Solitary {2} : The Walking Dead

Chapter Seventeen.

We can do this.

Iris sits on the chair across from Lydia, she watches the girl eat the food Daryl had just brought her, "it wasn't your fault" Iris mumbles, hugging her jacket close to her body as the cold air attacks her skin, "how many times are you gonna say that?" Laydia asks, looking up at the woman.

"As many times it takes for you to believe it" Iris says, Lydia looks back down at her plate, "she killed people... people you care about" Lydia says, "i know... she did, not you, her." Iris says, she slowly stands from the table, and looks at her hat, clipped onto the girl's bag, "i still believe in you" Iris says "make sure you're ready to leave" she adds before walking away.

Iris walks over to Daryl, placing her hand on his back as she walks next to him "you good?" he asks "i'll be fine" Iris says, "how're you?" she asks "i'm fine" he says, Iris pulls her gloves from her trouser pockets and pulls them onto her hands, "you cold?" Daryl asks, "yeah" Iris says.

She watches as Daryl reaches into his back pocket, he pulls out a black knitted hat and holds it out to the woman, "one of the women here knits. I thought you could use it since you gave Lydia your hat" Daryl explains, "thanks" Iris says, she takes the hat and pulls it onto her head.

..........

Iris and Daryl walk behind one of the wagons, Lydia sticking close to them, they walk the empty roads, scanning their surroundings, Iris watches Lydia as she walks a few steps ahead of her and Daryl.

The redhead looks out into the field next to them, she lets out a loud whistle notifying everyone of the walkers, "Is that them?" Alden asks, Iris looks up at the man on the horse "your people watching us now, huh?" he asks Lydia.

"Well, we followed their rules. Haven't they done enough to us?" he asks "Hey." Iris snaps "Why don't you lay off." Daryl says, Alden looks away from them and they go silent again, "You don't have to protect me." Lydia says from in between Daryl and Iris.

"I know how they feel about me." she adds "No. Don't mean they get to talk to you like that." Daryl says "Just I don't want to cause any more problems." Lydia says "It's their problem, not yours." Iris says, looking at the girl next to her.

.........

Iris lifts her bow over her head, sitting an arrow against the string as she looks down at the tracks, she looks at the tree line and sees two walkers, pulling back the string on her bow she aims it at one of the walkers heads, watching her arrow go through the skull, Daryl doing the same from next to her.

Iris and Daryl walk over to the bodies, she reaches down and pulls her arrow out of the head before inspecting it to see if it's a skin, "You given much thought to your plans after this?" Ezekiel asks, Iris looks up at the man.

"No, unh-unh. Why?" Daryl asks "The past few months have been difficult for Carol and I. I'm hoping for a fresh start with her at Hilltop, and it'd be easier if it was just us." Ezekiel says "You think that's what Carol wants?" Iris asks "Carol wants the same thing I do. To hold our son again." Ezekiel says.

"Shit. I'm not trying to be a bad guy here, guys. I just want to get back a piece of what I lost. What we lost. After everything, you think you could give me that?" the king asks, Daryl walks away from the man, Iris following after him.

.........

"Weather's already kicking in. Even if we hauled ass overnight, we'd never make it." Jerry says, Iris zips her hoody up as the snow becomes heavier, "We need to get off the roads, find shelter between here and the next way station." Aaron says "You have a place in mind?" Ezekiel asks "Yeah." Michonne says.

..........

Iris aims her bow around the building, scanning the inside of the building, trying to make sure it's clear "People actually lived here?" Magna asks "Welcome to the Sanctuary." Iris says, lowering her weapon. Iris gets started on building a fire, "get warm" she says to the kids before walking away.

"The next way station is here, right across the river that runs alongside the old route B." Michonne says, shining her torch at the map. "I thought the only crossing was back along the route we were on." Magna says "It is. There's no way we'll make it, not in these conditions." Iris says "Rick's bridge would've saved us. It could've cut half a day off our travel time." Aaron says.

"But we don't need a bridge. The creeks and ponds are frozen over. As long as we don't all go at once, we could probably just walk across. There, through our old hunting grounds. It's a straight shot." Carol says.

"A straight shot through Alpha's territory." Ezekiel says "We didn't agree to those borders. Those borders are hers, not ours." Carol argues "That's cold comfort if we trigger a war. We don't even know how to fight them yet." the king says.

"It's only a couple miles..." Carol says "Hey, we can cross at night. They won't know that we're there." Michonne says "What if they already know? They could've been watching us in that field back there." Yumico says "It's all the more reason to move now." Daryl says, "We can do this." Iris says.

"With the elderly? With the children? We can't take horses and wagons across the ice." Ezekiel says "Then we'll have to go by foot." Iris says "Yes, it's risky, but we're only carrying enough food to last us another day or two, and this storm could dump enough snow to make these roads impassable for weeks. It's either we make it to the next way station or we die." Michonne explains.