Solitary: The Walking Dead

Chapter Seventy.

Who's in?

As everyone starts to move off to do their own things, Daryl and Iris follow Rick and Morgan, Daryl gently grabs onto Iris's upper arm and pulls her ways from the other two, "What the fuck happened?" Daryl asks, looking at her black eye, Iris looks down at her feet for a minute before looking back up at the concerned man, "It's nothing. I'm fine" she says.

"Who did it?" he questions "Pete" she mumbles, Daryl lets out an angry sigh and lets go of her arm, "lets go get you food" she says, leading him to Rick's house, she plates up some leftover food for Daryl and Morgan and sits down at the kitchen island next to Daryl.

"You were right. It wasn't over." Morgan says, Iris looks over to Rick, "We should talk more tomorrow. Listen... I don't take chances anymore." Rick says walking over to the man "And you shouldn't." Morgan says.

........

Iris sits on the porch steps, smoking a cigarette as she watches Daryl work on his new bike, Rick walks out of the house behind her "So, is he okay with it?" Daryl asks the man, "It was pretty much his idea. He gets it." Rick says walking over to Daryl, "It's got a bed and a bath, but it's still a cage, you know?" Daryl asks, "He gets it. He told me what happened out there with the trucks." Rick says "He tell you about those guys he met? The Ws." Daryl asks, standing up.

"Like that walker we saw, yeah." Rick says "We need more watch points." Iris says standing up and walking over to the two men, "And I'm gonna tell Deanna we don't need to go looking for people anymore... You feel different about it?" Rick asks, watching Daryl look down at the floor, "Yeah, I do." Daryl says, "Well, people out there, they got to take care of themselves, just like us. I'm gonna get him out. Shouldn't leave him in there any longer than we have to." Rick says walking away.

.......

"You're awake" Iris says, walking into the infirmary to find Tara sitting on the bed awake, Tara looks to the woman unsure, "I'm sorry about Noah, I know you were friends" Iris says sitting down in the seat next to her bed. They sit in silence for a while, Tara stares down at her hands, nervous about the woman sitting next to her, and Iris just watches her unsure what to say to make things better, when she finally thinks of what might make it easier.

Iris slowly lifts her fist up in front of the woman, Tara looks at the woman's hand before smiling and fist bumping her, "everythings good" Iris says "good" Tara says, a wide smile sitting on her face, "were you worried about me?" Tara asks, laughing slightly, "maybe" Iris says, looking down at her hands in her lap, Tara laughs slightly "your family" Iris says.

.......

The community gathers in the living room, Iris stands in the back listening to all the new information, "My team... we saw it early on, back when we were on one of those first scouts, finding out what was around here. There was a camp at the bottom. The people, they must have blocked the exits with one of those trucks back when everything started to go bad. They didn't make it. They were all roamers. Maybe a dozen of them." Heath explains.

"No one's been back since?" Maggie asks, "DC, every town worth scavenging are all in the other direction. And I never really felt like having a picnic next to the camp that ate itself." Heath answers "So all the while the walkers have been drawn by the sound and they're making more sound and they're drawing more in." Michonne says "And here we are. Now what I'm proposing, I know it sounds risky, but walkers are already slipping through the exits. One of the trucks keeping the walkers in could go off the edge any day now. Maybe after one more hard rain. That exit sends them east. All of them. Right at us. This isn't about if it gives, it's when. It's gonna happen. That's why we have to do this soon." Rick explains.

"This is-- I don't even have another word for it. This is terrifying. All of it. But it doesn't sound like there's any other way." Carol says, "Maybe there is." a man says, Iris moves her attention over to him, "I mean, couldn't we just build up the weak spots? I could draw up plans. I worked on the wall with Reg. Construction crew-- we can try and make it safe." he explains "Even if we could, the sound of those walkers is drawing more and more every day. Building up the exits won't change that." Iris says.

"We're gonna do what Rick says, the plan he's laid out." Deanna says, looking out the front window "I told you all, we're gonna have Daryl leading them away." Rick says "Me, too." Sasha speaks up, "I'll take a car, ride next to him. Can't just be him. I'll keep 'em coming, Daryl keeps 'em from getting sloppy." she adds "I'll go with her. It's a long way to white-knuckle it solo." Abraham says.

"We'll have two teams. One on each side of the forest helping manage this thing. We're gonna have a few people on watch from now on. Rosita, Spencer, and Holly. So they're out. So who's in?" Rick questions, looking around at everyone, people start volunteering, Iris locks eyes with Rick, nodding her head yes and letting him know she's in.

"I'd like to help as well." Gabriel says, Iris glares at the man, "No. Who else? We need more." Rick says, "There's got to be another play. We can't just control that many." "I said it before, walkers herd up." Rick says, Iris steps forwards and gets the attention of everyone "They'll follow a path if something's drawing them. That's how we can get 'em all at once." she says "So, what? We're supposed to just take your word for it? We're all supposed to just fall in line behind you after..." the man says.

"After what?" Rick asks "After you wave a gun around screaming, pointing it at people. After you shoot a man in the face. After you–" "Enough!" Deanna shouts, turning and looking at everyone "I'll do it." "Me, too." "Whatever you need, I'm in." "Now who else?" Deanna questions

"I'll go. We have to do this. I need to help." Nicholas says "You sure you can handle it?" Rick asks "You need people." "We'll make this work. We'll keep this place safe. Keep our families safe. We will." Rick says, "The plan. Go through it again." Carter says, making Iris grow frustrated "Man, he just said it." Daryl snaps "Every part again. The exact plan."