I woke up on the couch, my head in Steve's lap. I slowly stood up and jumped down, still seeing no sign of Ponyboy or Dally. I stretched and settled myself on the floor, listening to the conversations of the rowdy boys.
"We got those Socs good! Boy howdy, I can't wait to see them try to mess with us again!" Two-Bit said with a grin.
"Damn straight, they're gonna get their asses whooped if they ever mess with me or Sodapop here again!" Steve agreed, slapping Soda on the back, who howled and caused the rest of the gang to go into another frenzied conversation about the Socs. I smiled inside, pleased we had won the rumble and nobody had been hurt too badly. Everyone laughed and talked until the door burst open.
Ponyboy stood there, his face covered in dried blood and bruises.
"Where have you been?" Darry asked through gritted teeth, but his hard stare softened when he got no response from his younger brother and noticed the sullen look on his face.
"Pony?" Soda asked in a concerned tone.
"Johnny's dead. We told him about beating the Socs and I don't know, he just died. Dally's gonna blow." He announced, and stared at the wall. The gang was stunned.
Johnny was dead. I couldn't believe it, Johnnycakes was gone. I could sense the sadness in the room, and then the phone rang unexpectedly. Steve leapt up to answer it, and I couldn't quite make out Dally's voice on the other end of the line, but I knew it was him.
"Darry? Sure man here he is," Steve said, and passed the phone to Darry. We all listened intently to what he said.
"Sure. Ok. The lot? Yea we'll be there in just a minute Dally. Ok. Bye." Darry hung up and turned to the gang. "That was Dally. He just robbed a store and told us to meet him in the lot." He said quietly. The whole gang jumped up and ran out the door, followed by me. I could just tell something terrible was going to happen, and despite the pain in my side I ran as fast as I could, passing the rest of the gang. I came up over the hill to see three cop cars and Dally running, where he turned to stop in front of a street light. The glow from the lamp encircled him, and he stood there firm. I saw the cop raise his gun, and I raced over to Dally.
The shot went off.
I jumped.
A searing pain shot through my body, and I collapsed on the road.
"Shadow no!" Dally screamed, but I didn't mind he was upset with me. I had saved him, and that was all that mattered. I was beginning to see black, when I heard another shot and then felt something thud beside me. I turned and saw Dally, he too had been shot. No. I tried to save him, and failed! This couldn't be happening. The gang had finally caught up to us, and they stood there with horrified looks on their faces. I knew I was going to die. So many thoughts raced through my mind at that second, a special memory of each person in the gang. Falling asleep every night with Soda. Shoplifting with Two-Bit. Steve sneaking me food under the table. Those secret nights in the lot with Johnny. Darry throwing the ball for me. Ponyboy taking me for long walks. Dally saving me that first night.
All of it rushed back to me, and I barely managed to crawl over to him. A tear rolled down his cheek, and I barely heard the final words he whispered, just for me to here.
"You were just like Johnny. Now he's gone, and you're gonna be gone, so I have to go too." Those were the last words I ever heard, and I drew my final breath. I had done what I was supposed to, I had tried to save Dally and I lived a good life with the gang. But that night I died just the way I had been when they first found me. Scared, beaten up, and hiding in the shadows.
Epilogue
It had been a month since the three members of the gang had died. All of the gang had been affected in some way. Pony missed being woken up by Shadow licking his face, and he especially missed walking to school with Johnny. Two-Bit didn't make as many jokes as he used to, and stopped shoplifting, because he was so scared of getting caught like Dally. Soda's eyes didn't sparkle quite as much as they used to, and Steve couldn't stand not having Johnny to look out for or Dally to have play fights with. Darry wished that the old football teams could be back to normal, and that everything could be back to normal. Nobody was the same.
Soda was in the kitchen, rain falling down hard on the roof, thinking about how if Shadow had been there she would have probably begged for some food, and he would have given in and fed her some chocolate cake mix. But those days would never come again, they wouldn't have a dog. He looked out the window, staring at the rain forming small puddles on the ground, listening to the sound of the storm raging outside, when to his amazement he saw a dog that looked just like Shadow. He knew it couldn't be her, she had died along with Dally and Johnny. But still, it looked so similar to her. Then the animal turned around and Soda saw that it wasn't solid black like Shadow, but it had brown spots on it as well. He recognized it to be the dog she had been with the night of the rumble.
His face lit up and a plan started forming in his head. The gang was all still very upset about losing Dally, Johnny, and Shadow, and a dog might be just the thing that would cheer them up. He raced outside in the pouring rain, and called for the dog, who came trotting forward. He let it come into the house and dried it off, a pleased smile on his face. He knew that everyone would be really pleased with his decision, and the more he thought about it the better of an idea it seemed. Dally would have done the same thing, and its what Shadow would have wanted. He thought about what to name the dog, and then decided to think like Dally would. He found Shadow in the shadows, earning her her name. All of a sudden something clicked in Soda's head.
"Storm!" he said aloud. To his surprise the dog responded to the name immediately. He could tell Storm would fit right in with the gang, and a slow smile spread across his face as the door opened and Steve and Two-Bit came bounding in.
Well that's it! The story is over :( but I have decided to make a sequel! (obviously about Storm) I am so glad that so many people have been reading and reviewing, thank you guys so much! I know the ending was kinda cheesy, and also its weird that Soda would just know to name him Storm, but I really didn't want to change his name. I hope that you guys have enjoyed this story, it has been so much fun writing it! Thanks guys!