Ch. 22

They slept in the middle of the woods, barbed wire hanging around them with Cans to make noise just in case the Walkers came around. Sam had left the camp an hour ago, he had the dog next to him, still unnamed. He had set up a few snare traps all over the forest, and was now waiting going around, checking them to see if he had any successful ones.

He was just about to give up on the traps when he saw a cotton tail heading for one of his traps. The dog stopped when he did and laid on its stomach when he knelt down. It was a good dog, obviously trained, and seemed to have imprinted on him rather quickly. The cotton tail was going toward the little noose, and was just about to strangle itself when an arrow whizzed by Sam's head and entered the creatures head.

Sam looked back and saw one the bowman, Len standing there with a cocky smile.

"What the bloody hell are ya' doing?"

Len pretended to be confused. "Catching me some breakfast."

"That's mine!" Sam growled out as he went and retrieved the rabbit.

"My arrow's the one that killed it, not your stupid ass noose! Cottontail belongs to me."

"I was out here before the sun came up! It's mine!"

"Rules of the hunt don't mean jack out here! Now that rabbit you're holding, is claimed, boy," Sam pulled the arrow out and tossed it into the forest. "Claimed whether you like it or not. So, I was you, I'd hand it over. Before you get to wishing you never got out of bed this morning."

"No," Sam told him, the dog beside him began to growl lightly and let out a few small yelps.

"You know, I'll bet this bitch," Sam's hand reached down for his knife and squeezed tightly, "got you all messed up, hmm? Am I right? Got you walking around here like a dead man who just lost himself a piece of tail. Must've been a good'un." Sam walked away but when Len opened his mouth again he stopped. "Tell me something, was it a pretty'un? 'cause they don't last too long out here."

Sam drew his knife and the dog began barking loudly ready to pounce on the man. He took a few steps towards Len but Joe came in and stepped between the two of them.

"Easy fellas, easy!' Joe said grabbing Sam's knife and Len laughed, pleased that he managed to get to Sam. "Let's just put our weapons down, see if we can't figure out what's really the problem here, huh?"

Sam kept his knife out, and the dog stopped growling but remained in an aggressive stance.

"Did you claim it?"

"Hell, yeah." Len said, slinging his bow across his back.

"Well there you go. That critter belongs to Len," Joe said.

"So, let's have it."

"Looks like you may be wanting an explanation," Joes said before explaining the claimed system that he had in place in order to keep the peace. if you claim something then it is yours and nothing and no one can take it. All with the word claimed. When Sam rejected it, Len wanted to "Teach" Sam, but Sam would have none of it. When Joe Reached for the cotton tail Sam let him have it though.

"He can have it, that's fine, makes no difference," Sam smiled and bumped Len as he walked away. "There's bound to be more prey in this place."

They walked throughout the day, Len shooting victorious looks Sam's way the entire walk. Sam didn't say anything though, wouldn't give the fucker the satisfaction. They followed the tracks and they heard a rustling in the bushes. Sam pulled his knife, feeling a bit naked without his machete, the weapon he had given Beth, to keep her and Sophia safe, when two men came out of the brush with guns. Almost immediately they drew as did everyone in Sam's new group.

There were shouts from both sides to put down the weapons which both sides ignored. The dog began barking at the two new arrivals, and Sam took a step forward.

"Shut up!" He screamed at both sides. "Jaysus! Calm down! Listen, who are you?"

One of the men looked at Sam but kept his rifle up. "Who are you?"

"I'm Sam! Now please, put your gun down!"

"Then first!" Sam looked into the man's eyes, he wasn't a killer, and neither was the other. They were just scared. Easy kills. Kill them, a voice he hadn't heard in a while told him.

"Joe, do it," Sam said calmly. "My gun is on my belt, I'm gonna reach for it, and put it on the ground alright?"

The man nodded and Sam's hand pulled his pistol out from its holster. He held it up and slowly moved it to the ground. The man kept track of the gun and Sam smiled a bit. This was the part that demanded perfect execution. He rushed the man and plunged his knife into his throat. The other man wasted time screaming his friends name while he could have started shooting. Sam shoved the body onto him causing the man to fall back. The dog seemed to understand what was happening and bit the man's throat, drowning him in his own blood.

"Claimed," Sam said.

"Claimed what?" Joe asked.

"Everything unless I don't want it."

"You can't do that!" Len said as he marched over to the young Irishman.

"I claimed it, didn't I? Isn't that the whole point? Unless you're breaking the rules?" Sam smiled at Lens suddenly nervous face, and the bowman backed off quickly.

Sam went through all of the now dead men's supplies. He took their pistols, all of their ammunition, even the ammo he didn't need, the food, extra socks, he even found a small necklace with a bright blue sapphire that he pocketed.

"Whatever's left you lot can have," Sam said as he watched the other men scavenge for the scraps he had left them.

"You're learning!" Joe said proudly, watching as Sam put all of the new items in his pack.

"Doesn't take a genius to learn that simple shite." Sam told the older man.

They walked the tracks the rest of the night. Len shooting Sam dirty looks now. Sam, instead of smirking at the bow wielding son of a bitch, just twirled his new pistols in his hand, never even looking at the man, nor smiling.

They stopped at an old auto shop. Sam didn't get a chance to claim a car, as pretty much everyone in the group with the exception of Joe strangely enough, was a complete and utter dick, though it probably didn't help that he had taken everything of value off of the men he killed. He took a spot on the floor and closed his eyes. It was strange, before he would go to bed thinking that he might not wake up, and now, he was absolutely sure of it.

Beth was playing the piano. It was a slow and steady tune that reminded Sam of when she would hum to him when they were on the road, before the prison. He smiled as he got out of the coffin he was laying in. Sophie could be heard somewhere else in the house, a dog barking and her giggling.

Sam sat up and looked over at the piano. "What are you playing?"

She shrugged and hit a few keys. "I'm just trying to come up with something different. Something new, you know?"

Sam nodded and looked around the room. Everything seemed so bright, and wonderful. As if nothing was wrong. Was it another life, a different reality, or simply his subconscious telling him what he already knew.

"I'm sorry," Sam told her.

Beth smiled and laughed. Sophia and the dog came in and thing suddenly got to be too quiet. "What for?"

"I didn' make it in time. You got snatched, you and Soph. I'm sorry. And now, I'm going back. To who I was. I can feel it. Or, to be honest, I can't feel anything really, and it feels good. Better then what I was feeling in the middle of that road." Sam wiped the tears from his eyes and looked up at Beth, she looked sad now. "Is it bad that I enjoyed it? Killing those men?"

"Sammy, do you think we're dead?" Beth asked softly.

"No."

"Then do what you need to do. Do it, so you can survive, and find us. Please. Do what you need to, and find us." Although she was in his head, he knew that it was something that she would say.

"Give it here!"

"Step back!"

"I'm missing my .45's! Now no one here has a gun like that, except you, which you got off of those two assholes you killed, and I know for sure that they didn't have any ammo!" Len said as he shoved Sam back.

"What the bloody hell are you talking about? No, they didn' have any ammo, but that doesn't mean that I would risk my neck trying to steal!" Sam said defensively.

"Empty your bag!"

"Step back!" Sam grabbed his pack.

Joe snatched the bag out of Sam's hands and began going through it. Canned food, the two pistols, different plastic bags for different bullets, and a picture of Beth that he had taken when he borrowed Glenn's polaroid.

"Well isn't she fine," Joe said as he admired the picture. "I can see why you were sad. But back to the matter at hand. Did you take his bullets, Sam? Jest tell me the truth."

"No!"

Joe looked through the bullets and found a small bag, not plastic but nylon, containing .45's. "Well look at that."

"You put that there!" Sam's hand went for his knife and the dog began to growl. "When I was asleep, didn't you!"

"You lied! You stole! We gonna teach this fool or what?" Len said squaring up to Sam. Sam was going to attack him when Joe stepped between them.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa! Now Sam said that he didn't take your bullets, so we got a little conundrum here. So, either he's lying, which is an actionable offense, or, well you didn't plant it on him like some pussy punk-ass cheating coward cop, did you? Cuz while that wouldn't specifically be against the rules, you'd disappoint me. You would."

"I didn't," Len insisted.

"Good. Well," Joe punched Len and the man fell to the ground in pain. "Teach him a lesson gents, the lying sack of shit, I'm sick of it. Teach him all the way!"

The men seemed all too eager to begin beating on the man, either he wasn't that liked in the group, or the men had severe pent up rage.

"I saw him do it," Joe admitted to Sam as Len's grunts of pain echoed through the shop.

"You wanted him to lie," Sam smiled as he looked over Joes shoulder.

"I wanted to see if you would tell the truth, and if he would."

Sam grabbed the bullets and said one word. "Claimed."

He looked back at Len and ran over. He kicked the man in the chest, enjoying the screams he made as the men destroyed his body. Sam's boot connected with the man's torso over and over, finally giving into the voice that had plagued him whenever he had been in combat or on a run. He became the man that he had been when he was with Michael, and he loved it.

By the end, Len was barely breathing. His arms were broken as were one of his legs, one of his eyes was closed due to the swelling, and all Sam could feel for him, was nothing. Just a small twinge of satisfaction. The knife to the head was a mercy if nothing else. The others divided and claimed Len's things. And Sam took the truck he would've slept in. He would do what it took to survive, and nothing would stop him.

He had a gun to his head. Two more had theirs on Michonne and Daryl. A man was trying to get at Carl in the truck they had found.

"You screwed up asshole. You hear me? You screwed up!" the man said. "Today is a day of reckoning good sir! Restitution! Balancing of the whole damn universe! Shit and I was thinking of turning in for the night on New Year's Eve!" He and the other Marauders began to laugh. "Now who's gonna count down the ball dropper with me, huh? Ten Mississippi! Nine Mississippi! Eight Mississippi!"

"Joe!" Rick knew that voice. He and the others looked and saw none other than Samuel Conall come out of the woodwork with his rifle. "Wait."

"You're stopping me on eight, Sam!"

"I know." He walked over to Rick." I just needed to say, claimed!" He grabbed the revolver off of Ricks belt. "You know Rick, I always did admire this gun. The one time that I shot it, beautiful!"

Rick and Michonne looked over at Sam with shock, while Daryl just looked at the boy with nothing but anger.

"You know these people?" Joe asked.

"Oh yeah, airseholes from my last group. Never really liked them, or her, never put out you know," Sam smiled as he leered at Michonne. "Just wanted to get a claim on the pistol. And a few last words if you'll allow it."

Joe grinned madly. "Well of course! Though we won't be killing the bitch! You could have a go if you want!"

"You son of a bitch!" Daryl yelled but Sam pistol whipped him.

"Shut the fuck up Daryl! My words are for Rick." Knelt in front of Rick and smiled. "You know, you knew who I was. What I did, you shoulda killed me. Now I'm back."

"What happened to you?"

"I lost her. Both of 'em actually. Because you couldn't lead. I'd say it's sad to see you go, but, it isn't really." Rick felt something cold and sharp in his hand, the moonlight showed a piece of metal. "Should have cut my balls of."

Sam stood up and motioned for Joe to continue. "Seven Mississippi!"

Rick sprang into action. The knife Sam had given him made contact with Joes Genitals and Sam raised the gun and shot the men standing over Michonne and Daryl. A dog came out of nowhere and bit the other man's arm causing him to drop his gun and try and get the dog off of him. Rick quickly grabbed Joes pistol and killed him, before turning to the one that had is son on the ground.

"He's mine," he whispered darkly, moving with the knife to end the man's miserable life.

"You didn't really think that I was serious, did you?" Sam asked Rick and Daryl when everything had settled.

"I wasn't sure. So much can happen in such a short amount of time, I didn't know what to think." Rick told him.

"I thought that you turned on us," Daryl admitted. "Wasn't 'till you said that Michonne didn't put out that I knew. You wouldn't have gone after Michonne. You were with Beth. Where is- "

"Gone," Sam said quickly. "Her and Sophia both. It's just me and Bastard." Sam petted the dog affectionately. The dog still had blood on his snout but barked happily and lick Sam's face.

"Bastard?" Rick asked, cracking a smile.

"That's what I call him most of the time. He, didn't have a name. Sophia, Beth and I couldn't think of anything definite, so we just called him boy, but then, after I lost them, I started to call him Bastard. Figure that's his name. And before you go all, not a proper name on me, it's what my friends and I used to call each other, had a certain, charm to it, meant we were great friends if we called each other bastard. Figured why not for the dog as well."

They were silent or a while, Rick tried to clean the blood from his face but had little luck with it. Dam could feel the nagging in his head, the one that he used to rely on to survive go down a bit.

"I'm sorry. For what almost happened. Last night, I thought it was just going to be a couple of nobodies. But it wasn't. I ready to let it happen, to let them, die. But when I saw it was you, I couldn't. I wouldn't. I'm sorry for even considering it."

"It's not your fault," Rick said. "Sam, it's not your fault. You being back with us here, helping us take them down, that's everything. You're like my son." Sam looked at Rick. "I know, that I treated you bad back when we first met, and never really heard you out, but you are important to me, you both are. Sam, I'm proud of you. You survived, you led Beth and Sophia though hell, and made it with a bunch of hardasses. You did good."

Sam didn't know what to feel. The only thing his dad had ever told him was that he was a disappointment. That he would never amount to anything. Now, a man that he admired, a man that he had followed, had just said that he was proud of him, he had said good job. And then the voice disappeared.

"You know this Terminus place is bullshite," Sam said as they neared the place.

"We don't know that," Rick told him. "But just in case, we're gonna go through the woods, scope 'em out first."

"I'll stay behind," Sam volunteered. "Just in case it goes belly up."

Rick didn't argue. They walked through the woods, coming up on a fenced off area filled with buildings and train cars. It was eerily quiet and Sam was unnerved by the whole thing. They spread out by the fences and began to observe the place. After not seeing an activity, Rick ordered them to put most of their things in a duffle bag that Sam would keep watch of. He took it, seeing the assortment of weapons; Ricks revolver, the guns from Joe's group, plus a few other handy little weapons. Sam saw a machete in there, but didn't sheathe it. It felt wrong to take another machete, sentimentality or something like that.

With a final good-bye, Rick, Michonne, Daryl, and Carl entered Terminus. And Sam watched from afar.

AN: Okay, I am spoiling you guys! I have had nothing but free time today so here you are! Third one for the day and the end of Season Four! Man... I am tired. Please everyone leave a review, I absolutely love them and appreciate them, just as I appreciate all of you! So please, Review! ~Pacco1