Solitary {2} : The Walking Dead

Chapter Forty-three.

They're coming.

"Three hun-dred six-ty five degrees. Burning down the house. Ah, it was once upon a place. Sometimes I listen to myself. Gonna come in first place. People on their way to work. And, baby, what did you expect? Gonna burst into flames."

Iris looks up at the night sky, "They're coming! They're coming!" Lydia shouts, Iris raises her sword and moves to the girl, they try to shoot the whisperers with their arrows but the skins use walkers as shields, "Speed up! Go!" Daryl orders.

"Protect the horses!" Iris orders, watching whisperers come out of the woods, one of them runs at Iris, she raises her sword and drives it through the skins stomach, the wagon stops and Iris looks around as the walkers get closer.

"Go! Go! Move!" Daryl shouts, Iris watches everyone get off the wagon before following them into the woods, "Gabriel, we lost the wagon. You got walkers coming right back at you." Daryl says into the walkie, moving back to the group as they kneel behind a broken tree.

"They should've evacuated by now." Luke says "Then they're unprotected. We need to turn that horde around." Jerry says "How?" Magna asks, "Look, this ain't a good plan, but it's all I got. I say we go back in there, and we hunt the skins. We take 'em out, one by one. If we don't do this, all our people are gonna die." Daryl explains.

"Then what? How do we lead them away?" Magna asks "I-I will." Lydia says "No, we'll think of another way." Iris says, "I know how. She taught me." Lydia says "Hold on, hold on, hold on. Let's say we actually do this, and you lead them to the cliff, there's no wagon to bring them over the edge. I mean, it's suicide." Luke says

"It has to be me. I can do it." Lydia says, "We're gonna deal with this later. Come on. We gotta go. Right now." Daryl says, Iris stands and follows behind the man.

Iris splits off, keeping her head low and her knives in her hands as she walks through the horde, she slowly raises her knives, driving them into the whisperers back, dragging them down and pulling them out as the man screams, Iris steps back and watches the walkers attack the man on the floor.

She pushes through the sea of the dead, watching their hands, she drives her blade in between the skins shoulder blades, stepping over her as the walkers go for the body. The whisperers' screams sound through the horde, she rushes over to Daryl and Negan as they fight Beta.

She stops when Daryl drives his knives into Beta's eyes, pulling them out and standing with Iris and Negan, "holy shit" Iris whispers, looking at Beta's real face "You know who that asshole was?" Negan asks in disbelief, "yeah, my dad used to listen to him" Iris says, "he's nobody" Daryl says grabbing Iris's hand and leading her away.

The group find their way back to the others, Iris looks over at Daryl as the sun shines down on his face, "Iris. Daryl" Judith says running over to them, RJ following her, "hey" Iris smiles, bending down and hugging the kids, Iris pulls away and watches them hug Daryl.

Iris looks around at the group, a small smile sitting on her face, she stares at the familiar brown hair, "maggie?" she questions, the woman slowly turns and looks at Iris, a shocked look on her face, Iris runs over to the woman, wrapping her arms around her and hugging her as tears fill her eyes, "Iris... i thought you were gone" Maggie whispers, holding onto Iris, scared to let go.

"I'm so sorry Maggie, for how I left things" Iris cries, "I'm sorry too" Maggie cries, Iris reluctantly pulls away and holds Maggie in front of her, "i've missed you" Iris says "I missed you too" Maggie replies.

Iris steps back and watches Daryl hug Maggie, the redhead wipes her tears from her cheeks, Maggie notices the gold band flash in the sun. She pulls away from Daryl and looks at the two, "you finally did it" Maggie smiles.

They all turn their attention to Carol and Lydia as they step out from the trees, "Is it...?" Jerry asks "It is. Thanks to her." Carol says, "And her." Lydia asks, Iris walks over to the girl, pulling her into a hug, "i'm proud of you kid" Iris says as Lydia hugs Iris back.

"Thanks for believing in me" Lydia replies, Iris pulls away and holds the girl's face, "I always did" Iris smiles. She watches the girl walk over to Negan, pulling the man into a hug, Iris laughs as Jerry pulls her into a hug.

"It's over. Right?" Daryl says to Carol, "It is." the woman says "You get what you wanted?" he asks "No. And I won't. Not really." Carol explains, "Well, you still got me. And Iris" Daryl says.

"I don't know about her" Carol says, looking over at Iris as she talks to Maggie, "she almost died... she won't tell me what happened down there but it was hard on her... just giver her some time, she still cares about you" Daryl explains, looking over at his wife.