Solitary {2} : The Walking Dead

Chapter Forty-five.

Goddamn Reapers.

Iris's eyes snap open, she looks to the torch shining next to her, Daryl sleeping on her other side of her, she sits up, wincing from the pain in her side "hey" Daryl grumbles, looking up at her, "hey" Iris whispers looking down at him, she carefully stands and puts on her backpack.

She lifts her top and inspects her bruise, Daryl stands up and leans down, looking the bruise over, "i'll be fine" Iris mumbles, Daryl stands again, leaning in and kissing her, Iris drops her top and lifts her hands to his head, feeling his hair as she runs her hands through it, leaning into the kiss.

"Come on!" Maggie yells, hitting against the metal, "Time to go." she adds, Iris pulls away from Daryl and walks over to the door as he grabs his things, "Damn. I actually got some shut eye in that rust coffin." Cole jokes as they step out of the metal box.

Iris watches Elijah run and kill a walker as it gets closer, "Hey, isn't your friend supposed to be on watch?" Cole asks, Iris looks over at Daryl, both concerned about Kelly.

...........

Iris lets out a relieved sigh as she looks over at Kelly climbing on top of a truck, Maggie grabs her by her ankle and Kelly turns, pointing her weapon at the woman, "you left your post." Maggie says, "Sorry, I just..." Kelly says, lowering her slingshot and jumping down from the truck.

"You can't go running off by yourself like that." Maggie says, Kelly looks over at Iris and Daryl, "Her sister's missing." Daryl says to Maggie and walks over to Kelly, Iris walks over to the girl, patting her on the arm and looking around, she looks up at Elijah as he climbs on top of the truck and starts throwing the things down to them.

"He just lost his, too." Maggie says, Kelly picks up a small notepad, looking through it, Daryl steps forward and stops her, 'not her' he signs.

"We have to go." Maggie says "I just had to check." Kelly cries, Iris stops her from walking away, "she's gonna be okay, she's strong" Iris says, reaching down and squeezing Kelly's hand gently before turning and walking with Daryl.

.........

"Kelly's sister -- she still out there?" Maggie asks, walking with Daryl, Iris staying with Kelly at the back of the group, "I don't know. I hope so." Daryl says "Thing is, I went looking for her so many times. Iris hates that she lost her down there. But people are just gone, you know?" Daryl says.

"Even if you find 'em, Doesn't mean you get 'em back." Maggie says, glancing back at Iris, "Maybe it's best if she don't know." Daryl says "No, she should. My dad used to say, 'a wound can't heal 'til it hits air.'" Maggie explains.

"You know that ain't true, right? Medicine wise." Daryl says, making Maggie smile "He always made it sound like it was." Maggie says "Yeah." "We're almost there. Can't wait for you to meet hershel." Maggie says.

"Hey." Iris stops and looks through the trees finding smoke, "no" Maggie says, running towards the smoke, Iris quickly follows after her, ignoring the pain from her injuries, they run into the burnt building, looking around for anyone.

"Hershel?" Maggie calls out, searching for her son, "no!" she shouts walking out of the building with Elijah, Daryl waits for Iris to be by his side before following them out of the building.

"They must've followed us, Maggie. We were so damn careful. I don't know how, but... It's them. They're out here." Cole says, standing next to two burnt bodies, "We don't know that." Maggie argues "Two of our people are dead, maggie. Where the hell's everyone else? Fire's out. Why haven't they come back? It's the reapers." Cole says.

"What's a reaper?" Kelly asks "the people who attacked our home." Maggie mumbles "Came outta nowhere. Wiped out anything in their way. They're here–" "enough!" Maggie yells, interrupting Cole and stopping him from saying anything else.

"We need to get our heads on straight. Find our people. Find my son." Maggie says, walking away, Iris notices Daryl walking back into the building, she watches him look around the floor, trying to find anything.

Iris and Maggie follow Daryl as he starts looking at the tracks, Iris looks around the woods, checking their surrounds as they walk through the trees, "They're scattered. Definitely running. All headed north." Daryl explains, "These... These people... If it's them..." Maggie says.

"We'll find them. All of them." Iris says, "Any more kids in your group?" Daryl asks "That's him." Maggie says, Daryl runs off ahead, Iris close behind, gripping onto her sword.

After walking for a while Daryl holds his hand up and stops everyone from walking, Iris watches Maggie pull out her knife and walk towards a walker, putting it down before they continue to walk.

"Trail splits." Daryl says, stopping and looking around "Hershel?" Maggie asks "I lost him." Daryl says, "Someone could have picked him up, though." Iris says, reassuring Maggie, "What now?" Kelly asks.

"We split up the group." Daryl says "No way." Cole says, "our people are out there. Splitting up is the fastest way to find them." Maggie says, "And what if something finds us?" Cole asks, "Stay alive." Maggie says "Daryl, Iris and I cross. Keep heading north. We'll catch up with you." Maggie says walking away.

Iris looks back at Kelly, nodding to her before following Maggie, after walking longer Iris stops for a minute, she looks down at her leg noticing blood coming through her bandages, Maggie stops and turns when she notices Iris not walking with them anymore. "Hey, are you okay?" Maggie whispers, "yeah" Iris whispers, looking up from her leg and walking over to Maggie and Daryl.

Iris creeps over to Daryl, she taps him on the shoulder and stops him from walking, she lifts her hand and holds up three fingers and points into the trees where the three people are hiding.

The three of them split up, staying low as they run towards the people, Iris watches Daryl grab one of them, holding his knife to her throat, Iris steps out behind the others, holding her sword to them "everyone stand down" Maggie whispers, rushing towards them.

"Daryl, she's one of ours. Come on." Maggie says, Iris lowers her sword and follows her, kneeling down in the bushes and staying hidden, "What happened?" Maggie asks her people.

"Everything was fine, And then the whole place was suddenly on fire." one of the people explains, "You see who did it?" Daryl asks "No. We just ran. Jen and Billy -- they didn't make it out. And something in the woods took out Matty, But we didn't get a clear look." the woman cries.

"We know who did it. goddamn reapers. They're in these woods hunting us one by one." one of the men snaps "Where's hershel?" Maggie asks, "Kim had him. He's out here, somewhere." "It's been hours. You're the first people we've seen."

Out of nowhere a bullet flies through the throat of one of Maggie's people, Iris looks around, trying to find where it came from, "Go. Go. Go" Iris whispers, everyone gets up and starts running, staying low as they dodge the bullets, Iris follows behind Maggie with Daryl by her side, the others going a different way.