Solitary {2} : The Walking Dead

Chapter Thirty-six.

Magna!

"Open your eyes!" Rick's voice begs, "you can't die mom" Carl's voice is next, Iris keeps her eyes closed, trying not to listen to them, "Iris, you don't want this" Loris whispers, Iris opens her eyes to find the woman hovering over her head, "i can finally be with all of you" Iris whispers, smiling up at her old friend, "you have to get out" Lori says, "i cant" Iris mumbles, "well then you find a way... I need you to be there for my daughter" Lori says.

"You have to be there for Judith, you can't leave her again" Carl says, Iris closes her eyes again, when she opens them again she lifts herself up, screaming through gritted teeth as pain pulses through her body and mind, using all the strength she can muster up Iris starts grabbing onto the rocks, pulling them out and throwing them on the ground next to her.

She steps back when the rocks start to fall in front of her, she starts clawing at the rubble, pushing them out of her way. Her body gives out and she falls to the ground again, "you're a failure!" her fathers voice echoes throughout her mind, "Magna!" she shouts, "look at you... laying here." "Daryl!" she screams, hoping anyone can hear her "pathetic!" "screw you!" Iris shouts back at the voice, she forces her body up again and starts fighting her way out.

"I raised you better than this! You're weak! pathetic!" Anger fills Iris as she throws the rocks, and a pain filled scream rips through her body, dust clouds around her, Iris stumbles back, coughing as she tries to stay standing, but her injuries win and she falls to the ground again. "Can anybody hear me?!" she questions, sighing when she hears nothing.

Iris hugs her body as she sits alone in the darkness, shivering, hungry and tired. But most of all terrified. She pulls her backpack towards her, reaching in and feeling around, "no" she cries out when she realises the bag is wet, "no. no. no" she mumbles, pulling out her bottle, her empty bottle. She throws it at the wall, angry that she didn't put the lid on tight enough, she lays her head back against the wall, trying to keep herself from falling asleep.

Iris sits in the darkness, picking at the skin around her nails as she tries to stop the exhaustion from taking over, after hours of sitting alone and in pain she finally loses the fight, closing her eyes and drifting off to sleep.

........

Iris slowly opens her eyes, she pulls herself up and starts pulling the rocks out again, ignoring the cuts on her hands, her mind replays memories in her mind as she fights for a way out.

"Iris, don't scare us like that again" Rick says catching his breath, "yeah not funny" Shane says "then why am I laughing?" Iris say trying to catch my breath from laughing at their reaction to her scaring them.

"You dont have to do that" Maggie says coming up behind Iris as she digs the graves, "someones gotta do it" Iris says lifting herself out of the hole and moving next to it digging a much smaller hole "im sorry about your mom" Iris says focusing on the hole "thanks".

"be strong. Little sheriff" Iris says pulling away from Carl, she turns to Judith in Michonnes arms "be brave. Little deputy" she says to the baby, turning and walking out

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

Iris sits on the floor, holding her lighter in her palm, her head pounding in pain and her body screaming at her to give up, the odds are against her, no water, no food and no way out. "Your legs still bleeding heavily" Iris looks to her right, seeing Rick next to her, "i know" Iris whispers, too weak to speak any louder.

"You're gonna have to cauterise it" Rick says, "i know" Iris sighs, she slowly stands, collecting the wood from the beams and pilling it in the middle, she sits back down again, taking off her shoes and pulling her socks off, she holds her lighter to one of the socks, watching it go up in flames.

Iris puts the flame onto the pile of wood, letting out a sigh as she watches the fire grow, once the fire is hot enough Iris pulls out her knife, holding the blade in the flames, with her other hand she unties the bandana from her leg.

She takes the knife from the fire, holding her breath as she moves it closer to her leg, "you've got this" Rick says, Iris bites down onto her lip as she holds the hot knife to her cut, the taste of blood fills Iris's mouth as she bites her lip harder, muffling her scream as her skin burns. She leans her head back against the rock wall as she takes the knife off her leg, "one" she whispers, "two... three... four... five... six... seven... eight... nine... ten" Iris whispers, counting to keep herself from going into shock.

Her body grows weaker as she counts to ten again, she opens her eyes and looks down at the fire, "how does it feel?" "Like shit" Iris mumbles, she looks down at her leg "the bleedings stopped" she whispers, she turns her attention back to the fire covering the flames with dirt and watching everything go dark again, Iris slowly lays down and closes her eyes, drifting off to sleep.