<3rd Person Pov>
The farm stayed quiet longer than usual. By the time the first people stirred, the sun was already up. Nobody had slept well; the night had been too heavy, with loss.
Itachi was the first one awake, already sitting by the fire, making himself something simple to eat.
Rick emerged from his tent a few minutes later, shoulders stiff, eyes shadowed from a night without rest. He stopped when he saw the boy by the fire.
"Morning," Rick muttered, his voice rough.
Itachi glanced up, offering the faintest nod. "Morning."
Rick let out a breath and looked towards the line of parked vehicles, the supplies still untouched inside.
He turned back to Itachi. "When they're up, I'll need your help. We're gonna unload those cars and get everything sorted."
Itachi nodded once. "And someone should keep watch over the farm."
Rick considered that for a moment, then gave a short nod. "You're right. I'll ask around, maybe T-Dog can take the first watch."
The two sat in silence, enjoying the quiet morning as they ate, neither feeling the need to speak.
From the tents, a zipper rasped open, breaking the stillness. Not long after, more people began stirring. One by one, they stepped out into the sunlight, slowly gathering in the yard.
Rick rose to his feet, brushing his palms against his jeans. His voice carried across the camp.
"Come on. Got something you all need to see."
He started heading towards the parked vehicles, and the group followed, curiosity cutting through their fatigue. When Rick pulled open the first trunk, the weight of the yard shifted. Inside were bags of food, water, and medical kits.
For a moment, no one spoke. Then a few murmurs broke the silence, disbelief and relief mixing together.
Rick moved to open the doors to reveal rifles propped against the seats, bags of ammunition piled on the floorboards.
Each car was packed to the brim with bags of rounds, high-caliber rifles, sealed military rations. And there stood the crown jewel itself: an armored vehicle.
Jim let out a sharp breath, his words slipping out before he could stop them. "Holy shit…"
Jacqui gave a nervous laugh, shaking her head. "Guess we don't have to count bullets anymore."
T-Dog let out a low whistle. "Man, this is unreal. With everything we had before, and now this? We're sittin' on enough firepower to take down a small town."
Andrea crossed her arms, a faint smirk tugging at her lips. "This is like hitting the damn jackpot."
The camp buzzed, voices overlapping in disbelief as people started moving, sorting everything into piles.
Glenn's voice suddenly rang out, louder than the rest, carrying pure excitement. "Holy crap!"
Heads turned. Andrea's eyes locked on him and immediately went pale. Glenn was standing by the armored car, both hands wrapped around a rocket launcher he had just dragged out of the backseat.
"Glenn…" Andrea's tone went flat with alarm, all the color draining from her face. "Don't move. Just put it down. Slowly."
Instead of freezing, Glenn started to turn towards her, the launcher shifting with him. Andrea's eyes went wide, her hands shooting up. "No—don't move it!"
T-Dog noticed next, his eyes going wide. "Hey, hey, man — whatever you do, don't. Drop. It." He edged a step closer, his voice softening like he was talking to a toddler. "Just… put it gently down, okay? Nice and easy."
Shane came up behind Glenn, his expression a mix of disbelief and fury. He grabbed Glenn's wrist firmly and pried the launcher out of his hands. "Are you outta your damn mind? Don't wave this shit around!"
Glenn swallowed hard, his face red as he stammered. "S-sorry! I just… I guess I got a little too excited. Never thought I'd actually hold one of these in real life."
A few nervous laughs broke through the camp, the tension easing just enough for the group to get back to work.
Off to the side, Rick caught Shane's eye. Without a word, the two slipped away from the noise, moving past the barn and out towards the tree line.
By the time the weapons were sorted, the sun had drifted higher. The excitement had dulled into steady work, everyone falling into rhythm, doing what needed to be done.
Inside the kitchen, Patricia and Jacqui worked alongside Carol, Lori, and Amy. The counters were crowded with plates and rations. A large pot simmered on the stove as Amy stirred it carefully.
"It's almost funny," Jacqui said, shaking her head as she chopped carrots on the counter. "When everything started, we were arguing about scraps. Now we've got so much we don't even know what to do with it all."
Patricia gave a small smile as she sliced open a packet of dried meat. "That's a good problem to have."
Carol set a few cans aside, her lips tugging into a grin. "Don't forget the wine they brought back."
Jacqui laughed, shaking her head. "Now, now… don't go tempting Lori. You know she can't have any." She leaned a little closer over the counter. "And speaking of it… where did they put it?"
Amy raised an eyebrow at her, a small smile tugging at her lips as if she could already tell what Jacqui was thinking.
Lori rolled her eyes. "Last thing we need is you stumbling around the farm."
Jacqui chuckled, shaking her head as she wagged a finger. "Mm-hm… that's just the jealous talkin'."
Before Lori could reply, the sound of quick footsteps pattered down the hall. Sophia came running into the kitchen.
"Mom! Can I go play with Itachi?" she blurted, barely stopping to catch her breath.
Carol smiled and ruffled Sophia's hair. "Of course, sweetheart."
Amy glanced up from the pot. "He's training right now, but once he's done, you can."
Sophia nodded eagerly, already running outside.
Lori glanced at Carol, who had a smile lingering on her face. "You don't mind her spending so much time with him?" she asked carefully.
Carol looked at her, a little puzzled. "Why would I? He's been nothing but kind to her. He's protected her when I couldn't… and if he's showing her a thing or two on how to survive, I'm grateful for it."
Lori didn't reply. She just pressed her lips together and turned back to her task, quietly stacking cans without another word.
From the side, Amy's eyes flicked towards her. The smile she'd worn a moment ago faded as she studied Lori out of the corner of her eye.
The sound of footsteps in the hall drew everyone's attention. Hershel stepped into the kitchen with Beth at his side, Jimmy close behind her, as if ready to steady her at any moment.
Patricia looked up from the counter. "Hershel," she said gently. "We were just putting something together… there's plenty if you're hungry."
Hershel gave her a small nod, his hand resting briefly on Beth's shoulder. "Thank you, but we're just taking a walk outside. Needed a little air." His voice was steady, but his eyes lingered on Beth a moment longer.
Patricia glanced Beth's way and smiled sadly, but before she could say more, Hershel cleared his throat. "Come on. Let's get some fresh air."
Beth nodded faintly, and Jimmy was already moving to her side. The three of them passed through the kitchen without stopping until the door shut quietly behind them.
For a moment, the women left behind just exchanged glances, then the steady rhythm of chopping and stirring filled the silence once more.
Outside, the group had been finishing up with counting and sorting the supplies. That rhythm broke when Rick and Shane finally came back, both streaked with blood and dirt, their faces swollen from fresh bruises.
Glenn froze. "What the hell happened to you two?"
Daryl leaned back against the truck, smirking. "So… who won?"
Shane shot him a glare. "Fuck off."
Daryl's smirk widened. "Guess we know who lost."
The front door creaked open. Lori stepped out onto the porch, drawn by the commotion. Her eyes went straight to Rick and Shane, bloodied and bruised, both standing in the middle of the yard like nothing was wrong.
"What happened to you two?" she asked, her voice edged with worry.
Shane didn't even glance her way, brushing past the question like he hadn't heard it.
Rick answered instead, but his gaze was fixed anywhere but on her. "We talked it out."
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🧪 Author's Note:
Thank you all so much for the support — over 1100+ power stones!
In this chapter, I wanted to slow things down a little and focus more on character interactions, while also giving glimpses into Beth's state, as her situation is different here compared to the original story, since Andrea stepped in and stopped her before she could even attempt cutting herself.
Let me know what you thought about this chapter! Did you enjoy it, or not so much?
🖤 Thanks again for reading!