The Last Of Us: Past And Present

Chapter 8

Chapter 8:

Tommy was on his way to Maria, when he heard the gunshot ring out. He spun around, and looked up at the wall to see Houser with his rifle up, his eyes peering through the scope. "Houser! What is it?" Tommy usually wouldn't care, but for some reason he felt compelled to go see what it was Houser had nailed. He jogged back over to the wall and climbed up. He took the rifle from Houser and looked into the scope. He froze when he caught sight of what lay outside the walls of the dam. The blue jeans, the work-boots. The jean jacket. His eyes grew twice their size, and he thrust the rifle back into Houser's arms, and vaulted over the wall.

"Tommy! What is it?"

"Get a medic out here!" Then he was running towards what seemed to be the body of his brother Joel. When he reached the body, he skidded to a halt and kneeled down on one knee. As gently as he could, Tommy rolled Joel onto his back. When he caught sight of Joel's left arm, he felt his heart drop. Where his left forearm had been, was a bloody, ragged stump. It had been clumsily wrapped in gauze, which had long since been soaked through, and was now a deep red. Tommy heard the voice of Maria from behind him, yelling to him, but he was all of his focus was on Joel. The blood from his wound spilled onto the grass and soaking that as well. Suddenly, Maria was next to him.

"Here, help me." Without another word he put an arm under each of Joel's arms and began to drag his body across the earthy floor. Maria grabbed his feet, and the two carried Joel towards the dam. Tommy felt his muscles straining to keep Joel elevated, and he grunted as they made it through the gate. "We need something to carry him on." Tommy said. Moments later, two men came running over with what looked like a large board of wood. After a lot of heavy lifting, they finally got Joel onto the board, and the two men began carrying him towards the doc's quarters. Tommy couldn't help but feel grateful for the doctor making it out with them. He was a good man, and the only trained doctor among them.

Tommy quickly followed the two men. Together, they reached the makeshift infirmary in a few minutes. When the doc caught sight of Joel, his eyes widened.

"What's this?"

"It doesn't matter! Can you fix him?" The doc looked down at him and rubbed his forehead. "Well I...I suppose-"

"Than do it!" The doc nodded his head, and grabbed his tools before beginning work on Joel.

Joel's body was a mass of sore muscles and aching bones. Is this hell? He thought. It had to be, he couldn't remember a time he had felt this bad. Joel heard voices around him, talking in quiet tones. He didn't recognize one of them, but the other sounded exactly like Tommy.

Tommy? If this was hell, than how was he here?

You're not in hell Joel. You're just in pain. Joel could work with that. He tried to open his eyes, but the lights were blinding and he immediately closed them. Joel lay still for a long time before trying again. Slowly, he got his eyes to open, and he let them roam around the room he was in. He must have been at the dam, that much was for certain. From where he lay he could hear the roaring sound of electric turbines. Joel tried to sit up on the cot he was lying on, but was unable to get his body to move more than a few inches before large amounts of pain shot through him. He let out a groan, and let his body fall back on the cot.

The moment the sound had escaped his lips, the hushed voices stopped, and he heard the sound of approaching feet. "Joel?" Yep, that was Tommy alright. Joel slowly let his eyes slide open and he looked up at his younger brother. When he saw the worry lining the younger man's face, he couldn't help but chuckle.

"I'm alright little brother." Tommy still looked concerned, but he let a sound that could've been relief escape his lips. "Jesus Joel. You look like the devil caught up with you." Joel chuckled again at that little comment. "Yeah well...ain't nothin' like looking how you feel." Was his response. Tommy let a smile flash across his face.