Solitary {2} : The Walking Dead

Chapter Thirty-five.

Concussion.

Soft weak coughs echo through the darkness, Iris slowly opens her eyes, looking around and seeing nothing but darkness, she coughs as the dust fills the air. "Fuck" she winces as she tries to sit up, Iris lowers her body down again, laying in the dirt. "Magna?" she calls out, her voice coming out weak, "Magna?" she calls out again, tears fill her eyes as she looks around trying to see anything in the darkness, "Magna!" she cries.

Iris holds her breath as she tries to listen for Magna and Connie, a sob rips through her throat when she hears nothing, her eyes slowly close as she lays in the rubble, her pain and exhaustion becoming too much for her to handle. "Don't go to sleep" Iris slowly opens her eyes to the familiar voice, "Rick?" she breathes out, tears slowly rolling down her cheeks.

"You have a concussion. You can't go to sleep" Rick whispers, Iris watches his figure and he slowly wipes the tears from her face, "My bag... wheres my bag?" she questions, Iris slowly sits up, gritting her teeth as her body screams at her, she reaches down to her legs, grabbing the rocks and throwing them from her legs, she starts feeling her surroundings and trying to find her bag. Iris's fingers brush against the fabric and she grips onto it, pulling it into her lap, she rips it open, feeling around inside her hand stops when the cold metal touches her skin.

Iris lifts the lighter out of her bag, flicking the flame and looking around, she shines the light around her, as she looks up at the rocks surrounding her, Iris realises she's been blocked off by the ruble and wooden beams, "Magna?!" she calls out again, looking for any sign, but finding nothing. Iris puts her lighter in the front pocket of her shorts before reaching back into her backpack, feeling around she finds her dog tags, she carefully lifts them over her head, sitting them around her neck, "what do you need them for?" Carl questions.

Iris looks up to see the boy's figure sitting across from her, "so they know its me" Iris mumbles, she takes her bottle out of her bag, her panic grows as she feels how much water she's got left, "shit" "how much you got?" Rick asks, "not enough" Iris says, taking a small sip before putting it back into her bag.

Iris leans her back against the rock wall, closing her eyes, she lifts her fingers to her head, feeling blood trickling out of a cut. "You have a head injury... you need to stay awake" Iris opens her eyes to see Hershel sitting in front of her, "I can't" she whispers, "tell me your injuries" Hershel says, Iris swallows the lump in her throat "i-i got a cut on my left leg" Iris mumbles, she feels around for more injuries, "a broken rib... head injury... concussion... dehydration, exhaustion and i'm hallucinating, probably from my injuries" Iris explains.

"That's good" Hershel says, Iris pulls her bandana from her bag, gritting her teeth as she ties it around her leg, pulling it tight against the cut, "i gotta get out" Iris says, she carefully stands, wincing in pain as she gains her balance. She pulls her lighter out of her pocket, shining the weak flame around, trying to find a breeze to get out, "anything?" Rick asks, "no... nothing" Iris mumbles, tears start falling down her face as realisation hits.

Iris shoves the lighter back into her pocket, she starts grabbing onto the rocks, "shit!" she shouts as she collapses onto the floor, her body too weak, Iris lays on the floor, looking up into the darkness, tears slipping from her eyes, quiet cries echo through the air. Iris realises she's lost Magna and Connie, her body hurting as she cries, alone and scared trapped under the rock and rubble, wondering if she will ever make it out, if she's ever going to see the others again, if she's ever going to see Daryl again.

Deep down Iris knows she might die down here, bile rises in her throat as she thinks about the chances of Daryl and the others finding her again when it's too late, the thought of Daryl staring down at her lifeless body. She's going to die down here, she goes to touch her ring but remembers she gave it to Daryl before everything happened.

She didn't even have a chance to tell people about it, she only just got back, she didn't get to say goodbye to Michonne. She's never going to be able to watch Judith and RJ grow up.

But maybe it isn't so bad. She'll be able to be with Rick again, she'll finally be able to hug Carl, live with her sister, and have her dog back. If she dies she'll be with everyone again, Hershel, Beth, Abraham, Glenn. If she dies she will finally be able to rest, no more nightmares, the guilt she carries with her will finally end.

Her mind will go quiet and everything will stop hurting, she can die just like she begged for back at the line up. She can die peacefully knowing everyone will be able to move on just like they have before, she knows it will hurt them at first but they are strong, they will get through it. The tears stop falling, her breathing regulates, and she slowly closes her eyes.

She's ready to let go. She's ready to let her body rest. Iris is ready to die.