Ch. 18

The morning sun nearly blinded Sam as he stepped out into the inner yard. The patio that they had constructed already packed, Sam groaned and kicked himself for thinking that he could sleep in. Oh, it had been a glorious idea at the time, soft pillow, soft bed that he had gotten on a run for him and Beth, beautiful girlfriend. But now, all the good seats were taken, and the food was practically all gone. Bad idea long term, good one short term, story of his life.

"Sam, over here!" Sam saw Oscar sitting on his own two bowls of whatever the hell the kitchen crew had cooked up in front of him.

"Oscar, please tell me that is for me," Sam grinned and he and the former inmate shook hands. Over the past three months the two of them had gotten close, the two of them going out on runs together, keeping the group stocked with essentials. Sam was pretty sure that the two of them, as well as Oscar were considered the Heroes of the group. Though Daryl did get most of the attention. Which was fine with the two of them, both Oscar and Sam enjoyed anonymity due to their, colorful, past.

"That's for you. I managed to swipe a bowl before most of it was gone,"

"Thank Christ. I thought I was going to have to go out and hunt for my own," Sam grinned as he began to dig into his food.

"What about Beth?"

"Hershel already got her something. Old man laughed when I asked if he got me anything. You believe that?"

Oscar laughed and finished off his food, "Yeah I do. I'm surprised that he's alright with you and Beth sharing a cell. Glenn and Maggie too-"

"Actually, they got a guard tower, which is bullshite."

"Point still stands. If that were my little girl, I woulda killed you."

Sam nodded and took a spoonful of food, rice and venison. "True, but he wasn' always the pious man that he is now. He was a drinker."

Oscar paused when he heard that. "You're shitting me?"

"I swear. He doesn't really hide it, it probably jus' doesn' come up in conversation."

"Never woulda thought." Sam nodded and went back to eating. It had become routine for the two of them to sit down and have a conversation in the morning before it was time to work. It helped keep them grounded, and a little sane. While Sam did have Beth to talk to, and he did, she hadn't seen some of the crazy shit that he had, Oscar could relate to all of it, and it helped, he was still, relatively, sane.

"What's on the Agenda for today?" Sam asked.

"Sasha and Daryl organized a run, we're gonna move on it today."

"Who's going?"

"Daryl, Sasha, Glenn, Ty, you, me. A few others if we get volunteers." Sam nodded. It was a solid crew. The lack of people would mean that it would take a little longer but, it was still manageable.

"Hopefully we can get just a few more. Make the day go a bit faster. I fuckin' hate being out after dark."

"Well don't worry boys, I'll be joining in on the fun," Sam looked over and rolled his eyes when he saw one of the newer arrivals boasting like he was. His name was Zack and ever since the little prick had gotten turned down by Beth, due to the fact that they were together he had made it his personal mission to try to discredit and make himself seem better than Sam.

Sam thought it was far too high school, but he instead liked to use Daryl's new phrase. It was like a damn romance novel. Sam and Beth were fine, but the little prick was just annoying as hell. One of the things that made the apocalypse suck, Sam supposed.

"How many days has it been?" Oscar asked as Zack stood to leave. "Since our last 'incident'?"

"'bout thirty days. Why?"

"Pretty sure that kids gonna bring us to zero."

"I'd like to start pulling my weight around here!" Sam looked over and smiled at Bob's enthusiasm. He'd been brought in a week ago, he had complained that he didn't have anything to do, and while it annoyed some, practically everyone who would like nothing more than to do nothing, Sam liked how he was so eager to help.

"Bob it's only been a week," Sasha began.

"That's a week's worth of meals, roof over my head. Let me earn my keep," he asked her.

"You were out on your own when Daryl and Sam found you," Sasha began.

"That's right."

"I just want to make sure that you know how to play on a team,"

"Come on, we're not even gonna hit the place unless it's an easy grab," Sam said as he slung his rifle over his shoulder.

"You know he was a medic in the army," Glenn said on Bob's behalf.

"Let's just get to it! Come on y'all we're burning daylight!" Merle came out of the block and slammed the trunk of the car closed. "Paddy Reilly, you're driving!"

"It's Samuel Conall Merle, and you're bloody right I am. Oscar you're shotgun!"

The Big Spot parking lot was deserted. Most of the tents were so messy that finding anything of use would take time that they didn't have, at least with the small group that they had at the moment.

They went to the front of the store and Daryl banged on the glass telling the others to give it a second.

Sam saw Zack standing off to the side, holding his shotgun in a way that made him a bit nervous. "Okay I think I got it."

"Son of a bitch," Sam and Merle muttered at the same time.

"Got what?" Michonne asked.

"I've been trying to guess what Daryl did before the turn."

"Is that what we're calling it now?" Sam asked Oscar and Merle. "The Turn?"

"I don' give a shit," Merle muttered.

"He's been trying to guess for a couple weeks," Daryl told Michonne.

"Yeah well I'm pacing myself. One shot a day."

"Aright shoot."

"Well the way you are at the prison-"

"Oh, this boy better not say what I think he is," Merle said.

"You being on the council, you're able to track, you're helping people, but you're still being kind of… surly. Big swing here. Homicide cop." Sam bit on his tongue to keep himself from laughing to hard. Merle smiled and let out a few chuckles while Daryl remained stoic as ever.

"What's so funny?" He asked the group.

"Nothing," Michonne said. "It makes perfect sense."

"Actually, the man's right-"

"Shut up little brother!" Merle laughed. "You weren't no cop! Hell, if you was a cop, I was the goddamn Mayor!" Merle could barely finish that sentence before he broke down laughing again.

Walkers appeared in the glass front of the store and everyone rose to their feet.

"We gonna do this detective?" Michonne asked.

"Let's do it!"

They dispatched the walkers easily enough. The combination of Sam's machete, Michonne's swords, and Merle's prosthetic arm were a formidable combination.

Sasha gave the orders, mainly for Bob's sake, and the group nodded their heads, ready to go to work.

Sam strolled through the store, his eyes searching high and low for anything that the group might need. He was just outside of the pharmacy, Oscar was going through the behind the counter medications while he stood watch. The over the counters were all pretty basic. Tylenol, Nyquil, what Sam's mom would call his Uncle Benadryl. He loaded the cart with them and walked around the rest of the section. Tampons: take. Toilet paper: definitely take. Condoms: put as many as you can in your jacket pocket. Other than those, his grocery shopping was just about done.

"Oscar, you alright mate?"

"Fine. Hey you think they'll miss a few Oxy's? Axel would roll in his grave if I didn't take a few for him."

Sam laughed and began rolling his cart towards the exit. "It's fine just do it on your leisure time."

"My man!"

There was a loud crash and Sam had his rifle raised in an instant. There was shouting, Sasha yelled that they were in Wine and Beer, and Sam was immediately thankful that he had gotten his whiskey before the commotion had started.

There was another crash and just as Sam and Oscar had rounded the corner the roof caved and a Walker fell through the floor. It got caught on a piece of metal and hung from the ceiling by its own intestines.

"Oh, that's not good," Sam said as another area of roof caved in and another Walker fell through. "Fuck, get him out of there!"

Sam, Oscar and Merle raised their rifles immediately ad began firing at the Walkers as they fell through. Holes began opening in the ceiling that it became harder and harder to see ceiling. The three shooters were holding their own but the sporadic placement of the Walkers made it hard for them to keep their fire concentrated.

Sam went through half of his clip when he realized that his machine gun wouldn't do much good in that situation. He slung it on his back and unsheathed his machete. He swung into a Walker in front of him splitting its skull in half. He repeated the process on another Walker and then tapped Oscar and Merle on the shoulders motioning them to follow him.

They ran through the store, careful as to where they stepped, avoiding Walkers and Blood wherever they could. There was a loud screeching noise and Sam looked at the roof and saw a fucking helicopter coming through it.

"Oh my god, did no one do any fuckin' recon?!" He swung his machete again severing a head with one clean stroke.

Daryl and Zack had gotten to Bob and managed to get him out from under the fallen self. Only Sam Saw Zack screaming, then he looked down and saw that a Walker had bitten into his leg, then it pulled him down and bit into his neck.

Sam aimed with his rifle and shot the Walker. Then a second shot sounded and Sam saw that Merle had sent a bullet into Zacks head.

"Shite," Sam swore. Then the helicopter finally tore the roof down and crushed the store.

The ride back was quiet. It was understandable. They had just lost someone, as well as some of the haul. It made the death feel as if it was just for nothing. Beth was going to be disappointed, thirty days was the best streak that the group had.

When they returned, the excitement of those in the prison quickly died down when they had learned of Zacks demise. The supplies were taken with the knowledge that a man had died for the group to get them. Sam may not have liked the guy, but no one deserved to go out like that, eaten by Walkers. Sam couldn't even imagine the pain.

He slowly walked to his and Beth's cell. When he arrived, Beth was writing in her journal, something Sam was not allowed to see. Their cell had improved over the months. Sam had managed to scavenge a larger bed, enough to give them a decent amount of room in the cell as well as spread out a bit.

"Hey," he said drawing her attention.

"Sammy!" She was the only one that he wouldn't get mad at for calling him that. She kissed him softly and pulled back. "How'd the run go?"

"It was, eventful. We uh… we lost Zack. he got bit. I shot the Walker, Merle put him out."

Beth nodded. "Okay." She went to the small board she had made from cardboard and took the three off of the sign which now read 'This Workplace has gone 0 days without an incident'.

"Are you alright?" She asked him.

"Aye I am, but... I won't lie, I never liked the prick, mainly because he wouldn't stop flirting with ya'. But I don't like losing people. Never really got used to it."

She kissed him again. "Don't."

AN: Hey guys! Wow it's late and I am tired but I had to write this! Anyway... I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter, I am very excited to start this season and I hope you guys enjoy the ride! Please review and I'll see you all next time! ~Pacco1