I’ve just left home after an ordinary dinner; not thinking once that it might be my last. It’s a cool, summer night while I bike through the forest, feeling the cool breeze blowing my hair. The thrill of flying courses through my veins and I feel as if I’m just about to lift off into the darkness of the sky marked by the many stars. I imagine being up there with the stars; lighting up the world like a spotlight or being the hope in a sea of gloom. Suddenly, I hear the sound of gunshots ringing through the forest, breaking the silence and peace.

I stop dead in my tracks and bit on my lip to avoid screaming. It takes all of my energy to not ride away, but at the end, curiosity takes the best of me. I know that I’m the closest to hope for the person who might be suffering and that I must help. I know in my gut that this has to be the next victim of the new gang that has moved into our quiet town. I quietly approach the place from where the shots rang out and as I get closer, I can hear cursing and shouting coming from a large, open clearing. Adrenaline runs through my body and my heart pounds in my ear and I can almost guarantee that everyone from Australia can hear me. When I peer into the clearing, what I see takes my breath away. There standing in the clearing are 4 masked teenage boys my age with guns trained on a guy whose back is to me. The guy looks about my age as well and he has dark brown hair that comes up to his neck and has been shot in his leg. I think of calling my parents or the police until I realize I’ve left my phone on the kitchen table in a hurry to get my exercise schedule in. I curse under my breath and look up. In the clearing, there are only 4 masked boys including the boy with the long hair. My math skills might not be great but I can put my money on there being at least 5 guys in that clearing last time I looked. One guy is missing and it seems like he’s right behind me when I hear a voice behind me holler, “Look, what we’ve got here!”
The guy behind me drags me to the clearing while I tremble all over with fear. I try reassuring myself that I can get away. But deep in my heart, I know that I won’t survive the night, definitely not with these guys. On their faces, I can see all the hatred, anger, and craziness that’s kept them going for many months and I know they won’t stop at nothing to kill me. So when one of them points a gun at me, I’m not the least bit surprised. What surprises me is when he shifts the gun to the boy beside me and shoots him right in the head. The guy goes motionless beside me and I hear his lifeless body hit the ground with a thud. Then, the guy who shot the longhaired guy shoots me in the chest. The impact makes me fall on my back. When I look up, I see all the stars lighting up the world and feel the loneliness they feel as they look at the world below them. The world continues on as if the stars are just a part of the background.