Here is my new story. Hope you like it. Please read and review. This is a short story as I am now working on my next one. It's called Soul Survivor, and is about Ponyboy being in the car wreck too. Hopefully the first chapter will be up soon.
Jayden Shepard exhaled sharply. She was shaking, chills racked her slender body as she thought of Ponyboy cold and alone tonight. She knew he was afraid of storms and thunder. She sat beside her cousin Tim as he drove to the Curtis house. Lightening lit up the sky when they got out. 'Please let him be home.' Jayden frantically thought. She ran across the porch and pounded hard on the door.
"Darry, it's Jayden and Tim," she said in a voice she didn't recognize. An instant later, the door was jerked opened.
She saw blue-green eyes, a broad chest and faded blue jeans that hugged lean hips.
Tim pushed her past him and they entered the tidy living room. Darry's eyes were icy, but his expression was surprised and concerned at the same time and he still had that iron will that had cost them both when they were dating.
"Tim, Jayden, why are you here?" he asked knowing she should have been at the camp where Ponyboy was.
"There was some trouble at camp. Pony . . . Pony," the words tumbled from her lips.
Darry stepped closer to her, but didn't touch her.
"You're hurt. Are you okay?" he asked.
"I'm fine, but Ponyboy is lost. I don't know what happened, but we need to get down to the school."
"I'm taking you to the hospital first Jay," Tim barked. "We'll meet you there."
"All right," Darry quickly agreed. "Soda, we gotta go. Come on," Soda came running out with Johnny.
Darry sent the quiet greaser to round up the rest of the gang and have Curly meet Tim and Jayden at the hospital. Ten minutes later they were on the way.
Darry Curtis knew better than to freak out even as he felt it closing in, he fought it. The man couldn't afford to panic not with Soda beside him trying not to break down again. Not with the gang in the back, and not with his little brother's life at stake. Gripping the steering wheel so hard his knuckles were white, and he drove faster to get to the school.
He pulled into the parking lot, praying it had been a mistake. He started shaking. Tremors shook him as a dozen different emotions hit him all at once. Shock, disbelief, anger and flat out fear. Turning to Soda, Darry saw the terror in his brown eyes.
"We'll find him. He'll be fine."
"He's only a little boy. Darry, we have to go get him."
"We will Pepsi-Cola, just calm down," Darry told his brother pulling him into a hug.
"Mr. Curtis, I'm Scott Jones. The search and rescue have been called to help find your brother. I was just about to brief them."
"Why can't you just go and get him?" Soda asked.
"It's not that easy," someone replied.
"Okay people, listen up, we've got a lost kid. Twelve years old," he pointed to a map. "Last seen at the Tulsa Red River Conservation Camp about three hours ago, when camp was evacuated."
"Why were they evacuated? How did Ponyboy get left behind?" Dally questioned.
"There was a small problem, and we didn't feel the children were safe. We are not sure how the child got left behind."
"What problem?" Soda demanded.
Realizing at once something was terribly wrong, Darry stepped toward Soda and put a hand on his shoulder.
:Mr. Curtis, let the professionals do their job. They will find him," Mr. Jones said.
"We're not going to sit here while Pony is lost out there," Darry growled.
The other greasers nodded and he noticed Tim and his boys there too. Soda shrugged Darry's hand off.
"Tell us what the hell is going on. Please that's our baby brother," he begged.
Mr. Jones sighed. "A fire was reported early this morning. We don't know how it started, but with the high wind and dry weather, it took off quickly. It's already burning out of control and the decision was made to bring the kids back."
"How was Pony left behind?" Darry growled.
"The children panicked, our head counselor didn't notice Pony was gone."
That was when Darry noticed Paul heading toward them.
"Darry, I'm really sorry about Ponyboy. I didn't realize he was missing until the busses arrived here."
"I'll bet," the oldest Curtis drew back his fist and belted him. "If anything happens to my little brother, I'm coming after you. Let's go boys."
The group of greasers walked out the door. Scott Jones hurried after them.
"Mr. Curtis, the fire is small. It can still be contained. Let the search party handle this," he ordered.
"Last time I checked I don't take orders from you and I am not leaving my 12-year-old brother out there. Get out of my way before I move you," he bit out.
"Darry, stop it. None of this is helping," Jayden said walking up to them. "I'll take care of them Scott. They are friends of mine."
"I'll be in touch," he walked off to study the map.
"Darry, come with me. I know the area where he was and the trails. We can go look for him," Jayden told him.
"All right. Let's get out of here," Tim bellowed. Soon three cars full of greasers were headed up to the camp.
"I hope it don't rain," Ponyboy Curtis whimpered aloud, wishing he was home with his brothers and friends. "Darry always said thunder was God moving furniture around, but I don't believe him."
Pony was scared, more scared than he ever remembered being. Even when his Mama and Daddy died because then Darry and Soda had been there.
It had all started when the other guys at camp were picking on him because he was a greaser. A group of them went on a hike and the counselor suggested a game of football. Pony knew he was in trouble. He was tackled several times, hit with the ball and tripped. Paul even egged them on. Eventually when the boy complained of a headache, Paul told him to go away. Pony wondered off feeling sick, sure that his ribs were bruised, the back of his head bleeding where he'd been hit. Pony shivered and huddled deeper into his thin jacket.
'Darry, come get me. I need you,' the young boy thought as thunder rumbled and lightening lit up the sky. He wanted to go home.
Darry drove as fast as he could, but it still took almost 30 minutes to reach Red River Camp. Jayden sat silently beside Soda starring into the darkness. The tension in the car was almost palpable. It was six o'clock now. Pony had been missing for five hours now. When they finally reached the campground, it was buzzing with activity. Getting out Soda threw his arms around his older brother.
"Dare, we have to find him."
"We will Sodapop."
Jayden looked at the group and knew it would be faster if only two went.
"Guys, I think Darry and I should go on alone," she said.
"No! I'm going to," Soda told them. They could see smoke in the woods.
"Oh God, Ponyboy," Soda felt like he's been punched in the stomach.
"Soda, I can't take you or anyone else into that," Darry told the boy.
"I'm going," he repeated.
"Please, I'm not telling you. Pepsi-Cola, I'm begging you to stay here. I can't concentrate on finding Pony if I'm worried about you too," he told his brother.
"I just want him back."
Darry nodded then addressed Jayden.
"Let's go."
Tim stepped up. "Don't worry about Soda. I'll keep him here. Be careful."
"Thanks, we will," after hugging Soda one last time, the couple slips unnoticed into the woods.
"This way," the sound of Jayden's voice jerked the greaser back to the present.
"There's a place Pony liked to go to think."
"Haw far?"
"Another half mile or so."
"I should have never made him come," he muttered under his breath.
"This is not your fault. Darry, he should have been safe. I didn't realize the boys had been picking on Pony. Paul told them he didn't belong there. I guess they were trying to make him go home."
The dark-haired man couldn't stop thinking that Pony was all alone. He was only 12. Still a kid, who was too young to know what to do in a forest fire.
"This is the area," they stopped, Jayden stood a few feet away. It was a cool night and Darry knew his brother would only have a light jacket or even worse his flannel shirt. He could feel himself losing it, but fought it because he didn't want to fall apart now.
Pony could see the fire burning from a distance, he had gotten lost on the trial and knew he was in danger. His head hurt and he was having trouble thinking. He had no way of knowing that at the rate it was burning, the fire could take hours to reach where he was.
Soda was pacing the room when Mr. Jones came storming in.
"Where's your brother?" he demanded.
"I don't know."
"Some of my people saw them headed into the woods."
"So," Dally snapped.
"So I can't guartnee their safety."
"Darry will find Ponyboy, that's all that matters."
"You don't understand how dangerous it is out there, if you don't know what you're doing, you die."
"Jayden knows what she is doing," Tim said.
Sodapop jumped up. "I have to do something. I can't just sit here anymore," he shouted.
"I have something you can do," Mr. Jones said.
"What?" they asked.
"We need to dig trenches so we can set back fires and hopefully stop it. We have men coming, but it will be awhile."
"Where do you want us?" Dally demanded while Tim went to the phone.
Soon the greasers were with the other men digging. Mr. Jones led about 20 more greasers down to help. He stopped by Tim.
"How did you get so many to come help?"
"We always stick together and take care of our own."
They could see the red glow of the fire against the skyline, smell the smoke.
"Oh God, Pony is in that!" Soda moaned.
"Easy Buddy, he'll be okay," Steve told him.
The light was fading and Darry knew that Ponyboy would be terrified all alone in the dark.
"He was here. Darry, look," Jayden pointed to a book by the tree. The man picked it up with a trembling hand.
"It's his. Why didn't he stay here?"
"He's prolly lost, but he can't be too far ahead."
The thought of Pony wondering around was tearing him inside out. Darry's face crumpled.
"Oh God, Jayden, he's got to be scared to death."
"Darry, I need you to calm down for me."
"I want him here with me."
"I know Dare."
He shut his eyes tightly trying in vain to stop the red-hot tears falling, but they refused to be stopped and ran unchecked down his pale cheeks.
This was not like Darry Curtis, who was used to being in charge and had to be taken over the care of his two youngest siblings after losing not one, but both parents in a tragic accident. His pain was too much and he couldn't hide it anymore. He fell to his knees.
"Where the hell is he?" He shouted.
"Darry, calm down. I need you to take a deep breath for me."
He tried, but ended up gasping.
"Dare,"
"I want Pony."
"Come here."
He almost didn't hear the whispered words. It was an offer of comfort and he desperately wanted it. Darry knew what being in her arms meant, her soft voice reassuring in his ear.
Darry was so tired of always being the strong one, always alone, always pretending he was fine. Just once for a little while he wanted to be held. When he wouldn't move, Jayden pulled him closer and he fell against her. She could smell his cologne. Memories assaulted her and she remembered how right they'd been together.
"It's killing me Jay. I want him back."
"We'll find him."
"Ponyboy means the world to me."
"Shh. I know. We will find him," she stroked his hair. "Go ahead and let it out. I've got you."
Darry didn't want to cry, not now, he needed to be strong for his brothers. He needed to be the rock they needed him to be.
After a long while his cried stopped and he moved away from her comforting arms.
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to do that. I don't have time for melt downs."
"It's okay. Considering the circumstances, it's totally understandable."
"Thanks Jayden."
"Your welcome Darry," they walked on occasionally they caught sight of a footprint.
"It doesn't make any sense," Jayden murmured.
"What?" Darry asked.
"He's weaving around. That's why the search party didn't find him. By the irregular pattern I would say he's hurt or in shock."
"That means Ponyboy could be headed right into the fire," Darry whispered.
They walked another 30 minutes before Jayden stopped.
"We're going to camp here, get an early start in the morning."
Darry stared at Jayden. "I'm not stopping," he told her.
"We are both overtired. We could miss something in the dark. It's late and I say we stop tonight."
"I have to keep looking."
"Dare, we need to rest so we can start fresh tomorrow."
"Fine," he reluctantly agreed. They sat up camp and soon had the small tent up. After a quick dinner, the couple turned in.
Pony tried to stay awake, he was so cold. He could smell smoke and knew he was in trouble. With the small flashlight that had been in his pack, the boy pulled out his notebook and started writing to have something to do. Back at the Red River camp, Sodapop was restlessly sleeping. By the time morning came, the fire was raging strong and fast.