Same Love

43: Tensions

Sam's head throbbed as he kissed Daryl goodbye, suspended from his duties for the day to recover from his minor injury.  Sam waved Daryl off today, hoping he would come back as he hoped every day. It wasn't until after they had left that he brushed the hair from his face and decided to got to see Rick. Upon entering the room a series of gasps was heard and Sam grumbled, seeing that basically the whole group was there.

"I'm fine, just tell me why you did that Rick?" Sam planted himself down by the window.

"To protect us"

"To protect her" Sam cut in, twirling his knife. He felt safer with it in his hands now. Rick coughed uncomfortably and Abraham came to lean against the window pane next to Sam, arms crossed as he analysed the scene. The group had to admit that Sam was one of the scariest people the had ever met, perhaps due to his quiet nature or due to his fighting skills and even Rick, who was a dominant fighter, was wary of Sam. This way maybe why Rick appealed to him on most decisions, purely out of fear that if he put the group in danger then Sam would definitely do something, worse case scenario he would end up beaten to a bloody pulp.

"They have people guarding the armoury now, they won't let us check out any weapons" Glenn revealed.

"We'll just take hostages, threaten to slit their throats if they don't appease us"

"Is that really what you want?"

"It's what's needed"

"That's bullshit" Sam sighed and left, causing Rick's heart to beat wildly in panic. He did not have Sam's support, he was walking on very thin ice.

Daryl and Aaron were tailing a man who had just stopped to rub mud on his face to keep away the mosquitos when Aaron raised a sensitive subject.

"He's quite the scary guy isn't he? Sam I mean" Aaron speculated, trying to evoke something from Daryl.

"He's not that intimidating"

"Yeah, maybe not to you, you guys are close"

"Why do you say that?" Daryl asked, though he knew that people were beginning to catch on to their situation and was ready for any dodgy questions.

"You seem it. I bet his face is majorly messed up"

"It hasn't damaged anythin'"

"Of course, such a handsome man could not be ruined by a small punch" Aaron teased and Daryl shushed him as they continued to tail the man silently. They lost him soon enough though and decided to go and collect supplies and Aaron spotted one number plate on one of the many trucks lined up, believing there would be food inside. Alas, this was an elaborate trap and set of a chain reaction, setting a horde of walkers on them. The two men managed to lock themselves in a car, safe from the walkers. Daryl drew his knife, trying to come up with a plan. Just as they were certain on their plan a person was made known to be killing the walkers outside. Daryl put up his guard and they exited the car, killing the remaining walkers alongside the man.

"I'm Aaron and this is Daryl, thanks for the help back there"

"I'm Morgan"

"We have a group...you could come back with us-"

"No thank you. I've got somewhere to go but need directions" Morgan handed Daryl a map and Daryl smiled when he recognised it as the same map that Abraham had left for Rick when they parted ways. Daryl knew now that Morgan was looking for Rick and that he was obligated to return to Alexandria with them.

Sam had grown sick of this. Walkers in the walls, Rick in fights, Deanna against Rick and Daryl out of the way. It was all just too much. Sam growled as he was pushed back, watching Pete step out of one of the houses with Michonne's Katana, obviously blind drunk and screaming "You're not one of us" as he lunged for Rick. In an attempt to stop him Reg, Deanna's husband, lunged forward and yet accidentally got his throat slit by the blade. Deanna fell to the ground in her grief and Abraham pinned Pete down. Deanna cried and yet her sorrow soon turned to anger and she told Rick to kill him. Rick, with no hesitation, spun on his heel and shot him cleanly between the eyes.

"Rick?" A voice called. Sam head snapped over to see Aaron, Daryl and a black man, the balck man who had called out to Rick. Many stunned looks were exchanged as they all tried to come to term with the events that had unfolded.

Morgan caught sight of the anger blazing in Sam's eyes and almost flinched, turning his focus back to Rick. He had no idea what people Rick was involved with. Deanna's grief was heard from the churchyard where she had taken Reg's dead body and Sam fell silent. It seemed that the peace they had been promised was little more than an illusion. Daryl did not follow Sam when he silently left the meeting place, only noticed the resentful glare that Glenn sent his way and knew that he had perhaps missed something else that was major. Carl, on the other hand, followed merely to get out of the very tense, very depressing situation. Once Sam settled by a dock Carl made himself known and sat beside him, not caring that the man's dappled jaw was clenched.

"It wasn't your fault"

"With all due respect Carl...Just fuck off" Sam snapped, taking Carl off guard. Never had Sam raised his voice or used anything but a brotherly tone when speaking to him, in the years they had known each other, in the years Carl had grown up with him. Carl did not like it one bit.

"Now hold on-"

"Carl!" Sam snapped, voice abrupt and very scary to him, it made the teenager's heart jump and his body freeze as though a hard frost had set in. "I told you once. Don't make me tell you again"

Carl stood and walked away, nearly ran, knowing now why Sam held so much clout in the group. They all respected him but he was not to be annoyed, otherwise he would be very difficult to deal with. Carl knew that they were family now, that Sam didn't have a malicious bone in his body and would never betray them but there was an underlying fear now that had become apparent, an underlying wariness. Carl felt safe in his company yet needed to give Sam space as he himself found the need for space. He could not help but feel like a disciplined child.

Carl wondered if Sam would every trust the actions of supposed allies again.