Dallas Winston in a Christmas Carol

Chapter Three

Dallas fell back asleep shortly after he woke up, only to wake up again. He remembered the dream about New York. He remembered the little boy. He remembered everything. Memories plagued his mind.

He caught a glimpse of the pieces of glass scattered across the floor and sighed. He didn't understand why he didn't drink the beer. He normally did.

He heard a loud voice coming from across the hall. It wasn't anything new. Many people rented rooms for the night at Buck's. Still, Dally felt like there was something off about this. He slowly eased himself out of bed and rubbed his aching temples. His head was hurting something fierce. He'd have to grab some aspirins from Ponyboy. The kid always carried some with him.

When he walked out in the hallway he had to stop and lean against the wall. A man; a very large man; was sitting on a chair outside Dally's door. Dally knew what he was. He wasn't just a man. He was another spirit. Dallas was hoping it had all been a dream; Tim Shepard, the little girl, New York; all of it. He thought it might have been too much alcohol or he was coming down with something. He never imagined spirits.

But just because they were real didn't mean he had to listen to them.

The man stood up. He was tall; at least seven feet tall. He towered over Dallas. He had black hair and gray eyes that pierced Dally's blue ones. A handgun was in his lap but he made no move to use it against Dallas.

"Dallas Winston," he greeted.

Dally grunted.

"I've heard a lot about you."

He grunted again.

"I'm the ghost of the present day."

Another grunt.

The man sighed. "Touch the gun."

Dallas wasn't planning on touching that gun. As if reading his thoughts, the man said, "I know you may not want to touch the gun, Dallas, but believe me, it would be better if you did."

Dally slowly touched the gun and once again the colors blurred and the room span until it vanished.

XxX

Dallas had never been inside Johnny Cade's house. Sure, he had walked with the kid to the front, but never inside. He had a feeling Johnny was embarrassed. Dally wasn't sure why, though. He definitely wasn't living like a Soc either.

The house was filthy. Dust covered the countertops. Beer bottles were piled on the floor. The carpets were stained. Dally didn't even want to know what it was. Some of them were a dark red. Possibly blood...

Johnny Cade was lying on a small mattress in the corner of his bedroom. He had his door shut tight. A torn blanket hardly covered his body. Dallas could see even more red stains on the carpet. There were even some on the kid's t-shirt. It was no secret that Johnny was beaten. The entire gang knew. He often came over to the Curtis's after his dad hit him. They'd patch him up and try and cheer him up. They felt like they'd won the lottery if they got a small smile out of it afterwards. But they didn't realize it was this bad.

Dally didn't realize it was this bad.

Someone yelled "Boy!" and Dallas saw Johnny jump. He slowly got off the mattress and walked to the door. Or rather, limped, as Dally noticed. Johnny was wincing with each step. He limped right past them and Dally and the man followed him into the living room.

Another man was standing up with the aid of the armrest of the couch. He was the spitting image of Johnny. He had the same skin; the same black hair; the same dark eyes. Except, his skin wasn't covered in bruises. His hair wasn't clean and soft. His eyes didn't remind people of a kicked puppy. No, Mr. Cade's eyes reminded Dally of a monster.

Johnny's dad didn't say anything; not a single word. He just slapped his son across the face. His right cheek was red now. Johnny didn't say a single word. He was used to it. Dallas blinked. He didn't want to see this.

Mr. Cade kept hitting his son. The punches poured on Johnny's already bruised body. He didn't yell out in pain; he simply grunted when he was hit harder. Mr. Cade started kicking Johnny in the ribs after he fell. Dallas couldn't believe it. How had he not known how bad it was?

Dally stepped in front of Johnny. He wasn't going to just sit there and watch the kid get beaten to a pulp. Mr. Cade's fist flew right through Dally. Johnny simply grunted.

Dallas glanced down at his body. Nothing was there. No bruise. No scratch. Nothing.

Then something happened that made Dally freeze. Johnny screamed.

It wasn't a long scream, Johnny managed to cut it off pretty quickly, but it was still a scream. It was a pain-filled scream.

Johnny's dad kept kicking; kept punching; and Dally watched. He couldn't do anything. Johnny's scream just repeated itself in his head.

Finally, after what felt like eternity, Mr. Cade backed off. He grabbed his beer and muttered something under his breath before stumbling out of the room. Johnny lay on the floor for a moment, catching his breath. After a minute, he slowly picked himself off the floor. His limp was even more noticeable now. Dally heard the boy's breath hitch every so often.

Johnny eventually made it back to his room. Dally noticed how he didn't even attempt to treat his injuries. He just lay down on the old mattress. His eyes held defeat and fear. Dallas wished he could do something to take that away. The kid pulled the blanket up around him. It still didn't cover his entire body.

"He's afraid." Dally jumped at the sound of the man's voice.

"He's afraid to live," the man said. Dally nodded.

The dark colors all turned into a blur and the small form on the mattress vanished. Johnny's scream rang through Dally's mind.

XxX

Johnny and Ponyboy sat in the lot. Dallas was confused for a moment. He had just seen Johnny sleeping. But then he noticed a bag of ice in his hand. He must have gone to the Curtis's after all.

The two boys were talking.

"I don't think I can do this anymore, Pony," Johnny said. Dallas sat down, keeping his distance. He snorted. It wasn't like they could actually see him. Still, Dally made no move to get closer.

"What do you mean?"

"I hate my life. I mean, I like the gang. You guys are family. But-but, golly, I don't know. I think I should just kill myself." Dally gave a start. He didn't know the kid felt like this.

Thankfully, Ponyboy was quick to jump in and tell him how much he meant to the gang. Those two had a strange connection. Everyone in the gang knew it.

Dally turned to the man. "Is he gonna be ok? I mean, he's going to live right?"

The man looked at the ground. "He won't take his own life, but, I don't see a Johnny Cade in the near future."

Dallas just looked at the ground. He didn't even notice the colors change. He didn't even realize he was back in his room. He just lay down and stared at the ceiling. Johnny's scream continued to ring through his mind.

XxX

Well...how was that? Reviews? It's almost Christmas! YAY!