Ch. 15

"What happened there?" Sam looked up from his rifle parts and saw Andrea standing behind him. He was in his cell and wasn't wearing a shirt s his bullet scar was on display.

"I got shot, took a bullet that would've killed Oscar. The slug was aimed right at his heart. When it first happened, I thought it was a dick with a shotgun. Hershel told me that a nine-millimeter round." He looked at Andrea and saw she was looking down at the ground. "What's wrong?"

She shook her head. "Nothing. It's just, so much has happened since the farm."

"Yeah well, a lot happened since the fuckin' world ended." Andrea actually laughed at that.

"You got a point about that. I mean-"

"I'm sorry," Sam interrupted her, "When did you think that I was inviting you to have a conversation? I mean, let's drop the act Andrea, you never liked me, and to be honest I don't really like you."

She scoffed and rolled her eyes. "I don't get you guys. I come here and try to settle things-"

"Settle things? Is that what you think you're doing?" Sam began to put his gun back together. "Andrea, your man came in and shot up the place. Killed one of us, ran a fuckin' van through the gates. And what, you expect us to look past the fact that you're fucking the man that did this, let alone defending him."

"And what about Merle?"

Sam shrugged. "He's good at what he does, just like me."

"And what would that be?" Sam clicked the last piece of the rifle together and sling it over his back as he flashed her a smile.

"Killing."

"We come in peace! Don't shoot!" Sam aimed the corsairs of his rifle over the man's head and leaned his finger against the trigger, ready to pull at the drop of a hat.

Two men waving white flags stood in the fenced off walkways that surrounded the outer yard. From what they could tell, they had no weapons. One of them was tall, he was the one holding the flag, and the other was short and bald. They shouted how the Governor wanted to negotiate a peace to avoid further bloodshed, where to meet, to come unarmed.

Sam thought that it was bullshit, but apparently Rick wanted to go.

"It's a trap," Sam said as they loaded into the truck.

"We can't be sure," Rick told him.

"Oh right, we can't be sure that the murderous psychopath that had Glenn tortured, terrorized Maggie, and killed Axel-"

"Don't forget keeping his daughter alive and heads in fish tanks," Michonne added,

"Thank you Michonne. You can't expect this to be anything but an ambush, especially since he picked the fuckin' meeting place!"

"It's a risk Sam, but we need to take it. It's either this, or war."

"No, it's always been war. Rick this guy is Mad! Not only that, but he has an army. You can't really think-"

"Enough!" Rick told him. "We're going. You, Glenn, Maggie and Merle will stay here. If we don't make it back, figure out what to do. Either stay or leave, but don't let that bastard get you."

"You're not going," Glenn told Merle who had a rifle and ammo in a duffle bag ready to go.

"I don't need permission." The man growled out.

"I can't let you."

"You can't stop me."

"If you're gonna live here with us it's gonna be on our terms," Maggie added. "If Michonne can do it, why can't you?"

"Cause it's my brother out there, that's why. What's the matter with y'all?" He turned around and climbed the stairs only to face Glenn.

"I'm not gonna let you put them in danger." Glenn said coldly.

"They're already in danger Glenn," Sam told him. "You really think that this guy is gonna play fair?"

"It's a negotiation-"

"It's a feel out!" Sam yelled as he slammed his fists on one of the metal tables. "Remember Dave and Tony? They were feeling us out. Seeing how confident we were, if we had the numbers to defend ourselves if it came down to it. And the fact that Rick went shows that we aren't prepared for war! Merles right. We should hit him now, when he's least expecting it."

"It's not right!" Merle and Sam scoffed at Glenn's remark.

"Who, ever won a war by doing what was right?"

"Nut up already, boy." Merle stood next to Sam. "This guy cops a feel of your woman and you pussy out like this? Get out of my way!"

"No."

Merle lunged at Glenn who backed up and quickly returned the blow. Oscar and Sam were quick to move in as the two brawling men tumbled to the floor. Sam wrapped his arm around Merles neck while Oscar grabbed Glenn by his arms and pulled him back. They continued to yell at each other while Sam and Oscar tried to keep them secure. There was the sound of a gunshot and all of them froze and looked to where Beth was standing with a revolver raised and a pissed off completion.

"Let me go!" Merle said as he tried to get to his feet. Sam released the man slowly and much to his relief, didn't go after Glenn again.

People split up, Glenn going off to keep watch, and Maggie a little while after him. Merle kept to himself as usual, Michonne did whatever it was that she did, and Oscar followed Carol, Judith, Sophia, and Carl back to the cellblock, leaving Sam and Beth alone in the commune.

"Well that was intense," Sam said.

"Did you mean it? Wanting to go and kill that guy?"

Sam paused and nodded slowly. "I did."

"Why?"

"Because that's all I really know how to do. I was never good at anything. My da' would scream and swear. Call me good for nothing. He was right though. My grades were crap, didn' have a job, no athletic ability. And then the world ends. And then suddenly I'm good at something. Killing. And I didn' know how to process that. So, I separated it. When I was killing, I wasn't me, I was something else, and it's been hard to tell who I am nowadays. Especially now that all this is happening."

Beth hugged him and Sam slowly returned it.

He liked how he didn't have to lie to her. How he could tell her about the atrocities he had committed, and yet while she had been frightened at first, she still cared for him. Despite all of the shit, she was still by his side, while others had branded him a monster.

"Look at me Sam. You did bad things, but you've made up for them. You saved Sophia, you tried to stop Shane when he tried to open the barn. You saved me! You didn't even know me, and you still tried helping me. Gave me the wakeup call that I needed. Without you I would be dead. Daddy would be dead. You are not a bad man Samuel Conall." She kissed him and Sm felt some of the self-loathing leave his body. Another thing he realized about the apocalypse, it was probably one of the better things to happen to him.

"So, I met this Governor. Sat with him for quite a while." Rick told the group.

"Just the two of ya?" Merle asked to which Rick nodded. "Shoulda gone when we had the chance, bro."

"He wants the prison. He wants us gone. Dead. He wants us dead. For what we did to Woodbury. We're goin' to war."

Sam hated how he got butterflies when he said that.

AN: Hey guys, so here is the next installment I know it's shorter than usual, and I apologize. So I've been planning out the story and I have things planned out all the way up until Beth's death in Season five, not entirely sure how I'm gonna handle that, she may die, she way not, I'll have to weigh the pro's and cons of it all. Anyway, please leave a review, I absolutely love them and won't post the next chapter until I get five... Just kidding, could you imagine if I was like that. Man that would suck. Ok, I'll see you next time! ~Pacco1