Follow the Stars

Once upon a time there were two young, vibrant lads. Maybe too young for this city that they called home. It was just too corrupt for the two to handle. The streets flooded with robbers, murderers, and beggars within the city and the police had no means to change it.  They were as corrupt as the rest of them. Everyone was petrified to walk outside, because they didn’t know whether they would get a hole in their chest or have their pockets cleansed by grimy thieves . The two lads wanted to change this city. In the meantime, they gave the city a nickname. Gotham City. 

“Stop lookin’ so blue and come over here  Johnny” said in a deep, mellow voice. The sun was setting into a ray of orange and red. That warm, summer breeze started to kick in. Fireflies start to blossom and light up the surrounding areas. “Johnny, are you deaf or somethin? Come on!” Johnny looks at him, silence for a second, and speaks “ I heard you the first time Derek.” Johnny finally gets up and goes to the ledge that Derek was at. “It’s about time isn’t it” said in a devious way. “It sure is Johnny. Now plant it over there.” Derek points to an open space on top of an abandoned building that looks like it had been burned down at some point in its life. Johnny sprints down the stairs with a ragged bookbag. He runs into the burnt building and gets onto the roof. At this point,  The sun has completely set and it has become pitch black outside. 

“Five! Four! Three! Two! One! Light it Johnny!” there is a slight pause. Then. Bang! Bang! Bang! The  night sky was vivid red, orange, and yellow. Along with the noise from the fireworks, Derek hears a roar of cheers from a distance. Then those roars turned to riots. In this city, fireworks were extremely illegal, and Derek knew this. The riots were starting to get louder and louder. Derek looked down from the ledge and saw people the worst in people from his actions. Crack! Crack! Derek looked over his shoulder. Hesitant to move like a deer in front of a car. Then he noticed it was just Johnny running up the noisy staircase. Johnny yells “it is time to leave this forsaken city now, isn’t it?” as he makes it up the staircase, gasping for air. “No. Not just yet. I want to finish what we started. A Revolution has begun in front of us.” 

Johnny starts to reacquire his breath again. “ I understand that you want to watch to the end of this. I have always been with you. I saw the things you have seen. I walked the same path as you. The city has damaged the both of us but I promise mom that I will protect you Derek. Don’t you remember mom? Mom was our star” slight pause.” She died in this forsaken city, because this city is unforgivingly cruel and I don't want you to die brother along the same fate as our mother. We mustn't dwell on the past but live for the future. Forget this city. You. Me. we can’t fix this place.” Johnny puts his hand on Derek’s shoulder. “If not for me, do this for mom and leave  this city with me.” There was silence between the two for a while.

“What about our father?” said in a discomforted voice by Derek. “He is a Scum. He left us to rot in this city for a better life for himself.” Johnny says in a reassuring tone “ I understand your pain, but we must leave before the cops show up and arrest us. We just needed the fireworks so the police would lighten up their paltrow on the border ”. The sirens were getting louder by the second.The two ran down the stairs, but by the time they  reached the street the cops were there. The two ran right back inside and found a back exit. The riots in the streets weren’t calming down. There was glass on the ground. Bodies were everywhere. Alive and dead ones. It is amazing that something as little as setting off fireworks could be the breaking point of something that could become so devastating Johnny thought. “As long as we make it to the river by the church, we should be safe Derek”.”But how will we get there with so many people on the roads along with the cops trying to find us?” said Derek, unsure about his brother’s tactics. “ Just follow me.” Johnny enters an abandoned house that looks like it could have been a nice house at one point in its life.

Johnny opens up a door that leads to the basement. Tic. Tic. Tic as they walked down the old staircase, while making sure to go slowly to ensure that they won’t fall through the staircase. They finally reach the dungeon that they called the basement. “ it should be right over here.” there was a slight pause. “Wha? What should be here johnny?” Said nervously. “ Here it is.” there was excitement in his voice. Johnny was standing over an ancient viking chest. There was an evil looking dragon encrypted on top of the chest along with a lock. Johnny pulled out a key that seemed worn down, but it still worked. It creaked open like a door at an old house.

“This is what mom told me about before she died. She said to not open this until you are ready to leave this city along with your brother Derek.” Johnny continues to open the box. “She never told me what was in this though, i guess it will be a surprise.” Johnny gasps as he looks into the box. “What is it Johnny?” He didn’t respond, so Derek pushes him out of the way to get a closer look inside the box.

It was gold. The whole box was full of shiny gold. “Oh my God, we are rich johnny! We don’t have to work another day in our life. Do you know how happy i am?” Johnny was still speechless. There was a note inside and he started to read. His speechlessness turned into sobbing a moment later. He fell to his knees and his fragile voice speaks “thank you mom”. “What does it say johnny?” Johnny slowly passes the dirty piece of paper to Derek. Derek grabs the paper and reads it out loud.

“ Dear Johnny, I was corrupted by this place like so many people before me. I become the person I swore to protect you from. I am sorry that I had to end my life like this but it was the only way. I give you this gold as my farewell gift and get out of that city that corrupts many. Start a new life. Make sure Derek comes with you. When you two are together, no one can stop you. Goodbye son, sorry it had to end this way.”

Derek looks over at Johnny, which he is still on his knees, and tells him “ Get up Johnny, it’s not time to cry, we must do what mom said and leave this city. It only has caused us trouble”. Johnny stands up with a spark in his eyes now. “You’re right Derek, we must keep moving. Get that bag over there and we can put the gold in that”. Derek corresponds to Johnny’s request and gets the bag and brings it over to the box. Crickkkkkk! Crickkkkk! “Hurry up, put the gold in the bag. There is someone coming down the stairs.” said johnny.

There was the shadow of a man with a hat casted onto the floor of the basement. It was obvious now that it was a cop since the shadow seemed to have on one of those sheriff belts with a sidearm in it. Although it was only one man coming down the flight of stairs. The two of them finished bagging the gold and rushed to the corner of the room and hid behind a couch. The police man finally reached the bottom of the staircase and started yelling “ I know there is someone down here. I heard you down here”. The policeman went to the box and noticed there was gold, so he picked it up. “ Damn, this is heavy!”. Derek stands straight up and screams “ don’t touch my gold!”. The cop pulls out his gun and points it at Derek and Johnny jumps in front of him. Bam! Bam! Bam!

Johnny opens his eyes. He is looking up on the beautiful sun setting sky wondering where he is. He looks around and sees Derek. Derek says “stop lookin’ so blue and come over here Johnny”. Johnny was still confused. He heard  Derek repeat himself. “I heard you the first time Derek”. Johnny gets up and goes to Derek looking off the ledge with him. “We shouldn’t go through with this plan Derek, i have a bad Feeling about this”. “Then what should we do johnny?”. “We should just stop wasting time trying to fix this city and just leave Derek.”. “Does that mean no fireworks?”. “Yes Derek, that means no fireworks.”. The sun finally sets and the stars start to align. “We can do what you wanted Derek to do and follow the North Star until we make it out of the city and find a place without corruptness”. “Alright lets do it than”. They got off the building and found a road that led towards the north star. They say that they are still on that road trying to find a place. A place without corruptness.