Solitary {2} : The Walking Dead

Chapter Fifty-two.

Acheron: Part 1.

Iris pulls her hair into a ponytail as she anxiously waits for the others to open the roof window, she makes sure her sword is secure on her back and prepares herself.

Daryl walks over to her, standing in front of her and checking her over to make sure she's okay, "i'm ready" she whispers, Daryl nods and starts helping her put the harness on. Iris kisses the man on the cheek before she slowly drops down through the hole, looking over at Maggie as they go down.

When her feet touch the ground she unclips her harness and pulls out her sword, she looks around at all the bodies laying on the floor, Iris looks at the others, signalling to the door before slowly stepping over the walkers, the others following her lead.

The group waits as Magna picks the padlock, Iris's breath catches in her throat as the sound of the lock opening echoes through the room, she looks down at the walkers, silently begging them to not wake up.

Iris grips onto her sword as Magna opens the door, the group slowly moves in, Iris opens a separate door, revealing shelves filled with food and supplies. Kelly, Magna and Iris stand over the walkers, their blades pointed at the walkers head, Iris looks up at the other two, nodding her head and they drive their blades into the skulls.

Iris steps back and opens one of the crates revealing military meal packs, she takes the large bag off of her back and starts shoving the packets into it, filling it up before walking out of the room, stepping over the bodies again and clipping her bag to the rope, watching it as the others lift it to the roof.

She bites her lip nervously as the wheels creek above them, suddenly one of the ropes snap, before it falls to the floor Daryl catches it, bile raises in Iris's throat as she watches the man struggle, blood dripping down his arm.

The walker in front of Iris starts to wake up, groaning and snapping its teeth, she quickly drives the blade of her sword into the walker's head as the others start to wake, Iris steps back, swinging her sword around and killing the walkers as they stumble closer to her.

Iris looks over to the door and sees Kelly and Magna trapped by the dead, she quickly starts killing the walkers as she starts walking over to the two, arrows fly around her as Daryl and the others help her clear the path.

Iris makes it to Magna and Kelly "come on!" she shouts, the two run ahead of her, as she carries on killing the walkers, she guards Maggie, Rosita and Lydia as they get pulled back up to the roof. Carol shoots the walkers with the gun she found on the floor, rope drops down next to her and she clips it onto her harness, "Carol come on!" Iris shouts.

Carol throws the gun and goes to clip the rope to her harness but she runs off, "Carol!" Iris shouts, Daryl shoots the walkers around her from above, Iris unclips her harness and runs over to Carol, helping her shove the packets of food into the bag, Iris looks up as Daryl throws his knives into the head of the walkers as they grab for her.

She pulls the weapons out of the walkers head as Carol finishes filling the bag, they run back to the rope and clip themselves in, they slowly start to get lifted up to the roof, a walkers grabs her foot, pulling her down, she tries to kick it off of her fighting it back as Jerry tries to pull her up.

Daryl panics as he shoots at the walker, only for it to be replaced by another, Iris pulls her sword from her back, slicing the blade through the walker's arm, Daryl grabs onto the rope with Jerry, pulling Iris up the rest of the way.

When she's close enough Daryl grabs onto her, pulling her into him and holding her tight, Iris pulls away and pulls Daryl's knives out of her belt and hands them to him, she holds onto the man's arm as she looks down at the walkers.

Iris steps back and takes a deep breath, "did you get scratched?" Daryl asks, he kneels down in front of her and lifts her jean leg up slightly, inspecting her skins and checking for anything, "i'm fine" she says, pulling him up again, "i'm fine" she repeats, trying to reassure herself and him.

.........

Iris walks close to Daryl as they lead the way back to Alexandria, she looks around the community, "Come on, boy!" Daryl shouts, letting out a whistle, Iris watches Dog run over to them, she smiles as she kneels down to the kids, Judith and RJ wrap their arms around her pulling away and hugging Daryl.

"Did you behave?" Iris asks the kids, "yes" Judith smiles, Iris stands when she hears fighting, "It's for my family, man!" "Hey!" "Hey, break it up." Gabriel shouts, standing between the men, "Come on. That's mine, alright?" "I said break it up. Come on. Everyone calm down. There's enough food for everyone." Gabriel says.

..........

"One week." Gabriel says, "That's it? In that last run, just a week?" Daryl questions from the seat next to Iris, "We can make it work." Aaron says "How? We just took in two new communities. We have no crops, no back stock." Carol says.

Iris anxiously picks at the skin around her nails, "We can get there. Got people out there right now, scavenging houses for materials." Aaron explains "And they're slowing down. It's a little hard to put up a wall with broken tools and an empty stomach." Gabriel says.

"Our people are good hunters. Frost and I could take a group out." Agatha says, "Ground's all spent. The last big horde scared all the animals away." Iris says, "We can find new territory." Daryl adds, "We don't have time. We need food. Lots of it. Now." Gabriel says.

Iris looks down at her hands as Daryl holds onto it, stopping her from picking at the skin anymore, "I know one more place. The place I lived before this. Where we lived. Meridian. It's got plenty of food, water, crops, and animals." Maggie explains.

"Yeah, and now it's gone." Elijah says, "So, what happened out there?" Rosita asks "We were on a mission. Leading walkers away. Duncan, Agatha, and Frost took the last shift at the front of the herd. Going miles out. I circled back with Elijah, Cole." Maggie explains, taking a deep breath.

"On the way back home, things kept going sideways and we got stuck out on the road. Looking back now, I don't think that was an accident... All of a sudden, we heard these screams in the distance. We raced back home. But it was too late. Most of our people had been slaughtered. And the rest of us barely got away with our lives." Maggie continues.

"The people that attacked us... We only knew two things about them. They come at night, and by the time you see them, you're already dead. That was before we caught one. Daryl and Iris were with me. He came after us alone." Maggie says.

"Why? Because there aren't that many of them. They're at Meridian now. There's plenty of food to feed Alexandria 'til we get this place back up and running again. That's why they took it. We just need to take it back." Maggie explains.

"So... you're leaving to fight ghosts. That's the plan?" Aaron questions, "You have a better one?" Maggie asks "Shore up Alexandria, for starters. The walls are not stable. Walkers will get inside. That's not if, it's when. Alexandria needs us." Aaron says.

"This is for Alexandria. My son is here. I have skin in the game, too." Maggie says "Yeah, but if they slaughtered everyone once, what the hell makes this situation any different?" Rosita asks "Duncan, Agatha, and Frost are Meridian's best fighters, and now I have them. And hopefully, some of you, too." Maggie answers.

"Maggie, this sounds like a suicide mission." Rosita says, "Well, if we don't have food, it's not gonna matter, anyway. I'll go." Daryl says, standing up, "i'm in" Iris says, standing next to him, "Anybody else?" Daryl asks.

Iris watches people raise their hands "Alright." Daryl says, grabbing onto Iris's hand and leading her out of the building. Judith and RJ walk over to the pair, "we've gotta head back out for a while, remember to be good" Iris says, kneeling down to the kids.

"We will, dont worry about us" Judith says, "i've got something for you" the girl adds, reaching into her coat pocket and pulling out a cap, "i found it for you" she says, Iris smiles as she takes the cap, "thanks kid" Iris says, pulling the girl into a hug.

She can't help but think back to when Carl got her hat back from that saviour, realising how much alike Judith is to her older brother, Iris pulls back and puts the hat onto her head, "how's it look?" Iris asks, looking up at Daryl, "it looks great" Judith smiles.