My feet dragged me down the alleyway that was getting pretty dark. The sun was setting in a variety of colors and the smell of smoke and water filled my nostrils. I turned another corner, getting closer to the end of the alley. One of my sneakers splashed in a nearly dried out puddle, letting water seep in my shoe.
"What is a kid doing here?" I heard and snapped around, instantly hitting my face against a firm chest. I backed up quickly to look at the figure. He was tall, scruffy, and was ripped. His head was shaved and he had a numerous of tattoos against his tanned skin. His cold black eyes glared me down. "What are you doing here, kid?"
"U-Um…"
The man paid no second thought as he brought up a fist, swinging it towards my face. My instincts kicked in and I sidestepped the punch and my left hand grabbed his wrist. He was about to rip the wrist away from my small hands, but his body went stiff. The dark eyes went wide, his mouth was closed shut in a firm line before the opened and blood flew out of his mouth. The man's body went limp and he fell down on the ground.
Is…he dead...no…no!
I dropped down on my knees and pressed fingers to his neck. There was no pulse. I killed him, just like the others. But this time I was conscious.
"What are you going to do now?" I weakly looked behind and myself with a clam smile. He—well, me—was covered in blood and his eyes were amused. But, I knew he was not actually there. The form was constantly flickering.
I could not speak, only gibberish came out of mouth. He sighed. "You're pitiful. Honestly, humans are weak. Now listen to me and follow my instructions if you don't want to get caught. Go home and don't return until tomorrow at dawn. There, certain instruction will be left for you to follow." My bloodied reflection faded away, leaving my shaking form with the corpse. I slowly got up. What else could I do besides being caught? As I made myself back home, I quickly made my way to my room, closing the door, and sliding to the floor. That's when I broke down. Tears fell like waterfalls and I clutched my legs against my chest. I was alone in the house right now, but I didn't want to see anyone at this moment.
My pulse pulsed hard and I screamed, punching the wall behind me. A cracking noise was muffled by the sounds of my sobs. My hand throbbed and I knew that my bone had shattered. It didn't matter anyways. It's not like it won't heal. I screamed again and a light from a lamp shattered. My tears continued and books flew across the room as well as other unattached things that weren't heavy. I guess the noise was so loud that I didn't notice that someone had entered the room. Hands embraced me tightly and I looked up to see who it is. It was Johnny.
"Ponyboy…what happened?" He asked.
"I…" I hesitated. "I'm just overwhelmed, t-that's all." I lied. How could I tell Johnny, the puppy of the gang, that I murdered people? I wiped away the stray tears from me eyes and grasped both of my arms against my biceps. My lips curled up in a small, fake smile. "I'm cool now, no worries."
Johnny frowned. "Are you sure?"
"Yeah, man."
The next day I went back to the alley just like I was told. There were no body. Instead there was a paper in a plastic bag. I picked it up, opening it and taking out the paper. It was a map. I unfolded it and instantly took notice of the red circle around an area. It wasn't too far from here. On the back of the map was a sticky note. I peeled it off and read the words.
Look behind you
I did and saw a duffel bag on the floor. Carefully, I opened it and recoiled. The stench of decay was so strong. The body inside was chopped up in multiple pieces. I zipped the bag up again. Was I supposed to take the body and leave it somewhere? Probably. I swung the strap over my shoulder and felt the weight of the man. If only I had super strength. With a jump, I soared in the air to find where the map was circled.
It was afternoon when I got back home. Only one other person died from my left hand touching them.
I hurried into my room, closing the door shut and locking it. There was only one solution, and that was to lock myself away. If I can't see anyone, how could I kill them?
o-o-o
Sodapop's POV…
Ponyboy's been acting strangely. When I saw him passing the DX a few days ago, he avoided me and his eyes were dark. Pony's been locked in his room for days. He only comes down when he goes to school, but locks himself in his room when he comes back. Johnny said that Ponyboy wasn't talking to him or anyone either. I'm really worried.
Ponyboy has been eating less and less too and he won't open his door all that much.
"Ponyboy?" I asked, knocking on the door lightly. I heard ruffling on the other side. "Can I come in?" No answer. I jiggled the knob. It was locked.
Darry stood behind me with bags under his eyes. I wasn't the only one affected by this sudden shut-in. Everyone in the gang was.
"If you don't come out, we're breaking down this door." Darry declared. "On the count of three."
"Darry I don't think-" Johnny started. I forgot the rest of the gang was there.
"One."
"It's not worth it." Steve said.
"Two. Three" Darry went to slam his body against the door, but the door opened and he fell in. Ponyboy was standing there, eyes darting across the room at everyone. His hands tightly gripped against his arms.
"You're alive!" I cheered and tried to hug him, but Ponyboy flinched away. His hands gripped tighter around his arms, making them turn a mixture of white and blue. Was something wrong with his arms? I always see his hands on them like that. My mouth opened to say something, but I heard a loud knock on the door. Someone's at the door? We hardly ever get visitors that knock.
Ponyboy went to go back to the room but Darry grabbed his collar. "You're coming too."
I opened the door first and found four men outside. Two were officers, the others were…detectives? The two non-police members flashed badges. "Hello, can we come in?"
"Sure… What's wrong?" I stepped aside, letting them in. Two-Bit rounded a corner, instantly catching sight of the newcomers.
"Uh-oh. What did Darry do this time?"
"No. This isn't about Darry." One of the detectives said. Everyone else rounded the corner. Ponyboy instantly froze in spot at the sight of them.
"We're here to talk about, Ponyboy Curtis."
o-o-o
I've been feeling really down lately. One of my best friends is hospitalized because she tried to commit suicide... It just sort of happened out of the blue. I don't really know how to deal. But, thanks for reviewing: Goldenthorns, KaiTheB, and awolnation319.