The Path Before Me (A Crowd-Pleaser)

Pg. 1: Let the Story Begin

Alright, my lovely readers! The voting period is up. Here is what the voters wish for me to write:

Post Apocalypse
Third Person POV
Young Adult Male Main Character
Starting Scene: Brink of Death

As promised, I will read and comment on a chapter for everyone that voted. I will do these throughout the week as I await the votes/comments for this chapter. 

Enjoy!

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Derek's feet painfully slid one in front of the other. His mind had far since given up on controlling his feet and yet he still continued to trudge forward. He had to focus every fiber of his being just to continue forward and find some sort of nourishment. As if to exemplify this goal, the vicious sun cast its harmful rays upon his unprotected body, attempting to suck out any and all water left in his body. His chest rose and dropped rapidly as his lungs struggled to continue functioning.

All he carried on his body were a simple pair of shorts for everything else - including those in his group - had been destroyed upon being attacked so many days ago. Though he travelled alone, his thoughts would not allow him to forget the horrors he had seen. He had been with these people long enough to begin caring about them and even trusting them. Then suddenly everything was ripped from him. Bodies were ripped to shreds, blood was splattered, and screams echoed through his head...even to this day. How long had it been now?

Amid his thoughts, Derek's feet did not step high enough to step over a rock in his path. His body slammed to the ground, sending a seething pain throughout his entire being. The jutting rocks pressed into his skin, trying to break contact in as many locations as he had surface. The scorched earth singed his skin causing his vocal chords to crack in a weak attempt to scream in pain.

Despite the consistent pain, his body welcomed the rest. His muscles were so weak they could not even tense in pain as his body relaxed and sprawled belly down on the deadly terrain.

This is the end. Derek thought to himself. Maybe this is for the best. I mean, what do I really have to live for? His body finally got to the point where the pain just faded into a dull pressure. He hadn't slept for days as the pains of hunger had caused sleep to evade him. Now that pain was gone too. Derek closed his eyes and his body emitted a long sigh of relief.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Derek was cold. Was it really night time already? He must have slept all day. But something was right...this coldness was within him. He felt it seem to slide down his body starting in his head and ending in his stomach. As the cold sensation continued to move through his body he became aware of other senses as well. He was no longer lying on his stomach nor on a rocky surface. It felt...metallic? He was also wearing a shirt now. No, not a shirt...a dress? A robe? He heard a soft, rhythmic tap that sounded like footsteps. He felt a small pressure on his chin causing his mouth to open and continue the cold sensation. That cold sensation...it must be water. He was drinking water.

Just as he made this realization, it stopped. He heard the tapping of the footsteps again, but they were fading, walking away from him. No, please don't go! He wished he could say. His body, however, was still too weak. He wanted more water. He wanted to thank whoever was giving him that precious liquid. He wanted to find out where he was. He wanted to know if he was safe.

Hours passed after his arrival to this place. At least it seemed like hours. He wasn't quite sure how long it had actually been as he had no way to track the time and he still hadn't received all his strength. He didn't realize just how close he actually had been to death. A person came by every now and then to bless him with water as well as some slimy substance that he couldn't tell if it was pudding, oatmeal, or just something pureed together.

Finally he was to the point where he could begin moving ever so slightly. It began in his finger and hands and then his eyes. All he could see above him were plain white ceiling tiles. And, of course, as soon as he was able to see is when the person stopped coming to feed him and give him water. He began to grow impatient, willing the rest of his body to start moving. He was still obviously weak as his muscles shook while he tried to push his torso up to get a better look at the room he was in.

He seemed to be in an office of some sort. It was cleaner than other buildings he had seen. Usually a room like this would have papers strewn all over the floor and the furniture sitting awkwardly throughout the room, but this actually seemed....normal. After several more painful moments, he finally got to the point where he was able to stand, though not necessarily on his own. Luckily there were several things throughout the room that he would be able to lean on when he wished to start walking. He just didn't know where to go from here.

To his right there was a regular wooden door that was slightly agape and through the crack it didn't seem like there was a light on. There was a line of file cabinets that ran along the entire wall to the door, making it an easy travel if he so chose.

To his left there was another door that was closed and this one had a window that leaked light into the otherwise darkened room. From where he stood there was only a potted plant and a small table that he could lean on in order to get to the door.

Which one should he take?

1 - The Right Door

2 - The Left Door