Solitary {2} : The Walking Dead

Chapter Twenty-one.

 Lines We Cross. ||

NEW MEXICO.

Iris stands back and watches Daryl shoot a deer, he looks back at her when the animal runs off, he grabs onto her hand and the three of them start following the deers tracks. "Stop." Iris says to Carol as she tries to get the deer "Why?" Carol asks "It's one of her borders." Iris answers.

"They're walkers. We can still get the deer." Carol argues "No, it's too late." Daryl says, "Why are we still respecting borders we never agreed to when Alpha isn't even here?Can we just forget bout them already?" Carol says.

"It's too late." Iris says, watching the walkers as they start to eat the deer, "That deer could've fed two hundred people." Carol sighs before walking away from Iris and Daryl.

They make their way back to the bikes, and Carol walks over to them "I'm sorry I pissed you off." Daryl says, "I'm sorry you pissed me off, too." Carol says, Iris shakes her head "I'm not apologising" she mumbles, looking down at the floor.

"Well, there's no reason to start shit if we don't gotta. After the storm, we all agreed to that." Daryl says, sitting on a log, Iris sits next to him, "That's why it's just as well that I left." Carol says.

"Yeah, I've been thinkin' about that. Why don't you come on home now?" Daryl asks "I'm a sea dog, man. Would you get off my ass before I put you on yours?" Carol says sitting down next to them, "Sorry if I didn't want my best friend to spend her whole life on a boat." Daryl says, holding out food in front of Carol.

"Best friend?" she questions taking some of the food, Daryl holds it out to Iris and she takes some "What are you, ten?" Carol jokes "Whatever." Daryl mumbles, "Should the three of us have matching bracelets now?" Carol asks "Oh, God, forget it." Daryl grumbles.

Iris can't help the small laugh that comes out of her mouth, "No, I could make some with fisherman's twine. Decorate 'em. It'll be really cute with tiny, little seashells." Carol says, Iris laughs louder, Daryl turns and glares at her, making her cover her mouth with her hand.

"Oh, my God. I take it back." Daryl says "No, what's your favourite colour? Green? Blue?" Carol asks "Black. Definitely black." Iris says, peering round the man and looking at Carol, "I got an idea. Why don't we eat and not talk?" Daryl says.

"Should we make a matching collar for Dog?" Carol asks Iris, "yeah" Iris answers, the three go quiet, eating their food. "Daryl?" Carol asks "Yeah?" "You ever wonder if this is all there is? Just run into people, kill each other until whoever's left says enough?" Carol asks.

"Sometimes I think we're just survivin' one fight to the next." Daryl says "It was like that for us three before all this." Carol says, Iris looks down at her hands, focusing on her food "Yep. There's got to be people out there like us. Right?" Daryl says.

"I get what Maggie's doin' with Georgie. I do." he adds "Go out on the boat with me this time." Carol says, Iris looks over at the woman, "Just run away together?" she asks "Be pirates. Heck yeah." Carol jokes.

"Nah. Cooped up in those little cabins all day? That's not me." Daryl says "Screw the boat. We'll take the bikes and go out on the road." Carol says "Better." Daryl says "Head out West." Iris says "New Mexico." Daryl suggests.

"What the hell's in New Mexico?" Carol asks "People who weave bracelets. No more fightin'. Just get on the bikes and go, see who's left." Daryl says he hands Carol a bracelet before holding one out in front of Iris, she smiles down at it before taking it and putting it on her wrist "Sounds good to me." Carol says.

Iris kisses Daryl on the cheek before looking back out into the woods, suddenly a loud bang echoes through the air, Iris looks up to the sky to see an explosion. She stands up and looks to the two next to her, "what the fuck was that?" she questions.

LINES WE CROSS.

Iris pulls the water container on her back and covers her mouth and nose with her bandana, she looks at the flames as the fire spreads through the woods, "let's go. Come on" Daryl says, Iris runs with him as they get closer to the fire, she looks around at the scene and quickly starts working.

"We start on the outside! Push in!" Iris orders, everyone follows her lead as they start smothering the fire with water, she uses the hose to spray the water, "watch out for the dead!" she shouts, watching a walker stumble towards her, she pulls her axe from her belt and drives it into the walker's head, "The fire isn't our only enemy out here!" she adds.

She runs over to the water source "im empty" she says pulling the tank off her back, she looks around and watches more walkers come from the woods, she grips onto her axe.

EMBERS.

"Watch their hands" Iris says before walking forward and swinging her axe around, the blade slicing through the heads, a walker comes up behind her, she turns and watches Daryl drive an axe through its head.

They move in more, taking down as many walkers as they can, "Everyone, stay clear of that tree! It's gonna fall any minuto!" Eugene warns, Iris watches Daryl as he throws his axe at the burning tree. He steps back and watches the tree land on top of the walkers.

.........

Iris looks around at the mess left "Come on, come on. Pack up and move." Michonne orders "Let's go, let's go!" Aaron shouts "Eugene, let's go!" Iris shouts, watching the man, "I just need twenty minutes." he says "You get zero. We gotta go now." Iris says.

"Ten. Just ten. We should excavate and transport this satellite to our vehicles. I believe there may be invaluable technological implications for our communities if I'm able to retrieve any of the useful bits from inside. I'm not askin'." Eugene explains

"Oh, my God. Yumiko, Luke, Magna, everybody, come on. We're helpin' with the satellite. Five minutes and out." Iris orders, "We made the right choice." Aaron says walking over to Iris and Michonne "Let's not push our luck." Michonne says "Well, maybe this buys us some goodwill. This helps them, too." Aaron says "We helped our people. That's enough good for me for now. Where are Carol and Daryl?" Michonne asks, Iris looks around to see the two no longer there.

.........

"You still wanna run away together?" Daryl asks, "Yeah. Tomorrow." Carol says "Look, I need you to stay. Iris needs you to stay. Just think about it. Otherwise, I'm gonna have to punch holes in all them boats." Daryl says.