The group was up early, tension hanging thick in the air. Rick and Glenn still weren't back, with Hershel. Daryl, Shane, Itachi, and T-Dog were already by one of the trucks, packing up to go look for them.
Shane slammed the tailgate shut with a loud thud.
"When we reach town, we split into two groups," he said, checking his pistol's ammo before sliding it into the holster. "To cover more ground."
Daryl gave a nod.
"Sounds good by me."
T-Dog let out a breath, rubbing the back of his neck.
"Man, they should've been back by now. How hard is it to find one old guy?"
Daryl scoffed, not even looking up.
"Cause he ain't just some old guy. He's a stubborn-ass drunk. Try draggin' that back without throwin' hands."
Shane snorted under his breath, then walked around the side of the truck, opening the driver's side door.
"Enough talk. Let's move."
But before anyone could reach their doors, the distant sound of an engine rolled over the fields.
They all turned.
A red truck came into view down the long dirt road, heading straight towards the house.
Itachi, Daryl, Shane, and T-Dog all exchanged quick looks, then started walking back towards the house.
The porch door creaked open.
One by one, more people stepped outside, drawn by the sound.
When the car stopped, Rick stepped out and Carl immediately ran to hug him.
"Dad!"
Rick hugged him back, walking towards Lori and pulling her into the hug as well.
Hershel and Glenn exited the vehicle too.
Maggie walked towards Hershel, smiling.
"You're okay."
Hershel started opening his arms for a hug, but Maggie just walked past him, hugging Glenn immediately, who was right behind him.
While the reunion was happening, Amy walked up to Itachi.
"Why do you think they took so long?"
Itachi shifted his gaze to the back seat of the car.
"Has something to do with him."
Amy looked towards the back seat and saw a man with a blindfold just sitting there.
"What the hell…"
T-Dog noticed as well, raising his voice and pointing at the car.
"Who the hell is that?"
Glenn replied nonchalantly.
"That's Randall."
Everyone was gathered at the dining table, having a discussion about the new arrival.
Rick was standing, addressing the whole group.
"We couldn't just leave him behind. He would've bled out…"
After a short pause, he added, "…if he lived that long."
Andrea looked at Rick and asked, "What do we do with him?"
At that time, Hershel and Jenner walked into the dining room.
Hershel spoke up first, wiping his blood off his hands.
"I repaired his calf muscle as best I can."
Jenner added.
"But he'll probably have nerve damage. And won't be on his feet for at least a week."
Rick looked at them and back at the group.
"When he is, we give him a canteen, take him out to the main road, send him on his way."
Amy spoke up.
"You said he was with other people. What if he brings them here?"
Shane and Daryl both nodded in agreement.
Dale looked at Amy, surprised.
"Amy, what are you implying…?"
Amy, unsure how to answer, stuttered a bit.
"I'm not implying anything, I just—letting him go like that could come back to bite us."
Rick added, looking at her, "He was blindfolded the whole way here. He's not a threat."
Shane stared at Rick.
"Not a threat? How many of them were there? You killed three of their men, you took one of them hostage, but they just ain't gonna come looking?"
Rick answered immediately, raising his voice slightly.
"They left him for dead. No one is looking."
Shane got flabbergasted.
"You know what? I'm gonna go get him some flowers and candy."
Shane added, walking away, "Look at this, folks, we back in fantasy land."
Hershel raised his voice as Shane walked past him.
"You know, we haven't even dealt with what you did at my barn yet. Let me make this perfectly clear, once and for all. This is my farm. Now I wanted you gone. Rick talked me out of it, but that doesn't mean I have to like it. So do us both a favor, keep your mouth shut."
Shane just ignored him and walked past.
Rick looked back at the main group, away from Shane.
"Look. We're not gonna do anything about it today. Let's just cool off."
Amy and Itachi walked side by side, heading back towards camp. The air between them was quiet for a moment before she finally spoke.
"Why didn't you say anything?"
"I wanted to see how things would play out," Itachi replied calmly. "And I'm sure Daryl had the same idea as me."
Amy frowned.
"What idea?"
"To get information from him. Not just release him and hope for the best."
She slowed down a little and asked in an uncertain voice,
"You mean… like interrogation?"
Itachi gave a single nod, saying nothing.
They walked in silence for a few steps before Amy spoke again, this time more hesitantly.
"And you're… okay with that?"
Itachi glanced at her.
"I'm okay with doing what's necessary to keep everyone safe."
Amy grabbed Itachi's hand, stopping him.
"I'm not just talking about him, you know. I'm talking about you..." Her eyes searched his face. "You don't need to keep putting yourself in these situations. The camp, the CDC, the prison, you keep risking your life for us like it's your responsibility. One day… that's going to catch up to you."
Itachi looked at her eyes and saw the worry.
"If it does, I'll deal with it."
Amy looked at him for a long moment before speaking softly.
"If it ever gets too much… just tell me. I'll be here for you, no matter what."
Itachi didn't answer right away. His eyes stayed on hers, and for a moment neither of them moved.
He took a step closer, his hand tightening slightly around hers, before he leaned down and pressed a slow, gentle kiss to her forehead.
"Thank you," he said quietly. "And you should try to get some rest."
Amy stayed frozen, the faint warmth of his touch still burning on her skin. Her chest felt tight, a flush creeping across her cheeks. Words hovered on the edge of her tongue but refused to form, all she could do was give a small nod.
They walked back to camp side by side, neither of them letting go.
After Amy and Itachi returned, they split up, Amy heading off to help Andrea with something, while Itachi made his way back towards his tent.
"Could I talk with you for a second?"
Itachi turned, seeing Rick approaching.
"Sure."
Rick stopped a few feet away, lowering his voice.
"Shane and I are going to take Randall out tomorrow to let him go. I'd like you to come with us."
Itachi studied him for a moment, his eyes narrowing slightly.
"What's it really about?"
Rick hesitated, glancing over his shoulder to make sure no one was close. "It's Shane," he admitted, quieter now.
"I think he might try something with Randall."
Itachi just looked him straight in the eyes.
"Then you should talk to him. Now. Before you find yourself in a position where words won't fix anything."
Rick's brows pulled together.
"You think it's that bad?"
"You've seen it," Itachi said evenly. "Every time he looks at you, every time Lori's name comes up. The tension isn't going away on its own. Ignoring it won't make it disappear, it'll just build until it snaps."
Rick exhaled slowly.
"We've been through a lot together. Before all this, he was my partner. My brother. I keep thinking if I just give him time—"
"It's already been too much time," Itachi cut in. "You're not dealing with the man you knew before the world fell apart. You're dealing with the man he's becoming because of it."
Rick's eyes flicked away for a second, his mouth tightening.
"I've been trying to keep the peace. We've all lost enough already. I don't want it to come to—"
"It will, if you keep waiting," Itachi said. "You need to talk to him. He feels like he lost everything the day you came back. The longer he stays in that place, the faster you lose the man you once knew."
Itachi paused for a moment before continuing.
"I think you already know this… but you have to talk to him about the kid, about moving forward. If you don't, that might be the last straw that breaks him."
Rick stayed quiet, his eyes fixed on the ground, lost in thought.
Itachi turned to walk away.
"I'll come with you tomorrow. I still need Randall alive for now. But if you want any chance of fixing things with Shane, you need to talk to him about all of it… before it's too late."
He started to walk away, and in a quieter tone, almost to himself, he added, "Or maybe… it already is."
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🧪 Author's Note:
Thank you all so much for the support — we've officially passed 1600+ power stones!
Sorry, it took a bit longer this time. I spent Friday drafting the upcoming chapters because I really want them to be as close to perfect as I can make them :D
Hope you enjoyed this one! Let me know what you thought of the story and the character interactions in the comments — I love reading your reactions.
Thanks again for reading 🖤