Forgiveness | TLOU (2014)

Chapter 2 - Of Snacks and Screaming Neighbors

"Shit! Why the hell are these things still chasing us?!" I yell to Dad. My legs are starting to burn and I can't breathe. I want to cry, I want to break down. I can't take it anymore; this pain is just too much for me to bear.

"Just keep running! Whatever you do, don't turn back and don't stop!" he yells in reply.

I suddenly remember Finding Nemo, Dory's singing pops into my head. "Just keep running, just keep running"..

Friday, September 27, 2013:

1:46 AM I slowly lift my eyelids open to find myself on my bed, in my room. Why the hell am I awake at this time of night? I have school tomorrow! Shit! I roll out of bed, and slip into my trousers, pushing my blankets off and on to the foot of my bed. I sit on my bedside and suddenly realize this: I'm hungry. Like, REALLY hungry. What for? I don't even know yet.

I sprint down the stairs for a "midnight-snack" even though it's more than an hour past midnight. I run past Sarah's and Dad's bedrooms as well, ignoring the TV in Dad's room, despite the fact that it's almost at max volume.

I slowly watch over to the fridge in our kitchen, where I find another copy of the last morning's Texas Herald. I passed by the other copy in the bathroom when I sprinted down the stairs.

I walk over to it and carefully pick up the paper with both my hands; and I then read the headline: ADMITTANCE SPIKES AT AREA HOSPITALS! 300% INCREASE DUE TO MYSTERIOUS INFECTION I take a deep breath and mutter to myself "Let's just hope we don't end up the same as the rest of them."

I put the paper down and walk back over to the fridge. I open the freezer compartment and search for what I was hungry for: ice cream. I push my warm hands into the freezer, pushing aside its cold contents to look for it, and I finally find I'm looking for. BEN AND JERRY'S PEACH COBBLER.

I start grinning my head off the moment my fingers come in contact with the icy cold carton. I pull out the carton and shut the freezer door carefully, not to disturb Sarah's peaceful sleep. She reminds me of puppy, a cute, small, innocent puppy, but a caring and selfless puppy.

I slide the carton across the counter and search for a spoon to eat the ice cream from the carton. Not exactly sure how I started developing this habit, and Dad's always scolding me for it; but I still do it anyways.

As soon as I find one, I start to eat. One, two, three spoons are in my mouth. The delicious cinnamon shortbread is definitely something nice to wake up to, so is the peach swirl and the peach chunks in the ice cream. "I might as well just read the paper", I say to myself. "FDA EXAMINES LIST OF CONTAMINATED CROPS", NOPE. Ain't reading' that, way too boring for me.

My eyes widen in alarm as my eyes flicker down to the lower headline, "POLICE: CRAZED WOMAN KILLS HUSBAND, 3 OTHERS". Oh, God. What the hell? I continue reading and the story is just getting more gruesome as I continue.

I pop another spoonful into my mouth. That's when I hear Andy Cooper's screams. I almost choke on the ice cream sliding down my throat, I realize I'm gripping the spoon so hard that my knuckles are turning white, in the dark.

"What the hell's going on..?", I ask myself as I toss my spoon across the counter. I throw the ice cream into the freezer, and search for a weapon. What should I use, though?

I'm definitely not bringing a kitchen knife; I'm not exactly fond of violence, or stabbing for that matter. But, then again, desperate times call for desperate measures.

My eyes flicker around the room, constantly asking myself, "What should I use? Should I even be doing this?"

Finally, my eyes rest upon my baseball bat. I slowly walk over to it and pick it up. I shove my feet into my sneakers, and stare at the door for a few seconds.

Breathe. In, out. In, out. "It's fine. Nothing to worry about." Am I being honest with myself? "Just open the door, close it, and check on Andy. You'll be fine." Nope. It's for my own comfort, and it's not helping me in any way possible.

I can already start to feel a lump rising in my throat. My heart's racing; I'm not even outside yet. My grip on the bat is beginning to falter because of the amount of sweat on my palms. I quickly wipe them on my trousers.

I finally force myself to turn the door handle at put one foot outside. "Good. Now the other. Repeat until you get to Andy's." And so I do. My legs are shaking; the only light guiding me is the moonlight, a glowing white light against my skin.

I finally reach the Coopers', a block away from our house. I notice their sliding door is half-open, and that there is blood smeared on the side. Now, I can really feel my heart rising up to my throat as I slowly walk over to it. I allow my fingers to slide over it, and immediately wish I hadn't. The blood is glistening in the bright light of the moon and it's still wet.

It's pitch black inside, not even the moonlight is enough for me to see the insides of the Coopers' house.

"H-hello?" I whisper. No response. "BREATHE, you'll suffocate otherwise." My brain is speaking to me. I clear my throat and say slightly louder, "Hello? An-anyone there? Andy..?" Still nothing, up until I hear a moan coming from inside the house.

I have to go in and find out what's going on. Once I force my foot into the house, I tell myself quietly, "Ah, shit. Here we go."

I slip into the house as quietly as I can, but that doesn't stop the choked scream that comes out of my mouth when I see what's left of Andy from across the room. I immediately cover my mouth with my left hand to stop myself from screaming any more than I have to.

Even worse, he's not the only one. I see his older brother Kyle has ended up the same way, except Andy's clothes aren't tattered like Kyle's. Other than that, they're bodies are both covered with blood, both skin and shirt.

They're both slouching as they stand. I hear wheezing sounds coming from them both, and I notice them twitching like dogs with arthritis. How they're still alive, only God knows.

I want to puke now, but they'll hear me, or even worse, smell me.

Just when I'm about to back out of the house, my baseball bat clunks against the sliding door's glass. Immediately, they both turn towards me and lunge at me at full speed. They're already half a meter in front of me.

Panicked, I freeze in place, gripping the bat as hard as I can, praying to God to help me out in the position I'm in.

Finally, I raise the bat above my head and yell, "SHIT!"