"Are you sure about this, Daryl?" Rick asked. I lifted my head up from my laces.
Daryl was storming down from the house, Rick trying to keep up at his side.
Rick stopped when he realised Daryl wasn't going to answer, throwing his arms in the air through frustration.
Daryl marched past, and I could tell he was trying not to make eye contact as his eyes were fixed on one place and he was staring hard. I shook my head and sighed.
"Sam, take the plate!" Alex yelped, leaning towards me, snapping my focus away from the redneck.
I reached forward and thanked him, busying myself with the food.
I was still angry about last night. More than anything, I was annoyed that Daryl didn't want anyone to care about him.
And he let me into a little insight of his past life. I didn't notice it before, but as I laid awake in bed, I remembered what he said about handling himself before when he went through shit.
And comparing me to Carol. That really riled me too.
Nothing personal to her - it's just that we're completely different people. She was more meek, I was pretty strong, I guess.
I watched as the group began to emerge from tents, all probably waking from a decent nights rest.
I, on the other hand, had a miserable night. I couldn't sleep, so spent it keeping watch and freezing my backside off. I was over-tired, but I just couldn't sleep.
And I could've killed for a cup of tea.
Andrea sat down next to me, a small smile on her face. I looked at her with a raised eyebrow.
She looked at me and laughed once.
"Daryl forgave me." She said, and I frowned.
So he doesn't want to carry a grudge around, but he supposedly doesn't care? Right. He can forgive the woman who shot and almost killed him, but apparently doesn't want me to help him? Sounds totally fair.
I sighed and gave my plate back to Alex, and began to walk to a small area of space behind all of the tents where I thought I wouldn't be seen. I needed to clear my head, and there was only one way I knew that would work.
I took a deep breath and closed my eyes, calming myself so I could concentrate on my kata.
"Sam, here." Glenn rushed, walking over to me with a crate in his hands.
He flicked back the cloth covering it to reveal fruit. Fresh, glorious fruit.
I reached in quickly and took an apple, my eyes bulging. I looked back up to Glenn to thank him, but I stopped when I saw his on edge expression.
"Glenn, are you okay?" I asked, placing a hand on his arm. He flinched at the touch, making me frown.
"Yeah, completely fine." He said shortly.
"Well... You know you can talk to me, right?" I said slowly. He nodded quickly before walking away.
I ate the apple greedily as I watched him go, utterly perplexed.
I got down to the core of the apple and placed it on the floor, making a mental note to save the seeds.
I then pulled myself into a starting position, bowed, and began to do one of the more challenging katas.
I started gently, but as the kata wore on, I needed to get out more energy.
I punched and kicked hard, taking out a lot of frustration on thin air. I even started to make a funny grunting sound whenever I did a particularly hard or high kick.
The sounds attracted a lot of attention, because before I knew it, part of the group had either gathered around me and watched from a distance.
When I slowed into a stop, I panted heavily, looking around at the groups faces. I could feel a blush creeping up on my face, and so I forced a smiled though my laboured breaths.
The group were smiling at me, and Helena was clapping frantically.
Alex had rolled his eyes.
"Show off!" He shouted, but I stuck my tongue out at him.
"That was great Sam. I've always wanted to see you do that." Rick said from by the fire and I laughed.
"I was a bit aggressive though. I don't normally make those crazed noises." I smiled.
I looked round the group and saw Daryl looking at me with a shocked look on his face. His eyes were searching my face and my still in position body. I relaxed and let my hands drop to my sides.
"Sam, can you teach me to do that?!" Helena grinned as the group began to disperse.
I stared at her as the smile slipped off my face, unsure of what to do.
"I don't know Helena-"
"Why not? You weren't much older than her when you started and you've probably taught kids younger then her." Alex called from by the tents and I sighed. I hate it when he's right.
"Fine. But we'll start with the simple stuff, okay?" I said, trying to put a serious look on my face. Helena nodded wildly.
"Okay. Its all about respect, so first you bow." I said and bowed low, which she copied.
I thought about what to teach her, and I decided that I'd give her all the basics in one go. There were no rules any more, anyway.
"Next, you ball your fists at your hips and have your legs slightly apart..." I said, and began running through some of the simplest moves I could remember, all of them defensive.
"But Sam, none of them are your kicks!" she frowned.
"You'll learn them in time. You need to get the basics first though. They're the most important." I sighed, placing a finger lightly on the end of her nose.
"Well you do one then!" she shrugged.
I rolled my eyes, but pulled my fists to my hips and kicked high with my left leg. I then flipped my right leg over as soon as the left had landed, giving a jumping effect.
There were a few appreciative grunts and sounds from the group, and I bowed dramatically low.
"Okay, now I want you to punch your fists out one at a time until I say stop..."
Her face screwed up tightly as she punched, making me silently giggle. I then stopped her and got her to do some blocks.
A soft chuckle filtered through from somewhere, and I finally realised it was Daryl. He could see us through the mesh window of his tent.
I stared at him for a few seconds, wondering about his swift mood change. One minute he was shouting down my neck and ignoring me, and now he's laughing with me. With me. Softly?
"Do you want a go?" I blurted.
"Nah. I can handle m'self. But Helena, ya thumbs go on top of ya fingers, not under." He called, and she nodded, adjusting herself.
I looked back over to him and smiled. He merely stared back before a small smirk crept up on his face. He then laid back down and opened a book that was resting next to him.
Only when he was engrossed in it, I smiled.
"Come on Sam, you need to get some shooting practice!" Alex called, but I shook my head.
"I'm an okay shot." I lied. Genuinely, I had no idea how good I was, but I wasn't in the mood to get judged by Shane just yet.
"But anyway, I was going to get some clothes cleaned and all that. The boring stuff." I yelled back as he walked up to the truck, and he rolled his eyes.
"Glenn?" Alex called, pointing to the truck. Glenn shook his head and mumbled some excuse. Alex eventually gave up and climbed into the car.
"What's up?" Dale asked Glenn as everyone pulled away.
I walked up and stood by them, Glenn's eyes shifted between us before he sighed.
"There's walkers in the barn and Lori's pregnant." He blurted. I gasped hard, choking myself as my eyes popped.
Oh shit.
"What?" Dale asked, his composed expression slipping.
"Yeah." Was all he said.
My eyes shot to the barn, my heart thumping loudly in my chest. They were so close.
"How did you find out about the walkers?" I asked, my eyes not moving from the barn.
"Maggie told me." He sighed, slumping down to the floor.
"And Lori told you about the pregnancy?" Dale asked gently, snapping me back to Glenn.
Lori? Pregnant? That won't be good. At all.
I could feel my stomach plummeting at the thought of all the dangers that were around us. Everything that could go wrong. Damn.
"Yeah. She asked me to get her a pregnancy test. And then she kinda confirmed it." He whispered.
I sighed heavily before sitting down in front of him, pulling him into a hug. No wonder he looked so troubled. He had a lot to think about.
But of all times she could get knocked up, she picks now? That'd be so dangerous. For all of us.
"Where are you going?" Glenn called over my shoulder.
I let him go and turned back to see Dale walking away.
"To have a chat with Hershel." Was all he said, and I sighed.
"Come on. It's my turn to keep watch. Sit with me." I said as I stood and held out a had to pull him up.
He reluctantly took my hand and tailed behind me as I climbed up the RV.
I grabbed the binoculars off the chair and sat down, patting the bit of roof beside me, signalling for Glenn to sit. He eventually did and sat silently, his eyes dark and shadowed.
I ran a hand through my hair before tying it up, thinking of what to say. I sighed, and after a while, it came to me.
"You know, the last time we sat together up here, we thought we'd never see each other again." I said, staring at the treeline.
"Yeah." He said quietly, sneaking a glance at me.
"And look at us now. We're back together, and we're all still strong."
He only nodded this time. I took a deep breath.
"What I'm getting at, is that despite what we've all been through, we're all okay. We're all still standing strong. We'll sort out the walkers in the barn somehow. And Lori had no business laying that kind of thing on you. But we'll make it work, because that's what we've got to do to make sure we all still survive and stay together." I said, my eyes fixing back onto the barn again.
I heard Glenn breath deeply next to me. He reached out his hand and gripped mine, squeezing it slightly.
I looked back at him and smiled, although that wasn't how I felt inside.
I was freaking out. Alex, Helena and I had been here the longest out of the group. We'd been by the walkers for longer.
Why were they being kept in the barn? It's not like there was going to be a cure or help along at any time soon. Or ever.
And Lori. She was only just back with Rick, and already they're baby making.
It raises all kinds of issues, for both us all and the baby.
I shook my head, trying by to think and further about what choices should be made. It's not my place.
Glenn let go of my hand, and looked up at me. He then looked back towards the house. His eyes stayed there for a while before he sighed and turned back round to face the field.
"Thanks Sam." he said, laying a hand on my arm.
I smiled at him as he stood and with a hand on my shoulder, he began to climb off the RV and walked away.
I looked back at the fields, and then looked between the barn and the tents.
It way too close. There was too much at risk.
Sure, they hadn't gotten out yet, but it could only be a matter of time. I shivered.
My internal distress was interrupted by movement my the tents.
My eyes flicked over the area to see Daryl emerging from his tent. He then began limping away at a fast pace.
"Where are you going?" I called. He stopped in his tracks, eyes searching. They rested on me, and he visibly relaxed.
"Gonna pee. Wanna hold it for me?" He smirked, and I was taken aback. And then laughed.
Was he actually trying to joke with me?
"Nah, I'm sure you can at least pee on your own. Carry on." I called back, a smile gracing my lips.
He looked at me for a few seconds longer before limping away out of my sight. I watched him go, before turning my eyes back to the ever looming barn.
I sat there for a while, a surprised smile still on my face. Even after he had silently hobbled back to his tent.
At that point, Dale had walked back from the stables looking flabbergasted, so I decided to not ask questions just yet.
I had come off watch and I had already washed the majority of the groups clothes. I hung the dripping clothes on makeshift washing lines that hung around the tents between the trees.
I had got through washing the clothes quickly as my mind was so preoccupied.
I moved onto the last bucket of water and tipped in the last lot of clothing.
"Daryl, got anything you need washing?" I called, although I wasn't expecting much - I remembered the last time I asked him that, and it didn't go too well.
To my surprise though, out of his tent flew some of his sleeveless shirts, a pair of trouser and a load of socks.
"Thanks." I said sarcastically.
I bunched the clothes up and dropped them into the now full bucket and began scrubbing.
I worked for the rest of the afternoon, and had eventually finished all the washing.
It felt like a huge accomplishment. Before I could pat myself on the back though, cars and trucks began rolling up.
The cars all stopped relatively close, and I walked out from under the trees to meet them.
"Hey guys, how was it?" I called, drying my hands in my jean shorts.
"As usual, I was brilliant-"
"Please, Alex, you missed nearly every time!" Rick laughed.
"Is it worth him carrying on, or is he better as a damsel in distress?" I asked as I walked with Rick back up to the tents. He laughed.
"There could be hope for him yet." He winked before walking away to Lori.
I looked back at Alex who smirked.
He walked up to me and threw an arm around me.
"Hey, you actually did do the washing! You're more of a woman than I thought." He laughed and I poked him.
"Oi, I don't have to wash your clothes you know! I might not next time." I said, wiping the smile off his face.
"I even washed Daryl's. Although they were covered in grime and shit!" I said, the last part louder so he could hear.
A quite rumble filtered through the tent making me smile. Alex turned and looked at me, shocked.
"You two are friendly now?" He asked, steering me away from the tents and the group and towards the field behind.
"I don't know. He's being pretty decent to me today, despite last night-"
"What the hell happened last night?" Alex gasped, spinning me to face him.
"We argued." At that, he sighed and blew his cheeks out. "But he was all 'don't care about me' and stuff. And now today, he's actually talking and even cracked a joke with me. I don't know, maybe he's on something." I sighed.
Alex studied my face for a few minutes before he walked us back to the group.
He left me by the fire and began walking towards the house without a backwards glance.
I stared after him, my mind reeling. What the hell was that?
I shook my head and looked back up. Dale walked by me, and I decided that now I wanted to ask about his talk with Hershel.
He stopped in front of his RV and began fiddling with parts of its engine.
"Need a hand?" I asked. He looked up at me and smiled.
"Sure. Could always do with an extra pair of hands."
"Give me a task." I smiled and listened carefully as he gave me some instructions on cleaning some of the internal parts.
"So, what did Hershel say?" I asked quietly. Sale looked at me for a long time before sighing.
"He thinks they're people Sam. They they're just infected, and that they'll be a cure soon." He sighed, and something in his words clicked.
"Infected... Otis said that when we went hunting once." I said, and at the memory, sighed deeply.
Dale reached his hand up to his head and slowly pulled his hat off. My eyes drifted back up to his tortured expression and I began to worry.
"Dale, is something wrong? You know, aside from the obvious." I asked, laying a partially car-grease covered hand on his arm.
He nodded and looked down, obviously choosing his next words carefully.
"Shane." He admitted, hanging his head.
I shut my eyes and nodded.
"He's just so loose these days. You should have seen him before we were here at this farm Sam. At the CDC. He just seemed so reckless. Like he didn't care. I feel like that's going to get worse - especially with Lori being pregnant." He sighed and my eyes bulged.
I'd totally forgotten what Amy had said about Shane and Lori. The thought of her set a lump in my throat.
But then hang on-
Who's the father?
"I'm not so sure either. He seems pretty standoffish, especially around Rick. I don't know, but I'm not keen." I mumbled.
"Mm."
We slipped into silence as we resumed running checks on his RV. His face was taught, but I knew it wasn't from concentration.
"Dale, what do you think we should do about the walkers in the barn?"
"There's nothing we can do. It's not up to us. But I'm going to have a chat with Glenn about telling the group. I think they need to know." Dale sighed, not looking away from the bolts he was polishing.
"Yeah, that'll go down really well. Especially with Shane." I blurted, rolling my eyes. He took my admission seriously though, and sighed.
"I just don't know anymore."
Just after we finished polishing off the engine, Shane's green car tore up the driveway.
He and Andrea stepped out, stupid smirks in their faces.
I didn't trust them one bit.
"Sam!" Helena called as she jogged down from the house.
She stopped by my side and I led her away, watching Andrea and Shane talk to Carol.
"It was so cool Sam, I got to bandage up Maggie's head!" Helena laughed. I smiled down at the girl, drawing my attention away from the late arrivals.
"That may come in handy." I murmured. "There are a few people around here that need their heads seen to."
Thank you for reading!
It's going to get REAL interesting pretty soon. ;]
- Loré. X