Thank you everyone who has been reading, favoriting and following. So happy others are enjoying my fanfic. It's been fun to change up my characters. I've been writing Daryl/Jameson stories and needed a change of pace. This one has been different as I am having to weave in original stories lines opposed to making up my own as in 'Backroads'. Hopefully it is going ok.
Answers for Questions:
-This is a Merle/OC fic so I wont be killing Merle off! I wanna see the story with Merle involved further on. Team Merle!
-Merle and Daryl are canon age in this fic. So Merle- 40s to early 50s and Daryl late 30s early forties.
Thanks again and ENJOY!
Merle had been watching Rick wander in the fields near the prison. He could tell he was talking to himself or someone he thought was there. The man was unhinged in Merle's eyes. He had seen the look before in war buddies, fellow inmates. Men lost within themselves, locked up in their heads.
'Guy's half off his rocker.' He thought while lazily stabbing the picnic table with a pocketknife.
"What'd the table ever do to you?" Sam asked while sitting down next to him.
"Interrupted me while I was thinkin'." He said flatly his eyes narrowed as he tried to stare the girl down.
"Well good thing ya don't do too much thinkin'. Huh?" she smirked and bumped his shoulder with hers, her eyes bright with amusement.
Merle just looked at her for a long moment before shaking his head and chuckling. "Didn' realize I kidnapped a comedian."
"Lucky you it seems." She smiled and watched Rick strolling in the long grass. "That guy's got one foot in a rubber room."
Merle chuckled and shook his head in disbelief. "Mind reader to huh?"
Sam laughed and rested her chin on her palm. "He seems a little… unbalanced. I heard about his wife and all. Fucked up."
"Eh. Met his wife, kinda a bitch, plus she was bangin' the other pig in our camp." Merle said closing his knife blade and sliding into his pocket.
"Like a regular Days of the Dead soap opera." She muttered and looked over at rest of the people doing tasks.
Merle sat quietly and glanced at Sam as she watched the others doing laundry, fortifying fences and laying pallets in the catwalk. He could see her black eye was still dark but the blood red of her eye was fading to pink. The cut on her lip was scabbed over and the bruises on her neck and collarbones were turning green and yellow around the edges. Her blonde hair was pulled back into a ponytail, it fell between her shoulder blades. The soft black t-shirt she wore made her skin look pale. Merle looked at her profile while pretending to look at Daryl patrol the fences. He could see the telltale bump of a past broken nose and a light scar that ran along her jaw.
"Where'd ya get that scar?" he asked motioning to his jaw while nodding to hers.
Sam traced it and smiled, "Prison. Had a friendly disagreement about who's jello it was."
Merle grinned, "Who won?"
"I'm here ain't I?" she smirked and added, "Just kidding. I didn't kill her but it was my fuckin' jello."
Merle's eyes twinkled and he shook his head. "Lil spitfire. How 'bout the nose? Fight Club?"
Sam laughed and leaned her elbows on the table, "You're awfully observant huh? I got that from my last stepdad. Real charmer."
"Sounds like it." Merle grunted, crossing his arms. "He get what was comin' to him?"
"No idea, probably OD'd or something soon after I left. Had a fondness of Oxys." Sam said while tapping her fingers on the tabletop. After a few moments of silence Sam asked, "You think they'll let us stay?"
Merle snorted and shrugged, "Be stupid to send me out. Got experience with the Gov. Plus they'll lose Daryl if I go. He'll walk wit' me. I'm sure ya can do laundry 'n shit right Sugar?" he raised an eyebrow and a cocky grin.
Sam narrowed her eyes and said, "Sure but I also make a mean shank, wanna be my test subject?"
Merle smirked and shook his head, "Remind why I dragged ya with me?"
"My comedic prowess isn't enough reason?" Sam smiled, slapping him on the back before rising and walking back into the cellblock. Merle watched her walk away and shook his head.
'Crazy bitch.' He thought with a chuckle and then bit his lip, 'Nice ass though.'
Merle was shaken out of his daydream of Sam's swaying hips by Glenn's voice. "Merle we need your help with something." Glenn said as he approached him in the courtyard.
"Oh yeah Short Round? What's that?" Merle drawled a cocky smirk on his face. Glenn shook his head at the nickname and said, "We had a breach before you got here. We have walkers in the tombs and need to clear the area. Rick's done a lot but we need to make sure they're safe."
"A'right. I'll need my blade back though." Merle said standing up, cracking his neck and spitting to the side.
"Daryl is grabbing it for you. It'll be you, him and Maggie." Glenn tells him.
Merle wandered into the prison and found Daryl speaking to Maggie. Once Merle strolled over to him, Daryl handed him the blade for his metal sleeve. Making quick work of belting it in place Merle said, "A'right. Lead the way baby brother."
The three moved into the tombs with Daryl in the lead. Using flashlights they entered the darkened hallways leading into the bowels of the prison. Echoing shuffles greeted them as they turned corner after corner.
"Come out, come out whereva ya're." Merle rasped as they found themselves deep into the recesses of the old complex.
The first walker they stumbled upon was an old inmate, face chewed and arms shorn. Daryl stabbed upward into its chin while its gnashing teeth ground together. The gurgling choke echoed around them. Louder moans rung out ahead of them and they prepared for the onslaught of corpses. Forming a tight circle they stabbed and hacked through bodies that barreled toward them, hands reaching out. The corpses piled up and the floor became slick with dark viscera. Merle stuck one corpse through the eye while holding another off by its neck. Tearing his blade out of the first he impaled the second one through the temple. Grunting at the excursion all three were panting as the last walker fell before them.
"Fuck ya weren't kiddin' about a breach." Merle rasped as he wiped his blade on the leg of his pants. Daryl grunted in return and pushed corpses away so they could continue to clear the halls. Moving quickly through the tunnels they came upon a few stragglers left and a couple crawling bodies. Merle laughed uproariously as Daryl put a boot through a walker's head and slide onto his ass in sticky blood.
"Fuck Darylina. Ya still got moves." Merle bellowed as he grabbed his brother's wrist to yank him to his feet.
"Shuddup 'n help me up dumbass" Daryl growled as he got to his feet, slipping on the black ooze.
"We got a few more turns and we should be done." Maggie said while urging the men forward.
Walking further in they found the end of the hallways empty. Making their way back they double-checked rooms and cells that they passed before deeming the area clear. Moving through the maze of twists and turns they dragged bodies with them, piling them into central areas for future clean up. Once they removed them they would close up the different sections to prevent another breach.
"A'right, we done 'ere cuz a man's gotta eat." Merle rasped, rubbing his stomach. Daryl snorted and nodded, "Yeah, le's go."
Sam was given the task of clearing the fence of walkers again despite Hershel's advice against it. She shrugged him off saying things still had to get done and she wasn't a Sensitive Sally. Glenn was busy planning how to fortify the prison while Rick spent time away from everyone else. Sam watched him stand and look off in the distance, his eyes unfocused and pained. She felt bad for the guy but worried that with his emotional state he might kick her out.
Taking the crowbar she was given, she stabbed the first walker through the eye and pulled her tool back. Black tar like blood oozed down its face as it sank to its knees. Moving down the line, one after another Sam killed the rotting corpses clawing at the wire fencing.
"Now you are one ugly motherfucker," she muttered as she looked at the tall, fat biter. His face missing on one side while his large swollen guts poured from his abdominal cavity. Because of his height she had to angle upwards to hit his brain. Shoving up and out she nailed it underneath its double chin and watched it fall over with a loud thud. Wrinkling her nose at the sight and smell she moved along down the fence. With the perimeter cleared she wandered back up the hill. She walked past their small cemetery and frowned. Seeing the new graves was disconcerting.
Once inside she moved towards the bathrooms. "Sam, I'd like to check your wounds now that ya worked out there all afternoon." Hershel said as she walked past him in the cellblock. "Ok," she responded. "Before or after I wash up?" Looking down at her arms and clothing he said with a chuckled, "After."
Sam lay in her cell after cleaning up and being tended to by Hershel. He advised her to rest for the remainder of the evening. She was doing damage to her back by continually breaking the scabs open. Rubbing her face Sam tried to take a nap before dinner. The nightmare from the previous evening was still clinging to the inside of her head though so she mainly lay looking at the bunk above her.
"Whatcha doin girl?" Merle asked while leaning on her cell door, his arms crossed. Sam noticed he'd removed the blade from his arm again. Looking at him leaning in the doorway she took in his broad shoulders and muscular arms. He filled the doorframe and would be seen by many as an imposing figure. Sam however felt an odd clench deep in her stomach at the sight. 'Get a hold of yourself Sam,' she thought while fighting a blush.
"I'm on bedrest." She muttered while rolling her eyes and pushing hair off her forehead.
"Oh yeah?" he asked, walking into her cell and sitting down by her legs. Leaning over he rested his arms on his knees. "Whatchya do? Hurt ya'self?"
"Nah. Hershel says I keep fuckin' up the cuts on my back though." She said sitting up on her elbow, the pull of the tight skin on her back stinging.
"Keep openin' 'em up they're gonna scar worse." He told her while scratching the whiskers on his chin. She looked him over while he wasn't looking at her. He had a strong jaw and angular cheekbones. She could see he'd had plenty of broken noses before. 'Probably why he could see mine,' she though with a smirk. Glancing at his arms resting on his knees she could see the thick chords of muscle under the tanned skin. Sam started to wonder what the muscles would feel like under her fingers.
'Holy shit Sam get a hold of yourself. Wait, What did he say?' she thought desperately. Sam shaking her head slightly she shrugged, "Whatever, I won't ever see 'em." Sam smiled to try and cover her apparent raging hormones.
Merle chuckled but didn't reply.
"How'd killing everything in sight go?" she asked moving up to sit crossed legged next to him. Merle shrugged and grunted, "Fine. Too many of those bastards down there. Took all damn day to kill 'em and move 'em."
Sam nodded and leaned against the bed frame. "Well at least it's done yeah?" She could see how exhausted he was. Hoping she wouldn't wake him up again with her whining. She had been very embarrassed by him seeing her weak again. It was bad enough he saw her broken body let alone her weeping like a girl because of a dream..
"S'pose." He grunted and sighed and scrubbed his face, "Ya hungry?"
"I could eat." She smiled and stood up wincing at the shot of pain across her shoulder blades.
"See ya over did it girl." He said jutting his chin toward her back.
"Yeah, yeah old man. Leave me alone." She said shooing him out of her cell while he laughed gruffly. Following him down the stairs she found her eyes drawn to his ass. He filled out his worn jeans rather well. 'Oh My God Sam. Stop it now. Seriously…. Stop …. It.' She scolded herself while rubbing her forehead.
"Got a headache?" Merle asked making Sam almost trip over her own feet in surprise. "Oh uh yeah. A little one." She mumbled.
The pair walked into the dining hall and grabbed plates of leftover venison and canned beans. Sitting across from each other they ate silently. Daryl joined them soon after and was equally quiet. Sam watched the brothers eat side by side. Swallowing a chuckle she watched how they were mirror images of each other. Merle using his left hand while Daryl his right. Both shoveled food in fast and efficiently and both had terrible table manners. Rolling her eyes at the manliness of the sight before her.
"Hey Sam. Hershel said no more fence duty. Said you're back's getting too messed up. Can you help Carol with laundry and food preparation?" Glenn asked while eating at the next table.
Merle coughed over a laugh while Sam glared at him. Secretly making the 'I'm gonna kill you' hand motion across her throat to Merle. Sam turned to Glen and smiled, "Sure. Just have her point me when and where and probably how." She laughed.
Merle smirked around a mouthful of food and pointed his fork at her, "Tol' ya."
"Shuddup old man. I heard they have plenty of toothbrushes here and I'm sure I can find a lighter." She said while eating and glaring at him. Merle smirked at her sneer.
"Tha' fuck ya talkin 'bout?" Daryl asked wiping his mouth with the back of his hand.
"Sam here knows how to make a mean shank, wants to practice on me." Merle replied coolly. Sam glared at him because he just unknowingly hinted at her ex-con status. She had a sneaking suspicious he was doing it on purpose though.
"Have at it. He's a pain in my ass." Daryl responded before standing and leaving. Sam narrowed her eyes at Merle seeing a small grin slide onto his face.
"You fucker. Stop freaking me out." She hissed while finishing her food.
"Oh come Sugar. That was funny. He didn't notice shit. Don' be so uptight." He drawled and stood up, taking her plate. Sam watched him put them in the dirty dish tub and wander back over to her.
"Gonna smoke ya want one?" he asked pulling his pack out, sliding one between his lips. Sam nodded and followed him outside. Before exiting she saw Carol watching them with a tiny smirk. Shaking her head in confusion Sam stepped outside into the warm air.
Handing her his pack and lighter Merle sat down on a small retaining wall, taking a deep drag on his cigarette. Sam handed everything back as she inhaled. Sitting next to each other they, watched the night sky take over the day. It's dark tendrils crawling up the navy blue sky as it struggled to hold onto one more ray of daylight. There was a breeze moving the grassy fields and the trees beyond the prison. It smelled of forest and cigarette smoke with a hint of rot. The fence line was riddled with walkers again. Sam tapped her cigarette on the edge while exhaling to the side.
"You think he's gonna show up here?" Sam asked Merle. He took another drag and nodded without asking who. It was understood. She could feel Merle's eyes on her but didn't turn to look at him.
"Yeah. Sooner than later I'd say. Martinez prolly followed the Nubian Queen here. He's a shit tracker but she was bleedin' everywhere." He drawled and spit to the side. "If we're lucky he don' know we're 'ere."
Sam nodded and nervously tapped her fingers on the wall next to her thigh. Her nerves were still frayed from the experience in Woodbury and the thought of seeing the man again was turning her gut. Sam knew if he got his hands on her again nothing and no one would stop him this time.
"If he gets here… seriously if he gets his hands on me and you have a chance, just put me down. I'm not goin' back." She said finishing her smoke, flicking it away and still avoiding eye contact.
"Ain't getting ya." Merle said flatly. "If he does I'm already dead and won't be able to put ya down anyways."
"Thanks I guess." Sam nodded and smiled sadly. She thought over his statement and read between the lines. Merle had basically said he'd die before the sadistic monster got his hands on her again. 'Hmph.' She thought with a furrowed brow. 'Is that what he meant?' she asked herself while chewing her cheek.
Merle smirked and nodded but didn't say anymore.
Merle sat in his cell after eating and talking with Sam. Smiling about the earlier conversations with her, Merle found himself still chuckling at her sense of humor. He'd never tell Sam or anyone else but she cracked him up. It was a rare thing to stand toe to toe with Merle trading barbs. Most people backed down when he barked at them or stared them down. Sam just smirked and let it roll off her back.
It was refreshing.
Speaking about the Governor's return was difficult though. Merle could tell she was worried about it and if he was honest with himself, he was also. If the bastard got his hands on Sam she wouldn't survive and the time she had left would be horrific. Merle had surprised himself by basically claiming he'd die protecting her. It slipped out before he'd even thought about what he was saying. He hoped she didn't catch the slip up. It was too gallant of a statement to come out of a Dixon. When Merle said it he had to fight a blush from creeping up in neck. It was the second time Merle had felt embarrassed around her, which was completely ridiculous to the surly redneck.
'Fuckin' pussy bitch.' He berated himself while staring at the bunk above him.
Sighing Merle made sure the sheets he hung were in place before removing the sleeve from his arm. He would never admit it but he was ashamed of the blunt ended arm. It made him feel weak and less of a man. He liked to tell himself and others that it showed his strength but when he looked at it, he just saw incompleteness.
The apparatus helped with it but deep down he hated it. Hated looking at it and hated others seeing it even more. Keeping the metal armor over it most of the time caused issues though. The skin was inflamed and sore. The constant pressure from the sleeve and the bruising hits it took by using the blade, made the limb ache. Setting the prosthetic arm to the side Merle removed the sock he used to give the limb additional padding.
"Fuck." He hissed quietly. The skin was red and blistered. Covered with sore spots and bruised. He grabbed his first aid pack and pulled out alcohol and antibacterial ointment. It needed to be treated before he developed another infection.
He had just opened a gauzes pad when a light rock sounded at the cell.
"Fuck off," he barked loudly. His mouth raised into a sneer as anger filled his chest. Merle could feel the desire to lash out flare.
"Hey its Sam," she said quietly.
"Said, Fuck off." He growled while grinding his teeth. "Busy girl."
He heard her shuffle her feet to the side and then walk away. Merle let out a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding. The idea of her seeing his scarred limb was heart stopping and infuriating. A chill ran down his spine just thinking about it.
Soaking up some of the alcohol he wiped the scar tissue down and cleaned it. Struggling with the tube of ointment, he held it in his hand and tried to open it with his mouth. The cap was stuck and on crooked.
Growling loudly Merle chucked it against the wall in frustration, the plastic tube rolling out of the cell onto the walkway. Merle closed his eyes and sighed loudly before standing up to retrieve it. Before he could grab it he saw a hand pick it up.
Merle narrowed his eyes and put his right arm behind his back. Opening the sheet he saw Sam holding it with a raised eyebrow.
"Got a boo boo?" she asked with a grin, the tube in her hand tapping against her shoulder.
Merle snarled, "Give it."
Sam raised both eyebrows at his anger then narrowed her eyes. "What's goin on?"
"Give it 'ere girl. Now." He said low and gravelly. Sam sighed and shook her head. "No. You patched me up. Let me see."
Merle growled and ground his teeth together. He could feel the muscles in his jaw tighten and his cheek tick. "Don' be a fuckin' nosy bitch, Girl. Give it 'ere NOW." He snarled.
"Don' be a whiny pussy. Sit down. NOW." She said firmly, ignoring his insults, while pointing at his bunk. Merle tried to stare her down, his hackles where raised and his skin crawling. The urge to throw things and punch things raged though his angry frame. Merle's body was vibrating with tension. Staring at her for a full minute before he gave up and clenched his eyes shut. He couldn't believe the balls on this chick.
Opening his eyes he saw her concerned face. "Let me help." She said quietly and sincerely. Merle chewed the inside of his cheek bloody before sitting down in defeat, his arm still behind his back. He could feel the tension radiating off his body.
"Come on now. Ain't got all night right?" she said a small smile.
"Close the curtain." He said roughly. Watching her close them and sit back down he placed his arm on his lap. Keeping his eyes on the limb and not Sam's face, Merle let a slow shaky breath out. He watched her hand pick up his forearm, turning it over to see both sides. Merle waited for her disgust or pity, a gasp of horror or tears of sympathy.
"Ok lets get ya cleaned up." She said softly. No emotions within her voice, just a calm and easy going tone.
He watched her repeat the actions he had done before but more thoroughly. Her hands were gentle and tiny compared to Merle's thick forearm. Once cleaned she opened the ointment he had dropped. Using a Qtip she applied ointment to all the sore spots and pressure points.
"You need to wash it and dry it real well everyday, soap and water. Only use the alcohol on it when there's open sores. Otherwise it'll dry and crack the skin." She spoke while dabbing each red wound. "We need to get a good lotion to apply every night, need to keep it moisturized. Do you use anything on it under the sleeve?" she asked while she worked.
"Use a sock." Merle said gruffly feeling uncomfortable talking about it. He had the doctors in Woodbury look at occasionally but he mainly handled it once it wasn't infected.
"Gotta use a new one everyday. Wash 'em often. It needs to be kept clean and dry so it won't rub so much. It's why ya got blisters." She said while wrapping it in gauze and taping it.
"How ya know all that?" he asked finally making eye contact. He saw her dark blue eyes were soft but not filled with sadness or pity. Sam didn't look disgusted by the scarred tissue or the fact that his arm was mutilated. There was no judgment in her eyes.
She smiled at him and said, "My gramps. Lost a leg to diabetes. I helped take care of him."
"So ya weren't jus' a criminal." He smirked causing her to laugh. "No I wasn't."
Sam gathered up the supplies and packed it back into the small first aid bag and handed it to him. "Feel ok, not too tight?" she asked. Merle cleared his throat and shook his head, "Nah. t'sfine."
"Ok. Well g'night, old man." She said with a grin before slipping out of his cell.
Merle sat there staring at the wrist covered in gauze. Scratching his scalp and rubbing his neck roughly he tried to decipher what he thought about the interaction. It was odd having someone look at him like that. All exposed. For some reason though Merle didn't feel as bad as he thought he would. Maybe it was her experience with it or something else entirely but Merle was relieved he didn't feel pissed or ashamed in front of her.
'Tha fuck's wrong with ya Dixon? Getting' soft in your old age.' he thought while lying down and closing his eyes.
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