<3rd Person Pov>
Daryl just stood there, staring at the two girls huddled together on the back seat, both trembling so hard it looked like they might disappear if they could. He had no idea what to say or how even to start. Beside him, Itachi stayed silent, his eyes fixed on the girls while his mind raced through a thousand thoughts.
Daryl took a small step closer. "Hey… easy now. Ain't nobody gonna hurt ya."
Instead of calming them, the sound of his voice only made them shrink further back into the corner of the seat, their eyes darting between him and Itachi in panic.
Daryl turned towards Itachi, his voice dropping into a sharp whisper. "Little help here."
Itachi stepped forward slowly, lowering himself to one knee beside the car. "You're safe now. No one's going to hurt you."
Daryl shot him a flat look. He'd tried the same thing a moment ago, and it hadn't worked then, so he sure as hell didn't expect it to now.
Itachi waited a moment before speaking again. "My name's Itachi. That's Daryl." He glanced toward the man beside him before turning back to them. "Can you tell me your names?"
The smaller girl hesitated, her voice trembling when she finally spoke. "Mika."
Lizzie stayed quiet, her gaze flicking between them.
Itachi gave a small nod. "Alright, Mika. Nice to meet you." He looked toward the older one. "And what might your name be?"
Lizzie shifted a little, still clutching her sister's arm. "Lizzie."
He smiled at them gently. "Can you tell me where your parents are?"
Lizzie glanced at her sister, then looked back at them, her voice trembling. "We got separated. Daddy told us to wait here… he's coming back."
He stayed with them a moment longer, asking questions where they'd been, how long they'd waited as Bit by bit, he started to piece it together.
While he talked, Daryl kept watch, moving along the edge of the lot, scanning the tree line and the road.
When Itachi finally stepped back and closed the car door, Daryl looked over. "So? What's the story?"
Itachi stopped beside him. "They'd been staying out in the woods with their father when a few walkers wandered close to their camp, so he grabbed the girls and ran here. More started showing up not long after, so he told them to hide in the storage room while he drew the rest away from the station."
Daryl frowned. "And them bastards showed up after."
Itachi gave a short nod. "They must've come to scavenge and found the girls."
Daryl glanced at him, half irritated. "Now why the hell they talk to you and not me?"
Itachi just smiled and pointed at his face. "Guess I look friendlier."
Daryl scoffed. "Yeah, real friendly until you're in a fight." He paused for a beat, then added, "So what now?"
Itachi thought for a moment. "We wait until their father shows up."
Daryl's tone dropped, sounding more doubtful. "You think he's still alive?"
Itachi hesitated. "He should be." But even he couldn't shake the thought: if they hadn't shown up, how would the girls have survived long enough to ever see their father again, and was he even alive?
Daryl gave a short nod and started heading towards their car. "I'll bring the truck closer."
Itachi watched him go, then walked back towards the car. He opened the front door and sat in the passenger seat, turning slightly to face the girls.
"You two must be hungry," he said gently.
Mika nodded right away, while Lizzie just stared at him without saying anything.
Itachi reached into his pocket and pulled out a couple of granola bars as he handed one to each of them.
Both girls took them right away, tearing the wrappers and eating in small bites between mumbled thank-yous.
"Eat slowly. There's more if you want."
Mika nodded, chewing quietly. While Lizzie just kept staring at him.
"How old are you two?" he asked.
"I'm eight," Mika said.
"Ten," Lizzie added quickly.
Lizzie hesitated before speaking. "When's Daddy coming back?"
Itachi met her eyes. "I don't know, but we'll wait here until he does."
Lizzie nodded, falling quiet. A moment later, her head tilted slightly, eyes drifting towards the corner of the car as if she was listening to something faint.
Mika looked at her. "What is it?"
Lizzie blinked, her focus snapping back. "Nothing," she said quickly, returning to her granola bar.
Itachi watched her for a second longer but said nothing.
A few seconds later, Daryl pulled up with the truck and went straight to scavenging the station. An hour passed while Itachi stayed with the girls, keeping them company and managing to calm them down bit by bit. Outside, Daryl worked through the wreckage, stripping what he could from the bodies and gathering anything useful left inside the gas station.
Itachi spotted movement down the road as a lone walker dragging itself along the road. Then another stepped into view, and another after that. Within moments, the entire stretch was crowded with them, all packed shoulder to shoulder and shuffling down the road.
He looked towards the window and immediately caught Daryl's eyes through the glass. They'd both seen it.
Itachi moved fast, climbing into the driver's seat and motioning towards Daryl. Daryl didn't hesitate; he slammed the trunk shut and climbed in. Within seconds, both engines roared to life as they drove off.
In the back seat, Mika's voice cracked. "We can't leave! Daddy isn't here yet!"
Lizzie looked at him, confusion etched on her face. "Why do we always have to run from them?"
Itachi kept his eyes on the rearview mirror. "We'll find your dad," he said evenly. "But we can't stay here." He hesitated, glancing at Lizzie for a brief moment before adding, "They're like the bad men, remember? You can't let them get close."
The car went quiet, only Mika's small sobs filled the silence as she pressed her face into her sister's shoulder. Lizzie wrapped her arms around her, holding on tightly.
Itachi said nothing more, just kept driving. The road curved through the trees, and as they cleared the next bend, a figure appeared ahead, a man stumbling along the roadside.
"Daddy!" Mika screamed, pressing against the glass. Lizzie shouted after her, voice breaking.
Itachi slowed the truck, pulling up beside the man. He rolled the window down. "Get in," he called out.
The man blinked through the exhaustion. "Mika! Lizzie!"
"Daddy!" they both cried again.
"Get in," Itachi said firmly. "I'll explain everything."
Ryan didn't waste a second. He yanked the door open and climbed into the back seat, pulling both girls into his arms. They clung to him, sobbing, while he tried to catch his breath.
With shaking hands, he reached into his jacket and pulled out a small pill bottle, twisting the cap off before handing a single pill to Lizzie. "Here, sweetheart," he said softly. "You didn't take it this morning."
Only then did he look up at Itachi, confusion written across his face. "What's going on?"
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