Solitary {2} : The Walking Dead

Chapter Six.

Jesus.

Iris grips onto her knives as she listens to the storm rolling in, the heavy dark clouds covering the stars in the night sky, she looks through the fog as it slowly crawls towards her. Iris hears the walkers as she gets closer, "Eugene" she whispers, running over to the metal gate, Michonne following after her, together they try to pull it open, Iris steps back when it doesn't budge, she grabs onto the wall and lifts herself up, jumping down on the other side on the wall, she raises her knives, turning and trying to find the walkers.

"Iris?" Jesus whispers "it's good to see you Jesus" Iris whispers, glancing over at the man, Iris moves and stands behind Eugene and covers his back as he tries to get the gate free, "get him out of here. Go, I got this!" Jesus says, looking back at Iris and Aaron, Iris turns and helps Aaron lift Eugene to his feet, they get him through the gate before following after, "Jesus! Come on!" Aaron shouts as the thunder sounds from above them.

Iris watches Jesus get to kill the last walker, her eyes widen when she sees the walker duck out of the way, turning and driving his knife into Jesus's back "No! No! No!" Aaron screams, pulling himself back through the gap in the gate, Iris and Michonne follow behind him, Iris drives her blades into the walkers heads, dodging them as they try to stab her.

As Iris pushes one of the bodies to the floor, another comes up behind her, driving their knife into her right shoulder, Iris lets out a scream in pain, the walker drops to the floor with an arrow sticking out of it's head, Iris reaches back and pulls the knife out, she turns and freezes, her eyes catching the ones already looking at her. The eyes she had dreamt about almost every night for six years, Daryl's eyes. She pulls her gaze from him and quickly turns, throwing the knife from her arm at another walker's head.

Michonne runs over to her, "i'm fine" Iris mumbles, "you're bleeding" Michonne says, Iris starts scanning their surroundings, echoes of whispers surrounding them. Iris slips through the gap in the gate and grabs onto Eugene, holding him up and helping him walk, she winces in pain as her shoulder continues to bleed, when they get further away Michonne takes over helping Eugene, letting Iris rest her arm.

Iris pulls her knife from her belt and walks ahead on the group, trying to ignore the pain, she lifts her knife to her mouth holding it as she slowly takes her coat off, biting down on the blade as she winces in pain. She holds her knife by her side again watching the road for tracks.

............

Iris stops walking when they get to the horses, she closes her eyes trying to catch her breath, "how are you doing?" Michonne asks "i'm fine" Iris mumbles, she slowly opens her eyes and looks over at her concerned face, "why don't you take a break and get on the horse?" Michonne says "nah" Iris mumbles, watching as the group start walking again.

..............

"They found her on the road the other day" Michonne says, watching Daryl looking back at Iris, "she hasn't really spoken to me, or anyone. The guards at Alexandria told me she leaves at night and doesn't come back until day. Judith said she found her sleeping on the porch" Michonne explains, keeping quiet so only Daryl can hear her, "and them?" Daryl asks, "Judith found them. Vouched for 'em. So do i." Michonne says "all right" Daryl says looking back at Iris.

Iris keeps her head down, trying to focus on moving and ignoring the pain, Michonne wraps Iris's left arm around her shoulder, keeping her steady as they walk, "I wish I'd met him before. Sounds like he was a good one." Magna says, "He was. Shouldn't have been out here. It's my fault. If I hadn't..." Eugene says "Jesus made his own decisions. We all knew the risks of being out here. Knowin' we shouldn't be. Maybe what happened was bound to happen." Aaron says.

Iris looks up when the dog starts barking "We got some tails." Magna says "The living kind or original recipe?" Eugene asks, "Let's find out." Daryl says, Iris grips onto her knives as Michonne lets go of her, and they walk towards a bridge. Iris and Michonne hide in the bushes as Daryl starts shooting the walkers from the other end, Iris and Michonne step out when they hear a man start to scream.

Iris watches two of the walkers turn, one of them pulls a knife out of his sleeve and Michonne runs at him, Iris focuses on the other one, "Drop it!" Iris orders, walking towards the masked person, she watches them drop the knife before kneeling down, Iris kicks the knife from reach and Daryl pulls off the mask revealing a young girl.

"Please... Please don't kill me. Please." she cries, Iris lowers her knives and looks down at the scared girl, "How many?" Michonne asks "Please... you killed them all. It's just me now." the girl says, Michonne holds her sword against the girls neck "I don't believe you" she says.

"There ain't no time. We'll take her with us." Daryl says, "Get up." Iris says and Daryl grabs the girl, "Hey! You try anything, you won't have to pretend." Michonne threatens, holding the mask against the girl's face. "Let's go. Come on." Daryl says, dragging the girl away.

.........

Iris watches as the gates open, she bites the inside of her cheek as she watches everyone look at Jesus's body hanging over the horse, Siddiq and Enid run over to her, "i'm fine, help Eugene" she mumbles "I'll stitch you up" Enid says, Iris watches as Daryl and Michonne drag the prisoner to the cellar, Tara looks back at her concerned, Iris nods her head before looking back at Enid "fine" she mumbles, following Enid into the medical trailer.

Iris sits on the edge of the bed, staring at the floor, suddenly regretting her choice in wearing a long sleeve top, she lets out a sigh before lifting her top off, everyone's eyes drift to the scars covering her body, Enid freezes when she sees the scars covering the womans back, "it's pretty deep" she says. Siddiq walks behind Iris, he glances at her scars before looking at her new wound.

"Enid, you help Eugene, I've got this" he says, Iris tenses her jaw as the man starts pulling the needle and thread through her flesh, "who did those stitches?" he asks, looking at the old stitches on her upper arm, "i did" Iris mumbles, "you did a good job" Siddiq says, going back to working on the back of her shoulder.