<3rd Person Pov>
Most of the group sat around the tables outside the cells. The sound of forks and quiet conversation carrying through the block.
Itachi sat at the end of the table, eating quietly while the others talked.
T-Dog and Glenn came in from the cell area, still bickering.
T-Dog pointed at him. "You were the one snorin' like a damn tractor."
Glenn laughed. "Me? You're the one who sounded like a broken air vent."
T-Dog grinned. "At least I breathe regular. You skip every third one like you're fightin' for your life."
Amy walked up with a plate and set it in front of Itachi before sitting beside him, a grin already forming. "You two should be grateful," she said. "Andrea finally figured out how to put her gun back together in the middle of the night and was ready to storm your cells."
Itachi looked at her, the faintest trace of amusement in his eyes.
Andrea dropped into a chair across from them, dark circles under her eyes. "If I have to listen to one more night of you two snoring, I'm sewing your mouths shut."
Glenn blinked. "Wait, you'd actually—"
Andrea cut him off. "Try me."
T-Dog held up his hands. "Alright, message received."
Daryl didn't look up from his food. "If y'all think snorin's bad, just wait till someone starts gettin' busy in those cells."
Glenn nearly tripped over his chair trying to sit.
Daryl smirked. "Someone thought about it."
Hershel, sitting beside Beth, slowly turned his head towards Glenn.
Glenn froze, hands halfway up like he'd been caught stealing. "I—I wasn't—"
The group started laughing while Glenn awkwardly sat down.
Rick shook his head with a faint smile. "Can we keep breakfast G-rated?"
The laughter faded, replaced by the scrape of chairs and the clatter of plates as everyone went back to eating, while most of the group finally gathered around the tables.
When the noise settled, Rick finally spoke. "We need to talk about what comes next."
Every pair of eyes turned his way.
"We've got food, clean water, and space," Rick said, looking around the group. "But winter's coming, and if we plan to stay here, we need to make it livable."
He glanced around the table. "So… any ideas? What needs doing first?"
Carol spoke up softly. "We could use some of the extra blankets to make curtains for the windows in the cell area. It'd help keep the warmth in a little better."
Daryl gave a small smile. "And it'll help with the lights at night. Folks outside won't see much from out there."
Jim scratched his chin. "If we can find some scrap metal, I could rig up a small stove."
Jenner looked up from his mug. "We'd need a way to vent the smoke. Otherwise, we'll suffocate before it ever gets warm."
T-Dog shrugged. "What if we run a pipe through the window?"
Shane snorted. "It's a prison. Ain't no way you're cutting that window with any tools we got."
Jenner nodded. "If we can't get a clean vent, the next best option is to get the emergency system working again, and turn the heating back on, at least for this block."
Hershel spoke before anyone else could. "Don't forget Block D. We can't just leave them to freeze."
Rick folded his hands on the table. "The prison generator won't hold. It will burn through fuel faster than we can find it. And until we figure out a way to funnel the smoke, we leave those ideas for now."
Itachi spoke. "If there's a hardware store nearby, we could search for reflective insulation. It would help hold the heat in at night."
Rick nodded. "We'll have to make a couple of runs." He looked around the table. "Any more ideas?"
Glenn raised a hand slightly. "We could cover the cell doors with wood on both sides and pack some insulation in between, old clothes or blankets, or whatever we can spare. It'd help keep the cells warmer at night."
Daryl smirked. "You just wanna block the noise."
The group chuckled, and even Glenn couldn't help but grin.
Rick smiled, nodding slightly. "Yeah… that could work. Give everyone a bit of privacy, make this place feel more like home than a prison."
The discussion carried on for a while, everyone throwing out ideas on how to improve the place. Some talked about warmth, others about security, a few about comfort. Rick listened to each one, jotting everything down on a small piece of paper, arranging the list from least important to most.
When the ideas finally slowed, he glanced around the table. "Alright… I think that covers just about everything for now." He tapped the pen lightly against the page. "Let's break this down and figure out who's doing what."
He looked towards Jenner and Jim. "First's the filtration system. We've got the creek nearby, but it's safer to filter it. You two will handle that."
Jenner gave a short nod. "Making a simple one won't be hard, cloth, charcoal, and a few layers of sand if we can find some."
Jim nodded in agreement.
Rick turned his attention to Otis and Patricia. "I'll leave the crops to you two. If you need anything from the farm, say the word."
Patricia smiled faintly, grateful for the trust. "We'll make it work."
Otis nodded beside her. "Yeah. We'll take a look, see what we got that'll still grow when it gets cold."
Rick gave a small nod. "Good. Next—Jacqui, Lori, Carol. You three handle food and cleaning."
Jacqui gave a short laugh. "Figures. Back to kitchen duty already."
Carol smiled lightly. "I don't mind."
Lori didn't say anything, just moved her arms across her chest and continued sitting in place.
Rick exhaled through his nose, flipping the page in his notebook. "Alright. I'll go with Shane, check the fences, and see if we can reinforce them."
He looked to the others. "Maggie, Glenn, T-Dog, you're on watch duty. One of you takes the tower, the other two handle any walkers near the fence. Sort it out between yourself."
Glenn nodded. "Alright."
Maggie smiled faintly. "Just don't stick me with the night shift."
T-Dog grinned. "Yeah, we'll see."
Rick marked a few more notes. "Jimmy, you're with Otis and Patricia. Help with any heavy lifting or whatever else they need."
Jimmy gave a quick nod. "Got it."
Carl spoke up from the side. "What about me? I can help too."
Sophia chimed in, "Me too!"
Carol looked back at them. "You two should let the grown-ups handle this for now."
Itachi glanced their way, then at the bare wall nearby. "Actually, you'll have the most important job."
Carl perked up right away. Sophia leaned in closer.
Itachi pointed toward the wall. "There's paint in one of the rooms. I want you to paint this wall."
Carl's shoulders slumped. "Painting?"
Sophia's face brightened. "Can we draw anything?"
Itachi smiled. "Anything."
Sophia's eyes brightened. "Can we start now?"
"I'll bring the paint from the tombs," Itachi said. "You can start as soon as I'm back."
Rick gave a small smile. "Since we're on that topic, Beth, Amy, you two'll handle decorations and any small improvements around the place." His eyes went to Beth, then to Hershel, to make sure he was fine with it. The old man gave a small nod, saying nothing.
Beth glanced at Amy, then back to Rick. "Alright. I can help with that."
Andrea leaned back in her chair. "Oh, great…"
Amy's grin widened. "You know you love my ideas."
Andrea gave her a look, then glanced at Rick. "Don't say I didn't warn you."
Rick let out a quiet sigh, still smiling as he went back to his notes. "Yeah, we'll see."
Rick flipped to the last line in his notes. "Daryl, Itachi, you two will handle runs outside. Scavenging, fuel, food, whatever you can find."
Patricia shifted in her seat, brow furrowing. "Just the two of them? Isn't that a little dangerous?"
T-Dog muttered under his breath, "Maybe for the walkers."
Glenn nodded beside him. "Sending him alone would've been overkill anyway."
Some people exchanged confused looks at their reactions, unsure if they were joking or being serious.
Rick glanced back at Patricia. "They know how to handle themselves."
Amy spoke up. "What about the prisoners?"
Rick pushed his chair back and stood. "We'll use them when we can, cleaning, heavy work, whatever needs doing. But they don't come anywhere near this block unless Shane, Daryl, or Itachi are here to keep an eye on them."
Rick looked back toward the group. "One more thing, Sophia, Carl, you don't go near the tombs alone. Ever."
Both of them just nodded.
Rick straightened a little. "Alright. That's everything for now. Daryl, Itachi, get ready. In a couple of hours, we'll head out and finish clearing the Block D tombs."
He headed toward his cell, leaving the others to linger around the tables.
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🧪 Author's Note:
Thank you all so much for the support — over 1700+ power stones!
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