I wiped away any lingering tears I had as I looked down one last time at Dale's grave. Earlier T-Dog came over to me before the funeral and he gave me Dale's handgun and he told me that Dale would have wanted me to have it. I looked at it for a little while and then I looked up at him and nodded my head to him.
I was walking with Daryl as we were holding hands as we gathered around Hershel, " Last night's event proved that even here is not entirely safe. We don't need anymore accidents and I would be willing to allow you all into my home." Hershel announced.
" It would be tight. 15 people crammed into one house." Rick said as he frowned at Hershel.
" Don't worry about that, with the swamp hardenin', the creek dryin' up, and 50 head of cattle on the property, we might as well be ringin' the damn dinner bell." Maggie reassured us as she looked at us.
" She's right. We should've moved you in a while ago." Hershel said as he agreed with his daughter.
" Alright then, let's move the vehicles near each of the doors, facing out towards the road. We'll build a lookout in the windmill, another in the barn loft. Those should give us sight lines of both sides of the property. Everyone get packin' up." Rick said to us as we nodded our heads.
We all broke apart to begin doing jobs on stacking and defending the house. I walked beside Daryl to our tent as I began to pack my stuff while Daryl folded up his cot. Once everything was cleaned, we took down the tent and we both headed towards the house. Most of the tents and everything else was inside Dale's R.V.
Rick walked over to me and Daryl as we got close to the house, " Hey Sam, I've decided that we're gonna take Randall farther out and cut him loose. It's the right thing to do and it is what Dale would want. I'm takin' Daryl with me. So while we're gone, I want you in charge and help around here." Rick said to me and I gave him a confused look.
" Okay but if it's just you and Daryl, shouldn't Shane be in charge and no offense but I don't trust him around here." I told him as I gave Shane a side glance.
" I know you don't trust him, but someone has to be here to keep an eye on him, so he doesn't get out of hand." Rick said as he placed his hand on my shoulder.
" Okay, I will." I said to Rick as I nodded my head to him.
" Also I would like you to keep an eye on Carl for me. He's been a handful." Rick said and I placed my hand on his shoulder.
" Don't worry. Everything will be fine while you're gone, okay." I said he sighed with relief and he nodded his head to me and placed his hand on top of my head.
" Thank you, Sam." Rick said as he walked off and both me and Daryl got in the house and tried to find a spot for our stuff. We took one of the corners of the living room and I dropped my bags on the ground and then I walked over and helped Daryl set up his cot and when that was done, I about to sit down on the cot till Daryl wrapped his arms around my waist.
" I love you, Sam." Daryl said as he turned me to face him and he leaned his forehead against mine as our noses were so close to touch.
" It's been a while since I heard you say that to me." I said as I smiled at him. I was so happy that Daryl wasn't going to hide how he felt in front of everyone. Now everyone knows about our relationship and I'm surprised how me and Daryl were assholes to each other back in Atlanta to lovers here. Me seeing him this way made me forget how the world is really out there.
" I love you too Daryl." I whispered to him as he smiled back at me. His smile always gave me butterflies in my stomach.
Daryl then kissed me on the lips and then let go of me and left to the front porch to help Rick with plans on what to do with Randall. I sat down on Daryl's cot to finish all unpacking of our stuff a little bit. I looked up to see Rick and Shane talking and I saw Shane hand over a gun to Rick and I wondered what was going on but I let it go. I got up and I started to help the others around the house. Once everything was taken care of, I walked around the farm with my crossbow looking out for any walkers while the others started to pack a car for Rick and Daryl to get rid of Randall once and for all. I looked over to my left to see Rick and Carl talking in the barn loft, Carl looked over at me and waved at me along with Rick and I waved back at them. But I stopped when I heard shouts coming from the house and I took off running towards the house and I knew that Rick and Carl were right behind me.
As I got close to the house I yelled, " What's going on?! What happened?!"
" Where's Sam?!" I heard Daryl yell and I ran over to him and once his eyes landed on me and he came over to me and pulled me into his arms and held me. I felt him relax a little bit but I looked up at him, I could see that his eyes were saying something else.
" What is going on, what happened?" I asked him as Rick and Carl caught up to me.
" Randall's gone." T-Dog answered my question and I let go of Daryl to look at him in shock.
" What, but how? I was walking around, I would have seen him." I said as Rick left to look in the shed with me following right behind him along with everyone else.
" The cuffs are still hooked to the wall. He must've slipped 'em off." Rick said as he looked at the cuffs and then looked back at us.
" Is that even possible?" Carol asked nervously.
" If you've got nothing to lose. But if he did get out. I would have seen him." I said as I looked at Rick.
Hershel looked around the shed till he looked at the door and walked over to it and opened and closed it before turning to look at us, " The door was secured from the outside. It doesn't make any sense to how he could have escaped, and I also agree with Sam. If he had gotten out, she would've seen him running." Hershel said as he looked at me and then looked over at Rick.
I was in my thoughts trying to figure how he got out, but then it hit me, " Wait. What if…..what Hershel said about the door is true. What if he didn't escape. What is he was taken." I said as I turned my eyes to the others.
" Say that again?" Rick asked me as he looked at me.
" I said that what if Randall didn't escape? Hershel said the door was secured from the outside. Well that means someone from the outside of the shed must have unlocked it and took him out. When I mean someone, I mean one of us." I said and I already had a name in mind for who it was.
" Who would even think of letting him out? He's a threat. We keep threats locked up and away from camp." Glenn said as both Maggie and Beth showed up right behind him. I looked over to Rick and Daryl as they looked at me. I nodded my head at him at what he was thinking about the same person like I was and I was about to say something till we all heard, " Rick! Rick!" And we all turned our heads to see Shane emerge from the trees.
I gasped in shock when I saw his appearance as he was walking towards us. His clothes were covered in mud and blood, while his face was covered in blood which had clearly been gushing from his broken nose. Lori approached Shane first, " What happened?!" She asked him.
" He's armed! He's got my gun!" Shane yelled as he looked at us.
" You okay?" Lori asked him as she placed her hand on his shoulder.
" I'm fine. The little bastard just snuck up on me. He clocked me right in the face." Shane said but what he said made me not trust him.
" Randall did that to you?" I asked him as I lowered my gaze on him.
" The kid barely weighs a buck 120 soakin' wet. You tryin' to say that he got the jump on ya?" Daryl asked him as he started to doubt him as well.
" I say a rock pretty much evens those odds, don't you?" Shane snapped back at Daryl as he turned away from him. Shane kept his eyes away from me and that just told me that he was lying to us.
" Alright Hershel, T-Dog, get everyone back in the house. Glenn, Daryl and Sam are with us." Rick ordered us as he looked at us.
" Sam, it's too dangerous. I would like you to be safe at the house." Daryl said as he placed his hand on my shoulder.
" Look Daryl, I appreciate what you're trying to do. But I'm going, cause something bad will happen if I don't." I said to Daryl as I looked at him in his eyes. I was hoping he could read what my eyes were telling him.
" I agree with Sam, but right now we need to get going right now." Rick said.
" Why can't you just let him go? That was the plan, wasn't it? To just let him go?" Carol asked as everyone was getting ready to go.
" The plan was to cut him loose far away from here. Not on our front step with a gun. Now get everyone back in the house. Lock all the doors and stay put." Rick said as several members of the group headed to the house.
" I saw him head up through the trees that way before I blacked out. I'm not sure how long." Shane said as he took the lead and showed us the way through the woods.
" He couldn't have gotten far. He's hobbled, exhausted." Rick said as he looked around the woods.
" And armed." Glenn said as he looked at the others.
" Yeah, but so are we." I said after I looked at him but then I looked right back at Shane.
" Can you and Sam track him?" Rick asked us as he turned to look at us.
" No, I don't see anything." Daryl said as he was looking down on the ground to check for tracks.
"Me either." I said as I looked back over at Rick.
" Hey, look, there ain't no use in tracking him, okay? He went that way. We just need to pair up. We spread out, we just chased him down. That's it." Shane said as he was pacing back and forth.
" I don't think that's a good idea Shane. If we stay together, we could get the jump on him." I said as I looked over at Shane.
" No, it will be better to split off. You would just be in the way like always." Shane said as he started to make his way towards me but Rick got right in front of me and that stopped Shane in place.
" All right, knock it off. Daryl, you and Glenn start heading up the right flank. Me, Sam and Shane will take the left. Remember, Randall's not the only threat out there. Keep an eye out for each other." Rick said as Shane and Rick started to walk off, I looked back over at Daryl.
" Be careful." I said to him.
" You too." Daryl said to me and then he left along with Glenn following right behind him and I followed right behind Rick and Shane.
As we were walking Rick looked at Shane's nose, " Looks like it's busted pretty bad." Rick said.
" It's fine, man. Don't worry about me." Shane said as he walked away. Rick looked over at me and I had a worried look on my face. He nodded his head to me and he continued to follow Shane with me right behind him with my guard all the way up. As I looked around I noticed that Shane stopped walking and turned to look at us both and I could see the crazy look in his eyes and there was silence. No one said nothing as Shane turned back around with his back turned to us. That was when Rick went around Shane and got in front of Shane and took the lead with me behind Shane. I was ready for anything if he did anything to Rick, I was ready to end him if he tried.
" Does this way feel right?" Rick asked Shane as he looked at him.
" As right as any." Shane said.
" Randall took your gun, right?" I asked him as he turned his head to me.
" Yeah, it's my favorite piece, too. Gonna wish he'd…wished he killed me when I found his sorry ass." Shane said as he looked over at me and then quickly back at Rick and all Rick did was node his head to him. Then Rick took the lead again with Shane right behind along with me as well.
As we were coming to an open field that was when I heard Rick ask, " You say he got you with a Rock?"
" That's what I said." Shane said.
" Inside the shed?" Rick asked him again but this was when Shane never answered him.
" 'Cause that door was shut when T-Dog rolled up." Rick said as I noticed that Shane placed his hand on the gun that T-Dog gave him.
" I saw that, too." Shane said as he started to slow stop walking.
" Must've slipped through the rafters on the roof." Shane said as he stopped walking right behind Rick and I stopped as well and I watched him to see what he would do. After a little while of silence between them, I saw Rick place his gun back in his holster and Shane was turned to his side.
" So this is where you planned to do it?" Rick asked Shane.
" It's as good a place as any." Shane said.
" At least have the balls to call this what it is." Rick said as he started to turn to Shane. When Shane was about to pull out his gun, I walked over to him and pointed my crossbow at his head.
" I wouldn't even try it if you want to keep your brains Shane." I said as I growled at him.
" Murder." Rick said as he looked at Shane. Shane pulled out his gun, not caring about my warning and I kept my aim on him.
" You really believe if you walk back without me and Rick…." I said but Shane stopped me.
" I want you to shut up." Shane said as he turned his head and glared at me.
" You really believe they're gonna buy whatever bullshit story you cook up?" Rick asked him.
" That's just it. It ain't no story. I saw that prisoner shoot you down and took Sam with him. I ran after him, but I found him again. I found Sam dead and that was when I snapped his neck." Shane said as he started to walk backwards and I noticed that he was coming towards me. Once he got close enough to me, I tried to hit him with my crossbow, but he grabbed me and grabbed my arm and knocked my crossbow out of my hands and then kicked my knee out and he grabbed a hold of my neck and held me close to him.
" It ain't gonna be easy, but Lori and Carl, they'll get over you and as for Daryl. I'll just kill him when I get the chance." Shane said as I started to struggle against his grip till he placed his gun against my head, which made me stop.
" Why? Why now? I thought we worked this all out?" Rick asked as he started to walk in a circle with Shane following in the opposite direction, dragging me with him.
" We tried to kill each other, man. Heck I even tried killing Sam plenty of times. What do you think? We just gonna forget about it all? We're gonna ride off into the sunset together. You and Sam are gonna kill me in cold blood?" Shane asked as he slightly tightened his grip around my neck.
" You screwed my wife? Have my children, my children, call you " Daddy?" Is that what you want? That life won't be worth a damn. I know you. You won't be able to live with this." Rick said as he slowly got closer to me and Shane.
" What do you know about what I can live with? You have no idea what I can live with, what I live with! You wanna talk about what I can do, Rick? How about what you can do? Here I am." Shane said as he placed his gun back in his pants and held me closer to him as a shield.
" Come on, man Raise your gun. One shot ends me but you won't be only shooting me but you'll kill Same as well" Shane said.
" He won't do it, Shane." I said as I gripped one of his fingers with my hand and I tried to pry them away from my neck, but he tightened again, which made me stop.
" She's right. No. No, I will not." Rick said.
" What happened, Rick? I thought you weren't the good guy anymore. Ain't that what you said? Even right here, right now. You ain't gonna fight for 'em? I'm a better man than you, Rick. 'cause I can be here and I'm fighting for it. But you come back here and you just destroy everything!" Shane yelled.
" Shane, what the fuck are you talking about? You think killing Rick and then killing me will make it better. Your fucking stupid Shane! If you haven't noticed yet, Rick won't kill you cause your his best friend!" I yelled at him getting very angry with him, but the next thing I knew was that Shane's hand released my neck and then I was hit in the back of my head pretty hard and I was out cold.
I was starting to come to when I felt a pair of hands on my face and littly tapping on my face and I heard Rick say, " Sam, come on. You got to wake up. Open your eyes please."
As I opened my eyes, right above me was Rick as he was looking at me, " Dad, what happened? Where's Shane?" I asked as he helped me sit up and I looked to the side to see Shane's dead body. I looked back at Rick quickly.
" It was him, not me. He forced my hand." Rick said as he looked down to the ground for a little bit and then he got back up on his feet and then he offered me his hand to help me up and I took his hand. Once he pulled me up, he walked back over to Shane's body and I could tell that he was trying to figure out what to do as I walked over to him and stood beside him as I looked around him till I heard, " Dad? Sam?" And I turned my head to see Carl standing there looking at us and he had a gun in his hand.
" Carl." Rick said as he made his way to him.
" You know…You should be back home with mom." I said as I followed right behind Rick. But as we got close to him, Carl lifted his gun and cocks it, which made me and Rick stop in our tracks.
I slowly grab my crossbow from the ground as Rick says, " Just….Just put the…Put the gun down, " As he was begging to Carl.
" It's not what it seems, please." Rick said as Carl pulled the trigger from the gun, but the bullet didn't hit Rick or me and we heard something fall to the ground behind us. We turned to see that it was Shane that Carl shot down. We turned back to Carl as he lowered his gun and he ran towards his father. As Carl got close to us Rick knelt down to the ground and looked over Shane's body.
" Rick, we need to get back to the others." I said to him as Carl nodded his head to me.
Rick then nodded his head and got back on and we started to head back to the farm. It was quiet between us til Carl asked, " Are ya'll bit too?"
" No." Rick said as I shook my head no to him.
" Shane was." Carl said as he lowered his head to look towards the ground.
" That wasn't Shane. You know that." Rick said as he looked over to Carl.
" Used to be," Carl said till he looked up to Rick, " What happened?" Carl asked his father.
" You guys attacked? I mean, I…I heard a gunshot, but I didn't see any walkers nearby. How did Shane die?" Carl asked again which made me and Rick stop walking and we both looked at him. I was about to say something to him til we heard growls coming from behind us and we turned our heads to see a ton of walkers coming towards us.
Rick pulled both of us and said quietly as we followed his lead, " Oh my god! Go, go, go, go, go, go."
As we were getting away from the walkers, we stopped to catch our breath and I turned to see if any walkers would sneak up on us. I heard Carl say, " We….we gotta get to the house, tell the others."
" I don't even think we need to tell them, if they can hear them." I said as I gave him a sideways glance.
" Pulse, we'll never get through that." Rick said as he pointed towards the horde.
" Okay, go around. Go, stay close. Go." Rick said to Carl as we changed our direction and went towards the barn and I stabbed a few walkers as I followed suit right behind them.
As we got to the barn, both Carl and Rick went inside while I shut the door right behind me. Rick came over to me and placed a metal bar between the doors and blocked it as the walkers started to bang on the door. Rick started to look around the area in the barn to see where we could get out and away from the horde. Rick pulled Carl further into the barn, while I had my focus on the door in front of me as the walkers started to tear down the doors to get to us.
" Rick, we need to get the fuck out of here and fast!" I yelled as I was looking at the doors.
" I know, Sam." Rick said as he looked around till something caught his eye and he pulled Carl over with him.
" Alright, here we go. Get behind me. Come on. Hurry. Oh, shit. All right. Okay." Rick said as he grabbed a gas can and started to spread it everywhere on the ground.
" Rick, what are you doing?" I asked as I looked over at him as he got done with spreading the gas.
" Up there. Hurry." Rick said as he came over to me and pulled me with him towards the ladder.
" Well, what about you?" Carl asked his father.
" I'll be right there. All right. Drop the lighter when I say. We'll stop some of them from reaching the house and distract the others, so at least we'll have a chance." Rick said as he handed me a lighter and I nodded my head and climbed the ladder. I looked back down to see Rick stopping Carl from following him.
" Hey, Hey, Hey, look at me. You can do this Carl. I love you." Rick said as Carl nodded his head to him. Then he pushes Carl to the ladder as Rick moves away from him.
As Rick got to the door he started to make noise to get their attention and then he removed the metal bar and opened the door and the walkers came towards him. He brought them closer into the barn as he made his way to the ladder. He started to climb the ladder and as they tried to grab him, he looked towards me, " Sam, now!" He yelled as I clicked the lighter on and dropped it and the walkers burst into flames. Rick climbed the rest of the way up and came over to me and Carl and Carl pulled out his gun and Rick pulled out his and clicked it and handed me Shane's gun. I looked at it for a moment and then I strapped my cross on my shoulder and then I grabbed it and then I looked at the walkers as they burned.
I turned my head to hear gunshots from the house and I turned to look back at Rick and he started towards the entrance from the top of the barn with Carl by his side and I followed right behind them.
As we got outside, I saw Dale's R.V. coming towards us, " Hey! Here! Get in here! Put it right there, come on!" Rick yelled as the R.V. got closer and stopped. Rick walked over and jumped right on top of the R.V. and he turned and offered his hand to Carl and he jumped over and did then he turned to me and I jumped over as well and we went to the back of the R.V. and Rick climbed down the ladder and shot one of the walkers that was close to him and he got down completely on the ground and took out a few more walkers as they got closer to him.
I jumped down and I started to shoot the walkers as well, " Carl, now!" I yelled as I covered the ladder for Carl to come down. Once Carl was on the ground, we took off running towards the house, but Rick changed direction towards the woods but I kept going towards the house.
" Sam! Where are you going? Sam!" Carl yelled as he continued to follow his father.
As I got close to the house, I heard a loud, blood curdling scream. I turned my head to see Carol being cornered by several walkers, " Carol!" I screamed as I ran towards her.
I pulled out my gun and began to shoot the walkers one-by-one as they dropped to the ground. I took a deep breath as I walked over to Carol, " Are you okay, Carol?" I asked her as I got close to her.
She nodded her head to me till I heard her gasp, " Sam, watch out!" Carol yelled as I turned around too late as the walker grabbed me and I fell to the ground, knocking the wind out from my lungs. My gun was no longer in my hand as I struggled with the stabbed the walker in the skull with some blood dripping on my face as I shoved the body off of me and I looked around trying to find Carol but she was nowhere to be seen. I also noticed that I didn't hear anymore shooting around me either.
" Carol?! Carol, where are you?!" I yelled as I got up to my feet looking around. When I didn't get an answer, I started to move away from the walkers that were coming towards me. I noticed movement from the corner of my eye, and it was one of Hershel's horses and I ran over to it.
As I got close to the horse, it started to freak out, I raised my hands to try to calm it down, " Hey, hey. It's okay, okay. I'm here to help you." I said as I got right next to it. Once I placed my hand on the horse and I climbed on the horse's back, " Heyha!" I said as I grabbed on its main and we headed towards the woods away from the farm. As I guided the horse through woods and I had a feeling of where the others were going and it was towards the highway.
End of Chapter
Will Sam find the others and if so, will they be able to find another place to go.I hope you guys like this chapter and I'll have another chapter ready soon. See you guys next time.