<3rd Person Pov>
Rick's footsteps faded down the hall, leaving the group still gathered around the tables. For a few seconds, no one spoke. Then Andrea leaned back in her chair, raising her eyebrows.
"Well, guess I'm officially unemployed," she said. "Should I be offended or flattered?"
T-Dog laughed, shaking his head. "Damn, even Carl and Sophia got a job. You really out here freeloadin', huh?"
Carl smirked across the table. "Guess you should've volunteered faster."
Sophia giggled beside him, trying to hide it behind her hand.
Andrea rolled her eyes. "Fantastic. I got outperformed by two twelve-year-olds."
Jacqui smiled, leaning forward a little. "Well, somebody sure did complain an awful lot about cooking and cleaning."
Andrea crossed her arms. "I wanted to help defend the place, not fold clothes."
Amy smirked. "Your first instinct was to load your gun when you heard snoring."
Andrea gave her sister a deadpan look, then pushed her chair back and stood up. "You know what? I'll have a little talk with Rick."
Glenn chuckled. "Poor Rick. Didn't even get a full minute of peace."
Daryl leaned back in his chair. "Man's married, ain't he? He's used to it."
That earned a few laughs. Lori just sighed quietly, like she'd heard one too many jokes for the day.
Itachi stood without a word and headed for the door.
Amy looked up at him, curiosity flickering in her eyes. "Where're you going?"
"The tombs," he said. "To get the paint."
Nobody said much as he walked off. Amy's eyes followed him until he turned the corner, that small, thoughtful smile lingering like she couldn't help it. A few quiet minutes passed before he came back, carrying three small paint cans and a few worn brushes.
Sophia's eyes widened as soon as she saw him. "You actually found it!"
Itachi set the cans down on the table. "Three colors. It'll have to be enough for now."
Carl leaned forward, trying not to look too interested. "What colors?"
"Red, blue, and yellow."
Sophia grinned. "That's perfect!"
Carl gave a small shrug. "Could've used green."
Amy smiled faintly. "You can make it if you mix them, you know."
Carl blinked, then looked at the cans again. "...Right."
Sophia giggled. "Told you I'd be better at this than you."
Daryl smirked from where he sat. "Kid's already losin' and they ain't even started."
Carl grumbled, folding his arms. "I'm better, you'll see."
Amy smiled and looked at Carl as if he'd been caught red-handed. "I thought you weren't interested."
Carl shot her a quick glare. "I'm not. I just don't like losing."
Glenn smirked. "Sure you don't."
Sophia picked up one of the cans as she started heading towards the wall. Carl trailed after her, trying to look uninterested but walking close enough to see what she'd do first.
Before they could get far, Carol stepped in front of them, that gentle smile already on her face.
"Not so fast, sweetheart. Go change into your old clothes first."
Sophia blinked, then glanced down at her clothes. "Oh… right."
Lori crossed her arms, looking towards her son. "Same goes for you, Carl."
He groaned, dragging out the sound. "Seriously?"
Lori gave him that look only a mother could. "Seriously."
Sophia set the can back on the table before hurrying off. Carl muttered something under his breath but followed her anyway.
Lori watched the kids walk off before turning towards Itachi. For a moment, she just stood there, her arms crossed, weighing something behind her eyes. Then she stepped closer.
"Can we talk for a minute?"
Itachi gave a small nod and followed her towards the far end of the block, where the noise of the others began to fade.
Amy's gaze followed them until they turned the corner. The chatter around her faded into the background. Whatever trace of a smile she'd had was gone, leaving behind something quieter, something she couldn't quite name.
At the far end of the block, Lori stopped and faced him. For a moment, neither of them spoke.
Lori crossed her arms tighter, her voice lowering. "He's been walking around with that gun you gave him."
Itachi didn't answer right away. It took him a moment to realize what she was talking about.
"I'm sorry," he said.
Lori blinked, caught off guard by the apology. "You… you're sorry?"
He gave a small nod. "I should've informed you or Rick about it."
Lori crossed her arms tighter. "You think?" Her voice wasn't sharp, just tired. "You can't just give him a gun and act like that's normal."
Itachi met her eyes, steady. "It's not normal. But it's the world we're in."
She shook her head. "He's twelve. He shouldn't have to carry that kind of weight." She looked away after a moment, her arms falling slightly. "I just don't want him to lose what's left of being a kid."
Itachi's reply was quiet but final. "Then let him live long enough to grow out of it."
He turned to leave, taking a few steps before stopping again. "I'm not his parent. I can't make that decision for him. But you can at least prepare him for the world he'll have to live in."
He didn't wait for a reply. His footsteps faded down the corridor until only silence remained.
Lori stayed where she was, the words she'd meant to say slipping away. She didn't know whether to be angry… or admit that he was right.
By the time Itachi returned, the sound of laughter had already filled the block. Carl and Sophia had started painting, streaks of red and blue covering one of the walls in uneven lines. Carol watched from nearby, trying not to smile as Sophia proudly pointed out her work.
Amy turned when she heard his footsteps. "That took a while," she said, studying his face. "Everything okay?"
Itachi gave a faint smile. "Yes."
Sophia's voice cut through the room when she spotted him. "Come on, join us!"
Itachi hesitated, unsure, but Amy was already on her feet. She caught his arm, smiling as she tugged him forwards.
"Come on," she said. "It's time you relax a little, and you've still got some time before you have to head out."
Itachi didn't resist when she tugged him closer. Sophia was already covered in streaks of color, her hands stained red and blue as she worked on the wall. Beside her, Carl was mixing the yellow and blue together, proud of the dark green forming in his cup.
Amy handed Itachi a brush. "Here. Don't overthink it."
He took it. "I wasn't planning to."
"Good," she said, dipping her own brush into red. "Because that's how fun dies."
She swiped a quick stroke on the wall. A few drops spattered his sleeve.
He looked down, then at her. "You missed."
Amy grinned. "Depends who I was aiming for."
Sophia laughed. "You two are worse than Carl and me!"
Amy looked over at her, a spark in her eyes. "Challenge accepted."
Sophia gasped, smiling wide. "You're on!"
Carl raised a brow. "Wait—are we really doing this?"
Sophia pointed her brush at him, grinning. "Yes! Now come on, we can't lose!"
Amy turned towards Itachi, lowering her voice with a grin. "Guess that makes you my teammate."
He glanced at her brush, then at the two kids already preparing their next move. A small smile tugged at his lips. "I see no tactical advantage in this."
"Then you're not thinking creatively enough," she said with a quick smile.
Sophia whispered something to Carl before launching a sudden streak of green across the wall, just missing Amy's arm.
Amy laughed. "Oh, it's on now!" She dipped her brush and made a quick counterstrike of blue, right beside Sophia's paint.
Carl laughed. "You missed!"
Amy arched a brow. "Did I?"
Carl looked down as his pants were splattered with blue paint.
He tried wiping the stain with his hand, only spreading it more. "Great. Now it's worse."
He looked up at Amy, narrowing his eyes as he dipped his brush back into the paint. "Alright… now it's war."
Itachi was still quiet, watching the chaos unfold, until Amy gave him a look that could only mean one thing.
"Come on, soldier," she teased. "You're not getting out of this that easily."
He sighed softly, but the corner of his mouth twitched. "Fine."
Then, with one calm, precise motion, he dragged a clean yellow line across Sophia's and Carl's work.
Amy stared at it, amused. "That's your strategy?"
"It's called territory," he said.
She laughed, shaking her head. "You're impossible."
He dipped his brush again, a faint smile on his face. "And winning."
Amy rolled her eyes, still smiling.
The chaos didn't last long. The next few minutes passed in scattered laughter and half-finished shapes, the wild splashes turning into something more playful than competitive. Sophia painted a crooked flower beside Carl's lopsided tree, proud of both. Amy added a bright red sun overhead while Itachi quietly filled the space beneath with some shapes.
Glenn wandered over, shaking his head with a smile. "Didn't think this place could look worse, but somehow you proved me wrong."
Amy threw him a grin. "Give it a week. It'll grow on you."
Carol sat nearby, watching her daughter laugh — the sound alone relaxing her more than anything else could. Lori leaned against the wall, a small, reluctant smile breaking through as she took in the scene.
Off to the side, Daryl had been watching the whole thing from his chair. He stood and walked up behind them, quiet enough not to draw attention.
He stopped beside Carl and leaned in, lowering his voice. "Hey, give me the brush for a sec."
Carl blinked, confused, but handed it over without thinking.
As Itachi stepped back to look at the wall, Daryl dragged the brush across his back in one quick motion, a streak of green cutting clean through the shirt. He set the brush back in Carl's hand before the kid even realized what had happened.
For a heartbeat, everything went silent as Itachi turned around.
Carl's eyes went wide the second he realized he was holding the brush.
Carl stammered, "I— I didn't—"
Daryl's face stayed perfectly straight. "Kid, what the hell'd you do that for?"
Carl's jaw dropped. "What?!"
Itachi's gaze shifted towards Daryl.
Carl swallowed, eyes still locked on Itachi. "Daryl…"
Daryl's voice came out slower this time, a hint of unease creeping in. "…Yeah?"
Carl hesitated, then muttered, "I think you should run."
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🧪 Author's Note:
So, for starters, I know some people might not agree with how I handled the situation between Lori and the MC. But no matter how much I don't like her, she's not wrong here — at least not completely. The MC really had no right to hand over a gun to her kid. You have to remember, they're twelve, and killing someone — even a walker — can mess a kid up at that age. No mother would want that for her child, especially not when everyone is still trying to cope with the new world and hold on to whatever innocence and normalcy they have left.
And for all the things I dislike about Lori, one thing's certain: she absolutely loved her children and would do anything for them, and I'll die on that hill. So I wanted to give her some justice here and not make her blindly oppose everything just for the sake of conflict.
Let me know what you thought about this chapter — did you enjoy it, or not so much? Your feedback always helps me improve the story.
🖤 Thanks again for reading!