So sorry for the delay. I tend to stick to writing which of my stories that I have flowing easily and recently its been Saving Valentine. I have been working on SH and Cupcakes sporadically. I hope to keep chugging away at all three of my fics. Please forgive my stuttered updates.
I don't own the Walking Dead, its characters etc etc. Oc and non canon stuff is mine.
Please enjoy and review!
They had parked in the outer lying area of where Noah's family's safe haven was supposed to be. After hiking through the woods and over a pretty inventive perimeter fence of wire cables they found the large metal gates. The area was silent except for the sounds of moaning corpses. Merle stood near Rick and Michonne as Glenn climbed the wall to peer over. When he glanced down he shook his head, his eyes resigned. Spitting to the side Merle sneered at the tall barriers. 'No where's safe,' he thought angrily. Noah began repeating 'no' while clumsily climbing the wall, tumbling over.
As they all entered they found dead residents and walking undead. There were corpses hacked to pieces and burned out homes. Merle watched the others chase after Noah who was understandably upset. Merle swallowed down his dry throat and stomped towards the center of the neighborhood. Walkers were tumbling out of homes and out of backyards. He started taking down biters while the others discussed their next step.
They split up to search for supplies while Tyreese and Noah stayed behind. Merle helped clear the street with Michonne as Rick and Glenn scavenged a few garages. He could see the utter disappointment radiating off the woman. Every swing through a skull was a silent scream of exasperation. She was fed up and Merle actually sympathized with her. It seemed every possible ray of hope was extinguished before they could glimpse it.
"We could stay here. Make it ours. We could put some of the garage doors together against the break. Park a car against them until we can brick it back up." Michonne spoke with a hopeful look in her eyes. Merle grunted in response and listened to Rick and her discuss it. Rick sighed and scrubbed his jaw, scratching his bushy beard before drawling, "This place is surrounded by a forest. There's no sight lines. Whoever or whatever would be on top of us without us even knowing it. That's probably what happened. That's what happened to us."
Michonne grasped at straws, her eyes desperate, "We could start taking down the trees, use them to build the walls up."
Merle shook his head as they approached the broken walls that had seen better days. The ground was littered bodies, well body parts would be more accurate. Whoever broke through the walls had massacred the residents. All that was left was a scattering of legs and arms. No torsos, no heads.
"Ain't stayin' in this fuckin' place. Gives me the fuckin' willies. Fuckin' Governor bullshit right 'ere." Merle grunted while pointing his bayonet blade at the severed legs, "Whoever did this shit ain't nobody we wanna run into."
Michonne put her hands on her hips and sighed, the woman obviously seeing his point. She chewed her cheek and spoke quietly, "It doesn't matter that Eugene lied about a cure, he thought of Washington for a reason."
"But he was lying" Merle snapped, his eyes turning into a burn glare, "The fucker lied, ain't nothin' for us there but more biters and prolly the assholes who did this shit."
"He lied about the cure, but he did the math and realized that Washington was the place where there'd be a chance. We're close." Michonne suggested her eyes jumping between the men. Merle sighed and leaned against the crumbling wall, pulling out a smoke. He lit the stale cigarette and inhaled deeply. The day was wearing him down and all he wanted now was to get back to Sam and have some dinner.
Michonne kept speaking, her eyes now fixed on Rick's as she reasoned, "What if there are people there? Huh? What if it's someplace that we can be safe? We're 100 miles away… It's a possibility... It's a chance."
Rick stood his hand resting on his revolver hilt, his narrowed eyes scanning the neighborhood. Merle watched the man turning the idea over in his head.
"Instead of just being out here. Instead of just making it. Because right now, this is what making it looks like. Don't you want one more day with a chance?" Michonne asked, shouldering the trash bag full of supplies.
Rick finally decided to speak up, "We should go. It's 100 miles away. We should go to Washington." Merle opened his mouth to complain about wasting their time when Noah came running down the road screaming for help.
"Rick! Help! It's Tyreese! He's been bit!" he screamed while dodging the hands of walkers. Merle jogged with the others while stabbing the gap maws of approaching corpses. They wove through the winding streets and came to a house with an open front door. Rick and Glenn charged indoors and followed the yelling. When they burst into the bedroom they found Tyreese bleeding out from a large bit wound on his forearm. There were at least three walkers inside with him, all dead but apparently too late.
Merle yanked his belt out and cinched it around Tyreese's bicep trying to keep him from bleeding anymore. Rick gripped Tyreese's arm while Michonne used her sword to hack off the dying mans' arm. After three gruesome hacking motions his arm was severed and they began carrying him out the door. Merle help hold him with Rick, the giant man's weight becoming almost too much to hold. Michonne and Glenn joined the pair but had to branch off as walkers started pouring into the area.
The run back to their vehicle was frantic, the group yanking the unconscious man through the winding wire barriers and when they finally reached their car it was stuck in mud. After a few hurried maneuvers Rick got the car moving but nailed the back of the broken down truck they parked next to. The camper topper opened up and dozens of walker torsos poured out onto their hood.
"What the fuck!" Merle shouted as a face pressed against the windshield. Rick looked over with horror but revved the engine again, peeling out of the forest area. Merle looked over his shoulder at the gruesome scene and shook his head. 'Sick fucks,' he thought to himself incredulously.
Tyreese was fading in and out of consciousness, his limb still bleeding despite the tourniquet. Rick called Carol over their handheld radios, preparing them to treat an injury.
"Rick!" Michonne shouted her hands touching Tyreese's neck feeling for a pulse. Rick glanced back and saw her tearing eyes. She shook her head and sat back heavily, rubbing her eyes roughly. Noah buried his head in his hands and was obviously swallowing down sobs. Rick slammed on the brakes and punched the steering wheel until his hand bled. Merle seethed while glaring out the front window. He jumped out of the car as Rick and Glenn pulled Tyreese's body out onto the cracked pavement. He glared at the dead man with such hatred, his eyes burned. Merle was pissed off, not at the man but the world. They couldn't catch a fucking break and Merle was coming to the end of his rope of tolerance.
"This all there's gonna be? We gonna just keep droppin' off like goddamn flies? Huh?" Merle ranted in the middle of the street, "These dead fucks gonna just keep takin' us one by fucking one? Ain't fuckin' happenin'. Not me, not my brother and sure as shit not my wife. Ain't taken shit from me! Fuck these fuckers!"
The other watched him flip his shit, his arms waving around and pointing at Tyreese's body. Outwardly he seemed angry with the dead man but inside he was becoming overwhelmed with the setbacks they kept having. His normal resilience was coming apart at the seams. Merle snapped his jaw shut as he shouted the news of Sam and him, publicly declaring something personal. He narrowed his eyes and silently dared anyone to say a word about it.
After a moment of silence Rick put Tyreese down with a knife to his temple before they got him back in the vehicle. Merle paced a few moments before climbing in the front passenger seat, slamming the door harder than necessary. He ground his teeth as he thought about every damn obstacle they'd faced and every person they'd lost. Back in the day the old Merle would've been not only unaffected but also perfectly happy to lose people. It meant less supplies given to someone other than himself and his blood. Now it seemed to be chipping away at his resolve.
The ride was silent, the only noise was the repetitive sound of a rock in their tire. Merle listened to it click and let it ground him. He'd lost it out there in the road and wasn't sure why. Maybe it was the whole declaration of marriage or maybe the loss of their home followed by disappointment, death and more death. Everyone has their breaking point and it seemed Merle had found his. He wasn't close with Tyreese, they'd had their differences but the man didn't deserve to go out the way he did. No one did.
"Who's gonna tell Sasha?" Glenn spoke from the back seat. Merle set his jaw and clenched his fist. He'd promised Bob to take care of her and now she'd lost the last of her blood. It was something Merle couldn't imagine. The brothers had lost each other for a time but Merle had always known Daryl was alive. He wasn't sure what he'd do if he lost his baby brother permanently. They both may be hardheaded assholes but they loved each other. A tiny voice in his head prodded, 'What if you lost Sam?' Merles chest clenched so hard he rubbed his sternum to quell the ache. The idea of losing Sam made him physically ill.
"I'll tell her." Michonne spoke, her voice tight. "We'll tell her." Rick responded while looking at her in the rearview mirror. "We're family. We take care of our own. No one deals with loss alone."
The car was quiet once again until they pulled up to the camp they'd made. The others stood up. All had saddened and worried expressions. They'd called ahead telling them the place was gone and now they were expecting an injury but didn't inform them of who.
Merle could see Sam standing off to the side, her arms crossed. She looked so small to Merle in that moment, although the closer they got the more strength he saw. Her posture was alert and face hard. 'She already knows.' He thought while scrubbing his jaw. Merle was learning that Sam didn't expect much to go right, ever. She wasn't a downer or even depressed about it and she did have hope for the better but she'd grown up just like him. Sam had seen the real world long before the dead stood up. It seemed she hoped for the best but expected the worst. It was why she was alive and would stay that way. Merle loved her for it.
The car stopped and the group climbed out. Merle watched as Sasha walked forward, her eyes jumping from each car door as her brother failed to appear. He watched her face fracture as she took in the returning groups guarded faces. Michonne and Rick approached her and caught her as she broke down. Loud sobs echoed out across the clearing and into the woods. Merle walked away to Sam and tipped his head away from the group.
"Gonna need to take watch. Dead are gonna hear 'er." He muttered as they stood in the road watching the tree line. Sam stood silently next to him but slide her warm palm into his, weaving their fingers together.
"We'll find a place… eventually." Sam reassured him without being asked, "Until then we'll survive. Just like before. Just like always."
Merle looked down at her and kissed her forehead, leaving his dry lips against her sunburned skin. He murmured, "Thanks sugar. Needed that."
"I know." She spoke quietly, her lips curling as she squeezed his hand gently.
They stood in companionable silence listening to Sasha weep and the other begins to dig a grave near the road. Sam and Merle killed the few walkers that stumbled their way and joined the funeral as Rick spoke. Sasha was a husk of herself, her frame collapsing in on itself. Sam tried to speak to her but the woman brushed her off before walking away. Merle watched as Sasha sunk to the ground next to the car, her face completely blank. She was cracking under the pressure. Merle made a point of keeping an eye on her while they talked about heading to Washington despite the cure being a pipe dream. Sam didn't say much but he could tell she was bouncing the idea around her pretty little head.
"Whaddya think?" He drawled quietly while leaning against the beat up suburban. She purse her lips and spoke cautiously, "I think… I think we don't really have anything better to do. It's a 100 miles… There could be a lot in between here and there. Maybe we find something, somewhere along the way.."
Merle grunted and kicked the dirt with his boot and rasped, "But… what if there's nothin?"
"Ain't nothing here for us either. At least from what we've seen. Maybe we'll have better luck." She responded with a lazy shrug. "Only one way to find out."
Scowling Merle grunted again and pulled her into his chest, wrapping his bladeless arm around her waist. He tucked his face into her neck and whispered, "I better not lose you Sugar. I'll burn this fucking world down."
Sam hummed in response and murmured, "Not goin' anywhere old man. Same goes for you. We go together in a blaze of glory or live to a hundred. No in betweens."
Merle chuckled and tightened his hold drawling, "Blaze o' glory it is."
Sam stood in the center of the road with crossed arms and sighed deeply. Behind her Merle and Abraham were tearing the van's engine apart trying to fix it. A string of grunted slurs floated out from below the vehicle as Abraham rolled out.
"Looks like we're walkin'." He grumbled, "Fuckin' transmission's shit the bed."
Merle slammed the hood down before cracking his neck and growling in frustration. Chewing her lip, Sam kept her distance seeing the frustration oozing from Merle. His eyes were sharp and his posture ridged. She watched him rolling his shoulders as if forcing the tension out before pulling out his smokes. He was boiling under the surface and holding onto his temper by the brittle edge.
Rick scrubbed his eyes and rested his hand on his revolver hilt heavily. Everyone waited with bated breath until Rick finally instructed, "Pack what ya can carry."
Sam watched as a collective sigh of frustration was expelled by the group and shoulders dropped with the weight of the world. She could see people cracking under the stress. Sasha hadn't spoken for days and had spent her time scowling out the window. Noah was plagued with guilt over Tyreese's death as well as his families, his eyes red and surrounded with deep sleepless bruises. Beth had tried to console him but he shrugged off her attempts. Maggie was distraught from the loss of the cure and then from losing the promised safe haven. Glenn spent his days trying to pull her from falling into a depression. Carol was pretty much healed but had been distant and aloof. Daryl seemed worried she was close to taking off on her own. Rick was weighed down with the group's lives, all of them hanging from his neck like albatrosses. His leadership skills were a curse in many ways. His eyes were shadowed and frequently bloodshot from lack of sleep. Despite all of it though Sam could tell Rick cared deeply for his family because that's what they all were, family.
They were very low on supplies of all kinds, most worrisome water. She hoped they came across a source soon or they'd start dropping like flies. Poor Judith was obviously suffering from the lack of food, her fussiness becoming more frequent. They needed to catch a break or they we're going to crash and burn soon.
Sam grabbed her bag and shrugged it on, while picking up her rifle. Grabbing Merle's pack she wandered towards his pacing form. She stopped at the end of his well tread path and waited for him to look up from the cracked pavement.
"What?" He snapped his eyes narrowing on her. Sam cocked an eyebrow and chucked his bag at him. "You're welcome." She snarked while crossing her arms.
"Sug, ain't the time. Lemme alone." He grumbled pulling out a crushed pack of smokes only to fling it on the ground. "Fuckin bullshit." He sneered, glowering at the empty package and kicking the dirt with his worn boot.
"Are you done?" Sam asked her eyebrows raised expectantly. Merle squinted at her and drawled, "Done with what? Bein' pissed off? Then nah, I ain't fuckin done." Sam could see the others watching from the side of the road but paid them no mind. "Are you done having a fucking tantrum because we've got shit to do. Like find water, maybe even food."
"Dontcha think I know that?" He growled charging forward, "Shit woman, that's all I'm fuckin think about." Sam saw Daryl and Abraham step forward to intervene but pause as Merle glared in their direction.
"Really? Cuz I think you're too busy having a fuckin pity party." She sneered, hoping all he needed was a kick in the ass. Merle growled deeply before drawling, "Sug you're lucky I don't hit women."
Sam stepped forward and spoke low, grabbing the front of his shirt. Merle glared at her, his fist tightened. She could see him barely keeping himself from ripping away from her. "Get it together." She murmured, "Some of these people aren't strong like us. We can't break down." Sam swallowed thickly before rasping, "You can't break down... please."
Merle ground his jaw and glared over her shoulder at the people watching them. He looked back down at her, his breath coming out in angry pants. "I ain't broke." Sam growled, "You're actin' like it. Now put your big girl panties on and help me find water or we're gonna be putting down our friends."
Merle glowered at her a moment before stalking off into the woods before hollering, "Well come on Sugar. Get your ass in gear."
Sam smirked at his back and informed the group, "We're looking for water. Meet you back on the road two miles down."
Rick nodded and rasped, "Be safe."
Merle stalked through the woods with heavy angry footsteps. Sam was practically jogging to keep up with his raged filled pace. He was so fucking pissed off that he actually worried he might snap at her. She was just trying to help him get his head on straight but Merle was nowhere near capable at the moment.
The sound of feet skidding had Merle looking back at Sam to find her struggling with a walker he hadn't even heard. His heart lurched as he watched the biter practically tackle her to the ground. Sam had her knife jammed upwards into its head but the damn thing had a fake jaw. The thick metal and plastic catching the knife from landing home. She grunted as the heavy weight fell on her. Merle lunged forward pulling the bastard off her while shoving his blade through the base of its skull. Throwing it aside he gasped, "Ya ok?"
Sam lay her head back on the ground and panted, her arm thrown over her forehead. Merle dropped to his knees and asked frantically, "Sam are ya ok? Did he get ya?"
Shaking her head she lifted her arm and muttered, "You walked right by that fucker Merle." Sitting up she climbed to her feet, wiping the blood on her hands onto her jeans. "Get your head on straight." She spoke firmly yet still understanding, "I don't want to lose you because you're caught up inside that thick skull of yours."
Merle scrubbed his face before climbing to his feet and pulling her close. "M'sorry. Jesus. M'sorry I almost got ya killed."
"Yeah me too." She chuckled dryly, "That fucker was heavy."
"Ya alright?"
Sam nodded into his chest and muttered, "Come on we gotta start heading towards the road to meet up with everybody."
Merle followed her as she headed back to the others waiting for their return. He berated himself inwardly, the images of her buried underneath a walker replaying over and over. Sam could've been killed all because he was so caught up being angry. She was right, he needed to get his head on straight or people were going to end up dying. They pair came out of the woods as rifles raised towards them. Merle sneered at them before informing, "Ain't nothin' here for us."
Sam trudged next to Merle and Michonne, the group moving at a slow pace. A hundred yards back was a crowd of walkers following their prey on shuffling feet. "We're not at our strongest." Rick drawled over his shoulder to the group, "We'll get 'em when it's best. High ground, something like that. They're not going anywhere."
Without the strength to waste on putting the corpses down the group just kept walking. They needed to conserve themselves for immediate dangers not ones they could possibly leave behind. "We can take 'em. " Sasha insisted to Michonne her eyes glaring at the undead.
"Rick's right. We barely have anything left." She replied to the angry woman. Sam added, "No use in spending all we got left now."
Sasha growled, "I can take 'em."
"Your brother was pissed, too, after what he lost. It made him stupid." Merle added with a scowl, his eyes looking back at the trailing dead ones.
"We are not the same. We never were." Sasha snapped, adjusting her grip on the rifle she carried before stalking away from them.
Eventually the following biters were gaining on them and becoming greater in number. They needed to take care of the problem. As they reached a bridge they flanked the area to use the landscape as a weapon. Rick and Abraham got the ball rolling by pushing the biters into the ravine. Merle shoved a rotting woman over the cement barrier, her body cracking as she hit the bottom. Sasha stepped away her machete out, hacking away at the dead.
"Sasha. Stay in line." Rick ordered angrily, as he shoved another dead body off the edge. The woman refused to listen, her path heading into the thick of the walkers.
"Flank her. Keep it controlled." Rick growled moving to fight by Sasha's side since she wasn't listening.
Abraham bitched, "Plan just got dicked." They cut their way through the group and could see a few more coming out of the woods. Sasha swung around clipping Abraham with her blade, narrowly missing his face. The man sneered at her and pushed her blade away from him. Michonne grabbed the woman's arm and demanded, "Stop."
"Just get out of here." Sasha shoved her away her eyes raging and black. "I told you to stop." Rick hissed, his eyes burning holes into Sasha. The group panted collectively as the dead dwindled off. Abraham was glaring at Sasha while she stared at the few walkers still trailing their steps. Nothing seemed to be in their favor and the longer they walked the harder to was to see any hope of relief from their exhaustion.
The group had miles to go and no fuel to run on. Desperate times call for desperate measures so when a pack of wild dogs launched out of the woods near them they group killed their dinner.
Sam couldn't be picky but the sight of someone's' family pet roasting over the fire reminded her too much of Terminus. Merle had to convince her to eat which she did reluctantly but thanked him later for. After eating she felt remarkably better and rested that evening without the chronic stomach pangs they'd been living with. Times were harsh but the group kept going. It seemed nothing would hold them back from reaching Washington.
Thanks for reading and reviewing!
sorry I edit my mistake about father Gabriel! That's what happens when you write too many different stories! Lol. Thanks rasha007