Chapter Two
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.