Solitary: The Walking Dead

Chapter Fifty-two.

From a friend.

TRIGGER WARNING!!! SELF HARM!!!!!

In the distance Iris watches a walker stumbling towards her, "sit" she orders her dog, pulling out her knife and walking towards the walker, slowly she slides her knife back into her belt, and lets the walker reach for her. She bawls her hands into fists, raising them and punching the walker across the face, watching it stumble back before going for her again. She punches it again and again, until it falls to the floor, snarling at her like a rabid dog, she reaches for her knife again and drives it through the walker's face, pulling it out and watching the blood splatter on her.

She stands up straight again, wiping the blood from her blade on her shirt, she looks down at the knife, slowly inching the blade closer to her bare thigh, pressing it against the flesh and watching as blood slowly starts to trickle from the small cut. She moves the blade from her leg and looks at the cut, before putting her knife in its place and carrying on with checking out the woods.

After some time she steps back onto the road, finding the group sitting on the road in front of her, Daryl making it back to them before her, Rick looks up at her and she just shakes her head no, looking back down at her feet, "what happened?" he asks her, looking at the cut on the woman's leg and the fresh blood on her clothes, "a walker. Cut myself on a tree" she explains, her eyes not meeting his.

She sits down on the floor away from the others, Bear laying down in front of her and falling asleep, suddenly a rustling comes from the bushes, followed by a growling. Iris grabs onto the handle of Bears harness, as she looks up at the growls coming from the trees, four dogs come out from the trees and bark at the group, bear stands up and starts barking back at them, Iris tries to move her dog behind her body, as the other dogs turn to her, stalking closer to Iris and Bear, but before they could get too close Sasha shoots all the dogs. Iris looks up at the woman, sending her thankful look, before turning back to her dog and calming him down.

Rick stands and begins to collect wood for a fire, Iris stands "sit" she orders her dog before moving over to the dead dogs, pulling out her knife and she begins to skin the dogs with Daryl, sure she feels horrible doing this but the dogs were damaged and the group are close to starving. She looks up to see Bear laying his head on Maggie's lap, letting the woman stroke him as he falls asleep. Daryl and Iris work in silence as they skin the animals before cutting the meat and letting Rick and Michonne cook it.

"What's bear going to eat?" Tara asks, looking at the dog's owner, Iris looks at the woman before looking back at the meat, Tara looks away, and understands the woman meant he would eat the dog meat. Iris takes some of the cooked meat and moves back to her spot, Bear walks over to her, sitting in front of her and waiting for her to feed him. Iris gives him some of the food before eating some herself, "is it not going to make him sick?" Glenn asks "no... it's not the same as humans, they can eat other dog meat and it won't affect them" Iris explains.

........

After getting some rest, the group start walking again, as they walk Iris pulls out one of her cigarettes, bringing one to her lips and lighting it. She watches as Daryl walks into the woods again, deep down she wants to follow him but she stays on the road, walking next to Abraham, she takes the bottle of booze from the man and takes a swig, letting it burn as it glides down her throat, handing it back to him and continuing to smoke her cigarette.

In the trees Daryl comes across a barn, he sits down, leaning his back against a tree and watches the building. He reaches into his pocket and pulls out his lighter and a couple cigarettes, bringing one to his lips and lighting it. As he sits back and smokes his mind begins to go to different things, Maggie's reaction when he carried Beth's body out of the hospital, the weight of her lifeless limbs in his arms, the echo of the gunshot, and the cries of Iris and she cradled Beth's body.

He pulls the stick from his lips and brings it to his hand, pressing the burning end into his skin, after a few minutes he pulls it away from his hand and brushes off the ashes. He drops the cigarette to the floor, looking up at the sky and letting himself cry. Cry about losing beth. Cry about maggie. And cry about not being able to help Iris, the way she helped him after Merle.

........

The group stop when they come across bottled water, Iris looks at it closer to see a note sat on top, 'from a friend', Iris quickly pulls out her gun, looking around their surroundings, Daryl steps out of the trees and Rick hands him the note. "What else are we gonna do?" Tara asks "not this" Rick says "we don't know who left it" he adds looking around "If that's a trap, we already happen to be in it. But I, for one, would like to think it is indeed from a friend." Eugene says "What if it isn't? They put something in it?" Carol asks.

Eugene lunges forwards and grabs one of the bottles "Eugene" "What are you doing, dude?" Tara asks, "Quality assurance." Eugene says, lifting the bottle to his lips, before he can take a sip, Abraham steps forward and smacks the water from the man's hand, and everyone just stares at them. "We can't" Rick says, Iris puts her gun back in her holster, as they stand in silence they hear a rumble in the sky, everyone looks up as the clouds open and it begins to rain.