Saving Pony

Johnny's back

Yee Yee for Bright-Shine

Ponyboys POV

"Stay gold Ponyboy, stay gold"
Johnnys pillow sank. and he was gone. forever this time. I looked up at Dallas tearfully feeling sick to my stomach. he didn't deserve this. Dallys face was pale and i could tell he was having a mental argument with himself only he could hear. Dally gave me sad gentle eyes like ive never seen before. "kid," he started placing his hand on my shoulder. "maybe you should sit down. you look sick" tears began to fall and my breathing went shakey. Johnny was dead. But he couldn't be. I would go and meet him at the lot to play football. We would light a cigarette, and talk for ages about things we never told anyone else. "Dont touch me" I snapped at Dallas I hadn't even expected it. But to be honest, I felt kind of loopy. He looked taken back but let go. "Pony-" he began to say something but i couldn't hear him, I was blocking him out. I bumped into doctors flooding into Johnnys little room with sad faces and paperwork. My best friend just couldn't be dead.

soon as I ran out of that hospital, I had no clue where I was headed. The direction I chose was entirely up to me. I found it funny how I couldn't seem to run in a straight line, and happened to stumble every step.I just couldn't handle the gang right now. Much less dally. He attempted to reach for me as I bolted through the door but I wedged past him. "Don't do anything stupid kid. Or I'll personally kill you!" He called after me in the distance. The dark hospital room that was once occupied by Johnny Cade soon turned into a bright hallway light on shiny white marble. Me feet pounded down the nearly empty area, faster than I normally would have, but my legs were wobbly and weak.

Tears of sadness and anger and self pity boiled up inside of me and finally tears began to cascade down my cheeks.

I couldn't take it. My parents, and now my best friend. How could I live without him. I would never have someone to turn to that was as thoughtful as Johnnycakes. I crinkled my nose at his nickname as tears began to fall harder. I could never call Johnny Johnnycakes again. That felt like running right into a wall at full speed. It hurt. Alot.

I pushed past doctors and nurses through the hospital doors, back into darkness, the only thing I could see were the faint street lights shining down in the wet tar road, and my feet hitting the ground at a million miles an hour. It had just poured, and the way my clothes were drenched and sticking to my body showed it.
I felt dizzy all over and wondered if I would fall flat onto my nose.

My body lurched and my legs suddenly couldnt support my weight anymore. My knees buckled as I fell onto my hands. The area spun, it felt like I was on a carousel, and my thoughts were racing, and my ears were ringing to the point of insanity. I put my elbows over my ears to try and make it stop.

But it wasn't working. They only rang louder almost splitting skull with throbs. What was it gonna be like now? What would I do without Johnny. I would never watch another sunset with him. Throw another football. That week at the church brought us closer than ever. And now he was gone. I couldn't do anything about it. Wasnt something i could pull out a book and study for. I couldn't run my way to the finish line to fix it. I couldn't cry to Darry, because even Superman can't bring people back alive.

I attempted to crawl, lifting myself up, but failed and landed back on my elbows, my head hitting the ground below me this time. I hardly knew where I was at. My feet just took me wherever, Until I got a good glance of a fountain that was being illuminated by a passing cars headlights. The park.

My stomach have another good lurch remembering the night my head was held in the fountain as the screams of Johnny were heard from a distance through my plugged ears. Sucking in dark murky water after attempting to take a breath.

Waking up next to Johnny and his guilty face, uttering the simple words " 'i killed him" the train up to the old church. The church that burned, bringing Johnny and a piece of timber down with him. This wasn't my life. Its a nightmare. It had to be. It was like the nightmares I had after my parents died. Sodapop would shake me awake and hold me tightly against his chest, comfortingly. Then I would drift off under his arm, into a good sleep until dawn.

I glanced around for the gang, or any sign I was dreaming- the gang. Dally. Where was he.

I wondered foolishly where Dallas was, and longed to wrap my arms around sodas body and Burry my head into his shirt. Thinking about what Dallas was doing only scared me more. I knew what he was capable of.

I rolled over onto my stomach- my faces centimeters from the ground, and to my surprise a small gathering of blood pooled around me. I nearly had a heart attack right there in the gutter. Was I bleedin'?

Despite my panic I had to move out of the road. Darry would kill me for sure. I mustered up my strength and wobbled a few feet over to the fountain, before collapsing against the stone, my fingers brushing in the water.

I couldn't take it. Tears came so fast I was sure I wasn't going to take another breath again- just like Johnny. That thought only caused me to sob more and more until I was completely light headed.

I felt like I had been doing flips for days and when I lifted my head up and could hardly see anything but the sun starting to rise- and the blur of lights. I would normally enjoy the sunset and all the colors, but my mind was racing. Sunsets reminded me of Johnny- Johnny is dead...

I could tell it was almost morning when I heard birds begin to chirp and the sunset fade a bit. I wondered loopy where I was. And for the first time, I noticed the sharp intruding pain in the side of my temple, I gingerly reached my finger up to it and winced in pain. An open cut. I pulled my fingers away and looked at the crimson running down my fingers.

I felt it running down my cheek too, mixing with my tears. But I couldn't stop crying for the life of me. must have been at it for a few hours now. Not sure how i managed to not fall asleep. Normally I would contain it until I wasnt in public, or at least just with Sodapop. But I couldn't stop it. No matter how hard I tried.

The lights really got alot brighter and for a second I thought the sun had magically come up all the way. Blinding me shortly. But I never figured out the answer because I couldn't stop the darkness that was blocking my vision, and the feeling of falling as it went blank.

Darry POV

"Dar!" Soda screamed at me surprisingly, nearly making it so I nearly drove us off the road. I was struggling to stay awake. We had been at it for 3- almost four hours. Soda gave me a watery smile, that told me he knew we could find him. But I wasn't so sure. "If he doesn't show up Dar' i dunno what I'll do!" Soda buried his head into his hands and began to cry. "Can't lose them both. Not pony and Johnny. Oh lordy Darry" I reached out and began to rub his back gently, keeping my eyes in the road but the occasional glance in Sodas direction. "Hey little buddy-" I started but Soda jumped up almost flying through the roof with excitement. "DARRY!" He screamed "Stop the car! Look! It's Pony, oh my lord!!" He smiled. I slammed my foot down on the break hard.

My headlights illuminated Ponyboys weak figure leaning. Feebly against the fountain. He shielded his eyes from the cars light for a second, then his head dropped like led. That scared me more than anything. "Oh my-" soda gasped not wasting another second, he almost tore the door off the hinges trying to open it in desperate attempt to make it to our brother.

"Darry!" Soda shouted the panic evident in his voice. "He's covered in...blood." I knelt down beside my baby brother, sick to my stomach. He had a gash on his temple that was gushing freely down his face and neck. Tears were still running down his face although he wasnt conscious. He merely leaned against the fountain his arms in the water. And he was almost hugging the structure. I was starting to notice more bruises the longer I looked at him, but I couldn't waste anymore time. He was already a mess from losing Johnny. Now he was out here Alone bleeding to death!

I scooped him up, as he hung out of my arms he let out a faint moan in pain. I pushed the hair out of his eyes and looked down at him. He looked so sad that I almost began crying myself. "Can you hear me Pone?" I asked. After a second he faintly nodded his head. That was enough to give me some hope.

His body was freezing cold, though his face was hot to the touch. "Glory! Soda we gotta get his temperature down and get him in dry clothes, before he catches pneumonia!" I practically screamed. I jumped into the back, Pony limply in my arms, as Soda ripped through the streets like he was chasing fire.