⁺˚⋆｡°✩₊✩°｡⋆˚⁺
the attack on the quarry

"WE HAVE TO GIVE HIM THE GUNS." IRIS SAYS.

There was no other option, no other way around it. Iris felt sick to her stomach thinking about it, about handing over their bag of weapons, their protection, their safety. These guns had become nothing but a prize to gain, and it simply wasn't worth it. Not to Iris. They had to give up the guns, because they could not afford to risk what could happen if they didn't. She wouldn't let it even be a debate. It was Glenn over a bag of guns without question.

As it turns out, not everyone shared the same opinion as her.

"You can't be serious." Iris laughs, because if she didn't laugh, she would start crying. "You don't want to hand over the guns."

No one responds to her.

"Rick!"

Her brother unzips the duffel, laying the guns out one by one, taking stock. Iris sighs, crossing her arms. Unbelievable.

Daryl watches Rick with narrow eyes. "Them guns are worth more than gold. Gold won't protect your family or put food on the table. You're gonna give that up for that kid?"

"Not just for a kid. For Glenn!" Iris says.

"If I knew we'd get Glenn back, I might agree." T-Dog cuts in. "But you think that Vato across the way is just gonna hand him over?"

Miguel, who was in the corner of the room, watching their debate, pipes up. "You calling G a liar?"

"Are you a part of this!?" Daryl yells, slapping Miguel over the head. "You want to hold onto your teeth!?"

"Question is, do you trust that man's word?" T-Dog asks.

"No, question is what are you willing to bet on it?" Daryl paces the room, acting like this decision was as easy as picking what you wanted for dinner, and not a literal life on the line. "Could be more than them guns. Could be your life. Glenn worth that to you?"

Iris scoffs. "Yes! Have you all gone insane? He would do this for you, he would do more than this for you, for all of you, damn it. We're not leaving him behind. They're just guns!"

Rick more aggressively loads another gun, staring at Daryl. "What life I have I owe to him. I was nobody to Glenn, just some idiot stuck in a tank. He could have walked away, but he didn't. Neither will I."

Iris looks at Rick, her eyes filled with hope. Rick was right, Glenn didn't leave people behind. He was the reason that Rick was here, that her brother was safe and home and here. She wasn't giving up on him, not now, not ever.

"So you're gonna hand the guns over?" Daryl still looks unconvinced.

"Yes." Iris says.

"I didn't say that." Rick says at the same time.

It only takes one look for Iris to know what he's getting at. Her eyes widened. "An ambush? Seriously?"

Rick ignores her sharp words, looking between T-Dog and Daryl. "There's nothing keeping you two here. You should get out, head back to camp. Iris... I know you're not going to leave, so... just listen to me when we're in there."

"Rick, think about what happened last time we tried to ambush them." Iris bites her lips, speaking in a low voice. "It's not worth the risk! It's not."

"Iris, just trust me, okay? Trust me." Rick says, firmly. "You two can head back out."

T-Dog shakes his head. "Oh yeah, leave. And tell your family what?"

Rick nods his head in solidarity, sharing a glance with both T-Dog and Daryl. The thought reassures her a little. It was a risky plan, but it would be easier to pull off with all of them in. She uncrosses her arms.

As Rick hands the newly loaded guns around, Miguel stands up. "Come on, this is nuts. Just do like G says."

Miguel's protests get ignored as Rick and Daryl continue to load the guns, preparing for the very thing that had gotten them into this mess: an ambush.

𖤓𖤓𖤓

Rick's rifle was forcibly pressed against Miguel's back, his hands tied as he walked with difficulty towards Guillermo's building. The doors were already ajar; they were expected. Rick offered Iris a rifle, like the three men held in their hands, but Iris opted to keep Opal's handgun which was still tucked away in her belt. She wasn't planning to use it unless absolutely necessary.

She still wasn't sure if she agreed with the plan to go in all guns ablazing, but now it was happening, she felt proud of the fact that her brother had chosen to fight, and just maybe, this could bring a positive outcome.

As they walk into the room, Iris takes in her surroundings. There were men planted all over the room, staring at them with hostile eyes and raised weapons. She scanned every single one of their faces, but she couldn't see Glenn anywhere.

The men parted like the red sea, and Guillermo stepped forward. "I see my guns but they're not all in the bag."

Rick raises his rifle higher. "That's because they're not yours. I thought I mentioned that."

The man who had spoken to them before, Miguel's cousin, rolls his eyes. "Let's just shoot these fools right now, ese. All right? Unload on their asses, ese."

"I don't think you fully appreciate the gravity of the situation." Guillermo's voice was still just as confident.

"No, I'm pretty clear." Rick cuts Miguel free, pushing him forward. "You have your man. I want mine."

Guillermo gives a low chuckle. "I'm gonna chop up your boy. I'm gonna feed him to my dogs. They're the evilest, nastiest man-eating bitches you ever saw. I picked them up from Satan at a yard sale. I told you how it has to be. Are you woefully deaf?"

Iris' fingers twitch as she brushes them against her gun. She looks at Daryl and he gives her a curt nod.

"No, my hearing's fine. You said come locked and loaded." Rick says. In a heartbeat, Rick, Daryl, T-Dog and Iris cock their guns, pointing them at Guillermo. Iris did everything in her power to stop her hands from shaking. "Okay then, we're here."

Guillermo and his men followed Rick's lead in an instant, raising their guns until they were stuck in a total stalemate.

"Felipe! Felipe!"

Iris frowns at the voice. It wasn't guarded, it wasn't defensive, it was shaky and vulnerable. As if the guns didn't even exist, an old lady walks past Guillermo, right in the line of fire. Iris' grip slightly loosened on her gun.

Miguel's cousin's voice softens. "Abuela, go back with the others, now."

Something did not add up here.

"Rick." Iris calls, as the old lady got closer and closer.

"Get that old lady out of the line of fire!" Daryl yells.

"Abuela, listen to your mijo, okay? This is not the place for you right now." Guillermo's voice had a softer edge to it too. Iris moves her mouth into a very straight line, suddenly feeling like they had gone and misinterpreted this whole situation. Could a group of people who house such a sweet old lady really be capable of killing Glenn? Or was this all just one big understanding.

The realisation that they had just assumed the worst of these people rocked Iris' mind. Were they really this far gone, did the end of the world change them so much that they had completely forgotten about the benefit of the doubt?

Had they lost their humanity?

The old lady, Abuela, moves even closer. "Mr. Gilbert is having trouble breathing. He needs his asthma stuff. Carlitos didn't find it. He needs his medicine."

Guillermo nods somberly. "Felipe, go take care of it, okay? And take your grandmother with you."

Felipe puts his gun down, stepping forward to take her arm. "Abuela! Ven conmigo por favor."

"Who are those people?" Abuela asks, and Iris feels her chest rising with guilt. Iris was someone who loved old people, she took over Opal's shop and she knew all of her customers by name. And now she was threatening some sweet old lady with Opal's gun.

Felipe keeps speaking to her in Spanish. "Por favor, ven conmigo."

Abuela pulls away from his grip, looking at Rick straight in the eyes, clearly catching his uniform and newly discovered hat. "Don't you take him."

"Ma'am?" Rick asks.

"Felipe's a good boy. He has his trouble but he pulls himself together. We need him here." Abuela holds a hand to her heart.

Rick lowers his gun, confident that Daryl and T-Dog and Iris would have his back if it went sideways. "Ma'am, I'm not here to arrest your grandson."

"Then what do you want him for?"

Rick pauses. "He's… helping us find a missing person."

Iris puts her gun back on her belt. She puts on her most convincing smile, smoothing her hair through. "His name is Glenn. He's a dear friend. Have you seen him?"

Abuela lights up. "The Asian boy? He's with Mr. Gilbert. Come. Come, I'll show you." She holds onto Iris' hand, pulling her towards another room. Iris lets her, with her heart speeding up at the confirmation that Glenn was okay and he was helping a sick old man. "He needs his medicine."

Abuela holds Iris' hand all the way to one of the back rooms of the building, through a courtyard and up some stairs. Rick follows, along with the bag of guns and Daryl and T-Dog, who were still very guarded. The second building was better structured, not as affected by the bombing of the city. It had a very distinct smell, like a hospital. Iris realised very quickly what this was.

These people were not bad at all.

They walk past several rooms, all of which housed different elderly people who were being taken care of by younger members. Iris looks back at her brother and catches the understanding on his face as they walk further and further into the nursing home. Even Daryl lowers his weapon.

The final room was a big, open gymnasium, where a lot of people were gathered around a man who was breathing heavily. Mr Gilbert, most likely. Felipe had already made his way over, kneeling next to the man and whispering kind words.

As Iris got closer, her straight expression turned into a grin as she recognised the familiar red cap, belonging to her best friend, who was also kneeled with Mr Gilbert. God, she felt so relieved she let out a breathy laugh, stepping forward. "Glenn."

"What the hell is this?" Rick asks.

Glenn finally looks up at the four of them, looking very focused as Felipe helps Mr Gilbert with his medicine. "An asthma attack. Couldn't get his breath all of a sudden."

"I thought you were being eaten by dogs, man." T-Dog exclaims. Glenn smiles sheepishly.

There were three chihuahuas sitting in a little dog bed, whimpering and barking and ultimately harmless.

Once he was given the medication, Mr Gilbert managed to catch his breath, and everyone could rest easy. As Rick engages in a low conversation with Guillermo, Iris runs over and hugs Glenn, wrapping her arms tight around his neck.

"Whoa, whoa, what's that for?" Glenn asks, but he still wraps his arms around her waist.

"I will never avoid you ever again, even if you're carrying a gross severed hand. Even if you're carrying a dozen gross severed hands." Iris rambles, holding him close. "You scared the hell out of me and the whole time you were just hanging out with a bunch of old ladies!"

Glenn laughs and pulls back. "Iris, it's okay. The hand was gross. Blame Daryl for that, not yourself."

Iris nods, looking back at Daryl, who was listening to Rick's conversation with Guillermo. "Yeah, I'm good with that."

She walks closer to the others, where Guillermo was now speaking in a quiet, non-confrontational voice.

"Well, I'm glad it didn't go down that way."

"If it had, that blood would be on my hands." Rick replies. He looks at Iris as she walks up, a look that says a million things. She smiles.

"Mine too." Guillermo admits. "We'd have fought back. Wouldn't be the first time we've had to. Protect the food, the medicine, what's left of it. These people, the old ones, the staff took off, just left 'em here to die. Me and Felipe were the only ones who stayed."

Iris bites her lip. It was a long shot, but she had to ask, to know. "Did you ever let in anyone named Opal Bennett? She's 83, I lost her in the struggle."

Guillermo turns to one of his men, who just shakes his head. "No, I am sorry."

Her heart breaks all over again. "What about Doris Anderson? Bette Powell? Lisa Fisher?"

Guillermo shakes his head. "I'm sorry."

Iris just nods in return, not trusting her own voice. She knew the odds, she knew it was unlikely, but the feeling of grief and loss still weighed her down. She'd experienced a miracle getting Rick back, and it was naive to expect that twice. Yet she felt like she was suffocating just as much as that old man.

"What are you, doctors?" Rick asks.

"Felipe's a nurse… a special care provider. Me, I'm the custodian." Guillermo says, looking over at Abuela with a kind gaze.

"What about the rest of your crew?" Rick asks. It was true, there was a severe lack of other nurses or workers in the home, and the elderly population greatly outnumbered them.

"The Vatos trickle in to check on their parents, their grandparents. They see how things are and most decide to stay. It's a good thing too. We need the muscle. The people we've encountered since things fell apart, the worst kind, plunderers, the kind that take by force."

"That's not who we are." Rick says, not defensively but still with a strong, assertive tone.

Guillermo shrugs. "How was I to know? My people got attacked and you show up with Miguel hostage. Appearances."

Iris can't fault him for that. They had done the exact same thing, after all. Everyone in this world could do with being a little more trusting. It might take them a long way.

"Guess the world changed." T-Dog comments.

"No. It's the same as it ever was."" Guillermo replies. "The weak get taken. So we do what we can here. The Vatos work on those cars, talk about getting the old people out of the city. But most can't even get to the bathroom by themselves, still, it keeps the crew busy, and that's worth something. So we barred all the windows, welded all the doors shut except for one entrance. The Vatos, they go out, scavenge what they can to keep us going. We watch the perimeter night and day and we wait. The people here, they all look to me now. I don't even know why."

Iris certainly knows why. Guillermo was a natural leader, and he cared. He had the best qualities that led to the creation of such a beautiful community.

"Because they can." Rick nods, holding a respectful hand to Guillermo's shoulder.

It was the best possible solution for such a big mess that had been created. Glenn was safe, and the big villain they were expecting to have to fight to get him back ended up being nothing but a kind man who needed protection for th elderly people in his care.

They split the contents of the bag in half.

Iris left that place feeling a little more connected to her own humanity than before. It was refreshing, being somewhere else other than that camp, to talk with people that weren't the same dozen people she spoke to everyday. For one of the first times since the world had ended, Iris felt a flicker of hope.

Glenn wasn't put off by his kidnapping and rescue, and as they walked away from the home with their half of the guns, he grins at Rick. "Admit it, you only came back to Atlanta for the hat."

Iris hums, sending Rick a cheeky smile. "Mhm. He loves that hat. Gives him a sense of authority."

Rick shoots the pair an amused look, shaking his head. "Don't tell anybody."

Iris was excited to go back to camp and tell Carl all that had happened today. The twelve year old was big on adventure stories and comic books, and this was a hell of a story. Plus, it had a pretty damn good moral message.

Apparently, Daryl wasn't as entertained."You've given away half our guns and ammo."

"Not nearly half." Rick says, standing his ground. Iris straightens up, watching her brother proudly.

"For what? Bunch of old farts who are gonna die off momentarily anyhow? Seriously, how long do you think they got?" Daryl snorts.

Iris gives him a look of disgust. "That makes them any less undeserving of life than any of us?"

"How long do any of us?" Rick adds. If Daryl had a reply in mind, it was lost when they finally got to the spot where they'd left their van.

Only, in its place, was nothing but an empty space.

Iris whips her head around, convinced they'd accidently just walked to the wrong spot. The expressions of the others just confirmed what she knew was true.

"Oh my God." Glenn exclaims.

"Where the hell's our van?" Daryl spits out, his face going as red as a beetroot.

"Someone's taken it.." Iris tails off, her jaw hanging open in shock.

"We left it right there." Glenn says. "Who would take it?"

"Merle."

Iris stares at her brother. "No..."

"He's gonna be taking some vengeance back to camp." Daryl closes his eyes.

"We've gotta get back." Iris was filled with the same fierce determination she felt when she thought Glenn had been taken hostage. "Now."

𖤓𖤓𖤓

Four hours.

That's how long it took to run back to camp.

Iris' legs ache like hell, her lungs were burning as she panted for air. Her hair was stuck to the back of her neck, her fringe sticking to her forehead. Four long hours.

None of them slowed down, not even for a moment. They all knew what was at stake if they couldn't get back in time. Merle had a hell of a headstart on them, and he had a truck on his side.

Night had already fallen, and Iris started to stumble as she walked. She was exhausted, and all of her adrenaline was draining from her body the longer it took to get home.

"God, I don't know if I can do this." She pants, wiping sweat from her forehead.

Rick pauses and turns around. "You can, Iris. Look up there, that's all we have to get to. Just a little further."

"Okay." Iris nods. "Just a little-"

Bang. Bang. Bang.

Three gunshots rang out, consecutively. They echoed brutally over the woods, a vicious display of violence, of death, of fear. It was coming from the Quarry.

Iris forgot about her exhaustion.

The five of them ran. As fast as humanly possible. Despite the fact they had been moving for four hours, despite the fact that they were scared out of their minds.

When they arrived at camp, breathless and confused, it was so much worse than Merle Dixon.

It was walkers. Dozens of them. Snarling and baring their teeth, like the animals they were, tearing into some of the people at camp. There were people screaming and running and Shane was emptying his clip into the mass of walkers that roamed the camp that was once safe. It was too dark to see, Iris couldn't spot Carl in all of the chaos.

She didn't even have time to think about it, she just grabbed a hold of her gun and shot.

The sound of the shot made everything go silent for a second. Her hands shook. T-Dog, Daryl, Glenn and Rick were shooting their guns, lunging forward and taking out every single one they saw.

Iris stared at the walker that she had jusr shot in the face. She was a woman, barely decomposed, with curly brown hair and a pretty dress. And a hole in her face. She screams.

She stumbles over her body, looking up at the blur of movement ahead of her. There was another walker heading right for her. She shot a bullet. She hit the walker right in the face. This time it was a man, who had a pair of round glasses that were now shattered.

Rick's voice carried across the camp to her ears. "Baby! Carl! Baby!"

His pleas snapped Iris back to reality. She looks up again. There were more, so many more.

They weren't people anymore. They were just the monsters that were trying to kill her nephew.

She shoots two more walkers. She doesn't look at their faces.

A shout caught her attention, and through her own heavy breaths, she sees Glenn a couple of feet away, fighting off one walker while another came right at him. Iris doesn't hesitate, shooting the second walker in the head from her distance and running over, bashing the walker that Glenn was fighting with the barrel of her gun.

"Thanks." Glenn breathes, reaching over to grab her hand. Together, they take out a couple more.

After ten minutes of fighting, all of the walkers were dead. The camp fell into a dull silence. No one knew what to do, what to say.

Iris broke away from Glenn, falling to her knees beside Rick, taking Carl from his arms and pulling him into a bone crushing hug, her eyes filling with tears. "You're okay, you're okay."  

"Iris." Carl sobs, burying her head in her shoulder.

"Amy! Amy! Amy!"

Iris looks up from her hug with Carl, letting out a sob of her own when she hears Andrea's cries of grief.

Amy was dead.

"I remember my dream now, why I dug the holes." Jim says.

Iris squeezes her eyes shut. The darkness was much more preferable to the horrors that were reality right now. She couldn't believe how high her spirits were just a couple of hours ago.

There was no hope. Not anymore.

AUTHORS NOTE

❥ Welcome back to Doomsday!
❥ Three chapters in three days?? What's gotten into me?? I have no idea but I'm loving my energy.
❥ We only have two more episodes left of season one to adapt, which is so so exciting!
❥ I love the growth that Iris went through in this chapter, she's coming into herself more and more.
❥ If you liked, please vote and comment, it goes a long way <3