A/N Hey guys! So psyched that the new season starts today! Hope you like this weeks chapter. Much loves! Enjoy!
Daryl's head snaps back again and he can taste the blood in his mouth. He struggles to open his left eye, which is swollen almost completely shut.
"Do you know what I'm gonna do to you for killing my brother?" the guy, now identified as Murphy asks, getting right in Daryl's face.
"Let me guess" Daryl says, spitting a mouthful of blood onto the floor "whatever you do, you're gonna make it hurt. Am I right?"
The next punch catches him under the jaw and almost chips a tooth. David pulls him away before he can land another blow.
"Muprh, come on, let's go see if the boys found his little bitch yet. Let him think about that a while."
Daryl watches the two men walk away, counting out three minutes before trying to slip his restraints. The ropes burn his wrists and the stitches in his arm protest the movement, making him stop. If Sam knew what was good for her, she would find the nearest car and get the hell back to the group, he shakes his head, knowing her too well. She's just as stupid as he is, and is probably on her way here.
Sam spots the jeep at the edge of a burnt out neighborhood, the skeletons of houses stand out against the white snow, very few of the buildings look like they are inhabitable at all. She hears the voices before she sees them and rushes to find some cover.
"How long you think Muprh will keep that sorry bastard alive?" one man asks.
"Who knows, he's kept people alive longer for less. Unless the guy pisses him off enough to actually lose it, I'm betting he's gonna drag it out." another says "So now we gotta go find this little bitch too?"
"That's what Murph wants." the first guy says.
From her hiding spot Sam watches them walk right past her, once they are out of sight she lets out the breath she has been holding, slowly and quietly she creeps out into the open. She follows the path with the most tracks to one of the better buildings. Risking a quick glance in the windows she sees Daryl ties up on the floor, beaten and bruised, under guard. Although David and the other guy, Murphy, are nowhere to be sees. She creeps back to her hiding place, keeping an eye out for more spots and better vantage points. Dark clouds start to roll in, threatening more snow. She carefully climbs a charred set of stairs to an almost untouched second floor and picks the room with the best view of the house Daryl is in.
His body aches all over and his hands are all pins and needles every time he tries to move them, his shoulders ache from being tied in the same position for so long. The setting sun is eclipsed by cloud and before long Daryl can see snow starting to fall. he has already made up his mind, if it comes to it, he will not lower himself to begging these bastards for his life. If they do kill him, at least he'll have that. Dam would survive without him. She's a lot tougher than she knows. There's a commotion outside his room and Murphy storms in, almost knocking the door off the hinges.
"Where's your little bitch?" he demands, getting right in Daryl's face.
"How the hell would I know? I've been here all day." Daryl tries to shrug but can't move his shoulders enough.
"I'll find her, then I'll make her wish she was dead." an evil smile grows on his face "Maybe I'll even let you watch before I kill you."
Sam rushes back up the steps as quietly as she can, using the tattered cloth in the room to clean the blood off her hatchet blade and hoping no one finds the dead guy at the back of the house too soon. She has to slowly pick them off to a more manageable number before she can even think of going in for Daryl. One down, though she feels a little bad for taking him out while he was taking a piss, she'll take any advantage she can get, she doesn't want to have to kill all of them, just because they're following a psycho, but twenty men or Daryl, she'll choose Daryl every time. He's all she has in the world now. There's the group back in Georgia, but she would never make it back to them without Daryl, and it's not the same.
Sam takes stock of the weapons at her disposal, her hatchets and knife, Daryl's crossbow and five bolts, and the handgun with half a clip she took off the guy. Enough to take out most of them if there's only twenty like they said before. Sam tries to think of a better plan than staying here and picking them off from the window, since that wouldn't work for long, they would notice their guys dropping, and her aim isn't that dead on yet, she couldn't take them all out before they got to her.
A dangerous mixture of anger and fear starts to build inside his gut. He already knows Sam is coming to find him, and walking right into the lion's den. All the men here will be looking for her. He can't just sit here and wait, with a little effort he manages to get into a kneeling position and retrieve the knife from his boot. It won't be much against any of the guys, but it will get him out of the ropes and give him a better chance at getting a weapon off someone, and that's all he needs. The knife buts through the rope, and with some protesting he brings his arms in front of him, flexing his fingers and massaging his strained shoulders. He knows there are guards outside the door, just not how many. He tries the window but finds it nailed shut, instead he gathers the rope off the floor and uses the handle of his knife to break the glass as loudly as he can.
"What the hell was that?" the guard outside the door says "I'll check in here, you check outside."
Daryl gets behind the door as the guard pushes it open, as soon as the guy starts to step into the room Daryl slams the door into his face, startling him long enough to disarm him and beat him unconscious. He slips out of the room and closes the door.
Sam lets out a breath and aims at the guy that just came running out of the house. Time to get going. He walks around the corner and Sam squeezes the trigger. The bolt misses his head and buries it's self in his shoulder, right under his collar bone.
Sam quickly ducks away from the window. "Shit! You missed, you dumb ass."
The man's cries of pain draw more people over. She's already down one bolt, and with the group there now, hand to hand is out of the question, her only option is the hand gun, and as soon as she fires it, they will be able to tell where she is hiding. Unless she can get off enough rounds to kill or injure all of them and move to a new spot. It was not this drawn out when she planned the rescue in her head. Five men have gathered to help the injured one. Its now or never, while their backs are to her and they are distracted. She double checks her ammo and takes aim.
Daryl hears shots being fired and picks up his pace, despite his protesting muscles, the worst scenarios running through his mind in flashes. Sam. They found her. Or she found a gun and is bringing everyone in this group straight to her, shooting like that. One of the group rounds the corner the same time as Daryl, hesitating for a second, startled. Daryl takes advantage and swings the butt of his stolen gun into his temple. Then guy drops instantly. Daryl keeps going, getting close to the sound of the shots.
Sam's gun clicks empty and her ears are ringing, but not so badly that she doesn't hear the footsteps pounding up the stairs. She sprints to the closet as quietly as she can and just barely manages to get the door closed before Murphy and David come barreling into the room.
"Where the fuck is she?" Murphy all but yells after scanning the room.
Sam bites her lip and resists the urge to close her eyes in fear, watching them through the slats in the closet door,
"She couldn't have gone far." David says.
"Rocco, just shut the fuck up. First that redneck prick gets away, now this. Nobody can fucking do anything." Murphy glances around, fuming "Unless she jumped out the window, she's on this floor. Those stairs are the only way out."
Rocco goes to the window and looks down, "She didn't jump, I'll start checking rooms."
Daryl hears a scream he would recognize anywhere, and pushing his battered body past it's limits, heads towards the house he now knows Sam is in. he takes the stairs two at a time, ignoring the groaning boards and runs into the room, body slamming David to the floor as he does.
"Well, this is sweet." Murphy taunts, gripping Sam tightly by her hair.
"What the fuck is wrong with you?" Daryl stands "She's not the one who killed Connor."
"No, but I bet hurting her will hurt you more." he twists her hair until she unwillingly cries out.
Sam throws an elbow back, aiming for his nose but hits his arm instead, loosening his hold on her. Daryl seizes the chance and lunges at Murphy, pushing Sam out of the way. She scrambles away as the two struggle to gain control. Murphy lands a solid punch to Daryl's jaw which almost has him seeing stars, but he manages to keep on his feet.
"Don't you fucking touch him again." Sam all but screams.
Out of the corner of his good eye Daryl can see Sam, crossbow in hand, and aimed at Murphy.
"You don't have the guts bitch." Murphy laughs.
"You don't fuckin think so? Call me a bitch one more time, motherfucker." she stands, fire blazing in her eyes.
"Sam," Daryl says quietly "you don't have to do this. I can handle it, you shouldn't have to do this."
"You're right." she starts to lower the bow, but instead fires a bolt into Murphy's thigh, doubling him over instantly. She quickly walks over and smashes the stock of the bow into his chin. "This piece of shit ain't worth our time."
Daryl watches as she yanks the bolt out of his leg and spits on him, her face a mask of rage.
Sam stops the car a few miles out of town and her mask finally crumbles. She tries to hold back the hysterics, gripping the wheel with white knuckles while her entire body shakes.
"I'm sorry. All that, you shouldn't have had to kill those guys." Daryl starts, putting a hesitant hand on her arm.
She laughs and roughly swipes at her tears "Fuck them. I don't care about them. I was so scared I wouldn't be able to save you."
"If it makes you feel any better, I knew you would come in kickin ass." Daryl offers a crooked smile.
She leans towards him, resting her head on his shoulders. "You're all I have left. I couldn't take losing you. Daryl, I love you."