Ch. 30

The smoke wafted lazily into the air. The scent filling Sam's nose and stinging his eyes. The wood was still warm, the tracks fresh, and the note, the ink was barely dry.

Sam, go to D.C.! Find us there! We're sorry.

They had left him some food, enough to last a few days, but nothing that would drain their stores too much. He laughed as he felt the weight of his pack. He would have really made their day, if they hadn't left him that is.

He scratched his beard, the mass of hair a blessing as it kept part of his face warm and a curse due to the goddamn itch. But it also did help with intimidation, a tall dirty man comes out of the woods with a gun and a beard, made a lot of people piss themselves.

Sam had walked a while. Kept the food he had scavenged and made sure that he and Bastard were safe. But as the weeks rolled on, human nature got the best of him. He had forgotten about rationing and ate until he and Bastard were full every night. That had lasted a whole month before he was low again.

Then he came across a group. A boy and a girl pulled over on the side of the road trying to figure out where they were going. Sam closed his eyes as he remembered what had happened.

"Don't. You reach for the gun you and her are dead."

The man trembled as he lifted his arms into the air. Sam took a few careful steps forward, and then blew the man's head off. The woman screamed and tried running off, but a bullet stopped her too.

Sam never understood why they thought they would be allowed to live. Was it hope? Nativity? Fear? Did it honestly matter, they all died the same. A quick shot to the head and he was on his way with their food, weapons, car.

He had made it into Virginia, but was still many miles from D.C. The cold was subsiding, and the Walkers reemerging. Sam's latest car had just died and he was now stuck walking through the damn state. But at least he had good company.

"Man, your luck just isn't holding out today isn't it?"

"I suppose not," Sam said as he strapped up. "Though it has been shite for a bit hasn't it?"

"Not from the looks of that pack full of food and ammo."

"Oh come on. It's nothing I haven't done before."

"But is it Sam? When we first met, you didn't do that anymore, you didn't do it for a year, and now? Right back to it. Why is that?"

"Times are hard. You left, I needed to survive. Simple." Sam slammed the door to the far shut and began to walk.

"Come on. You were doing fine."

"Was I Rick? I mean fucking was I? You shites left me! And what I'm just supposed to find a way to get through clean without a group? I can't it's damn near impossible! My hands are dirty Rick just like yours! And Daryl's, Carols, Maggie, all of 'em! So fuck off!" The hallucination went away as he had requested, and Sam began walking, Bastard trotting dutifully at his side.

It had started sometime ago. Within the first month of being alone. It had been Merle who had appeared. Then Beth, Carol, Sophia. They seemed to alternate. This was the first one he had seen Rick though.

"Three of 'em huddled around a campfire," Sam whispered as he stroked Bastards hair. "One armed, two have machetes."

"Don't. Please Sammy?"

"You're not real. None of you are. Leave me alone." Sam raised his rifle and centered the scope's reticle on the armed woman's head.

"Sammy!"

"Go away."

"Please!"

"Go away." Bastard peeked his ears up and tilted its head to the side. "Nothing boy, be ready."

"What if it was me?"

Sam stopped, and curled his finger around the trigger. "You're not here. And you're dead. Please Soph, I don' even want this version of you to see this part."

The apparition disappeared, and Sam pulled the trigger.

"Are you ever going to leave me alone!"

"I'm not Beth, Sam. I'm-"

"My mind's interpretation of Beth I got that, jaysus jus' leave me alone!" Sam turned into an old ruined gas station, the once red letters now black with dirt and a thick tree trunk crushing half of the convenience store. "Listen, I have put up with you little shites for two goddamn months, leave me alone!"

"Who the fuck are you talking to?" Sam un-holstered his pistol and turned on one heel quickly coming face to face with a man. He had a thick bearded and a rifle in his arms, aimed at the ground rather than at Sam. "Easy now. Don't want no trouble"

"You alone?" Sam asked, his eyes peaking behind the man into the station.

"Nothing but you, me, the dog, and those ghosts you seem to be taking to." The Old man smiled. "Talk to 'em often?"

"Often enough," Sam pulled the trigger and the man's body fell to the ground quickly. He collected the rifle, the ammo, and the small knife that the old man had been carrying before entering the store. The shelves had long been looted and the only thing that remained was the husk of the store.

He walked out of the store and looked down at the man's corpse. "Should have shot first."

"Did you really have to kill him?"

"Not having this conversation with you Beth. Especially a you that isn't here."

The farm reminded him of when the apocalypse was only a few months old. When there was still some hope left. Before the prison, Terminus, Grady.

The couple inside had committed suicide, booze and pills, quiet. Sam had killed their reanimated selves before he had made his way to the stable.

There was one horse left, it wasn't tied down, it simply stood still as Sam and Bastard approached it. It didn't complain when Sam saddled it, nor when they left its home.

Beth had given him a few lessons on the horse that they had found for Michonne back at the prison. After a year of not practicing though, and Sam was a bit of a mess in the saddle. Once he had the horse going in the direction, it was simply a matter of keeping the horse going.

Bastard walked next to Sam horse who was going at a nice slow trot the clop clop clop clop of the hooves lulling Sam into a peaceful silence. A silence devoid of Walkers and hallucinations.

As far as peace goes in the apocalypse, Sam knew that where he was in that moment, was as close as he was going to get.

AN: Hey guys, so my computer died. I'm typing on my phone right now, sorry for the extra typos, and I'll be a bit behind on updates. I'll keep planning though, right now I have till the end of season six planned so yeah. I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter and I will see you next time. Review! ~Pacco1