Thanks to those who have reviewed so far, it means so much to me and makes me keep going.
This chapter is a long one, so I hope you enjoy!

Chapter 6

Daryl opened the front door of the farm house quietly; trying not to startle anyone they have had enough chaos for one night. After coming back from their outing on the highway, they thought they were lucky to have gotten away from that pack of Walkers who had come out of nowhere, but when they returned to the farm expecting peace and quiet, they came back to a much more frightening scene...

***
A pack of Walkers had gotten through a barbed wire fence, one they thought they had fixed a few days ago and made it all the way towards the paddock near the barn without being detected. Lori, Carl, Beth, Maggie and Glenn were all setting up for dinner when the pack approached, catching them off guard. Lucky for them, Carl had the gun his father had given him for protection while Glenn and Maggie both held up shovels as weapons while Beth latched onto Lori for dear life. The screams were what caught everyone's attention, making the group on the horses run back and T-dog and Hershel come out from the house.

Those on horses began aiming their guns, and shooting from a far trying to get back to the group and took down half of the Walkers. The other half was lunging at the people in front of them, ready to bite into every last one of them. There had been a close call with Beth, getting separated from the rest with two walkers running after her which Daryl noticed straight away, and headed for her with Sam holding onto his back. Beth was up against the barn door, squealing for help but her sister and the others were too pre occupied, Maggie tried to run to her sister's aid but a Walker came out after her.

Daryl grabbed his cross bow, aiming it at one of the Walkers while Sam jumped off the horse, running towards Beth, ignoring Daryl's yells at her to come back. Sam ran, removing the gun from the back of her denim jeans and aimed it at the Walker who was ready to take a chunk out of Beth's arm. She missed the head, instead only scratching the Walkers neck. It turned, snarling at her now. Sam checked the ammunition, and held it up as it came at her. The trigger was jammed and her hand was then shaking, she couldn't keep it still. Sam glanced to the side of her, not a few feet away was Shane, putting himself in front of Lori and Carl.

She yelled at him, but he ignored her and continued to look out for Lori and Carl. Daryl had run out of arrows, so he came from the side tackling the Walker to the ground with his hunting knife trying to stab it. They tumbled on the ground for a few seconds, the Walker trying to bite Daryl. Sam finally pushed the trigger back and BANG shot the Walker in the back of the skull

Sam hadn't had heard him come into the room, her ears were still ringing of the gun fire from tonight's events.
"How's the girl?" he asked, making Sam jump a little but then she relaxed once she had seen those icy blue eyes. Sam continued staring at the family photos that overflowed in the lounge room, not moving her eyes away from a picture of the two sisters.
"Beth will be fine, just in a bit of shock I guess. She's in good hands; her sister will look after her."

Sister.

It hurt for Sam to say those words. No one knew how much she hurt inside when she watched Maggie and Beth, it just reminded her so much of her own...

Sam stopped day dreaming about her old life when she still felt Daryl's eyes on her. Sam lightly traced the photo frame, smiling to herself as Daryl waited for her to speak, seeing in her eyes that something wasn't right.

"I didn't get to bring any family photos or anything" Sam said as she patted the frame, sighing and sat down on the lounge. Daryl followed after her, but stayed leaning against the wall.
"When this whole thing started, I wasn't at home with my family. I had been travelling with my band, getting gigs around the towns so as soon as we realised what was happening, we headed towards Atlanta."
Daryl listened intently as Sam continued "That day on the highway when I first met you..." Sam said looking up into his eyes "That's when it hit me. That this thing was not going to end well."
She said turning away from him, looking out the window in to the peaceful dark night "As much as I loved my friends, I needed to know if my family was alright." Daryl nodded, knowing the same feeling... he had Merle after all.
"So we headed back to Philli... everyone was trying to get to Atlanta but we were heading the other way... so we got there in no time... but of course we ran into trouble"
She shut her eyes, memories flashing through her mind of how some of her friends didn't make the journey "I found my Mum; it was a miracle getting back to her. I went back to our house and she was there, packing the family albums" She said smiling to herself but it disappeared just as quick as it had appeared
"My Mum and I teamed up with a few of our neighbours, trying to get out of the City but she wouldn't leave without finding my sister" Sam said, looking into her hands as if they were covered in blood.

Daryl didn't know she had a sister, she had never mentioned it before. He wondered how young she was, what had happened to her when his thoughts were interrupted by Sams words.
"I eventually convinced Mum we had to leave, the town had began to be over run... we never found my sister and then, I lost my Mum. I lost everything and I couldn't do a damn thing to stop it". Sam spoke the last words with such disgust and venom; she blamed herself for the death of her family members.

Daryl opened his mouth to say something, but he was interrupted when Shane came into the lounge room with his shot gun by his side. He looked at Sam and she looked at him, their icy stares not needing them to say a word. After witnessing their tiff the other night, Daryl decided he should stick around because he knew what Shane could do if his temper got the best of him.

Sam had enough, got up and went to leave when Shane grabbed her arm but let go momentarily as Daryl took a step forward and glared at him. Shane lowered his eyes, meeting Sams
"Andrea and I are leaving first thing in the morning. After tonight, we're desperately low on ammo so we're heading up the highway a bit more, try and see what we can get". Sam told him be safe with a blunt tone, and walked off outside the farm and Shane ran after her.
"What is your problem?" He half yelled, trying to keep his voice and temper down. Sam scoffed, looking over into the distance where she could see Lori, Carl and Rick by their tent.
"I was kiddin' myself, thinking that you didn't have feeling for Lori anymore... I am SUCH AN IDIOT!" she said throwing her hands up in the air "And don't deny it Shane, I saw it tonight. I was nearly a goner, and you ignored me and stayed to protect her!" Sam said suddenly feeling a bit dizzy and had to grab onto Shane for balance.
His hand shot up, taking a hold of her arm "Are ya alright?"

Sam put her finger up for him to stop talking, she wasn't finished yet. So she let go, getting a hold of herself
"We're done Shane. Whatever we were, whatever it was. It's done. You leave tomorrow and when you come back, you will never touch me again"
Sam said with such a stern voice, Shane had never heard her like this before. He reluctantly let her go, and swore under his breath.

The next morning, Sam woke up to see that Shane and Andrea had left and decide to take out her anger on some deer, so she picked up both her knife and the gun Daryl had given to her and made her way down towards the creeks where she would be more likely to find some wild life. Daryl was on her tail, noticing she wasn't herself - her pace is slower than usual, and she keeps stopping to catch her breath.

"I don't need you following me round like a puppy dog" She said in a pissed off tone, turning around to see Daryl come out from behind a tree with his trusty cross bow in her hands.
"You don't look too hot, I'm just makin' sure you don't go off and do somethin' stupid like get ya self killed'"
Feeling her forehead begin to burn up, Sam wasn't going to give Daryl the satisfaction of being right so she decided to change the topic... he wasn't going to leave her alone now.

"So how do you know how to track so well?"
Daryl rolled his eyes but kept them on the ground "I grew up with it, unlike you who was probably sleeping around with every bloke in Philli..." He spat, jealously overwhelming him suddenly.
His head shot up when he heard Sams foot stomp on the ground, looking at him with her mouth wide open "What the hell is that suppose to mean? I'm not a slut!"
Daryl held his hands up in surrender, going back to his work but Sam wasn't going to leave it like that "Not like it's any of your business, but I have only slept with three people in my life" Daryl glanced over at Sam who was looking back at him and he couldn't help but raise an eyebrow, wanting to know more.
"My high school sweetheart..." Sam began and Daryl instantly regretted his look of interest "We were together for 4 years then... there was my boyfriend in college, didn't last as long but we stayed friends... even started our own band... and then there's Shane".

Daryl and Sam's eyes met and she looked away awkwardly, not believing she had just something so private to Daryl Dixon and knew she needed to get the attention off her.
"It's not like you can talk is it Dixon? I'm sure you've had plenty of women, let alone the ones in camp."
Daryl let go of the stick he had been holding in his hand, letting it hit the ground hard and turned to Sam who was waiting for answers.
"I don't know what yer on bout woman" he said walking closer to her "But I ain't slept with any of the women ere'..."

Sam cocked her eyebrow, not believing him "What about Andrea?" Daryl shook his head, thinking about her.
"Never thought of her that way really" he admitted honestly, looking up at Sams face and could see something weird... it looked as though he had offended her for some reason and it hit him... because they were both blondes.
"Blondes ain't really my type" Daryl added, with a bit of cheeky banter getting under Sams skin but she couldn't help but laugh it off.
"What about Carol then?" He stopped what he was doing "I thought I could sense something there when I first came here"
Daryl turned suddenly on his feet, looking at her dead in the eyes
"There ain't nothing goin' on with me and that woman either!' He spat angrily but as soon as he saw the hint of fear in Sam's eyes, he looked away trying to regain some form of composure.
"Before the world went to shit, there were a few girls I had messed round wit', but there was never anyone in particular"
He said lightly, turning back to Sams eyes who looked confused "You mean, you never had a girlfriend? Been in love?" She said almost in a sympathetic tone, making Daryl feel sick "Love? Pfffft I've got better things to do".

Sam felt her body go cold, to hot, back to cold and she guessed she couldn't hide it anymore because next thing she knew, Daryl was putting his leather jacket with the angel wings around her, trying to keep her warm by rubbing her shoulders.
Sam could feel haziness overwhelming her, but needed to hide it, she couldn't let him see her so weak.
"Does it look good on me?" Sam asked jokingly and Daryl's lip curled up and he actually smiled. His hands began to slow down as they looked into each other's eyes – his blue eyes getting lost in her emerald green. Sam heard the crunch of a leave under his boot as he stepped a tiny spec closer but something felt wrong and he saw it.
"Sam, you a'ight?" he asked with concern in his voice but Sam didn't respond. Luckily Daryl still had his hands on her shoulders as her body went limp and Daryl caught her before she hit the ground.
"Shit" he muttered under his breath, getting a better hold of her and began to run back to the farm.

As Hershel explained to Rick that Sam had a virus but the dehydration didn't help either, Daryl sat on the edge of the bed still with his cross bow in his back, his eyes not leaving her sleeping body.
"I've got her on a drip to get some fluids into her. She just needs to rest for a few days and she'll be okay."
Hershel then turned to face Daryl "Lucky you were there, or else things could have been a lot worst"
Rick patted him on the back and Daryl silently nodded, not really knowing how to respond when people applauded him. He just happened to be at the right place at the right time.

2 days later, Sam was out of bed feeling ten times better with so much more energy. Maggie had informed her that Beth had gotten over the shock of her near death Walker attack and was on the mends, and also that Shane and Andrea still hadn't returned.
Sam didn't want to worry about Shane, but she couldn't really help it even though he had hurt her. As for Andrea, Sam had thought about it while she rested, Andre and she had a lot of things in common – not just their hair colour, but they had both lost their sisters. Sam couldn't dwell on them or where they were or if they were hurt... that wouldn't do any good. Sam knew in her heart the both of them would be okay, they were two strong people who had taught her how to survive in this world better than any one... well Daryl had helped too.

So she got out of bed and took in the fresh breezy air on the porch. No one had realised she was up and moving yet, so she used that to her advantage picking up her knife and gun which had been by her side the whole time she'd been resting and ventured out towards the stables. Sam gently patted the horse she had ridden once before with Shane, feeling the most comfortable with it; she thinks its name was Belle who was a beautiful caramel colour with a light mane. Sam had never interacted with horses before the zombie apocalypse, but now she really appreciated just how beautiful and smart these creatures were. As she began placing the saddle on the horses back, Sam talked to it as if it was a real person
"We're just going to go for a little ride into town Belle, I've got to show my gratitude to Hershel and his people somehow, but don't worry it won't take long".

"Daddy!"
Hershel looked up when he heard his youngest daughter Beth call out his name from their house, holding what seemed to be a piece of paper in her hands and ran over to him. The others heard the commotion, all gathering in a small circle waiting to hear what the kafuffle was about.
"I found this in the guest room when I went to see how Sam was going..." the small blonde teenager handed her Dad the note, with concern in her eyes.
Daryl, along with Carol, Glenn and Maggie watched as Hershel read the note to himself then sighing and then read it aloud
"I've gone into town to find some more medicine and supplies, after all you've done for me it's the best I can do. I'll be back shortly. Sam"

Daryl swore and Lori tried to cover Carl's ears but it was too late. Rick and Hershel shared a look as Maggie turned to Glenn and put her arm around her little sister in a comforting manner. Carol turned to say something to Daryl, but it was too late, he was already making his way over to his bike. Rick, Glenn, Maggie and Carol went after him while the others decided to go inside; there wasn't much they could do.
"Does this girl have a death wish or somethin" Daryl spat as they got closer, sitting up on his bike adjusting the handles. The men tired to reason with him, but Daryl wouldn't listen
"I'm gonna go find that girl, and bring her back by the hair, I don't care if she's kickin and screamin' she can't go out on her own".
Rick knew there was no compromising with Daryl when he got into a state like this, so he let him go "We'll follow you soon, you go first and see if ya can find her. While we're out we should try and look for Shane and Andrea also."
Rick nodded to Glenn to go get ready as he turned back to Daryl who gave him a small nod, and drove off out of the farm.

Daryl spotted the caramel horse from a mile away, standing out the front of a small medical centre innocently. He rolled his eyes as he turned off the engine, making sure his cross bow was tight on his back as he made his way over to the building, looking around every corner.
Her blonde hair wasn't easy to miss as her back was turned against the door; she was obviously off with the fairies and didn't hear him enter the building.
"What is your problem?" Daryl's harsh voice startled her, making her turn on her feet with the gun pointed at him. He swat it away as if it were nothing and continued to have a go at her
" Runnin off like that, by yourself?!"
Sam was about to respond when both of their heads popped up, at the sounds of feet walking outside the shop. Daryl shoved Sam under the counter, as he got out his cross bow and hid in an aisle.
Shit. Walkers. Daryl thought to himself as he loaded the cross bow. He wasn't that shocked really, after all Sam had left her horse out the front of the shop begging for them to come and eat it alive. But then Daryl heard voices, not snarls or grunts but voices. Shit. They were people. Living, breathing people.

The medical centre door swung open, and he heard 3 distinct different pairs of feet and heard a man's voice, talking to someone named Dave.
"I swear I saw some blondie come in here not too long ago, rode in with that horse out the front" said the voice who had spoken before to this 'Dave' guy.
One pair of footsteps stopped just in front of the aisle Daryl was hiding behind, while the other headed around the back of the shop, and the other... towards the counter.
"C'mon blondie..." the other voice spoke, Daryl guessed it was this Dave guy "Come out, come out where ever you are..." he spoke in a calm manner. There was a yelp. Daryl looked through the aisle and saw a huge guy with was balding, held Sam by the hair making her squirm. Daryl didn't mean to, it wasn't like him at all but he hit his cross bow on the shelf making a small noise.

The guy Dave came into view with his gun pointed at Daryl's head. Sam saw Daryl come out from the aisle with his hands behind his head, and the guy was holding his cross bow and a gun to his head.
"Tony..." the guy holding the gun at Daryl's head "Yeah Dave?" the large balding guy responded making Sam squint her eyes from Daryl to the captor.
"Dave?" She said in disbelief.
Daryl glanced at her, confused at first but it then hit him, Sam knew this guy. Dave, turned his brown eyes towards her, a smile creeping up on his face "Well well, it's a small world isn't it Sammy?"
Those were the last words Daryl heard before he felt something hard hit the back of his head and everything went dark.

He couldn't have been out for that long, maybe half an hour or so. Daryl slowly opened his eyes as he heard faint voices above him.
"Hey Daryl..."
Rick and Glenn were standing over him but there was someone else with them too, someone he didn't know.
"What happened to ya man?" Glenn asked, worried about who the hell took on Daryl Dixon and won to tell the tale. Daryl groaned as he got up, patting the back of his head
"Sam... They must've taken Sam..." he concluded once she was nowhere to be seen. He turned to the stranger, it was the kid he had seen before with the other two blokes. Randall was his name. He got up, ready to pounce on the scrawny kid but Rick held him back

"They took Sam!" Daryl furiously yelled still trying to get at Randal who was petrified "And she knew him too!"
Rick and Glenn shared confused looks, and Rick stood up looking around outside
"They mustn't have gotten far, we didn't hear any cars... they can't be too far..."
Daryl got to his feet, pushed Glenn out of the way and picked Randal up by his shirt "Your going to tell me where they took her... or else".

How does Sam know Dave?

Will Daryl be ablet to save her before anything bad happens?

to be continued...

Authors Note - Do you guys like the fact I brought Dave and Tony into it? I always wish they hadn't had killed off Dave, he seemed like a character I would have liked to get o know a bit more... anyone else think that also? he was hot!

Remembers, reviews = fuel :) let me know what you thought pleas!