I was shrouded in warmth and comfort. The air was warm and light rested gently on my eyelids. A bed, although slightly uneven, soothed all the sores and aches, just for the time I was there. Pillows bunched under my head and a small duvet laying across me, I snuggled further into my little slice of heaven, willing myself to never move again.
My euphoria was shortly interrupted by loud knocking.
Snapping my eyes open, I realised that I was alone in a room. Dale's room. In an RV. In the middle of a walker-filled nightmare. Eugh. How could I forget?
Rubbing my eyes and then running my hands through my hair, I sat up. Then the knock came again. I blinked a few times and sighed.
"Yeah, come in." I groaned.
Pushing the door open was Dale. I could feel my cheeks flushing, realising that this RV was his, and I was allowing him to enter his own room. He pushed his head round the door, smiling shyly.
"Dale! I'm so sorry, I'll get out of your hair." I said, climbing out of his bed.
"Don't worry about it.." He said, waiting for something.
"Oh, Sam. Sorry, my name's Sam." I said, smiling at him.
"Sam. Well it's okay - I just wanted to grab something.."
"It's okay, I'm going to go and find Alex and Helena anyway. You have seen either of them, have you?" I asked, standing up and readjusting my messy clothes.
"I think Helena was getting some food, and Alex, I'm not sure. Sorry." He said, walking across the room and opening a cupboard, and turned to smile at me.
"Don't be, that's great.. And thank you Dale. Really. You've really gone above and beyond by helping us." I blurted, before leaving the room before he could answer. I've never been able to put what I want to say in words, as I always felt awkward. But I think he got the general gist of it.
I walked past everything I had dumped last night, all still piled up. I sighed, thinking about where Helena, Alex and I would stay - we can't impose on other people forever. I stopped at the door and looked back to my bag, thinking. I should probably make Alex a sling for his arm. I walked back to my bag and pulled out an old grey shirt. I balled it up in my hands and carried on on my mission to find the others.
Stepping out of the RV, I walked down to the small campfire. It was bright out, but the sun wasn't high in the sky yet. I had only gone a few feet when I heard Helena.
"Sam!" she shouted, and she started running towards me, dropping her bear on the floor. When she reached me, I scooped her up in my arms, hugging her tightly. Eventually, I set her down and ran my hands through her hair.
"You alright chicken?" I asked, smiling at her.
"Yeah! I stayed with Carol and Ed and Sophia last night." She grinned, grabbing my hand and led me towards the rest of the group, but bent down to pick the bear up. I was nervous about meeting them since we didn't really join the group under the best circumstances the day before. My hands started going sweaty. Nice.
"Everyone! This is my best friend Sam." she said, standing in front of the group behind the fire. My heart melted a little at her words.
Everyone looked up, smiles on their faces.
"Erm, hello." I said meekly, and a few people's smiles widened, and a few faces danced with mirth.
"You're English? That's so cool!" Someone said, a young boy sitting opposite me and I smiled. The boy stood up and walked in front of me, holding out his hand which I shook.
"I'm Carl." He said, and everyone else followed his example.
I met the some of the group; Lori, Andrea, Glenn, Sofia and Carol, and T-Dog was there too- the others, I was told, we're all still asleep or out on patrol. I sat down near Carol with her short hair and piercing blue eyes, smiling.
"Thank you for looking after Helena last night. I.." I started, looking for the words to continue, but she understood.
"Don't worry about it. I know you had more important things to sort out." She said sweetly, which I appreciated.
"Hey Sam," Carl called, "Where's your boyfriend? I really wanna see his chest wound!"
"Carl!" Lori snapped.
"What? I'm not going to be rude."
"I don't know where Alex is, actually. But he's not my boyfriend - he's my best friend. Well, aside from Helena." I said, smiling at the boy and rubbing Helena's chin.
Alex!
"Does anyone know where Alex is? I'd like to check on him." I asked, but no one seemed to know.
"Wait.. Is that dried apricots?" I asked, pointing at a packet jutting out from a box of food stuff on a makeshift table.
"Yes.." Lori trailed.
"Would I be able to take them for Alex? He needs to get some iron for blood back, and I remember being given them when I had lost a lot of blood once.." I murmured, inwardly cursing at the amount of rubbish that just came out of my mouth. They don't care about my life story.
Lori assessed me silently for a minute before getting up and handing me the packet.
"Thank you! I'll pay you back somehow."
Tucking the shirt under my arm and holding the packet and smiling at the group, I walked off towards the small pool nearby. When I got there, I saw his shaggy black hair sitting near the water's edge.
Smiling, I walked down towards him, taking my hair out and running my hands through it. Man, I needed to wash, so bad.
"Hey trouble." I called.
"Hey Sambo! I would turn around, but I don't think I can..." He said, smiling at me when I got alongside him. His face was still pale, but he had a bit more colour than he did the other night.
I sat down next to him, our shoulders brushing.
"How are you stitches? And what the hell are you doing up? I'm going to put a sling on you - but you should be resting." I moaned, suddenly annoyed with his carelessness.
"Sorry mother." he said sarcastically, but he shifted slightly so I could see his stitches. I pulled down the gauze and began my assessment.
They actually looked okay, considering the conditions they were done under. I pulled the gauze back over the would and blew my cheeks out. I put the apricots down and with the shirt I grabbed, I ripped it into a big square. I folded it to make a triangle and slipped one end of the shirt under his arm and over his shoulder. I brought the other end of the shirt over his other shoulder so it cradled his arm. I then tied the two ends around his neck and leant back, surveying my work. I smiled. It actually looks good!
"They're looking good, and that sling worked a treat - even if I do say so myself." I said, giving him a cheeky wink.
"Does it hurt? You're acting like you're not in that much pain." I asked, staring at the spot on his chest and then up to meet his eyes.
"Sam, remember when we were climbing that huge tree when we were 12, and we both fell off and broke a load of bones each?" He asked, a strange glint in his eye.
"Yeah.." I asked, unsure of where he was going with this.
"It hurts a million times more than that! It's unbelievably stiff too!" He laughed and winced at the same time.
"You're such an idiot Alex." I said, flicking his shoulder.
"I know, but that's why I've got you to protect me, right?" He laughed.
"Always." I chuckled, but I meant it.
"Oh, this is for you. You need to get some blood back." I said, handing over the packet of dried apricots. He grimaced, but took the packet and tentatively began eating. He looked at me and smiled with his mouth full making me giggle, and we slipped into a comfortable silence as he ate.
"So, have you met the other happy campers?" I asked, hearing voices over in the camp.
"I met one or two who were up as early as me. Yeah, they all seem nice enough so far. There's a guy called Rick who wants to talk to you too - I think he's the head honcho."
"Yeah, they all seem okay. Oh really? I thought Shane was the alpha." I said and bit my lip.
"Well, who knows? Oh, I had a lovely run in with a fella called Merle earlier. Called my a gay because of the amount of crying I did over my injury and how his brother had to carry me like the pussy I am." He said with a frown - which then turned into a grimace as he bit into another apricot.
"He sounds like a charmer!" I retorted sarcastically. Well, there's one person I'm not up for meeting.
"Do me a favour and stay away from him, Sam." Alex stated, facing me with a fiercely protective look. Eh?
"I.. He can't be that bad Alex. I'll be okay." I said, trying to reassure him, but his look didn't soften.
"I mean it Sam. The others have said the same thing. 'Stay away from the Dixons.'" He warned, his gaze never wavering.
"The Dixons? Who's the other one?" I asked. I had an idea who it was, but I wanted to check.
"Daryl. The guy that.. Err, shot me." he said, his face flushing slightly.
I felt my blood boil again as I remembered how we got into this predicament - how could I forget? My hands balled into fists and I huffed. Now that Alex is safe, I can rip this guy's - Daryl's - head off.
"Sambo, chill out. I'm fine, right? And this isn't our group of people. You can't start trouble here." Alex said, noticing my blatant anger. He had a point - it wasn't my place to cause trouble, but he shot my best friend with an arrow, damn it!
"So if it was me instead of you, wouldn't you have knocked his block off by now?" I snapped. He smiled and I was glad as I didn't mean to snap at him.
"Of course I would have. But it wouldn't be rational, would it? And I'm fine, aren't I? We need more friends than foes right now." He sighed. I hated to admit it, but he was right.
"Stop being so fair about things. You're going to make me dislike you." I said, smiling at him, but my fists didn't unfurl.
If he thinks I'm going to stay totally quiet about him being shot at, he's got another thing coming. And that redneck Daryl, he's definitely got something coming. But looking over Alex, I realised I should focus on the more important things -at least for now. I ran a harsh hand through my hair and worried my lip. Although it might be interesting if I ran him through with my machete...
"Where's this Rick guy then?" I asked. I have to stop thinking about how I'm going to kill the redneck or I'm going to have an aneurism.
"He should be coming off a patrol or something now. I'll come with, I think he wants to talk to us together."
Helping him to his feet gently, we walked back up to camp slowly, enjoying the warm Georgian weather. We walked past the tent that was away from everyone else, and I got my first glimpse of the Dixon brothers together - that was a sight for sore eyes.
Daryl was hunched over his arrows, cleaning the fletchings. A small smirk appeared on my face when I saw the one I broke off Alex at his feet. Emerging from the tent was a guy who looked in his early 40's. He had a military-style sandy haircut and a murderous look on his face. He barked something at his brother, who only grunted in return.
"That's Merle. Right dodgy guy." Alex said quietly next to me, nodding towards the two guys.
Merle looked over at us as we walked past and gave me a smile and a wink that unnerved me right to my core. Daryl didn't even look up as we passed. I nodded and sped up with Alex to the rest of the camp.
"Hey, you two!" A guy called from the tree line. He had short brown hair and stubble, but had a pleasant smile as he jogged over to us.
"Hi, my name is Rick. Rick Grimes." he said to me, holding out his hand.
"Sam." I said simply, shaking his hand, my eyes briefly flashing at the small star-shaped badge on his chest.
"Well Sam, Alex. Welcome to our little band of survivors. You're both welcome to stay for as long as you wish, but I've got to ask if you've got any... skills that you think could be used to help ease things around here." He said, his warm hazel eyes shifting between us both.
"Well, I was a lifeguard back in England so I'm not sure how helpful that is - although I've got some basic first aid training. I've also done karate for about 16 years, if that's any help." I answered.
"And from what I hears last night, you're a quick thinker. Good job." He said, a small smile reaching his eyes as they flashed briefly over Alex's chest and the makeshift sling. I smiled at the compliment.
"Well, I'm certainly not as awesome as her. But I was becoming a cop, between station referrals. I'm also a comic genius." Alex said proudly, and Rick let out a small laugh.
"Well, we could always do with a comedian about. We'll be holding a meeting in about ten minutes by the fire, and I'd like you both to be there." He said, and with a polite nod, walked off towards the Dixons. I watched with mild interest him speak briefly to them, and with a grunt in reply from Daryl, Rick walked off towards the camp, running a tense hand over his face.
"Happy families, eh?" Alex said to me, and we started walking again.
"Certainly seems like that, comic genius. You're such a big head Alex." I laughed as we arrived at camp, and he merely winked.
Alex sat down gently on a deck chair with me next to him, waiting for this little meeting to get underway. Eventually, there was about fifteen or more people gathered, all waiting expectantly for Rick to speak. Even the redneck's rocked up to listen, which, for some reason, surprised me.
"Okay people, we need to do another supply run tomorrow." He said, and there was a collective groan from the group. A few eyes widened and I saw Carol hug Sophia close.
"I know, but it's gotta be done. Morales, T-Dog, you guys are coming with me. We'll be getting food and weapons. Jacqui and Andrea, you're in charge of clothes and toiletries. I only want to be a couple of hours. We'll take the larger trucks." Rick said, and a few people nodded.
"Now that's sorted, I want to introduce you all to our newest surviv- residents." Rick said quickly, and all eyes shifted onto us. I squirmed slightly - being the centre of attention isn't my thing, although I seem to attract attention like a moth to flames.
"There's Alex," he said, and Alex did a mock salute. "Helena," who had wriggled onto my lap and was grinning, "and Sam. They've got a lot of valuable qualities to bring to the group, and I hope you'll all welcome them, and help them get their bearings."
"And this is Mr Cuddles!" Helena blurted, holding out her bear. I winced slightly at her blatant outburst. I was pretty sure she was getting younger, not maturing, which in a way made me slightly glad.
There was plenty of laughs and smiles at her remark, but someone snorted.
"Great, 'nother brat ta put up with." My head shot up to see Merle looking at Daryl and then turning to send Helena a filthy glare. Smiles fell off faces and people dropped there heads, many of them shifting uncomfortably. I stood up, sliding Helena off my lap and putting my hand on her shoulder. He's picking on a little girl?
"I beg your pardon?" I spat, staring the man down. I don't care if I have to showdown both these brothers. They've both proven themselves to be total dicks, and no one else seemed to retaliate or defend themselves.
"Sam, forget it." Shane said near me. I looked at him as he moved to my side and placed a hand on my shoulder and squeezed, not taking his gaze off Merle. Daryl cleared his throat like he was going to say something, but he stopped short, grunting. I scoffed.
"Yeah woman. Listen to tha man." Merle drawled back, sneering at me. My eyebrows furred, my fist balling up. Daryl stared and his brother, then looked at me, scowling. I stepped forward slightly, Shane's hand sliding off my shoulder.
"You complete and utter pri-"
"Sam." Alex cut in next to me, struggling to stand up. "Remember what I said?" He asked, staring me steadily in the eye.
I sighed, and bit my lip, staring at the arrogant jackass opposite me. Merle had a smug smile on his face, but I stared, giving him the dirtiest look I could muster.
"I'm goin' town tomorra too. I ain't gonna ride with any of ya though." Merle drawled and spat on the ground beside him, narrowly missing Daryl's foot. Daryl shifted a bit, scowling harder.
"Fine." Rick said curtly. Merle grunted. As if a switch had been flicked, people reanimated and brought their heads up or stopped shuffling awkwardly. There were even a few confident glances between Merle and me.
"Okay then. Sam, you willing to help out?" Rick diverted and I studied his face. Swift conversation change, eh?
I imagine it wasn't really a question - I was going to have to pull my weight around here. In fact, I was probably going to have to pull the weight for Alex and Helena as well.
"Sure."
"Great. Lori, can you give her a run through? Sam, does your girl have much schooling?" Rick asked me. My girl? Oh, Helena.
"Oh, er. She's not my girl, but I'd imagine she's had a fair bit before.." I smiled awkwardly. I could still feel my anger still writhing inside me, but I knew I had hold it in.
"What, she's not your daughter?" Rick asked as he looked between me and Alex, and we both blushed, I noticed, as I stole a glance at Alex.
"No dad," Carl chirped up. "They're best friends." I smiled slightly at his input, my anger now slowly ebbing away - well, it was ebbing away before Merle sniggered. I looked back to find both brothers staring at me, Merle's face appearing more twisted than Daryl's frowning one. I chewed my lip hard, forcing myself not to retaliate.
"Oh, sorry. Well would it still be okay with you if we give her lessons? Carl and Sophia do." Rick said, smiling.
"That sounds great." I smiled back, and looked down at Helena, who seemed completely oblivious as she was busy making faces at Carl.
"Well ain't that peachy." Merle said, turning his back on the group and striding off. Daryl looked round at the people, locking eyes with Alex and then me, before following at his brother's heels. Daryl seemed to say something to Merle, but then Merle spun and pushed his brother hard on the chest before carrying on towards their tent. Daryl slowly turned and locked eye contact with me, his face angry, but his eyes showing something different. He then spun back and carried on towards his tent.
I was left slightly reeling at their little show. And what the hell was that look about? It was probably nothing - he was standing quite a way away from me, so I probably imagined there being anything aside anger there for me.
How does everyone put up with these guys? I've only been here for a few hours, and I'm already thinking about taking my machete to their private areas.
"That's it all, go back to whatever you've got to do today." Rick said to the group to break off the tension that filled the air, and walked over to Lori and Carl.
This place feels like a ticking time bomb, no matter how safe they make it or how much they ignore it - that much is for certain.
Shane placed his hand back on my shoulder, smiling at me. He then walked off, staring at Rick and Lori as he went. I saw his expression, watching his forehead furrow and mutter to himself slightly.
"Dude, you need to calm down." Alex said next to me. I turned to look at him, irritated, but I nodded. Like I don't know that?!
"Sam?" I looked up to see Lori beckoning me over. I smiled at Alex and walked over to Lori, hand on her hip.
"Do you think you could help with the laundry?" She asked shortly.
"I guess so, yeah." I smiled at her.
"Go round up all the washing that needs to be done then meet me down at the pool." She said curtly, and turned to walk into her tent. I stood there like an idiot, gawping.
She walked back out a few seconds later and handed me a basket thing with some things in it already, and I set to work. I wondered where she found a basket from. It'd hardly be top on a list of priorities in the middle of all this hell.
I'd collected all of the dirty laundry except the Dixons. I wavered slightly, considering if I should go or not. My body, however, had already decided what to do as I was walking over to their tent. I arrived there to see Daryl getting ready to head out. He stopped walking as he noticed me, basket balanced on my hip. He crossed his arms at me, waiting. I tried thinking of what I was going to say as I knew I should be calm, but again, my body had other ideas.
"Do you have any washing you want done?" I asked bluntly, stopping a few feet away. Well done Sam, gently done.
"No." he snapped. He then stood straight, staring at me with what seemed like such intense hatred that I took a step back. His eyes fell on the cut cross my face and he frowned ever so slightly, before looking back to my eyes and resuming his heated stare. After what felt like a decade, he turned and stalked off towards the woods.
"Arse." I muttered to myself and turned to walk back.
"What?" Daryl snapped at me, turning and walking back in my direction. I winced at my own bloody stupidity and spun back to face him, his face and eyes flushing with anger.
"I called you an arse. What of it?" I said spitefully. Shut up Sam!
"Fuckin' bitch." He spat. I felt something explode in me then. Anger bubbled up from all over me, and it took a hell of a lot of self-control to not reach out and swat him.
"Don't you dare get prickish! You don't have the right to be a douche to me - you almost killed my friend!" I shouted, dropping the basket at my feet, getting into his face.
"Nah, don't ya dare! Ya ain't no fuckin' princess, stop acting like it!" He yelled at me, his icy stare unwavering and his forehead creased. My mouth gaped for a millisecond, but I shut it and squared my shoulders off.
"Oh really, a princess? Trust me sweetheart, I could whip your backside in seconds!" Our faces were only an inch or two from each other, him only being about half a foot taller than me. I could hear him growling slightly, whereas I kept letting out laboured breaths, my chest heaving. We stood there silently, neither of us moving or speaking - both just seething.
"Daryl! Sam!" Rick shouted, running in our direction, snapping up out of our stare-off, but the atmosphere between us didn't lose it's intensity.
"Piss off back t'ya pussy boyfriend and ya little brat, girl." He growled at me, before stooping to pick up his crossbow and marched off towards the tree line. Hell no, he was not having the last word in this!
Furious, I bent down to pick up the broken arrow he had left and I threw it at him hard, hitting him square between the shoulders.
"Jesus!" He shouted at the contact but continued storming away without even looking back, going further into the woods.
I stayed there watching him until he disappeared my heart hammering in my chest.
Realisation then hit me like a bucket of icy water. Why did I just lose it like that? Obviously him being a total jerk fuelled the argument, but I shouldn't have retaliated. It was stupid. Really fucking stupid. Congratulations for now making life ten times more difficult.
"Sam, what the hell?" Rick said behind me. Wincing, I turned to face him. Behind him, people had gathered to watch me and Daryl and I inwardly groaned. Why can't I just keep my mouth shut and leave things?
Because you won't be treated like crap. You won't back down. a voice cried out in my head.
Because you're stubborn.
"I'm sorry Rick. I couldn't stop myself. He was just being out of line!" I huffed, throwing my arms up immaturely as he stopped in front of me.
"You're probably right, but just be careful, okay? We don't want you to do something stupid. Or him. Angry Dixons are a force to be reckoned with." He said, placing a hand on my shoulder. I smiled at his understanding, as he then handed me the basket I had thrown on the floor.
I walked away from him and headed down to the quarry pool, my head swimming. I cursed, thinking of how stupid I was being. I hadn't been here a day, and I'd already had a stand off with two of the group. Granted, everyone seemed to hate them and tried to ignore them anyway, but they were part of the group all the same. I wondered what the rest of the group though of me now. They probably think I'm some crazy loose cannon, and they'll avoid me like they do the Dixons. But screw it. At least I try to hold my own.
"Hey Sam," T-Dog said as I walked past, snapping me out of my thoughts. "Even though that was crazy of you to call out a Dixon, you've got some balls, girl." he said, a smirk creeping up on his face. The corners of my mouth tugged, and laying a thankful hand on his arm, I then carried on walking towards the pool.
Lori was sitting there with Carol waiting for me. When I approached, they both smiled. I placed the washing on the floor in the middle of us, just wanting to immerse myself in something. I kicked my shoes off with extra venom, rolled my now jeans legs up and waded into the pool.
"Are you okay?" Carol asked, watching me scrub furiously at someone's shirt.
"Huh? Oh, sorry. Yeah, I'm fine." I answered plainly, looking between her and Lori.
"You sure? It's just that you're really taking something out on Glenn's shirt." Lori said, and I looked down to see my knuckles had turned white from grabbing the shirt and soap so hard, causing it to crumble slightly.
"I'm sorry. I must look like such a mad woman." I said, sighing.
"It's okay. You've been through a lot - we all have." Carol said sweetly as her gaze moved between my eyes and the cut on my face before setting back to work.
I looked over Carol, trying to read her. I had met a guy called Morales at breakfast and had briefly talked about Ed, her abusive husband, and how he was in his tent doing sweet fuck all. It worried me slightly that Helena was in there too, but she appeared the same as normal. Let him rot there, anyway. Looking at Carol, you wouldn't have thought that happens to her, but that was what made me shiver. You never know what a person could be going through. I don't know anyone here, I don't know what they could be hiding. I don't know if they're genuine or have a shady past or anything. I could be washing the clothes of a rapist or a murderer - of the human kind. My mind briefly flashed to Merle, causing me to shudder slightly. Should we really stay here?
I know I've got nothing to hide apart from a few weird personality traits. Obviously I had secrets, but nothing interesting or relevant any more. Just boring old me - but the group doesn't know that. Maybe the humans were just as bad as the walkers.
I eased up my grip on the shirt, trying to clear my mind of all thoughts. I washed the rest of the clothes thoroughly, mostly listening to the women talk about random rubbish - I didn't really feel like contributing, although it was a welcome distraction. As soon as we had done our share, we set about hanging the clothes out to dry.
When I had worked my arse off and there was nothing left to do a handful of hours later, I headed up to the RV. Sitting on top of it was Shane, who nodded at me as I approached. I smiled back and knocked on the RV door.
"Yeah?" I heard Alex say.
"It's Santa. I'm coming in." I replied, and walked into the RV.
Alex had lounged himself inside on Dale's sofa, his head in a book. "Let me look at your stitches then." I said, amused at how chilled he was.
"Already nurse? You only looked a couple hours age, and I was getting into this." he said, setting the book down.
I laughed and walked over, plopping myself down next to him. He unbuttoned his check shirt and shifted to face me. I untied his sling and then unwrapped the bandage. The wound appeared a little less swollen, but time would tell what would happen - hopefully there would be no infection. Thankfully, all the stitches were still in place, too. Probably because Alex had done nothing all day while I was working. Typical Alex!
"I'm going to clean it again, cool with you?" I asked. He didn't have an option - I was going to clean it whether he minded or not - but I thought I would be polite, anyway.
"Hey, you're the doc. Go ahead." he said, smiling.
I walked over to the small sink in the RV and poured water in a small bowl. Taking a clean towel I found in a cupboard, I walked back over to Alex and started cleaning. I dabbed around the wound and cleaned up the tiny bit of blood that had escaped. He gasped slightly, obviously feeling less than comfortable right now.
"So, what were you shouting at earlier? I could tell it was you from a mile away." Alex said, casting me a concerned look. I blushed slightly, but my face hardened.
"Douchebag Daryl." I said bluntly. I don't want to think about his stupid face right now.
"Sam, what did you do now?" He sighed, looking at me disapprovingly.
"Dude, I was trying to helpful at first, despite everything. I asked if he wanted any washing done, got a bitchy reply and I called him an arse as he walked away." I said defensively, although I said the last bit quieter.
"You called him an 'arse'?" he teased in an exaggerated English accent. "So you were asking for a fight?" He asked, shooting me a disconcerting look.
"No! He got all moody and defensive. He was a douche to me, and then about you and Helena. I wasn't gonna stand for it." I said, dabbing his wound harder as I got more wound up. Stupid crossbow-wielding jerk.
"Ouch! Easy tiger. Okay. I would've killed him. But you can't go losing your head like that. There are a lot more worse thing out there than Daryl Dixon." He said wistfully. I rolled my eyes.
"Whatever. I'm going to change these stitches tomorrow, so you may as well get rested up. Prepare for some pain!" I said, changing the subject. I was not in the mood to get into a moral discussion.
"Yeah, about that. I'm not comfortable sleeping here, Sam. I don't want to put Dale out anymore. Do you reckon they'd have a spare tent if we asked?" Alex asked, looking at me expectantly as I reapplied his bandage, buttoned his top and retied the sling.
"..And by 'we', you mean you want me to go and ask, don't you?" I said standing up and placing a hand on my hip.
"Please." He said, cheeky smile on his face.
I grabbed the bowel and towel, left it by the sink and thoroughly washed my hands. I looked at him as he tried to give me puppy-dog eyes, and I sighed.
"Fine. I'll be back, your highness." I grunted, ducking out the door of the RV.
I stepped onto the ground and, after a slight hesitation, started to walk towards the fire, unsure of who to ask. I stopped and looked around, not realising how dark it had got. Glancing up, I saw that the sun just was setting in the sky, casting a purple glow everywhere. It was actually rather beautiful.
"Everything okay Sam?" My head snapped back to Earth, and I turned to see Rick walking over to me, a warm, amused smile on his face.
"Yeah, thanks. I was just wondering, do you have a spare tent we could possibly borrow - please? Or enough space to fit us in somewhere? It's just that Alex feels like he's imposing on Dale, and, err, so do I." I said, fidgeting and then bit my lip awkwardly.
"We don't have a spare right now, but I can pick one up for you tomorrow on our run." He said, his eyes calculating, watching my nervous behaviour.
"That's brilliant. Thanks Rick." I smiled, and turned to head back to the RV but he stopped me.
"About earlier, Sam. Are you okay?" He asked, genuine concern touching the corners of his face. I gave a small smile.
"Yeah, yeah I'm okay. I just got too worked up. I'm still furious about what he did to Alex, but I know I can't let my guard down and go crazy like that. I need to reel myself in and cool it." I sighed. I've never really been one to let out my feelings and thoughts like that before, but recently I've been spilling anything to anyone. I need to shut up. But I trusted Rick, and I'd only known him for a few hours. He's just that kind of guy, I guess.
"It's okay Sam. You've done a lot for these two. You just need to hold it in. We all have to."
"I'm not keeping quiet Rick-"
I'm not saying you have to, I'm just saying that you need to concentrate on what's important right now. Keep your attention directed elsewhere." He said. Jeez, does this guy always speak like an oracle or what? But what he was saying was the truth.
"Okay. Stop being so nice all the time though. It's starting to get annoying." I said, and he grinned.
"That's the spirit. Whenever you need me though, you know where to find me." He said, laying a hand on my shoulder and squeezed gently. I smiled at his optimism and his kindness. Over his shoulder I saw movement and I looked quickly to see Lori, grimacing at me and Rick.
"Well, I better get back to the patient." I said. We smiled at each other for one last time and I headed back to the RV, amused.
Lori was jealous? I liked the woman and all, but she seemed a bit petty at times. I'd only been here a few hours, after all! I don't want her husband, I don't want anyone. Maybe I should tell her that.
I looked back at the camp to see Lori fussing over Rick, and I held back a snigger. I shifted my gaze over to the fire and saw Helena joking about with Sophia and Carl, and felt a warm feeling pull in my chest. I was glad she was happy and that she was genuinely smiling again - she'd lost so much.
I stepped back into the RV to see Glenn sitting by Alex, laughing about something. Boy, these two made friends fast. When Glenn saw me, he tried to hide his smile, but failed miserably. Alex, however, continued laughing a full-bellied chuckle.
"What?" I asked, a smile tugging at the edge of my lips.
"Nothing." Glenn stifled. "Woah, what happened to your face?" he asker suddenly, his smile faltering slightly as he looked at my cut. I rolled my eyes, the smile on my face growing a little bigger when I saw him blush. Alex laughed at Glenn's blatant outburst.
"It's not 'nothing' Glenn. I was just telling him about the time you found out that I had told that guy Harry you fancied him when we were 15. You went berserk, sending things flying and shouting random dribble." he sniggered.
"Yeah I remember. And I also remember that after I slipped over on that pasta on the floor, I slapped you and you cried." And with that, Glenn burst out laughing again, until he had tears rolling from his eyes and his cap fell off his head. Alex and I followed, slight hysteria setting in.
I sat down between Glenn and Alex, holding my hand to my stomach. In all honesty, it wasn't that funny, but this happy distraction was welcomed all the same.
The laughing eventually subsided, and after that we slipped into general chat about everything we could think of, forgetting about the real world for a a few hours as the sun fully disappeared from the sky, moonlight illuminating everything.
Eventually Dale walked out of the bedroom, rubbing his eyes.
"Don't you kids know what sleep is?" He asked, but a smile tugged at the corners of his mouth.
"Sorry Dale. We'll shut up." I said, smiling. The boys nodded, both with smiles on their faces too. The boys.. I like the sound of that.
"It doesn't matter too much now, I've got to go on watch." Dale yawned.
"I'll do it if you want to sleep Dale. I'm not very tired, anyway. We owe you, anyway." I offered, the ache of smile fading from my cheeks.
The idea worried me as soon as I had said it though - what if I miss something and put the group in danger?
"Are you sure? Well thanks Sam." He smiled, and with that, went back to the bedroom. Sighing, I stood up slowly.
"Well, off to work I go." I chirped to Alex and Glenn, and they both nodded, mismatched smiles on their faces.
"I'm gonna head to bed too. Night guys." Glenn said, ducking past me and out of the door.
I bent down to my bag that was still in Dale's RV and grabbed a big black hoodie. Shrugging it on, I stood and smiled at Alex.
"Keep your eyes peeled!" He said, tucking an arm behind him head and reclined. I winked cheekily at him and headed for the door.
Jumping out of the RV, I looked up to Shane expectantly. He saw me and regarded me, confused.
"Where's Dale?" He asked, leaning over the edge.
"I'm taking his shift for tonight." I replied tersely.
"Ah, okay." He shrugged, climbing down. "Binoculars and rifle are up there. Have fun."
"When does the next person take over?" I asked as he began to stroll away.
"Few hours." He called over his shoulder, not looking back at me.
Sighing, I climbed the ladder on the back of the RV and sat down on top, making myself comfortable on one of the chairs. I rubbed my arms through the jumper, the cold air starting to nip around me.
The sky was now dark, and the fire in the camp had been put out, with only a few embers lingering. I dragged my eyes away after a few minutes staring and began scanning the surrounding tree lines. Occasionally I would look up at the sky, amazed at the amount of stars that dusted it. A shooting star would sometimes fly overhead, making me smile. I had never seen the night sky so clear before. Light pollution had always ruined the view.
This routine of scanning the trees and the sky carried on for an hour or two before something caught my eye near the back of the camp. A figure moving towards the Dixon's tent. Bringing the binoculars up to my face, I strained to see what it was. I laid my fingers on the rifle, ready to draw. Thanks to the moonlight, however, I saw illuminated bare arms and a crossbow. Grunting rather ungracefully, I brought the binoculars down from my face, wrinkling my nose. I watched the figure walk up to his tent, unzip it and disappear inside.
I snapped my gaze away and continued to watch over the trees, my eyes occasionally falling on the redneck's tent. Why, I honestly don't know. I ran my hand subconsciously across the cut on my face.
Crossing my legs, my mind wandered. Alex was alive. Helena was safe. That's all that filled my mind anymore. My best friend wasn't leaving me just yet. Helena was settling well, and she already had a positive effect on the group. If anything should happen to me.. Well, she'll be looked after. But here's hoping I'll be around for a while.
My eyes landed on the Dixon tent again and I sighed. Two people who you shouldn't piss off, and I had managed to do that in the space of 24 hours. Well done Sam, you're a genius. Remembering the meeting-thing we had earlier today, there seemed to be a real display of dominance between the brothers. Merle stood in front, speaking up and picking fault with whatever the hell he felt like. Daryl stood slightly behind, his eyes low but his grunts and glares never in short supply.
That's all I thought he could do before our little stand off earlier - grunt. But no, it speaks! I chewed my lip hard, the memory of the argument flaring up inside me again. Princess, he called me. As if! He doesn't even know me. And what makes him think he has the right to tell me what to do, too and where to go? If anything he owes me! Well, he owes Alex.
Although I'm glad we found these people, I wish it happened under different circumstances. Ever since we arrived, all I've done is act like a psycho and argue with people. But then again, I wouldn't be so wound up if it weren't for the rednecks. I concluded that trying to getting an apology out of one of them would be like trying to get blood from a stone - it wasn't going to happen. They didn't seem to have a conscience -or a heart, for that matter. But boy, did they make my blood boil. Especially at their insensitivity.
I wonder if Daryl would like it if I shot him with his own crossbow and I was a total dick to him? I think he'd probably murder me in my sleep. Well, he could try. Then he'd see how much of a princess I really am.
I looked back along the trees, running a hand through my hair. Maybe I'm not cut out for being around people. Even when society wasn't ruined, people always found a way to grate on me, be it they were selfish and cruel, or downright stupid. There may have been good people, but they were always overshadowed by the morons. And I always came into contact with the morons. Maybe I should just distance myself - even leave. But what would that do to Alex and Helena? I swore I'd look after them, be there for them. I'd only be running away, and I definitely don't do that. I won't do that.
"Dale, shift's over." I heard grunt from below me, snapping me out of my thoughts. Then reality dawned. Cursing, I leant over the RV to see Daryl waiting to take over.
Upon seeing me, he stood back and crossed his arms. He was still angry - I could tell that despite the pitch black night. But I was still angry too.
I was more worried though - how did I not notice him walking up from his tent?
"Dale's sleeping." I said bluntly, setting the binoculars down and sighing.
I crawled over to the edge of the roof and turned to climb down the ladder. I jumped to the floor a few rungs before the end of the ladder and turned. I walked to the RV door past Daryl, who looked at me for a second before grunting.
I stopped before the door and span back to him. He was looking at me, and I was relieved that it was dark as I could feel myself blushing from the scrutiny.
"Erm, I just wanted to say thanks - for bringing Alex here." I said, sighing. I realised that I had to thank him - but I wasn't going to apologise.
"Whatever." he said eventually, and I rolled my eyes.
I turned and walked into the RV, feeling like a little weight had been lifted off my shoulders. I'd thanked him for helping Alex, but that was as far as nice words are going for now.
I laid down on the sofa adjacent to Alex, and snuggled, trying to get comfortable.
I slipped into a light sleep, occasionally waking up in the night.
At one point, I heard the RV door open and someone walk across to knock on Dale's door. The figure spoke something against the wood, and turned to head out. Before they stepped out though, they hesitated in the doorway. The sound of an eventual grunt reverberated off the inside of the RV as the figure stepped out. Before I could think anything of it, I lulled back to a restless sleep.
Okay, so I know how weird this looks - Merle and Rick are both at camp (but it won't be for long!).
I did it this way - in all honesty, was because I'd written it without realising. It doesn't really change the story and the outcomes much in my opinion, but I wanted to develop the relationship with both Merle and Rick to show what Sam's capable of, but I didn't really feel like there was an opportunity to show that.
So yeah. :)
Thanks for reading, though!
-Loré. X