Heartstopper stories

The Last of Us (Part 3)

Content warnings: Same as the other chapters

Nick's pov

I didn't feel as shitty today as I did the days before. I went outside to catch some fresh air, played soccer with the kids in camp, talked to my mother, and hung out with friends. It's been two months since the outbreak and since I last saw Charlie. It's been rough without him, but I'm starting to feel a bit better every day. I have to. I can't spend my life thinking about him and wanting him with me, even though that's exactly what I want. But that's not what Charlie would have wanted me to do. So, I'm starting to make myself useful in this small community. 

Every day I help my mother and friends with the chores at this camp. We clean the houses, make the food, take care of the kids, and all that stuff. The kids in this camp seem to really love me. I don't know why, I don't do anything special in particular, but they do. There is this one boy who also loves rugby. He keeps coming to me to talk about it. It's adorable. But the more I spend time with these kids, the more I wish that would've been a future for me and Char. I know that's corny and weird since we're only sixteen and seventeen, but maybe it would have been in the cards for us in the future. I'd like to think that.

It's pathetic, but ever since I lost him I started writing these letters to him. I'm telling him about how life is right now and how I'm spending my days. I tell him about his friends and his family. Oh right, his family is here too. They came up to me a few hours after I woke up and hugged me tightly. They already knew what happened and were grieving a lot. We found comfort with each other. Tori especially needed that support and I gave it to her as best as I could. She did the same to me. I think besides my mother, Tori has been my best support. But, as I was saying, I'm writing these letters to Charlie. I also tell him about how much I miss him, even though I'm trying to move on. I think the letters are helping me with that. I can say my goodbyes, even if he can't hear me. 

Tori came up to me. "Do you want to go for a walk?" She asked. "Yeah, sure." I nodded and walked across the field with her. The military built high fences to keep the infected out while we live here in safety. The military also goes out to hunt for food and water. There haven't been any incidents with the infected, even though we can hear them all the time. I do feel safe here, but I can't help but feel a bit nervous all the time. Tori and I were walking in silence when she finally decided to talk. "How are you?" She asked. I shrugged and looked at the trees outside the fences. "I'm managing. You?" "Same." Suddenly, she chuckled. I looked at her in surprise. "I never thought I would go to you for support." She said. I chuckled too now. "Yeah, me neither. Not that I don't like you. I just..." "Yeah, no, I know. We were not that close." 

"He really brought us together without even knowing it," I said. She nodded. "He always wished that we would talk more. Like, without him making us. I always thought 'what is the use', but now I get it. I just hate that it's because of shared grief instead of genuine interest." This made me think for a second. I guess it is the only reason why I'm talking to her. I suddenly felt this overwhelming cush of guilt through my body. I don't want her to think that's the only reason she's worth talking to. 

"I'm sorry I've never shown interest in you. That's not what I want you to think of me. Let's start over and talk about ourselves for a change instead of Charlie." I said. Tori smiled softly at me and nodded. She held out a hand and I shook it while chuckling. "Hi, I'm Tori." "Nick," I said. We laughed and walked further over the field. 

----------------------------------------------------------------------

Charlie's pov

Simon and I have been walking around for a month now. We've been going from town to town to see if there was anyone out there that could help us or was just like us. We didn't have any luck in that department, but we were able to stack some food for us to survive. The towns are mostly filled with infected people, but we were able to lay low and made it through. Now, we are in Simon's town, hoping to find an answer to where his girlfriend is.