as he took cover under an abandoned military tank. “I hope he gets bit under there,” she hissed.

            Glenn shot her an annoyed look before pulling the Walkie to his lips, “Hey you, dumbass. Yeah, you in the tank. Cozy in there?” He was clearly annoyed with lone rider, too.