A Fork in the Road

   
Here is a short story I wrote for my English class. I plan on fleshing it out and turning it into a novel, and eventually give it a sequel as well. Please review and/or rate!

    In a night full of stillness, there was a loud band. It was the bang of a gun in the middle of a war. The men had been fighting all day and all night for as long as they could remember. The war had no real meaning, and no one understood why it even started. The only thing they could think of was the struggle between the North and South.
    The town was never interrupted by this kind of madness before. It seemed like a decent place to live. That is, until the North and South began proclaiming that one was better than the other. It was not a big fuss, and the others seemed to ignore the insults. Although the North was full of rich men and beautiful women, there were a few people without jobs and no life to live were staying close to the border. These men and women were never respected and seemed to never even move a muscle. The South had the same ordeal, and they too stayed close to the border. This group was known simply as, the Neutral.
    Among this group was a man known as Johnny. He was the better man of the group, as he had a house, but no money. The house had been abandoned a few years ago and was quickly occupied by him and a few others. Johnny was an intelligent man. He invented things in his spare time and donated them to the South. These items seemed to help them in general life and give them a bit of an advantage over the North. Nothing was given to Johnny, just the words 'Thank you.' To Johnny, though, this was a lot. He never did get a pat on the back, or even a dime, but someone thanking him gave him a bright smile that could be seen miles away. Once he would hear those words, he would go back to the house and sleep better than any other night.
    The others in that house were in a worse condition than him, but he still thought of them as family. There was a lady with a baby, a young man, and an old man. They all have never had a real life, and look at Johnny as sort of a savior. He always dresses as clean as he can and has a bit of a glow to him. He knows he has become one with the Neutrals and has a difficult decision to make.
    Every morning, the group would hold a discussion. They talk about anything possible, as a way of bringing in some excitement to the house. It ends up being a laughing matter, and they all agree it was a positive doing. Sometimes, though, the discussions would get serious and escalate to a vicious argument. On this morning, Johnny decided to bring up his situation. this situation has become something of a hard decision in his life. Recently, he has been approached by a man from the North, his name is Sal. He seems to be a rich man, like the others from the North. He has found out about Johnny's numerous inventions donated to their rivals and wanted to make him an offer. The offer was a life of richness, fame, and happiness. A life in the North was nothing short of greatness and Johnny seemed very happy to hear this proclamation. He sat down at the table and looked at the group. All of them wore the same face, the face of simplicity. None of them had much to talk about and didn't seem eager to be there.
    "I was approached by the North," he said as he looked around the room. "They want me to move up there and work. I will make a lot of money and have a better life than what I have now."
    A man interrupted him. It's the old man, he is holding a dirty, torn blanket around him.
    "A better life? Your family is here, this is where you grew up." He tightened the blanket. "Nothing is better than this."
    Now the woman sat forward, her baby sleeping in her arms. "If this is what he wants, then he should go for it. Life in the North is better than here whether you like to admit it or not."
    Johnny stood up. "When the North asked me to move, I didn't know how to respond."
    The old man stood up in response. "Why not tell them that you are happy where you are?"
    "How do you know that I am happy?" Johnny raised his voice a little, the baby woke up and started crying. The lady began rocking, and looked up at the old man.
    "Let him make his own decisions."
    "I'm not making his decisions for him, I'm simply saying that this is his life. The South is where we belong." He sat back down, seeming calmer, "If he wants wealth over friendship than that's his problem."
    Johnny stayed standing. "Tomorrow morning I will make my decision known. For now we all just need some sleep." They all went to bed except for the old man. He sat there at the table, holding his blanket tighter every minute. He looked at Johnny as sort of a son. If he lost him, then he would lose everything in his life. This house was like family. They looked after each other and always talked about things. In a way, he wanted Johnny to move to the North, he wanted him to live a better life. He knew that this life is at its low point and won't get any better. The man finally got up and lay down in his bed, After a few minutes, he drifted off to sleep.
    The next morning the old man awoke to a horrible argument. He walked into the living room to see the mother yelling at a man. The baby is laying on a dirty blanket, screaming its lungs off. The old man picked up the baby and it was instantly quiet.
    "You made him think that no one would care if he moved! Now look what happened!" The man yelled to the woman, and then he looked at the old man, "Johnny left."
    The mans heart dropped like an anchor into a sea. He didn't know what to say. This man that seemed like a son was gone and may never come back. He's living a better life, but it isn't with his close friends that are considered family. Johnny would be living in the North, in a clean house, with clean clothes, clean friends, and lots of money. The South would never see his face again.
    Johnny walked the whole way, never looking back. He approached Sal and shook his hand. The hand of a rich man has never been in Johnny's grasp until this moment.
    "I see you heard my offer," he said as he let go of Johnny's hand. "Let me just say that we are honored to have you joining our fine side of the town. You will see that your decision will be one of the best ones in your life. Nothing is better than having money and living the life you dreamed of."
    Johnny sat down on a chair. It was nice and soft, the chair of a rich man. He never sat on a chair this elegant in his life. It almost took him to another world, draining out the sounds of the North until Sal spoke again.
    "Johnny, if you dream it, you can live it. You're in the North now. This place is way different than the South. You used to live in an abandoned house with a bunch of nobodies. They sucked you up into their lifestyle and transformed you into one of them. Listen, you don't deserve the life you've been living. You deserve what you can get in the North. This is where you belong.
    "Don't let anyone change your mind. You've decided to join us, and that is the only thing that matters. Your future is full of wealth, happiness, and love. Yes, this is what your life should be like. Your dreams have finally come true! Forget the past, forget your so called family, forget what you know, and become what you deserve to be. This is only the beginning, Johnny, and much is to come. You will soon find out that this is what dreams are made of."
    Johnny was certainly astonished by waht he had just heard. Is his life nothing more than a lie? Had he been pull into the life he has only because of the others in the house? Why does he deserve all of this? He knows that Sal has been doing his research and knows of Johnny's inventing skills. This could be some way to get an advantage over the South. To get Johnny on his side could only mean a huge win over the South. Sure, the South has come of Johnny's great creations, but that is all in the past. The ideas are flowing like a river, new technology is being brought up, and the inventions can only get better. Johnny knows that if he lives this life he will haveto work a tremendous amount.
    "Why do you want me so badly? Why do I need to join your side?" This war is pointless and has no meaning. What would my knowledge help?"
    "Johnny boy, this war has much meaning. It's the battle of power, the battle to find out which side reigns supreme. We all know that this side of the boundary is the better half, but we must bash the respect into the low lives down south and prove our strength to them. With your help, we can do it."
    "The South is where I grew up, they made me feel like one of them."
    Sal smiled a little. "And that's where the problem lies. You are a brilliant man, Johnny, you should never've been living there in the first place."
    Johnny stood up and looked Sal dead in the eyes. "Sal, I left my house to come here and tell you something. I know a man, an old man, his name is George. I look at him like a father. Then there is Joanna, she was married and had a kid. Her husband left her and joined the North. There is Billy, he's in his twenties. Me and him are close friends. Sal, you don't want to hear me say this but... they are my family. Nothing can separate me from them, not even the most money you cant offer.
      'I grew up in the South, I die in the South. I know what to do, and I know that it's the best decision I've ever made. I told my family I would let them know my decision in the morning, and here it is, eleven o'clock. Sal, I have to go let them know that I will be staying with them until the end."
    Sal looked shocked as Johnny turned around and walked away.  Sal never said a word as Johnny made his way back to the South. He walked past a torn down house and everything sunk in. At first, he felt bad for whoever it may be that lived in the house, and then realized. It was his house. The abandoned house had fallen.
    "What did I do?" He knelt down, looking at the wreckage.
    "Oh, you didn't do anything."
    The voice startled him and he stood up. After turning around he found out that the voice came from none other than Sal. He had an evil smile painted on his face.
    "With a few quick calls, this place you call home has been, should we say, taken away."
    Johnny jumped up in rage and walked toward Sal. He grabbed him by the collar and got in his face.
    "Fix all of this, now!"
    "I can't do anything. It's all up to you. You decide your fate." Johnny let go of his collar and looked down to the ground. Sal continued, "You either join my side, like planned, or you stay here, homeless. Johnny, the decision is clear, you don't have time to think about what has happened. Your so called family is gone and that is a good thing."
    "No it isn't." With a swift lunge, he planted a fist right into Sal's jaw. "They were my family! This was my home! Nothing can take that away!"
    He turned around saw his close friends. They are standing in a line, wearing smiles, something they haven't seen on each other for a very long time.
    "What kind of sick game is this?" Johnny said as he whips some sweat off his forehead.
    "It really isn't a game, Johnny." The old man stepped forward. "But you just made the best decision in your life."
    "Hopefully it's the last one I have to deal with for a while."
    The group had a little celebration and began walking away from the unconscious foe. Johnny and the others had no where to stay, so they made peace with the subway station until the day. The day Johnny was contacted by the leader of the South, Alexander. He let Johnny know that he was proud of him standing up for their side of the line and not taking up the offer from Sal. Alexander heard of Johnny's house getting demolished and offered a home and an actual salary for Johnny working as what he does best, an inventor. George, the old man, was offered a spot as a janitor. He didn't mind, as he was paid enough and was proud to be working. He got to know a lot of people and became a well-known man. Joanna became a waitress, she loved it. Billy didn't want to work. Instead, he offered to look after Joanna's baby.
    Johnny became popular in the South and was close friends with Alexander. A few years after he got the job, Alexander was murdered by an accomplice of Sal. johnny took the spot of leader of the South and vows to find out who killed Alexander.