Same Love

12: Climax

Running. Running away from them all, from people, from Walkers, from death and humiliation. It was almost as if he was clawing at the darkness, trying to climb out of it. He could hear everything Carl told him, the secrets that were revealed and the conversations that went on and yet he couldn't respond. Why couldn't he turn on the light? Shane was going mad, Carl was better, Lori was pregnant, Glenn and Maggie were together and Daryl was still set on Sophia. Hershel said they'd have to dump him in the woods if he didn't wake up by the time they left. Sam fought against the heaviness, the darkness, sweat dripping out of every pore and body burning. He gasped for air, trying not to drown

And then he woke up.

His eyes shot open, his body jolting off of the bed, shocking Beth who had just entered the room. He swung his legs over the bed quickly and went to stand when Beth pushed him down gently, blue eyes warning him.

"You don't want to get outta' bed too fast" She muttered and left the room to go and get people. Sam was dazed and tried to stand again, his ankle causing him slight pain but healed and the cloth falling off of his head. He noted the bandage on his leg, the cut having sealed up by now due to the amount of time he'd spent off it. He wondered how long he'd been out. He walked to the window, limping acutely but not dizzy or nauseous. He pulled on the shirt left by his bedside and stretched his arms above his head, grabbing his arrows and bow. He leant against the door frame, walking slowly down the stairs as Beth called for him to stop. He paid her no mind and stumbled down the porch steps. He was trying hard to walk normally as he made his way to the RV, hoping to talk to Rick about something. He heard the shouts from the house of Beth and Patricia but ignored them, keeping a steady pace to the RV. He poked his head around the door, giving Dale and Andrea quite the scare. Andrea hopped up to help him up the steps but he didn't let her, settling for looking around the RV inquisitively.

"Where's Rick?" he asked and they shrugged. Dale stood, gathering the bag of guns belonging to the group. Sam thought it strange but didn't ask questions.

"With Hershel, they went out into the woods" Andrea said and Sam lost interest, hobbling away towards the front porch where Maggie waited with Glenn. He heard footsteps behind him and saw Daryl and Carol running towards him with Beth in tow, obviously Beth told them he was up. 

"Sam!" Carol yelled, trying to stop him. He picked up his pace but they were quicker and Daryl grabbed his wrist to stop him, making the brunette watch him guiltily.

"Beth told ya to stay put" He said, a small smile on his lips though his brows were furrowed. Sam smiled a flawless smile and winked at him.

"I'm not going to stay down, you're not getting my jacket" He hugged Daryl lightly earning a punch on the shoulder. "What was that for?" He rubbed his arm, sending Daryl a dirty look.

"For givin' me a fuckin' heart attack" Daryl smiled and Carol embraced Sam softly as he stared wide eyed at Daryl over her shoulder. He decided to go with Daryl for some target practice to get back into the swing of things and listened as the gruff man filled him in on the events more clearly. He shot at the cans laying around, landing each one with precision, all except one.

"What did that one do to ya?" 

"Didn't want to shoot it, it's called mercy" 

There it was again, his humour that got him into trouble mostly, that he couldn't control. They had collected up all the arrows and were walking back when commotion was heard, gunshots. Daryl helped Sam stay up as they ran to where Shane had just shot a walker, Hershel looked stunned and appalled and Shane was shouting angrily. In his fit of rage he shoots the lock off the barn door and Hershel watches in horror as walkers pour out. Sam pulled his bowstring back, letting arrow after arrow fly into the crowd until Rick stopped them, a shallow growl coming from the last one, a small, timid, blonde girl still in her rainbow shirt and denim jeans, face upturned in a snarl.