A/N Sorry for the lastness. Crazy day. But finally fun parts, Sam and the Dixons. Enjoy! Much love to all my followers 3 (pppssst don't forget to review)
"Now hold on a minute" Merle says after her "little thing like you can't go off in the woods all alone."
Sam glares at him, too exhausted to argue anymore "So where am I sleeping?"
Merle starts to open his mouth, but a renewed glare from her and whatever he was going to say turns into a smile instead. Daryl looks at their camp and her sleeping options. The shabby tent with a few threadbare blankets, the truck, or the ground. None of which seem appealing.
"I really don't care. Point me in a direction and I'll sleep." she sighs when they continue to stare at each other "Fine. I'll sleep in the truck."
She climbs back in the cab and curls up on the seat, letting the tears run freely until she falls asleep.
Sam wakes with a start, glad to be out of the nightmare she was having. Kyle and Chris haunt her dreams now. She scrubs her face on the sleeve of her jacket and is about to open the truck door when voices stop her.
"She ain't hurtin nobody. She's got nowhere to go." Daryl argues with Merle.
"What happened to our plan? She'll just bring us down." Merle is starting to get angry "I thought you weren't gonna question me anymore."
"She's gotten this far on her own, she can take care of herself. Maybe she can help us."
"Exactly, right there. She can take care of herself. She don't need us anymore than we need her" Merle throws Daryl's reasoning back in his face "Why you wanna keep her around anyway?"
"I dunno" Daryl stammers "she might be useful." he shrugs, unable to put it into words why he feels the need to keep her around.
The truck door creaks as it's opened. Sam slides out and stretches. She tries to straighten out her wrinkled shirt, but gives up after a minute and instead takes a seat by the fire. Daryl sits down near her, turning the spitted squirrel.
"I don't have to stick around now. It's light, I can get gas and leave." Sam says, not exactly looking at him. Daryl shrugs, not looking at her either.
"Why don't you hang around for a while," Merle says from his guard post on the truck "Maybe we could use you around here."
Daryl's face darkens, if Sam hadn't heard the conversation the brothers had a few minutes ago, she would probably think Merle is making a genuine offer, but she can see by the way he smirks at Daryl's reaction, he is only doing it to get under his skin.
"You guys seem to be doing alright" she says, trying to distract Daryl from his brooding.
"We're ok" he says, only glancing up from the cooking meat, "We can take care of ourselves. Always had to."
"Seems you got the hunting part down." she smiles at him as he takes the finished squirrel off the fire "That's more than I could do. Back at he hotel we were living off canned food and whatever hadn't gone bad yet."
Daryl notices her flinch slightly when she talks about the hotel, then she gets really quiet. He tries to keep her mind off it. "Got anything in that bag we can eat with this guy?"
Sam laughs as Daryl waves around the spitted squirrel, "I have no clue. What do you eat squirrel with?"
"Same stuff you eat with rabbits." Sam just raises an eyebrow "Lemme see what you got."
The sun starts sinking to late afternoon, Sam offers to replenish their firewood supply, Daryl goes with her, as a look out. When they are out of earshot of the camp Sam turns to Daryl.
"Have you seen many of those crazies around here? This far out in the woods?"
"The eaters? Only when Merle fires off rounds like a jackass." Daryl replies with a small smile.
"I heard you guys talking this morning." her abrupt change in subject causes his face to harden again.
"So? What bout it?" he asks harshly.
"I know it wasn't Merle that wanted me to stay. No matter what he said to me." she puts her free hand on his shoulder, "Thanks."
He jerks away, spilling a few sticks from his bundle "Whatever. Don't mean nuthin."
He stays a few feet behind her for the rest of their trip, shooting down any attempts at conversation. When they get back to the camp, the air is still tense between them, Sam doesn't risk trying to break it and make things worse. Merle is still perched on the truck, gun at his side and bottle in his hand. Before she can think twice about it, she walks up and snatches the bottle from him.
Merle reaches for his gun before he can stop himself. "The hell you think yer doin Missy? You Can't just go round stealin a mans drink."
"You know what?" she replies, taking a big drink "My world's gone to hell lately. I think I'm a little entitled."
Merle raises an eyebrow and with a chuckle looks at Daryl "Whadaya say little brother? Loosen up and enjoy a little?"
"Somebodys gotta keep watch." Daryl says, monotone, while stacking their wood pile.
"I thought you said they didn't come this far out?" Sam taunts slightly.
"Yeah, well" Daryl starts.
"Oh give it a rest will you Darylina? We can all fit up here," Merle pats the roof of the truck "nice and cozy like, high up."
Sam hauls herself up, but stays as far away from as Merle as she can and whines at Daryl "Come on Daryl, don't leave me all alone with him."
He begrudgingly joins them on the roof and takes a big drink from the bottle Sam offers.
The bottle is dangerously low before any of them start to relax. Sam dangles her feet over the edge of the truck and looks off into the dark woods. There is a rustling here and there, but none of them are concerned nobody has seen any trace of an eater for days. Merle jumps down from the truck and heads towards the woods. Sam takes advantage of the open space and lays back on the roof. Daryl is staring into the woods on the other side.
"Your brother's a piece of work. Isn't he?" Sam asks, looking at Daryl, he shrugs and nods.
Sam feels someone tugging on her ankle "Let go, asshole."
She shakes her foot, trying to shake loose of Merle's grip and it connects with the solidness of his chest. She sits up to apologize and comes face to face with the hungry eyes and grasping hands of an eater. Sam scrambles back onto the roof, keeping out of reach. Daryl grabs for his bow, but it is just out of his grasp in the bed of the truck. Sam gives it a hard kick that stumbles it back a few feet. Daryl is aiming his bow as Merle runs up behind the eater and drives his knife down through it's skull. Sam gathers her wits and turns her attention to the small group of eaters walking from the woods into the clearing.
Sam's breath hitches when she sees the kids emerging from the tree line. A boy and a girl, neither is over ten. Despite their mutilated forms, they come at the group just as fast as the others.
Daryl aims at the boy, takes him down first and reloads to take out the girl. Merle is grappling with one of the older ones, making wild slashes at it, laughing as he does, not making any attempt to kill it. Mocking it instead. Sam takes out the other one with little trouble, but still can't seem to get over seeing the kids. The girl is the only one left, she' at the truck now, small hands clawing to get at him. He sends the bolt straight through her eye and she slumps to the side of the truck. For a minute the only sound is the crackling fire.