Solitary {2} : The Walking Dead

Chapter Nine.

Birch tree.

Iris watches Daryl as he walks back down to the cellar, she stays back and sits on the floor, leaning her head against the wall "You know, some dads would come up with any excuse... just to beat the shit out of their kids. Maybe they're drunk. Maybe they can't get drunk. Belts are good. But these assholes, they ain't picky. They'll use whatever's layin' around. But a good switch from a birch tree... that'll work."

"Your dad sounds a lot like one of those dads. Except the part where he sang to you when you were scared. Those dads... they like it when you're scared. Thing is, that's the only part of your story that didn't sound like bullshit. Now, you knew exactly what this was when I walked down here." Daryl explains

"And those bruises on your arm, they come from a beating. So let me ask you, if your dad's dead, who gave 'em to you?" Daryl asks. "My mom." Lydia mumbles "Where is she?" Daryl asks "Be glad you don't know." "Where is she? Where's your camp? Why are you protectin' her? Huh? You're safer here." Daryl asks.

"This place isn't real. The world changed, and you're all acting like it's gonna change back. My mom walks 'cause that's what the dead do. It's their world, and we have to live in it. And what my mom does, she does for a reason." Lydia explains. "Your mom beats you because she loves you? That's bullshit." Daryl snaps "No, it isn't. When you stay soft, people die." Lydia says.

"You were just a little girl. It wasn't your fault." Daryl says "I was stupid. I deserved to die. But my dad was soft, and now he's the one that's dead." "What was he supposed to do? Just watch his little girl get bit?" Daryl asks "When you can't bend, you break. He broke." "That's not true. We're making it better. We're building it back up again, changing it back." "Yeah? You don't belong with these people. Maybe you used to, but not anymore. You're hard, they're soft." Lydia says.

"You don't know shit about me." Daryl snaps, "So tell me. Hey, I told you what happened to me. Tell me what happened to you." Iris looks up when Daryl steps out of the cellar, he looks down at the woman before walking away "You could've just asked me to help." Henry says, Iris stands up and walks down into the cellar, shutting the doors behind her.

She sits down on the chair and stares down at the girl, "you come down here too try and make me think i can live here?" Lydia asks, looking up at the woman, Iris pulls her knife from her belt and holds it out in front of her, watching it shine in the candle light, "what do you want?" Lydia asks, Iris looks at the girl again "y'know, I've known assholes like your mom. Trying to keep you scared to make them feel stronger. your mom isn't strong, she just hurts everyone around her to make them feel weak so she seems stronger" Iris says.

Lydia jumps to her feet and lunges at the cell bars "you don't know shit!" Lydia snaps, Iris stands from the chair, she stands in front of the girl and grabs onto her shirt, holding her against the bars, Iris sees the fear in the girl's eyes, she looks at her knife pointed at Lydia's face, Iris steps back and leaves the basement.

She paces back and forth, pulling at the roots of her hair, "Iris?" She looks up to Enid standing and staring at her, Iris drops her hands to her side "sorry" she mumbles, putting her knife back into her belt before walking away. Iris sits in Maggie's office, looking up at the paintings, "what is wrong with me?" she asks, looking into the eyes of Hershel's picture, "i shouldn't be here. Im gonna get someone hurt"

Iris looks down at her hands, watching them bleed as she picks at the skin, she pulls her knees up to her chest, hugging them tight "i'm no better than my dad. I just pointed my knife to that girl's face, the same way he did to me" Iris says, wiping the tears from her cheek "your not him" Iris looks to the door and sees Daryl standing nervously.

Iris quickly looks away and wipes her tears away "sorry. I- uh- i didn't know you were there" Iris says, she stands up and looks down at the floor, "how've you been?" She asks, her voice quiet, she looks up at him like a nervous dog waiting to be told off, "i've been fine" Daryl mumbles, "good" Iris says, looking away again and turning her focus back on the paintings, "how've you been?" Daryl asks, the question spins around her mind.

"I've been fine" she mumbles "good" Daryl says, silence fills the room again, "i'm sorry i couldn't bring him home" Daryl mumbles, Iris looks up at him, her heart breaks when she sees tears filling the man's eyes, "i tried" he whispers, "i know you did. I'm sorry I couldn't do it either. I'm sorry I just left" Iris says, tears slowly rolling down her cheeks.

For a moment everything stops, Iris and Daryl slowly start walking to each other, meeting in the middle, Daryl leans down and captures Iris's lips with his, she reaches up, gently holding placing her hands on Daryl's cheeks as she deepens the kiss, Daryl holds Iris's face, his thumbs softly brushing against her cheeks, feeling her tears as they fall from her eyes.

They slowly pull away, keeping hold of the other, looking into each other's eyes as they catch their breath again, "I looked for you everyday, even when Tara told me you didn't want to be found. You were always on my mind" Daryl whispers, "I thought about you everyday i was gone" Iris says, running her hands up into his hair.

"I love you Daryl Dixon" Iris says, looking up at the man's bright blue eyes, "i love you Iris Wolf" Daryl says, leaning down and kissing her again.