Thank you for reading and reviewing! I appreciate everyone's favorites and follows. Sorry for the delay in updates. Real life is dumb sometimes.
I don't own the walking dead etc. OC and non canon storylines are mine.
Enjoy!
They pulled up to the church to find a fire engine and a lot of dead bodies. Glenn was helping Abraham pull a dead body out from under the truck's wheel well. He smiled widely at Rick and the others arrival, giving them a wave. Merle was confused as to why the others were back but happy to see them. The yard was covered with dead bodies and it seemed like they had some problems while they were in Atlanta.
'Sam bes' not over done it.' He thought wearily.
Merle looked over at Beth who was practically bouncing in her seat in the back of the truck. "Hold your horses Blondie," he drawled but she only smiled wider and wrung her hands in her lap. The truck stopped and Merle opened up the back roll up door, Beth leaping out of it as soon as it hit the top. He watched as she ran full force into Maggie, their arms gathering each other up. Both women were crying and laughing, falling to the ground together. Glenn wandered over and smiled at the reunion. It had been a long time coming and even a cynical Merle could find happiness in the moment. The rest of the group greeted each other, Rick finally asking the question on everyone's minds. "So what the hell are y'all doing back?"
"Eugene was lying. He isn't a scientist." Glenn answered grimly.
Silence suffocated the group and both Merle and Rick glared at Abraham. The large man raised his hands, "I believed him as much as you."
Merle's eyes drilled holes into the man as he growled, "Well I didn't believe the fat fuck. Where's he at so I can kick this shit out of 'im?"
"Already done." Abraham responded dryly his eyes jumping towards the truck cab. Merle smirked at the sight of the guy's bruised face.
"Hey where's Carl?" Rick asked looking at the church doors.
Merle blood ran cold his eyes jumping around for Sam. He took in the bodies and the open church doors.
"What? They're not with you?" Glenn spoke his tone confused, "We figured you all were inside but it's empty. We'd just got the doors open when you pulled up."
"Fuck!" Merle growled jogging toward the church looking for Sam, Michonne or the kids. The front steps were covered in blood and what looked like the remains of the priest.
"That's Gabriel," Rick pointed out his tone worried and confused, "What was he doing outside if the doors were locked?" They entered the church Daryl running to the back offices while Merle shouted for Sam.
"The floor in the office is all tore up." Daryl hollered while jogging back towards the churches entrance. Both brothers exited and circled the church to the side with the office. Daryl pointed, "They came out 'ere 'n ran this way."
Merle and Daryl took off into the woods followed by Rick and Glenn. The others stayed behind to fortify the church again. The prints were visible but so were the dozens of dead that had moved into the area. Merle was regretting leaving her behind at the church. Rick looked just as pissed off and stressed out.
"Sam and Michonne will keep 'em safe Rick." Daryl drawled noticing the leaders worry. Rick nodded as they moved quickly through the thick woods. Merle noticed they were headed towards the subdivision Sam and he had searched.
"I know where they are. Sam 'n me hit a lil neighborhood this way. She prolly led 'em there when they got over run." He explained while jogging through the dense trees. Rick gave him a thankful nod and they began running even faster now that they had a goal in mind. Merle watched as they found a trail of dead walkers amongst the footprints of Sam, Michonne and Carl. Daryl snorted at the sight and drawled, " 'least they left us some bread crumbs."
As they reached the neighborhood they saw evidence of a massive group of dead in the area. The house Merle and Sam had enjoyed themselves in was surrounded by dead walkers. Most were slashed and stabbed, their heads cleaved or severed. Merle saw Sam's machete sticking out of a dead man's head, the blade wedged into its eye socket.
He made his way to the house and saw the door had been busted open, the wood cracked and splintered, dead spilling into the living room. Two walkers stumbled out of the kitchen, their hands claw-like and reaching for Merle. He stabbed them quickly and looked over all of the dead bodies for signs of fresh blood. One had a handful of blonde hair clenched in its broken fist.
"Fuck." He growled looking at the familiar shade of hair woven into the dead corpses claw. Merle knelt next it, pulling the strands from between its grasp and rubbed it between his calloused fingers. Closing his eyes for a moment and taking a deep breath he felt the fear trickle in, settling like a brick in his gut.
Standing up Merle's eyes jumped wildly around the room looking for hints or clues of their whereabouts. He saw empty cans of food and signs of them trying to barricade the doors. Rick was scrubbing his face angrily and pacing in the kitchen before he stomped outside. Daryl was looking for tracks around the property but couldn't find anything leading away from the house.
Merle stared at the pile of dead in the living room and ground his teeth. He should've listened to Sam. Her gut told her separating was a bad decision. Now she was lost to him again. His chest started heaving as the guilt turned into anger, which burned bright until rage spilled from his veins. Merle pulled arm back and began punching holes into the wall, his mouth spitting out a tirade of curses.
"Motherfuckingbastards!" He shouted plunging his metal covered forearm into the wall again and again. The drywall was crumbling and covering him with dust but he couldn't stop. She was gone and it was all his fault. Sam could be dead, she could be changed into a monster and he couldn't do anything about it.
Arms circled his waist pulling the raging bull of a man out of the house and into the front yard. Merle swung back, clipping his brother in the jaw as his anger spun out of control. He lashed out at Daryl, anger and frustration spilling out of him like lava. He was about to tackle the younger man and pummel the shit out of him in a misguided tantrum when a clattering of noises came from the house. Dread consumed all four men as they all looked toward the gaping doorway, a shadow shuffling towards the sunlight.
The evening before
The door was practically bulging with the weight of bodies beyond it. It was going to give at any moment and there wasn't much Sam or Michonne could do to stop it.
"Get 'em in the attic. Hallway ceiling." Sam gasped pushing with all her weight. "GO!" She snarled making Michonne run towards the bathroom. Sam dug her heels into the carpeting and heard them pull the attic stairs down, the clanking of a ladder sliding down. She was panting as the door began to bend and buckle, the wood finally cracking under the pressure.
'I'm sorry Merle,' she thought feeling the fear slide down her spine like ice water. Death felt imminent and all Sam could think about was Merle's twinkling blue eyes and how she wished she could see them one last time.
Michonne suddenly appeared at her side, her hands pushing on the door with Sam.
"They're safe. Let's kills these fuckers." She spoke loudly over the sounds of groaning corpses, a grin splitting her face.
"You're havin' too much fun right now Mich," Sam muttered causing Michonne to laugh dryly.
They both counted down and jumped away, the door's lock busting out with a crack of splitting wood. Both women began stabbing and slicing the dead spilling into the house. Sam stepped back to get leverage but tripped over a lamp cord, her ankle twisting painfully. Growling she ignored it, jumping away from the tumbling dead.
A large corpse made it behind Sam, grabbing a handful of hair and pulling her towards its mouth. It's rancid breathe and jagged teeth were aimed at her cheek. She growled loudly yanking away, her scalp screaming in pain while stabbing another walker in the head. Michonne spun around and cleaved the grabby undead's head in two. Sam gave her a thankful nod and moved around the living room furniture, dodging hands and hungry mouths. They fought for what seemed like hours until no more bodies came inside. Both women were panting heavily and looked at each other with sweat dripping in their eyes.
"Easy peasy." Sam grunted wiping her forehead with a shaky hand, her palm coming back with sweat and gore. Michonne let out a breathy laugh and suggested, "Let's just camp in the attic. We can leave tomorrow, find better shelter."
Sam nodded and limped toward the attic opening, her ankle throbbing with each step. Michonne pulled the cord and they both climbed up on shaky limbs. Sam saw Carl holding Judith with wide eyes, "You ok?" He asked his face distressed.
She nodded and collapsed onto a plank of wood being held by rafters. The room wasn't finished and filled with insulation. The air was stuffy and dusty but they were safe for the time being. Her eyes were already closing when Michonne handed her a bottle of water. Sam sipped it and croaked, "They better come back tomorrow or I'm gonna be pissed."
Michonne smirked and said, "We can just barricade in another of these houses. They'll find us."
Nodding Sam lay down and felt her body crash. She was too exhausted to stay awake for another moment.
Meanwhile
Merle and Daryl were in the yard staring at the cavernous opening leading into the house. The shadow was shuffling along and tripping over the dead bodies in the doorway. Merle felt his heart stop beating and his lungs let out a jagged breath. They hadn't even bothered searching the house after finding the doors open. Sam could've been turned in the back bedroom, stuck somewhere. It could be Michonne or god forbid Rick's son stumbling towards them. The body made it out of the wreckage of a living room and stumbled into the sunlight, the dark form finally taking shape.
Merle felt like he had been brought back to life, his heart thumping loudly in his ears and lungs filling instantly with a shuddering gasp. Sam limped out into the bright sunlight with a huge grin and covered in walker gore.
"Nice of you fuckers to come back. What took you so damn long?" She teased before stumbling down the front steps. Merle ran to her, picking her up and crushing her to his chest, her legs wrapping around his waist. Merle's throat closed up with a painful lump and he had to squeeze his eyes shut to keep the tears from overflowing. When he finally opened them he saw Carl and Michonne exiting the house with Judith.
"Where were ya?" he choked out, his voice rough with emotion.
"The attic. Had to hide out after that herd followed us. We killed a lot but they kept coming." Sam mumbled into his chest while he squeezed her breath out. Merle kissed her temples and forehead before plunging his tongue into her mouth desperately. He heard the others groan at the graphic display but Merle couldn't stop himself. He needed to kiss the fuck out of Sam and make sure she was real.
"Jesus Sugar." He rasped after pulling back, framing her face with his large palm, "Thought I lost ya again."
"I figured you might remember this place and come here." She smirked and kissed his chin, her fingers curling in his shirt.
"Why's this place special?" Glenn asked scratching his head, looking around for something unique about the subdivision.
"Le's just say we spent some quality time 'ere the other day." Merle drawled with a exaggerated leer. Glenn blushed and cleared his throat awkwardly, "Alrighty then." He put Sam on the ground again, keeping an arm around her shoulders.
Rick was hugging his daughter and son, "Thank you both for keeping 'em safe. What happened?"
Sam sighed and looked at Carl who glared back at her. Merle raised an eyebrow and looked at Sam with a tiny grin. He was incredibly amused at the kid's ire for Sam.
"Gabriel pried the floorboards up and ran away. Apparently he didn't wanna stick with us. It didn't turn out too well for him because he came runnin' back with a herd on his heels." She explained. He was glad the asshole was dead now. He could've gotten them killed if they were less experienced at surviving. Merle pulled her closer thanking god she was so damn capable.
"She let him die Dad!" Carl exclaimed angrily, his blues eyes flaming. Sam rubbed the bridge of her nose, "Carl, I couldn't open the door to a fucking herd. It was his damn fault for leaving."
"He was screaming for help and you let him get eaten." Carl growled marching forward pointing at her, "You're a fuckin' murderer."
Rick shouted, "Carl!" The teen glowered at both Sam and Rick, tension rolling off his gangly frame. Merle narrowed his eyes at the kid and his statement.
"That's bullshit kid. She saved ya life, ya sister's life by not lettin' them in. Ya should be thankin' her."
Carl grumbled and walked away from the group, his steps angry. Sam looked at Merle and shrugged, "He can think what he wants. Maybe I could've helped the guy but I wasn't riskin' our lives for a guy who obviously didn't want to be with our group. It was too big of a risk."
Rick nodded and gripped her shoulder, "I back up your decision. Let's get back. The others came back Eugene was lying."
Sam's eyes widened and she growled, "I fuckin' knew it. Stupid bastard. How many people died tryin' to get him to DC?"
"Too many." Glenn answered as they began walking towards the church again. Merle noticed Sam lipping and asked, "Ya ok?"
"Twisted my ankle when we were fighting in the house. Tripped over a dumb lamp cord."
Merle smirked and wrapped an arm around waist to help keep the weight off her foot but she was still struggling.
"Fuckit. I'm carryin' you." he proclaimed while moving to pick her up bridal style.
Sam smacked his hands away and told him, "Merle I'm too heavy."
Snorting loudly Merle drawled, "Ain't a weak lil bitch Sugar. I can carrying ya."
Sam sighed, "piggy back?"
Merle snorted and turned around, crouching to let her hop on his back.
"Did you get them?" She asked as they started walking again. Merle grunted, "Yeah."
"Good. they ok?"
Merle responded while hiking Sam up higher on his back, "Carols hurt from the car hittin' her but she'll be ok."
"Beth?" Michonne asked looking at Daryl.
"She'll be ok too. Place was bad. She's got scars on her face from being hit."
Merle felt his anger rise again thinking about the bitch cop that did it. He was happy he took her out. There was not a shred of guilt for blowing her brains out.
They arrived at the church to find everyone getting settled for the night. They were all happy to see the trio and Judith back safe and sound. Sam gave Maggie and her sister Beth a hug. She hadn't been close with the girl but was glad to see she had made it back from a dire situation. She could only hope her getting hit was as bad as the place had been. Sam had too much experience with the type of people that run places like that.
Merle got her sitting down and started pulling off her boot to look over her ankle. Hissing through clench teeth she growled, "Fuck."
He looked up and scowled at the pain that must have been crossing her face. His hands were gently probing the ankle and rotating the foot to test her ability to move it.
"A'right. It's just a sprain. Gotta keep it up and rest it or ya'll do more damage." He drawled while grabbing his pack. He pulled out an ace bandage and started wrapping it tightly. Sam watched him work with a tiny smile. Once done he looked up to see her eyes on him and huffed, "Stop with the googoo eyes."
"What? It's really sweet of you to take care of my smelly foot." She teased while wiggling her toes as he propped it up on a backpack. Merle snorted and leaned over her, his mouth meeting hers gently. Sam hummed and stroked her hand across his scruffy cheek and whispered, "Thank you my sweet man." Merle snorted and sat back muttering, "Shuddup."
The rest of the group were settled down chatting and eating. Soon the question on everyones minds was asked by Carl, "What now?"
Rick sighed and scrubbed his beard covered face. He picked up a fussy Judith from Beth. Sam watched him pace a few times before Beth spoke up, "Noah's family was in a place with walls."
Every looked at the pair sitting together in front of one of the remaining pews. Rick drawled, "Where and when was this?"
Noah shifted uncomfortably under the scrutiny of the group's eyes. Merle huffed out an irritated breath, "Well, speak up boy."
Sam slapped his stomach making him grunt and gave the kid an apologetic smile. Beth explained, "It's near Richmond, Virginia. Right Noah?"
He nodded and said, "We had walls. It was about 20 people."
Rick nodded and paced a few more times and seemingly coming to a decision drawled, "It's a long trip, but if it works out… It maybe the last long trip we have to make," Glenn shifted in his seat and asked, "What if it's not around anymore? That's a long hike for nothing."
Rick shrugged and responded, "We'll keep going." Michonne added with a hopeful tone Sam had never heard from her, "Then we find a new place."
Rick nodded assuring everyone, "We travel safe, smart and we'll be fine. What matters is we're all together again."
Most spoke up agreeing, others moved to rest for the night. Sam was nervous about a trip that would push them further than they had ever traveled. There was a lot of land in between the group and this community that may not even exist anymore. The distance could hold countless obstacles, possible hostile groups and herds of walkers. It wouldn't be easy or safe but Rick was right. They were together and that was all that mattered at the moment.
Merle wasn't too keen on traveling over 500 miles to a possible mirage but he did realize the group needed something, a goal of some kind. If they didn't they'd start dropping like flies. Without something to work towards what was the point of even living.
He shifted his body and felt curl Sam closer to him, her hand clutching to his shirt. Smirking down at the woman pressed firmly against his side Merle kissed her head. He had thought he'd lost her and he couldn't believe he'd let it happen again. He felt like such a failure but promised himself they wouldn't separate again. They'd already made those promises to each other and he had broken it. Merle wouldn't make that mistake again, he couldn't make it again.
Sorry for the shorter chapter but I figured smaller was better than nothing. Plus I wanted to reunite everybody again.