Journey Into the Unknown - Part 2

This is the second part of a fictional thriller story 'Journey Into the Unknown Pt. 2'

If you are just coming across this piece, please start at the beginning of this saga which can be found here:

https://steemit.com/writing/@ldauch/journey-into-the-unknown-part-1

And the story continues...

A fork in the road… Left, right, which one would it be… He didn’t have the strength to think clearly, his body shook from the adrenaline and his legs ached of overuse. He began to ponder and second guess his choice in the first place. Would it really have been so bad to suffer the fate his friends had suffered and least it would be over. The infection had spread so fast that by the time the authorities were even aware there was a problem they had already been infected themselves. It didn’t take long for the whole town to become mad with this strange disease. If only he hadn’t been so arrogant. If only he had warned the authorities before the problem had gotten out of hand, well, there was at least a possibility this could have been prevented.

This was no time to become distracted with the possibilities of the past. His choice was in the present moment and with left being just as good as right and no clear idea of how to end this chase triumphantly he became overwhelmed with self pity and sat down under a walnut tree nearby. He breathed heavily as he fumbled around, trying to find the bottle of water he had tucked away in his bag. He shook the bottle violently and tried to drink the last remaining drops of water that were left. The situation was surely becoming dire. No food, no water, completely exhausted and not a clue how to fix any of these problems. Overwhelmed with guilt and self-pity he closed his eyes and fell into a deep sleep.

He opened his eyes. Stretched, yawned--morning, already? How long had he been out? Jesus, he could at least have found better shelter for the night. A quick glance around showed him no signs of the monster that had been chasing him. Thank God, but at the moment, hunger pangs in his stomach warned of a much bigger threat. If he didn't find water and food soon, his body would no longer have enough strength to save him from the worst fate of all.

It was daylight now and he had made it no further than the fork in the road but the road seemed somehow different. There were birds chirping and the sun beamed down upon his face. It was like he was being called upon to continue this journey, his misery had disappeared and a sense of hope filled his gut. Down the road to the right it appeared there was some sort of building up ahead. The left fork didn’t look nearly as promising. He stretched out his legs and threw his bag over his shoulder.

His mouth was as dry as a desert and his face and arms were covered with mosquito bites. Instead of a sprint all he could manage was a brisk walk towards the building. Anything was better than admitting self defeat and as long as his legs could carry him further there was a chance that things could be restored to normal and that the rest of humanity could survive the encounter with this strange disease and the monster carrying it.

To be continued…

Please leave comments below with ideas for the next part of this story, I'd like to collaborate with other authors in it's creation. Thanks for your support!