Solitary {2} : The Walking Dead

Chapter Seventy-four.

Acts Of God.

Iris grips onto her gun as she walks through the dark building, shining her torch in the rooms and looking around, "clear" one of the soldiers shout, Iris walks out of the room and rejoins the other three.

"They're not splitting up." Aaron says, listening to the soldiers as they move around above them, "Yeah, they will." Daryl says, "This might be our best shot." Aaron says, "No, it's too risky." Iris whispers.

"We need to just get through this and get back home." Gabriel says, "There is no 'getting through this', all right? We are in the shit till we find a way to fight our way out." Aaron says.

"Look, we keep heading north, away from our group. We find our moment, we take it." Daryl says, "Hey, what's with the chit-chat?" one of the officers questions, coming up to the group, "Man, we need a break. Been doing this for a while now." Daryl says.

Iris walks out of the room, past the officers, "And we'll keep doing this for a while, if that's what it takes." the man says, Iris and Daryl continue to walk through the house, the two officers following behind them.

"Hey, you check Charleston yet?" Daryl asks, "Why? What's in Charleston?" "There's a rumour up on the rooftops they trade for weapons and stuff. Might be something, might not." Daryl explains.

The wall collapses behind Iris and Daryl, walkers fall out from the walls, Iris drives the blade from her gun into the walker's head, she steps back and watches one of the officers struggle as the walker snaps in his face.

She watches as he manages to throw it onto the floor, smashing the back of his rifle into the walker's head, "Romano, what's your twenty?" the man lifts his walkie to his mouth, "Thirteen miles past the last outpost. Second location is cleared, one more to go." he explains, "Copy that." "Let's move." the man yells, walking past Iris and Daryl with the other officers.

"Hornsby's checking in on us." Aaron says, quietly to the other three as they make their way out, "We need to watch our backs." Gabriel says, "Yeah." Daryl agrees.

.........

"Exciting. Don't you think?" Lance questions, looking at the blonde, "Things are coming together. You get the scalps of the women who killed your family and stole our lover, and I finally get to do my job without interference. Everybody wins. Well... not everybody." Lance explains.

.........

"You at the second location?" Lance's voice sounds through the walkie, "Clearing that now." Romano says, "Finish. Then head back." "Copy that, sir. We'll head back." Romano says, clipping his walkie back to his belt.

"One last sweep, then home." he says, looking over at Daryl and the others, "All right, great." Daryl says, he keeps close to Iris's side as they start to walk through the woods, Iris looks around as they come across a graveyard of cars and vans.

She grips her gun as she watches the soldiers separate from them, she moves her focus to Daryl and watches as he nods his head, they raise their guns, shooting at the officers, Iris ducks behind a car, peering over it and shooting the men.

Bullets fly around them, the sound starts to attract the dead, Iris keeps shooting at the officers, watching them drop. She stands up straight again, shooting the walkers as they get closer.

Iris follows Daryl as he makes his way to the last living soldier, she aims her gun at him as Daryl turns him on his back, he stands over Romano and points his gun at the man's head.

"Where's Hornsby?" Daryl questions, "Screw you." Romano spits, he looks over at the walkers as they stumble closer, "It's your choice." Daryl says, Romano thinks about his options, looks between Daryl and the walkers.

"Maybe... Maybe ten miles out. He said he wanted... Said he wanted to clear the field." the man says, Daryl shoots the man in the head, stepping back, "'Clear the field'?" Aaron questions, "Leave only allies behind." Gabriel says, "Maggie." Iris says, anxiously.

"Romano, you there?" Daryl beds down and takes the walkie of the man's lifeless body "He ain't here anymore." he says, the four of them turn and start to make their way to find Maggie.

...........

"His troopers are here. He's gotta be close." Gabriel says, " Yeah." Daryl says, walking further, "We got walkers, too." Aaron says, Iris looks at the traps set up on the trees, "He set traps for them" Gabriel says.

"These aren't for them." Iris says, they look around a small camp, "What is it?" Gabriel asks, Iris looks over at Daryl, the man looks back at her, "Leah." he says.

"You know who she's out here for" Iris says, Aaron looks at her confused, "I think we should split up, cover more ground." Daryl says, Iris walks away from him, walking with Aaron.

"Who is it?" Aaron asks quietly as they walk, "she wants to kill me and Maggie" Iris says, "why you?" Aaron asks, "Daryl chose me. I killed her family. And I shot her" Iris explains.

Aaron watches as Iris walks away, making her way further into the woods, she grips onto her gun, she stops and turns, aiming her gun at the person behind her, she lowers it when she realises it's Daryl. "You didn't kill her" Iris says, "i should've told you" Daryl says.

"Yeah you should've" Iris says, she looks down at the floor "but i'm not letting her come between us again" she adds, walking over to him, together the couple start walking again.

The sun rises and they keep walking, they stop and look at each other when they hear screams, Iris runs off ahead, coming across a cabin, she quietly makes her way inside with Daryl behind her, she looks down at Leah holding a knife to Maggie on the floor.

Iris raises her gun and aims it at the leah's head but before she pulls the trigger a different bullet flies into the blonde's head, Iris looks over as Daryl next to her, he lowers his gun and looks at her, before he can say anything his focus is drawn to outside.

Iris looks out the window to see Lance and his soldiers, Daryl shoots at them through the window, "get up" Iris says, staying low and walking over to Maggie, grabbing her hand and helping her up.

Daryl grabs Iris's arm and pulls her out of the room, Maggie running behind them, they climb through the window and run back into the woods, Daryl holds onto Iris's hand, keeping her by his side. The three of them slow down when they make it to a clearing.

Aaron and Gabriel step out, joining them, Iris looks at Daryl, he looks down at her, gently squeezing her hand.