Sam P.O.V

I jumped to banging on the door that echoed through the cramped, decrepit room after I shut my eyes for a bit.

I sat back up slowly as I hissed in pain once I sat up fully and looked around as I took in my surroundings in this tiny, dusty, and rusted chamber. Then a sense of hopelessness washed over me.

' Am I dead?' I thought to myself. The thought of reuniting with my family lingered like a siren call. I could feel myself going to the brink of the end and I was so ready to just shut my eyes and surrender to the comforting embrace of death.

' It could be so easy.' I thought as I leaned my head against the wall.

I was struggling to keep my eyes open as I was looking around the room. I forgot where I was, I felt a pain on my side as I placed my hand there, and I lifted my hand up to see blood on it. I looked down further through my teared jeans, was a swollen kneecap protruded dangerously. A sigh escaped my dry and parched lips at the sight of my one beaten body, each breath was painful to breathe in. I raised my hand and removed a stiff piece of hair out of her face and she caught sight of her skin to see dirt and dried blood.

With how dry my throat was, with every swallow was agonizing, my tongue felt like sandpaper. I was losing my track of the days since the day of the ambush. Dehydration was taking its toll on me. But a few harsh truths remained etched in my mind, very impossible for me to forget.

One, T-Dog was dead. Two, Carol was nowhere to be seen and three I was slowly dying. I slowly turned my head and looked over at the door to the right, that was ajar, but I couldn't see anything through the slim crack, ' How is that door not closed? How did I even get in here?' I had so many questions that were floating around my head as I tried to remember what had happened for her to be in this room.

I lightly touched the door, just trying to feel anything at all. I tried to push the door, but with no strength left and only ended up being frustrated. I really missed Daryl, Carl, Dad and everyone else. Hoping to see them one more time before passing. I thought back when I was in Atlanta, finding Dad and meeting with everyone. Becoming friends with T-Dog and meeting Daryl. Daryl was all I could think about to the point that I was getting mad at myself and frustrated as I tried to press my hand against the door again. It didn't even budge, so I dropped my hand to the ground.

I wanted to scream so badly but because of the lack of strength I wasn't able to do anything. I was trapped, I wanted to get out and find the others and be in the embrace of Daryl but I knew that wasn't going to happen. As my eyes started to shut, everything around me started to go silent, until a clanging noise came outside the door that broke the silence.

I looked towards the door in confusion, wondering what was happening outside. A lot more sounds was happening outside and I mustered the rest of my strength to push against the door once again, but this time, the door swung opened quickly and the light was blinding my eyes that I raised my hand weakly to block the light as I struggled to see what was in front of me. I heard a gasp and I looked towards the figure that squatted down beside me and gently touched my face with their fingers. I strained my eyes as I tried to see who was in front of me and it took everything to focus and once I did I was able to see who it was and a small smile curved on my cracked lips.

' Daryl.' I thought.

Daryl's P.O.V

After a long and grueling search, I finally found her. Samantha. The same girl that would have crawled through hell and did the same for me. I was covered in grime and sweat and I wasn't going to quit and it finally paid off.

At the moment I found her it was also the moment that I thought I lost her. I was walking by and when I noticed the slight move and before I even had the guts to open the heavy metal door. I was already accepting the fact that she was already gone and that she was a walker at this point. I finally summoned the courage to crack the door and once I opened the door and the first thing I saw was her and it hit me like a ton of bricks. It was most of a shock, but a good kind of shock. But just looking at her was making me worry about her even more.

Sam was a hell of a mess, her body was caked in blood, sweat and filth, not a patch of skin was left unmarked. Her brown hair was stuck to her face. Her lips were dry and cracked, sported a shade of crimson, even her teeth were covered in red as well.

I wasn't worried about that now, I sighed in relief when Sam was able to smile at me, even though it was a small smile. And I could tell that it was a painful smile. I crouched down right beside her and I placed my hand on her chin causing her head to sway on her shoulders to try and meet my eyes, " Hey." I said to her softly.

Sam just leaned into my hand, and I knew that if I let her go right now, she would crumble like a stack of cards. Sam kept that smile on her even though I could tell she was having a hard time keeping it up.

" D…Daryl.." Sam whispered, her voice was hoarse as nails on a chalkboard. She had to be dehydrated, no doubt. I crushed myself for not bring any food or water just in case. I continued to stroke her face as she struggled to get more words out.

" Don't. It's okay, I'm here. Just save your strength." I said to her and she nodded her head weakly. She was as stubborn as ever, just like me.

Sam took a shallow breath as her eyes were starting to flutter shut but she reopened her eyes as she looked up at me, " I…I love you." Sam whispered to me.

" I love you too." I said to her back as I rubbed my finger across her cheek.

Sam sighed as she was resting in between the wall and against me as she shut her eyes, " I'm tired." She mumbled as her chest barely rose and fell with each shallow breath. Panic started to build inside my chest as I watched her, this wasn't the same Sam that I knew, I could tell that something was wrong, " Can….Can….I…" Sam tried to say but then she went silent.

I tightened my grip on her, and I shook her a little bit, " Sam, you need to stay with me. Don't go to sleep on me. Not yet." I said as her eyes fluttered open briefly, but then closed again. I didn't even wait for her to respond back to me, I hoisted her up, one arm under her knees which one of them looked swollen while the other was bruised. She tried to wrap her arms around my neck, she placed her head on his chest and when he made a slight movement a sharp pain ripped through her bleeding body.

" Fuck, it hurts." Sam said in a thin and brittle tiny voice. And tears were starting to go down her face.

" I know, but it's goin' to be okay. I'll get you back to the cell block, and Hershel's goin' to fix you up. I promise. Everythin's goin to be okay. You're goin' to make it." I said as I held her close to me.

Sam nodded her head weakly letting me know that she understood, but I knew that she was far from safe. With me holding her close to me in my arms, I stood up slowly and started to make my way down the dimly lit corridor, every step was a caution struggle. The thought of her slipping in and out, I couldn't afford to make any mistakes.

" Is everyone okay? Carol?" Sam asked, trying to keep herself awake.

" She holdin' up. She's doing fine." I said as I chuckled knowing that she was thinking about everyone else besides herself.

" I know T-Dog is gone. I didn't forget that. Is Lori okay? And the baby?" She asked as another painful breath escaped her lips.

" Lori's fine. And the baby is fine as well. Hershel said it was going to be a couple of days before the baby arrives." I told her, even though it was a lie. I just didn't want to put her through too much stress, then she already was.

" Good, that's really good. I'm….." Sam said but stopped out of nowhere, which made me stop walking and the panic from before came back to me as I looked down to her in my arms, her eyes were closed and she was starting to go stiff in my arms, which sent a chill down my spine.

Then something wet and sticky came through my fingers and I looked down further for my eyes to widen as my hand was soaked in blood. I knew it wasn't my blood, it was Sam's. I looked down at her body and I lifted up her tattered shirt to reveal a gruesome gash that looked infected. She must have received it when she got caught on something while trying to hide.

I raised my bloodied hand to her forehead to check her temp, and she had a fever. Her breath went to labor, but I refused to accept the possibility of losing her.

" Sam, I need you to stay with me, you hear me?" I said to her as I shook her and there was no response from her. I shook her harder this time, but her head just moved against my shoulder.

" Goddamn it, Sam." I cursed under my breath as I quickened my pace down the hallway. I held her closer to me, and as I heard distant growls behind me, I held Sam tighter to me and continued to get back to the cell block.

As I got close to the door of the cell block door, " Hey Carl, I need you to open the door right now!" I yelled as I saw the little boy running towards the door and started to unlock it and open it for me.

" Sam!" Carl yelled when he saw her in my arms.

" Hershel, I need your help right now!" I yelled as I walked into our shared cell and placed her down on the bed, I turned my head to see both Hershel and Maggie coming to the door.

" Oh my god." Maggie said as she passed me and knelt down right next to Sam. Hershel slowly passed me and placed a hand on my shoulder.

" Don't worry son. I'll take care of her. Just wait outside for me. I'll let you know when I'm done." Hershel said as I nodded my and walked out and went downstairs, praying and hoping that Sam would be alright and survive this.

End Of Chapter

I hope you guys like this chapter and I'll have another one out as soon as I can. You guys have a great day.