Solitary: The Walking Dead

Chapter 100.

 A gift.

The saviours throw Iris into the back of one of the vans slamming the door behind her, she uses her legs and pushes her body against the wall of the van, using it to help her sit up, her hands still tied behind her back and her head still covered with a bag. As the van speeds down the roads Iris tries her hardest to not fall over and get hurt.

Back in Alexandria Rick stands at the gate the saviours had just taken Iris and Daryl through, he slides it shut and walks to Spencer "Spencer. We took the guns you had in your house. The Saviors wanted ours, all of them. There were two missing from the inventory. They were gonna kill Olivia. Spencer." Rick explains, "You went into my house?" Spencer questions

"They were gonna kill Olivia. Look, I'm not faulting you for having the guns. I did it myself. But the food and liquor? That's 'cause you're small, Spencer. You're weak. You got lucky with the walls. You got lucky with us." Rick says turning and walking away "We should've made a deal with them when we could've. Oh, yeah, we're so lucky. You've led us all to the Promised Land! Isn't that right, Rick?! Here we are! I guess Glenn and Abraham were lucky, too?" Spencer asks the man, watching him walk away. "You say anything like that again to me, I'll break your jaw, knock your teeth out. You understand? Say yes." Rick threatens "Yes." Spencer says.

Carl sits in Iris's room, he notices something shining under the dresser, he walks over and picks it up, her lighter, the only thing of hers left here. What if she doesn't come back? What if Negan keeps her there forever? What if he kills her?

..........

Iris feels the van stop and prepares herself, the doors open and a hand grabs Iris by the arms and drags her out of the van, Iris stumbles as she tries to stand, just as she manages to, she's getting dragged away. The saviour drags her through the building and into the room Negan told them to put her in, they shove her onto a chair and leave, locking her in the room.

Iris sits still, listening to hear if anyone is near her, she tries adjusting her hands as the rope digs into her wrists, she stops when she hears a key being pushed into the lock on the door, she hears the door open and footsteps coming close to her, another set of steps walk behind her. The bag over Iris's head gets yanked off, she blinks her eyes trying to adjust to the brightness of her surroundings, when she can finally see again she looks in front of her to see Negan sat in an armchair, the saviour behind her walks out of the room and shuts the door behind him.

Negan watches the woman as she stares at him blankly, "y'know what i've been thinkin'?" he asks, "did you really mean what you said back when i killed your friends?... did you really want to die?" he asks, leaning back in his seat, his bat sitting on his lap, "you can talk" he adds, "you gonna kill me here?" Iris questions "no... I can't kill you Iris" the man says, leaning forward, "see, you are very special" he says smiling at Iris's confused look.

Negan stands up and looks down at her, "let's go for a walk" he says, grabbing her arm and pulling her to stand. They leave the room and start walking around, "you could join me" he says as they look over the bannister at all the people working, "you could get anything you want... you can be protected. You could be my top person" Negan explains, "you could live here" he adds "that why you wont kill me?" Iris asks.

"No. If i kill you someone i love would never forgive me" he says, Iris looks at him, her eyebrows pulled together, Negan grabs her arm and starts dragging her again, he stops outside of a door, he slowly opens it and Iris sees a woman stood with her back to them reading something, "sweetheart" Negan says, the woman turns and Iris's heart drops when she recognises the person stood in front of her.

Both of them staring at each other frozen in place, Iris wants the run to her but Negan grips onto her arm tighter, "i bought you a gift" Negan says smiling at the blonde girl in the room, "Iris?" she questions, Iris doesnt say anything.

This isn't real.

This is her hell.

Negan must have done as she asked that night.

This is her hell.

"Juniper?" she questions, her voice coming out as a choked whisper.

Juniper is dead.

She died the night her mother ran away.

She cant be standing, grown up, in front of her.

This is her hell.

"How?" Iris asks, looking up at Negan.

This can't be real.

This is her hell.

She's dead and this is her hell.

"I knew her and your mother" Negan says.

But they both died.

Her mother left her alone with her father and died.

She's dead.

"Why is she tied up?" Juniper asks, looking at Negan, Iris feels her head spin as all the different thoughts go through her mind. "It's just to be safe" Negan says, "how?" Iris whispers, Negan and Juniper look at her, "You're dead" she says, "Negan kept me safe" Juniper says, "no... you died. You and mom died." Iris says, "no we didnt" Juniper says.

How?

She was alive.

The whole time.

She was alive.

And she left her daughter in that house with a monster.