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just keep breathing

CHAOS BROKE OUT.

Tomas fell to the ground, his face forever frozen in a state of shock from the knife that pierced his brain and ended his life. Rick pulls his knife out, the motion making a sickening squelching sound as the force sprayed blood and grey matter in the air. Rick breathes heavily, letting the blade fall limply to his side, staring at the dead prisoner with a vengeful glint in his eyes. For a moment, no one spoke, staring at Rick with wide, panicked eyes, even Daryl.

"No!" Andrew exclaims, screaming as soon as Tomas hit the ground. He rushes forward, his fingers tightening around his baseball bat, swinging it behind his head

Before he gets the chance to hit anyone, Rick kicks him in the shins, causing him to double back with a sharp breath. Iris puts her dagger away, taking out her gun instead, pointing it towards Andrew protectively. She could afford to risk attracting more walkers by shooting her gun if it meant neutralising a threat. She had never killed a human being before, but she couldn't let that stop her.

Daryl lifts his crossbow, loaded with an arrow ready to fly into Andrew's skull just by the pull of a trigger before Andrew can stand up properly."Easy now."

Andrew gasps, staring at their raised weapons as he scrambles to stand up. He crawls backwards, still half sat down as he turns around, sprinting past the open door, out of view before anyone could do anything about it. Iris grunts, watching him go as she flexes her jaw, clenching her fist in anger. She couldn't let him get away, run wild through the prison. Not when her family were sitting unsuspectedly in the cells, not expecting an attack.

Rick sighs, walking past Daryl at the speed of lightning, clutching his gun in his hands. "I got him!"

"I'm coming with you!" Iris exclaims, pushing on her feet as she runs after Rick, not waiting for a response from Daryl before rushing off. She didn't want Rick to end up in a face off alone, not when she was here to have his back no matter what.

She can vaguely hear Daryl grunt as she turns the corner, telling Oscar and Axel to get on their knees. They almost had control of the situation, but Andrew was a loose thread that they had to pull. The risk was too high, and they weren't in a position to let anyone new in and potentially wreck everything they were slowly building.

They just couldn't have it.

Iris sprints as fast as her legs could take her, catching up to Rick as the two of them skid around the corners, the small bit of light illuminating from Rick's flashlight revealing where Andrew was, not quite fast enough to escape their eyeline. Andrew ran fast, twisting and turning down the bare and similar walls as he raced away from them.

Iris keeps her fingers on her gun, following Rick almost mindlessly as the only thing she could focus on was Andrew's form ahead of her and the potentiality of him getting away, and doing harm to her people, and it was enough to keep her going despite the breathlessness in her lungs. The footsteps merged together like the pitter patter of rain, starting light and turning into a storm of heavy flow, drenching them all in the feeling of urgency as Iris and Rick got closer and closer to catching Andrew.

They reach the end of the hall, staring left and right in the two potential directions that he could've run in. Iris sighs, perking her ears, trying to listen for him. She looks at Rick, whispering to him in as hushed a tone as she could muster. "Should we split up?"

Rick shakes his head, pointing with two fingers to the left. The sound of a door slamming shut makes Iris straighten up, understanding Rick's silent directive. He takes the lead, sneaking towards the door and opening it as quietly as possible, pointing his gun into the empty space. He nods at Iris, and she walks forward, realising that Andrew was headed outside.

She watches as Rick holds his gun up, walking through the hall as he stalks Andrew like a predator stalks his prey. Her hands start to shake as she listens to Rick's intentional breaths, knowing exactly what he was doing: hunting. She takes a step back, blinking again and again as Rick's comforting and protective figure transforms into something much more sinister in her mind, flashing in and out between Rick and Shane, the image of her attacker burned into her eyes as she relives what she thought was going to be her final moments.

She shakes her head, holding her hands to her hair as she desperately tries to get rid of the memories of what Shane did to her. This was an entirely different situation, Rick wasn't Shane. He wasn't going to hurt her. Shane's reasoning was purely self-driven, putting his own need for survival above all else. Rick was trying to protect their entire family, doing what he had to do

Rick wasn't Shane.

Rick wasn't Shane.

Rick wasn't Shane.

Iris bites down on her lip, so hard that she feels the sting of blood. She lifts her finger, tasting the metallic red blood with her tongue, and lightly touches the split lip, wincing as the prick snaps her back into focus. She wipes her finger on her sleeve, staring back at Rick — actually seeing Rick and not the haunting ghost of his best friend seeping through the cracks. Rick hadn't noticed her slip up, focusing on Andrew as a brilliant light cascades over the hall.

Andrew had found the outside.

Rick runs out of sight, and Iris swallows the bile that rose up in her throat as she rounds the corner, realising that Andrew had found the courtyard that they had locked up, the one still full of walkers. Andrew stood right in the middle of it, staring at the walkers that surrounded him like a sheep in a wolf's pen.

Iris makes a small sound of surprise, rooted in her spot as if her legs were welded to the ground with wet metal. Andrew looks around in fear, his eyes landing on Iris standing behind her brother. Their eyes lock.

He was terrified.

Iris' heart skips a beat, watching in horror as Andrew realises exactly what was about to happen. He sprints to the open bar doors, running for his freedom, but before he could make it through the doors, Rick pushes the metal bars shut with a clang, separating him and Andrew, leaving him to the mercy of the walkers despite Andrew's pleas.

"Let me back in, man! Let me back in! Open up, man, open up!" Andrew yells. His eyes were wild, desperate, animalistic. His head snaps towards her, and she flinches. "You seriously wanna do this? You wanna let me die?!"

Iris gasps, accidently covering her fingers in the blood from her split lip. She can't rip her gaze from Andrew's face, practically committing it to memory as he stares at her, an angry, accusing stare.

"You better run." Rick says, blocking her view. Iris squeezes her eyes shut tight, listening to Andrew's guttural, terror-stricken screams.

Until there was nothing but silence.

Iris turned around, crouching on the ground until her head was almost to her knees, her hands cradling the back of her head as she heaved in and out. She blinks heavily, trying to force the tears away, but they just wouldn't stop running down her cheeks. She didn't understand what was happening to her. They needed to get rid of the prisoners that caused trouble, she had wanted this, since the moment she laid eyes on them, she had wanted to do everything she could to keep her family safe.

But when it came down to it, she froze.

Iris claws at her throat, feeling her lungs constrict and burn as if her air supply was cut off. She gasps, trying to scratch her way inside her neck, to stop it from tightening, tightening, tightening.

"Iris." Rick's voice cuts through her panic, his hand resting on her shoulder.

She flinches, unwillingly and violently, continuing to claw at her own neck in utter hysteria. "I can't breathe, I can't breathe."

"You can breathe." Rick replies, kneeling on the floor next to her. "There's nothing stopping you from breathing, okay? In, out. Just like that. Come on."

Iris closes her eyes, listening to Rick's voice as she tries to focus on her breathing. Rick slowly brought her hands away from her neck, stopping her from hurting herself by accident. She sniffles, still gasping in air like she was trapped underwater, taking her hands away from Rick as they flailed around. "No, he-"

"He's gone. He can't hurt you anymore." Rick says firmly. He takes her hand in his, bringing it to his chest so she could feel his heartbeat, which had always calmed Iris down when she was distressed or upset. The familiar and constant sound of the heart pumping blood through the body helped her to attune her own pulse and breathing.

She nods, taking long sweeping breaths as well as she could, gently lifting her head to look into the eyes of her older brother, seeing nothing but understanding and consideration. She bites her lip, wishing that all of this pain would just go away. It all felt so long ago, that she was running through the woods for her life, but this was the first time she was faced with a reminder like this, even if the situations were different, even if she had stopped having dreams about it, even if she stopped talking about it. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I- It's not you, it's not. I just- I couldn't breathe."

"It's okay." Rick answers, and he shuffles in his spot, moving closer to her. "I know. You can breathe, I promise. I'm sorry, Iris. I'm sorry."

Iris nods, wiping her tears with the back of her hand. "You did the right thing. I think you did the right thing, I just-"

"I know, kid." Rick says. He stands up, extending a hand out for her. Iris looks up, sniffing one final time before she takes it, allowing Rick to hoist her up. He pats her hands, giving her a small smile. "I know you do. I get it. You've got nothin' to explain to me. You alright?"

Iris nods, ignoring the sting in her lips as she speaks. She takes one final breath, smoothing out her shirt."Yeah. I'm- I'm all good. Promise. We still have the others to deal with, anyway."

Rick shoots her a pointed look, one that she wasn't in the mood to try and decipher. She was right, they really didn't have time to dwell in this hallway while Daryl and T-Dog were trying to deal with Axel and Oscar, and they needed their support. Rick sighs and bobs his head, moving out of the way so that she can walk past him. "Okay. Come on."

Iris silently thanks him for not pressing the issue further, walking towards the cell block entrance and hoping that Daryl and T-Dog had everything handled. She felt bad enough that she had to dredge up the past like this, in front of Rick of all people, and she desperately needed this situation to be over. She wanted to go home to Glenn, feel his arms around her instead of the phantom hands that she suddenly felt squeezing on her neck, for the first time in months, and she just wanted to feel it melt away.

Rick doesn't say anything further, and the two of them walk back through the halls, until they find their way through the cell block doors, hoping that they weren't about to deal with yet another situation with these prisoners.

The sight they saw was comforting in a strange, twisted way. Axel and Oscar were on their knees, at the mercy of Daryl and T-Dog as they raised their guns, pointing it at their heads and stopping them from making any kind of movement. Daryl looks up as soon Iris and Rick enter, the silent question carrying through the air without so much as lowering the gun in his hands.

"It's done." Rick answers. He spares a glance towards Iris, seeing the approval and the apologetic gaze she was giving him, and he steps forward, unsheathing his gun and pointing it directly at Oscar, stopping only sheer inches away from his forehead.

Rick tilts his head, his breaths quickening as he grunts, trying to figure out what to do. He moves his gun even closer, if that was even possible, his hands shaking as he grips the weapon tightly. He grits his teeth, flexing his jaw in anger, spitting his words out. "What are we supposed to do with you!?"

"We didn't have nothing to do with that!" Oscar defends.

Rick scoffs, the muscles in his arms tightening as he leans down to Oscar's level. "You didn't know? You knew! Daryl, let's end this now!"

Rick pushes away from Oscar, his face red and his eyes glaringly hard, pouring into Axel as his fingers brush against the trigger. Daryl leaps forward and puts his knife against Oscar's neck, looking to Rick for the go ahead to end this once and for all.

T-Dog looks at Iris, his eyes wide as saucers as he watches Rick and Daryl, his own grip on his gun wavering. Iris swallows the metallic drops of blood on her tongue, shaking her head in acceptance. If this was happening, it was better to get it over with now, than to pay for it later. She knew that. She did.

She doesn't think about what Dale would've had to say about that.

"Sir, please, please listen to me!" Axel pleads, still on his knees, looking up at Rick and the gun trained between his eyebrows. "It was them that was bad! It wasn't us!"

"Oh, that's convenient!" Rick yells, pressing his python against Axel's head. He flinches from the cold metal feeling and the implications from it.

"You saw what he did to Tiny! He was my friend! Please! We ain't like that!" Axel continues. "I like my pharmaceuticals, but I'm no killer! Oscar here, he's a B and E and he ain't very good at it neither! We ain't the violent kind, they were! Please! Please, I swear to god! I wanna live!"

Rick grunts, moving away from Axel as fast as lightning and he points his gun back at Oscar, titling his head as he questions him. "What about you?"

Oscar meets Rick's gaze, puffing his chest and staring, unflinchingly, at him. "I ain't never pleaded for my life. And I ain't about to start now. So you do what you gotta do."

Iris feels a pang of respect for the man, seeing the stark difference in him compared to Tomas and Andrew. It was like he understood the rules to this new, warped world, knew that it had become a kill or be killed society, and he had refused to become part of it. It was noble.

Iris looks at him and she sees a human being who doesn't deserve a bullet at point blank range.

As much as she wants to be the person who can look past that, she just can't.

"Rick." She suddenly says, shocking even herself. Rick and Daryl both look at her, their puzzled expressions making her sigh and she simply shakes her head. "I- I don't know. We have the keys, don't we? We didn't clear this whole block for nothin'."

She watches Rick consider it, looking between her and Oscar. Daryl nods his head, very slightly loosening his grip on the knife around his neck. T-Dog steps forward, his gun completely lowered, waiting for Rick's instructions.

Rick may be their leader, but he was a fair man. It was by no means a democracy, but Rick did hear out the opinions of the others in the group, and if people had pressing concerns, he always paused before making a rash decision. It was all of the dead that came before them that had influenced the carefully built dynamic that went into decision making: the stain of Shane, the strong moral code of Dale, the directness of Andrea. If they really felt that this wasn't right, Rick would understand.

Slowly, Rick lowers his python. "Get up."

Oscar's courageous expression didn't change, not even when Daryl hauls him up into a standing position. However, as Axel stood up on shaky legs, he smiled. "Thank you. Dear God, thank you."

Daryl swung the keys around in his hands as they led the two prisoners to their new cell block. It was empty now, just as desolate as Cell Block C, littered with bodies and stained in blood and guts. However, it was safe, and by today's standard, meant it was a damn good score.

The five of them walk into the cell, their footsteps echoing through the hollow halls. Iris shakes her head at the bodies, each one lined up outside of their cells, with a bullet in the skull. They'd never even stood a chance. She looks away. She had seen bodies every day now for as long as she could remember, but there was something different about a body of someone who had never even turned into a walker. It made it more real, somehow.

"Oh man! I knew these guys, they were good men." Axel says, shaking his head as he catches sight of the executed men.

"Let's go." Rick says, ignoring Axel's remark. T-Dog stood on the other side of the bars, waiting for Rick, Iris and Daryl to cross over.

Oscar turns around, eyeing Rick with frustration. "So you're just gonna leave us in here? Man, this is sick!"

"Trust me, this is the best score you're ever gonna get." Iris says, her voice as hushed as a whisper. Oscar looks at her, studying her face, and she shuffles uncomfortably. They were the villains in Oscar and Axel's story, she realised.

"We're locking down the cell block." Rick says, motioning for Iris to walk with him through the door. She steps through, turning to look at the two men again from the other side of the bars. "From now on, this part of the prison is yours. Take it or leave it, that was the deal."

Daryl moves to follow them, but at the last minute, he turns back. "You think this is sick? You don't wanna know what's outside."

"Consider yourselves the lucky ones." Rick adds.

"Lotta people haven't made it." Iris says, curling her fingers around the metal bar. "Lotta people."

"Sorry about your friends man." Daryl says, before he walks through the doors, walking off ahead of them, the angel wings on his jacket almost outlined in an ironic glow from her flashlight.

T-Dog closes the door, locking it. "Word of advice: take those bodies outside and burn them."

𖤓𖤓𖤓

"Iris." Glenn breathes, taking hold of her as soon as she steps through the metal door.

Iris melts into his embrace, letting him engulf her as she rests her head on his chest. Glenn's hands found their way to her hair, holding her even closer than she even thought possible. She wraps her arms over his shoulders, playing with the hair on the back of his neck. She hums in content, closing her eyes as she hears Rick, Daryl and T-Dog enter behind her.

Glenn pulls away, bringing his left hand to the side of her face, brushing his thumb over her split lip. His eyes soften, looking over her face with an overwhelmingly strong sense of concern. He was so close that she could feel his breath on her face, his warmth undeniable. "You're bleeding."

Iris shakes her head, as he moves his hand to stroke the side of her hair. "It's okay. It doesn't hurt."

"Are you okay?" Glenn asks, catching tight of her wet eyes and tilting his head curiously.

Iris nods. "Mhm. There's- there's only two prisoners left."

"They're not a threat?" Glenn asks, moving his hands from her face to her shoulders. Iris moves her hand up, holding it on top of his and smiling.

"No. At least I don't think so." Iris answers softly. Her voice was a little hoarse, which was to be expected after her moment of panic. She suddenly gasps, feeling awful that she had just been thinking of herself. "Oh god, how is Hershel? Is he-"

"He's okay." Glenn cuts in, stopping her spiral before it could even start. "He's alive. Everyone's okay."

Iris takes a breath in, nodding. She steps past Glenn, squeezing his hand as they walk together towards Hershel's cell. Lori, Beth and Maggie were standing by his bedside, but Hershel was still out cold, the only thing signifying that he was alive was the slow rise and fall of his chest and the small flutter of his eyes under their lids. He was handcuffed to the bed, a safety precaution if the worst did happen and he turned.

He did look healthier, less sickly and half-dead and more like he was just sleeping.

"Hershel stopped breathing." Carl says, hanging off of the bars and looking up at his father. "Mom saved him."

Iris' mouth hung open, the idea of Hershel not breathing for even a second felt like a shock to the system, despite the fact that it had been a high possibility since the moment he was bitten. Glenn nods. "It's true."

"Still no fever." Lori says, holding onto her stomach like she had done a lot since she started showing.

"That's good." Iris speaks, moving forward a little to pat Carl's hat. "No, that's great."

Iris looks around as Hershel starts to shift a little in his bed. Maggie's eyes widened, moving closer to her father, listening as his mouth moved open and shut, like he was trying to speak. Rick perks up, walking into the cell and standing at Hershel's bedside. Iris pulls Glenn into the cell, fighting a smile as she watches Hershel slowly wake up.

There was a silence that fell along the group, just watching Hershel, sharing excited glances everytime he made even the slightest of movements. Maggie sat down on the bed, staring at him as his eyes fluttered open.

Maggie grins. "Daddy?"

"Daddy!" Beth exclaims. There was a giddy laugh that washes over her, clinging onto Maggie as she giggles. "Daddy!"

Iris bounces on the balls of her feet, suddenly feeling so much lighter as she looks at Hershel, his open eyes scanning the room with a slight haze of confusion, but allbiet, awake and alert. She looks at Glenn, who grins at her and laughs.

Rick stretches over and takes Hershel's handcuffs off. There was no longer any reason that he needed them on, he was alert and he was getting better. Hershel would not become a walker anytime soon.

Hershel's eyes move towards Rick. He hadn't spoken a word yet, but he definitely had a certain level of awareness as they lit up in recognition. He reaches out a weak hand, trying to grab at him. Rick leans down, taking hold of Hershel's hand in his, tightly. For a moment, they stay like that, hand in hand, a silent show of solidarity and above all, gratitude.

As Lori quietly slips out of the cell, Rick looks up and watches her go. He stands up, inclining for Beth before he takes her hand, placing it in Hershel's. Beth smiles, holding Hershel's hand and clinging onto Maggie. Iris smiles as she watches the small family, hoping that the three of them would never have to lose the incredible bond that they shared. Rick walks out of the cell, and Iris wonders if he was going to talk to Lori.

Maybe their little family could repair their bond one day.

The group wanted to give Beth and Maggie some privacy with their father, and eventually they scattered around the prison, feeling safe again now that the prisoners were under control. Iris sits on the edge of the bunk in her and Glenn's cell, rubbing her face with her hands as she lets her hair loose, trying not to bite her already aggravated lip as she bounces her knee. She was exhausted, the stress of today was getting to her, more than normal, but she just couldn't get herself to relax.

"Hey."

Iris looks up. Glenn was standing in the doorway, smiling at her. Iris has no idea how long he's been standing there, wrapped up in her own mind, but she was glad he was here. "Hi."

Glenn sits on the bed beside her, grunting a little as he sat down, patting her knee. She turns her head to smile at him, her blonde hair loose and curling down her shoulders, reaching over to kiss him on the cheek. Her lips linger for a moment, feeling the warmth of his skin. Glenn's mouth upturns and his head drops to her shoulder, planting a line of kisses down her bare shoulder. Iris fights a gasp, her smile growing as her hands brush through his hair. He stops when he reaches her shoulder blade, cautious of going too close to her neck, which only makes her brighten up more, knowing how loved she was by him.

He wasn't like any other boy she'd ever known, like any boyfriend she'd ever had in the past. He loved her, wholly and unconditionally, since the day that they met, and their relationship was intimate in every way, but their emotional connection was one that she had never experienced. For so many boys, they only had one thing in mind, but Iris and Glenn were different. They'd waited, for a while, and it was so much more special because of how much they understood each other, and Iris knew that she could talk to Glenn about anything.

"Hey, Glenn?"

"Yeah, love?" Glenn asks, pulling away from her shoulder at her tone, playing with her hair as he waits for her to talk.

Iris closes her eyes for a moment, bracing herself. She looks up at him, staring into his eyes. "Something- something weird happened to me today. I think it was a... like a panic attack or something."

Glenn sits up straighter. "A panic attack? What happened?"

Iris shrugs. "I don't know. We ran into some trouble with some of the prisoners. One of them was bit, but the other two... Well, one of them Rick had to kill, he was terrible, a killer. The other one ran and- and Rick was chasing him through the prison, and he left him out there in that courtyard, the one we didn't clear. But when I was watching Rick chase Andrew through the halls, it was like it triggered something in my brain and I just panicked."

Glenn is quiet for a moment when she stops talking, staring at her as tears start to run down her cheeks. Then, he holds out his arms. "Come here."

Iris nods, sinking into his arms as he rocks her, gently kissing her forehead. Iris sniffles. "It was like I couldn't breathe. Like after Shane. But I knew that Rick wasn't Shane, I knew that Andrew wasn't Randall."

"You went through something terrible." Glenn soothes, still rocking her softly on the edge of the bed. "It's understandable. You see something that reminds you of what happens and you're unable to distinguish what's really happening with what happened in the past."

Iris takes in his words, blinking away her tears. "It felt so real. But Rick was right to do what he did. Now we can feel safe again. Now things can feel better again."

"They will." Glenn tells her, stroking her hair in a comforting, almost ritualistic manner. "There's a place here for us."

God, she felt like a screw-up. Glenn was so sweet, and so loving, but she felt like she was constantly on the edge of losing her mind, dragging him down with her, struggling to quiet the hurricane that was constantly brewing inside her. She buried herself further into Glenn, clutching his shirt with her hands.

"I'm sorry I'm such a mess." Iris whispers, licking her split lip as her voice breaks.

"Shh." Glenn says, whispering to her just as quietly, bringing his lips close to her ear. "You don't ever have to apologise to me. We're all messes, sweetheart. It's going to get better."

Iris sits up, kissing him on the other cheek before she rests her forehead on his. Glenn was right, of course he was. He had the incredible gift of faith, and when he told her that things would get better, she believed him.

After all, they had fixed things with the prisoners, and Hershel had finally woken up, and it really did feel like Iris could breathe.

"It will." Iris replies, giving him a soft kiss on the lips. "I believe that now."

𖤓𖤓𖤓

"Have some water." Iris says, carefully tipping the cup towards Hershel's lips.

Hershel takes a couple of slow sips before Iris takes the cup away, setting it on the table beside the bed. She shuffled closer in her seat, smiling at the older man as he sat up a little in bed.

Since waking up yesterday, Hershel had been improving bit by bit. First it was simply staying awake for longer periods of time, then he started talking and shifting around a little in his bed, and he was in higher spirits than ever. Iris truly didn't know how Hershel did it, losing so much, losing a part of himself and being able to crack jokes and brighten up the spirits of everyone around him. Beth and Maggie had spent countless hours at his side, and Iris wanted to relive them just for a while, so they could stretch their legs, stop staring at the same four walls.

"Thank you." Hershel smiles, patting her hand.

"Of course." Iris replies, placing her other hand on top of his. "I'm glad you're feeling better."

"Me too." Hershel says. "Don't you worry. I'll be up and about in no time. Hopefully we can find a walker-proof wheelchair."

Iris laughs, shaking her head at Hershel's endless enthusiasm. "Maybe. You never know, huh?"

"You're looking better." Lori walks into the cell, looking down at Hershel proudly.

"Thanks to you, I hear." Hershel responds, sitting up a little more. "I'm gonna repay you, the moment that baby in there is born."

"I appreciate it." Lori replies, her tone honey sweet as her gaze moves from Hershel to Iris. "Mind if I borrow Iris for a minute?"

"Be my guest."

Iris frowns in confusion and stands up, following Lori as her sister-in-law guides her towards the stairwell. Lori sits down, struggling a little by account of the baby in her stomach, patting the stair next to her. Her expression looks serious, and Iris tilts her head as she sits down. "Lori?"

Lori pauses for a moment, tucking a strand of hair behind her ears. "Those prisoners? You really think they'll stay where they are? They won't hurt us."

Iris raises her eyebrow at the question, wondering how much Rick had told her, if he'd told her anything at all. She can sense the anxiety in Lori's body language, and she puts a reassuring hand on her shoulder, giving her a genuine smile. "You know what? Yeah. The ones who are left? They're good. I really think we're gonna be alright, Lor. We're turning over a new leaf, all of us."

Lori gives her a small smile. Her voice wavered a little, but she nodded. "I'm sure we will. Carl went to the infirmary yesterday. By himself."

"He did?" Iris asks, feeling a flutter in her chest. "But the walkers..?"

"He said he killed two of them." Lori sighs, holding her forehead in worry. "He's slipping out of my grasp, Iris. So, I need you to promise me something."

"Of course." Iris shuffles closer to Lori. After all this time, things really did feel better. Repaired, almost. Iris had known Lori since she was five years old. She had helped her through everything. When Iris got her first period, Lori taught her all the best tips and tricks. When Iris started showing an interest in boys in the ninth grade, Lori helped her learn how to use makeup and bought her teen magazines. When she got obsessed with the idea of babies after Carl was born, Lori gifted her a new doll, a pram and an entire wardrobe of baby born clothes. Even now, Lori was still such a presence in her life, and the idea of a new baby was incredibly exciting to her. "Anything. Anything at all."

"Promise me you'll take care of Carl? No matter what." Lori says firmly. "I know it'll be okay, but if it isn't, I need you to tell me that you'll take care of Carl."

"I will." Iris replies, without skipping a beat. "No matter what. I've got him, Lor. Always." 

AUTHORS NOTE

❥ Welcome back to Doomsday!
❥ I just watched the episode where Carl dies for the first time.... I'm actually in mourning oh my god.
❥ This was a very special chapter for me. Delving into how Shane has affected Iris was something I always wanted to explore but I didn't actually know that Iris was going to have a panic attack like she did until I was actually writing the scene and it really did feel right. I loved writing her and Glenn, and also Iris and Lori and their complicated dynamic that's just gonna aahhh in the next few chapters.
❥ I'm very excited for the next few chapters aaahh
❥ If you enjoyed, please vote amd comment <3