Solitary: The Walking Dead

Chapter Thirty-one.

You don't gotta worry.

That morning Iris gets ready and walks up to the watchtower, Rick and Carol go out on a road and everyone else is either sick, isolating, or out with Daryl. Iris watches the woods watching out for anything.

"Hey!" Maggie shouts, Iris looks over the banister to the "hey!" "Do you want me to take over?!" She asks "nah!... I'm good!" "Okay!" Maggie says walking back up to the prison.

......

Iris watches over as Maggie clears some of the walkers at the fence, she looks out at the road and sees Rick's car driving towards them. Iris runs down the stairs of the watchtower and towards the gate opening it with Maggie.

As the man drives through the gates both women notice that Carol is no longer with the man. Once the gates are closed Iris runs over to the car "Carl, Judith? Are they okay?" Rick asks jumping out of the "yeah" Maggie says "where's Carol?" Iris asks.

"Glenn, Hershel, Sasha?" He asks ignoring her question "yeah, it's bad, but they're fighting it. Daryl's not back yet." Maggie says and Rick starts to walk away "Rick, where's Carol?" Iris asks again.

The man stops with his back to the two slowly turning and walking back over to them "it was her... she killed Karen and David... she was trying to stop it from spreading. Tyrese is going to be back soon, so I didn't think she should be here. And I couldn't have her here." Rick explains.

"She has a car, supplies, she'll figure it out. I'll tell your dad. Don't tell anyone else yet." He adds, Iris looks down at her feet thinking about the woman out there alone. "Would you have brought her back?" Rick asks, Iris ignores him and walks back up to the watchtower.

Iris stands and watches out for Daryl and Michonne's group, while the woman stands there she can't help but think about Carol, the woman she had grown close to over the past months. Out there alone.

Suddenly a gunshot echoes through the air, Iris leans over the banister looking down at Rick and Maggie "that was inside!" She shouts "stay there!" Rick orders before running up to the Prison with Maggie

..........

Iris watches as Carl and Rick work on the fence, looking for anything they might not see, all of a sudden the fence starts to fall. Iris quickly runs down the stairs and over to Rick and Carl, she stands next to Rick and tries to hold the fence up with him, but it doesn't work.

"Run!" Rick orders, Iris takes out her knife and starts fighting off walkers as they grab onto her, she looks over and makes sure that Carl is running before she starts to move back. Rick grabs onto Iris's hand pulling her with him, pushing the walkers out of their path.

They run behind the fence that hadnt been damaged, "dad what do we do?" Carl asks "maybe i could back the bus up against the fence" Rick says "will it hold?" Iris questions, without answering he grabs his son and the three of them start running.

"Pockets" Rick says handing Carl and Iris bullets and then handing them both a gun, Iris walks back over to the walkers with Rick and Carl behind her as he explains to the kid how to load the gun. Iris raises the gun and starts shooting the walkers in the head.

Suddenly the walkers knock down the fence, Iris takes a couple steps back shooting the walkers as they walk towards her and the other two, after a while they manage to kill all of the walkers, going around and killing the last couple with their knives. Iris turns her head to see a car driving through the gate and up to the prison.

"Everything's gonna be okay" Carl says running down to the car, Iris following after him, Daryl and Tyrese jump out of the car while it is still moving "Sasha? Where's Sasha?" "I dont know im sorry" Rick replies, "get in there we got this" Daryl says to Tyrese and the man runs off into the prison to find his sister. Together they carry the supplies into the prison for Hershel.

Iris leads Bear outside holding onto his leash and she walks him around, she sits down on the steps with him in front of her and pulls out her lighter and pack of cigarettes. "Hey" Daryl's gruff voice comes from behind her as she lets the smoke escape her lungs. She looks over to the man as he sits down, he reaches his hand out and strokes Bear who has put his head in the man's lap.

"Hey" Iris replies looking back out at the trees, without needing to ask, Iris hands Daryl a cigarette and her lighter, "thanks" he says taking it from her and lighting it. The two sit in a comfortable silence as they smoke, "you should go get some sleep" Daryl says "nah im good" Iris says dropping her cigarettes but into the floor.

"I'll keep watch. You dont gotta worry" he says, Iris looks down at her feet for a minute, as she stands up Bear stands with her, "night" she says, reaching her hand down onto his shoulder and squeezing it gently before going to her cell and getting into her bed with Bear.

........

Iris wakes by getting her shoulders shaken by Rick, "what?" she asks sitting up "Bear was barking, you were having another nightmare" he explains, looking down at her. "Sorry" she says, looking down at her hands in her lap and picking at the skin, "are you okay?" he asks "'m fine" she replies putting on her boots and taking Bear outside.

.........

Iris sits in her cell cleaning her gun and sharpening her knife, running the blade over the sharpener she starts to think. She thinks about how she's finally starting to feel like she can stay with this group. She's found her family. She's found her home. She's brought out of her thoughts when a loud bang comes from outside and causes the building to shake, she quickly stands grabbing her gun from her thigh and putting her knife back into her belt. "Bear stay!" she orders before leaving the dog in her cell and running down the stairs meeting Rick, Daryl and Tyrese at the bottom.

Together they all run outside to investigate, stopping at the top fence when they see cars and a tank at the front of the prison, Iris's heart drops looking down at it. "Rick, come down here!". The Governor.