Bang! Another Bang! And another! The cans flew every which way and all around camp they watched the shooting range as arrows embedded themselves in everything that was accessible. Even Randall who was in the barn after just being interrogated by Daryl heard them and wondered just who was raging outside. Why was the usually calm archer raging may you ask? Sam threw himself on the ground with an annoyed huff, Dale and Andrea had royally pissed him off. First off Andrea had left the suicidal Beth unattended and she attempted to end it all Rick, Shane, Sam and Daryl were all prepared to Kill Randall and yet Dale questioned the morality of it which made Rick say he'd try to figure out the 'proper strategy'. Daryl sat and watched, this was the most interaction the two had since Sam awoke and both relished in it, they knew things were beginning to get heated and it was only a matter of time before they were back on the road again, surviving and too tired to talk to each other. Dale approached the two and Sam reached to shoot another tree about fifty meters away when he noticed his quiver was empty. With a grumble him and Daryl collected the arrows.
"This group's broken" Sam commented gruffly.
"Doesn't matter to me either way it happens" Daryl agreed.
"Won't you two support me? Our humanity is something we need to keep with us, killing him is inhumane"
"My humanity was never there to begin with" Sam growled, eyes ablaze with dangerous flames. He felt obligated to call Dale out on his wrongs and he thought Dale was very wrong this time. Pregnant Lori was at risk, Carl was at risk, Beth was at risk and all he cared about was blood on his own conscience. It made Sam want to laugh.
"Whatever lord you pray to must have damned us all" The older man grew infuriated at the younger man's comment and his statement made Sam laugh out loud, his loud trembling laughter fading into light chuckles quickly.
"If god existed then I'd have been put out of my misery by now. How can you preach about a being that hates you, that plays with you every day. As I once said to my father when he told me I should praise while I was under his roof We're all merely white and black pieces in Satan and God's backgammon game and God's loosing badly"
"You're messed up" Andrea who was by the barn shook her head at him as he sat on the tree stump near him. The group was all mixed in their own conversations. Hershel gave Glenn his watch, checking up on Beth and blessing Maggie and Glenn's relationship. Lori found Rick tying a noose in the barn. Carl knelt by Sophia's grave with Carol and they remembered her. Sam and Daryl sat talking about Randall and the possibility of the group suddenly becoming smaller.
"What do you mean smaller?"
"Somethin' brewin', been too calm around her with no walkers about. I ain't takin' no chances"
"I guess you're right. We need to get out of here soon, I can't stand Shane any longer"
"You can't leave" Daryl said all too quickly making Sam's head shoot up, his eyes searching the rugged man's countenance for answers. He knew he couldn't leave them, he knew he needed them as much as they needed him.
"Why not? I have nothing to loose and the group have hunters and many experienced fighters so why not? If i died tomorrow I'd want it to be where nobody could know, that way nobody could mourn me" Sam's words cut Daryl deeper than they were perhaps meant to. What if Sam died? What would Daryl do? He had to admit that he had grown attached to the musician, he was a great friend to confide in and a guy who made him feel safe and gave him a sense of belonging. What Daryl meant when he said Sam couldn't leave was that Sam couldn't leave Daryl. Silence settled over them as the faint sounds of Dale pleading with the group.
Sam and Daryl watched as Rick marched Carl from the barn with intent, shoving his son towards Lori as Shane pulled Randall against the post again. Suddenly, screams pierced the air and Sam and Daryl matched paces as they sprinted towards the source. Sam drove his knife through the skull of the walker that had assaulted Dale as Daryl shouted for help, alerting the group. Dale lay there, gasping for air as his intestines painted the grass a lovely red colour. Carl buried his face in Lori's lap as everyone looked on solemnly. Rick drew his gun, clicking the bullet into place and holding it up. The tension settled thickly over the group, almost tangible as he stared at the dying man but he couldn't shoot. Despite his resolve earlier he couldn't shoot poor dying Dale. Sam stood, eyes filled with disgust. At least Rick could have ended his life so he wouldn't turn into a dead man walking. Seeing that Rick was too weak to finish the man Daryl pulled out a handgun and flicked off the safety, aiming it at Dale's head.
"Sorry brother"
The shot rang out, singular and impactful in the eerie silence of before. Everyone was too shocked to react right away, the gravity of the situation sitting heavily upon them and they were now disillusioned. The safety they had been convinced was definite had vanished, the farm had misled them and now they were tossed back into the throes of reality and it hurt. The funeral for Dale was short, meaningful and very sad but short nonetheless and it was preceded by Hershel extending an invitation to the group to move into the farmhouse, all except Shane, no invitation could extend to that unstable wreck of a man. The group soon decided what to do with Randall, finally knowing that the group could be protected from this threat.
But they all knew protection was false in their world, safety a distant memory, any idea of peace was painfully misleading.
YOU ARE READING
Same Love
RomanceHe had always been introverted, growing up in Georgia, his family was religious and hated him for being Gay. when the apocalypse occurs and the dead start walking the earth he learns that there is more to love than they once said, than procreation...
