𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐊𝐈𝐃𝐒 𝐀𝐑𝐄𝐍'𝐓 𝐀𝐋𝐑𝐈𝐆𝐇𝐓 - the walking dead

six

06. OTHERSIDE

THE IMAGE of Iris Wilson with rotten flesh, grey eyes, and a huge bite wound on her neck keep repeating in her head, over and over.

Between both of her parents, her mom is her favorite. Even though her parents are equally as bad at the emotional relationship with her and bad at remembering her birthdays, she tolerates her mom more because of the times she never yelled at her or hit her whenever she was mad. She would gaze disapprovingly at her, making her wanted to curl up and die whenever her mom looks at her that way.

She does always guilt-trip her into doing anything and criticizing whatever she does to make her happy, for instance, her love for video games. Her mother would scold her whenever she yelled or got emotionally invested in the game, she once secretly selling it without telling her, the money was used to buy her a few clothes and a guitar, telling her to get a new hobby.

But, other times, she would buy snacks and helped her with her school project that required crafts, she teaches her how to stitch, crochet, and how to do her makeups. And she loved it. Her mom would also teach her how to fix a broken earphone and cables.

One of her legacy to her is her taste in music. Her mom was the one who introduced her to the bands that made her today, such as Red Hot Chilli Peppers, Led Zeppelin, The Smiths, Joy Division, Radiohead, and many other artists. They would talk hours about music. And she loved it, there's never been heart to heart conversations between them, they would just spend their time together doing whatever they doing.

And she loved it.

Her mom never tells her she loves her, whenever something emotional would happen, she would just change the conversation, not acknowledging the thick emotion in both of them. it sucked for sure, but her mom is dead now, regretting everything that she had done would do anything better for her, so, as always, she bottled it up.

After hearing the rest of the group left Merle on the rooftop, she almost jumps off the car before Rick grabs her arm and pulls her back to the seat. She can't lose someone else. She breathes heavily through her nose, trying to keep her emotions at bay. Merle Dixon is her connection to the past, to Marlon. Marlon wouldn't want him died like this, like a caged animal.

"Jack? Jackie?" Rick snapped her out of her thought. She whipped her head at him, her eyebrow raised in question. "Come on, we're here." He says softly at her, noticing the shaking in her hands. On their way to the camp, After Jackie attempted to jump out of the car to fetch Merle, she sat in her seat in silence, eyes wide and bloodshot. Her arms and face splattered with walker blood, she grips her bat tightly, as if her bat brings comfort to her. 

He saddened for the girl, seeing her mom became walkers and tried to eat her, he can't imagine how that must've been felt.

Jackie whips her head back and forth, finally realizing the truck had stopped. Finally knowing there's no immediate danger near them, her shoulders slumped and her grip on Nellie loosened. The exhaustion starts clouding her body, her entire body arched and her throat burned, not getting any hydration after the intense fight in the city against the walker. Against her undead mom.

She jumps from her seat, losing her footing when dizziness starts to fill her head, she groaned in pain.

"You okay?" Rick's hands immediately went over her arms, helping her up. She nodded, and they both walked to the camp. She saw everyone hugging their loved ones, Andrea hugging her sister, Morales went over to his family.